Prathiraj Chakka

Vista UAC - long awaited recognition

Wed, 28 May 2008 07:52:04 GMT

http://www.neowin.net/news/main/08/05/25/tests-find-vistas-uac-nails-rootkits

Of 30 rootkits thrown at XP anti-malware scanners, none of the seven AV suites found all 30, a similar story to the six web-based scanners assessed. Only four of the 14 specialized anti-rootkit tools managed a perfect score. For Vista, only six rootkits could run on the OS, but the testers had to turn off UAC to get even this far. Vista's UAC itself spotted everything thrown in front of it.
In a period of where Vista has received criticism, Microsoft's programmers can at least point to evidence that UAC is efficient at stopping infections from happening automatically.

Are you running Vista with UAC turned off - well turn it back on :-)

later...

Live Search - Cashback

Thu, 22 May 2008 04:17:59 GMT

http://search.live.com/cashback

I'm a big fan of Ebates (www.ebates.com) for getting cash back offers for online purchases (received the big fat check a couple of days ago). Now a new player is in the field, Live Search - Cashback. On the first glance it seems the cash back percentage is more. Signed up right away :-)

later...

Thinkpad Ad

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:36:15 GMT

“We don’t add stuff on, we build it in” – Take that apple :-)

later…

India's PSLV makes world record launching 10 Satellites

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:54:23 GMT

Awesome :-) Go ISRO!

http://www.hindustantimes.com/AudioVideo/AudioVideoPage.aspx?ID=c790b3b3-d99d-4fc7-b456-c9e019e1f917

later...

Chennai Traffic

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 01:19:12 GMT

Came to know from http://www.vasanth.in/2008/03/21/LiveTrafficInformationForIndianCities.aspx

Real time traffic for Chennai and also other major cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi. Don't know how accurate is the data, but nevertheless it is a cool start :-)

later...

Awareness test

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:15:52 GMT

see if you can pass

good one :-)

later...

Portable submachine gun?!

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 03:35:13 GMT

Foldable "transformerish" flash-light + submachine gun! Looks cool on one side, but on the other it is scary to think how easy it is to smuggle them in your back pack to secured areas :-o

later...

IE8

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 07:55:49 GMT

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/ie/ie8/default.mspx

My initial impressions...comparing side by side with IE7

Opening an instance of IE8 is much faster than IE7 :-)
Rendering of pages is faster, feels much better :-)
Some sites does not render properly, but thanks to the IE7 emulate mode, but no thanks because to switch to IE7 mode, need to close all browser instances :-(
Get to see the smiley on the ACID 2 test page :-)
Couldn't get the web slice thing working for facebook :-(

It feels good for beta 1, hope it gets much better!

Update: Got the facebook webslice working by following the tip here - Activities and WebSlices in Internet Explorer 8

later...

Freeze!

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 02:13:53 GMT

Nice job!

later...

Life at Microsoft!

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 06:25:43 GMT

We sure know how to laugh at ourselves :-)

Life At Microsoft - The Truth Revealed

later...

Conference call

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:20:52 GMT

later...

Hilarious video - Bill Gates last day at work

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:11:27 GMT

A funny video about what would Bill Gates do on his last day at work. Sure Bill can laugh at himself :-)

[as shown on CES 2008 keynote - 12th and final one for Bill Gates]

later...

Shooting at Schools - a culture on the move?

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 20:21:06 GMT

Boy dies in India school shooting
A schoolboy has been shot dead by a fellow student at a school in India's Madhya Pradesh state, police say...
He used his father's locally made crude gun in the assault, police said...

What's the reason for these? Too much introduction to violence?

[source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7171014.stm]

later...

Spell fast or die!

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 17:41:21 GMT

What do I do when I have some time to kill and I've access to a computer?

I play Word Shoot: Spell Fast or Die!

Very addictive game, set it to hard and try to stay alive :-) Good exercise to increase your typing speed.

later...

Texting while driving - Dangerous!

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 20:02:46 GMT

Why?

Man texting while driving when he hit Taunton teen with SUV, prosecutor says - this is why!

later...

Windows Mobile - Input Tips and Tricks

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 01:09:25 GMT

I've been a windows mobile user for about 3 years now and been always eager to learn new tricks. I found a neat article by Mike Calligaro over at the Windows Mobile Team blog which explains very useful tips. I'm a Windows Mobile Standard fan and the following helps interacting with the phone a lot...

Easy access to numbers. In both T9 and ABC mode, you can usually get a number by pressing and holding the button. For instance, the 2 button can be a, b, c, or 2. Press it once and you'll get a letter. Press and hold it and you'll get the number. This is a lot faster than switching to 123 mode if you just need to type a few numbers.
Lock the keypad. On smartphones that have a separate power button, pressing and holding the End key (the red button) locks the keypad. Some smartphones don't have a separate power button. On them, the press and hold of the End key is usually power off. In that case, there's often some other key that you can press and hold for lock.
Quicklist. On smartphones that have a separate power button, pressing the power button quickly (not press and hold) brings up the "quicklist." The quicklist lets you do things like toggle flight mode and set profiles. Press and hold the power button shuts the phone off. On devices without a separate power button, one of the other keys will bring up the quicklist (often press and hold Home).
Getting symbols. If you're typing in T9 or ABC mode, there are two ways to type things like period, comma, etc. You can get a table of them by pressing and holding the # key. Or you can get to many of the more common ones with the 1 key.
Speed dial apps. You can assign phone numbers to speed dial keys. Go into the contact, select the phone number you want to put on a speed dial, and then choose Menu->Add To Speed Dial. But you can also assign applications to speed dial keys. From the home screen, hit Start, select the application you want, and then choose Menu->Add To Speed Dial. Once you have a number or application on speed dial, you can go to the home screen and press and hold that number to call or run it. For instance, if you assigned my ToggleBTh button to speed dial slot 2, you can turn Bluetooth on and off by just pressing and holding 2 from the home screen.
Speed dial voicemail. On most phones, speed dial slot 1 is voicemail. So you can dial your voicemail by going to the home screen and pressing and holding 1.

the first two (Easy access to numbers and Lock the keypad) are very useful and important to me as "I can't live without them" important. There are some Windows Mobile Professional (Pocket PC, touch screen) device tips in the article. Especially "What happened to my backlight" and "Make the SIP stop coming up" will be helpful. The article also lists important tips common to both standard and professional versions...

Put the call on hold. While in a call, press Send (the green button). That will put the call on hold. Do it again to start the call back up.
Switch to/from speakerphone. While in a call, press and hold Send (the green button) to switch to speakerphone. Press and hold it again to switch back.

Oh and before I finish do you know there are a bunch shortcuts in Outlook mobile, next time when you're looking at your Outlook mobile try press and hold the '0' key :-)

later...

[source: http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile/archive/2006/03/27/562162.aspx]

Head Tracking using Wii

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:16:48 GMT

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/projects/wii/

Cool video of head tracking software using the Wii remote and sensor bars. I think this technology can greatly increase the virtual world feeling in a FPS game :-)

later...

Philips Ambilight Experience on MSN movies

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 06:29:50 GMT

http://ambilight.msn.com/movies/default.aspx?section=moviesHD&wa=wsignin1.0

I always wondered how the Philips Ambilight aids to watching a movie. If you're unsure hit the link above and experience it right inside your browser. At first it was odd as my concentration is drawn towards the changing lights on the sides, but after sometime it seems quite good. I think it's time to go and see one in real ;-)

Another cool info is that the site is in developed using Silverlight :-)

later...

One of my favorite TV show is coming back

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 08:22:13 GMT

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/12/nbc-officially-announces-knight-rider-new-k-i-t-t-unveiled/

Yes, the NBC announced officially that Knight Rider will be aired as a two-hour movie on February 17th! The most important question is also answered, Ford Mustang GT500KR is taking the role of KIIT

I remember seeing this series re-run when I was a kid back in those school days, looking forward to the new show.

later...

UPS saves huge by improving parcel delivery routes

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 01:38:05 GMT

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/magazine/09left-handturn.html

From the above link...

Last year, according to Heather Robinson, a U.P.S. spokeswoman, the software helped the company shave 28.5 million miles off its delivery routes, which has resulted in savings of roughly three million gallons of gas and has reduced CO2 emissions by 31,000 metric tons.

Wow...that's pretty huge savings!

later...

Photo Album: What's in my rear mirror

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:28:39 GMT

What's in my rear mirror

Bear on a park

Victoria Clipper while waiting for the ferry

Photo Album: Stitched Pictures

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 18:14:48 GMT

Stitched Pictures

Nooksack falls, on the way to Mount Baker

Flathead lake, Montana

Running Eagle falls, Glacier National Park

Two medicine lake, Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park

view from the road, Glacier National Park

Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park

View from the deck of new home when it snowed

Another panaromic view from the entrance of the new home

Photo Album: Halo 3 Screeshots

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 23:24:45 GMT

Halo 3 Screeshots

The Storm - watching the Scarab explode 1

The Storm - watching the Scarab explode 2

Photo Album: Downres - White Water Rafting 2007

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 01:48:42 GMT

Downres - White Water Rafting 2007

01 - White Water Rafting

02 - White Water Rafting

03 - White Water Rafting

04 - White Water Rafting

05 - White Water Rafting

06 - White Water Rafting

07 - White Water Rafting

08 - White Water Rafting

09 - White Water Rafting

10 - White Water Rafting

More Photos...

Photo Album: White Water Rafting 2007

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 01:46:21 GMT

White Water Rafting 2007

01 - White Water Rafting

02 - White Water Rafting

03 - White Water Rafting

04 - White Water Rafting

05 - White Water Rafting

06 - White Water Rafting

07 - White Water Rafting

08 - White Water Rafting

09 - White Water Rafting

10 - White Water Rafting

More Photos...

Photo Album: Tulip festival 2007

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 01:01:40 GMT

Tulip festival 2007

Purple bunch

Smaller Purple bunch

Yellow and Red

Solo Yellow and Red

Pink row

Red from top

Red vista

Lonely Yellow

Red scissor tips

White bunch

More Photos...

Custom List: Favorite TV Shows

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:14:32 GMT

Favorite TV Shows

Custom List: Favorite Windows Live services

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 23:08:18 GMT

Favorite Windows Live services

Windows Live Favorites
My favorites with me wherever I go, combined with Windows Live Toolbar with favorites button, I keep my favorites in sync between my systems and I have a fast web frontend, when there is a need to access my favorites from any other system. Cool!
Windows Live Spaces
This list is in Spaces, what more to say?
Windows Live Hotmail
Ever improving mail service. My important personal mail account is in Windows Live Hotmail
Windows Live Home
My start page for the day, quick links to other Windows Live services and weather!
Windows Live Maps
with the latest update, the best online maps ever

Movie List: HD-DVD Movies

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 15:48:49 GMT

HD-DVD Movies

Movie List: Movies in theatre

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 23:31:32 GMT

Movies in theatre

Custom List: Toys

Sat, 08 Sep 2007 14:38:44 GMT

Toys

Logitech Harmony 880 Universal remote
Xbox 360 Wireless Headset Communicator
Holux GPSlim 240 Wireless Bluetooth GPS Receiver (SiRF III)
Iriver Clix 2 (4GB)
Amazing little flash player

Book List: Books

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 15:13:57 GMT

Books