Opera 10.50 developer preview blows away the competition!

My favourite browser has just helped me overcome the Javascript envy that I was secretly nursing for a long time now (after the Javascript browser wars began): it was lagging behind in the speed benchmarks that mattered, viz., Sunspider (and more recently, Google's V8 Benchmark suite). No longer is this the case as this brand new version beats even the venerable Chrome on my machine (and presumably on other computers as well). See for yourself:

• Sunspider results for Opera 10.50
• V8 results for Opera 10.50 (screenshot)
• Sunspider results for Google Chrome 4.0.266 (developer stream)
• V8 results for Google Chrome 4.0.266 (developer stream) (screenshot)

Of course, this is just a pre-alpha version, but the results are impressive, even in the V8 tests devised by Google (Chrome comes out on top, but I won't be surprised to see it eating the dust soon!)

The headphone problem with Android 1.5 phones

Weird problem to have with a phone, and is yet another eye-opener for me. Plugging a headphone into your phone doesn't somehow automatically make it aware of the headphone; you need software to make it aware, and that software for Android 1.5 phones is now here. Okay, let me now describe the problem a bit more in detail.

I'd got a HTC Hero phone (yes, shamelessly lured by the Android promise) about a couple of months ago. I had been a happy user with lots of applications installed, uninstalled, regularly used, etc. Happy, that is, until my headphones stopped working about a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure when exactly it stopped working, nor am I sure whether it was after installing the last.fm application from Android Market, but stop it did. Until yesterday, I was confident that it was something to do with hardware. (Had my brain worked, though, I shouldn't have been so confident.) In fact, I remained confident even after a friend casually mentioned that it might be something do with some setting on my phone (this was justified as there isn't any such setting of course).

However, after calling T-Mobile customer care yesterday and agreeing to send my phone off to repair at a nearby T-Mobile store, I woke up early this morning, unable to sleep further (since I'd hit the sack last night at an unusual hour for me - 8 pm! (Or was it 9? Can't quite remember!)). Anyway, as I was surfing, I stumbled on to this thread and realised, again, that I - or rather, my phone - was not afflicted with a unique problem (tangentially, here's a thought: can phones be afflicted with problems, even if they happen to be called Android?). Two things are immediately clear:

1. This is a widespread-enough problem that a fix should to be included in the Android 2.0 update
2. There's a fix available today!

What should also be clear to developers is the extent to which software controls nearly every aspect of the phones that we use, even down to recognising if a headphone has been plugged into those tiny devices that we've come to love.

HP leads the list of most troublesome laptops

I knew this way back in 2004 when I bought my first laptop, a used Compaq 2500. By then, HP had acquired and assimilated Compaq and its products, enough to tarnish the once-reputable Compaq brand (with its Armada brand of tough road-warrior laptops. My knowledge was further reinforced when I foolishly decided to give HP the benefit of doubt and purchase my second laptop a couple of years later, this time an AMD-powered one.

Different processor, same result: trouble with the hardware components. While my first laptop's display conked out twice, yes TWICE in two years, my newer laptop's Wi-fi card decided to vanish one fine day from Windows' device list. A visit to an HP service centre (that is a tale for another day!) revealed that there was some hardware/software problem which was sorted out, thankfully, without my having to pay them anything. Anyway, the link below will give you a statistical reason why you should never, ever, go in for an HP laptop if you can help it.

My current laptop? A Dell Inspiron 1525.

The Ubuntu Journey

Remember I mentioned that I was going to try and switch over to using Linux - and Ubuntu in particular - full-time? Well, that effort is into the second week and going strong. Stronger, I should have said, since I've switched over to Ubuntu at the workplace as well. And I'm enjoying every minute of it. What with eye candy like Wobbly Windows, built-in support for Last.fm in Rhythmbox, why wouldn't I? (And yes, the icon of the clouds that you see on the top panel in this screenshot is that of a weather widget. There are weather widgets that sit on your desktop on Windows (built-in in Vista and Win7), Mac and every other OS, but I like this one for its unobtrusiveness.)

Using a computer is so much fun again. The only instance when I had to boot into Windows was when a DVD misbehaved, and wouldn't play on Rhythmbox. I'm positive it would have played on VLC, but I hate that program, and so didn't install it. Haven't done yet, and never will probably.

Bugs Bunny, yes, but bug funny?

Yes indeed! I mirthfully submit, ladies and gentlemen, Bug Funny!

Karmic Koala

That's the name of the Operating System that I'm running. It's the latest version of the Ubuntu Linux distribution that has taken the pride of place on my laptop. It's a long story, but here it is in a nutshell: I got tired of paying for every bit of software on my machine when I could get the same, similar or better quality software for free.

And thus it is that I'm into my second day of using Linux as my primary operating system. I've attempted this in the past, but my resolve then wasn't up to much - I'd always switch back to Windows, because that's what I was most comfortable with. No, I'm not a Linux newbie, and have played with Linux right from the day when the Indian computer magazine PC Quest used to promote Linux as a toy for geeks. I've had my share of long nights out installing, configuring and troubleshooting various distros, but never have my attempts at replacing Windows been successful. So, how is it different this time?

Firstly, the quality and number of programs that are now available on Linux have increased tremendously since those days. In fact, over the last few years, there has been a tremendous amount of momentum behind this Debian-based Linux distribution called Ubuntu. I got sucked into the Ubuntu wave about four years ago (when Hoary Hedgehog and Breezy Badger were the latest versions), but it hasn't been mature enough for me until now. Secondly, my reasons for using a computer these days are primarily to surf the Net, check email, chat using Instant Messengers and occasionally, program. For the last mentioned last, I've started using Eclipse, after much reluctance (yeah, there's no love lost between me and Java). Lastly, I like alliterations :-)

So, how long will this latest attempt of mine last? Forever, I hope. At any rate, I'll keep you posted. In the meanwhile, here is a screenshot of my desktop:

P.S. Does this mean the end of Windows on my computer? No, Windows will always live forever. Er, I mean, I'll have it around, just in case I run into a situation where I don't have a replacement for / equivalent of a Windows program. But for the time being though, my Karmic endeavour begins.

Strange Google logo

I saw this

on the Google search results page today. Notice what’s unusual?

No? There are two l’s instead of just one. What was even more weird was this:

Again, did you notice the options on the left? I’ve seen this in the list of features introduced through Google Experimental, but on the main search results page? Something’s definitely cooking!

What’s up Google?

Update: This is what was up. Thanks to a well-informed reader for the heads up.

Laudable Linux distributions

…on a thumb drive, no less? Whether you have never heard of Linux, or Linux is old hat to you, there may be a thing or two that this post may surprise you with. Of course, if you’re a hard-core geek who lives and breathes Linux, you can safely skip this post since there will probably be nothing in the rest of this post that will be new to you. If you aren’t one, then maybe you should read on.

Yes, it’s true: Linux can be run from a thumb drive (a.k.a. pen drive, flash drive, etc.). And what’s more, if your USB drive is 2.0 compliant, it can run at least as fast as, if not faster than, Windows. Don’t believe me? Try it out for yourself using Parted Magic and Ubuntu.

Before you go ahead with the instructions on the two previous URLs, there’s a question that you might want answered: will my existing Windows installation be affected? The answer is an unequivocal No. In fact, no part of your hard disk is even going to be touched, since these Linux distributions run exclusively from your USB disk, and if the RAM on your machine is large enough, they can even offer a phenomenal boost of speed (by using a RAM drive)! Too good to be true? There must be a catch, right?

Well, it really depends on what you want to use these tiny Linux installations for. If what you want is full-fledged Internet usage – email, surfing and streaming videos (like YouTube) - whether on a public machine (at a browsing center) or your own computer, with or without a Wifi connection, then there’s absolutely no catch whatsoever; the OS is functionally as good as Windows, and mostly faster too. If your intention is, however, to use it as a full-fledged operating system with all the conveniences and frills that you’re used to on Windows, then you may have a few problems or showstoppers. The latter is especially the case with Parted Magic, which is a thumb drive Linux distribution specifically meant for partitioning jobs; though you can comfortably use it to perform all the Internet functions enumerated above, its primary purpose is to create, alter the size of, and remove your partitions. In fact, if you are in a particularly destructive mood, you can even erase your disk clean and create completely new partitions with it!

On the other hand, Ubuntu on a thumb drive is a completely different story. You can do just about anything that you can with Windows, often with less hassle and more speed.

Like they say, your mileage may vary but the convenience and the extraordinary Internet security that these Linux distros give you, without compromising on functionality or speed, is simply unbeatable. What’s more, if you’re convinced about any of these operating systems, then taking the next step and installing them on your hard drive is not very difficult either. But that is a topic for an entirely different discussion which we can have sometime in the near future.

Leave your feedback about these distros in the comments below, or mail me at me AT maheshj DOT info. So long, have fun with Linux.

Quick Windows Tip – 6

Here’s a question for you dare-devil Windows 7 users: how do you minimise all the windows except the one you want, and un-maximise (or Restore, see also the previous post) the one you want, all with just one mouse click/gesture? No?

Just shake it! Yes, grab the title bar the window, and give it a good shake. Try it!

See this YouTube video for even more Windows 7 tips.

Quick Windows Tip – 5

If you’re using Windows 7 (the release candidate or beta) like I am, then here are a few handy tips:

1. To maximise any window (that’s obviously not maximised yet), simply drag it to the top of the screen and drop it.
2. Conversely, to un-maximise it (“Restore” is the official term), drag it down from the top.

The equilibrium of language

What’s life without balance? Balance is not something that only book keepers or trapeze artists should strive for, it’s something that even interpreters should aspire to have. Like this automated translator.

Go ahead, find your own balance; I’ve found mine :-)

What a fightback!

She didn’t win the first six games in the first set, but she hasn’t lost a game since then! I’m talking about the on-going fourth round match between Venus Williams and the comeback woman, Kim Clijsters, in the US Open. Even if she is someone that I don’t necessarily enjoy watching as a tennis player, it has been an amazing turnaround from the elder of the Williams sisters. I love that spirit in her which refuses to give in without a God-almighty struggle!

Update: The brave from-the-brink comeback of Venus Williams finally came to an end when Clijsters shut her out in the final set of an exciting match.

Obituary

Dear Proof Reader,

I can’t begin to say how much I regret having to write this, for never had I imagined that anybody would have the heart to kill you. Nor has it been a quiet passing! You, the eternal guardian of quality writing, the unseen benefactor who has saved the jobs of thousands of honest middle-class reporters, the tireless worker who slogged day and night on a thankless job have been found murdered, brutally, in cold blood.

By those very people whom you sought to protect. Those vandals of the English language for whom a sentence well written has no great benefit; those savages who cannot appreciate a word well chosen even if their lives were at stake – the very people who would have benefitted immensely had they only bothered to look at your noble life.

But then, you should have seen your end coming. After all, headlines like “Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter” could not have been but a body blow to you. “Miners Refuse to Work after Death” should have made it amply clear to you that they were baying for your blood. If anybody had sought to reassure you, then “If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile” should have made you think otherwise. Alas! The eternal optimist that you were, you perhaps thought that these were but erring children, misinformed and misguided for sure, but who meant well and who would surely learn sooner or later. If “Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges” dealt a stunning blow, then it was “Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead” that killed you, as the post-mortem revealed later.

Yet, your life has not been for nothing. You’ve had the satisfaction of working with famous writers, excellent editors, and budding geniuses; of steering many an aspiring writer on the path to Correct Writing; of a job well done.

Thank you for the message that is your life: well begun may be half done, but it isn’t done until ‘tis done well. RIP.

(This was written after reading a forwarded email that I got earlier. Any errors in this article only further justify this post.)

Unlocking the secret to organisational success: Recruitment

A friend of mine had recently asked me to make a guest post on his up and coming blog. We'd had a discussion a few weeks back on how our company's recruitment policy was leading to a lot of problems at work (we were both working for the same company). Recruiting people may be only one of the functions of any firm's Human Resources Department, but it's one of the most critical as it has a direct bearing on the organisation's ability to not only become profitable, but also potentially become a household name. Google, anyone?

Anyway, the site is about helping young graduates with technical interviews in IT, and is worth a read. The link to my article is given below.

One month

About a month now since I moved to the UK, and there's been a bit, just a bit, of progress. Regular tennis, job applications, cooking, cleaning up, and a bit of exploring the neighbourhood by wandering around on foot and on a bicycle - these summarise my activities over the last four weeks of my stay at my friend's place in the UK. Precious little by way of progress, but more on that in a moment.

Tennis has been the most regular feature so far. While the quality of my game hasn't gone up greatly, I'm able to say with pride that it hasn't been entirely bad either. I even managed to take a set from M, and came close to doing so another time. No mean achievement this, since I couldn't do this at all during my college days, which, I think, were my best playing days in terms of agility and passion for the game.

Added a recipe or two to my fledgling, ahem, repertoire, the notables being an entirely ingenious vegetable stew (mail me for the recipe if you're interested), Wok noodles and pasta. Okay, all right, I'm yet to practise the last two recipes yet, but so what? You haven't practised skydiving either, so we're even! Besides, I also learnt how the English clean up their houses which you haven't, so I'm actually one up on you.

More important among these, shall we say achievements, is the improvement in my fitness level. No, I still can't leap tall buildings in a single leap and run faster than a speeding bullet, but hey, I can jog non-stop for about ten minutes and, after stopping for only a few minutes, start running again. That's not something to be ashamed of after just a month.

The most important thing that I'm happy to share with you all is the fact that I'm a little further along in my job hunt than I was a month ago. So what if I have given only one interview that may lead somewhere, I have managed to attract the attention of various recruitment agents who call me now and then. I'm confident that I'll definitely be working somewhere by the time I post next. (Or I'll make sure that I don't post before then ;-))

Arnold is among the most visionary men

Warning: Not suitable for children and young adults! R-rated post, contains some adult language. There, the warning has been given :-)

Yes, I'm talking about the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger, and this is why.

Seriously, Abstruse Goose is one hell of a cartoon!

FedEx keeps tryst with destiny, but Roddick wins hearts

Update: This article says it all - Andy's loss of the second set was about all that separated today's winner from the runner up. And like one of the commenters on that page said, Andy didn't deserve to lose. At all.

The Federer Express was on course today to notch up yet another Grand Slam win. With this victory, he becomes the only player in tennis history (in the Open era) to win fifteen Grand Slam singles titles. This win was, alas, not his best though.

This match should be Andy Roddick's finest ever performance at Wimbledon, a match he was simply unlucky to lose since he was the better player for almost the entire match, except during the second set, when Federer held his nerves to come back from four set points down to clinch it eventually. If anybody bothered to ask who deserved to win this match on the basis of superior tennis played, the answer would be, undoubtedly, Andy Roddick. A-Rod not only maintained an unbelievably high percentage of first serves, but his shot-making was also tremendously high-percentage, high-quality, and consistent.

In the end, I was feeling sad for Andy Roddick, and was wondering how cruel sport could be. Today, what separated the runner up from his opponent was merely a matter of a few shots towards the end of the match. As is often said, winners are not necessarily the ones who perform the best; they're often those with a greater belief in their own ability to win. In his acceptance speech, Federer himself acknowledged that he was merely the luckier man today, and that Andy played "unbelievable" tennis.

Quick Windows Tips - 4

If you're like most Windows users, you have a document on your computer called My Documents that's usually located under C:\Documents and Settings\<your user name>\ (or C:\Users, if you are a Vista user - in either case, I'm assuming that your default Windows partition is C:\). Long-time Windows users might have spotted this ages ago. What is less apparent, however, is the fact that you can have control over where "My Documents" is physically located on your hard disk, not only to the disk partition where you'd like it to be, but right down to the exact folder under which you want it. But first, an important consideration: why would you want to change this?

Plenty of reasons, but one of the most important ones is protection of data by moving it away from the Windows partition. The Windows Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) is not so very uncommon (see this link if you don't believe me), and many a user has gnashed his teeth in anger at having to reinstall Windows to overcome many a mysterious problem that will prove to be intractable. And, as you might know from a previous unfortunate experience, when you reinstall Windows, many system folders, like your desktop, the My Documents folder, and others, get overwritten, munching away your precious files and folders.

Besides this, there are other reasons why you might want to do this. In versions of Windows prior to Vista, you cannot resize your partitions without using specialised partition manager programs. This may mean that you might run out of disk space on your Windows partition, with data loss as a potential risk in the case of some unforeseen failure. Degraded performance would be another reason: if your data is located on the Windows partition, chances are that file fragmentation is heavy, increasing the seek / access times for certain files. So, any which way you look at it, moving your personal data to a different partition is a pretty useful idea.

Before you start, ensure that you have a disk partition that's big enough to hold your current data, and any future additions. A simple rule of thumb is to determine the current size your data folder, and ensure that the partition that should now hold your data be twice as big.

Open Windows Explorer by pressing Win+E. Navigate to the partition that you have decided should contain your data files. Create a new folder, call it something like "<your name>'s documents" or something similar. Now, open the Start Menu, right-click the "My Documents" menu option, and select Properties. Move to the "Location" tab, and click the "Move" button. Navigate to the folder created in the first step above and click the "Select folder" button. Now, click "Ok" on the Properties dialog that you opened earlier, and click "Yes" on the confirmation dialog. Once Windows copies all the files and folders (may take a lot of time depending on how much data you have stored), you're done. You can verify this by checking whether your folders and files are visible under the new folder you created in Windows Explorer. Another way to check this would be to right-click on "My Documents", selecting Properties, and seeing the target folder under the "Location" tab - it should point to your new folder.

Congratulations, you just took the first step towards data protection from a corrupt Windows installation!

Quick Windows Tip - 3

If you're not a Windows user (some say "sufferer" is more apt), chances are that you may find the rest of this post irrelevant to you. However, for deriving sheer sadistic pleasure, you may wish to read on. On the other hand, long-time Windows users who would like to make their life a wee bit easier may find this tip a useful one.

Do you find that you constantly keep accessing programs residing on the System Tray? If so, you might have noticed that some of the programs that you like to access often are hidden by Windows (by default; constant tinkerers with Windows settings who have long since nailed this might get an inkling of what I'm about to spout in all my wisdom, so I say to them, "Sssshhh; this post is not meant for you people either, so go away and read some other posts").

A simple solution to make those hidden progams visible is at hand: right-click an empty area on the Taskbar, and select Properties. The "Hide inactive icons" option would be checked by default, so uncheck it. That's it! You will now see all of your system tray icons at once instead of having to click on the left- or right-pointing arrows alternately.

Quick Windows Tip - 2

Want to quickly access the currently logged in user's account properties? In Windows Vista (or XP), open the Start menu, and click on your account's picture at the top right hand (or left hand) corner. The account properties window opens up with the properties (log in picture option) of the currently logged in user.

Star on the rise again

Roger Federer, my favourite tennis player, recently completed a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open this year. Though some consider the achievement to be not quite so great since he did it in the absence of Nadal (who was eliminated earlier in the tournament), I consider his victory a tribute and a testament to his superb and unmatched consistency in Grand Slams. In all, the Swiss master has now won 14 Slams, a feat that places him firmly on the path to tennis immortality. He needs just one more Grand Slam title to edge past Pete Sampras, the tennis great whose record he has equalled in record time (six years) since his first major win.

Just ponder these facts: among the thousands of professional tennis players, very few - about 128 players, to be precise - qualify for the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament, with the top-ranked 32 players getting a direct entry. Out of these 128 players, two players reach the finals at the end of nearly two weeks of intense competition against different players over six rounds, each of which is a knock-out match. That is to say, if you have just one off day and the opponent plays his best, you're likely to be thrown out of the tournament unceremoniously. And yet, Federer has reached the semi-finals of every Grand Slam he has played since Wimbledon 2004, a record 20 times! He has also reached the finals of 15 of the last 16 Slams (stats source), and his only losses in those finals have come against Nadal. None of the other top players of this generation, or any generation for that matter, have such a phenomenal record in the Slams.

With no offence to Nadal, one of the most gracious players on tour currently, if Federer won the French Open without having to beat Nadal, then that's Nadal's problem, not Federer's. Federer just did what he has become so adept at doing - reaching a Grand Slam semifinal - and put himself in line for another victory. Nobody in recent memory - or even distant memory, really - has had such a consistent run in the majors, and has racked up as many Slams (14) in such quick time (five years). So remarkable has his run been that it comes as a shock to everyone if Federer fails to reach the semifinals of any tournament.

Enough said: Federer may or may not be the greatest player of all time (that debate is raging in many discussion forums), but there can be no disputing the fact he's the most consistent player of any generation. Ever. Go Fed, get yourself another Wimbledon title! It's yours for the taking!

Quick GMail Tip

Do you use GMail? What? You've never heard of it? Don't give me any more lame excuses to not do so, go on over to http://mail.google.com, and create your own account now. I mean, NOW!

For those of you veteran GMail users, the benefits of this webmail service are quite obvious: it's fast, it's got terrific spam filters (I'd swear it's the best I've ever seen in a webmail service), the conversation view of emails is an example of superb innovation that the Google guys have become known for and, this tops the list, you can even use the service to read and compose emails when you're offline (though you have to go online again to send mail)! Yes, Google's got the offline Gears too, so all you have to do is click on the link (if you use Google Chrome, Internet Explorer or Firefox), and install Google Gears (if you use the first-named of the browsers, you don't need to: it comes pre-installed).

Then, head on over to this excellent tutorial to learn how to create your own Labels. This new feature now comes with colour-coding too, so if you've set up filters and labels, you can tell at a glance whether your new emails require your immediate attention. That's what I call helpful.

Quick Windows Tip - 1

Have you often wondered why you couldn't select a bunch of files / folders and then send them to a different destination with just a click or two? I have, and have never failed to find a registry trick that can do it, whatever version of Windows I was on. On Windows 95 through 2000, there was PowerToys, and on Windows XP and Vista, there is an equivalent technique which is, alas, not as user-friendly. Nevertheless, here it is (you may also click on the Related Article link at the bottom of this post, or on the title above).

It is tweaks like these that make Windows sometimes indispensable for the average user. Of course, Unix / Linux geeks have always enjoyed the ability to do much, much more with a few lines of well-written shell scripts - that is more a testimony to the maturity of those Operating Systems, in my humble opinion, than to any inadequacy of Windows.

Anyway, have fun with the registry tweak!

Free Software

And I mean "free as in freedom, not price". Yes, I'm talking about Richard M Stallman's (abbreviated to RMS) Free Software Foundation and its philosophy. The guy's ideology is far-reaching and inspiring. The following are excerpts from an interview.

JA: What if your job requires you to use non-free software?

Richard Stallman: I would quit that job. Would you participate in something anti-social just because somebody pays you to? What if the job involves hitting people on the head in the street and taking their wallets? What if it involves spreading the word that Democrats should vote on Wednesday instead of Tuesday? Some people seriously claim that you can't criticize what someone does if it is part of their job. From my point of view, the fact that somebody is being paid to do something wrong is not an excuse.

JA: Do you consider it proper for people who are trying to only use free software to utilize...

Richard Stallman: To connect to a server that's running non-free software?

I don't feel I need to refuse to connect to a server that is running non-free software. For that matter, I won't refuse to type on a computer that's running non-free software. If I were visiting your house for a little and you had a Windows machine, I would use it if it were important for me to use it. I wouldn't be willing to have Windows on my computer, and you shouldn't have it on yours, but I can't change that by refusing to touch the machine.

If you connect to a server that runs non-free software, you're not the one whose freedom is harmed. It's the server operator who has lost freedom to the restrictions on the software he runs. This is unfortunate, and I hope that he switches to free software; we're working to bring that about. But I don't feel you have to boycott his site until he switches. He isn't making you use the non-free software.

Cogent and brilliant arguments. You can read the complete article in the link below.

Moving passages

A couple of paragraphs that I came across in Arthur Hailey's "Final Diagnosis".

[An obstetrician reflects on the little ones in a hospital's nursery:] These, he thought, were the normal, healthy animals who had won, for the moment, their battle for existence and in a few days more would go outward and onward into the waiting world. Their destinations were the home, the school, the strife of living, the competition for fame and possessions. Among these were some who would taste success and suffer failure; who, barring casualty, would enjoy youth, accept middle age, and grow old sadly. These were those for whom more powerful and glossier automobiles would be designed, in whose service aircraft would wing faster and farther, whose every whim and appetite would be wooed by others of their kind with wares to market. These were some who would face the unknown future, most with misgiving, many bravely, a few craven. Some here, perhaps, might breach the barriers of outer space; others with the gift of tonues might move their fellow men to anger or despair. Most, within twenty years, would fulfil their physical maturity, obeying, but never understanding, the same primeval craving to copulate which had sown their seed and brought them, mewling, puking, here. But for now these were the victors - the born and urgent. Their first and gratest barrier was down, the other battles yet to come.

[One of the protagonists eyes his son who was born prematurely and who has been kept in an incubator.] Once more het let his eyes stray back to the tiny figure. For the first time the thought occurred to him: This is my son, my own, a part of my life. Suddenly, he was consumed by a sense of overwhelming love for this fragile morself, fighting his lonely battle inside the warm little box below. He had an absurd impulse to shout through the glass: You're not alone, son; I've come to help. He wanted to run to the incubator and say: These are my hands; take them for your strength. Here are my lungs; use them and let me breathe for you. Only don't give up, son; don't give up! There's so much ahead, so much we can do together - if only you'll live! Listen to me, and hold on!This is your father and I love you.

Nice Translator is ... good

This is what I call an innovative product: a translator that not only helps you translate phrases into multiple languages, but also auto-detects the source language. Go on, play with it!

Windows 7 - First Impressions

Fast! That's the first word that comes to mind after using Windows 7 for just a few minutes. The OS feels snappy, and things are noticeably quicker. The user interface also seems somewhat, um, smoother.

After trying the whole of yesterday to download the public beta of the latest version of Windows (a first for Microsoft), I finally managed to see something other than the "Due to high volume, blah blah blah" excuse for the absence of the all-important download link at night. And it made sense for me in a weird way too, since my broadband service provider had some server trouble yesterday, and connections were crawling in the afternoon (4 or 5 kB/sec); so, there was no way initiating a download in the afternoon would have been of much use. In contrast, the download kicked off at nearly 220 kB/sec in the night! I started the download and went to sleep. When I woke up in the morning, I was pleasantly surprised to notice that the download was done, and that my faithful Opera had maintained an average speed of 213 kB/sec. Not bad at all!

I set about installing Win 7 after duly burning the huge ISO to a DVD (yes, the ISO is about 2.5 GB). Installation was relatively painless, and after the initial questions, went about doing its job without bothering me (I took the time to finish my housekeeping chores). After about half an hour or so (I didn't really notice the clock), it was done. One small glitch though: the DVD didn't eject after the installation was complete, and so, had I not been there, another installation would have started.

Setup wasn't finished entirely, however; the initial boot took some time "setting up the computer for the first time" routine that we're all so used to now. To its credit, however, it didn't ask me too many questions, and the questions that it did ask were relevant to me. Like, what did I want the user name to be, which network did I want to connect to, and so on. I was happy to notice that it had managed to install all the necessary device drivers without my intervention at all. All in all, a tremendous improvement from the days of that trusty software steed, Windows XP.

I went about installing my usual bevy of programs and utilities, Opera being the first in the list, of course. I did notice one peculiar thing though: I installed Startup Monitor (a program that runs in the background and alerts you when some program is trying to put itself in the list of programs that Windows starts after a reboot), and yet, it failed to notify me when Adobe installed its user rights-trampling "Acrobat speedup" to run after reboot (it was a Registry entry). Hmmm, curious, and seems to indicate that something in the startup routine has changed in Win 7.

This one blew away Win XP. I'm talking about USB device recognition. It seemed to me that no sooner had I popped in my Flash drive than Windows had installed the drivers for it, and the device was available to me in, like, two seconds! It's all the more amazing when you consider that a. it was a fresh Windows installation and, b. this was the very first USB device that I'd popped into Win 7. Awesome, and this is the right way to go! Note that I haven't transferred anything to and from the USB drive yet, and my future posts would cover it.

One more thing: programs seem to start noticeably faster. There are these icons on the task bar that have replaced the Quick Launch paradigm. In fact, confirming this view is the absence of Quick Launch in the Toolbars menu in the task bar's context menu. Clicking on the Windows Explorer icon opened up Explorer almost instantaneously. Likewise for other programs. Score!

That's it for now, folks. I'll start commenting on the other improvements that I can notice. All without scientific testing, of course :-)