Swine flu

Camphor and Elaichi (Cardomon) to be mixed and powdered.  Kept in a hand kerchief and smell once in 2 to 3 hrs.

This will actually kill the SWINE FLU bacteria.

Please share this info across which can be helpful.

Want To Hack Into Your Android-Powered Smartphone? Here Are 10 Neat Tips!

A lot of tech savvy users like to play around with their smartphones. From editing your lock screen to using your phone to perform other activities, your smartphone can be used for all of them. Here are a few fun hacks that can come in handy!

1.Force reboot

-Press Power Button + Home Key + Volume up button simultaneously, and you can reboot your Android smartphone in case it's frozen.

2.Quick Google Access

Did you know that Android smartphones provide an easy way to access Google search in just a single click.

-Press menu key, hold it for couple of seconds and you'll have Google search ready for all your search needs.

3.Reboot Android in safe mode

Android versions jelly bean and upwards provide an option to reboot in safe mode.

To reboot in safe mode:

-Long press the power button

-Long press on the power off option

Users will be prompted to confirm a reboot in safe mode

The trick will disable all the 3rd party applications on your device, and is particularly helpful when either of these apps is playing spoilsport. You can re-enable the applications when you reboot your phone normally.

4.Unlock android phones by face detection

Android versions jelly bean and upwards provide a way to unlock your smartphone using face detection. Android jelly bean has added another layer of protection to make the feature even more secure. The smartphone can only be unlocked when the face matches as well as you require to blink your eyes to allow access. The blinking feature tells the device that you're alive and not a still image used by someone other than you to access your device.

To turn on the feature:

-Settings > Security > Screen lock > Face unlock

5.Get detailed information about phone status

Get detailed statistics like phone information, battery information, usage statistics and WiFi information by simply dialing the USSD code *#*#4636#*#*.

6.Move android apps to SD card

To move apps from your Android phone memory to SD card:

-Settings > Application settings > Manage application > Select the application > Move to SD card

7.Hard Reset and Factory reset your android phone

-In case of factory reset, your phone will be formatted to factory level: all your settings will go back to factory default and all the internal data will be deleted.

To factory reset a phone dial *#*#7780#*#*.

-In case of hard reset, all the data (including internal and external SD data) as well as settings of your android phone will be deleted without prompting for a confirmation.
To hard reset a phone dial *2767*3855#.

8.Context menu in android

Long pressing on the screen will bring out additional options for customising your android device.

9.Taking screen shots on android phone

You can take the screen shot on your Android phone without using any 3rd party application.

-For most Android phones: Press the Home button + power button.

-For Galaxy Nexus: Power button + volume down button.

-For Galaxy Note 2 and S3: Swipe your palm on the screen to take screen shot.

And so on.

10.Android Version Animation

-settings > about phone > Tab repeatedly on ‘Android version’.

The Android version will be animated after sometime.

10 Tips And Tricks For Android Lollipop!

Google launched Android v5.0 Lollipop last year. The update brought many important changes to Google’s open source mobile platform. Google has added many new features and shortcuts. Everything on the Android has changed with the new UI based on Material design language. Let’s take a look at top 10 tips and shortcuts for Android v5.0 Lollipop.
1. Settings Search Bar
Settings menu in Android Lollipop has its own search bar. This may look like very minor addition but it comes handy at times. For example, if you are looking for specific network settings and you don’t know where to look for, you can simply search for network and find out your needed setting in matter of seconds. This one minor addition has increased the efficiency of Lollipop to high extent.
2. Swipe With Two Fingers
Lollipop has redesigned notification bar. You can simply swipe down once from top of your screen to look at notifications and swipe down more to access quick settings. However, if you swipe with two fingers of one, you can directly access quick setting options. Quick settings include shortcuts to all necessary Android features.
3. Flashlight
Android has now built its own flashlight button, you can access it from notification bar quick settings. You no longer need to install some third party app to use flashlight. With this option, you can use your phone’s LED flash as flashlight. This is a standard flashlight app like the one Windows phone or iOS.
4. Data Usage Notification
This feature comes handy when you are on strict data plan. Everyone of us has tendency to go bit overboard when it comes to internet data usage. You can enable data usage notification and use two finger swipe on notification bar to access quick setting then, you can tap on phone’s signal symbol to set specific data warning as well as data limit. If you set data limit at 5GB per month ad warning at 4GB. The phone will show you warning at 4GB and data will be automatically turned off at 5GB.
5. Hide or Disable Sensitive Notifications
Google has focused on enriching the notifications in Lollipop. You can now see the notifications right on lock screen. You can see what’s happening just by taking glance at your lockscreen. The downside is, anyone can see those notifications on lock screen hence, Google has added an option to hide notifications that include sensitive content. You can find this option under Settings > Sound > Notifications.
6. Remove Notification Spams
Lot of notifications come with lot of apps. Sometimes they are helpful such as, news or weather updates in notifications but sometimes they are quite painful like, a software update for not-so-important app or some games that keep pushing you notifications to buy upgrades. You can tap and hold on such notifications until a small ‘i’ appears on right hand side. You can tap ’i’ and block the app from sending such notifications.
7. Do Not Disturb

Android Lollipop’s DND (Do Not Disturb) feature is quite easy to set up and user friendly. You can use your volume rocker and a small pop up with come up with options, None, Priority and All. Simply tap on None and no notifications will disturb you anymore. This includes calls, texts, updates and even alarm. If you choose Priority, then only predefined notifications will be shown.
8. Profiles
With Android Lollipop, you can create custom user profiles. Simple swipe down your notification bar and tap profile icons in the top right hand corner to view user profiles. You will see your own user profile activated. There is an option to login as guest or create new profile. This feature comes very handy when you are loaning your phone to friend or co-worker, you can simply change the profile to Guest and lend the phone to other person.
9. Pin Your Screen
You can limit the functionality of your phone by pinning your phone. Go to Settings > Security and activate Screen Pinning feature. You can even pin single app to your screen by switching to multi select view and selecting green pin button next to each app. The specific app will say open while other functionality in your phone will be disabled. This feature comes handy while lending your phone to somebody else.
10. High Contrast Text
This is experimental feature in Lollipop. You can enable high contrast text by heading to Settings > Accessibility > System Sub-Heading. If you are struggling to read text on your smartphone, you can enable high contrast text. It makes everything look different. The feature comes handy when you have trouble reading or typing specially while travelling.

Whatsapp started ban wave for WhatsApp+ plus & WhatsAppMD users !

It’s been long time since modders and developers were trying to mod one of the most popular apps on play store , Whatsapp to make it more beautiful and useful , But…

Unofficial stuff is after all illegal stuff ,

From where and when it started ?

One of first real mod of official whatsapp was made by a developer known as a nickname of RAFALENSE and he called his mod as a “Whatsapp+” as it adds more functions and features to whatsapp app in 2012 on XDA forums . And obviously such mods will get popular because popularity of original app was high. There were around 700 pages on Whatsapp+ thread on XDA . Then Whatsapp officials got the news of a developer who was working on their app for free without paying any kind of money. So DMCA and copyright rules were applied as an legal action to XDA officials and requested removal of threads and download links .
At that time that app was popular enough so rafalense (Developer) continued mod via social networks like google+ page and then google+ community . He started providing download links there and on his website . Users of this mod continued using that app and Whatsapp+ got more and more features over the time he added hiding online status (Last seen) feature so that one can hide last seen but it needed a plugin called “PLUS DONATION” (paid plugin) which WAS on play store few months ago .So developer started to earn revenue from that plugin , Donation links and ads . Popularity of the app was already high and still is .
Then some crackers like Osama Ghareeb and Rahil Bhimjiani started to crack that Whatsapp+ apk so that anyone can hide last seen without that plugin (PLUS DONATION) .Switching between websites due to whatsapp’s official notices ,removal of plus donation from play store, amazon app store’s failure and many more reasons rafalense decided to remove PLUS DONATION need from app and give it for free. Then Rahil started to added some material design and Osama added his own features to it .
At GOOGLE I/O 2014 google announced new awesome design concept for android apps called MATERIAL DESIGN Developers and modders already knew that official developers of whatsapp will take much time to update whatsapp to material design cause in past at the time of ICS/JELLY BEAN’s holo ui whatsapp developers took much time to update app to holo design .
Material Design is so cool that many users wanted material design for whatsapp so developer Joaquin Cuitiño known as Vextil released his mod having material design look on Reddit and it got popular quickly and its development is continued via his google+ community and many modders and themers are theming WhatsappMD (MD=Material Design) to get own color of choice.

What’s Happening now?!

Developers and modders all do their work in apktool to modify code and PNGs but it is not the pure form of source code as it should in java and Whatsapp apk is also proguarded so strings are also encrypted .
Because of not obeying warnings and still continuing whatsapp+ and whatsappMD development whatsapp officials decided to take strict actions against it and they started to ban few users few weeks ago but amount of banned users were so low that we can believe that whatsapp officials were testing it and gathering data of all unofficial app users.

They are not stopping only Whatsapp+ users they are also banning WhatsappMD (or any other 3rd party mod) users too so it seems like they started to check MD5 or SHA-1 from server to phone

Black Day for Whatsapp+ & WhatsappMD users

Today about 2 hours ago on 21-01-2015 time 12:00 am IST whatsapp officials started BAN wave to all users who were using unofficial mods of whatsapp . Whatsapp banned such users for 24 hours as a 1st WARNING.
Installing original apk from whatsapp.com/android or play store doesnt work cause ban is from server so once app will be connected to server users will get ban message and will redirect to FAQ page

What Should you do now?

If you are already banned user then you should wait for the fix from rafalene until he fixes you should divert your mind to other activities rather than playing around your phone.

If you are lucky and still everything is OK for you we suggest you to uninstall any mods you have installed of whatsapp and download from official download page .and install it .

8 Free Online Computer Hardware Courses For You!

Software and hardware go hand in hand. And when it comes to the world of computers, exploring the hardware becomes even more important. So, no matter which of the two you belong to, you have to have the basic (sometimes advance) knowledge of the other field. We know how important is it for you to have the resources and learning material handy. So we present to you courses eight online courses on computer hardware from some of the best places. Here you go...

1.Computation Structures – This course at MIT offers an introductory exploration of the digital system engineering taking students from the basic beginnings to acquiring a complete understanding of a computer system. The problem sets permit students the chance to design a digital system. For further information you can go to - Computation Structures

2.Computer System Engineering – This course at MIT is a combination of lecture notes, exams, videos and assignments. It takes the student through the processes of engineering computer hardware and software. The student can complete two system design projects. For further information you can go to - Computer System Engineering

3.Theory of Parallel Hardware – This course at MIT is aimed at individuals who have knowledge of algorithms and computation structures. You can get online instruction through MIT OpenCourseWare for students who may want instruction in these areas before taking the course. The physical design of computer systems is under scrutiny. For further information you can go to -
Theory of Parallel Hardware

4.Computers and Computer Systems – This course at The Open University helps students to get an understanding of computer components and systems in day to day life using visualization and storing of personal and business information. After getting a basic definition of visualization, students can study manners of interpreting information depicted visually on a computer. For further information you can go to -
Computers and Computer Systems

5.The Incredible Shrinking Chip – This course at The Open University features a combination of lectures and videos which cover how microchips function. It covers the evolution, application and inner workings of the microchip along with the future potential of this technology. For further information you can go to -
The Incredible Shrinking Chip

6.Computer Hardware Repair – This course can be watched on YouTube. It is a video lecture offering instructions on how to repair most basic computer hardware issues. The students can learn about powering off and on, cleaning CD/DVD drives and changing parts. It also provides tips on the benefits of repairing computers vs. replacing them. For further information you can go to -
Computer Hardware Repair

7.Intro to Computer Hardware – This course can be watched on YouTube. It is a free lecture video offering students information on the fundamentals of computers and computer hardware. Students can learn about how computers are linked together along with their various functions. For further information you can go to -
Intro to Computer Hardware

8.This Week in Computer Hardware – This course can be watched on YouTube. People who are keen to learn about computer hardware can do so via free online classes offered by TWIT.TV, which is an online network offering over 30 hours of weekly content on technology. This course from the network consists of over 100 lecture videos to select from. For further information you can go to -
This Week in Computer Hardware

Here Are Top 15 Free Online Courses In Computer Science

Computer engineering is a thriving career that promises complete satisfaction and an awesome payscale. You must make yourself aware of the number of freely available resources on the Internet that can help you in developing your basic skills, courtesy computer science. You don't? Well, no problem! We are here to help!

1.Lecture: Visual Navigation for Flying Robots

In recent years, flying robots such as autonomous quadrocopters have gained increased interest in robotics and computer vision research. For navigating safely, these robots need the ability to localise themselves autonomously using their onboard sensors. Potential applications of such systems include the automatic 3D reconstruction of buildings, inspection and simple maintenance tasks, surveillance of public places as well as in search and rescue systems.

2.Understanding Computers and the Internet

This course is all about understanding: understanding what's going on inside your computer when you flip on the switch, why tech support has you constantly rebooting your computer, how everything you do on the Internet can be watched by others, and how your computer can become infected with a worm just by being turned on.

3.Search Engines: Technology, Society and Business

Search Engines: Technology, Society, and Business. The World Wide Web brings much of the world's knowledge into the reach of nearly everyone with a computer and an internet connection. The availability of huge quantities of information at our fingertips is transforming government, business, and many other aspects of society. Topics include search advertising and auctions, search and privacy, search ranking, internationalisation, anti-spam efforts, local search, peer-to-peer search, and search of blogs and online communities.

4.Responsible Computing

This course is designed to help students (primarily incoming college freshmen) develop the foundational computing and information literacy skills that they will need to succeed in other courses. The course is available for use in academic settings.

5.Programming for Designers

An introduction to the concepts and techniques of object oriented programming with a focus on the construction of interactive multimedia applications. Delivery is through lectures and computer lab classes. Assessment will be via a number of in-class exercises and staged assignments.

6.Probabilistic Systems Analysis and Applied Probability

Nowadays, there is broad consensus that the ability to think probabilistically is a fundamental component of scientific literacy. The aim of this class is to introduce the relevant models, skills, and tools, by combining mathematics with conceptual understanding and intuition.

7.Online Graphics

Features 10-15 minutes video lectures on computer science by Ravi Ramamoorthi teaching UC Berkeley's CS 184 course.

8.Introduction to Problem Solving & Programming

Lectures by Prof Deepak Gupta Department of Computer Science and Engineering IIT Kanpur.

9.Introduction to Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

This course provides an integrated introduction to electrical engineering and computer science, taught using substantial laboratory experiments with mobile robots.

10.Introduction to Computer Graphics

Lectures by Prof Prem Kalra Department of Computer Science Engineering IIT Delhi.

11.Introduction to Computer Science: Programming Paradigms

Lecture by Professor Jerry Cain for Programming Paradigms (CS107) in the Stanford University Computer Science department. Professor Cain provides an overview of the course. Programming Paradigms (CS107) introduces several programming languages, including C, Assembly, C++, Concurrent Programming, Scheme, and Python.

12.Introduction to Computer Science: Programming Abstractions

The first lecture by Julie Zelenski for the Programming Abstractions Course (CS106B) in the Stanford Computer Science Department. Julie Zelenski gives an introduction to the course, recursion, algorithms, dynamic data structures and data abstraction; she also introduced the significance of programming and gives her opinion of what makes 106B "great;" C++ is introduced, too.

13.Introduction to Computer Science: Programming Methodology

Lecture by Professor Mehran Sahami for the Stanford Computer Science Department (CS106A). In the first lecture of the quarter, Professor Sahami provides an overview of the course and begins discussing computer programing. CS106A is an Introduction to the engineering of computer applications emphasising modern software engineering principles: object-oriented design, decomposition, encapsulation, abstraction, and testing.

14.Introduction to Computer Science and Programming

This subject is aimed at students with little or no programming experience. It aims to provide students with an understanding of the role computation can play in solving problems. It also aims to help students, regardless of their major, to feel justifiably confident of their ability to write small programs that allow them to accomplish useful goals.

15.Introduction to Algorithms

This course provides an introduction to mathematical modeling of computational problems. It covers the common algorithms, algorithmic paradigms, and data structures used to solve these problems. The course emphasises the relationship between algorithms and programming, and introduces basic performance measures and analysis techniques for these problems.

Top 8 Android Apps To Automate Tasks!

We live in a tech era where we want everything to be automated. With the versatility of Android and open source, it has become possible too. Number of Android apps are already available that makes this possible. There are limitless things that you can do with Android devices. Power users often tend to use apps that automate the task. Most of these apps are available for free. Today we have listed 8 such apps that can automate your day-to-day activities.
1. SkipLock :
This is a leading password storing app that offers reliability and great user experience to users. The app offers great features to every Android device and users. The app is designed to skip the lockscreen when you are connected to custom configured WiFi network or Bluetooth device. You can even unlock the smartphone by connecting it to paired Bluetooth smartwatch, headset or a car.
2. TOT (Turn Of Text) :
This app promotes safe driving to users. You can set the speed limit and once the speed limit of your vehicle exceeds, the app automatically blocks the alert for incoming text messages. The app has one more add-on version for parents. Parents can remotely block texting for their child’s safe driving. TOT automatically replies to texts received during blocking period.
3. Call Recorder – ACR :
This is another free call recording app. The app features number of functions such as recording, password protection of recordings and various other recording formats too. You can also flag the important and non-important call recordings for the easier access and filtering. You can filter the calls by number, contact name and dates.
4. Changelog Droid:
If you are tired of checking for the update for apps installed on your Android device, this app comes to a great use. You can check the changelog of the app pretty easily using this application. The app checks for the updates in background and also notifies you with the changelog of new version of app. This gives you a choice to know if the app update is really important or not.
5. App Cache Cleaner:
Another big issue of Android apps is the amount of cache data and temporary files it collects. This app simplifies the headache. You can easily check for the cached memory files and junk using App Cache Cleaner. The best part is, the app is available for free and you do not need to have ROOT access to use the app.
6. Velis Auto Brightness :
The app has customised brightness modes which give you complete access to determine the right brightness for the environment that you are in. You can control and choose the optimum brightness level of your smartphone display using this app. This is a great replacement for the existing auto brightness feature in your smartphone settings.
7. AutomateIt:
AutomateIt allows you to automate Android device to run few specific tasks like triggering some specific features based on time and location. The app is very easy to use and comes with multiple customization options. The setup is pretty simple too. The app is great to automate your Android device to run certain tasks.
8. MacroDroid:
The app has very simple and user friendly interface. It can automate tasks. You can simply click on Add Macro to create a custom macro. The app lets you access to number of custom tasks from a list, you can configure an action for the task. There are multiple options to add more constrains too

Learn How To Program Arduino On Raspberry Pi!

Raspberry Pi helps a lot in learning to program. Many people are using it on daily basis to learn Python and C and you can also achieve great results in short period of time using Raspberry Pi. However, when it comes to physical computing and making, Arduino IDE stands on the top of the list.
You can use Raspberry Pi with Arduino components to program the Makeblock robot. This guide will help you in programming controls for robots like Makeblock.
1.Update Raspberry Pi:
It is important that your Raspberry Pi and the firmware powering Pi is always updated. You can setup SD card and perform update. You need to run sudo apt-get update and sudo apt-get upgrade commands to update the Pi.
2. Install Arduino IDE:
Installing Arduino IDE is very important. Arduino IDE is available in Raspbian repositories. You can run the following command to install Arduino IDE –
$ sudo apt-get install arduino
3. Install Arduino Libraries:
You need relevant Arduino libraries to power various Arduino boards. Run the following command to install Arduino libraries –
$ sudo apt-get install avr-libc libftdi1 avrdude openjdk-6-jre librxtx-java
4. Using Arduino:
Now you can start Arduino IDE, you can find it in Electronics section of the programs menu.The sketchbook in home folder holds all your live projects.
5. Makeblock Starter Kit:
You need to understand how Makeblock Programming works before actually programming the robot. You can download the zip file of example code from Github.
6. Install Makeblock Examples:
Look for the sketchbook folder in home directory. Make sure that you have turned off Arduino IDE. Copy the files from the example zip file in new folder inside libraries in sketchbook. You can now install this example code on Arduino.
7. Prepare The Robot:
If you are done with building your robot, remove its battery and plug the control board of robot in Raspberry Pi using microUSB cable. Start the Arduino IDE, go to Tools > Board > Arduino Leonardo and select the serial port.
8. Program Your Robot:
Go to File > Examples > Menu > Makeblock. Click on Starter Kit option and select IR control example. Upload the example to Makeblock and unplug the robot from Raspberry Pi. You will be now able to control the robot using remote controller.
You can modify the example codes to change the controls and functions. The programs are pretty easy to understand and gives clear idea of how these robots and other Arduino devices work.

11 Simple Ways To Make Your PC Run Smoothly

Computers have the tendency of slowing down with age. But, you can keep your machine running for a long time, if you follow some basic commandments. Here are 11 simple ways, that allow you to run your PC smoothly: 1. Run cleanup programs regularly If you aren’t aware of any good cleanup program, we’ll recommend you one. CCleaner is an useful app which help you find and delete caches and other temporary files which creates backlog in your system.

2. Remove useless animations and special effects

Some of the features or animations takes up a lot of memory and removing those can speed up your machine. If you use Windows 7, disable resource hungry “Aero” theme. Simply Right click on your desktop and choose “Personalize” after which choose “Window Color” Tab and uncheck “Enable Transparency”.

3. Update your Antivirus regularly

Viruses and malware can seriously reduce your speed drastically, so it is highly advisable to eliminate it at the very source. If you use some free antivirus, there are chances that it can be a virus itself! Instead, you can opt for Microsoft’s Security Essentials antivirus software. You can schedule daily and weekly scans for your system.

4. Upgrade RAM for multitasking

If you multitask or if you are into heavy gameplay and picture editing, increasing RAM can be a good option. It is economical and easy upgrade which can give new life to your system. Use “Memory finder” tool from Newegg to figure out your system needs. If you are tech freak, you can do it yourself or else hire a technician!

5. Invest in SDD

Solid state drive or SDD increases your load timing. HDD which is the traditional hard drive is being replaced by faster SDD, which is solely based on flash memory and have no moving parts unlike HDD. SSD are getting cheaper now and they result in faster startups and uploads.

6. Control App launches in you system

If you feel that your system is taking too long to boot, you can limit the number of programs and apps during the startup. To go through such list, click Start and search for “msconfig”. Next, click on startup tab and you will notice that list. You can uncheck the extra apps from the list and you are sorted!

7. Search for resource hogging processes

A computer runs multiple processes at a time but you should know about these processes. On Windows, click on Taskbar and choose Task manager and notice any unwanted process running or hogging up your RAM and also Google your doubts. If you find something fishy, toss it out.

8. Install fresh Windows after Virus infestation

Antivirus do their job well but it is tech advice that one should perform fresh installation of Windows after you recovered your machine from malware or virus attack. You should have your data backup as it will erase everything completely. Simply plugin the USB or CD after shutdown and follow on screen instructions.

9. Clear your internet cache

If you struggle while surfing, it might be browser’s fault and not that of your system. Every browser comes with different set of instructions, but in general, navigate to Settings tab and look for history and cache.

10. Refresh computer index

Re-indexing your computer can greatly speed up your system. The process is long but worth opting for. On Windows, use “Disk Defragmenter” app and schedule weekly de-fragmentation.

11. Restart your machine regularly

If you leave your machine on or on standby mode for longer duration, programs take more memory than usual. Turn your system off when idle or when not in use, so that it can get rid of heavy resources and it also installs updates which are launched regularly.

8 Characteristics Of A Good Programmer

Finding a talented and experienced programmer is a tough task. With the constraint budgets, it becomes even tougher to find a decent programming staff that meets your expectations. The hiring process becomes more complex because screening the programmer by his skill set involves computer tests.
Big companies offer large paycheques to lure talented programmers, it becomes hard for small startups and small enterprises to find the talent in such cases. There are certain requirements a programmer has to meet in order to work efficiently. Today we have listed 10 characteristics that every programmer has.
1. Technical Skills
One common mistakes HR executive does while hiring a programmer is looking at programming experience. Instead of requiring minimum 3 years of C++ programming experience, a hiring team should look for a person who has added more number of new programming languages to his resume in recent times. You can simply check this by asking for their experience with different programming languages. Always look at the bigger picture. Older programming languages are no more used or practiced in the industry.
2. Learning Curve
Technology is always evolving. It is a never ending process. You must look for a person who is willing to learn new languages. The current programming knowledge of a person is going to get outdated in few years. It is important to know if programer has interest in learning new languages with the advances and development in technology.
3. Debugging
Debugging is equally important as creating a code. A programmer can get to the root of the problem quickly only if he has nice debugging skills. Always hire the programmer who can investigate his own code and research the possible loopholes. If a programmer can handle the bugs in his own code then he is the right person for the job.

4. Work Environment
Some programmers need complete silence while they are coding. Whereas, some prefer to work in chaos. Personal preferences of programmers affect their work ability to a great extent. It is important that programmers stay productive most of their time. Their productivity reflects in the quality of the work. Hiring team should always ask the programmer about his ideal work environment.
5. Problem Solving Skills
Creating an application is addressing to a particular problem. It is important to check the problem solving skill of candidate applying for programmer’s job. Programming can be compared with difficult math question. A good programmer always thrives on finding new ways to make something work. Every time you are trying to implement new ideas, you dont want to hear ‘that can’t be done.’ You should always ask a programmer if he can create a new task for your organisation.
6. Passion
Some programmers are working for the sake of making living while some are coding because of their love for coding. It is important to know the level of passion of programmer. The passion for programming reflects in dedication and ultimately the result. True programmers are typical computer geeks who spend most of their time in building or breaking stuff. Even though the passion is not necessary, it does reflect in work. You should ask your candidates about their hobbies or favorite pass time.
7. Communication Skills
It is obvious that programmers are not the best at talking to people. But in some cases programmers need to interact with their managers, co-wokers and clients. Their ability to communicate and interact matters a lot in client or team meetings. You can test the people skills of programmers in various ways.
8. Laziness
Laziness may sound like a bad thing to most of the people but when it comes to programmers, it is the advantage. Good programmers often have lazy approach. Statistics and research proves that laziness, impatience and hubris are the ideal qualities for programmers. Statistics show that lazy person finds the quickest and most efficient way to solve a programming problem.

13 Free Disk Encryption, Network Authentication And Port Scanning Tools

Data security covers a lot of things nowadays. There are tools that protect your data from attackers in different stages and forms. While some protect your network to avoid the entry of attackers, others encrypt the data. Here are some immensely useful tools.

Disk Encryption Tools: The risk of loss of information is a very realistic threat to anyone using a computer regularly. Data encryption ensures that even if your data is stolen or lost, the attacker has another line of defense to get by first.

1. loop-AES

2. dm-crypt

3. cryptsetup

4. SD4L

5. TrueCrypt

Port Scanners When connecting to servers, it is important to find out whether the systems ports are open or closed. These are the tools that do that.

1. Nmap

2. Unicornscan

3. Zenmap

4. nast (Network Analysis Sniffer Tool)

5. Knocker

Network Authentication Servers: Network authentication is an important aspect in maintaining security. The Rapid Authentication Dial In Service (RADIUS) is usually the choice

1. FreeRADIUS

2. OpenRADIUS

3. BSDRadius

Top 6 TCP/IP Utilities For Networking Pros!

TCP/IP essentially provides end-to-end connectivity specifying how data should be formatted, addressed, transmitted, routed and received at the destination. The following tools will help networking pros to check the status of their network and troubleshoot and test connectivity to remote hosts.

1.Ping

Utility used to test the reachability of a host on an Internet Protocol (IP) network and to measure the round-trip time for messages sent from the originating host to a destination computer. operates by sending Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) echo request packets to the target host and waiting for an ICMP response. In the process it measures the time from transmission to reception (round-trip time)[1] and records any packet loss.

2.traceroute

Computer network diagnostic tool for displaying the route (path) and measuring transit delays of packets across an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The history of the route is recorded as the round-trip times of the packets received from each successive host (remote node) in the route (path); the sum of the mean times in each hop indicates the total time spent to establish the connection.

3.ARP

Telecommunication protocol used for resolution of network layer addresses into link layer addresses. ARP is used to convert an IP address to a physical address such as an Ethernet address (also known as a MAC address).

4.Netstat

Command-line tool that displays network connections (both incoming and outgoing), routing tables, and a number of network interface and network protocol statistics.

5.Nbtstat

Diagnostic tool for NetBIOS over TCP/IP. It is included in several versions of Microsoft Windows. Its primary design is to help troubleshoot NetBIOS name resolution problems.

6.NSLookup

Network administration command-line tool available for many computer operating systems for querying the Domain Name System (DNS) to obtain domain name or IP address mapping or for any other specific DNS record.

7 Most Useful Network Monitoring Tools

In the networking world and server admin world, it’s all about visibility. If you are not aware what your network and servers are doing right now, then it might prove disastrous for you. There are some excellent tools, which are both commercial and open source, which can help you in the networking world. These tools are excellent to use for network and server monitoring, graphing and so on. Here are seven such tools for you:
1. Cacti :
Cacti is one of the best open source network graphing tools in present times. It’s a LAMP application which provides a complete graphing framework for data. There are templates which can monitor variety of devices and there are collections too for a greater array of hardware and software. Cacti’s default collection method is SNMP, local Perl or PHP. The PHP Network Weathermap plug-in for Cacti can create live network maps which show link utilisation between network devices. Cacti is very efficient in performance graphing and it’s highly customisable too.
2. Microsoft Network Monitor :
This is a packet analyser which allows capturing, viewing and analysing network traffic. This tool is extremely useful for troubleshooting network problems and applications on the network. When this tool is launched the adapter needs to be selected from the main window and after clicking on “New Capture” to initiate a new capture tab. In this tab if you click on Capture Settings you can change the filter options, adapter options and hit Start to begin the packet capture process.
3. Nagios :
This is a powerful network monitoring tool which ensures that all your critical systems, applications and services are always running. It helps implement plug-ins to monitor services, applications and metrics. It’s a mature network monitoring framework which is written in C and its Web GUI is quite fast as well as intuitive. Nagios has a full email/SMS notification engine and an escalation layout too. The Web GUI can be used to suspend notifications when they occur, and it can also record notes which are provided by admins.
4. Icinga :
It was initially a forked version of Nagios but now it has a rewritten version as Icinga 2. Icinga 1.x is backward compatible with Nagios plug-ins and configurations. The newer version is sleeker and smaller and it allows distributed monitoring too. It can monitor anything from IP to SNMP. Icinga has more than one Web UIs and it’s the configuration which makes it different from Nagios. Several graphing and monitoring packages are integrated with Icinga like PNP4Nagios, inGraph and Graphite.
5. NeDi :
NeDi is a LAMP application which goes along with the MAC address and ARP tables on network switches. NeDi Web GUI allows conducting searches to determine switch, switch port and wireless AP of a device through its MAC address, IP address and DNS name. It has a very simple configuration and it allows high amount of customisation too. NeDi uses Cisco Discovery Protocol or Link Layer Discovery Protocol and it also integrates Cacti to certain extent.
6. BandwidthD :
It monitors TCP/IP network usage and it also shows data which has been gathered in forms of graphs and tables. Each protocol is colour-coded and it runs as a background service.
7. EasyNetMonitor :
It’s a very lightweight tool which can monitor local and remote hosts. It’s useful for monitoring critical servers from desktop and it also allows immediate notifications when a host doesn’t respond to a periodic ping. After the tool is launched, it appears as an icon in the notification area on desktop where the IP addresses can be added for monitoring.

10 Apps For Best Use Of Ubuntu

Are you switching to Ubuntu or any other Linux product? Then it means more than a change in the operating systems and you must know that. You should know all the apps which will help you in this change. There are a lot of critical apps but we will be sharing 10 of them on which you can rely on.

1. Firefox:

When it comes to a Linux desktop software, there are two categories – everyday use and other uses. So Firefox comes under the category of every day use and it's the most trustworthy among others. It's reliable, safe and also cross-platform. Firefox is great for daily browsing and you can also make bookmarks through Firefox. Firefox performs daily duties like Plex, Zoneminder, router/WAPs and my file server.

2. Parcelite:

If you don't have a good clipboard manager then it's difficult to perform on Ubuntu. And in this category Parcelite is the best option for GNOME desktop. It's simple, easily accessible, and it includes everything like white space handling. There are many other clipboard managers on the board, but Parcelite is the best, and it's undisputed.

3. Bittorrent Sync:

Among all the open source alternatives for file syncing the best one is Bittorent Sync. It will never let you down as it's easy to run and install. Its new GUI offering has made this app more simple. Bittorent Sync allows you to transfer huge video files quickly from one machine to others without wasting much time. You can also share files with others through this tool very easily.

4. System Monitor:

A tabbed GUI is always better for your eyes. If you use GNOME's System Monitor, then you can discover a runaway process and kill it too easily. You can also get a visual perspective using graphs in real-time for CPU, memory and disk usage. So if you are a visual person then real-time resource usage is the best option for you.

5. PulseAudioControl:

If you are confused about sound devices and continuously change you options then here comes PulseAudioControl for you. If you are such a person who loves to have control over your audio then this is the most precious tool that you can have.

6. Skype:

If you are looking for a podcast or just want to catch up with your business contacts, Skype simplifies your Internet video conversations. There are several alternatives but if you use Skype for once then you just can't get your hands off. There are some other awesome open source options like Ekiga and Jitsi, but at the end of the day it's Skype which makes your day the best.

7. Kdenlive:

Video editor options are always flooding us but if you want to edit a video heavily then the best tool that you can use is Kdenlive. This tool is best used for picture compositing and editing large-complex videos. Even if you are not successful in editing any video on other video editors, Kdenlive will surely not disappoint you.

8. OpenShot:

This is another video editor which is more frequently used by Ubuntu users. For video editing tasks you can blindly rely on OpenShot. OpenShot is most popular for quick edits and using this editor you can work on two tracks simultaneously. It also offers great effects and its blender title effects as well as video transitions make OpenShot a fabulous editor for your projects.

9. Writer:

Writer is quite a reliable option which you can use both with OpenOffice and LibreOffice. It does everything what a word processor is capable of. Some other office suites may offer more options than Writer, but what 99 per cent people want in these office suites are covered by Writer. So LibreOffice Writer is another great app to use for you.

10. SimpleScreenRecorder:

If your job requires multiple monitor support then there is no better option than SimpleScreenRecorder. It can also capture OpenGL applications and it's very easy to use and it's reliability is unquestionable. SimpleScreenRecorder offers a great experience and it's highly recommended for multi-tasking people.

So whenever you decide about apps, don't bother much about their popularity or brand label. Just have a note how it performs for you.

16 Free Resources That Will Tell You Everything About Algorithms!

Programmers have to know about algorithms and computational math. These things come in handy for a variety of purposes. In fact, most computer related professionals have something to do with this field. So, with that in mind, here are 16 of the best resources that we could find on algorithms.

1. Undergraduate and Introductory Graduate Courses on Algorithms: This is a compilation of links by Kirk Puhs, which will give you a lot of useful information on Algorithms.

2. A Computational Introduction to Number Theory and Algebra: This book, by Victor Shoup, contains all the basic concepts of computational number theory and algebra. It also includes the necessary mathematical background required.

3. Algorithms for programmers by Jörg Arndt: This is a pretty useful resource for those looking to learn about algorithms. Some of these will help beginners, while others will be suited for advanced students too.

4. Numerical Recipes in C and Fortran: This website contains various ebooks and allows you to read a particular number of pages for free every day. You can also get subscriptions for the books.

5. Numerical Methods lecture notes: These lecture notes by Stuart Dalziel will come in handy to anyone looking to gain knowledge in algorithms.

6. Algorithms and Complexity: Herbert S. Wilf's book on Algorithms and Complexity is another useful resource for understanding this topic.

7. East Side, West Side: These lecture notes by Herbert S. Wilf are useful in understanding "the generation of combinatorial objects and Maple programming that gets the job done."

8. Lecture Notes on Numerical Analysis: These lecture notes from Dennis Deturck and Herbert S. Wilf could be your ticket to becoming pros in algorithms.

9. Computer Algebra I and Computer Algebra II: Download these lecture notes by Joachim von zur Gathen and Jüergen Gerhard to your desktop and keep them there for whenever you need them.

10. The Stony Brook Algorithm Repository: Many have said that this book is all you need in order to understand combinatorial algorithms. Try it out!

13. An Annotated List of Selected NP - Complete Problems: This book is written by David Johnson, who also writes a column for the Journal of Algorithms.

14. A compendium of NP optimization problems: This compendium is a part of the book Complexity and Approximation.

15. Various notes by Ragesh Jaiswal: This lecture contains the following topics: Algebraic Structures, Probability Basics, Number Theory, Randomized Algorithms, Factoring Algorithms.

16. Graph Theory: These lecture notes by Tero Harju deals with Graph theory.

10 Cool Notepad Tricks To Have Fun With!

Notepad may be one of the least liked text editors, but it sure has some nifty tricks. These are simple tricks that can be used for fun. Some tricks can be quite damaging to your PC though, so use them with caution. Enjoy!

1. World Trade Center Attack Trick

We'll start with a simple and well known trick. In fact, this isn't exactly a trick. The flight number for the plane that hit the World Trade Center on 9/11 was Q33N.

- Put the flight number of Notepad.
- Change font size to 72.
- Change font to Windings.

The result shows you an airplace, two identical tower like things and a skull and cross bones symbol. Coincidence?

2. Matrix Falling Code Effect

This is another well known trick. The green falling code in the Matrix movies can be emulated using Notepad. Here's how,

- Copy the code below to notepad.

@echo off
color 02
:start
echo %random% %random% %random% %random% %random% %random% %random% %random% %random% %random%
goto start

- Save this file with a .bat extension.
- Open the save file.

This will start the matrix falling code effect on your monitor.

3. Virus to format C Drive

This is a dangerous trick, so it should be used with caution. It actually does delete everything on your C drive.

- Copy the code below to Notepad.

@Echo off
Del C:\ *.* |y

- Save this file with a .bat extension.

- Run this file and it will format your C drive.

4. Use Notepad as a personal log

You can use Notepad as a digital log for noting down your activities.

- Type .LOG in capital letters on Notepad.

- Save the file and close it.

Now when you open this file it will show you the current date and time and you can make notes accordingly.

5. Disco Keyboard LED lights

For this you will be creating a Visual Basic script on Notepad.

- Copy the following code onto Notepad.

Set wshShell =wscript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
do
wscript.sleep 100
wshshell.sendkeys "{CAPSLOCK}"
wshshell.sendkeys "{NUMLOCK}"
wshshell.sendkeys "{SCROLLLOCK}"
loop

- Save this file with a .vbs extension.

When you open this file, your keyboard's LED lights for Caps Lock etc. should start blinking and dancing. To stop this, open task manager and stop the wscript.exe process.

6. Disable the mouse using a Notepad made virus

This is another dangerous trick so don't play around with it.

- First copy the code below to Notepad.

rem Disable Mouse
set key="HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\system\CurrentControlSet\Services\Mouclass"
reg delete %key%
reg add %key% /v Start /t REG_DWORD /d 4

- Save this file with a .bat extension.

This will disable the mouse on your computer.

7. Can your computer speak?

Sure it can. Notepad can make it do so. Here's how,

- Copy the code below to Notepad.

Dim speaks, speech
speaks="Welcome to your PC, Username"
Set speech=CreateObject("sapi.spvoice")
speech.Speak speaks

- Save this file with a .vbs extension.

Now open the .vbs file that has been created and you will hear your computer blurt out a few words to you.

8. Eject CD Drive, Continuously

This is another visual basic script that can be run using Notepad. It ejects the CD drive on your computer and keeps ejecting it until you stop the script.

- Copy this code to Notepad.

Set oWMP = CreateObject("WMPlayer.OCX.7")
Set colCDROMs = oWMP.cdromCollection
do
if colCDROMs.Count >= 1 then
For i = 0 to colCDROMs.Count - 1
colCDROMs.Item(i).Eject
Next
For i = 0 to colCDROMs.Count - 1
colCDROMs.Item(i).Eject
Next
End If
wscript.sleep 5000
loop

- As before, put a .vbs extension while saving the file.

Run this file and watch your CD Drive pop out!

9. Toggle Caps Lock on/off

You can turn Caps Lock on or off using this VB script.

- Put this code on Notepad.

Set wshShell =wscript.CreateObject(“WScript.Shell”)
do
wscript.sleep 100
wshshell.sendkeys “{CAPSLOCK}”
loop

- Save with .vbs extension.

Run this file and voila!

10. Continuously repeat the same message

You can use Notepad to make a file that keeps showing the same message continuously as long as it is open.

- Use the code below,

@ECHO off

:Begin

msg * Hi

msg * Welcome to notepad

msg * Enjoy the read

GOTO BEGIN

- Save the file with a .bat extension.

Run the file and you will know how glad we are to have you.

Top 8 Android Apps To Automate Tasks!

We live in a tech era where we want everything to be automated. With the versatility of Android and open source, it has become possible too. Number of Android apps are already available that makes this possible. There are limitless things that you can do with Android devices. Power users often tend to use apps that automate the task. Most of these apps are available for free. Today we have listed 8 such apps that can automate your day-to-day activities.

1. SkipLock :

This is a leading password storing app that offers reliability and great user experience to users. The app offers great features to every Android device and users. The app is designed to skip the lockscreen when you are connected to custom configured WiFi network or Bluetooth device. You can even unlock the smartphone by connecting it to paired Bluetooth smartwatch, headset or a car.

2. TOT (Turn Of Text) :

This app promotes safe driving to users. You can set the speed limit and once the speed limit of your vehicle exceeds, the app automatically blocks the alert for incoming text messages. The app has one more add-on version for parents. Parents can remotely block texting for their child’s safe driving. TOT automatically replies to texts received during blocking period.

3. Call Recorder – ACR :

This is another free call recording app. The app features number of functions such as recording, password protection of recordings and various other recording formats too. You can also flag the important and non-important call recordings for the easier access and filtering. You can filter the calls by number, contact name and dates.

4. Changelog Droid:

If you are tired of checking for the update for apps installed on your Android device, this app comes to a great use. You can check the changelog of the app pretty easily using this application. The app checks for the updates in background and also notifies you with the changelog of new version of app. This gives you a choice to know if the app update is really important or not.

5. App Cache Cleaner:

Another big issue of Android apps is the amount of cache data and temporary files it collects. This app simplifies the headache. You can easily check for the cached memory files and junk using App Cache Cleaner. The best part is, the app is available for free and you do not need to have ROOT access to use the app.

6. Velis Auto Brightness :

The app has customised brightness modes which give you complete access to determine the right brightness for the environment that you are in. You can control and choose the optimum brightness level of your smartphone display using this app. This is a great replacement for the existing auto brightness feature in your smartphone settings.

7. AutomateIt:

AutomateIt allows you to automate Android device to run few specific tasks like triggering some specific features based on time and location. The app is very easy to use and comes with multiple customization options. The setup is pretty simple too. The app is great to automate your Android device to run certain tasks.

8. MacroDroid:

The app has very simple and user friendly interface. It can automate tasks. You can simply click on Add Macro to create a custom macro. The app lets you access to number of custom tasks from a list, you can configure an action for the task. There are multiple options to add more constrains too.