tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164028862024-02-03T02:07:50.968-08:00Random BytesA place to share some pseudo-random thoughts and info, by Antony Rajiv@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-33678119425977234402011-10-20T08:01:00.000-07:002011-10-20T10:20:22.684-07:00HTML5<br />
HTML5 is a family of new technologies, enabling us to build rich web applications. Currently many applications are built around Flash or Silverlight, which provide rich graphics, and multimedia capabilities to web pages.<br />
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HTML5 is an open platform (free to create and run) which promises, not just exciting multimedia capabilities - but many other features (such as storage, geo-location, offline access etc) with which we can build applications which blur the lines between traditional desktop and web.<br />
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Browsers are more like operating systems now, in fact Google's Chrome OS is a an attempt to use the Chrome browser as a OS for running various web apps. These web apps could be anything from word processing, games, or even programming IDEs. HTML5 plays a crucial part in this.<br />
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Not just on modern browsers, modern OSs like the upcoming Windows 8, will be integrating HTML5 based apps in its desktop interface ('Metro').<br />
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Since HTML5 technologies are fairly new, it only works on latest version of browsers, like Chrome, IE-9, Firefox 4+, Safari, IOS browser (on the iPhone and iPad) Also the level of support varies with browser implementation.<br />
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I got interested in HTML5, when I worked on developing a game for Microsoft's <a href="http://windowsteamblog.com/ie/b/ie/archive/2011/05/12/dev-unplugged-contest-finalists.aspx">Dev-Unplugged contest</a>. The game was selected as one the finalist in the contest and showcased stunning graphics using the new <canvas> element in HTML5. What was previously done using Flash, is now possible completely using just HTML5 and JavaScript.<br />
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The game is titled "Magician: Fairy Rescue" - created by <a href="http://brundamerinal.blogspot.com/">Brunda Merinal</a>, and me. <br />
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Here is a short video of the game:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ir2Tz9DVqh0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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You can play this at: <a href="http://www.relfind.com/game/magician.html">http://www.relfind.com/game/magician.html</a>@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-45028634221204599142011-07-24T08:54:00.000-07:002011-07-24T08:55:29.068-07:00Photo of Jupiter and It's Four Moons<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheccI7ONTpQ3o8P6ZpTzdypV-4iobxBnctIkA0shYTN9hFPTl50laAZyPrHVfMEs7JjNLOCv9GADAuqW1t2sfpPF3rAahhir6iEobTeotO_AsOs4a3CCPO07peTkx7rAxtVVlo/s1600/5025499238_f7bac8f8a6_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheccI7ONTpQ3o8P6ZpTzdypV-4iobxBnctIkA0shYTN9hFPTl50laAZyPrHVfMEs7JjNLOCv9GADAuqW1t2sfpPF3rAahhir6iEobTeotO_AsOs4a3CCPO07peTkx7rAxtVVlo/s400/5025499238_f7bac8f8a6_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here is a picture of the planet Jupiter and its four moons (Callisto, IO, Europa and Ganymede) taken from my camera last year. More details of the camera settings used on my flickr page: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antonyr/5025499238/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/antonyr/5025499238/</a></div>
@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-2785764392159341382010-03-19T08:01:00.000-07:002010-03-19T08:01:34.925-07:00Moon Landing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxlnqz6oeuHqo4hbMh_KKWBEIlPNVHWhyWiZpNtoZ1xAMYxsXBjpOr0IqLBya4KRp1t7mC7csCexm4sm7NUliYZtLBsi-T9AKti_3RsmxPVvkrSxRGjak32o5bvGQFriAKR41/s1600-h/splash_down_moon_landing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxlnqz6oeuHqo4hbMh_KKWBEIlPNVHWhyWiZpNtoZ1xAMYxsXBjpOr0IqLBya4KRp1t7mC7csCexm4sm7NUliYZtLBsi-T9AKti_3RsmxPVvkrSxRGjak32o5bvGQFriAKR41/s320/splash_down_moon_landing.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><br />
While we haven't discovered liquid water on the moon (not yet!), scientists now estimate a staggering 600 Million metric tons of water 'stored' on the lunar craters near its north pole. All in a place previously called the driest place in the solar system!@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-2192471802218918612010-03-13T07:34:00.000-08:002010-03-13T07:34:30.051-08:00WayNotes in the Wild<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7MnI8cKMK10ldS1g1FcT2CQX5C7JkDtokFAeaG3a5vQ6YTPwZ0NlMk5TOrQiaw769shuHJ2otVCSVGZ2r_uNkEkmnyZJVKwwxxejqkTT3VQiZ3DvrwLXyzjnpq_dPcBFG097s/s1600-h/waynotes2z_blue%20copy.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7MnI8cKMK10ldS1g1FcT2CQX5C7JkDtokFAeaG3a5vQ6YTPwZ0NlMk5TOrQiaw769shuHJ2otVCSVGZ2r_uNkEkmnyZJVKwwxxejqkTT3VQiZ3DvrwLXyzjnpq_dPcBFG097s/s200/waynotes2z_blue%20copy.png" width="200" /></a></div>WayNotes, my augmented reality app for Android mobile devices, has been released into the android market place. Its a free app, download and try it out today.<br />
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For regular updates visit the official blog of WayNotes - <a href="http://waylog.blogspot.com/">http://waylog.blogspot.com/</a>@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-19003825299020935492010-03-06T09:58:00.000-08:002010-03-11T13:35:29.529-08:00Batman SketchI made a quick sketch of Batman<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe2Fvy13bnLOktcXIk-IOoJ4bdKR19sEz8kbhwderY4kjn1_xnyMSPFsr9tCYtsLJ5mklM8kM7fbFB6ZW4O8W9v8_pBfwoOC2LJn-hH71LpWteCYdGmcVQUxbVaebrSApADY8T/s1600-h/DSCN2992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe2Fvy13bnLOktcXIk-IOoJ4bdKR19sEz8kbhwderY4kjn1_xnyMSPFsr9tCYtsLJ5mklM8kM7fbFB6ZW4O8W9v8_pBfwoOC2LJn-hH71LpWteCYdGmcVQUxbVaebrSApADY8T/s320/DSCN2992.JPG" /></a></div>@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-72411696453398731982010-02-15T20:24:00.000-08:002010-02-15T20:24:38.532-08:00Windows Update...<i>"</i><i>Windows Update: </i><i>To check for updates, you must first install an update for windows update!"</i>...huh...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaor1AGZiHDfSEG06Mi48te3uUyaMsb3UAhO64ssHgDccBSj_Al__fjH7mvNiQSW5iqf5YqUob1wwOYsETzF4-UysaFxPH4zS-SSOFcFjwceiATjk-esqkOuFI2pF6xlv3FGcX/s1600-h/windows_update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaor1AGZiHDfSEG06Mi48te3uUyaMsb3UAhO64ssHgDccBSj_Al__fjH7mvNiQSW5iqf5YqUob1wwOYsETzF4-UysaFxPH4zS-SSOFcFjwceiATjk-esqkOuFI2pF6xlv3FGcX/s400/windows_update.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-86237996389266596242009-10-24T08:02:00.000-07:002009-10-24T08:11:46.028-07:00India - According to Google MapsGoogle, known for localizing their search results, localizes their map images too! Compare the various representations of India in Google Maps<br />
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The version for India: <a href="http://maps.google.co.in/">http://maps.google.co.in</a><br />
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The Chinese version - <a href="http://ditu.google.cn/">http://ditu.google.cn</a><br />
Notice how many places are now shown as part of China!<br />
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The US / International version: <a href="http://maps.google.com/">http://maps.google.com</a><br />
See the dotted lines for disputed regions of Jammu and Kashmir, and Arunachal Pradesh! <br />
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<i>Image Credits: Google Maps</i>@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-13317366021082263452009-09-27T09:02:00.000-07:002009-09-27T09:06:33.690-07:00Water Water Everywhere...on the Moon!The major space news this past week, and probably most significant in history of space exploration is the discovery of water on Moon!<br />
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The international cooperation between Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) led to this astounding discovery.<br />
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The NASA moon minerology mapper instrument onboard ISRO's Chndrayaan-1 moon probe, discovered large quantities of water and hydroxyl molecules on moon. There aren't lakes or puddles (yet) but molecules combined to dust on the lunar surface.<br />
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<i><b>Why is this such a big deal?</b></i><br />
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Water is important for life (as we know it) to exist.<br />
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<i><b>We already found <a href="http://antonyr.blogspot.com/2008/06/water-ice-on-mars-what-could-that-mean.html">water ice on places like Mars</a>, why are we excited about Moon?</b></i><br />
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Moon was supposed to be dry, and after all these years of exploration, including various manned missions, it is hugely surprising that water molecules were not discovered before. This opens up a new set of questions....<br />
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<ul><li>Where did all these water come from? whats its origin?<br />
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<li>Why haven't we been able to see it before?</li>
<li>What other parts of solar system, which we currently think as dry has water?</li>
<li>Is there liquid water on Moon?<br />
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<li>When are we going to announce that we found life on Moon ? ( :) <br />
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</ul>These questions will be discussed and debated for years to come...@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-61913892762011212062009-09-12T08:38:00.000-07:002009-09-12T08:40:24.150-07:00"WayNotes" Augmented Reality App for Android!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ly89Rn7gRqnueJahuVpZaBWWRL7aOJt8NPti6ZVQruyZIc1LR5e8eezR2ixkBXqRAUyuLtLfbfIIZgMxpVcM2pQoiwmyDQJn0_wkODkbpMoLmO7GFxbi-Zqt2qjda39XuAFO/s1600-h/waynotes_augmented_reality_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ly89Rn7gRqnueJahuVpZaBWWRL7aOJt8NPti6ZVQruyZIc1LR5e8eezR2ixkBXqRAUyuLtLfbfIIZgMxpVcM2pQoiwmyDQJn0_wkODkbpMoLmO7GFxbi-Zqt2qjda39XuAFO/s320/waynotes_augmented_reality_small.jpg" /></a></div>WayNotes is my new experiment with "Augmented Reality".<br />
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Its is an app for Android mobile devices, using which users can create notes and post them to geographical locations. Using phone features such as GPS, Camera, Compass, when the user points the phone in the direction of the note, the note appears as a circle shape, in its location overlaid on top of live camera feed.<br />
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Also, users will be able to access place names from GeoNames.org database.<br />
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The app has been submitted for Android Developers Challenge 2<br />
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More info here:<br />
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WayNotes website: <a href="http://www.waynotes.com/">www.waynotes.com</a><br />
Blog WayLog: <a href="http://waylog.blogspot.com/">waylog.blogspot.com</a>@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-79905059131005120682009-09-12T08:26:00.000-07:002011-07-24T08:55:48.549-07:00Similage.com Image Search<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My image search engine "SegamiSearch" is now "Similage"!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQk1wjskewdlnDJtIrPvryeEDPcYYWfhRfU5vv5qb7hiUvWSnhcXUWBrrsSaR_1KtXEkWNTqz5J18wJCxBHcWNshYemR1Py46UjbWjn3tQ0QEGQyYVCDB8VjtsAVlb8d_KGQS/s1600-h/similage_logo_main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQk1wjskewdlnDJtIrPvryeEDPcYYWfhRfU5vv5qb7hiUvWSnhcXUWBrrsSaR_1KtXEkWNTqz5J18wJCxBHcWNshYemR1Py46UjbWjn3tQ0QEGQyYVCDB8VjtsAVlb8d_KGQS/s320/similage_logo_main.jpg" /></a></div>
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With tons of new features outlined below...<br />
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<li>Face Detection : search images containing faces </li>
<li>Improved similarity search algorithm</li>
<li>Multiple similarity search options: Similar colors, similar features</li>
<li>Sketch and Find: sketch shapes and discover new images! (the first of its kind!)<br />
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<li>Search by prominent colors in an image<br />
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<li>Gray-scale images: search only black and white images</li>
<li>Improved user interface</li>
<li>Larger image database</li>
</ul>
visit it at <a href="http://www.similage.com/">www.similage.com</a> <br />
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I had submitted this research work for review in ACM multimedia 2009 Grand Challenge contest, Eventhough it was not selected for publication, I got some very good reviews!</div>
@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-32965345263988654622009-02-17T20:21:00.000-08:002009-02-17T20:31:51.065-08:00Rainbow From A Binary World...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9NqIjz1W7dssWJob5Bda_R5Ev2tJSd_lqKG1n4FeGgGu-2iag7DLu6Y63F-2UDCpCs4bKv9KPmbifhTLG_tnS8wsBItiD67zWH9HeK4noCozGNOaIMq_bvbLda_YioNlAJkB/s1600-h/rainbow_from_a_binary_world.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9NqIjz1W7dssWJob5Bda_R5Ev2tJSd_lqKG1n4FeGgGu-2iag7DLu6Y63F-2UDCpCs4bKv9KPmbifhTLG_tnS8wsBItiD67zWH9HeK4noCozGNOaIMq_bvbLda_YioNlAJkB/s400/rainbow_from_a_binary_world.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303990067467937122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOT6Ttev-Li9y4rkSfC9WeWu2MHQE8lgu7YlktBa9qExyYD65FTEQMWxAF24jGCeay2ew_HjUor9l17-50rqqV36jO2j9UcZ_TVlfZKQNYGLZuXlccg7COUhSWGTG0kLM1xoo/s1600-h/rainbow_binary_world.jpg"><br /></a>@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-75886777319829908142009-02-14T08:52:00.000-08:002009-02-14T09:03:45.621-08:00Celebratng The 1234567890 DayFeb 13th, 15:31 hours was celebrated as the 1234567890 day by Unix geeks worldwide.<br /><br />Its the date-time in Unix epoch time format. Defined as the number of seconds elapsed since Jan 1, 1970. (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_time">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_time</a>)<br /><br />By Feb 13th, 15:31 hours 1234567890 seconds had elapsed since Jan 1, 1970!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tip:</span> To see the date in this format type in "date +%s" (without the quotes) in your Unix/Linux terminal@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-5646018556822016552008-06-28T10:33:00.000-07:002009-05-19T08:11:44.671-07:00Microsoft's Live.com Search Engine BugHere is a bug in Microsoft's live.com search engine.<br /><br />1) Go to Live.com<br /><br />2) Type in "search php" or "searchengine php" or "search engine php"<br /><br />3) Watch what happens<br /><br />---What happens? Nothing!!! you will be treated with a blank page!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update:</span> I submitted a bug report to Microsoft, now the bug appears to be fixed! the above mentioned queries result in proper results page.@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-55693950664715588732008-06-26T22:34:00.000-07:002008-06-27T23:10:31.624-07:00Bug in Gmail logon page<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update </span><span style="font-style: italic;">(june 27, 11pm)</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">:</span> Now its working. A proper snippet appears in the page.<br />--------<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTdnJ2HdiBFrGWqG6IHopz2PjB4T7xpejRTG4H5FEnFPWGheL_O23BbVAC7RtQzHZpTvP5ReN8n98Ai3Wr28g9RyqwTI9_cp7o6Z-E9KgGQRalG24UOfT952GuXu18t9s_Oi-/s1600-h/gmail_bug2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTdnJ2HdiBFrGWqG6IHopz2PjB4T7xpejRTG4H5FEnFPWGheL_O23BbVAC7RtQzHZpTvP5ReN8n98Ai3Wr28g9RyqwTI9_cp7o6Z-E9KgGQRalG24UOfT952GuXu18t9s_Oi-/s400/gmail_bug2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216655348004916610" border="0" /></a><br />Found this in Google's gmail today, see the "undefined..." text at the circled area in the screen-shot from logon page? Thats a javascript code returning "undefined" value!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><br /></span>@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-46448135541463885152008-06-26T22:02:00.000-07:002008-06-28T11:25:56.111-07:00Martian soil is friendly to life (atleast asparagus)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJsmN4ULbNJJuWR4ub_wb11ZLplE7VXI5Ck7OwjU9-cnSUzw9ML3yK9cC5hEMc__mEeBvFmkJoneGLn_u25HhxtxP0iv_r7cmA4awAQWUSd2CQdOQgilR9unFt3CKI5td0kS0/s1600-h/martian_soil.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJsmN4ULbNJJuWR4ub_wb11ZLplE7VXI5Ck7OwjU9-cnSUzw9ML3yK9cC5hEMc__mEeBvFmkJoneGLn_u25HhxtxP0iv_r7cmA4awAQWUSd2CQdOQgilR9unFt3CKI5td0kS0/s320/martian_soil.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216649713007824226" border="0" /></a>Scientists from NASA's phoenix mission say that the soil samples tested aboard the lander, contain many minerals, friendly to life. The salts and nutrients magnesium, sodium, potassium and chloride were found. The soil has a pH of 8. It would support the growth of asparagus. This soil is closely analogous to surface soils found in the upper dry valleys in Antarctica.<br /><br />The wet soil test was the first of its kind carried on the surface of any planet outside earth.<br /><br />The presence of salts further provide evidence to existence of water on mars.<br /><br />----<br />Even though the soil is friendly, the martian atmosphere is hostile to life as we know it on the earth surface. But, on earth itself life exists in extreme conditions, like the depths of sea, with volcanic vents, and no light.<br /><br />Lets wait for more evidence and test results, who knows one day the lander might dig a hole and find plenty of thriving life forms.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Image Src: NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/news/phoenix-20080626.html)</span>@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-17949973257092185732008-06-20T07:54:00.000-07:002008-06-27T16:07:45.514-07:00Water ice on Mars? What could that mean?Yesterday, the mars Phonenix lander twittered (twitter.com/marsphoenix) that it had found ice, water ice on mars. There were some substance on the martian surface which sublimated leaving no traces, salt deposits does not do that, so scientists speculate that to be ice.<br /><br />Why is this an exciting discovery? The presence of water on a planet, is a basic necessity for life to evolve, especially life similar to what we see on earth.<br /><br />Scientists have long speculated, and there have been numerous unconfirmed details on martian surface which indicate to the presence of water, or atleast water existed long time back. Now finally they seem to have some form of evidence, further exploration by phoenix lander should confirm this historical finding. Also this leads to a much bigger question, is there life on mars now?<br /><br />-----<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update:</span><br /><br />Report from NASA Press conference June 20<br /><br />- NASA Scientists say they are sure that the substance is water ice<br /><br />- The phoenix lander mission was specifically sent to confirm that water ice existed on mars<br /><br />- Ice/ice sheet is 2 inches deep below the dirt/sand<br /><br />- The mission does not specifically look for life itself<br /><br />- Could the white stuff be solid CO2 (dry ice)? No, it would turn to gas much quicker<br /><br />- Is the white stuff any salt? No, would take a long time to disappear, if it indeed is salt and disappeared so fast then there is plenty of water to aid it<br /><br />- The soil is clumpy and sticky why? we don't know yet<br /><br />- The next task would be to test the ice for presence of minerals (food for life)<br /><br />Disappearing Ice - NASA Press release:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfPdynPgYnMhGjgwgD14mNj2tDjO_ZN4NpoNWKxTXyyJRitnoZDEvmqMRhPAGHNmJxOrjrAsj5-eI8jA2ag-8pYxlcvCdh4d80CqbuCq8o00eXM7RPAgbVc0vzBXX4bIK2mO5/s1600-h/ice.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfPdynPgYnMhGjgwgD14mNj2tDjO_ZN4NpoNWKxTXyyJRitnoZDEvmqMRhPAGHNmJxOrjrAsj5-eI8jA2ag-8pYxlcvCdh4d80CqbuCq8o00eXM7RPAgbVc0vzBXX4bIK2mO5/s320/ice.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214057240683187522" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University</span>@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-53844833395415350792008-02-03T10:10:00.001-08:002008-06-27T16:08:06.642-07:00SegamiSearch.com - The WWW Image Search EngineCheck out this cool image search engine created by me. Why its cool? since it does something no other major web search engines is capable of doing - image similarity search. Also, its image ranking algorithm is one of the most sophisticated in web. So play around with it and have fun, and do let me know of your feedback.<br /><br />URL: <a href="http://www.segamisearch.com/">http://www.segamisearch.com/</a>@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-7666622188555037412007-07-07T18:31:00.000-07:002007-07-07T18:32:51.226-07:0007/07/07This date looks nice...so here is a post made on the seventh day of the seventh month of 2007!@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-59370620110894029662007-06-26T10:11:00.000-07:002008-05-02T20:43:21.418-07:00My Most Popular Video on YouTubeCheck out my second award winning animation, sequel to the Hand animation. This one is quite popular in youtube, already more than 12,000 views!<br /><br />Here it is...<br /><br />"Meteor Impact!" - Made in Hollywood, USA<br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DEa9oSqx4c4&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DEa9oSqx4c4&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-5708789857576701482007-03-15T10:05:00.000-07:002007-03-15T10:10:07.159-07:00Happy Pi-DayYesterday, March 14 (3-14) was Pi-Day, celebrating the first few digits of the wonderful constant Pi.@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-69063076567110984382007-03-09T10:11:00.000-08:002007-03-09T10:15:48.840-08:00The Hand Learns to Walk!Here is my Award winning animation, developed using my own animation and modeling tool!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/36O_oQbkIvM"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/36O_oQbkIvM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-1156441727655888272006-08-24T10:18:00.000-07:002006-09-30T09:31:57.970-07:00Pluto's Planet StatusI think it was rather unfair in the part of International Astronomical union to demote pluto (it even got a new official asteriod identification) Only 4% of about 9000 astronomers were present in the voting.<br /><br />New planets that are discovered outside our system are already too big, (some are llike 5 times the size of jupiter, means something like 60 times the size of earth!)<br /><br />When we get to these planets, are we going to propose new definitions and demote all the planets in the solar system?<br /><br />Well, if you get more planets, add them to the list. There will be no shortage of planet discoveries, even in our solar system, or the rest of the galaxy (not to mention, rest of the universe)<br /><br />The new definitions of planet were as if specifically aimed to demote pluto's status.<br /><br />We could have some simpler guidelines as:<br /><br />A planet should satisfy all the traditional requirements, orbit the sun, be in approximately round shape.<br /><br />Put some size cap on the lower limit and upper limit of planet.<br /><br />As size should be between x (lower limit) diameters and y(upper limit) diameters.<br /><br />The newly discovered super giant planets(outside our solar system) could be called planets or above a certain size may even classify as brown dwarfs (failed to ignite stars)<br /><br />If it is below size of pluto call them as dwarf planets! Put Pluto for marking between planets and dwarf planets. Why demote it?<br /><br />If we discover new objects larger than pluto that go around the sun add them to the list! It doesn't matter if we got 9 or 10 or 10 million planets in the solar system. We do not need names for all of them, catalog names would do.<br /><br />Let the classical planets remain as classical planets.<br /><br />Vote for pluto<br />http://plutopetition.org/@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-1155741048374886922006-08-16T08:00:00.000-07:002006-08-16T08:31:00.066-07:00Definition of a PlanetPluto is a planet?<br /><br />That's the question currently argued at the International Astronomical Union (IAU) gathering at Prague, CZ. Infact for years astronomers have debated on the status of tiny Pluto.<br /><br />The question gained significance by the recent discovery of a new object beyond Pluto, which is bigger than Pluto (object: 2003 UB 313)<br /><br />This created a lot of fuss among astronomers as to whether this new object needs to be included in the classical list of planets, if its not then Pluto needs to be removed from the list!<br /><a href="http://www.gps.caltech.edu/%7Embrown/planetlila/#size"></a><br />Now astronomers have developed a new description for what a planet means:<br /><br />The description summary is:<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:100%;">"A planet is a celestial body that (a) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (b) is in orbit around a star, and is neither a star nor a satellite of a planet."</span><br /><br /></em>This could mean even some of the larger asteroids could find a place in the planet category.<br /><br />Some points from the description draft prepared by the IAU:<br /><ul><li>Pluto - Charon is a "double planet"</li><li>If asteroids like Pallas, Vesta are found to be in hydrostatic equilibrium (round shape), they are also planets, referred by a new class - "dwarf planets"<br /></li><li>Pluto may be part of a new class of planets called "Plutons"<br /></li></ul><br />On Aug 24th astronomers will vote on the proposal, if they pass it, then Pluto will retain its position, also we will have more additions to planets in the solar system, including the moon of Pluto - Charon.<br /><br />One thing is certain, whatever happens, all the current textbooks and books on science and planets would be outdated soon.<br /><br />Links:<br /><a href="http://www.iau2006.org/mirror/www.iau.org/iau0601/iau0601_resolution.html">IAU Official press release</a><br /><a href="http://www.gps.caltech.edu/%7Embrown/planetlila/">Discovery 0f object 2003 UB313</a><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><br /></em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-1154970757434372922006-08-07T10:00:00.000-07:002006-08-07T10:21:21.270-07:00Happy Birthday WWW!It was 15 years ago on August 6th, 1991 that Tim Berners Lee released his World Wide Web project into the internet.<br /><br />Tim BL made a posting on a newsgroup - alt.hypertext, and it is still available here as part of Google groups: <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/alt.hypertext/msg/395f282a67a1916c">http://groups.google.com/group/alt.hypertext/msg/395f282a67a1916c</a><br /><br />When you read his description, it all sounds so familiar, yet Tim Berners Lee had thought about all this stuff by himself! He even made the first server, documents, and a prototype browser.<br /><br />The Web was originally developed to share information between scientsits working in different locations.<br /><br />It revolutionized the way the world organizes and shares information!@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16402886.post-1154562742243110082006-08-02T16:50:00.000-07:002006-08-03T00:06:03.226-07:00Wild Wild WebIts a Wild Wild Web out there, packed with zillions of spyware, worms, viruses and all things nasty.<br /><br />My computer just recovered from a massive spyware attack.<br /><br />It began late last saturday night...<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;">The Invasion</span><br /><br />I was browsing using internet explorer (my mistake) trying to download some wallpaper from "Pirates of the Caribean 2", a movie that I just watched that evening.<br /><br />I clicked on a wallpaper and there goes the popup!<br /><br />The norton antivirus detected a trojan, but failed to clean it.<br /><br />It took me a couple of seconds to realize whats happening and pull out the LAN cable out, effectively disconnecting myself from the net.<br /><br />But that short interval of time was enough, thanks to the high speed internet connection, plenty of spyware got installed into my hard disk, within that time.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">The Spread</span><br /><br />The downloader trojan, once activated, downloads plenty of other spyware along with it, and executes them.<br /><br />Understandably all the extra load was slowing down things<br /><br />I did a search in windows drive to check all the files created and modified at the time of infection and was really surprised at the number of files created! Some with random names!<br /><br />Within the first few seconds, they were all over the place - the windows registry, drives, they made new folders, installed browser objects, modified startup, generated new windows services...<br /><br />I watched in horror as the malware invasion took place, the net was disconnected, but the damage was done.<br /><br />I reconnected to the net and saw popups coming, nothing, not even a firewall could stop them.<br /><br />Soon, the spyware took over my computer.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;">The War</span><br /><br />Ok enough is enough...I decided, now its time to fight back!<br /><br />I declared war on all malware!<br /><br />I reconnected to the net, booted Windows in Safe Mode, armed with many antispyware and antivirus tools, I launched an all out offensive at the malware.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">The Termination</span><br /><br />Recovery was not easy, as I deleted more files, it created new ones with random names.<br /><br />First I cleared the startup choices, stopped the services,<br /><br />Then, I cleaned the disk with all the popular spyware softwares, (one software is not enough for all)<br /><br />Manually searched and deleted all remaining files created at that time of infection.<br /><br />Cleaned up the windows registry.<br /><br />After nearly 12 hours of cleanup exercise, I terminated them all!<br /><br />No more popups, No more slowing down, No more browser hijacks, No more spyware<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">Recovery & Control</span><br /><br /></span>This time the battle is won.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Now I run a couple of Antispyware software in the background, they provide realtime protection and let me know of any spyware-like activity.<br /><br />Are they enough to prevent further attacks by malware? Well, not really, you are not safe until you switch off the computer and the other digital gadgets - which is ofcourse not an option.<br /><br />The spread of malware, including spyware and virus, will continue to come even in greater numbers.<br /><br />Complete prevention or complete cure may not be always possible, but they can be controlled.<br /><br />We will continue the fight and will eventually win.@ntonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11122561877556249184noreply@blogger.com0