From IP Addresses, Domain Names to SEXY DNS Servers
Ben Lee from Integricity Technology (the most geeky division of Integricity!) explains to us the difference between IP addresses, domain names, and domain name servers.
1) IP address
Every computer which connects to the internet will have an IP address, but what exactly is it? Think of it as you would of a home address. An IP address typically comes in a set of 4 number strings, and looks like this: 64.233.181.104. Each set can be from the numbers 0 to 255. This is unique, and there are no two same IP address in the world! Learn more.
2) Domain name
A domain name is a name registered by someone. Why register one? Because you feel unique when you register that domain name, knowing that no one else can have the same domain name, that no one else can take it away from you, having that warm feeling inside knowing you’re special, one-of-a-kind…
Well, it doesn’t start like that. Let’s say you would like to surf the web. First you would need to connect to a server, where websites are stored. It could be your internet provider’s server / your company’s server / anyone’s server… Heck, even your pet dog’s server – if I asked you to connect to that server by keying in the IP addresses of each server, wouldn’t it be such a hassle to remember all those numbers? And think of all the kids out there who can’t count… =(
The bunch of smart people who created the Internet thought of that too, and so they created domain names! Yep, domain names are pretty much naming your IP addresses. These days, one IP address can hold soo many domain names too with the help of Corporate Shared Hosting. So, yes, the Internet is made simpler because of domain names.
3) Domain Name Servers (DNS)
Think of a domain name server as a Librarian hired as a traffic police. Because domain names are mere names, and there are SOO MANY DOMAIN NAMES OUT THERE (Yep, I bet you can’t remember all the domain names out there), you’d obviously want someone to help you with them. And that is where Librarians, um, domain name servers (DNS) come into play. Like Librarians, DNS know where to point you to when you are searching for a server and all you have is a domain name. They contain the records of the IP address allocated to the particular domain name, and their job is direct you to the right website you want to visit. Learn more.
SUMMARY:
Think of different domain name extensions like .my / .kr / .hk / .com . These extensions are like genres. Each of these domain name extensions have their own sexy librarians to direct traffic. Why have more librarians? Let’s say .my domain names are “Science Fiction” and .com.my is “Pop Science Fiction”. You ask the Head librarian where .my domain names are. She will lead you to the isle where Science Fictions are stored. There, Lady Sci-fi Librarian will then lead you to Pop Science Fiction isle. Now, again you will reach another DNS, however this DNS is different. This DNS is created by you. It is a DNS server which you use to point the end of the search for your UNIQUE DOMAIN NAME. So, if you type thezock.com.my in your address bar, the last DNS server points you to your final destination. Yes, these Librarians read from right to left. =P
When changing Domain Name Servers or Details or where a domain name points to from your DNS. It would take some time to propagate.
WHY? YOU SAY WHY?
BECAUSE THERE ARE SOOO MANY DNS SERVERS OUT THERE. When you change the location of your books/domain names on the shelves, the Librarians are gonna have to take some time to tell everyone else what has happened.
DAZ WHY..!
And yes, it is an internet protocol.
Oh, by the way, even your internet provider uses DNS, which you also use when you connect to the Internet. But this is for another day…
Topics: Idle Chat |
New Fanatics In The House
In the past month or so, we’ve had six new people join the Integricity family — yes, SIX! How awesome is that! A blend of skills and personalities hailing from all around – from the food haven way up north of Peninsular Malaysia, to the land of cendol and chicken rice balls, to the tropical islands of the Philippines, we’re thrilled to have these new additions.
Now, everyone who joins Integricity has hidden superpowers. Read on as they share about their experience here, and answer the dreaded question: “Have you put on weight since you got here?” ;D
From the Integricity Interactive team…
Alex Liew
Developer
What’s your Superpower?
I develop Flash and Web applications.
How do you find your first few weeks here?
I feel like a part of the team, and I can work with the rest very well.
What do you like best about the Integricity family?
The food that my colleagues introduce to me.
Have you put on weight since?
No, because I’m on my diet plan. HEHE
Pang Su Yen
Intern (Designer)
What’s your Superpower?
I design with Photoshop and Illustrator by my side =)
How do you find your first few weeks here?
I wake up with anticipation to get to work every morning, I love being part of the Interactive team, learning along the way and I’m counting my working days upwards!
What do you like best about the Integricity family?
The very people that make up Integricity. We work hard, discuss what we’re having for lunch on chatgroup, tease everything under the sun and are always there, willing to help =)
Have you put on weight since?
I usually bring my own meals- that’s when they came out with this term AEIOU (Always Eat In Office, Understand?) but I am eating so much more now. more GOOD food. Put on weight? I know I will in time to come. keke
Thum Yee Mun
Junior Copywriter
What’s your Superpower?
Magically finishing copy five minutes before my deadline.
How do you find your first few weeks here?
A whirlwind of food, and words, and Internet humour, and cat links, and Super Rings, and Apple fangirling. Oh, and writing of course. Loving it! I’m learning to say a lot in a little. And when not to say anything at all too.
What do you like best about the Integricity family?
I love that the Integricity family is committed to doing their very best all the time, no matter the job or client. And they do it while having lots of fun. It’s their spirit of excellence that spurs me to do my very best too! 
Have you put on weight since?
I’m known to love food too. So Integricity complements my lifestyle. HAHA. And weight? What weight? (*fiddles thumbs and looks extremely innocent*)
Vivien Lee
Junor Designer
What’s your Superpower?
I’m learning from my seniors, trying to forget what I learned in college (’cause its too outdated!)
How do you find your first few weeks here?
Hmm… stress and stress and stress – but I’ve learned a lot, and i enjoy learning. I like the environment here very much, the colleagues are really friendly!
What do you like best about the Integricity family?
The people here are the best! The pantry is the best!
Have you put on weight since?
Nope in the meantime, but soon!
From the Integricity Technology team…
Joy Alma Gan
Admin Executive
What’s your Superpower?
I am the Kali of Integricity Technology, having to assist 4 guys! (Kali is the Hindu goddess with many hands)
How do you find your first few weeks here?
VERY INTERESTING. This is actually very different from what I was doing previously. I used to deal with sick people, but now I deal with computers. =)
What do you like best about the Integricity family?
Very friendly, and I really feel comfortable with them, especially the bosses. They are down-to-earth people.
Have you put on weight since?
Aaargh…I hate to admit it, but YES!
Gary Gan
Intern
What’s your Superpower?
I am pretty good at configuring and troubleshooting CISCO-related routers and switches. I hope to apply these networking theories and concepts of to real life scenarios during my tenure at Integricity.
How do you find your first few weeks here?
Well, when I first stepped foot in Integricity, my heart was pounding real fast. I was nervous yet excited. As I had no prior working experience, especially not in an office environment with a group of professionals, I guess it was natural for me to feel that way. I was worried about adapting to the hours, and how to mix around with my colleagues – at one point, I even feared I would be exiled from the team! However, after being here for several weeks now, I’m starting to get used to the working environment, and I’m just glad to be part of the team.
Hopefully, by the end of my internship duration, I would be able to remember everyone’s names. There’s still much for me to learn here at Integricity.
What do you like best about the Integricity family?
The family-like bonding among colleagues. I also like the active environment and flexible schedules, as I find it increases productivity. Everyone here is friendly, – you just can’t find anyone staring at you with a long straight face or acting ignorant whenever you try to initiate a conversation!
Have you put on weight since?
Since joining, I’ve visited various foods when tagging along with the tech boys for lunch, and tasted several kinds of food new to me. If there’s one thing that amazes me, it is how Integricitizens can remember and comment about food with such detail that I never would have imagined! For me, food is just, well, food – something to ease my hunger. I guess it won’t be surprising if my taste buds start to develop sensitivity to foods in the future.
About my weight, I guess I might have gained several kilograms. =) But frankly, it doesn’t really matter, as long as I’m feeling healthy!
Topics: Beneath the Red Hood |
Google Docs for Workgroups
Whenever new employees join the Integricity family, one of the first things we ask is if they have a Google account, so that we can share Docs with them. As you probably already know, we’re pretty huge fans of Google Docs – actually, everything Google! =P
Google Docs has revolutionized communication in workgroups, enabling real-time, seamless collaboration. It’s an excellent way to reduce clutter, as all collaborators only need to go to one common place to find docs in its most up-to-date version.
Here’s a short video highlighting some new features introduced recently:
Google Docs also improved sharing functionality, highlighted in Alex’s blog. To start using Docs in your workgroup effectively, read these simple tips.
Happy sharing!
Topics: Beneath the Red Hood, New-fangled Tech, Tips, Tricks and How-Tos |
All-You-Can-Eat Pizza Contest, v2.0
What has been brewing in Integricity lately?
Integricity recently had its 2nd internal All-You-Can-Eat Pizza Contest last Thursday. As the competition was announced few weeks before, everyone in the office was looking forward to it and anticipating a close fight while placing their bets on the contestants. Initially, Reyhan had issued the challenge to last year’s champion, Farhan. This year saw Farhan contesting against Reyhan and Adeline, a newcomer who wanted to test her limits. The challenge was to finish two large beef pepperoni pizzas from Dominos within an hour. Bet you’re imagining the three of them stuffing slice after slice into their mouths. But rest assured; that was not what happened.
Each contestant started off strong and determined with one large pizza each in front of them. Throughout the duration of the contest, the event was streamed live courtesy of Alex Lam. Viewers not only witnessed the contest but also Integricity-zens cheering, and making jokes during the contest. After the half-hour mark passed, the contestants started taking it slow and easy; slice after slice. It wasn’t long before Rehyan and Farhan conquered their first box of pizza. The crowd cheered on while enjoying pizzas for lunch as well.
Down to the last 21 minutes; it came down to Reyhan and Farhan. They were now on the second half of their second pizza with Reyhan ahead of Farhan with two slices. As an onlooker, it was very clear that all three of them were FULL!!! Both seemingly started taking it slower, looking at one another, waiting to see what the other would do. Everyone in the crowd cheered them on to pick up the next slice.
However, Reyhan’s capacity proved too great for the last year’s reigning champion to stomach and that marked the end of the contest. Farhan surpassed his last year’s record having eaten 12 slices this time while Adeline, 7 slices. Reyhan was proclaimed the winner of this year’s Pizza Contest with 14 slices!
The contestants: Farhan, Reyhan and Adeline!
Integricitizens cheering the contestants on.
Live streaming of all the action!
Contributed by:
Pang Su Yen & Wong Yin Yee
Awesome Interns 
Integricity Interactive
Topics: Beneath the Red Hood |
Network profiles on Windows
Or rather, the lack of it.
I can’t understand why Microsoft has not provided Windows users with a network profiling tool that saves unique IP, Subnet, Gateway and DNS settings for individual network locations. My iPhone can do profiling and so can open source operating systems like Ubuntu. In theory, it should be a simple application to slap onto the operating system. I have experimented with third party tools and widgets which kind of work, but so far, I have found the tools often confuse novice users, as opposed to making things easier.
So I now present you my simple workaround which solves the problem of having to manually retype all your network settings each time you move your Windows notebook from your office to your home to your girlfriend’s home, etc.
Example 1 – for DHCP:
netsh interface ip set address name=”Wireless Network Connection” dhcp
netsh interface ip set dns name=”Wireless Network Connection” dhcp
netsh interface ip set wins name=”Wireless Network Connection” dhcp
Example 2 – for manual configuration of IP, Subnet, Gateway and DNS settings:
netsh interface ip set address “Wireless Network Connection” static 192.168.0.19 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.1
netsh interface ip add dns “Wireless Network Connection” 202.75.129.101
netsh interface ip add dns “Wireless Network Connection” 202.75.129.102 index=2
Note: The configuration above is what I use for my home network. You would need to change it accordingly for how your network is configured.
What you need to do is copy and paste the above in Notepad, make the necessary changes to your settings, and then save it as a .cmd file type. You can create as many as you want, and save these .cmd files on your desktop. I simply name mine office.cmd and home.cmd .
To execute these files you must right click on the file and select “Run as administrator”, due to Microsoft’s User Account Control (UAC) security measure. Don’t worry about what that means. Just right click, Run as administrator and hit “Continue” when prompted. That’s all!
I hope this helps you save some time each day… I use it daily and it has certainly saved me a lot of time!
Topics: Tips, Tricks and How-Tos |
For the Love of FOOD!
*MSN message from Anna popped up*
“Hey Lisa, the other day Alex mentioned we’ll be having an Integricity cookout right? Can you cover the event & write an article for the blog? It’ll be fun…and you are the master of food!”
My reply was, “Umm…ehhhhh…”
I was indeed a little hesitant to do so, probably because for one, I don’t consider myself a writer, and I don’t write well when there’s no inspiration or when it’s for something which I am not really familiar with. Nevertheless, I agreed and I think that it was indeed a good event to share with everyone else, after all.
After several debates on where and when the cookout should be carried out, the day finally happened on Sunday, 16th May 2010 over at the poolside of Sterling condominium, thanks to Anna who coordinated the entire event.
As far as I know, this is the first cookout organised by Integricity. Basically, everyone had to bring along one dish from home, something like a potluck. Everyone (well almost all) arrived at the destination at 7pm carting their own home-cooked dish……or booze! The weather was so warm, so the pool really looked attractive but since no one brought their swimming attires, we waited patiently to indulge in the variety of yummy dishes.
Look at all that fooooood! *salivates*
Eric’s chilli con carne complete with portable stove; fruit salad by yours truly 
The warm weather didn’t stay for long as it soon started to rain. Well, that too didn’t stop our agenda for the evening. We managed to relocate to a little sheltered space, where all our food was nicely displayed with 26 of us cramped together (but it was really cozy). As much as our tummies were growling, each of us introduced our own food creation…and our partners! Yes, this cookout involved Integricitizens’ family and also their family and friends. Getting envious? That’s one of the advantages of being part of Integricity’s family!
Anyway, back to the cookout. Amongst all the chit chats, mingling, laughter and story-telling sessions, I seriously thought, and this is even confirmed by all, that each of us can really become a good chef! (Oh well, no one was on medical leave the next day). Who knows, with Integricity’s growing business, our directors can consider starting a café run by Integricitizens!!!
Okay, enough said, here’s proof of how much fun we had and the amount of food that left us rubbing our tummies on our way home. Once again, kudos for everyone’s hard work, and I definitely look forward to Integricity’s Cookout Round 2!
Our menu for the evening:-
|
Item |
Chef |
Personal Verdict |
|
Chicken Curry |
Mazharul |
Makes you want more |
|
Chilli Con Carne |
Eric |
Mama Mia!!! |
|
Chocolate cheesecake & 12 years Famous Grouse |
Jek |
Just heavenly and……………… well it’s not Jek if there isn’t any booze. Well blended! |
|
Fruit Salad |
Lisa |
What! Someone needs to prepare something healthy |
|
Köttbullar & Gräddsås (Swedish meatballs with cream sauce) |
Ser Young |
Two’s not enough =) |
|
Lemon Meringue Pie |
Yin Yee |
Melts in your mouth |
|
Potato salad |
Anna |
Simply yumzzzz |
|
Quiche |
Su Yen |
Can I have more? |
|
Red wine vinegar, honey mustard dressing over garden greens, white button mushrooms and cherry tomatoes |
Mike |
Well balanced |
|
Sauteed mushroom |
Farhan |
Better than Krishna Curry House, seriously |
|
Shepherd’s Pie |
Sonia |
Who needs the Shepherd when you can have the pie |
|
Spaghetti with 3 tomato-based sauces of pork, beef and mushroom |
Adeline |
Which one should I choose? So many choices |
|
Stewed beef ribs |
Eugene |
Tender soft |
|
Stuffed roast chicken |
Alex & Grace |
Worth the 1 hour wait |
|
“Yum” Sausage |
JS Chui |
…………okay, I wasn’t drunk having this. Not too sweet, not too sour, simply delicious |
|
Item |
Chef |
Personal Verdict |
|
Red wine vinegar, honey mustard dressing over garden greens, white button mushrooms and cherry tomatoes |
Mike |
Well balanced |
|
Potato salad |
Anna |
Simply yumzzzz |
|
Stuffed roast chicken |
Alex & Grace |
Worth the 1 hour wait |
|
Spaghetti with 3 tomato-based sauces of pork, beef and mushroom |
Adeline |
Which one should I choose? So many choices |
|
“Yum” Sausage |
JS Chui |
…………okay, I wasn’t drunk having this. Not too sweet, not too sour, simply delicious |
|
Shepherd’s Pie |
Sonia |
Who needs the Shepherd when you can have the pie |
|
Quiche |
Su Yen |
Can I have more? |
|
Stewed beef ribs |
Eugene |
Tender soft |
|
Chilli Con Carne |
Eric |
Mama Mia!!! |
|
Sauteed mushroom |
Farhan |
Better than Krishna Curry House, seriously |
|
Köttbullar & Gräddsås (Swedish meatballs with cream sauce) |
Ser Young |
Two’s not enough J |
|
Chicken Curry |
Mazharul |
Makes you want more |
|
Fruit Salad |
Lisa |
What! Someone needs to prepare something healthy |
|
Lemon Meringue Pie |
Yin Yee |
Melts in your mouth |
|
Chocolate cheesecake & 12 years Famous Grouse |
Jek |
Just heavenly and……………… well it’s not Jek if there isn’t any booze. Well blended! |
Contributed by:
Lisa Lim
Manager
Integricity Press
Topics: Beneath the Red Hood |
ZestPJ: Best WEB 2.0 Mash Up Site Award
We love doing great work, and it’s even more awesome when our work is recognised with an award.
This time, it was for our work for Hilton Petaling Jaya. ZestPJ.com, a food and beverage brand that we created and built, bagged the Best Web 2.0 Mash Up award in the TravelMole 2010 Web Innovation Awards.
Integricity’s work beat numerous heavyweights including Air New Zealand in this category. The website captured the highest average score in website presentation, usability, content and use of technology, making it the winner of the award.
In addition to the website, Integricity also developed the brand through social media channels including the ZestPJ Facebook page, Twitter, Flickr, Lowyat.net, PJnet, as well as other tactical initiatives designed to raise the prominence of Hilton Petaling Jaya as a food destination.
Visit ZestPJ.com here or find out more about its conception process here.
Congratulations, Hilton Petaling Jaya!
Topics: Design-speak, What's that Site? |
Integricity Technology Promotions
Domain name promo
If you have always dreamed of having your own .com, .net or .org but never got to registering for one, now is the time for you to do so! Instead of the usual RM55, Integricity Technology is giving out top level domain names at RM35 – valid for the first 100 registrations only. Shop here using the exclusive promo codes below to enjoy the discount:
.com domain names
Promo code: dotcomintegmay2010
.net domain names
Promo code: dotnetintegmay2010
.org domain names
Promo code: dotorgintegmay2010
Server colocation promo
The server colocation promo is still on. Get 3 months of server colocation services (worth up to RM2,250) at absolutely no charge, and only pay for a one-time setup fee. Find out more here.
Topics: Beneath the Red Hood |
Arrival of the iPad
Apple iPad. The revolutionary gadget with the controversial name, which is bound to change the way we use technology was launched to us mere mortals on April 3rd, 2010. Prior to its arrival, it had garnered a fair bit of buzz in the digital world, though most were jokes about its name – probably not the kind of publicity Steve Jobs had in mind!
At present, the iPad is not yet available outside of the US, supposedly due to overwhelming demand in Apple’s home country. However, this did not stop our Digital Strategy Director, Ben Israel from getting his hands on the coveted gadget — where there’s a will, there’s a way!
Here’s the people at Integricity crowding around the iPad upon its arrival, fresh from its box!
After spending two weeks with the iPad, Ben shares with us his take on it.
1. What do you use your iPad for? Does it enhance productivity, and does it act as a laptop replacement?
I primarily use the iPad at home, at which it has almost totally replaced my laptop. Instead of booting up my laptop to read the news / Google Reader in the morning or evening, I now use the iPad – and it boots up in a second. It’s a great tool for reading – skimming through articles and even emails, and no doubt playing games. Unfortunately, because it is so new, we are still waiting for other applications to catch up. Twitter doesn’t have a decent tool for the iPad yet, and Facebook does not have an iPad app yet. Once all these tools are present in the apps store, this device will be quite hard to put down.
2. What is the greatest satisfaction the iPad brings you? What do you dislike about it?
What’s there not to love about the iPad? The design is nice, it has a great form factor, the battery is amazing (I charge it once every three days!)… if there were anything else I would ask for, it would be a stylus. Call me old-fashioned, but I cannot for the life of me write or draw with my fat, wobbly fingers – and there are so many amazing apps that would work so well with a stylus.
3. Do you face difficulties getting used to the user interface?
The best choice Apple made was to use the iPhone OS on the iPad. Because I am already so familiar with the iPhone interface, it completely removes the learning curve for me and I can jump straight to using the device. Even for people who are new to the iPhone experience, the learning curve isn’t steep, and you’d be swiping away in no time.
4. What are the top 5 apps you’d recommend?
1. Feedler RSS Reader – great RSS reader and Google Reader client.
2. Pages – word processing applications. Create new documents, import from emails or sync from desktop.
3. Worms HD – this turn-based game was made for the iPad, the large form factor makes this game extremely fun.
4. Desktop – allows you to run two applications at the same time, on the same screen.
5. Air Video (my favourite iPad app): stream videos from your computer and convert videos on the fly.
5. People have mentioned that the iPad’s Wi-Fi signals are weak. Is this true?
Haven’t had a problem yet, but again, I use it mainly at home.
6. Is it worth the price? =P
Every single penny… =)
7. Do you have anything else to add?
If you don’t plan to buy one, don’t touch one. Once you’ve touched it…
Thank you for sharing, Ben. Anyone out there hear an iPad calling out to you now? 
Topics: Beneath the Red Hood, New-fangled Tech |
Integricity Talks #5: Engagement in the Digital Age
Integricity upped the ante by having our fifth talk entitled “Engagement in the Digital Age” at Uncle Chilli’s, Hilton Petaling Jaya. The talk, held early this month, was jointly hosted by Integricity and Hilton PJ for PR professionals, media and selected guests.
This time, our resident social media specialist, TJ Tee was joined by Alex Lam and Ben Israel as well as John Lim, new media editor from The Edge. The speakers tackled topics like Social Web Trends, How the Media is Going Social, Interactive Tools and Toys to Engage Your Audience and Measuring Engagement.
About 50 participants turned up and got to know the latest digital trends, strategies and opportunities.
Click here to download the speakers’ slides
Ben Israel: Web Trends
John Lim: Newsroom
Alex Lam: Interactive Tools
TJ Tee: Measuring Engagement
After the talk, Hilton PJ’s F&B Manager, Johari and Uncle Chilli’s Restaurant Manager, Ruban gave a short introduction on Uncle Chilli’s and other F&B outlets in the hotel.
The event ended with a networking session at the bar area of Uncle Chilli’s with some refreshments.
Visit ZestPJ.com to find out more about Uncle Chilli’s.
Check out more pictures of the talk on our Facebook page. Follow us on Twitter to keep up with updates on the upcoming Integricity Talks as well as other events!
Contributed by:
Wong Yin Yee
Intern
Integricity Interactive
Topics: Beneath the Red Hood, Biz Productivity, Tips, Tricks and How-Tos |