Best Tablet(s) for children doing Online classes from Home

Here are a few to consider based on your budget. Ordered from Best to OK. All of them have a 4G sim slot to suffice your needs and you can convert them into a mobile hotspot (for backup purpose). 

1. Samsung Galaxy Tab A (Rs. 21,499) https://amzn.to/2SbiYJ5 

2. Lenovo Yoga Smart Tablet (Rs. 20,999) https://amzn.to/35Hc6pS 

3. Lenovo Tab M10 HD Tablet (Rs. 13,400) https://amzn.to/2TP3YRO 

4. (Renewed) Lenovo Tab M10 Tablet (Rs. 11,999) https://amzn.to/2TP3YRO 

Don't go for the much cheaper and not so well known brands - either you will suffer from battery problems or touch issues. I got one from iBall a few years back but the touch works very erratic and theservice center said they no longer had stock of the screen - so it's almost useless from a tablet perspective.

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Best books for Home Schooling Kids in India

 Below is a compilation of some of the best books to help Home School their children at home.

The Call of the Wild and Free: Reclaiming the Wonder in Your Child's Education, A New Way to Homeschool by Ainsley Arment Hardcover ₹949.00 https://amzn.to/3cUzLaC

 The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life by Julie Bogart Paperback ₹950.00 https://amzn.to/3zHgJy3

Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant… by Peter Gray Paperback ₹874.00 https://amzn.to/3cWrxii 

Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book of Home Schooling Paperback by John Holt (Author), Pat Farenga (Author) ₹181 https://amzn.to/3vMUfJ6 

Sandra Dodd's Big Book of Unschooling by Sandra Dodd ₹449 https://amzn.to/2UesbRz 

Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus ₹1449 https://amzn.to/3cU10lB 

Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason by Alfie Kohn ₹449 https://amzn.to/3wGLt0n 

How To Talk So Little Kids Will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7 by Joanna Faber and Julie King ₹229 https://amzn.to/3wUtqUJ

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Back to blogging after a 2yr sabbatical

Yup you heard the headline right - Jason is back to full fledged blogging after a 2+yr sabbatical. Things on the technology front have changed drastically but fret not I am going to start from what's relevant for all of you.

The last 2yrs has been a mixed bag of affairs on all fronts - got a new job, shifted roles in the new job, completed my masters, started a few new hobbies and rested some for good.... importantly found some new friends and lost complete touch of yet a few friends who were near and dear.

How have you folks been? I have been getting mails from quite a few of you with either tech queries or a plain 'hi.. how are things going?'. I hope I have answered all your mails, if not - I apologize.

As for now, I look forward to resurrect this blog like a phoenix from the ashes!!

So stay tuned!!

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Got a new NetBook – Acer Aspire D250 exclusively for Blogging

Yes, we got a new NetBook last week after quite some research. There were just so many contenders that it made the process of choosing the right NetBook that much more difficult. The NetBooks’ on offer were from HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, HCL, Sony, Acer – all the top brands have atleast 2-3 models on offer and each of them have different specs and whistles added to woo the buyer.

I visited a couple of stores in Bangalore like Croma (Koramangala), eXcite (Koramangala), Staples(Marthahalli) and eZone. Also visited numerous online websites to look for reviews and recommendations. Finally I narrowed in on the following models:

• HCL MiLeap MH214 – Priced at INR 19000 (Approx 400 USD )
• Wipro e-go Atom 26an – Priced at INR 20000 (Approx 420 USD )
• Acer Aspire One AOD250 – Priced at INR 22000 (Approx 460 USD )
• Lenovo S10 – Priced at INR 23000 (Approx 480 USD )

As you can see there was much competition in the price points too – after all we are all so very price conscious. The stores didn’t have any in-house discounts or frills thrown in for any of these models, but the company’s did have a few optional whistles on offer. Here’s my review of each of these models.

HCL MiLeap : It comes with the following features (specifications):

• A modest 7" TFT touch screen.
• Runs on the older 800 MHz Intel A110 Processor which comes with 512 KB L2 Cache and 400 MHz Front Side Bus.
• Has the Mobile Intel 945GU (ultra low voltage) Express Chipset Motherboard.
• Like the rest it comes with 1-GB DDR2 533 MHz SDRAM (You can Max it upto 2 GB in 2 slots)
• A moderate 80-GB 5400 rpm SATA hard disk
• An integrated 1.3 MP Camera
• Integrated WiFi 802.11a/b/g LAN connection
• Integrated Bluetooth v2.0
• Integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN connection
• 4-in-1 Media Card Reader, Multimedia Card (MMC), Memory stick (MS), Secure Digital Card, MS-PRO
• It can be converted into a Tablet with Touch Screen also has a Stylus Pen.
• Comes pre-installed with Windows XP Home
• Weighs only 960 Grams
• 2 USB v2.0 ports
• Touchpad with 2 button
• Build-in Stereo 2 stereo speaker system 1.5 Watts each
• Built-in Microphone

But what set me off was the very poor built quality. It is very plasticky and I really doubt if it will last a year or so with regular use. NetBooks are mean’t to be more rugged as they are mostly used on the move. So HCL MiLeap quicky went off my list though the price was pretty tempting – but the older ATOM processor on board, 80GB Hard Disk and the 7” screen was surely a downer. Also, I had lots of concerns with the touch screen – the demo piece at Croma was just filled with finger smudges and also the OS was already corrupted.

 

Wipro e-go Atom : This was next on my list and had pretty decent features(specifications) as follows :

• Runs on the new Intel Atom N270 processor which packs in 1.60 GHz, 533 MHz FSB and a good 512 KB L2 cache.
• This too has the Mobile Intel 945GSE Express Chipset.
• Has a very good 10" WSVGA high-brightness LED Backlit screen.
• Has a 1-GB DDR2 533 MHz SDRAM.
• A good 160GB hard disk
• Integrated WiFi 802.11a/b/g LAN connection
• Integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN connection
• Media Card Reader which natively supports Secure Digital (SD) Card, MultiMediaCard (MMC), Reduced-Size Multimedia Card (RS-MMC), Memory Stick (MS), Memory Stick PRO (MS PRO) and xD-Picture Card (xD)
• Upto 3-hour battery life with a 6-cell Lithium-ion battery pack
• Comes pre-installed with Windows XP Home
• Weighs 1.26 kgs
• Three USB 2.0 ports
• An integrated 1.3 MP Camera
• Touchpad with 2 button
• Build-in Stereo speakers
• Built-in Microphone

First things first, this is simply a wonderful NetBook – it comes packed with features. The look and build quality is very good. There are even some very crazy or eye-turner colours like a bright splash of Yellow (sure it’ll turn a few eyes). A very decent 160GB Hard Disk that must be quite sufficient for the data on the move. But, I was very skeptical that though this machine came with a 6cell li-ion battery – it is claimed to last only 3+ hours, not sure why? One downer is that there is NO integrated Bluetooth which is finding good use atleast with me – I can easily pair and transfer files from most mobiles and lappy’s.

Another good feature was that it had a LED Backlit screen which displays very crystal clear images(You must see to believe it). But the processor was N270 while there are competitors with N280 though they have an added 0.6GHz of higher speed – but it surely does matter on the move when processing power is at a premium. The price seems good too.

 

Lenovo S10 : The specs of the Lenovo S10 are pretty cool and are as follows :

• Has the new Intel Atom N270 processor which has the same 1.60 GHz, 533 MHz FSB and 512 KB L2 cache.
• This too has the Mobile Intel 945GSE Express Chipset.
• Has a very good 10" WSVGA TFT screen.
• Has a 1 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz.
• A good 160GB (5400 rpm) hard disk
• Integrated WiFi 802.11a/b/g LAN connection
• Integrated Bluetooth
• Integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN connection
• 4-in-1 card reader slot (SD/MMC/MS/MS pro)
• Only a 3-cell Lithium-ion battery pack
• Comes pre-installed with Windows XP Home
• Weighs 1.25 kgs
• Only two USB 2.0 ports
• An integrated 1.3 MP Camera
• Touchpad with 2 button
• Build-in Stereo speakers
• Built-in Microphone
• Has a added feature of an express card slot

The Lenovo looks very sleek and has most of the features you need. Packs in also an Express Card Slot which maynot be really very useful currently. You don’t currently get that many devices that will plug into the Express Slot and moreover what else do you need coz it’s got almost all the essentials integrated. Also, it comes with the Face Recognition Software for unlocking the machine – kinda cool but do you really need it on a netBook?

The downer was as usual the N270 Atom processor so also the price, also it didn’t come with a LED display and sports the TFT screen. Also, has only the 3-cell li-ion pack.

Acer Aspire One AOD250 : The Acer Aspire One AOD250 is well built, well and are as follows :

• Runs on the most advanced and latest Intel Atom processor N280 which boasts of 1.66 GHz processing speed, 667 MHz FSB and also 512 KB L2 cache.
• This too has the Mobile Intel 945GSE Express Chipset.
• Has a superb 10.1" SD 1024 x 600 (WSVGA) pixel resolution, high-brightness (200-nit) Acer CrystalBrite LED-backlit TFT LCD.
• Has a 1-GB DDR2 SDRAM .
• A good 160GB hard disk
• Integrated WiFi 802.11 a/b/g LAN connection
• Integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN connection
• Multi-in-1 card reader
• Upto a whooping 7-8 hours battery life with the standard 6-cell Lithium-ion battery pack
• Comes pre-installed with Windows XP Home
• Weighs 1.27 kgs
• Three USB 2.0 ports
• An integrated 0.3 MP Camera
• Has a Multi-touch(found in high-end Laptops) Touchpad with 2 button
• Two built-in stereo speakers
• Built-in Microphone
• Integrated Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
  

This is one hell of a beast I must say – has the latest N280 processor, a 160GB HDD and what makes it stand out from the crowd is the 7-8 hours of seamless battery backup that it offers via a 6-cell lithium ion Battery pack. The multi-touch keypad that supports gestures is also a very good added feature – this helps you easily scroll webpages / documents, also you can easily zoom or shrink an image with a pinch gesture.

The Back-Lit LED display serves two purposes – one, it provides very stunning image quality that is in par to high end HD televisions and secondly, having an LED display saves a whole lot of power and also the life of the screen is considerably increased.

The Final Verdict :

So, as I said before – the NetBook market is currently spoilt for choice. You have just so many options and all of them revolving around the same processor’s (N270 or N280) and the identical MotherBoard and very similar RAM , HDD features. So, in the end you need to make a choice of “Value For Money”. I found the Acer Aspire One D250 to be more of a value for money and also it fulfilled all my needs perfectly.

I got a Acer Aspire One D250 “Sunset Red”, coz as the official website says

Red is a heartbeat, the color of determination, passion and of a fiery soul.

So, it very much speaks for itself and my passion for blogging. As you might have already observed – the number of blog posts and the frequency has already begun to increase. Will keep you folks posted on updates as I use more of the NetBook on the move than my Monster Desktop.

Technorati Tags: NetBooks,Acer,Lenova,Wipro,Aspire One,Review,Gadgets

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Baldwin Boys High School - A trip down memory lane

I received a link for a cool video on Baldwin Boys High School today from one of my school mates and that instantly made me travel down memory lane. Lo - I had spent 10yrs at this marvelous educational institution - was part of the 1999 batch at BBHS. Even today I can vividly recall the initial days at school, the friends we had and the wonderful teachers too.

Guess somewhere down the years I have just become too busy(or atleast acted so) that I have never had the time to return back to my Alma Mater.


But the watchwords "Righteousness and Truth" has always been upheld by me. I hope I make a visit sooner than later to the campus!!

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The Most Authoritative Technology Blog clocks over 1000 RSS readers!!

Yes - I was in for a very rude shock by my audience. This humble little blog of mine crossed a huge milestone of having 1000+ RSS readers last evening. Thanks to all you folks out there who have been instrumental in it.

I started this tech blog way back in September of 2006 with only one straight intention - Share the knowledge of Technology that I have with all the people out there. True to my intention I have remained loyal in updating the blog with useful tech related articles, how to's , tips and tricks.



Though the number of articles posted has steadily declined for the past few months - for reasons that you are all well aware off. I will surely get back to regularly update this space with technology stuff.

Thanks again folks for staying with me and my humble tech blog for all this time and also into the days to come.

Cheers!!
Jason

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Wish you a Merry Christmas!!

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Jason ties the nuptial knot :: JasPari

So that's what has kept me away from updating this blog for quite sometime now. Most of the regulars here already know about this (Since most of them mailed / pinged me). For those who weren't aware - Yes I did tie the nuptial knot to Pari. Incidentally my wife too loves blogging and has a very informative and entertaining blog over at www.JasPari.info

Here's a collage of a few pics from the wedding.


Cheers!!
Jason

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Wishing you all a very Happy Diwali

Hi Folks,

Wish you and your family members a very Happy and Prosperous Diwali!

Cheers!!
Jason

Diwali : Is also known as the Festival of Lights - most Indian homes are decked with lights and lamps for this festival. The lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being. It is a very popular festival in India and is both celebrated religiously (by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs) and also a major cultural festival for the whole of India.

Diwali is usually celebrated on the first day of the lunar month called Kartika, which comes in the month of October or November.

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Who really Owns Kashmir ? An introspection

Before I start this article, let me tell you that this is indeed "The Most Authoritative Technology Blog" and I speak all about the fascinating technologies that I come across and things that simplify our lives. Once in a while, I do post articles on things that aren't anyway related to technology - so this one happens to be one of them. Secondly, I am no politico-influenced geek , so the things I have written below must not be mis-understood to be in favor of a particular geography or otherwise.

So, you may thing why Jason is writing all this huge disclaimer before a post - well, as you know our Blog family of readers here has been steadily growing and I have been very fortunate to make good friends from across the globe. At times an article I may post may be taken in a wrong sense by a few of my beloved readers.

This morning I was jostled by an e-mail from my good friend and our long time blog reader Dr. Divaker. It was an excerpt from a very ingenious speech given by an Indian representative in the recent United Nations Assembly. It serves as a very good example on how one can make the staunchest of the politicos think otherwise and also bring smiles to the world community (which currently seems a bit difficult given the geo-political equations and events that occur).

The Indian representative begins his speech as follows: 

Before beginning my talk I want to tell you something about Rishi Kashyap of Kashmir, after whom Kashmir is named.

When Rishi Kashyap struck a rock and it brought forth water, he thought, 'What a good opportunity to have a bath.'

He removed his clothes, put them aside on the rock and entered the water.

When he got out and wanted to dress, his clothes had vanished. A Pakistani had stolen them.

The Pakistani representatives jumped up furiously. But then in support of Pakistan, he shouted, 'What are you talking about? The Pakistanis weren't there then.'

The Indian representative smiled and said, 'And now that we have made that clear, I will begin my speech.'

The above speech should serve as an inspiration for people who stay on both sides of the border. As you all know, India and Pakistan are shell locked in a fiery battle(that has even resulted in a few wars / war like situations) over the region of Kashmir. But at the heart of it all, it is the common man who finds a livelihood in this region that suffers.

So, does the above lines say that Pakistan was not formed when Kashmir was formed? Well, certainly not - the people of Pakistan were always there - under a nation of Greater India or maybe even the early civilizations. Well, both the nations must bury the hatchet behind and progress to develop the region to serve as a role model for the rest of the world.

Hope I wasn't politicing or hurting anybody's feelings - if so, I apologize.

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100+ wishes on Orkut + Facebook for your Birthday!!

Well, first of all thanks to all those numerous mails that I received from you all yesterday - it was my birthday yesterday. Unfortunately my residence's BSNL Broadband hasn't been up and running for the last 2+ weeks, so it's been a bit tough to catch up with the latest happenings online.

As a birthday gift (I suppose since Govt. organizations don't work on Sundays) BSNL rectified the issues on my broadband yesterday and I had connectivity for the later part of the day.

I was pleasantly surprised to see 61 scraps from my friend's over at Orkut - this apart from the numerous calls and messages I received. Another equal number of messages over at Facebook too. What surprises me is that so many of my pals(100+) from across the world are hooked to these social networking medium even on weekends. It's simply a great convenience as most of them would have never known when my birthday was - had it not been for these social networking sites.



Thanks again folks!!

Cheers!!
Jason

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Happy Onam

Wishing you all a very Happy and Blessed Onam.

About Onam : Onam is considered as the national festival of Kerala - The southern state of India, also called as God's Own Country. Onam is celebrated in honour of the late mythical Asura king Mahabali of ancient Kerala. It is a popular belief among Malayalees that on Onam day Bali visits his subjects. Onam usually falls in the Harvest season of August / September.

Well, I'm not a Malayalee myself and the festival isn't for me and this article isn't anything to do with technology - sorry.

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Jason is back to Active Blogging

Hey Folks,

Sorry for the delay in updating the blog for quite sometime now. Even the updates have been rather at long intervals.

Well, I have some news for you - I am planning to take it as a challenge and update the blog atleast once every 2-3 days. Hope that'll keep everyone hooked to the blog.

Thanks to all the folks who regularly mail me and also have added my mail ID to their fwd's list. Thanks I truely love them.

Do keep in touch.

Cheers!!
Jason
jasonblr[AT]gmail[dot]com

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Bangalore's most used languages : C, C++ and Kannada - Really

Is it true that the most widely used languages in Bangalore are C, C++ and Kannada? Well, I think even C# and Java is used for a better extend. So don't be surprised if the waiter at the hotel chants a few lines of C++ while serving the piping hot coffee. Jokes apart - I was referring to a new Ad campaign started by DNA - Daily New and Analysis, an english daily that has presense in most North cities of India like Mumbai, Pune, Surat, etc. Well, DNA has started an all out Ad campaign in Bangalore's 3000+ hoardings and one of them read as follows "Bangalore's most commonly used languages C, C++ and Kannada. I believe in Bangalore".

On seeing this hoarding I was really taken aback to think - is it really true? The garden city of Bangalore has slowly transformed into a concrete jungle - so have the languages changed too ? Maybe 5yrs from now, I will have a touch screen at my local restaurant to order the dishes I need - coz all the manager will grumble saying that all the waiters he employed learned C , C++ or even C# and jumped into an IT career. Well, I am not sure if that would be really true - but time will tell.

As for Bangalore and DNA - I doubt we don't have room for another daily in the already over-crowded shores of Bangalore. At my place we already have twin daily's landing at home daily and don't think a third one can make an entry without replacing one of them. As far as I see the English daily market in Bangalore - Times Of India has the dominance - and sure it should since the quality of the news and coverage is simply superb.

I for once feel that DNA will replace the market share of Deccan Herald or the newly launched Deccan Chronicle.

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A story to ponder over

I recently got a mail from one of my friend's with this story - it made me ponder for a few minutes. So read on.

A giant ship engine failed. The ship’s owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure but how to fix the engine. Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a young boy. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom. Two of the ship’s owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do.

After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away.

The engine was fixed! A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars. ”What?!” the owners exclaimed. “He hardly did anything!”

So they wrote the old man a note saying, “Please send us an itemized bill”.

The man sent a bill that read:

Tapping with a hammer…………… $ 2.00
Knowing where to tap……………… $ 9,998.00

What I feel from this story is that effort is important in our lives, but knowing where to make an effort in our life makes all the difference.

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Tips for Better Life from Jason

1. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
3. Sleep for 7 hours.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Play more games.
6. Read more books than you did in 2007.
7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
9. Dream more while you are awake.
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
11. Drink plenty of water.
12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
14. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
15. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
16. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
17. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
18. Smile and laugh more.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Don't compare your partner with others.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
25. Forgive everyone for everything.
26.. What other people think of you is none of your business.
27. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
28. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
29. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
30. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
31. The best is yet to come.
32. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
33. Do the right thing!
34. Call your family often.
35. Your inner most is always happy. So be happy.
36. Each day give something good to others.
37. Don't over do. Keep your limits.

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Did you Know - Vinegar can be used as an excellent Weed Killer

I have some excellent news for all the GREEN folks out there (I know there are many of you - since my last articles 'How to easily reduce your Carbon Footprint - A simple/practical guide' and '10 tips to make your House more Green!!' aroused a lot of feedback from you people). Well, there's a GREEN solution to easily get rid of the weeds from your garden in no time.

It works perfectly since I tried it a few days back and was simply amazed at the results. Use some white vinegar (7% acetic acid) which is easily available off Supermarket shelves. Spray it on any leaf you want to kill on a hot sunny day and within 10 minutes it's starting to turn brown and shortly afterward the leaves are completely dead. So all the unnecessary weeds were off my garden in no-time and the dead weeds serve as manure for the other plants.

When, I did some research on how it works I was startled to find this : It works by stripping off the waxy coating on leaves that causes the leaves to begin dehydrating too quickly.

No need for expensive or potentially dangerous chemicals, just make sure it's at least 7% acetic acid (I suppose stronger would be better but the vinegar available off the shelves is for "Pickling" purpose and has a 7% acetic acid content) and put it in a cheap plastic spray bottle and you have a plant killer. It will kill almost any leaf you spray it on depending on how waxy they are some will be more resistant (that's why I suppose something like 20% would be even better) but it works great on dandelions, thorny bushes, grass etc. For dandelions just spray the leaves and the center of the flower. The entire plant dies out.

Dandelions and others with a long tap root will need a subsequent application because it won't kill the root, just all the leaves, but as long as the leaves are dead the root will die in pretty short order. The dead roots serve as manure.

When I checked with a local pesticide store - I found that there are a few commercial formulations based on vinegar now and they contain surfactants to make the liquid spread more evenly on the leaf. I even heard that a neem formulation works wonders.

Now that makes me wonder why aren't the farmers really adapting this? It's so cheap and easy - ain't it?

--> Continue Reading 'Did you Know - Vinegar can be used as an excellent Weed Killer'

Assembling My New Desktop - What I finally got - Part 3

This is the 3rd Part to the ongoing journey of me Assembling My New Desktop Rig at home.
The previous parts of this article are at:

• Assembling My New Desktop - Deciding on Configuration and Basic Stuff - Part 1
  
• Assembling My New Desktop - The Price War - Part 2

Well, I did get the PC assembled earlier this month. The entire rig costed me Rs. 42,000 (a little over USD 1000).

1	Processor	Core 2 Duo 2.66 GHz E8200-(6MB L2 cache 2.66Ghz 1333MHz)	Link
2	MotherBoard	Intel DG35EC Intel® G35 Express Chip 1333 FSB	Link
3	RAM	Transcend DDR 2 2 GB 800 Mhz (X 2 = 4GB)	NA
4	Hard Disk	Seagate Sata 2 500 GB (32 MB Buffer) - Barracuda 7200.11	Link
5	DVD Writer	Samsung 20X Sata	Link
6	Monitor	ViewSonic 22" VA2226W TFT Monitor	Link
7	Cabinet	Zebronics Antibiotic 3 LED Fans(1Side,1Black,Hop) Transparent Side Panel, Temperature Display, USB & Audio Port (With 450W SATA SMPS)	Link
8	Speakers	Creative SBS A500 5.1 Spkrs	Link
9	Keyboard / Mouse	Logitech Wired Multimedia Keyboard-Black
10	TV Tuner Card	Pixel View Play TV Pro 3 with FM (Internal)

I got all the components from S.P. Road in Bangalore and incidentally after a lot of bargaining with the prices and the specs.

I will write more on each of the components and what made me decide on taking the particular component and the particular brand.

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It's been long since I wrote

Sorry Folks, it's been quite some time since I wrote - a week to be precise. Well - here goes the lame excuse. I was busy with assembling my Home PC rig and lo it's been simply superb (more about it in the coming days - watch out).

Also, as most of you know - I have moved my work into Supply Chain Management(SCM) domain from my previous domain of Customer Relationship Management(CRM) , so that's a huge learning curve for me and I am trying to grasp on the new terminologies of Replenishment, Picking, Packing, Shipping, etc - a whole new world unfolds.

Thanks for all the mails and suggestions that most of you have sent me regarding my new desktop configuration. One constant reply that I got from most of the readers was - Why don't you get a laptop instead of a Desktop? I have replied to all the mails with my reasons for going in for a desktop than a laptop - I will post my thoughts on this issue in the coming days.

So, how's everyone doing? Do mail me back folks - jasonblr@gmail.com (just in case you forgot).

Wishing you a very cheerful and profitable days ahead in whatever you do and wherever you are.

Cheers!!
Jason

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Assembling My New Desktop - The Price War - Part 2

Well, this is the 2nd Part off the series I have started titled "Assembling My New Desktop" - Part 1 is titled "Deciding on Configuration and Basic Stuff" and is available here.

There's a lot of Price War and that's makes it that much more difficult to decide on the right spec. Do you sacrifice power/features for money? Well, sometimes you do have to.

After a lot of research - I could get the following price points of the different components in Bangalore, India as on 30th April, 2008. Currently the US Dollar costs about 40 Indian Rupees (1USD = 40 INR). All prices quoted in INR.

Core 2 Duo 2.66 GHz E8200-(6MB L2 cache 2.66Ghz 1333MHz)	8000
Core 2 Duo 2.66Ghz E6750-(4MB L2 cache 2.66Ghz 1333MHz)	7800
Intel DG33TL Intel® G33 Express Chip 1333 FSB	7200
GigaByte GA-G33M-S2H Intel G33 chipset	6000
Intel DG33FB Intel® G33 Express Chip 1333 FSB	5400
ABit Fatal1ty FP-IN9 SLI NVIDIA®nForce® 650i SLI 1333 FSB	6900
Transcend DDR 2 2 GB 800 Mhz (X 2 = 4GB)	1850 X 2
Western Digital Sata 2 500 GB (7200.10 RPM)	4150
Seagate Sata 2 320 GB (16 MB Buffer)	3500
Seagate Sata 2 500 GB (16 MB Buffer)	4600
Seagate IDE 320 GB (7200 RPM)	3600
Western Digital Sata 2 320 GB (7200.10 RPM)	3200
Lite - On 20X Sata	1400
Sony 20x (Sata DRU 170S)	1700
Samsung DVD - Writer 20x SATA SH-203B	1350
LG 20x	1300
Zebronics Antibiotic 3 LED Fans(1Side,1Black,Hop) Transparent Side Panel, Temperature Display, USB & Audio Port (Without SMPS)	2050
Zebronics Marco USB + Audio,120 mm side led fan	Don't know
Zebronics Rage USB & Audio, 220mm side Led Fan	Don't know
Novatech HTNT-2688-B With Display Cabinet (White / Black)	1750
ViewSonic 22" VG2230WM TFT Monitor	12900
ViewSonic 20" VG2021M TFT Monitor	11200
ViewSonic 19" VG1930WM Analog/Digital 15-pin mini D-sub/DVI-D	9850
Benq 19 '' E900W (DVI-D)	9700
Acer 22'' AL2216W	13400
Benq 19 '' FP92W (DVI-D)	9800
L.G. 19 " L1952S (15 Pin D-sub only)	10100
Logitech M50 MM 5.1 Spkrs	2310
Creative SBS 560 5.1 Spkrs	2600
Logitech G1 Gaming Desktop (Combo) - Wireless	1430
Logitech Cordless Desktop EX90-Black (Combo) - Wireless	1305
Gadmei TV 3488E External TV Tuner Box	950
Avermedia TV GO 007 FM Plus - Internal	1945

--> Continue Reading 'Assembling My New Desktop - The Price War - Part 2'