Playing a puzzle game with videos

We keep on using vlc media player without actually knowing its true potential of tools. Here I'll show you how you can convert your video into a puzzle, this one's a just for fun thing but there are many other pretty useful stuff you can do by using this method. Just explore similar stuff by following this method.

• Firstly you need vlc media player.
• Run a video on it and then navigate to Tools->Effect & Filters –>Video Effects –>Geometry
• Check the puzzle game checkbox to convert your video into a puzzle!
• You can choose the puzzle type by either selecting or deselecting the black slot option to change the puzzle mode
• Your video gets converted into a puzzle immediately ;)
• Enjoy solving it while it runs :D

Here's what I did to a video:

Similarly there are many other cool options, you can synchronize your subtitles, synchronize your audio, change colours, add motion and what not!

Just go out and explore ;)

To revert back, you need to deselect all the options you just selected or restart vlc player

Have fun!

Cheers ;)

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Why Linux does not need Defragmentation?

Regular defragmentation in a Windows PC speeds it up but if anyone of the Linux users have noted that there is no need of a defragmentation utility which come pre installed on your machine when you install a fresh copy and also you really don't need to install one on your machine while using Linux. Ever thought of why is it required in Windows and not in Linux?

To understand this first you need to understand what is fragmentation and why it occurs and how the two operating systems handle it differently.

What is fragmentation?

A hard disk is divided into various different sectors which contain small files and large files are spread over various different sectors which contain parts of the file. No person has a single file on hi system, heck even the Operating System is spread over a vast number of files. So when you update a file, say increase its size, the file system installed on the system tries to store this file next to the previous file's initial sectors but consider a scenario that the next sector is filled up, so the new part is stored in a sector which is not stored in a contiguous memory location. Hence when any software asks to read this file, the header of the hard disk must skip sectors while reading your file and hence reading chunks of file at a time slows down stuff.

So, now you can very well understand what defragmentation is, that is the process of moving around chunks of files to avoid the fragmentation as much as possible.

So because of the way the files are arranged in Windows (known as the file system, specifically NTFS or FAT in previous versions), they get fragmented over a time period and they need to be defragmented after some time to increase efficiency and speed.

Why not Linux?

ext2 and ext3 (file systems of Linux) allocates files to the hard disk in an intelligent way. Instead of placing files next to each other on the hard disk, they allocate them over largely scattered locations and hence there is a large amount of space in between them which can be leveraged when you edit your file. Even if fragmentation does occur, the file system manages it at run time itself and hence there is no need of any utility specifically for the purpose. Hence only when you fill the Linux system with huge amount of data, about 80%, you will start seeing some fragmentation.

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How to get better search results in Google

We all use Google everyday for various different purposes and we always need that we should find what we are looking for on the first page of our search results but many a times it is not so and we need to refine our search. Yes, keywords do play an important role when performing search but the following tools will provide you some more assistance as well:

1. Using Either/Or:
When you type in a query, Google usually looks for webpages that match all the keywords entered but when you are searching for multiple stuff you can either join them using the keyword "OR" or you can simple separate them by the piping symbol '|'
For eg Google | Microsoft

2. Search for exact phrases:
 When you wish to search for webpages for results that match the exact phrase as you type it in order, you can enclose it in double quotes.
For eg "Apple sues Samsung"

3. All but not a specific keyword:
When you wish to have search results from all webpages containing your query but not containing a specific keyword then this can come in handy. Use the minus prefix before the keyword you wish to exclude from your search results. For example Mobiles-samsung gives all mobile results except those pages containing samsung in the page.

4. Calculator:
Google recently launched this feature, been a few months. You can perform simple arithmetic in the search box itself. You can use the normal arithmetic operations in the query to get your results.

5. Definitions:
You can use Google as a dictionary as well! Just prefix the 'define:' before your keyword. For example define:technology will give you various definitions and also the pronunciation of the word as well.

6. Wildcard:
The * symbol can be used to replace any text. For eg if you cannot remember the exact lyrics of something, * can help. 'cant * me love lyrics' will return the Beatles song you have been searching for provided you remembered the remaining part.

7. Similar Terms:
The ~ returns similar terms.
~bad laptops will return results from ugly laptops and other negative words associated with laptops.

8. Number Range:
If you wish to search for terms within a specific range of numbers you can use 2 periods in betwwen the two extremes. This can be a handy tool. For eg best movies 2001..2009 will return the best movies in between the years 2001 and 2009

9. Specific to a website:
If you wish to search only a specific site for your results, you can use the 'site:' operator.
For eg site:facebook.com will return all public facebook posts that contain the keyword 

10. Advanced Search:
If you want to further detail and refine your search you can always use the advanced search tools ;)

Hope these come in handy some day :D

Cheers!!

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Enable Disabled Task Manager

I recently had this trouble of an error popping up when I pressed the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys on my keyboard which said:

"Task Manager is disabled"

This can happen due to a couple of reasons,
One: A virus/malware infected your computer.
Two: You do not have the rights assigned to access it.

To get access, all you need to do is:

• Go to Run ( Start-> Run or WinKey+R)
• Type "gpedit.msc"
• Go to Group Policy settings->User Configuration->Administrative Templates
• Select System->Ctrl-Alt-Delete options
• Double Click Remove Task Manager
• Set it to Not Configured.

And that's it, you are done!

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Finding a Replacement for Google Reader

Google Reader is shutting down and we have around four months to move our existing RSS subscriptions to another feed reader. What are some of the good alternatives to Google Reader?

Google has a history of shutting down products that aren’t earning them revenue.  These include Picnic (the image editor), Notebook (the clipping tool), Listen (the podcast client), Google Desktop (the offline search software), Google Apps (the free edition), Google SMS channels, iGoogle (personalized Google start page) and now Google Reader (the web-based RSS newsreader).

Google is a “for profit” company and therefore they would like to avoid spending time and resources on projects that aren’t adding to the bottom line. This makes perfect sense and the positive side of such announcements is that when the big fish leaves the pond, it makes room for the smaller ones to grow, innovate and thrive.

That said, as a blogger and small web publisher, I am saddened to hear about the demise of Google Reader as this will definitely affect business.

A Better Alternative to Google Reader

As a consumer of RSS feeds, it is less of a concern as there are better alternatives to Google Reader.

I have tried quite a few of them of them and my personal favorite is Feedly. It is available as a web app, just like Google Reader, but they also have apps for iOS and Android. The other web-based alternatives include Bloglines (yes, they are still around), Feedspot (the UI is very Reader-esque),Old Reader (minimalistic) and NewsBlur (open source).

I also use apps like Reeder, Google Currents and Flipboard to follow RSS feeds on mobile devices but none of these apps offer a web based interface and therefore you cannot follow your subscriptions on the computer or on devices where these apps are not supported. That’s quite a drawback.

Google Reader was a central hub so you could use different RSS reading apps on different devices and yet your reading lists were always in sync. Not anymore.

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Microsoft Word Prank

Here I am posting a painful prank for the person whom it is played on but it would be pure fun to see your friend banging his head on seeing this happen and I am just sharing it with you guys for some fun.

This can frustrate your friends a lot and they won't have a clue as to why it is happening. The trick simply being that whenever they type a specific word, a different word appears in Microsoft Word instead. Do try it out with your classmates and peers for some fun ;)

Here's what you have to do:

• Go to the Options menu in Microsoft Word ( Press Alt+F Key and from there select word options).
• From there select Proofing and then Auto Correct Options.
• (If you are using previous versions of Office, go to tools->Auto Correct Options)
• In the tab where it says Replace, type some really common words such as I, and, you etc. and in the with tab, type some random stuff and then hit the Add button.

And that is it, now wait for your friends to start typing in his/her document and then have fun seeing him banging his head :D

Cheers!! ;)

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Windows 9 leaked review

All the people out there who're using Windows 7 or earlier Windows XP, are not yet fully aware of Microsoft's latest Windows 8, whereas MS is coming up with another surprise called Windows Blue (codename for Windows 9). And guess what it got leaked! Nothing new since it always gets leaked before launch to create a hype. I got a hands on and here's what's new:

Applications now snap to half of the screen, hence providing a better multitasking approach to the OS and more usability to the applications. So no more of 25% is to 75% application snapping in Windows Blue. The traditional snap is still available if you wish to use it though but by default the applications snap is in 50-50 mode.

Here's the 50-50 snapped view:

And here is the traditional snap view in the same OS:

Internet Explorer 11

It looks very similar to what was delivered in Windows 8 Internet Explorer 10 and no significant changes have been seen atleast by me. Although there is a new Show Synced Tabs option in the more options menu but it doesn't do much as of now.

Next in the line is new applications

The mail people etc. applications still exist but along with these what has been brought in are alarm, calculator, movie moments and a sound recorder as well! Strangely their tiles are black and white in colour with nothing live about them. Here's a look:

More personalisation options:
The new build has more options to personalize your start screen as can be seen in the pictures that follow:

More customization to live tiles:

In Windows 8 you had only two tile sizes, whereas in Windows 9 you have 4  sizes available, the two new options being one a quarter of the medium sized and the other a double of the medium one.

No more accidental tile shifting:

In windows 8, a lot of tiles got moved unintentionally but in Windows Blue, it is not the case. You need to right click a tile and hit customize button to move tiles from one position to another.

Simple Screenshot sharing:

Although Windows 8 brought a brand new feature which I personally liked the most, that was the WinKey + Printscreen saved your screenshot automatically to pictures but Windows 9 takes it even further by providing an option in the share charm to share a screenshot of your current screen and I simply loved this one!

Better SkyDrive Integration:

The skydrive application in Windows 8 allowed you to share only a specific kinds of files. But in Windows 9, the app itself is having deeper integration with the OS and device backup, file syncing being available in the app itself and also allowing to share multiple kinds of files.

So all in all Windows 9 is a kind of an upgrade to Windows 8 removing the bugs present and integrating the personalisation and customization to enhance the user's experience and give a more personalized system to the user. It has been optimized for power efficiency. So lets wait for a final build by the end of this year and then everyone can enjoy some new features ;)

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Video Shows What Really Happens When Silly Putty Meets a Magnet

Ever wonder what really happens when self-infused silly putty meets a magnet? If so, this video should do the trick. Unlike regular silly putty, this piece has been infused with millions of micron-sized ferrous particles. The magnetic putty is not actually magnetic by itself, but is made so due to the infusion of iron powder particles. Continue reading for a video and more information.

The presence of the strong neodymium iron boron magnet (the silver cube in the video) magnetizes the ferromagnetic particles in the putty. When this happens, the ferrous particles align with each other and this alignment generates north and south magnetic poles, making the putty into a temporary magnet. Once magnetized, the putty will remain magnetized even after the rare-earth magnet has been removed from the putty. This effect persists for a few hours until thermal agitation shakes the particles and they lose their alignment.

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Mouse Tricks that will surprise you

Following are some mouse tricks which you definitely would not be knowing and would not have even thought of these, so do check them out! ;)

Select Text Vertically

We always select text vertically in a text editor, but if it has been arranged column wise and we wish to select a particular column only or if we wish to select some vertical part of some text, then it becomes a pain. But in many editors like Word there is an option to select text vertically (not available in simple editors like notepad).
All you got to do is press the Alt key before selecting the text and then you can select text vertically.

Use Right Mouse Button to Drag Files and Folders

We are used to copying files using the left mouse button but if we do the same using the right mouse button, it first prompts us whether to copy the file or move the file.

Access more hidden context options in menus

While right clicking files, you can access many more options which are different from the standard options. To do so, all you need to do is press the shift key on your keyboard and hold it while right clicking any file/folder. Infact not only in the context menus, but you can even get more options in sub menus such as "Send To" etc.




And these two are the fairly known options but since many friends of mine do not know of these, I am including them here.





Use middle mouse button to close/open tabs

The scroll wheel is not just used to scroll through web pages! You can use it to quickly open tabs inside a browser and infact close them too. You can quickly open a link in a new tab in any browser by middle clicking the link and it automatically gets opened in a new tab. This saves the hassle of right clicking it and then choosing the "Open in a new tab" option from the menu.

Similarly, in order to close a tab, all you need to do is middle click on it.

PS: pressing the mouse wheel down serves as a middle click.


Selecting Multiple Text

You can select lines in an editor that are separated apart by some text. All you need to do is hold the Control key while selecting them and then multiple lines can be selected independently. The selected lines get appended into one paragraph when you paste them somewhere.

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Trick to Lock Folder Without any Software

Securing confidential and personal data is always considered as a sophisticated task.You can use freeware third party softwares like Axcrypt, Disguise Folders etc to encrypt your data.If somehow you can’t use these softwares (installation restrictions) then you can secure your data using notepad.This trick works in windows xp,vista and windows 7.


Open Notepad [Start-->Run-->Notepad].
In your Notepad just Copy/Paste the below code.

cls
:End
@ECHO OFF
title Folder Locker
if EXIST "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}" goto UNLOCK
if NOT EXIST Locker goto MDLOCKER
:CONFIRM
echo Are you sure u want to Lock the folder(Y/N)
set/p "cho=>"
if %cho%==Y goto LOCK
if %cho%==y goto LOCK
if %cho%==n goto END
if %cho%==N goto END
echo Invalid choice.
goto CONFIRM
:LOCK
ren Locker "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}"
attrib +h +s "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}"
echo Folder locked
goto End
:UNLOCK
echo Enter password to Unlock folder
set/p "pass=>"
if NOT %pass%==tech4evry1 goto FAIL
attrib -h -s "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}"
ren "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}" Locker
echo Folder Unlocked successfully
goto End
:FAIL
echo Invalid password
goto end
:MDLOCKER
md Locker
echo Locker created successfully
goto End 

In the above batch code the password has been set as tech4every1.

You can change it by editing the following line

if NOT %pass%==tech4every1 goto FAIL

Now save this notepad file as yourfoldername.bat ,here .bat is extension of your file.

Now a .bat (system) file will be created.

Double Click on this .bat file and you will see a Locker Folder at the same location where your .bat file is saved.

Double click on that Locker folder and store your personal data in it.

After storing all your data in that folder again double click on .bat file and press Y there to Lock the folder and press Enter.

Now your Locker will hide and only .bat file will be there.
Double Click on this .bat file and give your password and hit Enter.

That’s it. Now every time you want to open your secret folder you have to enter the password. You can update this folder any time and infinite number of times.


but its very easy to hack the password if u just right click the .bat file and click edit… 
its not dat safe..

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How To make YouTube videos load faster

I already told you a method to increase your buffering speed but that was a modification in the Adobe flash settings and gone are the days of Flash! The world has moved on and HTML5 is the word on every mouth these days.

Every company is slowly switching to HTML5 and why should YouTube be an exception? Its switching as well and people can now access videos in HTML5 which are embedded using the <video> tag in html and not as a flash file.

Now for those of you who might be wondering how can HTML5 increase your buffering speed, here's a brief description:

YouTube videos are streamed and not presented as complete chunks at one time, that is streaming makes it possible for you to watch a video before it is downloaded completely. Now flash is a plugin that is explicitly installed on to your browser which makes it slower as compared to native HTML5 video tag which makes use of WebM format videos.

So you can sign up for the beta for YouTube by clicking here and enjoy!

Here's what a HTML5 video looks like:

And that is not it!

When you find a video that does support WebM. You can also control the speed of playing and double it as well! All thanks to HTML5!

Just click the gears button and manage the speed of play of the video.

And if you wish to, you can leave the trial by clicking the same link.

So Enjoy ;)

Cheers!

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Slideshow maker in YouTube

YouTube has silently rolled out this feature which allows you to create slideshows inside your upload section itself without the need of using any third party application for this purpose. Now there is no need of converting your presentations to a video using some software and then adding music/effects later all with hectic third party softwares. Also you can upload your images directly on to the YouTube dashboard in the slideshow maker and it'll automatically convert them into a video and you can then later on add transitions, effects, subtitles, background music, anotations, captions etc etc from there itself!

To do so just click on the upload section of your channel and select Photo Slideshow:

You can either use pictures from your Google+ account, Picasa albums, Google Drive or directly drag and drop pictures from your hard disk on to the pop up window.

A very user friendly setup will pop up wherein you can then modify the transitions and audio and also change the sequence of images if you did not upload them in proper order.

Then you can add effects on transitions from one picture to another. You can choose to apply the same effect to all the slides or manually apply effects to individual slides. You can choose from more than 150,000 tracks available to choose the background music that suits you the best and these tracks are categorised into categories such as Pop, Rock, Country & Folks etc so you can pick easily from these.

Preview the video before you finalize it and hit upload!

What are you still here for? Go and upload :D


Cheers!!

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15 Interesting, Funny And Really Strange Websites

Searching for these strange, funny, and interesting websites is really fun. I spent hours using all of the search engines in the known universe and I chose these among the many because they’re unique.

I know that many of you guys are stressed or bored (or stressed and bored), that’s why you should check the following and let your mind be blown away!

Are you ready?

FUNNY

1. www.nooooooooooooooo.com

Upon learning that Padme is dead, Darth Vader ended the Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith with a heartbreaking, anti-climatic “Nooooooooo!”
Well, this website will be of much use someday when you learn something very troubling…like being permanently banned from Google Ads. “Press in dire situations”

2. Is it Tuesday?

Are you not sure if it is Tuesday? Visit this site to be certain, it bears the truth!

3. Snap Bubbles

It is said that bubble wraps can calm even the most angered soul in hell. You’d be lying if you say that you’ve never, ever, snapped a single bubble! Although the feel and sound of this is not like the real one, at least there’s an alternative to it during bubble wrap scarcity right?

4. Crush Checker

Deceive your friends to know the person of their dreams! Shame it worked on me once. *laughs*

5. Zombo.com

This one I found at Reddit.com over a year ago. There’s a little charm in this website that made me share it with people I know and before I know it they’re all imitating what Zombocom is repeatedly saying. What is Zombocom? Click and know! I provided the script below in hopes that, one day, I’ll be hearing you say it too. *laugns*

I don’t know how to take a better screenshot for this because the site only has a banner and several circles, inches apart. Not quite a good use of white space.

The booming voice, like an evil genie, repeatedly says: “This is zombocom, and welcome to you who have come to zombocom! Anything is possible at zombocom. You can do anything at zombocom. The infinite is possible at zombocom. The unattainable is unknown at zombocom. Welcome to zombocom, this is zombocom!

6. Gay Test

Do not lie to yourself and take this test only ONCE! Taking it twice suggests that you doubt yourself, ha!  Some things are not suitable for children like the following words…you actually thought I’m posting them here? *laughs* (Yes, I love laughing)

INTERESTING

7.TackFilm

Surprise your friends with a worldwide sensation: You! Just upload your photo and wait until it is processed then send it to your friends and see their reactions! Although I don’t understand the language (I think it’s one of Switzerland’s languages) you won’t get lost because there are only two options to choose from at a given time. The photo I uploaded is a real sensation in his country. *laughs*

8.The Mobile Tracker

Enter a mobile phone number and let The Mobile Tracker do the job. Very surprising technology!

9.We Are Autobots

Bumblebee is in trouble, who’s he gonna call? Not ghost busters but you! Help him using your webcam.

10.ie6funeral.com

Oh the good and the bad memories when IE6 was still walking with us compiled in this website to express users’ and developers’ sorrow and delight.

One must not speak ill of the dead so I’ll say “Nice try!”

11.Virtual Piano

Into piano but you don’t own one yet?  Easy, with Virtual Piano all you need is a computer with an internet connection and you’re good to go. Who knows, a Bach might be inside of you all along.

12.Cleverbot

This chat AI really knows how to respond to things most of the time, it gets too clever it creeps me out of my skin!

http://cleverbot.com/

STRANGE

13.Neon Bible

This one’s purpose is already known but it is still very strange. The guy in the photo, Win Butler, is singing Neon Bible. Not only that the song is sort of creepy, you can actually interact with him by clicking the hands and eyes (creepy effect, I’d say!). This can be inspiring in terms of how you can do promotions. I find this one very creative. 

14.Hell.com

This is the first mysterious website I’ve seen, and from there on I started searching the internet for answers on what is inside. I stumbled upon a discussion board where a poster mentioned that he, allegedly, actually paid $100 for the chance of getting access and several months later the poster received an e-mail with a unique link to a section of the website. The e-mail said that they will give no answer to what Hell.com is about, that there may be no answer at all.

According to other people Hell.com is a place where artists meet. But let’s end the speculation here and I’ll shed some light, at least in an interview which can be read here: Click!

Over time the flash at Hell.com changes, before this maze-like logo there was an ominous vampire-like eyes. You can use the WayWayBack Machine to see the changes over the past several months.

15.Heaven.com

If there is Hell.com there’s also Heaven.com. There is a question in the homepage asking “Where is Heaven?” and it bears the promise to notify subscribers when Heaven comes to Earth. The screenshot below is taken after I subscribed. One question remains about the answer is, where’s the farthest reaches of the North?

http://gospelmedianetwork.com/

I guess there’s only one way to find out, so I subscribed. Further research about Heaven.com only led to spiritual websites about Heaven.

I wish you had fun with all (or at least some) of the websites I featured. It’s your turn to share!

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