Beam: The smart projector that fits in any light socket

Heck, it has been too long since I posted anything of interest in this blog. So here is what I am going to do - pick up interesting stuff that I find elsewhere and share them here. Hey, easy. Don't have to think or wrack my brains to write up stuff.

Kickstarter. An interesting site which helps in crowd-funding of projects started by ordinary people. When browsing the site, came across this very interesting project called Beam - it is a projector that can fit in a light bulb socket. No, not the type here in India but at least the type in the US - the screw type. Don't worry, we'll find some jugaad to fix that when it is produced.

You can either screw in this small projector into the bulb socket or use a wire and place it on it's side and project it on the wall. Very interesting idea and since it is always connected to the internet, you can even project a game that you are playing with a friend on your phone.

Read up more about this project here - Beam: The smart projector that fits in any light socket. And you can also contribute monetarily to the project.

Creed

Aaah....the creed

Download Firefox, help set a record

Yeah thats true. Firefox 3 is slated to be released on June 17th. Pledge to download on that day and set a record. But well, who cares if you don't help to set a record. Download Firefox 3 and enjoy a safer web experience.

Reliance Wimax on Ubuntu

I recently installed Ubuntu Hardy Heron on my PC and loved the performance even after it was installed using Wubi as an application within Windows. I then wanted to use the internet on Ubuntu. I have a Reliance Wimax connection (I have since moved to Airtel due to the lousy service Reliance gave me). When I checked the network configuration on Ubuntu, I saw that there was no network connection. Logged back into Windows and Googled for some information. Came across this information given by pk_rulz on the Ubuntu Forums. He advises that the problem was due to the avahi daemon assigning an IPv6 address to the eth0. He advises:

Bring down avahi daemon using
sudo /etc/init.d/avahi-daemon stop
then use
sudo ifconfig eth0 down
sudo ifconfig eth0 up - this is basically to restart ur eth0

I did the same and I am now able to use Reliance Wimax on Ubuntu. (Not anymore. Reliance Customer No Care has since made me so frustrated with their service that I have moved to another provider).

Blu-Ray still selling poorly...

The Tech Report tells us that Blu-Ray players are still selling poorly even after HD-DVDs demise recently. I mean, there has to come a time when the paying public stop buying new technology or the market forces them to do so. Think that time is now!!
Well, lets see...

Reliance Wimax Broadband

Well, a lot of blogs and sites have trashed Reliance's Wimax service and there have been a lot of comments on these sites from existing users pouring out their woes. But since this is the only option I had to get an internet connection from, I opted for the same and applied. All they needed was an address proof (original copy. I gave my mobile bill), Identity card copy and a local cheque for 500 bucks. I had also checked whether my area was covered and was told it was. A little skeptic, I gave the documents to the guy and also was told that it would take 2 weeks since their equipment was out of stock. I didn't mind and said that was fine. But you gotta appreciate them, I got the equipment in a week and it was fixed the same day. And I checked the connection. Damn, beautiful I must say. Neat speeds and a very steady connection. I get a normal speed of 40KB/sec, which is even better than Airtel I must say.

I have always been a little skeptic of Reliance all these years. I think this started with the lousy tinny ringtones you used to get on old Reliance CDMA mobiles. Things have changed and the Wimax seems to be a winner!!

Opera Mini 4

Damn, I just love this new version of Opera Mini. Its got some really neat features. The one I love the most has to be the option where you can view the page in landscape format!!. Another nifty feature is that you can zoom out on the page and use the pointer as a mouse. Once you navigate to that part of the page that you want, you can then zoom in. Amazing!!. Yet another feature is the custom search function. Simply click on the search field that you want to grab on a web page and then choose "Create search" within your menu alternatives. Then you can enjoy making frequent searches without having to type in the site link again. For a complete list of the new features, read up on the Opera site.

Paypal

Yeah...you all must know about it now. In case you don't, here goes. Now Paypal allows you to directly transfer money to your account in an Indian bank. And its pretty cheap. AFAIK its only 50 bux. So rock on!

Update on own domain

Thanks to Anwin, I have validated my new domain name using Google WebMaster Tools and also seen to it that Google crawls my new domain. Have also added a sitemap using the feed. So Google should be updating itself with this info and hope to be getting Smorty back up.

Simons new domain

Simon, who has been blogging for some time now, has finally bought his own domain. Eggburji it is!! His blog is being hosted there at the moment, but I am sure he will be buying space etc in the near future. Rock on dude...

This has inspired me to also get a domain of my own...lets see how that goes...