Thursday, September 28, 2006

Mouse Print: Read the fine print before you buy the product


There is a lot hidden in the fine print of many products. So be careful.

This site lists a lot of "read-before-you-buy" items: Mouse Print

What is that process running on your computer?

If you quickly want to know the exact nature and purpose of any and every
single process that is - or should not be - running on your PC, then this site is for you.

ProcessLibrary.com - The online resource for process information!

How to Create a Product Box in Photoshop - WikiHow

Want to create a "product box"? You know, the box like thingy that shows a product such as software. This site gives step-by-step creation instructions using Photoshop.

Link: How to Create a Product Box in Photoshop - WikiHow

A great site to send free e-cards from

This is a site I use regularly to send free e-cards. Considering that they are free, the effort that they put into them is amazing.

Note: I am not getting paid to advertise this site. I use it, I like it, that's it :-).


Link: Hallmark E-Cards
(Select "Free E-Cards" from the links on the bottom of the front page)

Amazing photo of the sun

This is a really nice site !! It is the "Astronomy Picture of the Day" site from NASA. They have a different picture everyday. Here's one of the good ol' sun.

Link to Sun photo: APOD: 2006 September 21 - Sharp Silhouette

Daily photo: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/

Monday, September 25, 2006

An Insider's Guide to Food Labels


What is exactly inside your food? Read on ...

(Warning: Some things may upset you .... )

Link: An Insider's Guide to Food Labels

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Changes to US Daylight Savings Time rules from 2007

Summary:



Daylight Savings Time (DST) rules for the US are going to
change from 2007.



From 1986 to 2006 DST has been the first Sunday in
April to the last Sunday in October.





 
But starting in
2007, DST will be observed from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday
in November
,
adding about a month to daylight saving time.







 
More info:
 



  1. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/daylight1.html
  2. http://www.energy.ca.gov/daylightsaving.html 




  1. For anybody that deals
    with Java (developers/QA): IMP: http://java.sun.com/developer/technicalArticles/Intl/USDST/

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Classic Computer articles from IEEE

IEEE computer has identified 4 of the most influential papers that it has printed over the past 40 years. Worth reading.

Link: Computer magazine - Classics

Caught on tape: Infamous gaffes

Some of the most infamous gaffes made by famous people throughout modern history.

The best one:
------------------
Former US President Ronald Reagan's warm-up joke before a radio broadcast.

During the sound check he announced: "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased
to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia
forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."



Link: BBC NEWS | Europe | Caught on tape: Infamous gaffes

A sad sight after the end of the Ganapati festival

In India, the Ganapati festival is held every year. After the festival ends, the idols of Lord Ganesha are immersed in the sea. But these idols are mostly made of non bio-degradable materials. So they don't dissolve. And so the lovely images of the God become twisted and macabre.

SAD ....

Link: Ultrabrown : The Battle of Kurukshetra (updated)

Global Fire Power

GlobalFirepower (GFP) provides a analytical display of
information based on sources from all over the globe. You can compare countries side-by-side on factors such as
  • Yearly military expenditure
  • Aircraft
  • Missile defense systems
etc.


Link : World Military Strength Ranking

Unfinished Tolkien work to be published in 2007

Snippet from the news site:
--------------------------------------
An unfinished tale by J.R.R. Tolkien has been edited by his son into a
completed work and will be released next spring, the U.S. and British
publishers announced Monday.

Christopher Tolkien has spent the past 30 years working on "The
Children of Hurin," an epic tale his father began in 1918 and later
abandoned.

Link: CNN.com - Unfinished Tolkien work to be published in '07 - Sep 18, 2006

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

The World's Most Photorealistic Vector Art

This is really amazing. These are not photos / drawings, but images generated using vector art. Forget the technical part of how they are generated. Just enjoy the pictures ....

Link: Basang Panaginip: The World's Most Photorealistic Vector Art

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Basic rules of email writing



This post is pasted from an email which my wife had written. (I won't disclose her name and email id ;-) ).

Good stuff. If people follow these rules in their professional career, it would make everyone's life much better ...


It is imperative that we all know certain basic rules about email writing.

  • In the To field, always include the name(s) of the person(s) who is(are) expected to take action on the mail. If your name is in the To list of any received mail, then you are expected to reply and/or take action on that mail.
  • In the CC field, always include the name(s) of the person(s) who is(are) NOT expected to take any action on the mail but are only in the loop for sharing the information. If your name is in the CC field, you need not reply and/or take action on the mail, but you are still expected to READ it! This is mostly for non-participating audience in a discussion or for senior members such as lead and managers.
  • Please note that people have mail rules or filters defined based on To and Cc fields in their mail clients. They may only read mails where their name is in the To field on a daily basis and others they may be reading at later time. So if you need someone’s immediate attention, make sure you include their name in the To field.
  • Only include those people in the Cc list, who really need to know about the mail. For eg., if someone has completed their induction session for a new joinee and is informing me, my name should be in To list and the new joinee’s name and his/her coordinator’s name should be in the Cc field. No one else needs to be copied on this information.
  • Do not use too many informal or casual language, emoticon, exclamation marks in your mail. Do not mark anything in CAPs or BOLD unless you want attention brought to it. If you use it too often, people will start recognizing it as your style and will not take it to mean emphasis when you REALLY want to emphasize something.
  • Try to keep emails to the point and short. Structure the mail into logical points and insert paragraphs where necessary. Your aim is that the recipient should read your mail. Make it easy for him/her to read!
  • Run a spell check before sending. There is a facility to do this in Outlook.

The Actual Facts about the Mcdonalds' Coffee Case

Remember Stella Liebeck? The Mcdonalds' coffee case related old lady? The actual details of the case are given on this page. It does not seem to be as clearcut a case of a frivolous lawsuit as I had originally thought ...

The Actual Facts about the Mcdonalds' Coffee Case

Things to Eat Before You Die?

A list of culinary delights from around the world .... absolute must-haves (or must-eats)

Link: Things to Eat Before You Die?

The Best Time to Buy Everything

When is a good time to buy? See below:

Link:
The Best Time to Buy Everything (Deal of the Day: Personal Finance) | SmartMoney.com

Top 10 blogger lies, Top 10 reasons nobody reads your blog

These 2 pages are hilarious :-)

Link1 --> Top ten blogger lies

Link 2 --> Top ten reasons nobody reads your blog

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

How to remove Logos from your PDA / cell phone with sugar

Tired of being 'branded' by the logos on your PDA / cell phone? Use your noodle, and some sugar to get rid of them ...

Link: How to remove Logos from your PDA / cell phone with sugar

10 Reasons To Drink More Water

A nice article that shows the benefits of drinking more water.

Link: The Ririan Project™: 10 Reasons To Drink More Water

Thursday, September 07, 2006

55 Ways to Have Fun With Google

A book that tells you many (ok, 55) ways to have fun with Google.

Snippet from the site:
<SNIP>
You probably use Google everyday, but do you know...
the Google Snake Game? Googledromes? Memecodes? Googlesport? The Google Calculator?
Googlepark and Google Weddings? Google hacking, fighting and rhyming? In this book,
you’ll find Google-related games, cartoons, oddities, tips, stories and everything
else that’s fun.
</SNIP>



Blog: Official Google Blog: 55 Ways to Have Fun With Google

Book available as free download: http://www.55fun.com/