ManuKhanna.com » manuk

Indian Railways Disaster Facts

manuk — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:48:33 +0000

The Indian Railways network stretches across 64,000 KM, fourth largest in the world after the US, Russia and China. This fact makes me proud, but what follows are facts that can make any Indian’s head hang in shame. Disastrous Numbers More than 1,000 accidents since 2004 alone. In 2008-09, the number of accidents declined to [...]

Up ahead: Commonwealth woes Start now

manuk — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:41:10 +0000

As part of the preparations for the Commonwealth Games, Delhi Traffic Police will begin blocking one lane of several carriageways across the city to test a traffic plan that will be in force during the Commonwealth Games in October. The restrictions will be in place for all 24 hours of the day and are likely [...]

Are we a Gutless Nation?

manuk — Sat, 29 May 2010 05:55:20 +0000

How many more of such stories shall we have to read before the Government will finally get the courage to let loose the army on these maoists/Marxists? How many more innocents will have to die on the very first train- journey of their lives. How many more citizens is the Government willing to sacrifice before [...]

Quit Facebook and Stop using Photocopiers

manuk — Wed, 26 May 2010 19:01:23 +0000

The latest buzz on the Internet is to celebrate May 31 as the “Quit Facebook Day”. There exists even a website that gives you the why and the how of quitting Facebook. While you are at it, I recommend that you also stop using a photocopier, at least the ones that are strewn about markets [...]

Rs. 31 crore and counting

manuk — Tue, 04 May 2010 06:39:09 +0000

Rs. 31,000,000 is the amount that the Maharashtra government has spent in keeping Ajmal Kasab safe to face trial. Its anyone’s guess how much more will be spent before its Kasab’s turn to be hanged (provided death is what he’s sentenced to.) The Times of India reports that before Kasab, the final fate of 50 [...]

Kill ManuKhanna.com?

manuk — Mon, 03 May 2010 10:28:35 +0000

Its been almost an year since I published something meaning full on the blog. Though I have added some new posts, they are mostly snippets etc. i found via other blogs or websites. So the question arises; is it time to shut down manukhanna.com? I think yes. Motivation is at an all time low, it [...]

Why ICICI Why?

manuk — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:31:12 +0000

An e -mail I sent to ICICI Bank within the first month of becoming their customer. The ICICI Internet banking website is the most non-user friendly website I have ever used. It is so annoying and painful to use that I’d rather walk to the branch. My company has forced me to open a salary [...]

Oops!… I Did It Again

manuk — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:07:40 +0000

Yeah, that’s right. I am once again recovering from a fracture. This time its a lot serious than the last; I have a complex fracture on my left arm just below the shoulder. This happened last Monday (21st December, 2009) and the doctor, Dr. Gaurav Sawhney (Omni Hospital, Chandigarh) a family friend advised surgery that [...]

A Day in the Internet

manuk — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:56:34 +0000

A lot happens on the Internet everyday. Don’t believe me, see for yourself. Created by: Online Education Courtesy: Lifehacker

Keep Wikipedia Alive

manuk — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:19:54 +0000

I thanked Wikipedia, did you?

A Box of Chocolates? No, you Dumb Ass it’s the Check!

manuk — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 18:32:31 +0000

As out time to leave Hyderabad approaches, we were keen to visit the ones that we haven’t visited till now. Dimple suggested 70 MM and that’s where we were headed, with Binoy and Nimmy who had agreed to spend thei5r Saturday evening with us. For the ill-informed, 70 MM is located on Necklace Road and [...]

How About Doing a Madoff to Raju

manuk — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:10:59 +0000

It’s been over six months since the Raju scandal came to light. But we are nowhere near to a decision. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that whatever is happening with Raju right now is just an eye wash. Ultimately he will get off cheap, and I won’t be surprised if he starts another company [...]

Happy Birthday Mom

manuk — Mon, 25 May 2009 17:30:08 +0000

Yes, this would have been Mom’s 63rd birthday if she were here with us. Mom was very fond of eating out. On birthdays, anniversaries, or at times when w e didn’t have any reason to celebrate, we all would pack ourselves into Papa’s Maruti 800 and head to a restaurant for a nice meal, which [...]

A Damaged Car and a Fractured Pocket

manuk — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:43:59 +0000

How would you feel if you were made to shell out over Rs.10,000 for something you had nothing to do with? For the lack of a better word, pathetic. This is how Tina & I have been feeling since April 29, when our dearest Hyundai i10 was wrecked by falling debris because of a gas [...]

Drove the Eye, Finally

manuk — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:52:36 +0000

Today finally I achieved a long cherished dream. A dream to drive a car, not any car, but one that I had bought myself, and not just drive, but drive alone without anyone else being there to tell me what to do. At 32, this is a rather late start for me. While most people [...]

Corporate Lessons: Anything but Fun

manuk — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:43:09 +0000

What follows is the lessons I have picked up along the way while working for multinational corporations during the last 10 years. Most of these are a complete opposite of what we are taught during our formative years, but believe me each one of them fits 100%. If I weren’t the “dead brain” I’ve become [...]

Plagiarism: Up Close and Personal

manuk — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:08:49 +0000

While in college, I used to dream of writing for the largest selling technology publication in India of that time. Therefore, when I got an offer from them, I was overjoyed at getting this honor. From the moment I got off at Mumbai’s Borivali station, I was eager to get started, determined to make a [...]

Nokia E71: The iPhone Killer

manuk — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:30:18 +0000

To be honest, I had every mood to buy the Apple iPhone 3G when it launched in India, but the price of Rs.31,000 for the 8GB and Rs.36,000 for the 16GB version was a definite put off. Especially when you compare it to the price of Rs.8,500 ($199) if purchased in the US. But I [...]

CNN-IBN Gets It Wrong

manuk — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:07:06 +0000

Do you have any clue why an American citizen Keith Heywod would use “alarbi_gujarat@yahoo.com” as his e-mail address? Neither do I! But our friends at CNN-IBN led by Rajdeep Sardesai seem to agree that alarbi_gujarat@yahoo.com is indeed Heywod’s e-mail address which was hacked into and used to send e-mails giving advance warning of the Ahmedabad [...]

Happy Father’s Day Papa

manuk — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 08:23:07 +0000

Silly me! Yes that’s what I’m telling myself right now! This past week I kept reminding myself that today (Sunday, June 15th 2008) is Father’s Day, and that I must wish Papa first thing this morning. But come Sunday and I seemed to have lost any recollection of the occasion. Its only now when I [...]

Caught the Eye

manuk — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 01:47:46 +0000

Every rose has a thorn! While this holds true, the inverse cannot be disputed either. My last week’s accident came as a brutal and unwanted surprise not only to me, but to my family as well. Travel plans were made in a hurry, and schedules are in place to ascertain who visits us when during [...]

Of Potty and chasing sleep

manuk — Sat, 24 May 2008 23:40:42 +0000

Yes, it’s 05:05 AM but no, I haven’t decided to start getting up early. It so happened that last Tuesday (20th May 2008) while on my way to work I slipped off my bike and suffered a fracture in my left knee, and at least a couple suture-worthy cuts on my left elbow. So I’m [...]

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom

manuk — Sun, 11 May 2008 16:30:11 +0000

How many of us thank our parents for what they’ve done for us. Right from bringing us into this world, giving us three meals a day, to ensuring that we wear clean clothes every day, and most importantly telling us the difference between right and wrong; things we’ve always taken for granted. I don’t know [...]

Amitabh Bachchan’s Blog

manuk — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:42:56 +0000

Almost every Indian who’s familiar with the Internet will try to google for Amitabh Bachchan’s blog, so I decided to do a post about it, who knows it just might get me some much needed page views. Just like Aamir Khan , Amitabh Bachchan, also known as the Big B now has a blog. The [...]

DIY Laptop Stands that Cost Nothing

manuk — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:31:10 +0000

I’ve never been too fond of laptops, but when my employer handed me a ThinkPad T60, I didn’t say no either. Soon enough I started experiencing the very problems that had always kept me off laptops till now; working on laptops can cause your neck to hurt like hell. This is because one has to [...]

My Latest Toy

manuk — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 06:15:09 +0000

Is it an iPod, another laptop computer, a new phone, or a plasma screen TV? No, unbelievably, its a mosquito zapper! Here�s why: A couple of years ago, there was an outbreak of dengue fever in Hyderabad and since then I’ve been stricken by the phobia that I too will fall victim to this deadly [...]

Pay Structure and Tax Liability

manuk — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 07:50:48 +0000

Despite being on the job since 1997, I have absolutely no clue of why my salary structure is the way it is, how can it be different, and most importantly, how much is my tax liability and how can I cut it down. I just received my tax statement from my employer, according to which [...]

A Foodie’s Nightmare: Kabura Hyderabad

manuk — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:52:29 +0000

Being away from our hometown, we hardly have a friend circle to spend our weekends with. So more often than not, we end up at one restaurant or the other. As with restaurants elsewhere, we have mixed feelings; we’ve had stupendous meals at places such as Ohri’s Jeeva, Grill Room, 100 Degrees, Pickles, Our Place [...]

Akismet: Ultimate Annihilator of Comment Spam

manuk — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 07:36:41 +0000

Last night after upgrading to WordPress 2.3.2 I forgot to re-activate the installed plugins, including Akismet I didn’t realize this until this morning, a good 10-11 hours after upgrading my WordPress install. All this time, my blog was exposed to the elements, and as Akismet soon reported that as many as 388 spam comments were [...]

Benazir Killed, Musharraf Thrilled (Albeit in Private)

manuk — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:19:42 +0000

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 [...]

Remote Control Your Computer Using Hardware or Software

manuk — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 21:32:48 +0000

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 A KVM switch (KVM is short [...]

Life Without Airtel

manuk — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 08:17:06 +0000

Some things are just too damn hard to swallow, let alone accept. These days, we’re trying to cope with the reality that after October 31st, when we move into our new flat, we will have to leave our trusted Airtel broadband, and choose another service provider. Apparently, Airtel doesn’t provide services on road number 12, [...]

Verify an E-Mail Address

manuk — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 20:52:27 +0000

I’ve always wondered if this were possible, after all an e-mail address doesn’t have an IP which you could ping and see if it actually did exist. But surprisingly, one can indeed validate an address without sending an e-mail to it. The Lifehacker blog has a post about a service that connects to the respective [...]

Mistake or Oversight: CNN-IBN’s Yuvraj Special

manuk — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 18:56:59 +0000

Is it OK for the media to haul in shady characters to endorse the achievements of celebrities or achievers? This is the exact mind-boggling question I’ve been trying to answer even since I watched a feature aired on CNN-IBN showcasing the life of Yuvraj Singh. As is the case with almost all down-memory-lane shows, the [...]

Anuradha’s Blog

manuk — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:49:17 +0000

Better late than never! My sister Anuradha has finally succumbed to the blogging bug. She now has her own blog, or now, it’s on Blogspot (the only Google service that I hate) but I am hopeful that she’ll eventually switch to WordPress. I finally did convince her to move to WordPress.

Fuser.com Blew Me Away

manuk — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 21:16:15 +0000

Actually this post is an update to the Fuser.com Blew My Fuse post. Before I share the reason for this update, I would like to apologize for writing CAPTCHA as captcha because it is an abbreviation and therefore cannot be written in lowercase. (Thanks for pointing it out Emily) A while ago I got this [...]

Fuser.com Blew My Fuse

manuk — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 21:45:58 +0000

While reading Lifehacker, I came across a post on a new web application Fuser that will retrieve all of your e-mail and social networking messages from Facebook, Gmail, Yahoo amongst others, and will display them in one place to allow for easy management. Since they are offering a free beta account, I decided to check [...]

Upgraded to WordPress 2.3 Dexter

manuk — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 11:40:24 +0000

As always, the installation went off like a breeze. Tried upgrading using the plugin but something went horribly wrong and I quit in between. I tried this plugin while upgrading to WordPress 2.1, but it didn’t work then either. In the end I followed the upgrade instructions on the codex pages. Maybe it’s the WPAU [...]

World Cup Comes to India, So what If It’s T20

manuk — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:15:53 +0000

India last won the cricket World Cup in 1983. I was seven at that time, grown up enough to see Kapil Dev lift the coveted trophy, but then again far too young to to truly appreciate what it meant. Now when India has once again won the World Cup, I have been able to enjoy [...]

Wish You Were Here

manuk — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 18:34:34 +0000

One of my all-time favorite songs reminds me of people who aren’t here anymore: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DXCHa9BYfE&feature=related[/youtube]

IBM Employee Directory: Open to Public

manuk — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 18:55:14 +0000

Happened to pass by David Illsley’s post about IBM Employee Directory being available publicly. Using this directory, you can find out the official contact details of any of IBM’s 400,000 (approximate.) employees. Though David hasn’t used the exact words, it’s clear he isn’t too pleased about it. Neither would I, but if and only if [...]

When Yuvraj Went Berserk

manuk — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:51:03 +0000

What happens when one Andrew Flintoff pisses off one Yuvraj Singh? Well, nothing much, only Flintoff’s bowling partner S Broad gets hit for six sixes of six balls! I don’t know what Flintoff said, but whatever it was, it was enough to launch Yuvraj into a blitzkrieg of 58 runs of 16 balls, including seven [...]

Welcome Home

manuk — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 19:41:18 +0000

Well, my temporary return to bachelor hood will be over in another 12 hours or so, much to my relief. Tina is flying in later today and I’ll be going to pick her up. The week, I’ve had to manage the house on my own. Then there was this daily challenge of deciding what to [...]

Portable Electric Blower

manuk — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 22:44:58 +0000

The best way to clean dust collecting inside your computer is to blow it away using a can of compressed air. But when I set out to get one for myself, I couldn’t. So I went in for the next best alternative, no I didn’t use my old toothbrush, I got myself a portable electric [...]

Back to Being a Bachelor

manuk — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 10:18:34 +0000

Yes, starting today, I will once again get to live life as a bachelor, just the way it was before our wedding.Tina is off on a well deserved eight-day holiday to Noida and Chandigarh. I too wanted to go but as I’m in the middle of project transition at IBM, taking leaves is simply not [...]

Luciano Pavarotti is Dead

manuk — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 07:04:31 +0000

The only Opera that I know is the Opera web browser But there is another opera, about I am sure of at least one fact, there isn’t anyone who’s better than Luciano Pavarotti. Luciano Pavarotti, a much acclaimed and loved opera tenor has died. After a long battle against pancreatic cancer, Pavarotti breathed his last [...]

Left is Anything but Right

manuk — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 18:47:26 +0000

Power cuts are a part and parcel of life in India. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you live, or how rich you are, there just isn’t enough electricity to go around. Of course, using an invertor is a solution but not everybody can afford one. Mistimed Protests Now when the N-deal with the [...]

Batch Manage Pictures with with Fire Uploader

manuk — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 13:57:02 +0000

Google’s Picasa Web Album service lets you upload a maximum of five images simultaneously. So if you want to upload 50 pictures you will have to upload them 5 at a time This isn’t a tedious task but I’ve personally tried it and found it to be quite boring. Enter the Fire Uploader extension that [...]

Must-Not Visit: Royale Riviera Hyderabad

manuk — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:02:35 +0000

I have had so many unpleasant experiences in Hyderabad but what we�ve been through just now is really the icing on the cake. Today is my birthday, and like almost every other couple, Tina and I wanted to spend a day or two at some resort in or around Hyderabad. So on the 15th, we [...]

Most expensive 10 MB in history

manuk — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 17:56:03 +0000

If I were to tell you that once upon a time, a 10MB hard drive cost $3495, you wouldn’t believe me would you? Well, if this picture doesn’t convince you, then nothing can! Via picturebookmarking.com and makeuseof.com

ManuKhanna.com on iamww.com

manuk — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 15:26:29 +0000

I am neither a developer, nor am I a designer, but this hasn’t stopped me from tinkering with WordPress themes developed by other. But never has a theme’s original author liked my customizations to be worthy of a mention. Not until now at least! Will Wilkins, the developer of the IAMWW w2 WordPress theme has [...]

Death Ride to Office

manuk — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 08:11:12 +0000

I have been riding my way to office on my scooter for almost ten years now in Mumbai, Delhi, Gorgon, Rohtak, and Chandigarh, but never have I been so frightened of riding my scooter to office. Every morning when I reach office, I can’t help but thank God for helping me reach my office safely, [...]

Wrong Pronounciation or Difficult name

manuk — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 06:42:39 +0000

I have received several compliments for having a short, and therefore sweet name; Manu Khanna. manu and Khanna, easy to spell, pronounce and memorize. in the past, many acquaintances have suggested that i change my name for two reasons. First, it sounded famine, and second, it sounded unofficial. As you can see, I’ve never paid [...]

Few and Far Between

manuk — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:54:24 +0000

This is the best way to describe the posts on this blog. I wrote the last post 17 Must Have Firefox Extensions on 20th June, and the one before that, A More Visual History: ThumbStrips Extension for Firefox on 14th June. I know that’s awful, tell me something I don’t, I just might write about [...]

17 Must Have Firefox Extensions

manuk — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 18:55:43 +0000

If you haven’t already, go ahead and read the 20 must-have Firefox extensions article by ComputerWorld. Done? So fast? Any ways, let me get on with my post. Now that we are on the same page, I’ll tell you why you shouldn’t gave read it in the first place. Any ways, don’t use all the [...]

A More Visual History: ThumbStrips Extension for Firefox

manuk — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 10:21:07 +0000

The History feature in a web browser comes in handy if you are trying to go back to a page you visited a while ago, but do not remember the URL of. Though you do remember how it looked. ; you can visit each web page in the browser’s history and spend at least an [...]

Name Your Kid Google, or not

manuk — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 19:51:54 +0000

In India, it’s an age old custom to name children after famous film personalities, celestial objects, and even Gods; I’ve lost count of how many Shivas, Krishnas, Rams, or Surajs I have known in my life. With the Internet becoming an integral part of our lives, do our future generations get to be named after [...]

When Birdbrains Call

manuk — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 11:33:37 +0000

Unsolicited calls have become a part and parcel of our life. It seems that we just cannot get rid of them. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recently issued new guidelines Under the new guidelines, a penalty of Rs 500-1,000 will be imposed on telemarketers for every unsolicited commercial call (UCC) made to subscribers [...]

Escaping the Reality

manuk — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 08:44:54 +0000

I had originally planned to share this with you towards the end of January this year. In fact I had even written it out, just needed to publish it. That�s when my webhost had a major outage and I lost the data. Well, here it is now, though I must tell you that this was [...]

Falling Prey to Murphy’s Law

manuk — Thu, 31 May 2007 19:46:27 +0000

A day in my life: 7AM: Asleep what else The bell rang and Tina went to open the door. She gave me the rather unpleasant news that our house maid had given us there are of honor of coming for work a good one hour ahead of her normal time. This meant that I could [...]

Happy Birthday Mom

manuk — Fri, 25 May 2007 16:13:00 +0000

Today our entire family is celebrating my mother Pooja’s 61st birthday. To mark the day, we donated eatables, including ice-cream! and cash to institutions that provide food and shelter to the under privileged. But why give a special mention to ice-cream? Let me share an anecdote to justify the special mention. Radha and I are [...]

Marriage: A Drive, not a Destination

manuk — Sun, 20 May 2007 16:55:19 +0000

It’s only today that I realized how wrong I was. How far my perceptions about marriage were from reality thing. What I considered to be the end of all worries, were nothing but things even my sister and mother (God rest her soul in peace) did for me for ages. In reality, a marriage is [...]

How Rich Are You

manuk — Tue, 15 May 2007 10:19:34 +0000

The Internet never ceases to surprise me. Not a day goes by when I discover ten to fifteen new websites with cool content. Earlier during the day, I stumbled upon a website Global Rich List that tells you where do you sit on a list of world�s richest people. I am the 665,441,150 richest person [...]

Creating Flicks with PictureTrail

manuk — Mon, 14 May 2007 03:59:37 +0000

The online photo community has a lot to offer, image hosting, sharing, ordering prints etc. PictureTrail gives you that little bit extra that will surely have you ROFL. PictureTrail allows you to not only store your photographs not only as portrait or landscape, but also as flash slideshows (called Flicks). Here’s what I came up [...]

Convert Web Pages to Images

manuk — Sun, 13 May 2007 20:36:25 +0000

If you are a technical writer and have had to review websites/blogs then surely you would have missed a tool that would let you capture the entire web page as an image. Professional screen capture tools such as Techsmith’s SnagIT might be good fr capturing user interfaces, but it’s a real pain while converting web [...]

X-Ray and Professor-X

manuk — Fri, 04 May 2007 07:18:30 +0000

The best way to learn web development is to understand the code other webmasters have used on their sites. Pick a site that you think is cool and then try to understand the code, and if you manage to fugue it out, replicate it in your own web site. To view the source code of [...]

Aardvark Extension for Firefox

manuk — Tue, 01 May 2007 18:41:27 +0000

<p>Since I have started using Mozilla Firefox, I’ve even removed the Internet explorer shortcut from my system’s start menu. The best part about using Firefox is that the user gets to decide how capable the browser is. that it depends upon you hoth9ing. As you get more familiar with it, you also get introduced to [...]

Select Files Using the Mouse in Windows Vista

manuk — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:59:22 +0000

There’s a feature in Windows Vista which I just can’t get enough of. I had aways hoped that some day Microsoft will include it in it’s operating systems. Well guess what, they just did! Unlike, previous Windows operating systems, you can select files and folders using just your mouse. For reasons unknown to me or [...]

Vista Sniping Tool: Screen Capture and Editor

manuk — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 19:07:05 +0000

Finally Microsoft has decided to include a screen capture utility in it’s Windows Vista operating system. To start the Snapping Tool, choose All Programs ? Accessories ?Snapping Tool. Using the Snapping Tool, you can capture a screen shot (snip) of any object on your screen The best thing about snapping tool is that it doesn’t [...]

manuk — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 15:50:29 +0000

Today’s Times Of India, Hyderabad has done a story on the creation of fake profiles on www.orkut.com in Minal Panchal’s name. These pranksters are messaging Minal’s friend to make them believe that as Minal is very much alive, contrary to what the authorities have corroborated. Well, apart from the pranksters on the Internet, a couple [...]

Remembering Minal Panchal

manuk — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 17:57:10 +0000

Minal Panchal, whose desire to become an architect like her late father, brought her to the picturesque campus of VirginiaTech. All was well till the morning of April 16th 2007 when she along with 30 other students and faculty, fell victim to the bullets fired by a fellow student. That’s when I like so many [...]

Resize Icons Fonts and Icons Using the Mouse in Vista

manuk — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 13:00:30 +0000

Resize Web Fonts using Mouse n Mozilla Firefox. To increase or decrease the font size of a web site, hold down the Ctrl key and move the wheel up to decrease the size, and down to decrease the font size. In Internet Explorer (IE 6 and above)The mouse wheel-Ctrl key combinations works in IE as [...]

April 30: A Day of Silence on the Blogosphere

manuk — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 17:23:18 +0000

According to OneDayBlogSilence.com: Silence can say more then a thousand words.This day shall unite us all about this unbelievable painful & shocking event and show some respect and love to those who lost their loved ones. On April 30th 2007, the Blogosphere will hold a One-Day Blog Silence in honor towards the victims of Virginia. [...]

Intolerable Cruelty at VirginiaTech

manuk — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 17:03:43 +0000

Have spent the last hour or so trying to gather my thought and do a post on this blog. But I don’t have words to express my sorrow at what’s happened at VirginiaTech. The only two words that I can think of are “intolerable cruelty”. What could provoke a 23-year old docile looking human being [...]

Read this Before Buying a UPS

manuk — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 09:50:22 +0000

UPS is short for uninterruptible power supply, and that’s exactly what it does. It allows users to continue or complete on-going operations during a power outage. The keyword here is “uninterruptible” as the user can continue working normally without any hindrance. But why do most UPS devices start making loud annoying beeps at short intervals [...]

Google Thinks I'm a Virus

manuk — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 15:13:59 +0000

Google’s ten results per page limit helps keeps things in context and the user is not bombarded with too many search results. But over the years I have learned to handle the the results I get from a Google search, and thus like to keep the results to display per page at 100. I would [...]

Google Commemorates Man's Foray Into Space

manuk — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 07:56:39 +0000

Today’s Google logo is dedicated to Yuri Gagarin who on April 12th, 1961 became the first person in space and orbit the Earth. During the 1 hour, 48 minutes he spent in orbit, Gagarin is speculated to have commented, “I don’t see any God up here.” Of course no one has been able to confirm [...]

Cleaning Your Keyboard

manuk — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 06:16:35 +0000

Have you got cockroaches picnicking in your keyboard? Well, till a while back we did! There were about 5-6 of them who would hide under the keys and party on whatever food crumbs came their way as a result of us snacking while working on the system. For reasons unknown to me, they suddenly left [...]

The Big Deal About OpenID

manuk — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 06:25:16 +0000

Everyone seems to be talking about OpenID so why should I be any different. But hey this isn’t the only reason why I am writing about it. If OpenID catches up, the Internet will be converted to a single sign-on system. No longer will users haver to remember a hundred usernames and passwords, or keep [...]

Happy Birthday Tina!

manuk — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 05:13:23 +0000

Last night, Tina and I celebrated her birthday as the clock struck 12 with chocolate fantasy pastries from Cafe Coffee Day. The cakes that we get here in Hyderabad can be quite juicy at times, so we have to manage with pastries. On Tina’s previous birthday, I had gone to Delhi to meet her. We [...]

Dump Blogger for WordPress

manuk — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 21:53:21 +0000

Sayantani is a hard-core blogger.com fan and till now didn’t know about WordPress. Now after seeing this blog, she is thinking of moving to WordPress. But she is “very satisfied” with Blogger and wants me to really “sell” wordPress to her. So that is exactly what I am going to do here. What follows is [...]

Look Who Fell for the Gmail Paper Prank

manuk — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 18:39:29 +0000

Yes, I got fooled by the Gmail Paper joke. What’s more, I even spent 10 minutes trying to explain it to Dimple, who refused to believe what I was saying. I don’t blame her, even though I was pretty sure of what I’d read. Then I came across this an article in PCWorld.com that sent [...]

Are you Banned in China? I am not!

manuk — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 06:04:11 +0000

The Chinese government has a vast infrastructure to keep an eye blogs which include articles that encourage dissent. It is reported that China employs a workforce of over 30,000 to prowl Web sites and blogs for offensive content and stammers. Apart from individual blogs, China has blocked entire blogging platforms such as LiveJournal. You can [...]

Anil Kumble Retires

manuk — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 03:58:44 +0000

The Indian cricket team that toured England in August 19990 comprised a young spinner who held much promise. The great Allan Lamb failed to read him and became Kumble’s first test victim. But no one ever expected Anil Kumble last so long considering the fact that he was a leg-spinner only in words. In reality [...]

No More Unsolicited Calls Hopefully

manuk — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 08:17:54 +0000

I very well remember the first time I was contacted by a telemarketer who mysteriously acquired my phone number within two days of my getting it. I felt special because I had just joined a new employer and was interested in acquiring all facilities that one can go in for as a professional. The girl [...]

The Deadpans of Hyderabad

manuk — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 14:20:50 +0000

When I was up North, I used to think of Hyderabad as a very nice place to be in. I dreamt of smooth roads, beautiful gardens, and most of all an enthusiastic and highly professional working class. I included the latter in my list because many MNCs opened their offices here, and not in any [...]

India Set for Early Return Home

manuk — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 20:54:17 +0000

Yes, India’s World Cup campaign is almost over. When I when I checked the score last they were 161 for 9. One after the other, all Indian batsmen have gifted their wickets to the Sri Lankans. After hitting a big hundred against Bermuda, Sehwag thought that his bad patch was over and became complacent. Yuvraj [...]

Applications Hijacked by Windows Media Center, or not!

manuk — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:46:00 +0000

Earlier today, when I tried running Notepad on the system, the Windows Media Center window diaplayed, until yesterday double-clicking notepad displayed the Notepad application. I tried opening “notepad.exe” couple of times but the result was the same. I tried other applications as well, but again, the Windows MCE window just kept popping up. Wonder what’s [...]

Did Pakistan's World Cup Exit Hasten Woolmer's Demise?

manuk — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 07:14:09 +0000

March 18th 2007 will always be etched in the memory of cricket lovers from across the world. Less than 24 hours after Pakistan’s exit from the World Cup at the hands of Ireland, Woolmer was found unconscious in his hotel room in Jamaica and was pronounced DOA (Dead on Arrival) on being taken to hospital. [...]

A Bitter Sweet Transition to Windows Vista

manuk — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 06:09:58 +0000

I managed to get hold of a Windows Vista RTM DVD in December 2006 much before the official release date of January 30th, 2007. I was so excited that I sat up late one night to install it on my Lenovo 8823 3AQ desktop. The installation was slick and fast, taking just 20 minuses to [...]

Men in Blue Beaten Black and Blue

manuk — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 00:42:45 +0000

The Indian cricket team has always done its bit to encourage teams from weaker cricket playing countries. They have the ability to lower the level of their game to meet that of their weaker opponents, thereby giving them a fair chance to win. This is exactly what has happened in its first match of the [...]

From Bullock Carts to Automobiles in a Decade

manuk — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 13:21:06 +0000

Today when I set out on my regular act of googling for blogs that expressed my feelings about the pathetic quality of life in Hyderabad, I came across Suresh’ blog. Suresh who likes “Riding Bike! Especially in highways!” has taken great pains to express his views about the driving skills – or rather the lack [...]

Our Engagement's 11-month anniversary

manuk — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:11:20 +0000

Before 2006, the date April 16th was like any other day for Tina and I. Neither of us had any memories (bitter or sweet) to remember it by. But on last April 16th, we made one of the smartest decisions of our lives � we got engaged! Actually why wait till next month to celebrate? [...]

IBN LIve or IBN Lie?

manuk — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 21:23:23 +0000

The lie I am about to report here is being telecast day in and day out by IBN Live since its inception, so please do not shrug it off as a one-time human error. The BREAKFAST WITH INDIA program is preceded by a short promo displaying a glimpse at the IBN Live office from the [...]

Is that News we see on TV

manuk — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 04:04:22 +0000

The Indian TV industry is growing at a break-neck speed. Out of these 150 or so channels over 50% are dedicated to news, or that is what they like to call it. The likes of Aaj Tak, Zee News, CNBC Awaaz, and even the stalwarts such as NDTV and CNN IBN .loose their focus and [...]

Food for thought…

manuk — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 10:33:21 +0000

am not a religious person so I don’t feel sad when Islamic fundamentalists attack and kill Hindus, Christians or for that matter, people from any other religion. I don’t agree with the popular mindset that Muslims are against all other religions, and are doing everything to wipe out the rest of us. On the other [...]

Execution of a teenage girl

manuk — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 10:30:23 +0000

Last I watched a BBC documentary about a teenage girl from Iran, Atefah Sahaaleh, who on 15 August, 2004 was hanged in a public square in the city of Neka. But a newspaper accused her of adultery and described her as 22 years old. But she was not married – and she was just 16. [...]

Can't think of keywords for your website? Use Google

manuk — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 10:26:01 +0000

As you type information in the search box, Google Suggest guesses what you’re typing and offers suggestions in real time, similar to Google’s “Did you mean?” feature that offers alternative spellings for your query after you search. For example, if you type “windows”, Google Suggest might offer a list of refinements that include “windows media [...]

Redoable 1,1 is Better than 2813

manuk — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:09:00 +0000

In the past few days, I have tried many different themes for my blog, Blue Zinfandel Squared Enhanced 2.0, Torn v1.0, Minimalistic1.5 1.0, and even the Garland theme customized for WordPress.org, and these are just the ones I remember by name. But none of these have managed to stick onto my blog for more than [...]

Chuck Those Gmail Invites

manuk — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 23:12:36 +0000

Till about an hour ago I was the proud owner of about 400 Gmail invites (I have more than one Gmail account), but as of now, they amount to nothing, not that they fetched me money when they were needed to sign-up for Gmail. account. Unless you were picnicking on planet Mars, you would already [...]

Google Says: Happy Valentines Day with a Twist

manuk — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 15:26:12 +0000

Have you seen today’s Google Doodle? If not then I’ve saved it just for you: Did you notice the error? No! Can’t blame you, at first I too didn’t notice that Google has misspelt itself. The “l” is missing from Google and the Google Doodle reads “Googe” I first noticed this error yesterday afternoon and [...]

manuk — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 21:26:44 +0000

Yup today is our first Valentine’s Day together. Actually both Tina and I never seem to agree with people who like to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Who says that we can express our love or liking for others only on particular day of the year, 14th February? If we like or love someone, we must take [...]

Restoring a Deleted Blog

manuk — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 01:14:49 +0000

Just when I had started consoljng myself for having deleted my blog without verifying the backup, Tina suggested something that could help me recover my blog. What she said wassomething so simple that I should have tried doing that the moment I lost my blog. But I didn�t. She knew that I visit a website [...]

Death of a Blog

manuk — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 21:40:50 +0000

Over the years I have learned to take regular backups of all my word, on my local system or on the Internet. So a data loss has hardly ever given me sleepless nights, not until now.

As you would have noticed, this blog as it existed prior to 26th January 2007 is now dead. It so happened that during my vacation up North I did something really silly (no I don�t know what caused it) that rendered this website bare, void of any content. This didn�t bother me much as I had four backups, all created using...

Second Leg of our Trip Up North

manuk — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 05:06:10 +0000

We had split our trip up North into two parts� 26th Jan to 31st Jan in Chandigarh and then 1st February to 4th February in NOIDA. We came to Chandigarh first because of the shanti path in memory of mom, who passed away an year ago. Originally, Tina and I were to go to NOIDA [...]

10 Most Misspelled Words in Blogs

manuk — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 14:50:12 +0000

Ok, so technically the following words aren�t misspelled. They�re misused. The reason you should review this list is because a spell checker won�t correct these for you. Make sure that you�ve got foolproof control over them (especially if you tend to write around 3:12 AM like I am now). Extensively misusing them throughout your posts may actually cost you a visitor or two every now and then because some folks do get caught up on these, which means they won�t focus 100 % of their attention on your incredibly valuable content!

1. Your - You�re As mentioned above, your message might lose...

Store Backups Online for Easy Access

manuk — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 04:21:57 +0000

Data backups are no good if they aren�t available to you irrespective of the location you are in. Today while working on this blog from my house in Chandigarh, I messed up the WordPreess database and had to drop all tables and the content stored within them. I created a new database and installed WordfPress [...]

manuk — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 17:24:33 +0000

All My Bags are Packed I�m Ready to go Jan 25, 2007 in Personal, Commentary with 0 Comments Finally the day has come for us to go up North, not for good, just a short 8-10 day trip. The motivating factor being to catch the last breath of the cold weather there and meet our [...]

WordPress 2.1 Up and Running

manuk — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 17:30:10 +0000

Soon after the release on WordPress 2.0.7 on January 15, 2007, Matt and Co are out with the much awaited version 2.1. It was due soon enough but not this soon.

Here�s a list of the new features:

Autosave makes sure you never lose a post again. Our new tabbed editor allows you to switch between WYSIWYG and code editing instantly while writing a post. The lossless XML import and export makes it easy for you to move your content between WordPress blogs. Our completely redone visual editor also now includes spell checking. New search engine privacy option allows you take you to indicate your blog...

Every user manual in the world

manuk — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 20:16:06 +0000

For a technical writer, it’s a very heartening to know that there are people who like to store user manuals. Buyers regard a products user manual as “extra clutter” and dump it in the nearest dustbin without even opening it. Smart are the people who hold on to all documentation accompanying a product. eserviceinfo.com is [...]

The block of my life

manuk — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 20:23:54 +0000

Every now and then, all writers experience a strange phenomenon known as a writer’s block. It doesn’t matter if you are Stephen Kings or Manu Khanna, the chances of experiencing a block are very real and scary. According to Wikipedia, Writer’s block is a phenomenon involving temporary loss of ability to continue writing, usually due [...]

Remembering biji

manuk — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 14:00:54 +0000

4th December, 1988 was the day when my grandma �biji� passed away in her sleep. Eighteen years since, each moment of that day is crystal clear in memory as if it happened yesterday. I remember Anu (my brother) coming to the room that Radha (sister) and I shared. It was around 7 AM. He shook [...]

We are a working couple now :)

manuk — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 20:38:13 +0000

Great news! Dimple is joining brand-comm, a Bangalore based PR agency. No, we will not be moving to Bangalore. But yeah she will be traveling between Hyderabad and Bangalore often, at least I hope so. She will be managing brand-comm Hyderabad’s clients, one of them being Hyderabad Central. So if you have trouble getting tickets [...]

Airtel GSM Hyderabad sux

manuk — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 05:30:24 +0000

A month ago, Airtel Hyderabad gave me ISD facility without the usual Rs. 10,000 deposit. Very kind of them I must say. Since I was not using the service, I sent a message “ISD CANCEL” to 121 for discontinuing the service. Got a confirmation from them as well, can you believe that? Anyways, today while [...]

Our wedding milestones

manuk — Wed, 03 May 2006 10:35:18 +0000

Not too many but yet memorable: Sunday, 26th March 2006:- Spoke to Dimple for the first time Sunday, 2nd April: Flew down to Delhi meet Dimple,and spent time at Haldiram�s, Cafe Coffee Day in Lajpat Nagar and Cafe Costa in Sec.18 NOIDA. Tuesday, 11th April 2006: Dimple�s birthday. This was a hush hush visit :) [...]

Mera number aa gaya

manuk — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 05:37:33 +0000

I am about to start a new chapter in my life. I got engaged to Dimple on April 16th 2006, and guess what.. our marriage date is set for May 21st 2006. Great news don’t you think so?

Good news is just round the corner!

manuk — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 10:38:59 +0000

Well, this is all I can tell right now. Come back ion the 17th if you wanna know more!

Too much sadness!

manuk — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 10:40:00 +0000

2006 hasn�t been a good year for me yet. First I lost my mom unexpectedly on 30th January and then on 11th march, an old college friend Vikas Sharma (Mickey) died of bone cancer. Vikas was only 29 and has a wife and two-year old son. We weren�t on constant touch in the last 2-3...