desiGeek.com

Punglish

Amit Bahree — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:22:39 GMT

This one's not just for Punjabis but for all those who have faced Punglish, (Punju English). Sorry, you probably either need to be from North India or have lived/visited that region of India a number of times to get Punglish (i.e. Punjabi English)

I like 'A is for Aiscreame' but read on.....

A is for Adjust. Punjabis will always ask you to adjust whenever they want to push you around.

B is for Backside, and it has nothing to do with your bum, it is an instruction to go to the rear of a building, or block, or shop or whatever.

C is for Cloney and its not a process for replicating sheep, nor is its first name George. It is merely an area where people live e.g. 'Defence Cloney'.

E is for Expanditure. Punjabis are never shy of spending money - the latest cars, gadgets, marble floors: their ambitions are always expanding.

F is for Fackade, and even though it sounds like a bad word it is actually just the front of a building (with backside being the back, of course).

G is for Gaddi, and the way a Punjabi can pilot his gaddi puts any F1 driver to shame. (If the Grand Prix does come to Delhi there's no way Hamilton, Alonso or Kimi can overtake Balvinder, Jasvinder or Sukhvinder.)

H is for 'Ho Jayega Ji', and the moment you hear that you have to be careful because you can be reasonably sure it's not going to happen.

I is for Intezaar, and to know more about it see P.

J is for Jindagi, and if there's one person who knows how to live life to the fullest it's a Punjabi.

K is for Khanna, Khurana, etc, the Punjabi equivalent of the Joneses (e.g.'Keeping up with the Khuranas ji')

L is for Lovely, but unfortunately she almost never is. Also for LOIN!!!

M is for 'Mrooti', the car that an entire generation of Punjabis were in love with.

N is for 'No Problem Ji.' To find out how that works see H.

O is for Oye, which can be surprise (Oyye!), a greeting (Oyy!), anger (OYY!) or pain (Oy oy oy...).

P is for Panch Mint, and no matter how near (1 km) or far (100 km) a Punjabi is from you he always says he'll reach you in panch mint (5 minutes...).

Q is for Queue, a word completely untranslateable into Punjabi.

R is for Riks, and a Punjabi is always prepared to take one (risk), even if the odds are against him.

S is for Sweetie, Sunny, Simmi and Sonu, who seem to own half the cars in Delhi. (The other half by their Pappas - like 'Sweetie de Pappa di Gaddi')

T is for the official bird of Punjab: Tandoori Chicken.

U is for when you lose your sex appeal and become 'Uncle-ji'

V is for VIP phone numbers @ Rs 15 lakh and counting.

W is for Whan, as in 'Whan are you coming, ji?'

X is for the many X-rated words that flow freely in all Punjabi conversations.

Y is for 'You nonsense', when anger replaces vocabulary in a shouting match.

Z is for Jigjag. (Also see G, M and P)

{via Megha}

Stuck Windows Key

Amit Bahree — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:43:48 GMT

If you are using VPC and it seems like you Windows Key is stuck then you are not alone. There are three things you can do to fix the issue, namely:

Get something decent like VMware instead of crappy VPC
See #1.
Instead of using WinKey+L to lock your machine use good ol' Ctrl+Alt+Del

Error Messages

Amit Bahree — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:30:36 GMT

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What does Vista SP1 add?

Amit Bahree — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 08:20:19 GMT

With the release of Windows Vista SP1, Windows Vista is more capable than ever of addressing contemporary business challenges. With a focus on continuous quality improvement, SP1 offers benefits in six key areas:

1. Device coverage:
98 of the top 100 devices are now supported, and more than 47,000 drivers have been added since Windows Vista was released. 99 percent of Windows Vista PCs have drivers for every single supported device installed.

2. Application compatibility:
Over 200 of the major enterprise applications have been remediated since the release of Windows Vista, representing more than 5 million seats worldwide.

3. Security:
The improved code base of Windows Vista has resulted in less vulnerability over its first year of life compared to Windows XP. In addition to all previously released security updates, Windows Vista SP1 includes security improvements such as enhanced BitLocker Drive Encryption and better support for third-party security and malware protection tools.

4. Reliability:
The continuous, anonymous feedback system built into Windows Vista has allowed Microsoft to address a significant portion of code-related crashes. Early tests indicate that Windows Vista SP1 averages twice as long without disruptions compared to the RTM version.

5. Performance:
Windows Vista SP1 allows faster moving and copying of many files, faster browsing of network shares, and faster recovery from hibernation and sleep states.

6. Manageability:
Terminal Server and Virtualized Desktop modes are simplified in SP1, and expanded Network Diagnostics make it easier for users to diagnose connection problems.

More details here (pdf).

P2P Code

Amit Bahree — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:33:19 GMT

It took a while for me to get around to this but the P2P Code to go along with my MSDN Article "P2P Programming with WCF and .NET v3.5". I don't know why this code was not available on MSDN in the first place.

Any ways, the can be downloaded from here (456.2 KB).

Big Brother watching via Bluetooth?

Amit Bahree — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:21:27 GMT

Guardian has an interesting story on how Bluetooth is being used to track people's movement in Bath. The concern is that the 10 or so scanners not only pick up your mobile's ID (which you have set) but can also pick up your Identity via your name. email and phone numbers. So think carefully before switching on your Bluetooth on the mobile!

WHS Power Pack 1 Released

Amit Bahree — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:47:53 GMT

This more than a "Power Pack" and fixes a whole host of issues including the (in)famous data corruption bug. If you have been living in a cave then you can catch up here on what the fuss is all about? Here are the highlights of the fixes:

Support for home computers that are running Windows Vista x64 editions

Backup of Home Server shared folders

Improvements to remote access

More efficient power consumption

Improved performance

If you are running WHS I would highly recommend you install this; you can get WHS PP1 from here.

Interesting Find #14

Amit Bahree — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:00:46 GMT

Search of Forever
ZuneThings.co.uk - for those in the UK wanting a Zune + Accessories, etc.
Cozi - new way busy families stay organized, manage schedules and coordinate with each other.
Browsershots - test your site among a host of browsers and see how it prevails; so how well does my blog do?
Ask the Admin
How to hide an airplane factory?
Bill G's history from MS; and his emails.
Windows 7, not that far off.
CooTek - alternative keyboard for Windows Mobile phones.
Pandora - free Internet radio but only for the yanks.
Pex (Program Exploration) - a MSR project that from a parameterized unit test automatically produces a traditional unit test suite with high code coverage.
Gmap Pedometer - excellent if you are a runner or just want to find out how long your walk is. Thanks to the lovely Meenakshi for this.

RIP - Sam Manekshaw

Amit Bahree — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:13:38 GMT

I recently got to know that Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw passed away and the ripe age of 94; I am especially sad to hear that - I cannot explain it - might by my army roots. I think fellow Army brats might get it. May he rest in peace!

Stuff I need to do to finish my assignment

Amit Bahree — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:38:03 GMT

Who would want to be king?

Amit Bahree — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:21:50 GMT

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemies eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing:
"Now the old king is dead, long live the king!"

One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt, and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword, my shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
Once you go there was never, never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world

It was the wicked and wild win
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become

Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string (Ooooh)
Ah, who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword, and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

Ooooh Ooooh Ooooh Ooooh Ooooh
(repeat with chorus)

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword, my shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world
Oooooooh Oooooooh Oooooooh

{Kudos, if you figured it out - it is not that difficult and btw I love it and think there are so many different levels to it and see some elements of this in everyday life}

Maybe time to upgrade to Firefox?

Amit Bahree — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:16:02 GMT

This is not one of the "jokes", but is one of the "real" ones I got. Maybe about time I got around to installing Firefox 3 then. :)

Live Mesh Update

Amit Bahree — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:44:12 GMT

As I said in the last post I have been using Live Mesh for a few weeks now. Since then, Microsoft has released an update to Mesh; those of you who are using it and not updated it yet, I would suggest you do. It will restart the Windows shell once the update is finished, but I would recommend to save your work before you start the update and bounce Windows after that (even though it does not require it).

Live Mesh is now available in all English-speaking countries (not just the U.S.)
Removed the User Account Control (UAC) requirement when installing and using Live Mesh with Windows Vista SP1
Index for Desktop Search now works with Live Mesh folders
Fixed bug where an underscore in a Hotmail account name returned an "Invalid Hotmail Address" error
Fixed bug with Silverlight 2 Beta 2 failing to load in Silverlight Media View
Fixed bug where the notifier tool-tip incorrectly indicated that Live Mesh Remote Desktop was unavailable for a computer running in non-admin mode
Fixed bug where the Live Mesh folder icon was not displayed in the e-mail inviting someone to share a folder
Fixed one of the bugs that caused Live Mesh to fail to start
Fixed problem with Live Mesh returning errors when waking from sleep/hibernate

Live Mesh - Tech Preview

Amit Bahree — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:28:23 GMT

You might have heard of the new "Cloud" service from Microsoft called Live Mesh. You can get more details on the team's blog and a few videos.

While I have the Mesh bits installed for a few weeks I only recently started using it and was very handy when I wanted to get to some information on one of the Wiki's running at home.

I have some of the machines on my home network connected on the mesh now (see screen shot below) - they all are running Vista. It is quite useful and much easier to use than trying to RDP into various machines (assuming you can fwd the ports for various machines on the router). Another cool feature is I don't need to have any bits installed to access them (say from a corporate environment). You only need a browser to login to the mesh and get to the machines (I only tried this is IE 7 btw).

I have used a little bit of this so far and do find it quite useful; there are various elements of this that I have not really used yet (such as the sync. features).

I wonder if there will be an interesting convergence between this and WHS at some point in the future?

Interesting Find #13

Amit Bahree — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 06:44:30 GMT

Pure coincidence that #13 is posted on Friday the 13th!

Goosh - the Unofficial google shell (very cool)!
Zamzar - free online file conversion.
FlashEarth - switch seamlessly between Google maps, Microsoft Virtual Earth, Yahoo!, etc.
SiteAdvisor.com - McAfee's free offering that automatically alerts to Web sites that use or have links to spyware, adware, spam and other nasties.
Live SysInternals - all of SysInternals on your figertips. e.g. in a DOS prompt enter: dir \\live.sysinternals.com\tools
Windows Search 4.0 - new and improved? Only time will tell.
TFS does not have any features for gathering requirements, but if this is something you prefer then check out Caliber RM and TeamSpec. Rosario though might have these out of the box - but only time will tell.
BizTalk dev tools - it is almost an year old, but still a very cool list of tools if you are using BizTalk.
Xobni (mirror of Inbox in case you did not notice), is Outlook add-on which helps you deal with emails better.
Office Search Commands - helps you find commands, options, wizards, and galleries in Office 2007 Word, Excel and PowerPoint; check this out if you are wondering the rational behind it.

Dell Crystal comes to UK

Amit Bahree — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 06:42:38 GMT

Dell's Crystal LCD's finally are available now in the UK and they are cool (and still pricey). Hmm, next batch of EB (a.k.a Toy Money) from Avanade is going to be available in a few months ... hmm ....

Update: fixed the second link - copy and paste error.

Making your TyTn Stable

Amit Bahree — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:07:12 GMT

Over the last few weeks I have heard a lot of people complain about the HTC TyTn (and more so these days with the new iPhone out now). But the phone itself is not bad - but if you are still running Windows Mobile 5 on it then sorry you don't get the rights to complain - that OS itself has loads of issues. So, if you are like me with a TyTn I would suggest you get on a Windows Mobile 6.1 ROM and get some peace of mind. I am running the 'Diamond Look-alike" Mobile 6.1 ROM and it is rock solid - I highly recommend it. I have been running it for a few days and am very impressed.

Of course, I was contemplating between the Diamond and the Diamond Pro, but now with the iPhone 2.0 - the water is as clear as mud on which one I should pick! Sigh!

On a somewhat related note, if you were thinking of getting a Diamond from Expansys, I would hold off as all of their phones are imports and technically grey market imports which HTC does not and will not support. But despite Expansys, why would anyone pay so much more for a HTC Windows Mobile, when you get a similar spec'd iPhone for much less?

Shame on Expansys for selling them as "UK" phones.

Diamond vs. Diamond Pro vs. TyTn

Amit Bahree — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 22:09:16 GMT

I currently have a HTC TyTn and was thinking of getting either the new HTC Diamond or the HTC Diamond Pro and was not sure how they stack up size wise; but that is there sizeasy.com come in the picture and help me see what the three of them look like together.

Diamond Pro is a little thinner and lighter than the TyTn, the question for me is do I really need the keyboard or can I live with something like the Diamond. Hmm ... decisions, decisions, decisions.

Switching Off Snap "Preview"

Amit Bahree — Sat, 31 May 2008 19:20:43 GMT

I think Snap Previews were a good idea earlier but now for me it has just started getting irritating and for my blog I have switched it off.

Beware of Installing Vista SP1!!

Amit Bahree — Sat, 31 May 2008 18:55:59 GMT

If you got a fingerprint reader on your machine and are running Vista then think twice before installing SP1! About 7-8 months ago I got a new tablet (Lenovo X61) which is a pretty sweet machine with Vista pre-installed and all was well until I installed SP1 and then the thing won't even boot.

I tried to get into safe mode but no luck; I tried repairing - but no luck. I got in the repair console and tried to manually "fix" the MBR, but not luck. In the end I was screwed - royally - especially as I did not have a backup. I did have my machine being backed up by WHS which is what I was hoping would save me (more on that later).

In the end I had to do a fresh install of Vista (I choose to use a slipstream version of Vista with SP1 already on it) and then install all the relevant Lenovo specific apps that I needed. Of course getting all the other dev apps and getting the data back on it was

So, if you are running Vista and are thinking of SP1 here are the steps I would suggest you do:

Make sure you got loads of time - don't do this if you got a critical deadline the next day for which you need to use this machine.
Backup your data
Check your backup!
In case you do need to do a fresh install Keep all relevant discs/iso's at hand - don't forget the drivers!
Install the latest drivers for your fingerprint reader (check both the vendors and the manufacturers site).
Install SP1 (while praying)

I must say that no other machine has a fingerprint reader and I did not have any issues installing SP1 on any of those. Also this post is specific for x32; I do not have x64 running anymore so can't say how that will behave.

Windows 7

Amit Bahree — Sat, 31 May 2008 18:18:35 GMT

Wow! What a week - so much talk of the next version of Windows code-named "7". Of course the multi-touch (see video below) is what everyone is talking about. Now, this is cool because it is the evolution of the Surface which is scaled down to a screen.

If you have not seen a Surface - it is quite big and works with five infrared cameras which picks up the gestures and then knows what to do with it (more on Surface at another time).

But in addition to multi-touch we also know there is no new kernel for Windows 7, instead Microsoft is refining the existing kernel. So if you were betting on WinMin (which BTW is only 25 mb!) being there then forget it. Windows 7, will ship around three years after Vista shipped - in other words we should see it sometime next year.

Of course you have got to have screen shots - there has been a lot of speculation if they are genuine or fake, but they sure do look cool. Check out the top left and right corners of the screen shot above and the way the task bar is layed out - nice! I can't wait to get the first drop of this and see how it pans out! Given this is build on top of Vista hopefully we won't have too many issues with drivers making early adoption of this more painless compared to Vista.

Windows 7 first demo shown at D6:

HTC Diamond Videos

Amit Bahree — Sat, 31 May 2008 09:23:21 GMT

I am thinking of getting the HTC Diamond. If you are interested in its features then check out these guys who have had it and been using it for a week and have been posting a daily video on what works and what does not.

Interesting Find #12

Amit Bahree — Wed, 21 May 2008 22:02:39 GMT

It has been a while since I blogged - not only have I been traveling but also been quite heads down at work (and out of trouble hopefully). Interesting mix of things in this post that has piled up over the weeks.

Wikipedia 3D Explorer

Photo Editing with Photoshop Express, Picnik or Resizr.

Vista Indexer Status vista gadget [via Nino]

A Printer that prints itself - woot!

Life @ MS [via Arbindo]

AzMan and Vista - quite interesting.

True Connect (for mobiles) - very interesting.

Fring - free mobile calls, chat, presence, etc. (via wifi/data plan)

Garage where it all began and the BBC Macro - where for me it all began

How about a peek into the future?

Sony Ericsson's X1 - the iPhone killer?

WCF Unleashed reviewed (phew, glad that was not my book).

Cold Startup does affect performance - you notice this when loading apps the first time from a cold boot.

PeerChannel protocol specification.

MGTEK dopisp - The ultimate iPod plug-in for Windows Media Player

.NET CF Profiler (via Nino)

Update: Had a dupe (politely pointed out by Marc).

New HR Policies

Amit Bahree — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:41:53 GMT

Please be advised that there are NEW RULES and regulations implemented to raise the efficiency of the firm.

Transportation:
It is advised that you come to work driving a car according to your salary.

If we see you driving a Honda, we assume you are doing well financially and therefore you do not need a raise.
If you drive a 10 year old car or use public transportation, we assume you must have lots of savings therefore you do not need a raise.
If you drive a pickup, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.

Annual Leave:
Each employee will receive 52 annual leave days a year they are called Sunday.

Lunch Break:

Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch as they need to eat more so that they can look healthy.
Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure.
Fat people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a slim fast and take diet pill.

Sick Days:
We will no longer accept a doctor medical certificate as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.

Toilet Use:
Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilets

There is now a strict 3-minute time limit in the cubicles. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the door will open and a picture will be taken.
After your second offence, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the "chronic offenders" category.
Subsequent pictures will be sold at public auctions to raise money to pay your salary.

Surgery:
As long as you are an employee here, you need all your organs. You should not consider removing anything. We hired you intact. To have something removed constitutes a breach of employment.

Internet Usage:
All personal Internet usage will be recorded and charges will be deducted from your bonus (if any) and if we decide not to give you any, charges will be deducted from your salary. (Note: $ 5 Per Minute As We Have 4MB connection). Just for the record. 73% of the staff will not be entitled to any salary for the next 3 months as their Internet charges have exceeded their 3 months salary.

Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience.

Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplation, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere.

Macbook Air vs. Lenovo Ultraportal

Amit Bahree — Thu, 01 May 2008 03:55:14 GMT

Macbook Air vs. Lenovo Ultraportal

(via Cuan)