RIM unveils iPad competitor – the BlackBerry Playbook

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Research In Motion, the people behind the BlackBerry products unveiled the BlackBerry tablet. The BlackBerry Playbook is an attempt to win back enterprise users from its competitors.

Featuring a 7" LCD, 1GB RAM and a 1 GHz dual-core processor, it is yet the fastest tablet. If you already own a BlackBerry smartphone, the tablet can work out-of-the-box while automatically syncing information between the devices. From the information made available, the Playbook connects to the BlackBerry smartphone using a Bluetooth connection and all content that's on the smartphone is automatically setup directly on the tablet. A sigh of relief to the IT departments worldwide who would otherwise have to setup yet another device for corporate data.

At the time of writing a 3G version of the Playbook had not been announced.

The device also boasts dual HD cameras and supports 1080p HD video recording, multi-format video playback and an HDMI port for video output that will come in handy for those pesky presentations.

On the web, support for WebKit/HTML5, Adobe Flash, Adobe AIR and Java is promised.

The BlackBerry Playbook is expected early 2011 in the US. Developers are asked to register for early access to the development platform.

See more features and also an awesome video at http://www.blackberry.com/playbook

Goan Fish Curry

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The delectable fish curry is considered a staple diet of Goa, India. Usually served with a portion of steamed rice, it is delicious as well as simple to prepare, spicy and tangy, and still manages to enhance the flavour of the fish.

This recipe was handed down from a friend who spends a few hours in the morning every weekend fishing. This catch is then cooked for lunch the very same day ensuring all the freshness is maintained. I am at home every time I try his curries.

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

1kg of small to medium sized fish
1/2 coconut, grated (or chopped to small pieces)
2 tsp Coriander seeds
10 Black pepper seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 1/2" lump of tamarind
3 large onion, sliced
1 large tomato, sliced
2 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder
1 inch ginger, julienned
4 pods of garlic, julienned
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
4 green chillies, whole
4 stems of curry leaves
4 stems of coriander leaves
3 limes, juiced
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 cups of hot water
Salt to taste

Preparation

Clean the fish thoroughly, wash. Add salt and half of the lime juice and mix. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes.

Soak the tamarind in a cup of hot water. Use fingers to mash the tamarind so as to extract all the pulp. Sieve the pulp aside.

Add into a food processor the resulting tamarind water along with the coconut, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper, one large onion, one tomato, chili powder, half of the julienned ginger, garlic, turmeric powder, curry leaves, the remaining lemon juice and green chilies. Top up with hot water till all ingredients are below water level. Blend this till paste is fine (roughly 10-15 minutes)

In the mean time, add the fish to a frying pan with one tbsp of cooking oil and lightly fry the fish.

Heat up a deep dish with 1 tbsp of cooking oil. Add the remaining two sliced onions and ginger and fry till onions are golden brown.

Add the mix from the food processor to the deep dish and simmer for 10 minutes on a medium flame. Add the fish to the gravy and bring to boil. Turn off the flame a minute after boiling point is achieved.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Suggestions:

  • Smaller fish are preferred, but larger fish like mackerel, kingfish, pomfret  can also be added. Ensure that you cut larger fish into manageable pieces.
  • Additional chilli powder may be added for added spice. Don't go over 5 tsp.
  • To be served with steamed rice

Recent Mode: Google Apps Standard Edition and multiple POP clients

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Recently faced a dilemma when some of our corporate email was shifted to the Google Standard Edition thereby excluding  the need for a local server. The Google Apps platform is  robust system that offers the same functionality as the internationally popular Gmail platform. As a matter of fact the standard edition is Gmail using your own domain name. So instead of a Gmail  address you can get me@mybusiness.com and 49 more email addresses hosted by Gmail for $10 a year...

It's pretty easy to setup and I figured that's why many small businesses would switch to it.

However, it comes with it's own caveats. One of which is that Google utilises a non standard POP, IMAP and SMTP system that can break the simplest tasks. And that their support sucks so good luck with getting any help. Fortunately the community is massive and a good search can get the right results.

Unfortunately for me I went through 50 odd sites since yesterday and came up zilch on a solution. There's is no single site that could give me a solution to my problem.

My dilemma
If a user has multiple POP clients to access one email account all he has to do is set the "leave messages on the server" option in the clients. Both clients download the same copies of the email.

Now say you have a mobile device, an iPhone, which you use to check your mail on the go and reply minimally only to act on the task. It does not delete any email from the Google server. Your primary POP client is Outlook on your desktop where all the received mail is also downloaded. After downloading it is finally deleted from the Google server. Either one client is used at any point of time.

On Google mail, this is not possible, directly. Once the iPhone checks the mail, it marks it as 'read' and Outlook does not see any new mail and will not download anything. This is'nt normal behavior on a standard POP server. What crap is Google selling, huh?

So as a workaround, Google has a feature called 'Recent Mode" that activates an overload modifier on the POP account. Recent mode fetches the last 30 days of mail, regardless of whether it's been sent to another POP client already. Unfortunately, it also retrieves a copy of all the mail that you sent out i.e. replies, forwards. Standard behavior, Google says. So, eventually when you reply to someone's mail, you will get a copy of that reply in your POP client. This is great. You can archive your mail - again. Since Outlook already stores that for you :P

Solution 1: Outlook can be set to filter our these emails to trash so that they do not bother anyone.

Problem: But what do you to for the iPhone? No filters there.

Solution 2: So instead lets block these mails in the Google web interface. Create a rule that any mail coming from yourself to yourself should be blocked. Cool.

Problem: But what if you want to CC/BCC yourself from your iPhone when replying to someone? These get blocked as well.

So why not use IMAP?
Google's IMAP has it's own set of problems. When you client deletes an email it sends it to its own Deleted Items folder. Google does not see this and requires you to drag the file instead to the its own IMAPed Trash folder. Imagine breaking a habit that you've cultivated for over a decade of email use. Also syncing in IMAP is a major pain in the butt.

Solution:
After quite a few tries and some inspiration from Gina Trapani at LifeHacker, this is the solution to the problem at hand.

Important: This is to be activated only if you're using 'Recent" mode.

Create a rule in the Google Web Interface with the following details:

From: your.email@yourdomain.com
To: -your.email@yourdomain.com
Action: Delete It

What this does is deletes any email that is sent from you to anyone else that comes to your inbox (essentially fooling Google to ignore the return replies)

Why is this safe to use?
Logically mails sent by you using a POP client should not appear in Google's Web Sent Mail folder since POP is ignored for Sent items.

There it is. Documented and easy to find... Till Google does something to break this functionality. Good luck and happy POPing.

The iPhone and your passwords

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After the first week using the iPhone, I must say that the most annoying thing on the iPhone is entering my password.

If you've read one of my recent posts, I've got a complex password for some of my online activities. While it's a piece of cake to enter it on my MacBook Pro, doing the same is a painstakingly laborious process on the iPhone.

I was tempted to change the password to an iPhone friendly format and it would have been too easy to do just that. I presume that some may have already switched to one. But it is just as easy to compromise on security that you've otherwise managed properly over time.

Knowing that almost everyone is online at least a few hours a day and given that we are now using 'clouds' to store our information, would it be wise to switch to a simpler password just because of the iPhone or other tiny devices.

Maybe the OS itself could have an e-wallet type of system with access to all password so that it is easier on the user. Or is there an app already that does that? Would I trust an app to do that for me?

Goodbye 2009

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I always ponder on the year that went by before entering into the new year. This year it's been exceptionally busy at the end of the quarter and with no time for proper sleep yet again this week, I find it hard to think about anything else. Despite the good weather, calm waves and a light cool breeze, I am stumped at writing this while my new office is being setup with the technical aspects that will govern its functionality over the next few years.

Recession and all, I don't think I did that bad actually. Being salaried does help and a timely jump to this new job saw a growth as far as finances are concerned. Stress levels shot up a few notches and a few gray hair sprung up. Thankfully no hair recession.

By June I got engaged to this lovely girl who I've been seeing for almost two years now and wedding bells will be ringing. We went to Goa and enjoyed the rains while introducing her to some of the Goan delicacies. She's loving the choris-pao concept and that's good enough for me.

The last quarter was extremely hectic to say the least. Juggling a new job, a new product launch, an office relocation, and wedding preparations - I was bound to put off some attention from one or more of those. For those who know me, work always remained primary - my fiancée disapproved.

Hopefully 2010 will be dedicated to these preparations, house shifting - and with it come the endless lists of things to do. April 15 is wedding day and at the blink of an eye I can foresee 20 different things that I need to do instead of writing this post. I think I already know now what my New Years resolution will be, tsk tsk.

There have been some concerns like my lack of social activity lately - Christmas greetings went out very late and only to those who sent me some. I put up a standard Christmas greeting up on Facebook and that was it. My friends saw less of me this year. This blog remains stagnant and boring. I'm not usually like that.

This all is set to change. 2010 will not be worse than 2009.

Wish all a very prosperous New year 2010. Cheers.

A fish full of dollars

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This is an unedited version of my article published in the Y Tabloid.

“You can’t really be an aquarist till you kill a hundred fish”, a fish enthusiast once told me. It not that bad. Really. To be honest my fish tank has been running for the past few months and I’ve not had a single casualty. Then again, I invested in hardier fish and kept well informed of as much information as I could manage on fish care. I must be honest though; this is not really something for the easily bored. Despite what the fish shop guys tell you, getting a fish tank to a stable environment for the fish can take a whole month and one must promise to dedicate at least 10 minutes a day towards tank and fish care. It’s not as cheap as it seems. A decent tank, fish and accessories will set you back anything from RO100 upwards. If you’re in either category, then for the sake of the fish, I recommend that you take up an easier hobby – growing plants for example.

Type of fish
Determine the type of fish that you intend to keep. Some fish breed every few weeks; some don’t. Others are not compatible with each other. Some are aggressive; some require a lot of care. Remember that certain varieties of fish can live a very long life (Goldfish are documented to live for 20 years). Whatever you do never invest in fish tank without assessing the type of fish and the size that they can grow to. Ignore this and you might find yourself with an unusable tank.

You must take into account an ideal temperature for your fish. In Oman, indoor temperatures during the day can climb so high (specially penthouses) that the water in the fish tank can reach higher than 30 degrees. This is too hot for most fish. Ideal temperatures for tropical fish are 20 to 30 degrees.

Not all fish are compatible with each other. For example the very beautiful Bettas (Siamese fighters) cannot be paired with another of its species. Sumatra ‘Tiger’ barbs and other long finned (or slower swimming) fish, will not go together. Bigger fish can feed on Guppies.

How much space?
Evaluate the tank size requirements of the type of fish that your plan to invest in – in the beginning and as they grow older and bigger.

A fish bowl is not a tank. There have been debates on the inhumane conditions that a fishbowl provides. We are going to ignore all fish bowls and invest in a proper fish tank. I insist!

A fish tank is sized on the amount of water it can contain – usually in gallons. An ideal tank should house 20 gallons of water, about four bottles of Salsabeel. This will ensure that there’s sufficient space for up to eight pairs of small fish like mollies, tetras, silver sharks and barbs. These fish grow to a maximum size of three to four cms and are ideal for a starter tank.

Also look at where the fish tank will be housed in your home:
The tank will require a sturdy base. Twenty gallons of water is very heavy and once filled up the tank cannot be moved. You will also need the location to be accessible for tank cleaning, adding or removing fish, so ensure that the area has plenty of elbowroom.

Does the location have adequate power supply? A typical tank requires two to four power sockets (can be accommodated with an extension cord). The fish tank needs to be powered constantly although you will need to be aware of any electrical items that need to be kept free of water and moisture.

Avoid areas near bright sunlight like under a window. Too much sunlight can lead to the formation of algae in the water and can be an exercise to clean out.

You will love it if the tank was the focus of attention in your home. Arguably the sitting room is an ideal location for housing the tank. At the same time don’t keep it near your home theatre system. The fish will not appreciate your latest ‘Boom boom pow’ CD.

The budget, the equipment and where to buy
Fish tanks are not cheap to buy or run. The local shops can sell you a 15-20 gallon tank for about RO85, accessories may be included. These tanks are made from acrylic, have rounded corners and include an in-built filtering and lighting system. Some even come with a stand. Dragon Mart in nearby Dubai can provide you a similar Chinese tank for a about half the cost. Alternatively, you can go to Ruwi and have one made at a fraction of the cost. This is something that you may want to consider. Things to look out for in a constructed fish tank are if proper lighting can be added and if the tank can be closed from the top, leaving space for pipes and wires from the filtering device.

The purpose of a tank filter is to clean out debris and cycle water through the filtration system. It also aerates the cleaned water and provides much needed oxygen for the fish. If your tank did not come with an included filter you will need to invest in a good one depending on the size of your tank. Common filters available are a combination of sponge and carbon filtering systems (which require regular cleaning and change). Most of the filters are immersing models that snugly fit into a corner of your tank. They have suction pads that attach to the side of the tank, a tube for air intake and a waterproof power cable.

Depending on how hot or cold the surroundings of your tank you may need an underwater thermometer and/or an aquarium heater. You may be able to hold off on the heater till the winter months.

You will also need five to six packets of gravel, pebbles or other stones for the base of the tank. Adding plastic plants, driftwood or decoration items will not only enhance the natural look of the tank but will also provide necessary cover for shy or pregnant fish. Be generous. When adding new items to an existing tank you will have to sterilise them before you add them in. Cheap knock-offs can release harmful toxins and resins into the water, which will have an adverse effect of the health of your fish. Similarly, beach sand, pebbles, shells or rocks, driftwood and corals don’t go well with your freshwater tank. Plastics not made for aquarium use can also be harmful.

Include background wallpaper for your fish tank. It is applied to the outer side of the back wall of the tank and adds a lot of colour. Designs are usually of underwater marine photographs or gradual gradients. However, any black hardboard available at your regular stationery store is more effective. I prefer this because it enhances my own tank decoration and fish are more visible.

Small tropical fish cost RO1.500 per pair. Medium sized Gouramis for example are RO2.500. Rare or pure breeds cost much more. Avoid the very exotic as they are delicate. Goldfish require great care. Mollies are fun and beautiful to watch, but they are live-bearing and can spawn 20-30 fry at one go (and repeat every few weeks). For the simplest most colourful collection get a pair each of Black, Golden and White mollies, silver sharks, gouramis and tetras.

For fish health and maintenance you will require a siphon and cleaning sponge, a chlorine remover for purifying regular tap water, a regular fish medicine and appropriate fish food. There’s not much of a choice in fish food with options of either flake based or pellet based fish food. Look at what your fish can eat (and swallow). Dried Bloodworms and live feed are something that can be accommodated as a weekly treat.

Set up
Dedicate a whole weekend on the set up of your tank. Don’t buy any fish till much later. Set up the equipment that you purchased. Ensure that you wash and clean all items before use. Decorate your tank before adding water. Try to keep free the area around your tank filter so that it can work effectively. Follow any instructions that came with the equipment.

Add water
Regular tap water can be used for a fish tank. It has to be treated for chlorine. Add the chlorine remover a couple of hours before you add the water to the tank. Since our tank is sans fish, fill up the tank with tap water first and add the chlorine remover later. The fish shop will be able to advise on the treatment to water ratio.

Let the tank settle for a couple of days. It should be constantly powered specially the filter. Check for leaks and malfunctioning electrical equipment.

Add fish
From your list of fish, select no more than two pairs and buy them for your tank. These are your starter fish. Select fish that are hardy, inexpensive and relatively small. These fish are important for a process called ‘cycling’ and will get your tank ready for the later inhabitants.

Cycle your tank
The ‘cycling’ process can take anytime from four to eight weeks. It’s the period when the tank and water bacteria break down the chemicals from the fish excreta. The tank will build up its own ecosystem for the fish – a kind of small underwater world. Do not add more fish during this stage, as it will disturb the balance. Every week, 20 per cent water must be removed off with the siphon and fresh chlorine free water can be added. Make sure that the tank and the new water is of a similar temperature so that the sudden change in temperature does not affect the fish. You may also seem enthusiastic about feeding the fish. Do not overfeed the fish. If what you feed the fish is not consumed in three to five minutes you may be overfeeding them. Leftover feed can degrade the tank ecosystem and is just another disaster waiting to happen.

You’re set
If you’ve successfully managed to retain the original starter fish after four weeks you deserve a pat on the back. You may now add the remaining fish from your list and watch them adapt quickly to their new environment.

Whether you intend to keep an assortment of fish, or just a few hearty goldfish, we hope that you’re set on the right foot. Fish hobbyists are plenty around so find someone with common interests that can guide you into the finer details of the exciting world of fish keeping.

10 minutes to organizing your passwords (for mere mortals)

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Unless you have just discovered the World Wide Web, or recently come out of a hole, chances are that you are already using at least 2-3 different passwords. These are used from your email, to your office computer, to your social networks. Most of us will probably maintain these passwords for a decade without a single change. Convenient, but dangerous. With phishing ripe all around the web and viruses running rampant, its ideal that your passwords are strengthened and regularly rotated. This is good practice that will ensure you the peace of mind that your information is safe.

A long time computer and web user like me probably has 17 odd combinations some of which change monthly, quarterly or so. You must be wondering how I manage to even remember the first few let alone all of them. Actually, I don't. I'm very creative at creating new passwords but even forgetful of remembering them. To make matters worse, minimum requirements of passwords today have almost doubled from the 8 characters that seemed sufficient a few years ago.

So a few years ago I came up with a system that would help me retain them in my memory without compromising the quality of my passwords. I disclose this in the intent that all who read this should understand the simplicity of maintaining the system and actually start using it.

Structure
I start with the structure of passwords. Not all password require to be highly secure. Probably get slapped around for saying that, but do you really need a 13-alphanumberic monster to log you into you favorite newspaper site, or your occasional site that requires a membership for posting blog comments.

Based on the above, I came up with two sets of passwords that meet all requirements. Each set can have multiple passwords within.

Type A
The stronger of the two, this type will be used for your highly secure logins. It should ideally be a combination of 13 alphabets, numerics and punctuation marks. i.e. J3nny38-24-34 (Jenny McCarthy's Stats), Ka-19-P-8488 (a vehicle registration plate in Mangalore, India)

This password should be changed 3-6 months (every month if you're paranoid)

Type B
A combination of 8-10 alphabets and numerics i.e. T3AmSe7en
It will be ideal of you use a passphrase here i.e. The quick fox jumped over the lazy dog - will become Tqfj0tld

These are long term passwords

Tricks to avoid
You may feel smart but today some hackers are already preempting your moves. These should be avoided at all costs

  • Dictionary words - God, password, wife, sexy, etc.
  • Names - jenny, harry, john, mary
  • Dictionary words with easy to guess substitutions i.e. j3nny, j0hnny, xmas
  • Only alphabets or only numerics - asdfg, 1234567890
  • Birthdates - 12251983, dec251983
  • Repeating alphabets or numbers - 111111111, ababababa

Verification and testing
Ideally you should have 3-4 Type A passwords and 2 Type B passwords. Write them down and check the password strength here.

Application
Now that you have sorted out what passwords you can have, here's where you should use what.

Type A

  1. Primary Email
  2. Banking Services, Card transaction sites
  3. Secondary Emails, Social Networks, Amazon like sites, Skype, etc.
  4. Office Email
  5. Desktop Computer

Type B

  1. Office Applications
  2. Other Membership Sites

Conclusion
By the end of all this you should have 3-6 concrete passwords that are easy to remember, but hard to guess. Although methods to crack password are getting better and better, the mechanisms guarding these password are also getting stronger. While no system is fool proof, it is imperative that you give these technologies a fighting chance by simply following a logical plan.

Vanity at Facebook

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Facebook has finally allowed vanity URLS on its site. Just registered mine as http://www.facebook.com/ntdsouza.

This simply means that you get a much shorter URL for your FB profile page. Makes it easy for sending it to your friends, adding to your email signatures and posting to online directories and search engines.

Beware though, once selected the URL cannot be modified.

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Hunch.com – Throw away your magic 8 ball

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Go to a restaurant, time to order and some of us just can't decide on what to eat. High standards, too many options, must have white sauce, etc. Whatever the excuse we usually consult with others before making our decision.

Apply that logic and try to make a site out of it. There's no need to flip a coin, shake the 8-ball, rock-paper-scissors or consult your Feng Shui quack. Just head over to Hunch.com instead. A start-up from Caterina Fake, one of the co-founders of Flickr, Hunch simply puts it as - In 10 questions or less, Hunch will offer you a great solution to your problem, concern or dilemma, on hundreds of topics.

I received my invite in my mailbox today and headed over immediately to test out the site. A very simple login later, I managed to set up my profile and start trying out some of the queries. Some funnier than the others like Do I add my boss as a Facebook friend? was answered logically in 3-4 options. The margin was not that great - 57% favoring a yes, so I'll just ignore him for the time being.

Although the example I mentioned is quite lame, funny but lame, the potential for product purchase placement at this site is enormous. That coupled with the concept of crowd sourcing i.e. like Wikipedia, the site can have Twitter like popularity in a short while. The concept is great. The niche is unique. While Google and other search engines will be able to point you in the right direction they usually leave you there to decide by yourself, or go forward accordingly. Hunch on the other hand provides further questions that can improve the end result. What's even better is that Hunch learns from you and adjusts the questions accordingly. Still at its infancy, Hunch has scope to grow. We'll have to wait and see.

Hunch will launch in the coming months, but right now it is slowly sending out invitations to people who request them. Once registered, Hunch will provide you 3 invites to give away. Go sign up and see if your life is made easier.

Unveiling the “Sixth Sense”

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We all know that information known before-hand can greatly tip us in the advantage. May it be while shopping for the newest HD TV or buying groceries. Wouldn't it be great that if you meet a person at a seminar for the first time and as soon as introductions are done you are aware of what the person likes, where he comes from or even his special business skills.

Wouldn't that give you a unique advantage if you intend to sell him/her some product?

Pattie Maes has demonstrated a product that can do just that. The 'SixthSense' is a wearable gestural interface that demonstrates that possibilities for the future. With a combination of a camera, a projector and a cellphone with software interaction Pranav Mistry from the MIT Media Lab , has created a product that is expected to change the way we retrieve and use information.

Take a look at the video.