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Technorati to be sold

Published Aug 13, 2005 | In Random/Personal

BL Ochman is reporting a rumor, that Technorati is available for sale.

Any one who is watching blogsphere for some time would have easily guessed as the long standing question ‘What is Technorati’s bussiness model?’ is still unanswered. So eventually it is expected to be brought by some big company.

Robert Scoble the-talkative-but-silent-recently-microsoft blogger also reports it and says that if he would have had access to cash then he would have brought it.

BL Ochman’s guess is that it would be brought by Yahoo. But I feel that Google would be more interested in buying Technorati rather than Yahoo. Recently there have been lot of speculation about Google’s SandBox effect which prevents new sites from showing up in Google’s search result and lot of people were discussing about the non-real-time-result of Google and near-real-time-result of Technorati. So my guess is that it Technorati would be brought by Google. What do u say guys..?

Update: This appears to be just a gulp of Google Juice. Technorati is still owned by David Sifry.

Posted in Random/Personal | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

New MCP exam 70-089 for MCSE

Published Aug 10, 2005 | In Certifications

Microsoft is releasing a new MCP exam for Systems Management Server 2003. The exam name is Planning, Deploying, and Managing Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 and the exam no is (70-089).

The objective guide for this exam shows that Microsoft has designed two courses for this exam. They are

  • 2596: Managing Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003
  • 2597: Planning and Deploying Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003

70-089 will fulfill an elective requirement for the MCSE on Windows 2003 title. It will also count toward Technology Specialist fulfillment under the “new-generation” MCP program.

Currently the exam is in beta and the beta ends on Aug – 22. Exam 70-089 is an update to the older 70-086, Systems Management Server 2.0. Those who passed that exam do not need to recertify, as certifications never retire.

Since I am not into the MCSE track, I am not going to take it and so can guys into MCSE throw some light about this exam and also about Systems Management Server?

Posted in Certifications | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Got on the Broad BANDWagon! Finally

Published Aug 3, 2005 | In Gadgets, Random/Personal

Recently I have had some very bad experience in buying peripherals for my computer.

First it was my USB-IR port (BAFO 120b), which I brought to connect my mobile (Sony Ericsson T630) to my computer using IR. I bought it from a local shop for Rs 550 and when I connected it to my computer it was not recognized by my Window XP operating system. I tried all I could do but it didn’t work. I searched about it in Google and posted about it in various forums but no luck. Finally I gave up and packed it and placed it in my shelf.

Next, I decided to take up broad band connection (Believe me till now I was using only Dial-up Connection). And I selected BSNL Dataone 500, as the plan suited my needs. And regarding the modem, BSNL gave me two options either I can opt for their modem (Huawei SmartAX MT880) or I can buy my own modem. I gave a thought for some time and then decide to get my own modem and I bought a DLink DSL – 502T router / modem for RS 2450.

I was waiting with excitement to use my broadband connection. After about two weeks BSNL approved my request and enabled ADSL for my telephone line. Then came the real problem, I was trying to connect using my modem and it was not able to do that and was getting an error. I called up BSNL and they said that the problem is with my modem and not with their connection and went to the shop (yes still I am buying from a brick-mortar shop and not an e-Shop) from where I brought the modem and asked them to replace it, since I had warranty. They accepted it and gave me a new modem and even that one was giving the same problem for me.

I searched about it in Google and posted about it in various forums and almost every one gave me the same answer, connect the modem, run the wizard and you are through. I have changed almost all the configuration parameters and even then I just couldn’t do it. People from BSNL started saying that I shouldn’t have opted for my own modem and virtually all people with whom I discussed about it started pointing their fingers on me saying that it was my fault (expect my parents). I was in real frustration for about a month and finally decide to get the modem from BSNL itself and I listed my modem in ebay for Rs 2000, but I got a response from only one person who wanted it for just s 1500.

I was at my peak in frustration and something inside me asked me to give just one more try. So I just connected it (thinking that it would be my last time doing this) and the LED’s started to blink and I was staring at the screen and my hand was trying to point my mouse pointer to the shortcut (for my connection) which I have placed in the desktop.

Suddenly my yahoo messenger popped up and was trying to connect and I was trying to close it and to my surprise it got connected, I was not able to believe this because I haven’t clicked on the connection which I have created in my network connection yet. Then I opened firefox and typed Google and WOW! Google’s home page flashed.

Finally I realized that my modem has an in-built PPPoE dialer and there is no need for me to create a connection in network connection. And all these days whenever I switched on my modem it was connected to internet but I didn’t realize it. (How bad!)

My sprits went high after finding out that I have actually made a right decision while buying my modem and now I can prove to all those people who pointed their fingers at me that I did took the right decision.

And after making sure that I am connected the first website which I opened was www.Vinuthomas.com , the forum in which I was posting my query and I found that a person named Ashok who was helping me all these days and suggesting me all the possible combinations for configuring my modem has posted a reply to my post saying that my modem doesn’t need a connection to be created in Control Panel. Thanks Ashok.

And then I cancelled my ebay listing for my modem and told my parents about it. Even they shared my excitement and finally even I got on the Broad BANDWagon!

This has some how given me the confidence and energy to start fiddling with my USB-IR port and I will post my experience if I succeed in that too..

Posted in Gadgets, Random/Personal | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

King Ping has a new logo

Published Jul 29, 2005 | In API's/Mashup

Thanks to Wes (Trafic Transit) King Ping now has a new logo now. The new logo looks cool and fits the design very much. Check out the logo at KPing.com.

Here is Fred’s comment about this.

Got a suggestion / Feedback / Comment / Feature Request, let us know we would be glad to hear that from you.

Posted in API's/Mashup | Tagged | 2 Comments

King Ping has started to ping

Published Jul 26, 2005 | In API's/Mashup

Last week I asked you people to suggest some good AJAX libraries and I also gave you a hint, saying that I am currently working on a pet project. Ok now its time to reveal that pet project. It’s actually an AJAX version of a ping service hosted by Fred.

People at Diva Marketing helped us to get a good name for our service and it was christened as King Ping. Currently it is pinging around 18 ping services and has its own domain at KPing.com. More features to come. You could find more info about it, in the about page.

So guys have a look at the King Ping and do let me know your suggestions, comments, feedbacks or feature requests. You can either leave them here or at Fred’s Blog or drop me an email

Happing Pinging 😀

PS: If you blog about King Ping then tag them with “KingPing“

Posted in API's/Mashup | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

MCP Program takes new path

Published Jul 22, 2005 | In Certifications

Microsoft is changing its certification pattern with the release of the next version of Visual Studio. NET and SQL Server. They are introducing a new framework for certification that will pair up a credential with a skill-identifying certification based on a tiered approach consisting of three credentials:

  • Tier 1: Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist
  • Tier 2: Microsoft Certified IT Professional or Professional Developer
  • Tier 3: Microsoft Certified Architect

Out of which the last exam Microsoft Certified Architect is supposed to be very rigorous, board-level certification. Microsoft released information about this exam somewhere in last April.

The following is the update path for the current exams

MCDBA + 2 exams – Microsoft Certified IT Professional

MCSD + 2 exams – Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (Enterprise Application Developer)

MCAD + 1 exam – Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (either Windows or Web Developer)

Microsoft is yet to give information regarding MCSE and MCSA. But those people who have already taken the current titles (MCP/MCSE/MCSA/MCDBA/MCAD/MCSD) will still have their certifications intact.

My current plan is to take that one exam for Web Developer and upgrade my MCAD title to Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (Web Developer). But who knows there is lot of time to decide though 😉

So guys share with me how your upgrade path is going to be.

Posted in Certifications | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Arfa – Youngest MCAD

Published Jul 18, 2005 | In Certifications

Till now I was quite proud that I got MCAD and even posted my certificate. But I felt very bad about it when I found that a girl named Arfa Karim Randhawa in Pakisthan has finished her MCAD at the age of 9. Ya even I didn’t believe it at first (I read it twice before believing). Here is the link.

To recognize her talents and encourage her Microsoft has invited her to its Redmond campus and also arranged for an interview with Bill Gates.

What impressed me most was how she was described.

She made an impression through a combination of charm, flattery and boldness uncommon for someone her age. For example, during Arfa’s meeting with Gates, she presented him with a poem she wrote that celebrated his life story. But she also questioned him about what she perceived to be the relatively small proportion of women on the campus.”It should be balanced — an equal amount of men and an equal amount of women,” she explained afterward.

Here are some more excerpts

Later in the afternoon, she sat outside with S. “Soma” Somasegar, a Microsoft corporate vice president, and described her vision for a self-navigating car. He listened to her ideas and told her about some of Microsoft’s existing software for cars.

To be sure, despite her question to Gates about employing people her age, Microsoft wasn’t about to offer a job to someone so young. But Somasegar talked about the possibility of an internship in a few years.

“The thing that’s exciting to me is her passion for technology at this age,” said Somasegar, who decided to invite Arfa to Redmond after reading a story about her in MicroNews, an internal company newsletter.

I think it is a big success for Microsoft and also a real booster for both Microsoft and also the developers who use Microsoft technologies.

It looks strange how Robert Scoble missed it. Come on Scoble stop comparing Technorati and Bloglines and blog about this too. She promises to be a better evangelist than you for Microsoft 😉

Update: Some one in the comments said that this is news is a fraud. Here is the official news from Microsoft site itself.

BTW Scoble I am still waiting for your answer. Take some time to comment on this apart from comparing different blog searching engines. 😉

Posted in Certifications | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

Infinite Universe

Published Jul 18, 2005 | In Random/Personal

The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida has put up a very Interesting Java applet on their site. It begins as a view of the Milky Way Galaxy viewed from a distance of 10 million light years and then zooms into towards Earth in powers of ten of distance. 10 million, to one million, to 100,000 light years and so on and then when it finally reaches a large Oak tree leaf. But that is not all it zooms into the leaf until it reaches to the level of the quarks viewed at 100 attometers. (wow)

Here is the complete URL http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/scienceopticsu/powersof10/index
This is a fantastic representation of how magnificent the Universe is and how vastly infinite it is both in the macroscopic and the microscopic level 😉 Thanks Srikanth for pointing this out to me

PS: Seeing a web site using Java Applet after a very looong time 😉

Posted in Random/Personal | Tagged | 2 Comments

My Certificates

Published Jul 14, 2005 | In Certifications


At last I have scanned and uploaded my Microsoft Certificates as promised. I have also created a photo set in Flickr.

Sorry for the delay guys.

Oops, I have forgotten my MCAD Certificate 🙁

Posted in Certifications | Tagged , | 3 Comments

AJAX Library

Published Jul 14, 2005 | In JavaScript/jQuery

Regular readers of my blog would have noticed that off late, I am not updating the blog much. The reason for that is, first work is taking most of my time, second I am working on a small pet project, more on it later 😉 so as to get my hands dirty with AJAX.

I was googling around to find out a good library for AJAX, so that I can start with it. And I came across Backbase. It looked very promising, so I downloaded the community edition and started working with it. But I felt it is very complex and I am not sure whether it is worth the effort and moreover I am worried about the lincening too.

So people I need some help from you. Can you suggest/recommend or point me to some good library for implementing AJAX into web applications. I am particularly interested in libraries which work (at least decently) across platforms. So guys I am waiting for your replies.

PS: I have already written a small wrapper function for XMLHttp object, which works in the latest version of both IE and Firefox. I will post it once I finish testing it. Meanwhile if any of you want to have a look at it, just leave a comment or mail me.

Posted in JavaScript/jQuery | Tagged , , | 5 Comments