Blog Under Development
July 20th, 2008The current blog is under fine tunning …. please be patient.
Converting Firefox Into A Social Networking Hub - Add-ons and Extensions
July 20th, 2008Flock is a browser which makes social networking more easier than ever bringing to you a host of tools to interact with different social networking websites. Firefox on the other hand is not social networking ready but can be easily converted into a social networking hub by using extensions and add-ons.
In this post we will take a look at those useful extensions and add-ons which will help you convert Firefox into a social networking hub. Anticipating the Firefox 3 launch tomorrow we will only be talking about extensions that are compatible with Firefox 3 and above, those extensions will also be compatible with lower versions of Firefox.
StumbleUpon Toolbar
StumbleUpon is a great way to come across wonderful sites. The StumbleUpon Toolbar extension will help you discover websites in your selected categories. It will also let you share and connect with your friends.
Shareaholic
Are you a avid social networker? Shareaholic is one extension that will fulfill your addiction with social networks by allowing you to bookmark or e-mail pages to a wide array of social networks.
Shareaholic currently supports digg, del.icio.us, facebook, foxiewire, friendfeed, google bookmarks, google reader, healthranker, kaboodle, magnolia, mixx, myspace, pownce, reddit, simpy, stumbleupon, streakr, truemors, tumblr, twitter, ycombinator, bzzster and more.
ShareThis
Another extension similar to Shareaholic, ShareThis makes it more easier and efficient to share any type of content with anyone you want to share it with. ShareThis also makes it easier to share with your friends by providing you a mash up of address book from popular social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, AIM, Outlook and more.
Del.icio.us Bookmarks
This is the official extension created by Yahoo which will help you easily bookmark any site to your del.icio.us, you can also browse all your bookmarks in the sidebar.
Download Del.icio.us Bookmarks
Dashblog
What happens when you see a interesting image and want to quickly want to share it with your friends through your blog, twitter or tumblr? Do you want to quickly be able to share those videos, images and websites without having to go through much trouble. Dashblog is a extension that will quickly collect videos, images, text/quotes, songs and screen-captures from any web page and publish them to your blog (wordpress, blogger, tumblr) or twitter.
Piclens
PicLens transforms your browser into a visually stunning experience for enjoying online photos and videos. You can effortlessly search and zoom your way around thousands of images and YouTube videos faster and more immersively than ever before.
Piclens lets you search YouTube videos and discover videos and photos from various other sites. You can also browser products from Amazon with a 3D experience.
Piclens currently supports a host of services including Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and almost all of the popular image sharing websites.
Clipmarks
Clipmarks is like adding a pair of scissors to your browser, letting you capture exactly what you want others to see (text, images or video). Your clips are saved on clipmarks.com and can easily be syndicated to FriendFeed, Twitter, Facebook or other sites.
Meebo
Meebo is a popular online instant messaging service which allows you to chat with friends from multiple IM networks without having to install any client on your desktop.
We have made a exception to include Meebo in our list even though it is not compatible with Firefox 3 since it is a real must have extension and is definitely useful.
GMarks
GMarks allows you to sync and manage your Google Bookmarks from within Firefox.
Related Downloads: GBookmarks | Google Bookmarks Button
TwitterFox
The extension adds a tiny icon on the status bar that notifies you when your friends update their statuses. Also it has a small text input field to update your status from within Firefox without having to visit the site.
TwitterBar
Are you in hurry and want to post something to twitter? TwitterBar comes to the rescue by allowing you to post to twitter directly from the Firefox address bar. Simply type in your message and click on the icon to submit your post to twitter.
Digg Sidebar
Who can ever forget Digg when one talks about social networking? Digg sidebar is a useful extension that will allow you to see and Digg stories in the Firefox Sidebar.
View all the stories as they occur without having to refresh the page over and over again, you can also choose from various categories and topics and from popular/upcoming/all sections on Digg by just using a menu.
FlickrFox
FlickrFox allows you to browse and search Flickr photos in a sidebar.
Facebook Toolbar
The official toolbar from Facebook which allows you to easily access your Facebook account using the toolbar, without having to visit the website.
You can also access your Facebook account from the Firefox sidebar.
Email This! Bookmarklet
Email This! will send your recipient the link, title, & highlighted text of the page you are viewing using GMail, Google Apps GMail, Yahoo, and Stand-Alone Mail Clients like Outlook Express, Thunderbird, & More!
Download Email This! Bookmarklet
Other worth while mentions for bringing Social Networking into Firefox
My New v.2 Of Linux and Open Source Blog Launched
July 1st, 2008
Yesterday I launched the version 2 of Linux and Open Source Blog, completely with new design with a switch from wordpress.com to personal hosting.
HTC TouchFLO 3D - The Coolest UI on Mobile
June 14th, 2008Last year, the TouchFLO interface proved to be the most prominent feature of all found in the Touch handset by HTC. Being quite ordinary on the hardware side, the model offers a totally revamped application launcher serving as a perfect compromise between the complexity of the Microsoft platform and the simplicity of those who don’t want go too far in exploring its capabilities, as well as serving as an easy introduction to Windows Mobile to the users who have previously had no clear notion about the peculiarities of the Microsoft interface at all. As a result of the innovative approach, mass users ready to embrace WM 6.1 emerge in thousands, no longer confused by the complexity of the default interface. Moreover, the TouchFLO bears the ‘3D’ label, standing for an extremely easy-to-use and friendly user interface only requiring a few taps of the finger to reach the goal.
HTC’s TouchFLO 3D features a new Start-screen which includes a clock, information about missed calls and about the next appointments. Furthermore it includes a smart-dial list which is customizable and where you can add you favorite contacts. Next is a SMS and MMS overview followed by an E-Mail overview. Photos and Videos is the next screen and finally, TouchFLO 3D is also able to play videos without opening Microsoft’s Windows Media Player. Next to it is the Music screen which shows all your available tracks with cover-art followed by a shortcut to the Internet which either starts Opera Mobile or predefined favorites. Next is the Weather information which now shows a forecast of up to 10 selectable cities, followed by Settings and the Programs menu which is also partly customizable as well as gives a direct link to all available applications without using the Pocket PC typical Windows Mobile flag anymore.
Horace Luke, Chief Innovation Officer for HTC, presents their new Touch Flow 3D User Interface:
And here is a complete walk through of the UI on HTC Diamond by pocketnow.com:
This is definitely a killer UI for Windows Mobile phones, and I find it better than that of on iPhone (I consider iPhone the best multimedia phone on market). Most will appreciate the TouchFLO’s user friendliness compared to the default Win Mobile, as it is much better than looking at a Windows desktop on your cell phone, and even more productive.
I’d really like to own the HTC Touch Pro “Raphael”, as it will be a major update from my HTC Artemis (running WM 6.1 Pro ROM), skipping the Kaiser, which I found expensive and very bulky for me.
HTC Touch Pro comes packed with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, 512 MB flash, 288 MB RAM memory, SD 2.0 compatible microSD memory card expansion slot, and Wi-Fi 802.11b/g which provides HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA wireless connectivity. Like any other modern handset, the PRO includes Bluetooth connectivity (2.0 with EDR) and an interface with HTC ExtUSB (audio jack, 11-pin mini-USB 2.0, and TV out in-one.) When it comes to business productivity, power users can find HTC Touch Pro built-in TV-out functionality useful to deliver PowerPoint presentations directly from their handset.
I hope that the pricing will be good on this device, as paying $1000 for phone is just too much.
Looking Forward to Another Day is Important to Us
June 5th, 2008
Getting up each day without the prospect of having something to look forward to is a grim reality for many people. The ill or elderly at home, the imprisoned, the homeless, the poverty-stricken, or the depressed of the world all may have many, if not most, days when their hopes of interaction with people or activities are bleak. For these people, having something to look forward to would positively impact the quality of their lives.
Even young people in our world today describe times when they feel like they have no hope for the future. Nothing to look forward to. Nothing to brighten their days or the weeks and months to come. Depressed youth who are self-medicating with drugs (including alcohol) to minimize the feeling of hopelessness or to numb their emotions talk about having nothing exciting on the horizon. If they truly feel as though they have nothing to look forward to, they are at risk.
The disenfranchised of today have no dreams, and dreams are what make up our optimistic feelings for the future. Many people let it get the best of them and succumb to hopelessness. Others realize that no matter how far the downward spiral of despair goes, there is always reason to hope and begin an upward climb. There is always something to look forward to.
This realization is what gives people the spark of hope they need to keep going. Through the doubts and fears of day to day life and the challenges they must overcome to stay on an even keel, they cling to the hope that their circumstances will improve. The significance of this hope, even if it is just a glimmer or a ray, is what keeps them trying to make headway. It’s what keeps them trying to move forward, if just a step at a time. It is what distinguishes them from the hopeless.
What can we look forward to? For the believer, there is life after death. Sometimes that is enough to look forward to when all else in life seems to have failed. For others, it can be the next hot meal, the comfortable, warm place to sleep, or the visit or phone call from a loved one, friend, or neighbor. For the youth who has little hope for the future, it can be encouragement from a parent, a teacher, a pastor, or a friend. It can be an upward climb to a better education and success in the world. It can be getting a job, or getting a better job, or having a suitable career. For the seriously depressed, it can be as simple as a day when the sun shines brightly through the bedroom window.
Looking forward to another day is important to us. Not just to those who have serious problems in their lives, but to all of us. A fresh cup of coffee, a prayer, a warm shower, and a day free of stressful encounters are enough for some of us. A good grade, a well-written article, or a pat on the back will do for others. Looking forward to a way to help someone else on their journey through life is something many of us cherish. No matter how our lives are fulfilled, having something to look forward to each day is important for measuring how rewarding our lives are.
Where Does All That Spam Come From?
May 31st, 2008Here are the figues:
Gmail Now Available in Major Inidian Languages
May 30th, 2008
Sometime ago Google Translate introduced some of the major Indian languages to it’s list of supported languages, and now Gmail is as well available in Hindi and other major languages of India including اردو (Urdu) , मराठी (Marathi), हिन्दी (Hindi), বাংলা (Bangla), ગુજરાતી (Gujarati), ଓଡିଆ (Oriya), தமிழ் (Tamil), తెలుగు (Telugu), ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada) and മലയാളം (Malayalam).
To change to a different language in Gmail, go to the Settings:
That is about it. As for me, I am sticking with English.
Fixing Wordpress and MySQL Charset Problem (Wordpress Posts Using Several Languages)
May 21st, 2008*!!!!! I think that this post needs some modifications, as not all is working as expected. Any tips and comments are very much welcomed. (Think I have resolved the issue …. check UPDATE section at the bottom)
I am in the process of moving my blogs from wordpress.com to my own wordpress.org hosting. While doing so, I got stuck with the problem. My blog posts use several different languages, especially Russian and Hindi, apart from English. Once exported from wordpress.com using the built-in feature and imported to newly created blog, posts with other than English were not shown correctly, i.e. I was getting ????? instead of letters. So, how to fix this.
There are two ways: One is to edit wp_config.php file only, as mentioned in II, or the way, especially if you are starting a new blog, as I had a small problem at the end (see remark after I), though am not very much sure if this gives me extra benefit for future imports/exports, but does sound better.
Notice: I installed Wordpress using the Fantastico script provided by my hosting company, and my hosting provider has phpMyAdmin 2.11.4, running MySQL 4.1.22.
(choose only one of the following methods, don;t do both)
I. Check main configuration of Wordpress in wp-config.php. You should have these records:
define('DB_CHARSET', 'utf8');
define('DB_COLLATE', '');
Open your PhpMyAdmin and check settings for default charset and collation.
Set collation as utf8_general_ci
- MySQL charset: UTF-8 Unicode (utf8)
- MySQL connection collation: utf8_general_ci
Let’s check settings for the tables. You can see that all tables have not the utf8 charset, but latin1 or any other charset, but default collation for the database is utf8 already.
Next step - Export Wordpress database and fix collation and charset for all records.
Press Export button, select “Save as file” in checkbox and press “Go“.
Once downloaded, open it in any text editor, like kwrite/notepad. Search and replace all latin1 (or your current charset) to utf8. For faster method, use find and replace: latin1 - to - utf8. Save the file.
Upload file with Import button.
Remark: This allowed me to write new posts in other languages, but the older content imported still remained with ???? instead of letters (!)
II. Editing wp_config.php file:
Get a copy of your wp_config.php file and change the following:
define('DB_CHARSET', 'utf8');
define('DB_COLLATE', '');to:
//define('DB_CHARSET', 'utf8');
//define('DB_COLLATE', '');With only this hack, you should be able to make posts in your native language, as well as see properly all your imported content from your older blog.
Troubleshooting: Error for import tables or database - tables or database already exist
Press Drop button and selected database will be deleted (careful here :-)) Now try to import database once again.
If your hosting decide to delete Drop button from your phpmyadmin, then you can delete tables in this way:
Open database (Browse) and select all tables. Select Drop from menu.
Also maybe you should delete this line in your edited copy of the database:
CREATE DATABASE `your_database_name` DEFAULT
CHARACTER SET utf8 COLLATE utf8_general_ci;
It’s highly recommended to leave this line in a file
USE `your_database_name`;
I hope this tutrial was of help, as I myself spent few hours resolving this issue.
Also check out:
UPDATE (few hours later):
After trying out few combinations, I came to the following for the imported blog/new blog, either from wordpress.com or the wordpress.org version 2.2.x or older (I think), here is what will work for sure.
1. Set collation to utf8_general_ci, as mentioned in Step I.
2. Open your database , and DROP all Tables, as explained in Troubleshooting section (leaving db empty)
3. Head to your domain/url/web address where you installed your wordpress blog
4. Go through couple of install steps (change the password after setup for admin, if you want)
5. Import your XML file that you have downloaded from your older wordpress blog (using wordpress import tool, not mysql)
You will notice now that all your tables are set to utf8, older imported posts are showing all characters properly. Seems like Fantastico script for installing wordpress.org is giving head aches to many users across the web.
THAT IS IT … it takes time to ….
Akado.ru - Акадо Взимает Незаконно Деньги За Смену Тарифа!
May 11th, 2008С чего это Акадо незаконно взимает плату (450 р.) за переход на более дешёвый тарифный план???
Предисловие: С 1-го Мая 2008 г. мой интернет провайдер Миг-Телеком был поглощен компанией Акадо за $18 миллионов. Когда Я захотел переитй с тарифа “Миг-Silver” (750руб./месец) на новыи “Онлайн+ 10000″ (700руб./месец), у меня дополнительно сняли 450руб. за смену тарифа, что незаконно по закону действующей на территорий Российской Федерациb.
Известно, что с 1-го января 2008 г. запрещено брать деньги за смену тарифного плана. Тем не менее, второй по величине московский провайдер Акадо за переход на более дешёвый тариф снимает 450 р. Ниже — обоснование незаконности такой процедуры. Думаю, многим может пригодиться.
Вот все документы, которые доказывают, что Акадо не имеет право брать деньги за смену тарифа.
В Постановлении Правительства Российской Федерации «Об утверждении перечня наименований услуг связи, вносимых в лицензии, и перечней лицензионных условий» № 87 от 18 февраля 2005 г. написан перечень услуг, которые относятся к телематике:
цитата:
XVI. Перечень лицензионных условий осуществления деятельности в области оказания телематических услуг связи
…
4. Обеспечение предоставления абоненту и (или) пользователю*: а) передачи факсимильных сообщений; б) передачи сообщений электронной почтой; в) доступа к информации с использованием инфокоммуникационных технологий.
В этот пункт перечня Постановлением Правительства Российской Федерации от 10 сентября 2007 г. № 575 «Об утверждении Правил оказания телематических услуг связи» были внесены следуюшие важные для нас изменения:
цитата:
1. Утвердить прилагаемые Правила оказания телематических услуг связи и ввести их в действие с 1 января 2008 г.
2. Подпункты «а» - «в» пункта 4 раздела XVI перечней лицензионных условий … изложить в следующей редакции:
«а) доступа к сети связи лицензиата;
б) доступа к информационным системам информационно-телекоммуникационных сетей, в том числе к сети Интернет;
в) приема и передачи телематических электронных сообщений.».
Таким образом, с 1 января 2008 года доступ в инет, а так же доступ к сети лицензиата (это на тот случай, если Акадо заявит, что оно предоставляет доступ не к инету, а к сети другого провайдера) являются телематическими услугами и регулируются п. 50 того же документа, где написано:
цитата:
50. … Плата за изменение тарифного плана с абонента не взимается.
Если хотите, вот комментарий юриста: http://www.iks-media.ru/articles/249828.html
Вот как все было: Отправив факсом жалобу в Федеральную службу по надзору в сфере массовых коммуникаций, связи и охраны культурного наследия, позже позвонили из Акадо, сказали, что произошёл “сбой программы”, что деньги сниматься не должны были (хотя о взимании платы написано на оф. сайте и это подтверждают в техподдержке) и их вернули. Просили отозвать жалобу, я отказался.
Ваши деиствия: Итак, если у вас в этом году при смене тарифа произошёл аналогичный “сбой программы”, звоните в техподдержку и просите исправить ошибку. На всякий случай, ниже — текст заявления, которое Вы можете отправить по факсу 748-76-80, или написать письмо на адрес: 109074, Москва, Китай городский проезд, 7, стр. 2 (все необходимые телефоны Федеральной службы по надзору в сфере массовых коммуникаций есть на их сайте, можно позвонить и проконсультироваться).
(жирным выделен текст, который нужно заменить)
Заместителю руководителя Федеральной службы по надзору в сфере массовых коммуникаций, связи и охраны культурного наследия Власовой Светлане Борисовне от [b]Фамилия Имя Отчество (в родительном падеже)[/b], проживающего по адресу: индекс, адрес, тел ЗАЯВЛЕНИЕ В настоящее время я являюсь абонентом интернет-провайдера «Акадо» (№ договора 66666666) который за смену тарифного плана (с название старого тарифа на тарифный план название нового тарифа, заявка № 123456 g123456) списал с моего счёта сумму 450 рублей. О взимании платы за переход на более дешёвый тариф написано на официальном сайте провайдера: http://mig-telecom.ru/prices/internet/unlim/ или http://akado.ru/tariffs/internet/ На все мои заявления о незаконности взимания платы за смену тарифного плана и просьбы вернуть списанные за это деньги реакции со стороны провайдера так и не последовало. (В связи с Постановлением Правительства Российской Федерации от 10 сентября 2007 г. № 575 «Об утверждении Правил оказания телематических услуг связи», с 1 января 2008 года доступ к информационным системам информационно-телекоммуникационных сетей, в том числе к сети Интернет, а так же доступ к сети лицензиата относятся к телематическим услугам и регулируются Постановлением Правительства Российской Федерации «Об утверждении перечня наименований услуг связи, вносимых в лицензии, и перечней лицензионных условий» № 87 от 18 февраля 2005 г, которое запрещает взымание платы за изменение тарифного плана (”50. … Плата за изменение тарифного плана с абонента не взимается.”)). Прошу принять необходимые меры по исправлению существующей ситуации и сообщить о них по вышеуказанному адресу или по электронной почте: e-mail@mail.ru С уважением, Фамилия Имя Отчество.
Скриншоты подтверждающие что Акадо до сих пор взимает 450руб. за смену тарифа по сей день:
На сайте Акадо - Миг-Телеком (будущее Акадо-ЮЗАО наверника)
На оффициальном сайте Акадо.ру
В ближаищие пару месяцов, посмотрев на качество предоставляемой услуги, буду решать переходить на Корбину.ру или оставатся с Акадо. Вы как думаете?
P.S.> Благодарю юзера -Alex- из forum.ixbt.com за предоставленную информацию.
Google Translate Now With Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam Support
May 8th, 2008
Google Labs India has launched Translate, its translation service for Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.
This launch enables automated translation between five regional languages and English.
Translating English text, or web page or issuing a query in regional language can be done at: http://www.google.com/translate_t.
Google said in a statement that it is a step towards ensuring that regional language-speaking users in India benefit from the Internet, regardless of their familiarity with English language. This launch is the latest in a series of updates that are all focused on making it easier for multi-lingual users in India, Google statement added.
Google India has introduced services such as Easier Data Entry, Express Your Views and Find Information.