Published on by Nayar

Flash-Aid

I am using Ubuntu 10.10 as my main OS on my recently bought laptop. The experience is really great. However, there was one thing bothering me.

YouTube videos would play fine in embedded boxes. The video would freeze while i would switch to full screen mode even at 360p resolutions. My CPU usage would be around 40% which is a bit high. I had to switch multiple times from full screen mode to embed until the video would finally play on full screen. This was quite annoying. I thought i would enjoy HD videos on my laptop without any hassle. YouTube was playing much better on Windows 7.

Thanks to the Firefox plugin Flash-Aid. Everything was fixed. My flash videos play better than in Windows 7 now. I would recommend everyone who runs Ubuntu to make it a must to install this plugin.

This plugin downloads the correct Adobe plugin for Firefox according to your CPU architecture. It fine tunes your flash settings so as to make the maximum use of your hardware in the most efficient manner.

Visit the plugin page and download it here.

Published on by Nayar

My New Laptop: Dell Inspiron N5010

I finally got a new laptop using a 450MHz Pentium 2 computer for about 10 years now. The computer still working. It is very solid. Let me introduce you to my new best friend.

Laptop Model: Dell Inspiron N5010


CPU: Intel Core i5 480M

It has a dual core CPU clocked 2.67 GHz (max 2.93 GHz). It has Hyper Threading Technology which allows each core to handle 2 threads. So, it’s as if it has virtually 4 cores.

The salesman was advising me to take an i3 version as it would cost Rs 3000 less and the clock difference would be of only 0.14 GHz with the Core i5. However, i decided to go for the Core i5 because it has Turbo Boost Technology which can automatically over-clock the CPU to a maximum of 2.93 GHz when the need arises and the conditions such as temperature and RAM are available.

RAM: 3GB DDR3

The amount of RAM is very sufficient for everyday life tasks. I managed to use nearly 2.8 GB of it when i ran Windows 7 in Virtual Box while being on Ubuntu. Yet, the computer was very stable and fast. Multi-tasking is handled amazingly well by this machine.

Hard-Disk: 320 GB

Graphics: Intel HD Graphics (up to 1270 MB shared memory)

So, there is no dedicated graphics in this laptop. Only old games will be able to run on it despite such a powerful CPU. Modern games are more dependent on the GPU rather than the CPU. If you want a gaming machine, i would recommend you to save money on CPU and buy a decent graphics card.

Anyways, the main reason why i chose the Core i5 CPU over the i3 is that the i3 CPU can only have up to 760 MB of shared memory. Moreover, the integrated GPU of the Core i5 can reach 766 MHz whereas the Core i3 can only reach 667 MHz. So, the Core i5 should handle games a little better. If the laptop would have a dedicated graphics, i would have taken without hesitation the Core i3.

Screen: 15.4″ HD WLED Back-light, Res 1366 x 768

The screen is simply great. Watching a 720p HD video is a real pleasure. However, i am quite disappointed with the viewing angle. It’s a bit too limited. Only one person can enjoy the screen fully at a time (some might like this feature though :P).

There was a Toshiba laptop which had an ATI Radeon with 1 GB dedicated graphic memory (up to 1768 MB shared) which i could buy. However, the screen was about 14″ or maybe less. It was displayed next to the one i bought. So i could directly compare them. The Toshiba seemed rather like a net-book. The screen really appeared very small. I couldn’t decide whether to take a laptop which a dedicated graphics or take a larger screen. The Toshiba was priced Rs 3000 more but money was not the matter here. It tough to decide,

I finally chose the Dell as i thought whats the point in having a powerful graphics without be able to enjoy it? My dad too preferred this one too. My sister and mother wanted the Toshiba though.

Operating System: None

I was offered the option of whether to take Windows 7 or not. I didn’t take it. It saved me 3000 bucks 😀

I installed Ubuntu 10.10 on it. It was superb. However i upgraded it to Ubuntu 11.04. It’s new GUI sucks f***king hard. I will post something about it later.

Ports: 3x USB 2.0, 1x eSATA,1x HDMI,1x VGA out 1x ethernet(network), 1x 3.5mm audio out/headset, 1x audio in/microphone, 7 in 1 card reader, 1x DC in


Wireless: Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth

I connected the laptop to my Orange Livebox w/o any hassle on Ubuntu using Wi-Fi. All i had to do is to enter the WEP key and it connected. I get 100% connection in my room with the doors closed. I downloaded @ nearly 300KB/s there. Such speeds are available only on youtube or adobe etc (i.e. on local servers). Else, my downloads are @ 110-120KB/s

When i installed Windows 7, it didn’t detect my wireless devices. I had to download a 80 MB driver so as for it to work. On Ubuntu 11.04, i was able to connect even at the time of installation. Ubuntu FTW!!!!

Input Devices:

  • UK keyboard with multimedia shortcuts

The keyboard is slightly different from the ones i’ve been using since my childhood. It’s still a qwerty keyboard but the places of other symbols have been changed. e.g. the ‘@’ symbol is not in the key 2. The multi-media keys are really crucial nowadays. If you want to use the function keys(F1-F12), you have to press the Fn key.

  • Multi-Touch Pad

When i first installed Ubuntu 10.10. The multi-touch feature was not working. On Windows 7, i had to download a 80 MB driver for it to work. It didn’t work too well though. However, on Ubuntu 11.04, this feature was already available by default. Now, i can pinch to zoom or scroll with 2 fingers. It is really nice to use. 🙂

  • 1.3 MP Webcam, 640 x 480 video @ 30 fps

I now end this blog post. I will post more later. Stay tuned!

Published on by Nayar

The sky is NOT blue!!!

Warning: This blog post might be shocking for some people. Please bear with me for a while or leave this page right now! My sincere apologies if this post hurts anyone’s feelings.

The whole humanity is in manifest error. You say the sky is blue. Completely wrong!!!!

Infact, the sky is purple.

You definitely are an ignorant people unless you accept my statement and be my sincere follower.

WTF Nayar!!! We all know that the sky is blue. You Idiot!

See for yourself. You called me idiot? Shame on you

Blue Sky

This is blue. Stop wasting my time with your useless talks. Stupid!

If you do not accept the fact that the sky is purple and that I am the best scientist of all time, then you are a son of a prostitute (yes, that’s how the argument was). Follow these steps so that you may see the truth:

1. Sincerely believe in me as the greatest scientist of all time
2. You need to enjoy this blog post with all your heart
3. Wear these spectacles


4. Now look at the sky again once you purified your heart

WOW!!! You are a genius Nayar!!!

How could i be in error for the X years I am alive. You are my indeed my savior.
Without you, i would be like others who think the sky is infact blue.

Some years after
Now, everyone is made to wear that spectacles from birth itself. The first colour of the sky they would see is Purple. It has now become a FACT!

If someone happen to remove his spectacles for any reason whatsoever and sees the colour of the sky as blue, he would say to himself:

OMG, I sinned! I removed my spectacles. Thats why i saw this. I shouldn’t have done this. As from now i will always keep my spectacles on. How did I dare question the colour of the sky? Shame on me.

Else, this could happen

– Mummy, mummy. The sky is not blue!
– Ofcourse! This is because you removed your spectacles. Without it, you won’t see the truth. Put it on again son.
– Yeah. I can see it again. Thanks mom for your clarifications. (sad ending indeed 🙁 )

No one would do further questioning as they wouldn’t want their mom to be called a prostitute. He would be boycotted very badly.

So, what’s this all about?
Well, that’s my own story i’m telling. God gifted me with eyes and a brain Alhamdolillah. They made these 2 things ‘Haram’ to use. I *must* see only through them and let them think for me.

They use irrational arguments to counter argue things which any casual Joe would usually see as mere ‘bullshit’.

When I would ask to them reflect on certain things, they would tell me that i am too naive for these. I should read more of their litteratures.

If they are indeed truthful, then one is bound to recognize that from whatever method he uses. We don’t need brainwashing.

When i would put infront of them arguments which are crystal clear as pure water and solid as diamond, they would say:

(some bullshit explanations)…, to tell you the truth Nayar, i don’t know myself! Anyways, i would recommend you to read our literatures. There must be some explanations to it

Can you see how all conversations end? They would always say to wear their branded spectacles so as i could see the ‘truth’ as truth again. And if i persist using the eyes which God gifted me, you know what they would do.

I just want to see truth by myself and take my own decisions!!!

If they are indeed truthful, then one is bound to recognize that from whatever method he uses. We don’t need brainwashing.

May God guides us on the right path, the possessor of all knowledge, the best of Guides. May he bestow his mercy upon me and upon you all.

Ameen

Published on by Nayar

Tip: Save energy while cooking

– Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius at STP (Standard Temperature and Pressure).
– During boiling, liquid water is converted into gas state.
– Boiling occurs throughout the liquid.

You might be thinking why the hell am i saying this. You all knew it since childhood. But still, most of you are as if you didn’t know this at all. How?

While you are cooking something in water, it is not necessary that you see huge amounts of bubbles coming out of it. It won’t cook faster if you put a stronger flame beneath it. You are just wasting energy and money. Let me explain

dQ = dU + dW

The first law of Thermodynamic says that the heat supplied to a system equal to the change in its internal energy and the work done by the system.

But what happens at the boiling point?
All the energy being supplied to the system is used to do work (i.e. evaporate the water). We call this energy latent heat of vaporization. This is because the change in internal energy is zero. Simple algebra 😛

If you are evaporating less water, you can put less water at the beginning. The water will warm sooner and your meal will be ready sooner 😉

Boiling occurs throughout a liquid. Water at the bottom is not hotter than those at the surface 😉

Summary:
– Your food won’t cook faster if you put a bigger flame when its already boiling.
– You can lower the flame at the boiling point so as only to maintain the temperature.
– Time is money. Energy is money. Saving both allows you to have 2x economy,
– You just made one step to save the planet by being eco-friendly 😀

Published on by Nayar

My HSC Results

I won’t make a long intro. Here’s my results:
Maths: B
Physics: A
Chemistry: B
General Paper: B
Biology: B

Note: I took tuitions only in GP

Tuitions are really out of the equation for success!

HSC Results
I thought my results would look the one in the picture since yesterday. I was even sure that i would fail in chemistry. I was worried as i thought i’ll have to redo my HSC. I was afraid to go to sleep.

When i woke up in the morning, i was soo happy to know that i didn’t had a nightmare 😀

I was was very excited to go and fetch my results as it would be the first time i would ride my new bicycle. Cycling to school helped me a lot to manage the stress. If i’d be sitting idle in bus going to school, i’d have a nervous breakdown.

I was very happy when the teacher smiled at me and congratulated me.

I thought i could even fake smiles after this day. Finally, Aal iz Well!!! 😀

Anyways, my friend told me this yesterday. Hope it’ll help you too

“whatever be the results just don’t loose faith in life”.

I end this blog post with few words for those who haven’t taken their HSC exams yet:
– Do not just study
– Do not only put nissa. LOL 😛
– You must both enjoy yourselves and study. During class time, follow the class. During breaks and at home, do whatever you want. Save 30minutes for homeworks at home
– Tuition are NOT the way to success.

I took tuitions only in GP as i almost failed in the subject the previous year. Now, you might think that if i took tuitions in all subject, i would have A everywhere. Totally FALSE!!!

The reason for this result is that i never ever opened my book/copybooks at home. If i had done only 15 minutes of homework per day, I could have got A’s.

The real study task is done st school. Tuitions are really out of the equation for success!

Mauritians need to get this straight. This  tuition habits  needs to stop!