Note: This blog has been moved to http://blog.yuvisense.net

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Lack of Comments...

Well, I've been getting almost 100 visits a week of late, but the last 5 posts have almost no comments! So, even if you are reading this via an RSS Aggregator, I'd like you to comment on my posts. Dude, that's one area where RSS Readers need to improve. Without comments, a Blog doesn't look like a Blog : More lika a Newspaper Column:D Thanks, and Keep the comments coming, Really:D....

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Shehwag goes Geek...

Well, maybe Sehwag's on a race to become a Geek. If you had seen my pervious post, you'd know that he's got his own Blog. Now, he's actually got his own Site... Well, one thing stands out though : Both are hosted on MSN. Though the MSN Spaces thing is normal, it kinda puzzles me why MSN actually hosts his Site... Well, maybe, Marketing ?:D Hey Microsoft, fancy getting Sponsorship for the next Leg of Indian Cricket ?:P So, maybe, Google might get Sachin:D It's all about Marketing... Thanks, and Keep the comments coming....

Of Morts, Elvises and Einsteins...

Well, I heard of programmers being classified as Morts, Elvises and Einsteins. Just wanted to say how unfair it actually was : It classified them based on Languages! That' sooo Mortish:P Since, it says a typical Managed C++ Guy is an Einsein, while a Typical VB.NET Guy is a Mort and a Typical C# Guy is an Elvis.... Well, I absolutely disagree. A VB.NET Guy can be an Einstein. And, an MC++ Guy can be a Mort as well... Let me give you an Example. Well, I came across this guy called Shahul through The Yahoo Chat Rooms. He claims to be an University Student, proves to be an MC++ Developer, and believes that Word/Excel/Access were written in VB6...:)) And the Reason ? Since, according to him, "VB was good at Integrating things". He went on to explain in Detail, how you could use the RichTextBox Control as the Editing Canvas in Word and the DataGrid as the Worksheet in Excel. Even a whole Chat Room of us can't convince him : He just doesn't listen to Reason. A Lot of Shylock:D So, he's goaana be a Mort. That suits him. He Was a VB Developer. But, he is classified as a Einstein because of his current Language... Is it fair ? Are the Old Language Wars that we thought were Banquished with .NET Back ? Well, anyway, taking into account the actual meaning of them, I'd be oscillating between Mort and Elvis. I do care If My Sort Algorithms take O(2N) or O(Log N) to execute, but I don't care if they were O(Log N) or O(2Log N). And, I do want to get the Job[If Any:D] Done quickly, if it has to be done Quickly.... Well, what Category do You Come Under ? Comment Here, or Blog about it... Thanks, and Keep the comments coming....

Saturday, January 28, 2006

The Match., the Match!

Well, thanks to SCV, I'm getting Ten Sports in my home now, though only during the Match Days... Well, Irfan Just got a Hatrick on the first over! Well, it actually looked like he had established some sort of a Mind-Control over the Ball or something. It just moved like anything.... When they started up the DartFish technology that shows the path of the ball, it was all over the place.. Fantastic Stuff.... Fancy, that's why Cricket's so Passionate, since the next over sported a well struck four as well...:P Thanks, and Keep the comments coming....

Abu is Blogging...

Well, I think I mentioned in some of my Posts my friend named Abu : He's the first geek I met at school. Well, fancy, you'd get quite a bit of a feeling if you are to meet a Geek at a School where you have previously met with, well, normal-people. He's a really really interesting fellow, and I've been trying to get him to blog. And, today, I've succeded : Here is his Blog. Well, if you read his introductory post, he refers to me as UV. Well, I really really really really really don't like to be called that : Brings out images of killer rays forcing their way through Ozone Depletion. So, don't call me that:( And, give him some Advice : He plays NFS/Prince of Persia too much, wasting lots of time which he could've used more usefully in writing some cool Algorithms or C Programs. Just go there and Bash him:P Well, keep Bashing him:P Thanks, and Keep the comments coming....

Friday, January 27, 2006

New Language..

Well, first the Buzzword was Platform Interoperability, and now It's Usability. Wherever you look, you see Usability and User Friendly User Interfaces.... Well, in all that hubub, Usability in Programming Languages seems to have been forgotten. Well, you'd know it if you tried to teach programming to someone who never knows a Toolbar from a Textbox, but can use PageMaker and Word... Well, so it is : My next project : A new Language : Easy! Well, me, some of my School buddies, and Aswin are doing it, and maybe, my School Buddies might turn out to be Beta, Alpha and Pre-Alpha testers:P And, well, I've already designed most of the Syntax of the Language, since I had nothing else to do today in School, since I've missed my Geography[sic] Book at home and had nothing to study with. So, I just converted some of my early C programmes into the would be Syntax of Easy. So, in such a way, I formed almost the complete Syntax of Easy, in about 2 hours... Well, here's the simple, classical Hello World Program in Easy :

Start Program Name="Hello World"  Author="Yuvi"
      Start Function Main
            Print "Hello World!" 
      End Function
End Function
Looks a Lot VBish, doesn't it ?:P Well, it could be also written as:
Start Program Name="Hello World" Author="Yuvi"

            Print "Hello World!" 

End Function
And, also as :
            Print "Hello World!" 
So, as an exercise, I'd also be learning many new languages, such as Python, Perl, Lua, LISP and Ruby. And thus, incorporate the easiest to use, and best features of all languages into mine... Well, my ever stupid brother has started whining to play some stupid game:( Why don't you go to his blog and bash him, or comment here and bash me ?:P Well, after my Geography Exam gets over tomorrow, fancy, I'd have a more complete post about Easy... Now, I want your opinions on this thing... So, just leave them for free... Thanks, and Keep the comments coming....

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Web Crawler Status...

Well, I just started writing a Stone-Age style WebCrawler some 2 days ago. But, I've actually spent just 3 hours on it since that time, due to my Exams.... Well, so far till today, I've got quite something to show for : It's written in VB.NET, is completely Multi-Threaded, extracts plaintext as well as regular hyperlinks, and MessageBoxes the contents of the HTML Files it downloads:P Well, I haven't run into any Multi-Threading issues yet. And, I've yet to start on Lucene.... Well, it's still got lots of things to get done : Respecting Robots.txt, Index the stuff using Lucene, and quite a lot of stuff.... Well, trying to get the stuff I've done till now online.. Will Post a Link as soon as I get it online... Update : Here is the Link for the Source ZIP File. About 423 KB. Requires .NET 2.0, and Visual Basic .NET 2005 Express or the Visual Studio 2005 any Editions.... Well, just download it and see how it works. The Search and Index Facility is not yet in though, but expect to be flooded with MessageBoxes without any sign of Ending:P Well, Just comment how it is. Comments on the Code Quality and Design are especially welcome, and are even Requested :P Thanks, and Keep the comments coming....

My 43 Things List...

Well, here goes my 43 Things to do in my Life List. Well, just have a look and comment... Thanks, and Keep the comments coming....

Monday, January 23, 2006

Following Sriram's Footprints....

Well, I was just browsing Sriram's old blog yesterday, and found this post giving an account of how he wrote a WebCrawler in 24 Hours. It looked a good exercise to me and I too started it. I've spend 2 hours so far, and managed to do quite some thing nice. I suppose, I could get it going more today evening... Got an exam in a hour. I'd post back soon... Thanks, and Keep the comments coming....

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Of Amazingly Stupid, Moronic, Idiotic TV Programs....

Hi Guys. Well, my usually Stupid Brother has cried my Dad into giving Cable TV Connection to our TV, and most of the Channels suck, except Pogo maybe. But then, the programs telecast in them are just amazingly Stupid, that you wonder Where People's Sixth Sense went.... Well, today, my Mom forced me to watch a really stupid Program in SunTV called "Thanga Vettai" (Gold Hunt). "General Knowledge valatthukko" [Increase your General Knowledge] was the response when I tried in vain to change to Pogo to watch the Looney Toones.... Well, I just gave up and tried to make some use of that program. In the end, it ended up being really much more funny than Looney Toones, and we just were laughing our head out... For example, one of the Questions was "How many People are in a Volleyball team ?" Since the guy blinked, the Actress who was conducting the program gave a Clue "Murugannin Arupadai Veedin Yennikkai" [The No. of Temples in Lord Muruga's promenient 6 Temples]. Well, I know it's kinda lame, but I, my Dad and my Brother just couldn't stop laughing when that guy told quite confidently "30"...=)) Well, think he counted the Audience as well....:P But next was the most fantastic part. They had No Idea what the WTO is. Then, a girl just said "I thinking it is America" when asked where is Mosco! =)) Then came the part that made us ROTFL. It was the buzzer Round and the Question was "What was the Capital of Zimbabwe". The correct answer was Harare. One Girl just pressed the button Confidently and blurted out "South Aftica!"....ROTFL.... Well, that makes us wonder : If those people who passed Audition and came into the public show, then spare a thought for those people who didn't make it through the Audition.... Fancy, the 6th Sense missing ?:P But seriously, when we Talk about Usablity and User Interface Design and Human Comuter Interactions, we emphasise a concept that somewhat states that The User is always Right and the Interface Designer has to make sure that the User can use the Software, however Moronic he might be. But then, just have a look at people like these : One of the guys [Who answered that the Vandaloor Zoo was in Kadaloor, instead of in Vandaloor:P] there told us that he was an Assistant Manager in some company. Well, fancy how to design stuff to be used by Such Morons as these ?. Well, I'm quite sure you've had experiences like this [or the previous one]. So, fancy blogging about it and giving a Trackback here ? I've never had a Trackback, so I can't see how it works... Update : Disclaimer : Well, I just thought I should put this thing in : All the Opinions in this Post ar just Opinions expressing the Authors's opinions, and do not in any way or under any circumstances express the Opinions of the Author's Mother, Cousin Sister, or Tamil Ponnu. Probably, the fact that the Author and the aforementioned parties are of different gender might have to do something with this, but that is also the Author's Personal Opinion... Well, if you get something better for the Disclaimer, just leave a comment or mail me... Thanks, and Keep the comments coming....

Saturday, January 21, 2006

From Fedora....

Well well well, It seems I've been on an Operating System Speree : In the last 3 Days, I've used[or atleast tried to use] 5 Operating Systems! Well, besides Windows 98 & Windows XP, I tried SuSE Yesterday in my System, and even started the MacOS 9 in the ancient Mac in our School. And today, the fifth Operating System is here : Fedora Core 4.... Well, first I burned the 4 CDs, and inserted the first one and Restarted. When the bootstraper loaded, I got a message asking me if I'd like to verify the Installation Media. I just gave it the go ahead, and after some 15 minutes of "Verification", it reported that my Media is not Verifiable..... Great, huh ? Anyway, I just continued with the Installation, and after some 15 minutes selecting Packages, I gave it the GoAhead and it started Installation.... But 2 minutes into the Installation, Tragedy Struck... Well, there was a Power Outage! And, my UPS lasts for 50 seconds with monitor turned off, and 5 seconds with Monitor Turned on... So, the system just went out after some 50 secs, since I instinctively switched off the Monitor... So, I was in a great spot of trouble : The Harddisk has been Partitioned, the MBR has been Overwritten, but the Boot Manager has not been Installed! I Didn't even know if my System would boot or not.. And, Imagine my Frustration when the Power came back on 2 Minutes after my System went off! Well, the Fedora CD 1 was still in, so it just booted off the CD, and went to the Install Screen. But this time, the option to use FreeSpace wasn't there in Partitioning, since The FreeSpace has already been partitioned.... I had No Idea how to proceed, but then there was an Option called Remove all Linux partitions in Disk. Though I had no Idea what it did, I just selected it, and all's been well... I followed the same steps, and after about an hour of waiting, I just managed to get Fedora up and running... Well, it's given me a better First Impression than SuSE though. The Typography is Great like SuSE and since I am using FireFox now, the Typography in the WebPages is also good, though not as good as the one in the UI... And, connecting to the Internet was a bit tougher though : While SuSE had a pretty clear Option called DSL in the Internet Section of YaST2, it was not so easy in the case of Fedora. Help yielded No Result. Infact, it took me almost 5 minutes to find out why the Search Button in Help is disabled. Looks like I didn't select any source to search in... Well, anyway, I just explored the menu and found out that I had to use the Internet Configuration Wizard. And after that, it was a breeze.... And, it's got GAIM installed by Default, though it says KDE Instant Messaging Application in the Menu and GAIM in the application... Anyway, I'd be exploring it much more, and hope to get the hang of it sooner than later... Thanks, and Keep the comments coming....

SuSE 9.1 Out of My System..

Hi Guys. Well, just uninstalled SuSE Linux 9.1. Linux didn't make that much of a good impression on me though..... Anyway, Aswin recommended Fedora to me, and since have already Downloaded the 4 CDs of Fedora Core 4, I think I might be installing it today... Thanks, and Keep the comments coming....

Friday, January 20, 2006

My Ego!

Well, just couldn't resist! My Ego Score is 3470, while my Cousin Sudar's is 2348. Fancy some Problem in the EgoSurf Algorithm there ?:P Well, I'd check out the EgoSurf.org EgoPoints of some of my other Buddies a bit later, since I've got a History Exam tomorrow:P Thanks, and Keep the comments coming....

From Windows...

Hi Guys. I'm posting this from Windows, and am pretty much happier to be back here. My First Experience with Linux didn't prove to be that much Great.... Well, it isn't as fast and responsive as it is hyped to be. For example, when a Windows app hangs, I can see it with my eyes : I can't click on it, my mouse cursor turns a hourglass, I get a Not Responding Signal in the Title Bar, and I can always call my Trusty Task Manager to close it up for me... No such luck in Linux. You don't even know if the app is hung. You just keep clicking, the UI is responding, but the app dosn't respond.... Queer... Strange... And frankly, non-inuitative & Stupid... Then, there's even no way to close that thing : No Task Manager kinda thing, and even right-clicking and clicking close has no effect.... And, the app that was actually hanging was also strange : YaST, which is supposed to be the Control-Panel kinda thing. It kept hanging, and not closing. In the end, I had around 7 "Windows" of YaST Opened up before I shut it down... And, shutting down is also not inuitative : You don't get a clear Shut Down button. Only a log off Button that gives you the option of "Closing Session", "Restarting" or "Shutting Down". And yet, I stilll can't get Mono to Install. Fancy I'd be getting Mono-Live to download today night, thanks to Sreenivaasan.... And Yes, I'd be downloading it using my Tried and Trusted WindowsXP:P Thanks, and Keep the comments coming....

Thursday, January 19, 2006

From Linux..

Hi Guys. I am writing this post from Linux. From SuSE Linux 9.1 to be exact. It finished download yesterday morning, after being in the queue for some 10 days. And, I started partitioning my HardDisk to make space for it at around 10 PM Yesterday, and it finished installing at around 11:45. Luckily, All my nightmares about an unbootable computer did not come true.... Well, the first thing I noticed was the Typography : It looked a hell lot like ClearType. I donno why, maybe, atleast to me, the Text looked a lot like using ClearType.... Well, but it took me almost an hour to figure out how to setup my Internet connection, which took less than 2 minutes in Knoppix. This is ontop of the fact that both use the KDE Desktop and [obviously] the Linux Kernel. Though the Typography rocks in the UI, it completely sucks in the Webbrowser, Konqueror. I just can't see the difference between an e and an r. Suppose I've gotta tweak it once I get back from School... Response times are good, though my attempts at installing Mono are in vain. Hope to get the hang of it, and install Firefox and Opera.... Well, I actually installed it just to check out Mono, and I hope I can check it out. I've got the mono Runtime in, but the MonoSharp Development Platform doesn't install. Hope to make it out... Well, nice thing to blog about when you have just an hour before your English II Exam begins, isn't it ?:P Thanks, and keep the comments coming....

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

MacWorldExpo running on Windows Server 2003...

Well, just came across this bit of news : The MacWorldExpo site is running on Windows Server 2003. Fancy a symptom of Invented Here Syndrome ?:P Thanks, and Keep the comments coming....

GRRRRRRRRRRR...

Well, I've been tearing my hair for quite some time trying to get Community Server to run on my System. Infact, I couldn't even get IIS to run on my System:( How stupid of me.... Can't even get a simple server to run.... That's why Windows Application Development is way much better.... Well, the Community Server forms a rather very important part of my Imagine Cup Project, so, If I can't get it to run before a week passes, I can't compete in Imagine Cup! Poor me. Dunce me. Stupid me. Idiot me. Moron me. Useless Guy me. :(( Well, any of you guys can Help me ? Please please please please pretty please help me out of this messs...... And, I didn't quite crack the Tamil Exam today though, since Providence made sure I didn't quite know even one of the Detail answers and only 2 of the 5 Grammer Answers....:( Hope to make ammends in English though..... Thanks, and Keep the comments coming

Scooble Replies!

Hi people. At the end of the last post about ClearType, I said I'd be writing to Scooble to know why ClearType is not enabled by default in Windows XP. And, I was really really really really astonished to find a reply from him waiting in my Inbox as soon as I got back from school.... Well, that's awesome! Probably the most read Blogger in Microsoft, and he just replies to an email from a GoodForNothing like me! Fantastic Public Relations;) Kudos, Microsoft.... Now, for the content of the eMail : It was short, and it said that it wasn't enabled by default because many people can't use it and many machines don't support it. But, it still wasn't detailed enough, so, I just mailed him back to give me more details about the people clause.... Well, and, Scooble turns 41 today! Happy Birthday Scoble! Keep Commenting, and I'd be back....

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

ClearType : WOWWWWWWWW

Well, when was the last time you saw a technology that made your jaw hit the floor ? Well, the last time that happened to me was when I saw a TFT Monitor in a Reliance Webworld. And, this time, it's ClearType.... Well, I've heard about it before, but I tried it this time only. Well, and to say that I was blown away by it would be an understatement. It dosn't seem bolder, but darker. And, overall, It just looks like seeing it on Paper... Fantastic.... Now, if you have Windows XP and have ClearType disabled, then you're clearly missing something. For some strange and unkown [to me] Reason, cleartype is disabled by default in Windows XP Systems, though having Cleartype enabled would've clearly given Windows XP a Marketing Advantage.... Anyway, here are 5 Simple Steps to enable ClearType on your System: 1. Go to the Display Properties 2. Go to the Appearances Tab 3. Click on the Effects Button 4. Check the Box Saying "Use the Following Method to Smooth the edge of Screen Fonts", and select ClearType in the ComboBox Below.. 5. Click OK and OK again... And, there you go! ClearType is on in your System! Well, you'd just notice the Change immediately. Reading just becomes a Pleasure... WOW... And, the next thing I'm goanna do is to enable ClearType on all our School Systems, especially the one used for Internet Browsing. But, why is that ClearType is not enabled by default in all Windows XP Systems ? Probably, an anti-competitive practice:P. But seriously, that's just plain un-inutiative that Users have to do someting manual to get such a must-have feature like ClearType. I'm goanna mail to Scooble to know why.... Well, on a side note, I've ditched my Tech Blog at Blogsome, and I'd be doing my Tech Blog posts here itself. And, the First Revision test starts tomorrow tith the dangerous Tamil Exams[sic]. Hope to crack it.... Thanks, and keep the comments flowing....

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Sehwag Says....

Now, just saw this in Sunil's Blog : Sehwag's started blogging! Well, hope he continues updating his blog, and probably start a Team Blog and coax Sachin, Chappel and all the other people out there into blogging.... Way to go, Team India! Bye for now....

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

The Event...

Well, I know it's a lot late for me, but I just couldn't get myself to this page yesterday, since I was sleeping for almost all the day after I got back from school..... Now, the Event was pretty much superb. And, yes that was my First Event. The first Session was on C#, and showcased some amazing DirectX and GPS Apps. And, next came the SQL Server 2005 Session, of which I couldn't understand a single thing, since I've never actually used it... And, next, came Anand's VB Session. Well, let's say that he was the best speaker I've ever seen and that session, especially the refactoring, was the most fantastic thing I've seen. And, whenever I've seen him, he's always had an attitude of don't-care-be-cool attitude, the attitude of the ideal geek..... And, then was a Session on AJAX, which was a lot into theory and history, and a small bit into code. And then came a session on The Team System, of which too I couldn't understand anything, since It seemed to be about Project Managers and Multi-Person Team Projects, both of which I've never encountered. Nevertheless, the Person who did the session was a great public speaker too.... And yes, there was a catch. And that was during the end, when VS.NET 2005 DVDs were given out. After seeing the scene there, no wonder the stampedes occured in the Relief Distribution Centres in here.... Bye for now....

Saturday, January 07, 2006

My First Event.....

Hi Guys. Today, I am going to the Community Launch of Visual Studio 2005. My First Event! Well, hope it goes on well. I'd be meeting Aswin, Reza, and many other people for the first time. Hope it's a dau of Fun and Frolick;) And, yes, my Cousin Sudar is coming with me! Hope to have a cool day... Bye for now....

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

My Technical Blog!

Well, well I've got a Technical Blog! Well, I've been wanting one for quite some time to try Wordpress, so I just checked around for some Free Wordpress Hosting service, and found http://www.blogsome.com. And, besides the limitation that you always have a Google AD down there, it's quite cool. So, here is the Link : http://yuvitechie.blogsome.com. Well, Hope to get something real techie stuff tomorrow.... Bye for now....

Monday, January 02, 2006

My Rank...

Well, next piece of News.... I got my Half-Yearly Exam Papers today. Well, I expected it. I got 2nd Rank again! Well, that's cool! That not only gives me loads of Confidence for the Public Exam, but also a Digital Still Camera from my Dad! Well, after seeing so many Photoblogs and Photos in flickr, I just couldn't resist;) So, guys, I know a lot of you people have Cams. And, as for me, I've never seen one;) So, any Suggestions on what to buy ? Maximum budget is Rs.7K... Bye for now....

News.....

Well, back from School. Well, I said in this Post, that if my Dad comes to see Ammu's Blog, I'm pretty sure that he'd want to start his own blog. Well, yesterday, he did see ammu's blog yesterday, the result of which is exactly as predicted : He's started his own Blog too! Here's the link :http://thangakkavi.blogspot.com/ [Note: That's a Tamil Blog, so only Tamil used there in the posts. And, in my sys atlest, the tamil chars don't seem to be displayed properly in FireFox, but well in IE] Welcome to Blogsphere, Dad! And, the second piece of News is that, my Stupid Brother has started blogging too! Here is the link : http://ratthevelt.blogspot.com/. [Note : If he is Wrong(As He usually is), Correct him!] Bye, and I am typing this with one hand now, since the other one is busily engaged in eating. So, I'd finish eating and come back with an even greater piece of News... Bye for now....

Sunday, January 01, 2006

School in Ten Minutes...

Hi, just a Quickie. School starts in 10 mins, and I'd be getting my papers in less than 2 hours from now. Hope I get the MP3 Player and digiCam... Well, no Time, but got some great news I should've posted yesterday. Will post it after being back from school.... Bye for now....