Windows XP SP3 is released. Here are the SP3 release notes. I was waiting for that since quite some time because now I will format my laptop HD and install SP3 on top of SP2. I hope SP3 incorporates all the updates released after SP2 and it solves more problems then it creates. 
Some of the steps to take before installing XP-SP3 are truly frightening!
Wow! ICICI is upgrading it’s security! Or so do these spoof mails “claim”! 
It’s another of those silly mails decorated with ICICI logo, trying to steal passwords. Looking a little closely reveals the true nature. Links apparently are pointing to ICICI site, but lead to kararila.com 
Have a look at this screen shot of the email. Pay attention to the link in the email. The true destination is shown in the status bar.
I bought my laptop on 20th May 2006. Deep (the self-proclaimed sony man 
) recommended me Sony VAIO SZ series. I inquired at various places on Lamington Road and also harassed Kunal (IT Concepts) a lot for laptop options. 
Finally I bought Sony VAIO SZ18GP for 125,000/- with 3 years warranty and carry bag through IT Concepts. With just 1.7 kg weight and 6 hours of actual battery life, I am really glad I bought it.
Norton Antivirus (NAV) came pre-installed with 3 months’ validity. 3 months went smoothly. So I paid for 1 more year. But hell! 
NAV is more of hype! Slowly it started giving me trouble and one fine day it itself got infected with some virus. It used to get shut down within 5 minutes of stating my laptop with some error message. See the irony! It is supposed to protect my data and it can’t protect itself!
Since I had paid for it, I made use of Symantec Technical Support. I was told on Live Chat that being a licensed user, I was entitled to the new version. I downloaded the uninstaller and the installation files of new version. The new version was better that it could at least protect itself, but slowed down my system even further.
Some days back, my friend and a GNU/Linux fanatic Anurag called me up to inform me that Richard Stallman is in Mumbai and will be giving a speech in the Patkar auditorium on Sunday 27th August 2006. I got excited! He surely is a genius in his own right and founder of Free Software Foundation and GNU. I attended the meet and was somewhat disappointed to hear the same old things from the great man! What is “Free” software (and it doesn’t mean freeware!), why we should use free software, etc.
On hearing the speech, I remembered a Stallman book Free Software, A Perspective, that I had read (once again given by Anurag) and the whole thought process started once again. I must say, I disagree with Stallman’s economical ideas.
“Free” software is an ideallistic approach. Very noble. Good for the society and the users, but doesn’t seem good for the programmer. I have been a programmer as well as a user. So can think from both the perspectives. From a user’s perspective, I will say I love GNU/Linux because I don’t have to spend for it and still get something thats fantastic and better than the alternatives. I can get it from someone who is willing to give it to me. Thanks to Linus Torvalds and Richard Stallman.
I feel better I have upgraded to WP 2.0.4. I had my share of hiccups while upgrading and a wrong click due to lack of concentration, messed up the whole thing. I am glad, I backed up my MySQL database and restored everything from there. On the way, I learnt a few things
Now the next step is to get all the plugins back and search for a new theme for WordPress
Due to an extremely busy work schedule and a couple of new projects on hand, I could not blog for almost a month! I hope to do so now. I am still very busy with about more than 20 different work projects on hand. But still hope to blog at least twice a week. And yes! Twins-timeline will remain upto date and will be updated every month!
Here’re a list that gives best freewares. The list contains 95 entires so far and its still not over!
I want a new WordPress theme for my blog! Regulus is nice, but I want something better. I am greedy. I have seen so many themes and googled up so many times. But haven’t still found one that I like more than the one that I am using. And I don’t like the one that I use 
I will keep searching!! I want a lighter theme with a decent function set.
I rencetly came across a list of 345 FREE online programming books!! Its a long list covering lots of things from basics of programming to language specific links. The best part about it is that the list is still growing. Originally, it contained 195 links, but now contains 345!
However there one thing that I missed in the list. There was nothing for CSS enthusists like me!! But I am hopeful because, as I said, the list is still growing! I have frantically searched at various places (online and offline) for a good book on CSS. I got 2-3 things online. But didn’t find anything worth mentioning offline. I wonder why is this topic neglected by authors and publishers in India?
Anyway for the others, here is the link. 345 Free Online Programming Books
We a bunch of few friends have started and launched a new Indian technology forum. Its called TechSpot. It has many sections and very active member set.
I am glad and proud to be a part of team techspot. Registration is for free. See you there.
A freak accident later, now I am very much worried for my data.
I have (or may be had) a Samsung DVD-ROM. I put in a CD and started installing a software from it. In the middle of installation, I heard a shattering sound and installation stopped responding. I was wondering what happened and clicked on open tray button!
It was then that I realised that the sound was of breaking of the CD-ROM!! It got shatterred to pieces!! I removed as many pieces as I could. Later even opened the drive and removed more pieces. But some of the pieces are still stuck in there. I will have to give it to a service center.
However, the point here is - how safe is the data backed up on a CD/DVD? Fortunately, the CD-ROM that broke had come with a magazine and was only carrying installation files of some softwares. But if CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs can break this way in drives how unsafe the data really is!! This has happened for the first time with me. Till now, I used to think that if I take proper care of my CDs/DVDs, they will last a life time. But how wrong I was! Even if I have 3 copies, all can break! This freak accident has changed my outlook towards digital backup of data. I now realise the importance of keeping multiple copies of important data and have started fearing putting in important single copy CDs in the drives!
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