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November 3, 2011 • 12:43 AM 1

What is Thumb.db? How to get rid of Thumbs.db!

What is Thumb.db?

There’s a file called Thumbs.db in almost every one of the folders on your computer. What is it and how do you get rid of it?

Thumbs.db is a system file generated automatically by Windows XP when you view the contents of a folder in “Thumbnail” or “Filmstrip” view. Thumbs.db contains a copy of each of the tiny preview images generated for image files in that folder so that they load up quickly the next time you browse that folder. Thumbs.db also stores your settings with regard to thumbnail and filmstrip view.

Despite the fact that Thumbs.db is a hidden system file, it annoys people because it tends to show up in places where it’s not wanted. Many times you’ll try to zip up a folder full of images and e-mail them to a friend or upload them to an FTP site, and Thumbs.db goes along for the ride.

 

How to get rid of Thumbs.db!

To stop your computer from generating and regenerating future Thumbs.db files, do the following:
If you’re on the desktop…
  1. Click Start
  2. Control Panel
  3. Folder Options
Or, if you have My Computer or window explorer open…
  1. Click Tools
  2. Click Folder Options
After performing either of those two operations, the “Folder Options” window will open up.
  1. Click on the View tab
  2. Check Do not cache thumbnail
  3. Click Apply —> OK
       Once you click the OK button, your computer will cease to generate Thumbs.db files. If you delete any of the existing Thumbs.db files, they will not return. Be forewarned though, if you browse a folder that contains a large quantity of image files (or extremely large image files), it will take a long time for that folder to load even if you have previously browsed it because the thumbnail images will not have been cached in Thumbs.db.
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November 2, 2011 • 11:21 AM 0

What is HDMI?

HDMI is the abbreviation of High-Definition Multimedia Interface.

HDMI connects digital audio/video sources such as a set-top box, an HD DVD disc player, a Blu-ray Disc player, a PC, video game console,
or an AV receiver to a compatible digital audio device and/or video monitor such as a digital television (DTV).

HDMI makes an uncompressed digital RGB (Red, Green, Blue) connection from the source to the screen. By eliminating conversion to an analog signal, it delivers an unblemished image.

The non-degraded signal reduces flicker and leads to a clearer picture. HDMI intelligently communicates the highest output resolution with the source device.

The HDMI input is fully backwards compatible with DVI (Digital Video Interface) sources but includes digital audio. HDMI uses HDCP copy protection.

The picture below shows a HDMI cable:

clip_image001

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October 31, 2011 • 12:38 PM 0

Who Coined “Cloud Computing”?

Cloud computing is one of the hottest buzzwords in technology. It appears 48 million times on the Internet. But amidst all the chatter about cloud computing there is one question that has never been answered: Who said it first?

Some accounts trace the birth of the term to just a few years ago, to 2006, when large companies such as Google and Amazon began using “cloud computing” to describe the new paradigm in which people are increasingly accessing software, computer power, and files over the Web instead of on their desktops.

But Technology Review tracked the coinage of the term back a decade earlier, to late 1996, and to an office park outside Houston, Texas. At the time, Netscape’s Web browser was the technology to be excited about, the Yankees were playing Atlanta in the World Series, and the Taliban was celebrating the sacking of Kabul. Inside the offices of Compaq Computer, a small group of technology executives was plotting the future of the Internet business and calling it “cloud computing.”

Their vision was detailed and prescient. Not only would all business software move to the Web, but “‘cloud computing’-enabled applications” like consumer file storage would become common. For two men in the room, a Compaq marketing executive named George Favaloro and a young technologist named Sean O’Sullivan, the cloud computing idea would have dramatically different outcomes. For Compaq, it was the start of a $2 billion-a-year business selling servers to Internet providers. For O’Sullivan’s startup venture, it was a step towards disenchantment and insolvency.

Cloud computing is a neologism, an invented phrase, that still doesn’t appear in the Oxford English Dictionary. But its use is spreading rapidly because it captures a historic shift in the IT industry as more computer memory, processing power and apps are hosted in remote data centers, or the “cloud.” With billions of dollars of IT spending in play, the term itself has become a disputed prize. In 2008, Dell drew outrage from programmers after attempting to win a trademark on “cloud computing.” Other technology vendors, such as IBM and Oracle, have been accused of “cloud washing,” or misusing the phrase to describe older product lines.

Like “Web 2.0,” cloud computing has become a ubiquitous piece of jargon that many tech executives find annoying, but also hard to avoid. “I hated it, but I finally gave in,” says Carl Bass, president and CEO of Autodesk, whose company unveiled a cloud-computing marketing campaign in September. “I didn’t think the term helped explain anything to people who didn’t already know what it is.”

“The cloud is a metaphor for the Internet. It’s a rebranding of the Internet,” says Reuven Cohen, cofounder of Cloud Camp, a course for programmers. “That is why there is a raging debate. By virtue of being a metaphor, it’s open to different interpretations.” And, he adds, “it’s worth money.”

Part of the debate is who should get credit for inventing the idea. The notion of network-based computing dates to the 1960s, but many believe the first use of “cloud computing” in its modern context occurred on August 9, 2006, when then Google CEO Eric Schmidtintroduced the term to an industry conference. “What’s interesting [now] is that there is an emergent new model,” Schmidt said, “I don’t think people have really understood how big this opportunity really is. It starts with the premise that the data services and architecture should be on servers. We call it cloud computing – they should be in a “cloud” somewhere.”

The term began to see wider use the following year, after companies including Amazon, Microsoft, and IBM started to tout cloud-computing efforts as well. That was also when it first appeared in newspaper articles, such as a The New York Times report from November 15, 2007 that carried the headline “I.B.M. to Push ‘Cloud Computing,’ Using Data From Afar.” It described vague plans for “Internet-based supercomputing.”

Sam Johnston, director of cloud and IT services at Equinix, says cloud computing took hold among techies because it described something important. “We now had a common handle for a number of trends that we had been observing, such as the consumerization and commoditization of IT,” he wrote in an e-mail.

Johnston says it’s never been clear who coined the term. As an editor of the Wikipedia entry for cloud computing, Johnston keeps a close eye on any attempts at misappropriation. He was first to raise alarms about Dell’s trademark application and this summer he removed a citation from Wikipedia saying a professor at Emory had coined the phrase in the late 1990s. There have been “many attempts to co-opt the term, as well as various claims of invention,” says Johnston.

That may explain why cloud-watchers have generally disregarded or never learned of one unusually early usage—a May 1997 trademark application for “cloud computing” from a now-defunct company called NetCentric. The trademark application was for “educational services” such as “classes and seminars” and was never approved. But the use of the phrase was not coincidental. When Technology Review tracked down NetCentric’s founder, O’Sullivan, he agreed to help dig up paper copies of 15-year-old business plans from NetCentric and Compaq. The documents, written in late 1996, not only extensively use the phrase “cloud computing,” but also describe in accurate terms many of the ideas sweeping the Internet today.

Cloud 1.0: Entrepreneur Sean O’Sullivan filed a trademark on “cloud computing” in 1997. He poses at the offices of NetCentric, in Cambridge, Massachusetts during the late 1990s. 
Credit: NetCentric

 

 

 

 

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October 29, 2011 • 7:37 PM 0

How to Dry Out Repair or Save Cell Phone From Water Damage.

Have you dropped you phone in water and wondered what to do next? Well it may go dead and bringing it back to life is no miracle. This has happened to me a several times and I have managed to save it with ease. Just be calm and take these steps before time runs out.

Save Cell Phone From Water Damage

  • Remove the mobile out of water and drain as much water as possible, this has to be done as fast as possible without wasting a single minute. Thereafter you need to remove the battery, this will reduce the chances of a short circuit. Let the phone and battery dry under a fan or a lit bulb. Let it dry at least for a day.
  • Do not use a Hair Dryer or a blower. Try avoiding any exposure to extra heat as this may explode the battery or may even damage the mobile.
  • Another easy and good option is to take a bowl full of grains and immerse the phone into it, this will help in draining of the left over moisture. The phone can also be covered with packets of silica gel in order to wipe away the moisture content.
  • Always avoid the use of solvents such as alcohol for the purpose of drying, using this solvents can cause the internal adhesives used in the mobile body to melt causing further damage to your mobile.
  • Finally after 24-48 hours assemble your mobile and switch it on, if it powers on you have saved your phone or else you need to visit a nearest service centre.

Quick Tip

Remove the SIM card while removing the battery, even if the phone never powers on, you would at least save the contents of the SIM card such as those important contacts and messages from getting erased away.

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October 23, 2011 • 10:32 AM 0

World’s First 8 Core Desktop CPU ‘AMD FX Processor’ Launched

AMD Logo

AMD launched the AMD FX family of CPUs, delivering a fully unlocked and customizable experience for desktop PC users. The AMD FX series of desktop CPUs includes the first-ever eight-core desktop processor, enabling extreme multi-display gaming, mega-tasking and HD content creation for PC and digital enthusiasts – all for less than $245 (suggested U.S. retail price). This marks the first retail availability of processors that use AMD’s new multi-core architecture (codenamed “Bulldozer”), which is included in AMD’s upcoming server CPU (codenamed “Interlagos”) and the next-generation of AMD Accelerated Processing Units.

All AMD FX CPUs offer completely unlocked processor clock multipliers for easier overclocking, paving the way for PC enthusiasts to enjoy higher CPU speeds and related performance gains. Additionally, these processors use AMD Turbo Core Technology to dynamically optimize performance across CPU cores enabling maximum performance for intense workloads.

The below AMD FX CPUs will be available from global retailers. Additional AMD FX CPUs and systems based on the AMD FX processors will be available for purchase following the initial launch.

  • FX-8150: Eight cores, 3.6 GHz CPU base (3.9 GHz Turbo Core, 4.2 GHz Max Turbo), $245 suggested retail price (U.S.)
  • FX-8120: Eight cores, 3.1 GHz CPU base (3.4 GHz Turbo Core, 4.0 GHz AMD launched the AMD FX family of CPUs, delivering unlocked and customizable experience for desktop PC users. These includes the first-ever eight-core desktop processor, enabling extreme multi-display gaming, mega-tasking and HD content creation for PC and digital enthusiasts.Max Turbo), $205 suggested retail price (U.S.)
  • FX-6100: Six cores, 3.3 GHz CPU base (3.6 GHz Turbo Core, 3.9 GHz Max Turbo), $165 suggested retail price (U.S.)
  • FX-4100: Four cores, 3.6 GHz CPU base (3.7 GHz Turbo Core, 3.8 GHz Max Turbo), $115 suggested retail price (U.S.)

Without spending a small fortune, users can combine an AMD FX CPU with an AMD 9-series chipset motherboard and AMD Radeon HD 6000 series graphics cards to create the AMD “Scorpius” platform for an astounding gaming and HD entertainment experience. As part of the “Scorpius” platform, AMD FX CPUs also support AMD CrossFireX technology, which allows the combination of multiple graphics cards in a PC for stunning visual experiences, and AMD Eyefinity technology support for super resolution on up to six monitors.1 With AMD CatalystControl Center / AMD VISION Engine Control Center, users can get regular updates to help improve system performance and stability, and to add new software enhancements.

Chris Cloran, corporate vice president and general manager, Client Group at AMD:

“AMD FX CPUs are back with a vengeance, as validated by the recent feat of setting a Guinness World Records title for ‘Highest Frequency of a Computer Processor. While overclockers will certainly enjoy the frequencies the AMD FX processors can achieve, PC enthusiasts and HD media aficionados will appreciate the remarkable experience that AMD FX processors can provide as part of a balanced, affordable desktop system.”

 

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October 12, 2011 • 12:42 PM 0

PC chip that saves energy, is 60% faster.

WASHINGTON: Indian-American Raj Dutt, an IIT-Kharagpur alumnus, has developed a next-generation energy-efficient computer chip that has caught the attention of the Pentagon, which is testing its application in the ambitious F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

The breakthrough technology by Dutt, chairman and CEO of privately-held APIC Corp and Photonic Corp, helps computer processors consume up to 90% less energy and run up to 60% faster. “The significance of the technology is that information transfer on the semiconductor chip as well as between components, will now be done using light – photons – instead of just electrons (electronics ),” Dutt said.

There are many advantages in size, weight and especially power consumed, he explained during his recent trip to Washington. Photons do not generate heat, thus they do not need to be cooled. For electronics, cooling is one of the largest cost components.

“Photonic interconnects do not generate heat and use less size than electronic copper interconnects, so more transistors can be put onto a chip. Most significantly, we have figured out how to do this using the same economical process used in manufacturing semiconductor chips today , enabling them to be stamped out by the millions,” Dutt said.

Well aware with the potential of the computer chip, the US department of defence is fully supporting Dutt and his company. The Pentagon is testing the chip’s application in the ambitious F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

There are several benefits to the computer and defence industry, Dutt said. “First, for military platforms there are tremendous savings in size, weight and power required, while it simultaneously brings much more capability in bandwidth, processing power and speed,” he said.

Now, tens or even hundreds of separate signals (frequencies ) can be passed through a single fiber optic cable less than a 10th of the diameter of a human hair, rather than one signal through a copper cable, he said.

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September 23, 2011 • 2:40 PM 0

Will faster-than-light particles bypass Einstein????

Paris: Physicists reported that sub-atomic particles called neutrinos can travel faster than light, a finding that — if verified — would blast a hole in Einstein’s theory of relativity.

In experiments conducted between the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland and a laboratory in Italy, the tiny particles were clocked at 300,006 kilometres per second, about six km/sec faster that the speed of light, the researchers said.

“This result comes as a complete surprise,” said physicist Antonio Ereditato, spokesman for the experiment, known as OPERA. “We wanted to measure the speed of neutrinos, but we didn’t expect to find anything special.”

Scientists spent nearly six months “checking, testing, controlling and rechecking everything” before making an announcement, he said.

Researchers involved in the experiments were cautious in describing its implications, and called on physicists around the world to scrutinise their data, to be made available online overnight.

But the findings, they said, could potentially reshape our understanding of the physical world.

“If this measurement is confirmed, it might change our view of physics,” said CERN research director SergioBertolucci, a view echoed by several independent physicist contacted by AFP.

In the experiments, scientists blasted a beam producing billions upon billions of neutrinos from CERN, which straddles the French-Swiss border near Geneva, to the Gran Sasso Laboratory 730 kilometres away in Italy.

Neutrinos are electrically neutral particles so small that only recently were they found to have mass.

“The neutrinos arrived 60 nanoseconds earlier that the 2.3 milliseconds taken by light,” Ereditato told AFP.

Under Albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity, however, a physical object cannot travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum.

The fact that the neutrinos were moving through matter –including a slice of Earth’s crust — could not have causedthem to accelerate, said French physicist Pierre Binetruy, whowas not involved in the experiment but has reviewed the data.

“It might have slowed them down, but it certainly didn’t make them go faster than the speed of light,” he told French journalists last night.

Binetruy described the results “altogether revolutionary,” and said they will, if backed up, force physicists to go back to the blackboard.

“The theory of general relativity, the theory of special relativity — both are called into question,” he said.

Alfons Weber, a neutrino expert who participated in a similar experiment in 2007 at the US Fermilab, agreed that the faster-than-light neutrinos could not be reconciled with current theories, but said the results needed to be duplicatedelsewhere.

“There is still the possibility of a measurement error,” he said by phone. “It would be too exciting to be true. That’s why I’m cautious.”

The earlier test, conducted over the same distance, also gave a slight edge to neutrinos in the race against light, butthe results were within the experiment’s margin of error, said Weber, a reader in particle physics at Oxford University.

The CERN announcement was likely to prompt another round of more accurate tests in the US, he added.

Even if verified, however, the new findings would not entirely invalidate Einstein’s brilliant insights, which has held sway for more than a century.

“The theory of special relativity will still be a good theory if you apply it where it is valid, but there will have to be some extensions or modifications,” he said.

Newton’s theory of gravity, he noted, still explains the movement of planets well enough to send missions into space, even if Einstein’s theories proved that it was not quitecorrect.

Theoretical physicists are sure to begin searching for new explanations to account for the unsuspected quickness of neutrinos.

It could be that “the particles have found a shortcut in another dimension” besides the four — three in space, plus time — we know about, Binetruy ventured.

“Or it could simply mean that the speed of light is not the speed limit we thought it was.”

 

Source : http://ibnlive.in.com/news/fasterthanlight-particles-to-bypass-einstein/186898-2.html

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September 2, 2011 • 12:07 PM 0

Internet could get 100 times faster!

British scientists have devised a way of using graphene, the thinnest material in the world, to capture and convert more light than previously, paving the way for advances in high-speed Internet and other communications.

In a study appearing in Nature Communication, the team – which included Nobel Prize-winning scientists Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov – found that by combining graphene with metallic nanostructures, there was a 20-fold enhancement in the amount of light the graphene could harvest and convert into electrical power.

Graphene is a form of carbon just one atom thick and yet 100 times stronger than steel.

“Many electronics companies consider graphene for their next-gen devices. This work certainly boosts graphene’s chances,” said Novoselov, a scientist who with Geim won the 2010 Nobel Prize for physics for graphene.

Previous research has shown that electrical power can be generated by putting two closely-spaced metallic wires on top of graphene and shining light on the whole structure, effectively making a simple solar cell.

Due to the high mobility and velocity of the electrons in graphene, such graphene cell devices can be incredibly fast – tens or potentially hundreds of times faster than the rates in the fastest Internet cables in use today.

The main stumbling block to practical applications has so far been the cell devices’ low efficiency, the researchers said. The problem is that graphene absorbs little light – only around 3 per cent – with the rest going through without contributing to the electrical power.

In a collaboration between the Universities of Manchester and Cambridge, Novoselov’s team found they could solve this problem by combining graphene with tiny metallic structures known as plasmonic nanostructures, which are specially arranged on the graphene.

By using the plasmonic enhancement, the light-harvesting performance of graphene was boosted by 20 times without sacrificing any of its speed, they wrote in their study. Future efficiency could be improved even more, they said.

Andrea Ferrari of Cambridge University, who also worked on the team, said the findings show graphene’s great potential in photonics and in developing electronic devices that channel and control light. He said the combination of its special optical and electronic properties could now be fully exploited.

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August 27, 2011 • 9:50 PM 0

Google: Let Me Google That For You

I came across this “Let Me Google That For You (LMGTFY)” site and felt very interesting. The site creates an online page (a kind of demo) that is a capture of your Google search terms and it’s results.

Take a look at http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Test

 

Just replace the word “Test”  for whichever word you want like http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Knowledge , and place in address bar and press Enter and let Google automatically search for you.

This would come handy when you have to show someone on how to use Google and/or show that you find intended results just by Googling.

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July 10, 2011 • 10:40 PM 0

What is Hibernate mode?

Concept of Hibernate mode:

 

When you switch your laptop to hibernate mode, you are turning your computer off but saving everything you had up last while the computer was on. So when you turn it back on, the laptop will load up all the last work or whatever windows you had open before you enabled hibernate. As we all know when we restart our system, all the data that was present in RAM get vanished.

So how exactly this hibernate mode loads all the last work you had open before. In hibernate mode the current state of the system is saved in file called hiberfil.sys in your C drive and size of this file is around 1.5 Gb. Bydefault this file is invisible, if you want see this file

Goto folder options >> view >> choose show option and uncheck hide O/S protected files.

But I recommend you should always hide your O/S protected files.

So when you will choose hibernate mode your system will power down. When you will turn the system power back on, the saved information is read from the hiberfil.sys, restoring the last used settings.

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