Coloursalive

The entire ColoursAlive team working on the Covenant India Website were pleasantly surprised at the cheering that it received when unveiled at Covenant India’s Corporate Office in Chennai.

Covenant India is a HR Consulting firm that has grown exponentially over the last 5 years, from being a team of 3 in 2003 to a team of 115 in 2008. The entire organisation is perpetually pervaded with a spirit of bonhomie and coupled with enthusiasm towards their work.

ColoursAlive salutes their spirit, and enthusiasm and wishes that they don’t lose that ‘family’ attitude even when they’re a company of 1000.

I’ve mentioned a number of reasons to use a browser like firefox on my photography blog, but now with the release of Firefox 3 to the public, there are more reasons to consider.

A world Record! Be a part of it… at the time of writing, there had already been 3.6million downloads across the globe.

Go for it! Get the best browser on the net!

I’ve been looking around for some solutions… I’m working on a website that needs to have a file sent to an email address via a web form. One of the quickest solutions that I’ve found so far is “Design By Elle“, on the page titled “PHP mailer form with file attachment“.

Now, the page loads slowly, so do be patient, but it does load, and the PHP form is quite simple to use.

Other links to pages on which this script is based on:

• Scott Lucht’s phMailer
• Advanced email in PHP by Kevin Yank on Site Point
• PHP: Sending Email (Text/HTML/Attachments) on webcheatsheet.com

Now, I’ve not checked out these three links, but maybe you’ll find them useful.

I noticed something new today…

Google’s Adsense has done something that I’m not particularly happy about. Its gone and added scroll buttons on each of their text ads. This means that people can view more ads on my site (maybe this is actually good for me!) but distracts them from the reason that they’re at my website … my content!

Click on the image above to see it full size. It’s a screen shot from Technorati

Now, this is a screen capture from my website www.beyondphototips.com and as you can see, the arrows just above my comments box are a bit distracting.

Of course, over time people will stop noticing the buttons and just get on with their lives, and yes, Google is just trying to attract more attention so that they can get more clicks…

But that does not mean that I have to like it! Now, unless I see a significant rise in revenue from Google, on a daily basis, I may just remove all the ad sense ads…

What do you think? Would you remove your adsense ads just for this reason? Do let me know in the comments!

Update: Look, Its for real! Problogger had a post about it too!

PS: This blog has been on WordPress 2.5 for a while now, and I should say that its been great. Yes, I’ve had some inconsistencies in the plugin upgrades (some of you may have noticed some issues), but writing this post was a breeze.

I’m a fan!

A couple of days ago, a friend and I finished lunch and were about to part ways when he mentioned that he was going to try and find the office of “The Musalman”, possibly the last remaining Calligraphed Urdu Daily newspaper. Being a purported fan of typography and related areas, I had to join in the quest.

Our only lead was the information that the newspaper’s headquarters were in Triplicane, a Muslim dominant area of Chennai. We were in an area where we knew there was an open wi-fi connection, so we headed over to the hot-spot, pulled out my Mac Book Pro (which I happened to be carrying) and did a search on the internet. Fortuitously, we found this photograph of their front door, which had their address on it. We now had a destination!

We found the office with no trouble, Mr. Syed Falzulla was kind enough to show us around and tell us a bit about the history of the newspaper. There’s a lot to tell, but it’s already been told. Here is a detailed article written by Wired.com about The Musalman, and here are some photographs of the place.

Now, for the hurriedly put-together ColoursAlive exclusive video shot on my phone Don’t you just love digital technology?

Interesting! Google seems to be restricting some of its search results. I was searching for some articles to help me with a website that I’m designing when I was suddenly confronted with this warning page:

Now, I was surprised the first time around, so I just let it pass… (after visiting the link to StopBadware.org, of course!) Then I came across it again! Like so…

So I visited the site again. The home page details that Stopbadware.org has tied up with some majors, including Google, Lenovo, Sun Microsystems, AOL, Trend Micro, VeriSign and PayPal. And apparently Google has been showing the warnings for quite a while now, and I’ve been somewhere else in this universe…

They also seem to have some influential members on the Advisory Board and on the Working Group. Their blog also lists some interesting cases where software has been allowed to do bad things to your system, and you’re not aware of it.

What Do You Do?

Has your blog or website been blocked by this notification? You’re sure that you’re not a malware producer or distributor… So, why has Google ranked you as one? It sure is discouraging people from visiting your website, so you need to get it sorted out quick.

Are you REALLY sure that you’re not sending out badware to every person who visits your site? Take a look at what Stopbadware.org says in its FAQs -

Currently, many sites that are the subject of Google’s warnings have been the victims of a malicious hacking attack, in which code linking directly to badware through exploits was inserted onto an otherwise innocent, but poorly secured, website. In other cases, a website with no intention to distribute badware hosts content (such as ads or hit counters) provided by a third party, and can inadvertently distribute badware through that content. If you are confused about why your site has a Google warning, then there are strong odds that your site has experienced one of the above situations.

To remove the warning, you will need to discover what code on your site caused Google to flag your site, and then clean and secure your site.

So, maybe something has happened that you were not aware of, and someone has exploited a loophole in your website’s security. StopBadware.org has also got some tips to get you started on cleaning up your website and to get out of their list. Here’s the form to request removal from the Stop Badware list.

In Conclusion

It looks to me like they’re doing a good job of it… but what if my ideology about what software can and should do differs from theirs? I can no longer even tell the world about it, Google is blocking my website!

Well, my take on it is, that if you’re out to harm my computer, I’d rather have your website blocked. If you’re un-intentionally promoting sites/software/ads that do bad things to my computer, I’d like a warning… and I’d like you to get your site cleaned up so that I can tell the world just how great a website it is.

Cheers all!

Balaji booked train tickets to Umesh’s wedding. It was to be held in Kerala, near Umesh’s hometown, Ottapalam. He booked the tickets a month in advance. I wondered why. I found out a month later. It was 2 days before Pongal, that’s why…

We left Chennai on the evening of the 12th of January, 2008. It was a Saturday and had been a full day for me. I packed my bags early in the morning, when I was leaving for office, carried it with me, and managed not to forget anything. Toothbrush, Shirts, Underwear, Formal shoes, everything was in the bag.

That afternoon, at office, we had a studio rental scheduled. Sudhan, a photographer introduced to us through Rajasekar, was hiring the studio to update the portfolio of a musician that he’d photographed a year or so ago. Sudhan is about my age, maybe younger, is losing his hair (like me) and is very conscious about the fact (I’m not). He asks me whether I’m getting some treatment for my hair-loss and I always reply, No.

Well, today Sudhan was carrying a bag that looked familiar. It was Rajasekar’s bag that he’d taken a year or more ago, and “forgotten” to return. I called Rajasekar, as I usually do when Sudhan comes over, and put him on speaker-phone. Sudhan and I had a short funny chat with him, and then I casually invited Rajasekar over to “help” Sudhan out. Now, I’d forgotten about the bag…

A short while after the conversation, I noticed Sudhan looking a bit agitated and wondered why. He’s usually very calm about a photoshoot. Especially one with a friend… So I tried to figure it out. It was then that the “camera bag” angle struck me. I called Rajasekar, told him that Sudhan was carrying his bag, and asked him to come over ASAP, because I was due to leave for the train station in 30 minutes.

It was then that Suresh called me. Suresh, like Rajasekar, is my classmate from Loyola College during my B.Sc. Visual Communication course. We, my Dad and I, had done a photoshoot for him some days before, and he wanted to come over to pick up a colour corrected version of the images. I told him that I was leaving, but I’d have the images exported and burned on a disc, ready for him. He said, “Great, I’ll come over sometime soon.”

I promptly forgot about it. Sudhan’s model/client had come in and props, makeup staff and other unknown people started hanging around the studio/green room. Rajasekar’s little mission was also getting interesting by then. He came in, and said Hi to Sudhan, then came over to my desk, I was a but busy so I told him to chat with Sudhan and that I’d be over with them in a few moments. They went out and started arranging the model’s costumes, and props.

When I was done with my work for that evening, I went over to see what was happening in the studio. Rajasekar was looking at Sudhan’s camera and lens … ooohing and aaahing over it (he’s wanted to buy a Digital SLR for a long time, and is a great photographer, but is just too lazy to do it).

Sudhan on the other hand was sweating it out. He looked to me like he was hiding the bag … putting himself between the bag and Rajasekar’s line of view. When he saw me, he jumped at the opportunity.

He told Rajasekar, “Why don’t you go and see that website that Susheel was working on earlier… ”

I asked them not to interrupt their conversation for my sake and went running down to the supermarket… It was then that I realised that I’d forgotten my deodorant … And I cant possibly go to a wedding without my deodorant. I rushed down, picked up a bottle and rushed back up. I turned around and was greeted by two sights.

1. Rajasekar with his bag in hand
2. Suresh (oh damn! I’d forgotten to burn the disc.)

Rajasekar, who has no idea that Suresh is coming along, is pleasantly surprised…

Sudhan, is standing in the background, looking dejected.

3:49 PM: Me, I’m just… “Oh Damn, where’s my bag?”; “Suresh, I’m going to export the stuff onto the desktop, I forgot … you burn it, ok? It’s all colour corrected…”; “I need to get to the station! I’m fifteen minutes late… Can anyone take me there?”

Rajasekar steps forward like the Hero that he feels like. “Hey, I’ll take you to Kodambakkam station, you take the suburban train to Park station and cross the road, you’ll be there in fifteen minutes”

I say, “Great, let’s go…” wave goodbye to everyone, pick up the bag I’d packed that morning and rush off…

3:52 PM: Rajasekar is a maniac on a motorbike when you need to get somewhere quickly; scares everyone and the cop in the middle of the road half - no more than half- to death… So am I, but he knows that while I can dish it out, I just can’t take it … so he gets me to Kodambakkam station at a steady pace, his freshly oiled hair getting dusty in the process (I’m sorry da…).

3:59 PM: I got to the station’s ticket counter just as a train eased up at the platform. It has been a couple of years since I last commuted by train regularly, and I don’t have an idea of how regular the trains are, so I’m worried; I have only 50 minutes to get to Central. By bike, in traffic, its a 45 minute journey, easily…

4:00 PM (and a bit more): The train is leaving the station. I decide that getting stopped by a cop for riding the train without a ticket would be more disastrous than getting there a bit late, and stay in the queue for the ticket. A long queue. I’m worried; and the seconds seem like minutes (no, the minutes don’t seem like hours - yet!)

4:06 PM: Finally, in the train, I can breathe… The train arrives at the next station, Nungambakkam, in about 5 minutes or less (15 minutes or more by bike) and I relax. I’m going to make it. I call my Dad as I realise a couple of things. My bike key is still in my pocket, and my Dad was supposed to use it the next day. I’ve forgotten the Deo… The all important deodorant. I’d bought it, and in the confusion between Suresh, Rajasekar, Sudhan and the time, I’d left it on my desk at office. Too late now.

I get down from the train at Park station. It is 4:25 PM now. The phone rings: its my Dad… The Deo is in my bag (God be praised!) and he’s going home to get the spare key thats in the cupboard.

4:30 PM: I call Balaji, its the time that we agreed to meet at. He’s at the station. So am I! (Possibly the first time ever! ) We assemble, I’m introduced to his brother Karthick, who almost pulled out (until Umesh told him that he better come to the wedding if he ever wanted to get married himself (I think)) and find our compartment (its a seriously long train!)

4:45 PM: We find our seats invaded by a Gang Of Girls, bags piled high, they don’t know which seats are theirs, and are taking up way too much space. We put our bags in, and cram ourselves in too.

4:55 PM: I’m in the train, the Girls settle down a bit more… I go off to get a Coke. I need one.

5 PM (or somewhere there-about): We’re off… Hurrah! Karthik settles down with the India Today that he had bought. Balaji is looking out the window. He helps identify some of the places that he grew up at. I’m wondering how to get ourselves some more space and get the Girls’ bags off our seat.

5:15PM (or somewhere there-about): I get up, start moving bags around, putting them under seats, arranging them so that they’re not on “our” side.

5:20PM (or somewhere there-about): All’s well. Read about the rest of the journey and the wedding in part 2.

I’ve finally got a Mac. Everybody who knows me knows that I have one. I love it. It’s got a beautiful, sleek exterior, great build, a very intuitive interface, and a great hardware configuration.

Hey, you… Stop drooling… That’s MY Mac I’m talking about… You go get yourself your own piece, buster!

I’ve been using it for about a month now, and it’s taken me some time to get used to the interface. It’s great and all… but having used a PC for over 17 years of my 25 years of existence has made me partial to it’s quirks. I needed more to get me hooked. It was then that I came across Shadow Book, Smack Book and VirtueDesktops. VirtueDesktops (Download Link) is no longer in development because the author figured that Leopard’s spaces would have more to offer. I run tiger for the moment… and I guess I’ll use VirtueDesktops until my copy of Leopard arrives (it’s in the mail).

VirtueDesktops offers multiple different desktops so that you can arrange your applications logically, into conveniently separated views. Shadow book and Smackbook then offer a very ingenious way of switching between these desktops. Smackbook lets you use the motion detector that is built into the hardware of almost all Apple Notebooks. You tap the laptop, and it Smackbook detects the movement and changes desktops; Smack Da Book.

Shadow book uses the ambient light sensor built into the Mac Book Pro to detect the light differences between the left and the right sensor. If you put your had over the left hand side ambient light sensor, the software switches your desktop. Great Stuff!

I installed the last beta of VirtueDesktops (possibly the last build of this software ever, what a shame!) and to my pleasant surprise, I found that I could activate switching of desktops using the motion or ambient light sensors from directly inside the software! Now I didn’t need Shadow book, but take a look at it in action in the video above… I wonder whether Leopard can do that!

That day was yesterday. I was at the end of a pretty good day of architectural photography and was headed back to pick up my motorbike from one of the buildings that I had photographed. I had a bag with me, which had some papers, but was essentially empty. The car dropped me off at the gate of the building in which I’d parked the bike, and took off, back to the architect’s offices with my Dad.

I happily went in to get my bike, anticipating the nice lunch that I was headed towards… Biryani… and I certainly was hungry… The car was headed off now. It was 3PM and I’d had my breakfast at 8AM that morning… (I usually have breakfast at 11AM and lunch at 3PM)

Well, as I walked towards my bike, I reached into the pocket of my jeans to get my bike key, they were not in the right back pocket, so I tried the left back pocket where I usually keep my office keys; they didn’t seem to be there either. I figured that I’d put them into my bag; so I dug around into the bag… No luck… Wait; my Dad had them… He’d taken the bike out earlier… Quick, run outside (I knew there was no hope of catching the car, but still….) Ok, second option, call him on the phone and get him to turn the car around…

I take my phone out… and the battery is dead! I’d been playing around with the GPRS connection that I’d recently activated and I’d drained the battery last night. It was then that I had this sinking feeling… Sinking because I was stranded. I could get to a pay phone, but deep down, I knew that I had no money with me… Not a single Rupee; and all I needed was a Rupee to make that phone call. Oh wait, I had money… 500 Rupees, but it was all in one note, and no matter where I tried, I could not get anyone to change it for me in that locality.

I could buy something of a little higher value, but the shops in the area were only tiny tea shops and a food shack that made snacks. If I ate all the snacks I could eat, the bill would still come to only about fifteen rupees… and the guy there wouldnt have enough change anyway…

I decided to con the guy at the telephone booth. I went up to him and said I needed to make a phone call “Sure, go ahead…” so I picked up the phone and called my Dad and told him the entire story. He said he’d be there in 5 minutes. I pulled out the note and showed it to the shop keeper “I have no change for that note…”, that’s what he told me. “I thought so…” . I told him that my Dad would be there in a while and I’d pay him then.

10 Minutes later and still no sign of my bike key arriving. I went up to the phone booth: There’s girl there now…

“Where’s the guy?”

“He’s sleeping”

“Well, I need to make a phone call…”

“Sorry, the phone is disconnected, he does that when he sleeps”

“What? I need to make a phone call now, it’s an emergency!”

“Sorry, I don’t know what to do!”

I took a look behind the counter, “All you have to do is plug in that socket, and it will work!”

“Sorry, he has to come!”

(Gimme a break!) Phew… Well, I did have my phone! And the charger was with me too…

“Ok, at least let me plug my charger into the power outlet!”

“I don’t know… ” she said, pointing to the wall sockets.

I took a look and found that all the sockets were full. “Ok, all you have to do is pull out that plug,” pointing to a plug that belonged to the Radio “and plug my charger in. I need it only till I’ve made my phone call.”

“Sorry, He’ll have to come. I don’t know.”

I was getting sick of her by now, this was a girl who was old enough to know how to plug a charger into a wall socket. I decided to try the food joint.

“I need to charge my phone,” I said, pointing to the free row of plug points.

The guy at the counter looked up & grinned at me. Recognising my plight, and the fact that I had no choice, he said, “Five Rupees”

I was stranded, yes, but I was not going to give in to his greed. I snarled at him in anger, like a wolf; the best I could without baring my teeth, and walked away, thoroughly disgusted! How on earth could a person take advantage of your situation like that? He called after me, asking me to go ahead and plug it in, but by then I was too enraged to know what I’d do if I turned back. So I just kept walking.

My Dad arrived a while after that, and I got my bike keys, but I didn’t really recover from the episode until I got to that restaurant and had a good Biryani.

Note:

I’d intended to post this on the day that it happened, but I didn’t finish the post. This incident happened a couple of months ago, but I can’t really shake the feeling of helplessness that it left me with. I just can’t imagine what being stranded on an island would be like. I just wish that if it did happen, that it would be with a beautiful “un-attached” woman who was around my age. Then I’d have to do something to show that I was capable. Then, and only then would I ever get off the Island. Not if I was alone…

Yes, you heard me right. I’m looking out for a tiny, pocket sized, point-n-shoot digital camera. I’m looking for something that’s easy to operate, that lets me shoot at high ISOs (because I like to) and that has a manual mode that is not too difficult to operate.

Durability is a factor too, because, you see, this is going to be IN my pocket almost all the darn day… and that’s not a very safe place, especially when I’m in the middle of a photoshoot. Resolution is a factor, though not so much… anything over 5MPX should be fine…

Any Suggestions?