[How-To]Get the local time of any place using Google

Not many people know that Google can also be used to get the local time of any place. To get the local time of the place of your choice follow the steps mentioned below.

1.) Point your browser to www.google.com

2.) In the search box type What Time Is It <Name of the place>. For e.g. to get the current time of Bangalore type, What Time Is It Bangalore

3.) The search result has the first entry as the local time of the place you entered.

Also Read: [How-To] Embed Google Docs Forms in your Blog

[How-to] Get more blogging ideas using Google Alerts

How Google Search Really Works

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Cheers

Vaibhav

Google C++ Testing Framework Launched

Google Testing Blog has announced the launch of googletest the Google C++ Testing Framework. The framework is useful for writing automated tests to cover your code. Google’s framework for writing C++ tests on a variety of platforms (Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, Windows CE, and Symbian).

Based on the xUnit architecture. Supports automatic test discovery, a rich set of assertions, user-defined assertions, death tests, fatal and non-fatal failures, various options for running the tests, and XML test report generation.

Some of the features of this testing framework are:

• Google Test is portable: it works on a variety of platforms (Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, and more), with several versions of GCC and MSVC compilers, and with or without exceptions. You can even use it in embedded systems like Windows CE and Symbian. Build tools and test runners for many of these are under active development, with Linux Autotools support already in place.
• It supports both fatal and nonfatal assertions. The test will continue after a nonfatal failure. This allows more problems to be uncovered and fixed in a single edit-compile-test cycle.
• It provides many assertions for common testing needs, and lets you easily define new assertions for less common cases.
• On Linux, you can write death tests to ensure that your code crashes with expected errors.
• Because it’s based on the popular xUnit architecture, Google Test is easy to learn if you’ve used any testing framework in this family before.

The link here covers the basics of Google C++ Testing framework. Go ahead and give it a shot.

Also read: [How-To] Disable Simple File Sharing on Windows XP

[How-To] Recover lost Outlook PST Password

[How-To]Bypassing Passwords in Windows

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Cheers

Vaibhav

[How-To] Send and Receive Faxes over the Internet for FREE

Most of us do have to either send or receive faxes at one or the other time. During such moments, either we look up to the Fax machine located centrally somewhere in our office or go to the nearest center which provides fax services.

Image Source : Flickr

In this post, i shall describe some free services using which you can send and receive your faxes over the Internet for Free. However, this post shall be of interest mostly to readers outside India and primarily from US / Canada.

Over the internet we have many services which claim to provide free Fax service. However, they do bring with them a lot of strings. In this post, i am trying to categorize the service for a particular use : Sending Faxes and Receiving Faxes.

If you wish to Send Fax for Free, Faxzero.com is an interesting service. With FaxZero you can send 2 faxes daily. FaxZero only handles the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada at this time. The following are the terms for sending free faxes using FaxZero

• Free!
• Ad on the cover page
• Fax 1 document—maximum 3 pages
• Maximum 2 free faxes per day

In order to receive fax for free, visit efax.com. Using eFax , you can receive unlimited faxes and it shows up in your email as and when you receive the fax. With eFax, you’ll get a local or toll-free fax number that’s tied to your email.

Another interesting service you could consider for receiving faxes is FaxDigits. With FaxDigits, the faxes are sent to your email as a PDF. Also, like eFax, you can receive unlimited faxes.

Also read: [How-To] Get Serial numbers for your favorite softwares

[How-To] Automating data backup in Windows

[How-To] View Webcontent without Passwords

Create HTML Signatures in GMAIL using Better Gmail 2

You can also follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/vaibhav1981

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Cheers

Vaibhav

Keep the Guns off the street

The below embedded slow motion video from Youtube shows a bullet hitting various objects and the after effects captured in multiple frames played in slow motion. Have a look.

Lets keep the GUNS off the Streets and make peace. Live life to the full.

Also read: How Google Search Really Works

What is Twitter?

RSS in Plain English

You can also follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/vaibhav1981

Do stay tuned to Technofriends for more, one of the best ways of doing so is by subscribing to our feeds. You can subscribe to Technofriends feed by clicking here.

Cheers

Vaibhav

Understanding LinkedIn Architecture

Recently, At JavaOne 2008, LinkedIn employees presented two sessions about the LinkedIn architecture. Find below the embedded slides which talk about the architecture of LinkedIn as discussed during the JavaOne event.

LinkedIn Communication Architecture

LinkedIn - A Professional Social Network Built with Java™ Technologies and Agile Practices

Visit my LinkedIn Profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/vaibhavpandey

Also read: LinkedIn is now available on Mobile

You can also follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/vaibhav1981

Do stay tuned to Technofriends for more, one of the best ways of doing so is by subscribing to our feeds. You can subscribe to Technofriends feed by clicking here.

Cheers

Vaibhav

Whats your broadband speed?

I usually get this question about the varying Broadband speed from many of my readers. The usual question goes like this

I am on a 512 kbps unlimited plan but still my download speed is not more than 64kbps . Do you have any clues. Is my ISP cheating? Where can i measure my actual broadband speed?

So here you go, The first thing to remember is that most of the ISP’s sell the speed as upto speed and not a guaranteed speed. Also, upto speed usually is not the speed we get most of the times. In such scenarios if you really wish to test your current internet speed, Speedtest.net is for you.

Speedtest.net is a broadband connection analysis tool with a huge selection of geographically dispersed testing servers. Speedtest.net measures the performance of your broadband connection. At the end of each test, you are presented with the download (the speed of data from the server to your computer) and upload (the speed of sending data from your computer to the server) bandwidth speeds. The tests are performed completely within your web browser over HTTP (just like normal web browsing).

Speedtest.net initially recommends a server based on what it thinks is the shortest physical distance between you and one of the servers. However, because the Internet does not operate in direct paths, this recommendation may not be ideal. To best utilize Speedtest.net, find the server that provides the fastest and most consistent results and set it as your preferred server.

Click here to visit Speedtest.net and carry out your tests.

Also read: Open DNS: A big DNS Cache

Windows XP: Speed up Folder Browsing.

Get a faster firefox: FASTERFOX

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Cheers

Vaibhav

Tips for preventing your laptop from getting stolen.

Laptop theft is one of the fastest growing problems in this age of Information Technology and Security. Who can forget the nightmare scenario that occurred at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs around 2006 May?
A department analyst loaded a file onto his laptop and took it home for the night, where burglars promptly walked off with it — along with identifying information on 26.5 million veterans. While the laptop was eventually retrieved, most are not.

I derive the motivation for this post from such incidents. In this post, lets learn about a few basic tips which can certainly prevent your laptop from getting stolen.

1. Visual deterrents - A laptop in the office environment should be secured with a lock or put into a secure locker when not in use. An opportunistic burglar could be put off by a lock as they have only a small window of time to get out before they are discovered.

2. Don’t make it obvious you are carrying a laptop - Rather that a tell-tale laptop bag, laptops should be carried in inconspicuous bags, such as backpacks or tote bags.

3. Avoid leaving laptops unattended - Lock them in cupboards or other secure facilities when not being used. If they must be left in a car, they should be covered up or locked in the boot.

4. Discourage theft by publicising the use of security products such as asset tracking software - If thieves think that they might be caught, they will be less likely to take it in the first place.

5. Add identification to your laptop - For example, adding barcodes or engraving details onto the device will act as a deterrent. Thieves usually steal laptops to immediately sell them on. Obvious identification makes it a less desirable target.

6. When flying, never check your laptop in as luggage - Laptops should be taken onto a plane as hand luggage. Be aware of thieves swapping briefcases coming out of the x-ray machine at security.

Also read: [How-To] Disable Simple File Sharing on Windows XP

[How-To] Recover lost Outlook PST Password

[How-To]Bypassing Passwords in Windows

Source: Astalavista

You can also follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/vaibhav1981

Do stay tuned to Technofriends for more, one of the best ways of doing so is by subscribing to our feeds. You can subscribe to Technofriends feed by clicking here.

Cheers

Vaibhav

[How-To] Get Serial numbers for your favorite softwares

Earlier i wrote about a simple Google trick which can let you get Serials and product keys of the various softwares. Today, lets see a website which can also help you get the same.

YouSerials is one such website using which you can gain access to the repository of 54000+ serials of various softwares. The website also has some interesting features like Recently Added, Top Serials and Just Added.

To search serials for your favorite software, follow the steps below

1.) Point your browser to www.youserials.com

2.) Enter the name of the software in the search box.

3.) Press on Search.
4.) The list displayed contains serials for your favorite software.

Kindly note that i haven’t tested this website and do not take the authority of its hit ratio.

Cheers

Vaibhav

[How-To] Automating data backup in Windows

Data Backup is a crucial step towards a risk free and Healthy PC. However, the task of backing up the data manually is quite a boring job. The good news is that you can automate the data backup process in windows by following the steps mentioned in this post.

Make it a habit to backup your data. The best strategy for backing up your data is to do a full image backup, create an incremental backup every day and create a new full-image backup once a week.

1.) In your Windows machine, Click on Start->All Programs ->Accessories->System Tools-> Backup.

2.) Click on Next. The screen then asks you for an input, select “Backup Files and Settings” and click on Next.

3.) The next screen asks for your decision, “What do you want to Backup”. Based on your choice, you can choose an optimal option. I usually choose ” My Documents and Settings”. Once selected, click on Next.

4.) The next screen asks for Backup Type ( Preselected as File), Destination and name for the backup. Select a location where you wish to save the backup file. Its always safe to have the backup in a different device. Click on Next.

5.) In the screen which follows, clicking on Finish, starts the backup immediately, however, if you click on Advanced and click Next, you get a screen asking for ” When do you want to run the backup?”, Click Later, enter the start date and click on Set Schedule to enter the information into the Scheduler. The scheduler then runs the task as per the schedule.

This above mentioned process shall backup your data into a .bkf file with a name as mentioned by you. You can then use the same utility to restore the data back in case of need. Remember to select the option ” Restore Files and Settings”.

Also read: [How-To] Disable Simple File Sharing on Windows XP

[How-To] Recover lost Outlook PST Password

[How-To]Bypassing Passwords in Windows

You can also follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/vaibhav1981

Do stay tuned to Technofriends for more, one of the best ways of doing so is by subscribing to our feeds. You can subscribe to Technofriends feed by clicking here.

Cheers

Vaibhav

How does a DNS work?

I earlier wrote about OpenDns and how it can help you stay ahead while making a dns query. But interestingly, i met someone recently who quite didn’t understand the whole DNS and the resolution thing, for him and for all those of you who might be interested, this is the post.

Have you ever thought about how the website address you type in the browser address bar gets resolved to the IP address. This post describes the way Domain Name Servers resolve the web address to IP Address.

When you enter the address of a website into your web browser, the browser tries to identify the IP address of the server hosting this website. Follow the steps below to identify what happens behind the scenes.

1.) The user enters the web address for Technofriends (www.technofriends.in) ( URL –> Universal resource locater) in the browser’s address bar.

2.) The browser then contacts the local nameserver ( usually assigned in the IPCONFIG) and asks for the IP address of the webserver.

3.) If the local nameserver has this information in its cache, it passes this on to the client browser. If not, it sends back the reference to the Root DNS Servers.

4.) The client browser then gets in touch with the ROOT DNS Server and asks for the IP address of www.technofriends.in . The Root DNS server, then gives back a reference for .in DNS servers.

5.) The client then gets in touch with the .IN DNS servers for the IP of www.technofriends.in

6.) The .IN Server then returns a reference to the name server of TECHNOFRIENDS.IN

7.) Client then contacts the TECHNOFRIENDS.IN nameserver to get the IP of www.technofriends.in.

8.) The TECHNOFRIENDS.IN nameserver returns the IP Address of www.technofriends.in.

9.) Client browser then connects to the IP Address and gets the content.

You can get the DNS resolution steps of the website using DIG in Unix or NSLOOKUP in windows. You might even try out the web based dig tool available here.

Also read: What’s your IP Address?

Open DNS: A big DNS Cache

Do stay tuned to Technofriends for more, one of the best ways of doing so is by subscribing to our feeds. You can subscribe to Technofriends feed by clicking here.

Cheers

Vaibhav