Around the blogosphere

The word "blogosphere"is used rather casually to refer to the blogging community. But is the "blogo-sphere" really spherical?

Although blogosphere can actually be interpreted as "world" of blogs, i would like to know whether the blogosphere is really spherical. The spherical nature can be verified only by going round the sphere--right?

The trackbacks, blogrolls, comments,links in the main blog posts are the path to traverse. These links are the route that has to be followed. So if the blogosphere is spherical, i will end up at the same place at which i started after "some" finite time by following such a route.

I have decided to go round the blogosphere, just to find out if it is spherical. So journey begins...

But to reach any destination we have to follow some sense of direction. I plan to follow the following rules to find if the blogosphere is spherical.

1. I will avoid going to the same blog twice.(it would mean i am going in circles)
2. To prove that i visited a blog i will leave a comment on that blog. (if somebody thinks i am a freak trying to spam a blogs comments-i will just have to go back and start from the place where my last comment was accepted.)
3. I will choose a link to follow at random.(only condition is it should be a blog)

My blog seems to be a good place to start..I was going through the blog and found "Andy Dang" in my comments. So the next stop is Andy Dang.

Evil turns good

The recent popularity of Harry potter books signifies a break from the popular belief held in the Post-Christian European cultures. We have come a long way from the days when anybody suspected of witchcraft was burned alive to hero worshiping the same wizards.

The sequel pirates of the Caribbean went along way in painting more acceptable picture of the pirates.The pirates have come to be accepted as the "good guys" from being the "bad guys" in the movies.

Does this suggest a tendency we as a people are developing to admire the evil or is just the end of European influence on popularity?

Both the pirates and the witch's are held as evil in the European context. With a change in the cultural context the witch and the pirate can be seen as more sane creatures. As the globe shrinks, we develop a more unified culture which reflects what was good in every group. The pirates were cruel merciless robbers but the society wants to appreciate the bravery and skill in them.

Gmail captcha?

Wonder of wonders i got a captcha to fill up before logining into gmail. I had made the mistake of leaving the password field empty. So it got me wondering as to why Gmail needs a captcha in the first place?

Then i came across a post that explains how to get pop access to gmail using many methods. You can use your outlook express to download the mail from gmail. Top reasons to use a pop mail client are-(need for pop mail)

1. You have limited storage on the server and need to empty the mailbox.
2. You like to read your mails after printing them out
3. You organize your mail into very intricately complex folders
4. You just did not like the idea of net based mail
5. You may not be able to have access to the internet when you want access to information in your mailbox
   

Windows-boot.ini file manipulation

The windows file "Boot.ini" is very important in dual boot systems. If you are installing Xp and win98 or two installations of xp, the default booting OS and the time to wait for allowing the user to choose the OS can be set by modifying this file.

The file can be found at "c:\boot.ini" in all windows systems. as it is a system file it will hidden and wont be visible in the c:\.
To open the file

1. first goto C:\ and choose the "Tools" menu.
   
2. In tools Goto"folder options"
   
3. In folder options goto "view" and choose the show hidden files. This will show the operating system files. be careful and don't delete any operating system files.
4. Enter "C:\boot.ini" in the address bar of the "C:\" folder
   

A file will open in notepad and it will have the following data

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

1. Now the default boot OS is the OS on "partition(2)". You can set the default OS to partition(1) by changing the line"default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS" to"default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS"
2. The time to wait can be set by changing the value of the number in the line "timeout=30"
3. After making the required changes save the file.

When you reboot the changes would have taken place. Its a good idea to have a copy (in a separate place)of the boot.ini file before making any changes to it. Even after this if you have problems just comment below and i will try to help.

Television Vs internet-why do we like net ads better

Previously i did a post entitled 5 crimes that you do when you watch Television. It was widely criticized and some even considered it downright stupid. There was also the line of thought that the money obtained by the service provider ought to cover the cost of television!! If really covered the cost as it happens in a few services you would not be seeing advertisements in the first place. The very fact you are getting ads is a proof that the producers have not got enough! money for their efforts.

Ok just to see what will happen if we were to do similar crimes on the internet.

1. You use the adblock on your browser and don't see the ads(even on the google search engine)
2. Keep moving from one site to another at the same speed at which you flip channels.(Warning-It may lead to many ad publishers loosing their google account-not to be done)
3. Save the files after having removed the ads using adblock.

There are many reasons why net based ads can be annoying, such as the slower rate at which the ads load, the improper positioning of the ads(i hate it when i have to scroll down a long list of ads before coming across something i really need to read) just to mention a few. And if you are thinking on claiming that you pay for your internet connection, so you have a right to use google (cant say anything).

That apart "When asked if they would pay to use google" a mixed response was obtained, but majority of them gave a "NO". So we do want ads on the net but not on the television.
Are we being unfair to the television (Not to be confused with the Direct-To-Home television)?

The main argument in favor of net based ads is that they are "related to the Context ". Well the very fact that they are related to what we are reading makes them more of a distraction. If that information is really that useful for me, it should come up either on the search results or at least as one of the references. So if every person removed the ads using adblock, because they are "mind numbing", we may one day not have an economic model to sustain "google".

So its a time to think of a new economic model for our net based applications or change our attitude towards these mind-numbing advertisements.

Calculating logarithm of a number in excel

The logarithm of any number can be calculated in excel using the formula function.

To do so go to "Insert" menu and select "Function" which has a "Fx" symbol. In the dialog box choose the math and trig functions. In Math and trig functions choose "log" function or "Log 10" function as need be.

A box asking for the number and its base appears. You can either enter the number directly or choose a box from which the number has to be taken. For choosing a box press the button at the right end of the input column asking for the number. After selecting the box you can come back to the main box by pressing the same box again. Press ok and you have got the results.

6 tips to reduce the noise your computer

1. Make sure the CPU fan is working properly. Replacing old fans can reduce the noise considerably. If any wires are dangling on top of the fans, tie them up so that they don’t touch the fan.
2. If the CPU casing is open the noise level is more. By screwing it up the noise can be deafened. The casing should be placed flat on the surface to reduce noise.
3. Remove any dust that is accumulated inside the CPU. Keeping the computer clean will reduce the chances of wear and tear. A vacuum cleaner can be used to clean inside the computer using a special attachment at the end.
4. If you are using a mouse with a rolling ball, switch to an optical mouse. The sound made by the rolling ball can be eliminated. The noise made by a CRT(Cathode ray tube) monitor can be overcome by using a better technology.
5. The speed of the CPU fan can be controlled in some of the newer machines, check if you have that facility and install fan speed control software.
   
6. Keep any other electronic devices like mobile phone, television etc. away from the computer as they can cause interference.