Month: December 2007

Benazir Killed, Musharraf Thrilled (Albeit in Private)

The world should have guessed it! But no one had a clue of what Musharraf was upto, or rather what he had up his sleeve.Today Benazir Bhutto the world’s youngest ever Prime Minister was assassinated earlier today in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. This I believe is the fruit of the seeds of Musharraf sowed when he imposed emergency in Pakistan in November’07.

Indira Gandhi’s imposition of Emergency in India, lasted over a year, this in the face of strong opposition from leaders of the stature of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, George Fernandez, Chandrashekhar etc. Then how does one explain the short-lived Emergency in Pakistan where opposition to General Musharraf is few and far between? Not to mention the presence of Islamic terrorists who have the General on top of their hit-list. Musharraf revoked t Emergency on December 16th signaling the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.

Isn’t this a bit hard to swallow? Of course it is. Musharraf could have been successful in executing Benazir while there were restrictions on the free movement of all, and the army roamed the streets. Assassinating Benazir then would have made Musharraf the only suspect. Now when normalcy has been restored, the needle of suspicion can fall on other elements as well.

Musharraf would have liked to continue the Emergency, but US pressure forced him to act otherwise. Not only does the Bhutto assassination justify last month’s Emergency, but also gives Musharraf enough reason to post-pone the upcoming elections in Pakistan.

Remote Control Your Computer Using Hardware or Software

The one problem common to computer users who work on two or more computers simultaneously, is the challenge to minimize the effort involved in moving from one computer to the other. There are multiple ways to overcome this, from using somewhat expensive hardware to using freeware applications.

KVM Switch

KVMSWITCH.jpg A KVM switch (KVM is short for keyboard, video, mouse) is a device that lets you control multiple computers from a single keyboard, video monitor and mouse. I wanted to work simultaneously on my laptop and desktop so went and bought myself a two-port KVM switch These devices come in two modes, automatic and manual. I recommend paying a little extra and going in for the automatic version that lets you toggle between computers with keyboard hot keys.

On the downside, a KVM switch is useful if and only if the two computers are located right next to each other, and are not networked (highly unlikely). Even if the second computer is in the next room, a KVM switch won’t do you much good, unless of course you are ok with having long cables running through your house or workplace.

Virtual Network Computing (VNC)

tightvnc.gif VNC is the software based alternative for a KVM switch. You can remotely control to a computer (s) and work on it as if you were there physically. VNC transmits the keyboard and mouse events from one computer to another over LAN or the Internet. There are many free utilities available that you can choose, I tried TightVNC it is very user friendly and an IQ of -1 should see you through, if not then read A guide to building a software KVM switch.

TightVNC is just one of the utilities, both paid and free, that let you remotely connect to another PC. CrossLoop, IRemote, Windows Remote Desktop, or GoToMyPC; are just a few of the other applications you can use to access computers remotely.

ShowMyPC on ManuKLhanna.comMy personal favorite though is ShowMyPC because it requires no no installation or configuration; ShowMyPC combines VNC remote access technology with an open-source SSH forwarding client. The person manning the remote computer just needs to download the standalone software (less than <1 MB), and allow you access with just a password (no IP address required). This password is unique for every session and can be provided to you by the remote user over e-mail, phone or chat.

Ideal if the person at the other end isn’t a geek.