Strange and Unique Aircraft (With Resources)

Sometimes I get chain-mail and links with interesting stuff. Sometimes that interesting stuff is so fascination that I want to get to know more about it. However, most things sent over email have the annoying aspect of having absolutely no information about whatever it is, which is just painful for someone like me. 

As such, I got this interesting chain-mail with a bunch of really cool and strange airplanes. And no sources to look into it.

After some deliberation, I've decided to post the list here with references to the right information for people who, perhaps like me, got a little too annoyed at trying to get the information.

And this is also for me to refer back to it at a later date...

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Qualcomm Atheros AR9285 + Windows 10 Issue [Resolved]

So, I installed Windows 10 after reading about it and getting over the insane amount of data Windows mines from you. I figured that most companies do something like this and Microsoft just so happens to be quite candid about it -- after it was brought to light by someone on a site which shall not be named (I'm sure those of you who know can guess).

Be that as it may, my Lenovo G580 stopped being able to reach the Internet and I clicked on my WiFi was grayed out and could not, would not connect to my wireless connection no matter what I did.

Luckily I managed to resolve it through a workaround. So, if you're stuck then you should just follow the instructions. This should work for any WiFi connectivity issue (you just have to download the drivers that pertain to your particular WiFi hardware model. Mine just happens to be the Qualcomm Atheros AR9285.

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Bangalore Outdoor Adventure - Kailasagiri

As someone who has been in Bangalore for some time, I was keen in finding some 'outdoorsy' things to do. Trouble is Bangalore itself has little to offer within the city limits for that type of fun, so you have to go out of the city instead.

After looking around, I got wind of a 'cave temple' outside the city, about an hour and half drive. Excited with the prospect of seeing something new, I got my family into the car and off we went.

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An Observation of the Failing Rupee and Indian General Elections

For those of you keeping track of the failing Rupee, there is just something really strange going on. Consistently, every single time there has been a general election the Indian Rupee has plummeted. It seems to be expected and is reinforced by a severe lack of concern from the central government, only stepping in when foreign investors started fleeing.

What happened? Or rather, what is happening. Check out the images below to get a grip on what I am going on about.

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Why I will never again buy a network bound phone

I have learned the hard way the annoyances of purchasing network bound phones. Never again will I do this. The reasons are too many to write individually, but can be surmised in one word.

Annoying.

It may seem a little bland, considering that I've actually decided to put it down on a blog, but hey, there you have it. My main issue is that these phones lock you out intentionally for... what reason? Really. I still have yet to find one good reason for them locking their phones. If they want to bind you to a contract, then that's fine. Why would that justify the need to actually lock the phone? If you buy a contract and not use the phone, what loss is that for a cellular provider? They get free money from a client who doesn't use their network.

Yeah, yeah. I know the reasons. I know that people would buy these phones on a contract, break the contract, sell the phone, yadda, yadda, yadda (which was done in India and is why network bound phones never caught on there).

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The New Google Maps

If you haven't got the word, Google is renovating their Maps web application. I signed up for the preview a couple of days ago and got the invite just now and have played around with it.

Right off the bat I'm impressed. It's a lot more intuitive, easier to navigate, POI's (points of interest) are a lot easier to visualize and the addition of photographs along the bottom to give you a better idea of what's to see around whatever town/city you're looking at is a very nice touch indeed.

If you haven't been able to check it out, then I suggest you go and see for yourself. Keep in mind that it's still in preview mode, but I already like it much more than the current version of Google Maps.

I would go into the details of it, but I'm a firm believer of sharing information. So check out this article to see a more in depth comparison between the two types.

http://www.droid-life.com/2013/05/14/new-google-maps-sign-up-page-goes-live-briefly-reveals-some-new-details/

To request an invite, go here: http://maps.google.com/help/maps/helloworld/desktop/preview/

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The Advent of the Predictive Web (or Web 3.0)

First off, the first thing you ought to know is what version of the Internet we're using. If you are not aware, currently it's Web 2.0, which is defined as (thank you Wikipedia):

The term Web 2.0 was coined in 1999 to describe web sites that use technology beyond the static pages of earlier web sites. It is closely associated with Tim O'Reilly because of the O'Reilly Media Web 2.0 conference which was held in late 2004. 

Although Web 2.0 suggests a new version of the World Wide Web, it does not refer to an update to any technical specification, but rather to cumulative changes in the ways software developers and end-users use the Web.

What does that really mean though? Actually, you've been using it consistently. Almost every major site on the Internet qualifies as Web 2.0, and perhaps none more apparent then Facebook, Google, and even Yahoo!.

Then along comes HTML5, a fantastic new markup language for your browser that (despite some resistance) has introduced the full functionality of the intention of Web 2.0. A website that responds to you, the user. That can be anywhere from changing your personal space on the website to contributing to a singular project in an online collaboration.

But I'm getting sidetracked. I'm not writing this to go on about Web 2.0, but trying to introduce the next generation of the Internet.

So, when I say 'Advent of the Predictive Web', what exactly do I mean?

Let me give you an example of how it would work. Let's say you're coming off a plane in a new city, one that you've never been to before. It's got its own language, got its own customs, and you're running low on cash and need an ATM before finding a cheap hotel for the night.

Now, you can use your favorite search engine to find all the necessary information, of course. Thing is, that would take time and it would be too generic.

Lo' and behold, Web 3.0 can actually use comprehensive searches to find the meaning of what you need. Yes, my fellow readers, I'm talking about actual Artificial Intelligence to understand you.

The theory is this. Take the scenario above and then search for the following in one sentence as if you were talking to a human being.

I am lost with no money in a X speaking country and I need an ATM and cheap hotel nearby. Can you recommend me something?

And voila! Web 3.0 would understand your plight and form a comprehensive itinerary for you (or several variations). Perhaps it would lead you to the nearest ATM and YMCA by taking your GPS location. Maybe it would recommend you to take a taxi, offering you to use your credit card or Paypal to pay for it, to get you to a hotel that you can afford. Included would be translations in X language for you to communicate with the driver.

Sounds pretty incredible, right?

Well, there have been reports that small instances of this capability are being developed by Google with Glass. Already they have implemented somewhat intelligent search functions with their Google Goggles App, which I hope they are going to integrate with Glass straight out of the box.

So, think about that for a moment. A fully integrated system attached to your persons for you to explore your world using a device that can actually predict and recommend things for you based on you.

Imagine going to a museum and letting a device give you a full tour based on research that is ready at your fingertips in an instant including video and other sources to give you a better understanding of what you're looking at. Imagine looking at a painting and learning all the 'secrets' about it by someone showing you on YouTube.

The implications are boundless and I, for one, cannot wait to see what happens next.

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Google+ Comments... and a new look?

Yeah, I've decided to give the new HTML dynamic templates a shot to see what they are all about. It's about time I updated this.

On a side note, the new Google+ comment integration looks promising, although I don't really have much of a following... well, at least it looks great!

That's pretty much it for now.

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Plain ol' Ramblings

At first I thought about creating a technical blog. Then I scrapped that idea and decided to write a 'whatever I want to write' blog. So I did that, but then I get told by my peers that if I do a blog that's so general I'll never get people to regularly visit this site. Well, my issue isn't people regularly coming to the site, my issue is that I don't update this blog regularly enough to have a following of any kind.

Blogging is a time consuming, but rather fun outlet to express yourself. It allows the public (for the most part) to partake in your silliness. But I'm not here to tell you about how good blogging can be.

I'm just rambling.

I think I might do a review of a movie I watched recently. If I remember the name of it, I'll certainly do it. It was a Japanese movie, and it was so ridiculous.

Well, that's enough banter for now. 

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Dell XPS 14 WiFi Issue vs Me

A few days ago, a good friend of mine decided that I needed a challenge. That was: Fix my ****ing WiFi issue with brand new Dell XPS 14!

Obviously, I did all the basic things.

1. Restart the network card
2. Reconfigure network type (Public, Work, Home)
3. Flush DNS resolve cache 
4. Disable/Enable WiFi card
5. Disable Firewall
6. Uninstall AntiVirus program
7. Reboot the machine

Suffice to say, none of these worked! I was stumped! How can a brand new system from Dell cause this much problems, headaches, tears and grief? So, I went online and looked at forums regarding this issue (in retrospect, should have done that in the first place). Let me tell you was I surprised when I found that not only has this issue been around for some time, but it remained unresolved even on Dell's community forums. 

Now, most people would just throw their hands up in the air and say; "I give up!"

I am not one of those people. And I hate giving up.

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