Songr is an extremely clean and simple piece of free software. Download the 4 MB installation file and install it. One of the many nice things about Songr is that it makes use of Windows 7 features like task lists on the start menu and download progress on the taskbar icon. Another neat feature is searching for a song with its lyrics. Also bundled is a YouTube downloader, with which you can download the audio track from any YouTube video. Keep in mind though – the audio quality on YouTube is pretty awful.

Check out a few screenshots of Songr in action. And go ahead and download it – the download link is below the screenshots.

Songr
Requires the .NET Framework 3.5

The first option I considered was WordPress, for obvious reasons. Inverse Karma has been running on WordPress for over a year now, and I’m very comfortable with it. However, WP just didn’t cut it for a simple photoblog, as it had way too many features, as it is originally intended as a blogging CMS platform. My next choice was Pixelpost.

Pixelpost is a very simple photoblog software running on the trusted PHP+MySQL combination. Though it hasn’t been updated in a year now, it still works like a charm. Having hunted down a really nice template for it (Pixelution), I installed it on a subdomain on my website a month ago and started testing it. Having customized the template to my heart’s content – there was one thing left to do – caching.

Caching is the technique of storing HTML copies of your dynamic webpages to speed up retrieval and also to reduce server bandwidth. It works by intercepting the PHP executions and MySQL queries and showing up a previously cached HTML page. It also means navigation between different pages on the website will be extremely fast. This kind of mechanism is already in place on Inverse Karma, thanks to the WP-Super Cache plugin, and I wanted to find an add-on that does the same for ShutterScape.

Sadly, I couldn’t find any add-on to carry out caching in Pixelpost. So I went off, searching for a simple PHP caching solution – and I found PHP Speedy. As the developer puts it, “PHP Speedy is a simple script that you can install on your web server to automatically speed up the download time of your web pages”. It does come with instructions to set it up on any generic PHP page, but confusingly, shows only the download link for the WordPress plugin. I had to do a bit of digging in to the directory listing on the developer’s website to find the download links for the generic version of PHP Speedy. So are we ready to speed up our Pixelpost photoblog?

Step 1

Download, install and set up Pixelpost.

Step 2

Download the latest version of PHP Speedy from this page. All files are listed on the page. Look for the file with greatest version number and without the ‘wp’ suffix. Once downloaded, extract it to some local folder.

Step 3

Inside the folder where you just extracted PHP Speedy, delete the index.php and install.php files. Open config.php in some text editor and add the details as shown in the screenshot and save it. Plan where you are going to install PHP Speedy and make sure you set the correct path in the configuration file. Once you’re done, save it. Then upload the folder to your website.

Note: If JavaScript functions in your website do not function properly, set the minify, gzip and the far_future_expires options to 0.

Step 4

We’re almost done. All we need to do is to instruct Pixelpost to use PHP Speedy for caching. This requires adding just 2 lines of code in the index.php file in your PP installation directory. Open it in a text editor, and at the beginning of the file, add this line of code. Just replace the example below with the correct path for your website.

require('/home/website/public_html/php_speedy/php_speedy.php');

At the end of the file, add this line.

$compressor->finish();

Save the file on the server. Lo and behold, your superfast Pixelpost photoblog!

And we had many more unforgettable memories and wonderful moments there. We had felt that life there was much like that in college, only more fun and educative. Towards the end of our training, everyone got very emotional, so much that it was heartbreaking for all of us. With many of us being posted in different cities, we vowed to stay in touch through mail. And now, on Friendship day, I dedicate this post to all of my friends who’ve made life more enjoyable. And I sign off with Kancha Cheena‘s words – “Saala sab emotional ho gaya”.

I bitterly regret missing the first 5 minutes of the movie, as I’ve missed five whole minutes in possibly the greatest movie of the decade. I’m resolute about not giving out any spoilers. This movie should be watched by every single movie-lover, and if you’ve completely understood the plot and can explain it to a movie-hater, you might well have added a member to the former faction.

I had watched Shutter Island on the same day before watching this movie, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s character was still fresh in my mind. I daresay he’s still in the same character, but somehow manages to still pull it off with such panache that truly compliments the beauty of the story. Ellen Paige is one of our generation’s best actors, and has once again proved it with her wonderful emotions. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is another complete package, with sublime dialogue delivery and like one of my friends put it, “he’s so cute!!”. Ken Watanabe is one of the finest actors from Asia, and I’ve always believed he’s truly gifted. His portrayal of a dishonoured samurai in “The Last Samurai” moved me to tears. As he fits the role of a millionaire business tycoon like a glove, his English however, was very difficult to decipher.

The plot was truly confusing, but captivating enough to pull everyone into following it. The true allure of the movie, however, lies in the visual magnificence of the dreams. The bending of the streets of Paris, the shifting gravity sequence and the surreal dream city built by Dom and Mal are wholesome visual treats that need to be watched over and over again. One small gripe, however, would be the lack of emotion in the love between the lead protagonists. But like I said, the storyline makes up for that.

Do not miss this movie. And buy the DVD too once it comes out, and stash it under the ‘SuperFreakyAwesome’ category. Many years down the line, you could make your kids watch this (by then, you would’ve figured the plot) and tell them “you know, they used to make such awesome movies in my time”.

The Verdict: Watch this movie to fulfill your purpose of existence! DO NOT MISS IT!

My Rating: ★★★★★ 

That’s when I ask myself, “Cut the crap, dude! Who are you?”

The company I work for, supposedly was started by a really talented guy, along with a bunch of other guys, who believed in a certain things and had the foresight and determination to achieve something (phew!). That really is commendable. I salute them. Now this company does wonderful things (totally based on hearsay), with the help of more than a hundred thousand people, for strangers they call “clients”, who actually are sitting oceans away and we simpletons work our asses off to do something the way they want. So, I am forced to believe that I am part of a big tree now. The tree goes something like this – I have a boss, and then he has a boss and then boss’s boss has a boss too and the chain continues. I really don’t know who is on top of the chain I am a part of!

Just after engineering got over, I was so excited that finally I am done with studies and I would actually start to earn! Then, I pack my bags and leave home to enter a totally different world. Now the drama begins. I acquire the knowledge that I don’t know certain things to start working already and my company would make me learn a few things in order for me to go with their requirements (and I thought studies were over, silly me!). Then starts the epoch of a learning new things (again?!?) and I scratch my head and try to familiarize myself with the various Computer languages. An honest feeling I would like to share here. If you can lead me to the guy who invented Computers, I’d kill him. And if he’s dead, I’d wake him up from his grave and then kill him again. I so wish I could turn back time and go to the dark ages. Trust me, I would have absolutely no problems in wearing deer skin for clothes and making fire from stones! And I would get some adventure in hunting too!

Never mind, as I was saying, I started learning new things about computers and was made believe that Computers could work wonders. As if the Computer in itself was less complex, the whole mankind is busy inventing complex things to simplify it! Tell me that! So, I come through months of mugging up and clearing exams to get myself shaped as per the Company’s needs. I once again, become very excited as I would ultimately start working now! My training completes, my company allocates me to one of their development units and I come smiling and hopping to do something useful with my life. Wait, the story doesn’t end yet. This is where I would like to share a very important concept invented by these companies – “the bench”!

It sounds really juicy and tempting at first. The company would actually pay you for doing nothing (yes, it happens!). And slowly but surely, the benchwarmers realize how bad life could be at times. You have to roam around in the company premises without any purpose like you have been disowned and you don’t belong there. People supposedly on bench, do not have any computer at their disposal (yes, no computers for you inside an IT company!), and have to be vigilant all the time as in who would have that glimpse of kindness upon them and would actually let them use their computer. Thankfully there are a few angel figures who get bored of reading e-mails (that is the most important thing happening inside an IT company, trust me!), and move away! But there is one positive thing about being on bench. You actually have a chance to do things, you wouldn’t do otherwise (for example, I am writing this!). Thankfully I am not on bench and would start working for some American godforsaken company soon (no disrespect intended at all)!

Now let me arrive at what people actually do here. I am relatively new and hence some guys are supposed to brief me on what all is being done around me. They have a technical term for this – “induction”. So, there would be a few senior people, who actually are supposed to know everything in detail. But after putting in long hours of thought into it, I realize what actually is going on. Whenever anyone is feeling bored sitting at his cubicle, and has actually nothing to do, that someone would announce it’s meeting time and start talking about the working process. I’ve been victimized twice or thrice till now and the most consistent dialogue in such discussions would undoubtedly be, “Someone will tell you about this later”. That is that! I wonder if you actually weren’t actually going to talk about something relevant, why bother other people about it? Whatever! Shit happens! So, with all the little information I could gather within the first few days, I think I can state that within the technical neighborhood I dwell, there are more than 100 people working together. And the work they do is they send emails and letters on behalf of someone (yeah people actually pay you for that!). Awesome, isn’t it?

Well, I guess I have had enough with bringing out the frustration piling up within me and I should stop now. And I have a humble request to readers of this, please don’t tell my company I wrote this thing or they actually might do something about it, and my career (which I dreamt of as a kid, remember?), would come crashing down before even starting for real.

So, this is me, signing off then.

- The IT Guy!

So where was I? Yeah.. For all those forget people, here’s a really simple (and free!) method to receive SMS alerts on your mobile for a friend’s birthday, or any event you think you need to be reminded of. All you need is a Google account and of course, a mobile phone, duh! Let’s get started.

Sign in to Google Calendar and if you don’t have any calendars yet, create one. Add all birthdays and important events. Once you’re done, go to the Mobile Setup section under Settings. Enter your mobile number in the +91XXXXXXXXXX format and click on Send Verification Code. You’ll soon receive a code from Google. Type it on the same page and click on Finish Setup. Finally save your settings.

Now move to the Calendars tab, where you’ll see all the calendars that you’ve created so far. Click on Notifications to set up SMS alerts.

Select SMS as your notification medium. You also have the option to specify the when exactly you should receive the notification. NOTE: Google Calendar considers a full-day event to start at 5 PM on the day preceding the event, so you might want to set your alert time by adjusting to the 7 hour difference.

Click on the thumbnails below to view the original screenshots of the steps.

And so it was decided that we’d go to Ooty. We booked a car and left early morning. The weather was awesome. We reached Ooty in around 3 hours. Some of the guys had to draw money from the ATM and so we had to halt. A friend and I stepped into a chocolate shop to buy some for special people. My friend started a conversation with the guy who owned the shop and it turned out that he was much into adventure like trekking and fishing. So we asked him for a very less-known place in Ooty, and he suggested “Avalanche”, promising us of great sights.

So we convinced our reluctant driver to take us there. On the way, we saw elephants and deer as we passed through the heart of the Mudhumalai forest. One more hour and we reached a fish farm – not just any fish farm! It was a “trout hatchery”. The government was capturing trout (a rare fish variety that is sold for around 600 to 700 bucks a kilo!) and breeding those using scientific methods. The caretaker, after being suitably remunerated (ahem), agreed to show us around the place and explain the process. We were even allowed to feed the fish ourselves!

And then, he directed us to a secret tunnel through which the fish are trapped. It was a scenic place, a small tunnel with water flowing and also a small stream of water that flowed slowly through slippery rocks. And with no one around, it was such a romantic spot. I hated myself for being there with only guys all around me. And after the customary photo session, we were off to Avalanche.

Soon after, we reached the place. We were directed to a Forest reserve area, where outsiders were actually not allowed. Some haggling and a lighter wallet later, we were let in to this valley. From the outside, people could be easily be fooled into believing that all of Avalanche is only bushes. But walk into a small path cut across the bushes and you’ll see a sight closest to the likes of those foreign locations in which our movie heroes and heroines go for song sequences. It was a valley, a lake in the center and surrounded by hills all around. We spent a good amount of time there, chatting and running around crazy and of course taking pictures. And then, on the way back, we paid a quickfire visit to the Emerald Dam. It was quite a memorable day, and now we can’t stop talking about the place. Check out the pictures.

I was playing squash that evening when ice cubes started falling into our court through the vent. Before I could understand what was happening, my mobile was buzzing with messages. Unlock phone – 5 messages – “its raining fuckin’ ice cubes dude!”.

I dropped my racquet and rushed to the balcony with child-like glee that I haven’t felt in a long time. And there it was, ice cubes falling from the sky. Below, all the swimmers who were enjoying it soon had to jump out of the pool as the ice was falling heavily.

Somehow I managed to get an umbrella (which is very hard to find here in our campus, as all the free ones are held on to by the girls like dear life) and walked around the campus. And no doubt the lovers came out. Many couples let go of their umbrellas and instead held on to their loved ones. The guys who were out with their other guy friends were pushing each other and playing in the rain like 6-year olds. The few cats that were on campus (they came out only at night) were running amok, looking for a shelter. And as a girl was about to slip in the wet pavement, a guy helped her up and they struck up a conversation instantly. It was fascinating to see all the people having so much fun here!

Okay, so the previous paragraph was made up. I couldn’t really get an umbrella and so was stuck in my squash court. But then I’d like to imagine things like that, and I do believe all that would’ve happened anyway. With everyone here under extreme stress with all the tests, the rain was a welcome break. And now back to more studying, I’ve got my module test tomorrow!

Photo courtesy: ~hairy-paperclip. Thanks!

It’s almost a month since I’ve been here, and here goes my tirade on all things good and bad in my new life.

The setting

My training campus happens to be the largest corporate university in the world. There’s the majestic Roman-style GEC-2 (Global Education Center), the Origami-based SDB-4 (Software Development Block) which looks like one giant love letter gone wrong, the Geodesic Multiplex which looks like “a crystallized golf ball” as a friend colleague put it, and the fabric roof Oasis food court. While all these might be breathtaking at first, what really is breath-stopping is the female population here. My company has redefined eye-candy. Another thing to be proud of is that the company takes so many steps to reduce the ecological footprint of the campus – auto switch-off lights, auto switch-off taps, recycled water for landscaping, strict electricity usage guidelines – the list is endless. And the icing on the cake? 5 star accommodation! Nothing can beat watching HBO late at night on my LCD TV, pizza in hand.

Queue queue queue!

I’ve grown wary of queues. There’s a queue for food, a queue for movie tickets, a queue at the Laundromat, a queue at the swipe machine, a queue at the gym.. The only thing for which I don’t have to wait in a queue is to go to the loo!

DJ Night

Okay, so I’m not known for my moves. In fact the only moves I can make are sitting, standing and walking! But then the DJ Night happened. One night of every month, all of us get to go nuts at the Amphitheatre, when the dance floor is open to all of us, no holds barred. Awesome dance music, psychedelic lighting and one crazy crowd complete the night. I’ve never felt so much energy in my life, ever before. Pure bliss.

ILI

The Infosys Leadership Institute is the place where they mould every employee into a complete corporate professional. The ILI sessions teach us about global effectiveness, interpersonal skills, business etiquette, reading & writing skills and what not. But one very important takeaway from these sessions is the number of people you get to know. I made friends from almost every single part of the country, and that has taught me how much diversity there is truly in our country.

Babel, Babble

Here’s an exercise for all of you. Try finding out which language (and the dialect) these lines are in.

“Arrey yaar, yeh kya bakwaas kar raha hai” – In class.

“Spoon ekkadra?” – In the food court.

“Machi endha figurum namma kitta paesa maatengudhu da!” – Restroom.

With around 10,000 people inside the campus, you always hear chatter all around you (in different languages, all at the same time). All the different languages and the dialects can easily scare the crap out of a Tamil guy. A thing to remember is that Tamilnadu is the only state where they don’t give importance to Hindi as a secondary language in school. And they call it “Tamizh patru”. Seriously, people should find better ways of expressing that feeling.

Romance

No, I’m not talking about my latest crush! This is in fond memory of all those loving (or horny!?!) couples that suddenly spring out after 10 PM. With all the maddening test schedules and assignments, people need to unwind – and they’ve found some pretty interesting ways of doing that. Couples are frequently seen cuddling up late at night and.. you know.. doing.. stuff! When we hang around and come across some of those species (the people in love are just different from humans altogether), the guys go “Machi machi.. anga paarra! Thadavu thadavu’nu thadavuraan da!”. Well, may be the guy’s gone through a dangerously long dry spell. For once, let us learn to leave lovers in peace!

And.. The tests!

And of course, all the talk about the rigorous training is no myth. While we have all this, tests and projects can be pretty taxing. Around 80% of the trainees stay back in class after End Of Day to continue studying. In fact, most of them leave class only at midnight, when the air conditioner and the fans are automatically switched off!

That’s it for now. Time flies by at such a fast pace that I still can’t believe that I’ve been here for a month now! Stay tuned for more updates. Hopefully I get to post some pictures of the campus and my life here!

Presenting the DNS Helper

The name says it all. The utility runs in your Windows notification area and provides a popup menu to quickly switch to any DNS provider. It also features backup and restore functionality in case you want to revert to your ISP’s default DNS servers. Click on the thumbnails below to check out the screenshots. Find the download link at the end of the post.

So what’s new?

Google DNS Helper served one simple purpose – to help Windows users instantly switch over to Google’s Public DNS servers with a single click. Soon after word got around (thanks to Lifehacker and GHacks), people started asking me to add support for other DNS providers. So I compiled a small list of most used public DNS servers and used them in my code. Also, you can enter your own DNS addresses and quickly switch to them. For those who would like to test out different DNS services before actually switching to one, I have included a link to GRC’s fantastic free DNS benchmarking tool.

A note to friends and developers

A number of developers had asked for the source code for Google DNS Helper. I had promised them that I’ll be publishing the source code soon. But a few interested parties have come forward to buy the source code and I’m in the process of signing a non-disclosure agreement. And like I had already posted, I will be moving to another part of the country for my first job and will find little time for my hobby-programming pursuits. Nevertheless, I’m publishing the utility for free download and encourage it to pass it on! This is my parting gift.

Download DNS Helper

Download DNS Helper 1.0 (63.5 KB)
Requires .NET Framework 2.0 or above.