Tag Archives: Chennai

My new Computer

Published Sep 24, 2007 | In Gadgets

I brought a new computer as planned after my recent computer crash.

Thanks guys for the recommendation and here is the configuration of my new computer. (If you are weak hearted then stop reading. 😉 Yuvi is already envious 🙂 )

Ok so here it goes

Processor

Intel core 2 quad Q6600 2.4 Ghz, 8 MB L2 Cache, 1066 Mhz FSB. This is the latest one which is available in Chennai.

Motherboard

I wanted one with support for DDR3 RAM so that I can upgrade my RAM to DDR3 once it is available in Chennai. In P35 chipset only P5KC supports it. After much search I got hold of one. But later I found it to be faulty and so finally I settled for P5k-VM with only DDR2 support.

RAM

Since DDR3 RAM is not available in Chennai, I didn’t have any other option apart from DDR2. I had 4 slots in my motherboard, so went in for 4 GB of DDR2 RAM (800 MHz)

Graphics Card

Since I am not an avid gamer I settled in for a cheap GeForce graphics card. Model number is GF 8500GT PCI with 512 MB RAM. The only criteria which I looked for was DirectX10 support.

Monitor

I went in for a ViewSonic 19 inch wide screen monitor. The wide screen allows me to view 2 windows simultaneously without shrinking them.

DVD writer

I didn’t have much option for DVD writer and I went in for the standard 20X Liteon DVD writer.

Hard Disk – HDD

Here comes the big one. Can you guess what is the storage capacity of my computer? I have crossed the GB limit. It is 1.11 TB. Yes Terra Bytes. 😉

I bought one 500 GB Hitachi HDD and two Western Digital 320 GB HDD’s. I am going to use one 320 GB HDD as a dedicated backup drive. More details later. 🙂

So far it’s been a thrilling experience and even Vista seems to be running fast. Below is my Windows Experience Index (Max 5.9).

  • Processor: 5.9
  • Memory (RAM): 5.6
  • Graphics: 4.6
  • Gaming Graphics: 5.1
  • Primary Hard disk: 5.7

I am yet to get used to Vista’s interface and I am busy installing/customizing software’s for my computer. I am yet to get the data from my old computer and so things are little haphazard now. I will share with you my experience with my computer once things have settled a bit.

PS: Do you know the name of the cabinet? It is called Sivaji. 😉 I couldn’t control laughing after hearing the name. (You need to be in Chennai to understand this)

Posted in Gadgets | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Happy Birthday Chennai

Published Aug 22, 2007 | In Random/Personal

There is no better place than home and today my beautiful city is celebrating its 368th birthday.

Happy Birthday Chennai. 🙂

More details about Chennai and Chennai Day is available in Wikipedia.

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Stopping Telemarketing calls from Banks

Published Feb 18, 2007 | In Random/Personal

Every now and then I used get a call from a new number in my mobile. When I pick it up the person on the other side of the line, usually greet me with my name and ask me whether I am interested in getting a credit card or personal loan. Only then I can realize that it is a telemarketing call from a bank. I usually say no and the person at the other end ends the call. But some guys get really creative and will start the conversation by saying that I have been chosen by there XXXX bank from a lucky draw (which I know about only now) and have been awarded a free credit card or a new account. Sometimes they even know my personal information like my full name, where I work, my full address, my mobile number, sometimes even my official desk number, my salary and sometimes even my age.

I usually stop them by saying that I am a student and don’t have a monthly salary and they will promptly say that the offer is only for a person who works and earns a decent salary. This can be an amusement if I am in a good mood or free at that time but can get really irritating if I am in a meeting with my clients or was in a very bad mood.

I do know that as per RBI regulation, every bank should have a mandatory ‘Do Not Disturb Me‘ page on their website. But I was too lazy to go to every bank’s site and find the page. But just now I found that Vadivel has done it and here are the links for the top banks. Thanks a ton Vadivel. At least now these banks will leave me alone.

Update (26-Feb-2007): Few more

Posted in Random/Personal | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

BarCamp Hits Chennai

Published Mar 22, 2006 | In Events/Conferences

BarCampChennai

Well if you

  • live in Chennai
  • a bit savvy about technology
  • read Decccan Chronicle this Sunday

then you must surely have heard about BarCamp hitting Chennai. Yes the next BarCamp is going to take place in Chennai on April 8th and 9th.

If you haven’t heard or still wondering what is BarCamp then here is the text straight from the official site.

BarCamp is an unconference born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos and interaction from attendees. The BarCampChennai focusses on Web 2.0, Social Media and Next Generation Internet.

BARCamp is an open, welcoming, once-a-year event for geeks to camp out for a couple days with wifi and smash their brains together. It’s about love and geekery and having a focal point for great ideas, like FOOcamp but open.

The event will be free or very close to free. But there’s a catch! Partipants are expected to contribute back to the conference by participating actively. “Active participation” might mean giving a presentation, helping with a presentation, blogging or podcasting the event, or whatever other creative ways to contribute people can come up with.

There is no audience. Only participants! This is unlike any conference you have been to before. It’s new, it’s different and it’s going to happen in our city. Anyone with something to contribute or with the desire to learn is welcome and invited to join. When you come, be prepared to share with barcampers. When you leave, be prepared to share it with the world.

Wanna participate ? no registration, no fees, no need to send email nothing, just go the BarCampChennai page and add your name to the confirmed Participants list. It’s a Wiki and if you are not comfortable editing it then check out this tutorial.

Wanna present a topic? Just select your topic from this list and add your name to the Confirmed Participants list. Again it’s a Wiki so just edit it.

Wanna organize? Here is the list of things to be done. Select one and continue working on it.

Happy BarCamping..

Posted in Events/Conferences | Tagged , | 3 Comments