Friday, 19 June 2015
How to create basic symbols with key board
How to create basic symbols with key board
Create symbols with keyboard makes your typing speed much faster than using character help. There are some basic symbols shortcut keys using "(Alt+Symbol code)" given blow image:-
Click the image for zoom
Monday, 15 June 2015
How To Backs Up All Your Windows Program & Settings
Windows: Whenever you’re doing a clean Windows installation , life is easier when you take all your settings with you. If you don’t want to do a full backup and restore of Your 'c' Drive or winodws installation drive, CloneApp backs up your Windows "programs and features " you can restore them later on .
CloneApp:-A fresh re-install always makes Windows much
faster but that means you lose all your program settings.
Clone App will Backup all your App settings from Windows
directories and the Registry and only those you really need.
CloneApp is completely portable, too, so you don’t have to
CloneApp is completely portable, too, so you don’t have to
install anything. Just extract the program to its own folder on the desktop and right-click it to launch it as an administrator. From there, check the programs you want to back up, and click Start CloneApp. It’ll back up all the necessary files and registry keys to its folder, which you can then copy to your new computer, launch the program, and click Restore to put all your settings back where on your program files or previous windows location.
you can download clone app from url: http://www.mirinsoft.com/
Thursday, 11 June 2015
5 Easy Ways To Backup Your Computer
1> Cloud Programs like Crashplan,Carbonite, & Backblaze
The most effective backup method is via cloud service, which protects your information in cyberspace. Another more traditional method is through a restore function within your computer or a hard copy backup of all your files. The reason the cloud services are more effective is that they update often without any work on your part. This type of backup is more inclusive. The likelihood of having different components backed up, such as photos, music, bookmarks, saved emails, and files is significantly higher. It simply provides the most up-to-date info accessible through an internet connection. You can also be selective of what you want to backup. For example, you could opt to never have temporary internet files backed up. This may be a good thing if your source of the crash was a virus downloaded via an internet app or email.
A major drawback to this type of backup is that cloud drives can be susceptible to hacking. The data is stored in cyberspace, where it may be at risk. This is something that needs to be researched with any cloud service. Each company has a security protocol, and it would be wise to find out if that company has ever been hacked or how it is rated among all the other cloud services out there. Like every industry, there are always good ones and then better ones.
2> Internal Backup
Most operating systems now have a “time machine” function where you can restore your computer to an earlier date. When you shut down each day, your computer saves all the programs and updates through that date. Being able to go back to a prior date might allow you to work around a suspicious file that has been downloaded that may be a virus or some other malware. This also is the simplest way to restore all your information. Internal backup systems on both Windows and Mac operating systems have become much more user-friendly over the years.
The downside of this is that other files may not be saved. Peripheral data obtained via the internet or files downloaded after the restore date may no longer be accessible. This could be very frustrating if, for instance, you collected many diverse sources for a project and then had your computer crash. Some of the research or even the breadcrumbs that may have led you to sources may not be readily apparent, and you risk having to reinvent the wheel.
3> External Hardrive
Investing in an external drive to store major files may be a good idea. This is sort of an old-school but comfortable way to have privacy and protection. This is what most people have seen IT departments use to restore computer function in the past. There are many who trust this alternative more than any other. It is user-dependent, since what is saved is what you consciously backed up. It has known parameters without external factors (relying on software or security) to protect your information.
The downfall is that if you have not backed up information recently, you might lose necessary or vital information and programs accessed since your last backup. This is the biggest problem with this sort of backup—it takes diligence to remember to backup information. It is common for people to forget to backup or save their work, and that human flaw can make your life harder if you depend on this method.
4> CD Backup
This is a more primitive method of system restore. Burning the inventory to a CD will, of course, provide you access to those files up until the date of it being burned; however, you have multiple discs to contend with as well as errors in burning that you may not have caught at the time you backed up those files. It may be unreliable to a degree. This sort of safety net allows for a great deal of issues, such as having incomplete copies of programs, glitches within the burning process, disk defectiveness, and human error. These all could be factors in making your day much more complicated.
5> Thumbdrive (Flashdrive, Pendrive)Backup
The most basic of backups of only prominent files to a thumbdrive is the most limited form of backup. Thumbdrives have relatively limited space and thus can not store much data. However, this is a very easy way to save information that came be taken anywhere at any time. You can take your entire desktop on vacation via a thumbdrive. The only drawback is the space capacity of the drive itself.
Using one or varying combinations of these sorts of backup methods will help to save you time and frustration when your computer crashes. It is better to be prepared, despite the cost of and amount of thought and energy needed to make such alternatives viable or more practical for the amount of information, the level of security, and the accessibility that you personally feel comfortable with. Each of these ways provides the basic remedy for the problem of a computer that has crashed. It comes down to personal choice, preference, and comfort. Which way works for you?
How to Surf the Website Like a Hacker
The average US adult spends 5 hours and 46 minutes in front of a computer, mobile phone or tablet. We spend some much of our lives using the Internet, so let’s learn some hack tricks to make life a little bit easier .
1> Reopen the last tab that you accidentally closed.
Use Command+Shift+T for Mac OS and Control+Shift+T for Windows. This works with Chrome and Firefox. This is perfect for when you’re comparing products on competing websites and accidentally close the wrong tab.
2> Open incognito windows to simultaneously use two Google accounts.
According to Microsoft in 2011, the average person in the US had 3 email accounts; chances are, that number has only gone up since then. A few years back, Google made all their products available to one login username. This means you can use Gmail, Hangouts, YouTube and Drive with the same username. What if your YouTube account and Gmail are on different email addresses? Instead of logging out, use a incognito window to be in both accounts at the same time. Use the short cut Command+Shift+N to open a incognito window in Chrome or a private window in Safari and Firefox.
3> Use password mangers so you never have to remember or type in a password again.
Password managers like LastPass and Mitro are great ways to save time and frustration. Password managers work as a plug-in for Chrome or Firefox. To use them, simply sign in to a website like Facebook or Gmail and the manger will ask you if you want to save that password for future use. It works across multiple computers so you can have the same passwords saved at work and at home. Companies have the option of setting up a company account so all passwords are saved with the company and access to them is granted through the plug-in which adds security to the network.
4> Use search function site: to search any domain specifically to find a page you lost.
Have you ever been browsing deep in to a website at work and found something interesting that you want to share? Then later, you go back to that site and cant find the path you took to access the page. Use the search operator, site:website.com, in Google search to have google search just that site. You can add a keyword after the operator to narrow down the pages on that site. For example, the search query, “site:lifehack.org”tips to surf “should return this page. Learn more search engine operators here.
5> In Chrome, leave a bookmark name empty to only display the icon and take up less space.
Is your bookmark bar in Chrome getting a little too crowded? Right click a bookmark, select edit, delete the name field and leave it blank, save. This will leave what is known as the favicon which is usually the logo of the site. If you need more room on the bookmarks bar use folders to further organize.
6> Use Adblock to filter out the advertising.
Sick of advertisements on your favorite content sites like Mashable and Digg? Download the plug in Adblock to filter those ads out of your browsing experience. There’re products available that block ads at the network level giving you an ad free experience on any device in your home .
7> Hover links to see their destination pop up in the bottom left corner.
Simply hover of a hyperlink in Chrome, then look at the bottom left corner to see where the link will take you. This is good for browsing at work and avoiding NSFW websites.
8> Hold command when you click on a link to open it in a new tab.
Want a link to open in a new tab but not sure if it will? Hold Command on a Mac or Control on a PC as you click to have it open in a new tab. You can also configure the scrolling wheel on your mouse to do the same function on click.
9> Highlight a term or phrase that you want to search for in Google, right click and click “search in Google.”
Simply highlight any term or phrase, right click and select search in Google, the Google search will open in a new tab, saving you some clicks in the process.
Featured photo credit: http://www.resqsoft.com/maintainable-code-2.html via resqsoft.com
How to Choose Your Next Laptop
1>Choose your OS
Pick the OS for your laptop and you can very quickly whittle down the number of options you have to pick from. It’s a good rule of thumb to stick to what you know for the sake of convenience, but sometimes a change can work wonders, so it’s worth making yourself aware of the options.
Buy a Windows 8.x laptop now and you’ll get a free upgrade to Windows 10 when the time comes. Windows 10 features a mixture of the old and new (see the live tile-enhanced Start menu for example) and it has a few clever tricks up its sleeve (such as biometric security support and Microsoft Cortana).
Windows is essential if you’re a serious gamer and often gets updates (Chrome, Spotify and so on) before Mac OS X does. On the downside, its ubiquity means it’s a popular target for hawkers of malware and spyware. But if you install a competent security suite and keep Windows patched there’s no need to lose sleep over it.
Then there’s Mac OS X. It has a reputation for being more stable and more secure than Microsoft’s OS, although that doesn’t mean you won’t run into problems. As with Windows, if you buy a laptop running Yosemite now you can have a free upgrade to El Capitan in the fall.
Apple’s desktop software is reliable, slick and easy on the eye (especially on Retina screens). Perhaps the only downsides are it takes some getting used to if you’re a seasoned Windows loyalist, and it’s very much geared up to work with other Apple products rather than anything else.
Google’s Chrome OS is continuing to attract users and has its pros and cons. If you live your laptop life in a browser, it has everything you want, and you don’t need to worry about security software, bloatware or backups. It boots up quickly and is less liable to slow down over time.
On the downside, it is just a browser. You’ll need a good Wi-Fi signal most of the time (apps like Gmail and Google Drive do have some limited offline functionality) and if you want access to your movie and music collections you’ll need them stored in the cloud somewhere.
2>Screen size
Every laptop is a compromise between screen size, power and portability so the question of how much travelling you’ll be doing with your new bit of kit is a major factor in choosing a screen size. The 11-13-inch models are preferable for use on the go; anything above that is a little unwieldy for carrying around on the train or the bus, though of course it can still be done.
If your laptop is spending most of its time sitting on a desk then you might consider a 15-inch or even 17-inch laptop to be worth the extra expense and bulk: it’ll certainly give you more room for movies, games and video editing panels. Resolution is important too: more pixels gives you a sharper screen and more flexibility.
Ultimately it comes down to personal preference and how you’re going to be using your computer: Larger screens mean less squinting and more space, whereas smaller screens equal more compact and lighter laptops. Smaller screens are also easier on battery life, of which more later.
3>Processor, RAM and storage
Internal specs aren’t as important as they used to be but, as the new MacBook shows, they’re still worth considering. It’s difficult to compare one set of specs against another (reviews can be helpful in gauging performance) but there are some broad pointers you can follow.
As far as the processor (CPU) goes, the number of cores and their GHz clock speed is the primary (though not the only) driver of performance: it’s essentially how fast your laptop can think and make calculations, and more cores and more GHz is always better.
RAM (Random Access Memory) is how much room your laptop has to think; how many video game frames or large movie clips or open browser tabs it can hold in its memory at once. When that memory gets full you run into performance problems. As far as laptop power goes it’s secondary to the CPU but it still plays a big role.
Then there’s storage, obviously the amount of data you can store on your laptop. All of the various cloud and backup services are helping reduce our reliance on local storage, but you should always keep copies. If you don’t have much in the way of movies, music and photos then you can save yourself some cash by opting for less space on board.
Most laptops also have some form of graphics card chip installed, though it’s combined with the CPU on cheaper models. These chips are most important if you’re a gamer or doing tasks that are very graphically intensive — video or photo editing, for example — but for everyday use you don’t need a massively powerful GPU inside your laptop.
4>Other considerations
Battery life can be a deal-breaker or irrelevant depending on how you’re planning to use your laptop, so shop accordingly. We would recommend checking out a review or two rather than trusting manufacturers to provide an accurate estimate of how long your battery is going to last.
The thinnest and lightest laptops usually offer best battery performance due to their low-powered components, but there is a performance trade-off to consider. How you use your laptop can make a substantial difference too, so take this into consideration as well.
If you have a lot of accessories or an external monitor to connect up then you should be thinking about port provision too. Wireless transfer (of files, music and so on) is becoming more ubiquitous thanks to its convenience, but wired connections still offer better speeds and reliability overall.
And then of course: price. We’ve avoided mentioning it much so far but for many of you this will be a huge factor; if that’s the case then the other considerations listed above aren’t so important. You usually get what you pay for though, so if you can, dig a little deeper.
Wednesday, 27 May 2015
Here's What To Expect With Google And Upcomming Android M (in year 2015)
The star of Google I/O is likely to be the company's Android operating system, especially if it unveils the next version of the software, dubbed Android M.
It's Google I/O time again, the time of year when the internet giant holds its annual developers' conference in San Francisco, showing off the cool stuff its army of engineers have been working on for the past 12 months.
The event, which will take place on May 28-29, draws thousands of attendees, all eager to hear from Google's top brass — CEO Larry Page gave an impassioned and much-discussed talk about the state of the tech industry in 2013 — learn about the latest products, and get their hands on the free swag that Google typically doles out (last year, attendees got two free Android Wear smartwatches).
Google hasn't said who will be speaking at this year's event, though it's a safe bet that senior vice president Sundar Pichai, recently promoted to be Google's head of products, will be leading the show. And while Google hasn't discussed which products will get the spotlight, we've put together a likely list.
Android M
The star of the show is likely to be Google's Android operating system, especially if Google unveils the next version of the software, dubbed Android M.
(Android versions are named in alphabetical order, with the current L version more commonly known as Android Lollipop. M could stand for any dessert — our bet is on Marshmallow, Milk Shake, or Mentos.)
Buzzfeed reported it could include a fingerprint unlocking feature, which could allow Android smartphones to match the iPhone capability that allows users to unlock the phone just by putting a finger on a special sensor.
The new Android could also provide users with more control over the personal information that individual apps access, enhanced support for voice commands, and built-in support for one-tap mobile payments through a new Android Pay feature, according to press reports.
Google could fold some of the new features into an update to the existing Lollipop version of Android rather than launching the brand new M version. A reference to Android M was spotted in the description of a session on the Google I/O calendar, but was promptly removed after news reports spread.
Hello Brillo
The Internet of Things is a goofy name, but as a technology trend it's hot right now. The idea is that PCs and smartphones are not the only things that should connect to the internet. Your fridge, washing machine, car, and even the lights in your bathroom could all be so much better if they were hooked up to a network so they could exchange data and be controlled remotely.
Google wants to help define this new interconnected world. Google purchased Nest, the maker of smart home appliances for $3.2 billion last year.
But according to The Information, Google has another Internet of Things play up its sleeve called Brillo. Basically Brillo would provide a common platform for electronic devices to interconnect. The technology will be especially well-suited for low-powered electronic devices that don't have a screen, according to The Information.
Competition to control the emerging Internet of Things is going to be tough: Apple, Microsoft, and Samsung are all working on technology too.
Mystery bluetooth device — Glass 2.0 or something else?
Google likes to take the wraps off new gadgets at I/O. Some turn out to be big hits, such as the $200 Nexus 7 tablet launched in 2012.
Others, not so much. Witness the orb-shaped Q streaming media player, unveiled with great fanfare at the same 2012 conference, and then killed before ever landing on store shelves.
Glass is another interesting example: Google unveiled the device with an over-the-top skydiver/BMX bike sequence at I/O in 2012. But Glass never caught on with the general public and in January, Google halted sales of the consumer version of Glass, noting that it was time for a "strategy reset."
So what's this year's surprise gadget?
One tantalizing clue can be found in an April filing that Google made with the US Federal Communications Commission. The filing is for a product identified only as "A4R-CAP1" and refers to a "Smart BLE device," which means a smart Bluetooth low-energy device. Most of the information in the filing is redacted.
But one detail that bloggers have homed in on is the description of the device's e-label. Some noted that the description for accessing the table — users swipe left-to-right and bottom-to-top to access certain information — sounded a lot like the way Glass is used, theorizing that this could be the first sighting of Glass 2.0.
Business Insider recently reported that the Glass team now appears to be working on traditional eyewear as well as "other related devices." So the mystery Bluetooth device could be one of various potential new products created by the Glass team.
Or, given that Google also has initiatives in TV, virtual reality and other gadgets, A4R-CAP1 could be something else entirely.
Virtual Reality
Google made waves last year with its Cardboard virtual reality headset. As the name suggests, the product is actually a just cardboard shell that houses a user's smartphone. With special software on the phone, the cardboard-smartphone combo becomes a makeshift VR headset. It's a simple trick that gave Google a foot in the emerging VR market, which could become increasingly important for gaming, entertainment and even shopping.
But with Facebook's Oculus now set to release its Oculus VR headset in 2016 and Microsoft pushing forward with HoloLens, Google may decide it needs to make a bigger push into virtual reality. A Wall Street Journal report in March said Google is working on a special version of Android for virtual reality.
Cars
Google and Apple both have their sights set on the ultimate mobile device: The automobile.
Google's Android Auto had its coming out party at last year's I/O, with partnership announcements with carmakers and demos showcasing its capabilities. Android Auto currently requires that a driver plug their Android smartphone into the car to access all the features, but Google also wants to embed Android directly into the car. The Google I/O calendar has a couple of developer sessions focused on the car, such as "Designing for Driving" and "Getting your app on the road with Android Auto."
Android Wear
The battle for the wrist is now underway, with Apple's recently released Watch challenging the first crop of smartwatches based on Google's Android Wear.
The Android Wear watches, which began shipping last summer, have not made a huge splash in the market and Apple's entry into the business means the pressure will be on Google to jumpstart its wearables effort. New hardware partners, better battery life and enhancements to the Google Fit health-tracking software are among the expected improvements, according to some reports.
Another interesting theory is that Google could make a version of Google Now, its personal assistant technology, for Apple's Watch.
Photo sharing, minus the Plus A new online photo sharing and storage service may be in the offing, according to a recent report in Bloomberg. The new service would apparently be separate from Google+, the struggling social network that has until now served as the hub for many of Google's photo sharing and storage features.
In fact, Google+ has been something of a question mark since the group's boss Vic Gundotra left the company in 2014. In March, Google's Bradley Horowitz announced that he was leading Google's "photos and streams products." The launch of a standalone photo service will raise more questions about the future of Google+.
The event, which will take place on May 28-29, draws thousands of attendees, all eager to hear from Google's top brass — CEO Larry Page gave an impassioned and much-discussed talk about the state of the tech industry in 2013 — learn about the latest products, and get their hands on the free swag that Google typically doles out (last year, attendees got two free Android Wear smartwatches).
Google hasn't said who will be speaking at this year's event, though it's a safe bet that senior vice president Sundar Pichai, recently promoted to be Google's head of products, will be leading the show. And while Google hasn't discussed which products will get the spotlight, we've put together a likely list.
Android M
The star of the show is likely to be Google's Android operating system, especially if Google unveils the next version of the software, dubbed Android M.
(Android versions are named in alphabetical order, with the current L version more commonly known as Android Lollipop. M could stand for any dessert — our bet is on Marshmallow, Milk Shake, or Mentos.)
Buzzfeed reported it could include a fingerprint unlocking feature, which could allow Android smartphones to match the iPhone capability that allows users to unlock the phone just by putting a finger on a special sensor.
The new Android could also provide users with more control over the personal information that individual apps access, enhanced support for voice commands, and built-in support for one-tap mobile payments through a new Android Pay feature, according to press reports.
Google could fold some of the new features into an update to the existing Lollipop version of Android rather than launching the brand new M version. A reference to Android M was spotted in the description of a session on the Google I/O calendar, but was promptly removed after news reports spread.
Hello Brillo
The Internet of Things is a goofy name, but as a technology trend it's hot right now. The idea is that PCs and smartphones are not the only things that should connect to the internet. Your fridge, washing machine, car, and even the lights in your bathroom could all be so much better if they were hooked up to a network so they could exchange data and be controlled remotely.
Google wants to help define this new interconnected world. Google purchased Nest, the maker of smart home appliances for $3.2 billion last year.
But according to The Information, Google has another Internet of Things play up its sleeve called Brillo. Basically Brillo would provide a common platform for electronic devices to interconnect. The technology will be especially well-suited for low-powered electronic devices that don't have a screen, according to The Information.
Competition to control the emerging Internet of Things is going to be tough: Apple, Microsoft, and Samsung are all working on technology too.
Mystery bluetooth device — Glass 2.0 or something else?
Google likes to take the wraps off new gadgets at I/O. Some turn out to be big hits, such as the $200 Nexus 7 tablet launched in 2012.
Others, not so much. Witness the orb-shaped Q streaming media player, unveiled with great fanfare at the same 2012 conference, and then killed before ever landing on store shelves.
Glass is another interesting example: Google unveiled the device with an over-the-top skydiver/BMX bike sequence at I/O in 2012. But Glass never caught on with the general public and in January, Google halted sales of the consumer version of Glass, noting that it was time for a "strategy reset."
So what's this year's surprise gadget?
One tantalizing clue can be found in an April filing that Google made with the US Federal Communications Commission. The filing is for a product identified only as "A4R-CAP1" and refers to a "Smart BLE device," which means a smart Bluetooth low-energy device. Most of the information in the filing is redacted.
But one detail that bloggers have homed in on is the description of the device's e-label. Some noted that the description for accessing the table — users swipe left-to-right and bottom-to-top to access certain information — sounded a lot like the way Glass is used, theorizing that this could be the first sighting of Glass 2.0.
Business Insider recently reported that the Glass team now appears to be working on traditional eyewear as well as "other related devices." So the mystery Bluetooth device could be one of various potential new products created by the Glass team.
Or, given that Google also has initiatives in TV, virtual reality and other gadgets, A4R-CAP1 could be something else entirely.
Virtual Reality
Google made waves last year with its Cardboard virtual reality headset. As the name suggests, the product is actually a just cardboard shell that houses a user's smartphone. With special software on the phone, the cardboard-smartphone combo becomes a makeshift VR headset. It's a simple trick that gave Google a foot in the emerging VR market, which could become increasingly important for gaming, entertainment and even shopping.
But with Facebook's Oculus now set to release its Oculus VR headset in 2016 and Microsoft pushing forward with HoloLens, Google may decide it needs to make a bigger push into virtual reality. A Wall Street Journal report in March said Google is working on a special version of Android for virtual reality.
Cars
Google and Apple both have their sights set on the ultimate mobile device: The automobile.
Google's Android Auto had its coming out party at last year's I/O, with partnership announcements with carmakers and demos showcasing its capabilities. Android Auto currently requires that a driver plug their Android smartphone into the car to access all the features, but Google also wants to embed Android directly into the car. The Google I/O calendar has a couple of developer sessions focused on the car, such as "Designing for Driving" and "Getting your app on the road with Android Auto."
Android Wear
The battle for the wrist is now underway, with Apple's recently released Watch challenging the first crop of smartwatches based on Google's Android Wear.
The Android Wear watches, which began shipping last summer, have not made a huge splash in the market and Apple's entry into the business means the pressure will be on Google to jumpstart its wearables effort. New hardware partners, better battery life and enhancements to the Google Fit health-tracking software are among the expected improvements, according to some reports.
Another interesting theory is that Google could make a version of Google Now, its personal assistant technology, for Apple's Watch.
Photo sharing, minus the Plus A new online photo sharing and storage service may be in the offing, according to a recent report in Bloomberg. The new service would apparently be separate from Google+, the struggling social network that has until now served as the hub for many of Google's photo sharing and storage features.
In fact, Google+ has been something of a question mark since the group's boss Vic Gundotra left the company in 2014. In March, Google's Bradley Horowitz announced that he was leading Google's "photos and streams products." The launch of a standalone photo service will raise more questions about the future of Google+.
Tuesday, 26 May 2015
Microsoft Introduce new edu-cloud (learning with fun)
Information technology giant, Microsoft has launched a
cloud computing-based offering Edu-Cloud with an aim to
Make Learning Fun.
It seeks to enhance digital learning and teaching in schools
and higher education institutions in India through virtual
learning platforms.
Edu-Cloud by with the help of cloud computing technology
will create, deliver and manage educational content from
any device, anywhere, anytime in order to make learning
easy and fun.
It is expected, Edu-Cloud will benefit around 1 million teachers and 6 million students in
over 1,500 institutes across India in next 18 months.
Initially the company will tie-up with the Hyderabad based Chaitanya group of
educational institutions which will adopt Edu-Cloud for its teachers and students in its
80 schools.
Teachers and students of these schools will use Microsoft’s Windows-powered tablets
in order to access rich, interactive and relevant content from cloud to make learning and
teaching more engaging and productive.
In Silicon Valley Employee has No time to eat, drinks are there meals.
AN FRANCISCO: Every night, Aaron Melocik, a software developer, follows a precise food routine. He blends together half a gallon of water, three and a half tablespoons of macadamia nut oil and a 16-ounce bag of powder called Schmoylent. Then he pours the beige beverage into jars and chills them before bringing the containers to work the next day at Metrodigi, an education technology start-up.
At the office, Melocik stashes one Schmoylent jar in the refrigerator and takes the other to his desk. From 6.30am to 3.30pm, he sips from the first jar for breakfast, and the second for lunch. He consumes about 14 fluid ounces of Schmoylent each day so he can focus on coding instead of grabbing a bite to eat. "It just removes food completely from my morning equation up until about 7pm," said Melocik, 34, who has been following his techie diet since February.
Boom times in Silicon Valley call for hard work, and hard work - at least in technology land - means that coders, engineers and venture capitalists are turning to liquid meals with names like Schmoylent, Soylent, Schmilk and People Chow. The protein-packed products that come in powder form are inexpensive and quick and easy to make - just shake with water, or in the case of Schmilk, milk. While athletes and dieters have been drinking their dinner for years, Silicon Valley's workers are now increasingly chugging their meals, too, so they can more quickly get back to their computer work.
Demand for some of the powdered drinks, which typically mix nutrients like magnesium, zinc and vitamins, is so high that some engineers report being put on waiting lists of one to six months to receive their first orders. And the drinks are taking off across techie social circles. Venture capitalists have also poured money into the companies that offer the meal replacements, and investors including Alexis Ohanian, a founder of Reddit, count themselves as fans of the drinks.
"My dream would be if I could just pick up some at the airport, pre-made in the refrigerator section," said Ohanian, who invested in Soylent and treats the drink as a fallback meal. The entrepreneur says he will whip up a batch of Soylent and sip it the whole day when he is too lazy to make something to eat.
In March, the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz served Soylent-inis and Soylent Whites at a cocktail event in Austin. Some members of the firm, which has invested in Soylent, have even gone on a Soylent cleanse, drinking only the liquid for several days, said Chris Dixon, an Andreessen Horowitz partner.
Other coders are customizing the meal replacements to social occasions. On a Saturday evening, Pulak "Potluck" Mittal, a 23-year-old software engineer, hosted a dinner party for half a dozen techie friends. On the menu were pad thai noodles and a side dish of Soylent.
Soylent's success has created opportunity for imitators, who are mixing and marketing their own powders. Alex C Snyder , known on internet forums as "Axcho," quit his job at the software company Linden Lab last August to sell his own variants of Soylent, like Schmoylent and Schmilk. Many of his repeat customers work in technology.
Soylent, Schmilk typically taste like bland, gritty pancake batter. But never mind that, since the meal replacements save techies money and time. While a meal generally costs upward of $50 at Silicon Valley-area restaurants, a week's worth of Soylent totals $85.
The time wasted by eating is, in Silicon Valley parlance, a "pain point" even for the highest echelon of techie. Elon Musk, Tesla's founder, once said, "If there was a way that I couldn't eat so I could work more, I would not eat. I wish there was a way to get nutrients without sitting down for a meal," according to a new book on the entrepreneur, written by Ashlee Vance.
At the office, Melocik stashes one Schmoylent jar in the refrigerator and takes the other to his desk. From 6.30am to 3.30pm, he sips from the first jar for breakfast, and the second for lunch. He consumes about 14 fluid ounces of Schmoylent each day so he can focus on coding instead of grabbing a bite to eat. "It just removes food completely from my morning equation up until about 7pm," said Melocik, 34, who has been following his techie diet since February.
Boom times in Silicon Valley call for hard work, and hard work - at least in technology land - means that coders, engineers and venture capitalists are turning to liquid meals with names like Schmoylent, Soylent, Schmilk and People Chow. The protein-packed products that come in powder form are inexpensive and quick and easy to make - just shake with water, or in the case of Schmilk, milk. While athletes and dieters have been drinking their dinner for years, Silicon Valley's workers are now increasingly chugging their meals, too, so they can more quickly get back to their computer work.
Demand for some of the powdered drinks, which typically mix nutrients like magnesium, zinc and vitamins, is so high that some engineers report being put on waiting lists of one to six months to receive their first orders. And the drinks are taking off across techie social circles. Venture capitalists have also poured money into the companies that offer the meal replacements, and investors including Alexis Ohanian, a founder of Reddit, count themselves as fans of the drinks.
"My dream would be if I could just pick up some at the airport, pre-made in the refrigerator section," said Ohanian, who invested in Soylent and treats the drink as a fallback meal. The entrepreneur says he will whip up a batch of Soylent and sip it the whole day when he is too lazy to make something to eat.
In March, the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz served Soylent-inis and Soylent Whites at a cocktail event in Austin. Some members of the firm, which has invested in Soylent, have even gone on a Soylent cleanse, drinking only the liquid for several days, said Chris Dixon, an Andreessen Horowitz partner.
Other coders are customizing the meal replacements to social occasions. On a Saturday evening, Pulak "Potluck" Mittal, a 23-year-old software engineer, hosted a dinner party for half a dozen techie friends. On the menu were pad thai noodles and a side dish of Soylent.
Soylent's success has created opportunity for imitators, who are mixing and marketing their own powders. Alex C Snyder , known on internet forums as "Axcho," quit his job at the software company Linden Lab last August to sell his own variants of Soylent, like Schmoylent and Schmilk. Many of his repeat customers work in technology.
Soylent, Schmilk typically taste like bland, gritty pancake batter. But never mind that, since the meal replacements save techies money and time. While a meal generally costs upward of $50 at Silicon Valley-area restaurants, a week's worth of Soylent totals $85.
The time wasted by eating is, in Silicon Valley parlance, a "pain point" even for the highest echelon of techie. Elon Musk, Tesla's founder, once said, "If there was a way that I couldn't eat so I could work more, I would not eat. I wish there was a way to get nutrients without sitting down for a meal," according to a new book on the entrepreneur, written by Ashlee Vance.
TIPS FOR STUDYING SMARTER
Boning up for a work course or a school test? Trying to learn a new skill? Cramming late, devoting a whole day to nothing but bio, reading that training manual 20 times?
You’re doing it wrong. So very, very wrong.
Nailing the art of studying right can be a scientific task. Two professors — Henry Roediger and Mark McDaniel at the Washington University in St. Louis — and author Peter Brown condensed the best study knowledge, based on scientific papers published over the past few years, in a new book, Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning. Roediger distilled his 6 top tips for successful learning. We’re talking the best ways to retrain new knowledge for the long haul.
Pull up a seat, and start taking notes.
1. Take those notes by hand. That’s right: Go Luddite. In a board meeting or a freshman survey hall, think pen and paper. ”When typing, students tend to record information as though they were taking dictation,” Roediger says. Handwriting is slower, ”so they have to think harder about the material to distill it,” he says, discussing a study just published this April. So yes, it might seem painful to put pen to paper in class, but you’ll save study time in the end.
2. Don’t study — practice. Stop re-reading the same passage 20 times. Searching your brain for what you’re trying to remember keeps things fresher. In one of Roediger’s own studies, subjects who took a test were more likely to do better on a subsequent test then those who studied. It’s not just about remembering the information, but using the brain muscles to practice retrieving the information too. That’s what a test — and real life — requires of us.
3. Pace yourself. Cramming puts a lot of info your head, fast, but it also leads to fast forgetting. “Spacing helps embed learning in long-term memory,” Roediger says.
4. Sleep on it. If you never want to think about conjugating French verbs again, pull an all-nighter before a test. But if you’ve got info you want to keep for the long haul, plan some zzz’s. Your brain needs time to catch up and process all you’ve stuffed in there. Sleep is when it happens.
5. Multi-task subjects. Maybe you’ve got finals this week in history, bio and psych. Yuck. If you’ve only got three days to study, don’t tackle just one subject a day, Roediger says. Devote a bit of time every day to each of the subjects, and you’re more likely to ace those tests. Roediger cites a 2012 study that says we’re more likely to confuse similar things when studied together — like if you’re trying to cram on the differences between four kinds of biological processes that all kind of sound the same — than if we break the biology up a bit with something else.
6. Test yourself. These are the professor’s words, not ours. ”Make up practice tests and take them repeatedly as you study,” he says. This goes back to tip No. 2 — finding ways to pull things from your mind. Plus, this way, you’ll learn what you need to work on.
Monday, 25 May 2015
The DifferenceBetween the echo and print Commands
Generally you have seen the echo command used in a number of different ways to output text from the server to your browser. In some cases, a string literal has been output.
In others, strings have first been concatenated or variables have been evaluated.
But there is also an alternative to echo that you can use: print. The two commands are quite similar, but print is a function-like construct that takes a single parameter and has a return value (which is always 1), where as echo is purely a PHP language construct.
Since both commands are constructs, neither requires parentheses.
Since both commands are constructs, neither requires parentheses.
By and large, the echo command will be a tad faster than print in general text output, because it doesn’t set a return value. On the other hand, because it isn’t implemented like a function, echo cannot be used as part of a more complex expression, whereas print can. Here’s an example to output whether the value of a variable is TRUE or FALSE using print, something you could not perform in the same manner with echo, because it would display a Parse error message:
$b ? print "TRUE" : print "FALSE";
The question mark is simply a way of interrogating whether variable $b is TRUE or FALSE. Whichever command is on the left of the following colon is executed if $b is TRUE, whereas the command to the right is executed if $bis FALSE.
I generally, use echo, and I recommend that you do so as well until you reach such a point in your PHP development that you discover the need for using print.
Tuesday, 19 May 2015
internship at Facebook is really like
Elizabeth
Gregory, a former product design intern, says working at Facebook is
like joining a "coalition of startups." You hardly notice you're one of
thousands of employees.
In some ways, Facebook's Menlo Park campus feels like Disney World, with lots of shops and people everywhere.
But it's not all about the cool bonuses: Facebook treats its interns like full-time employees, which means it also expects you to work like a full-time employee.
Interns work on real projects that are on Facebook's roadmap -- not busy work designated for interns.
Hyla Wallis, Facebook's university operations lead, said the company views internships as an evaluation programme of sorts.
"(It's) an opportunity for us to get to know our interns and for our interns to get to know us," she told us.
Three former Facebook interns told us what it's really like to temporarily join the biggest social network in the world -- an internship that career site Glassdoor says is its highest rated this year.
It's also one of the highest-paying gigs a college student can land. Facebook interns get paid about $5,600 per month on average. That's $25,000+ more than the average US citizen.
But it's not all about the cool bonuses: Facebook treats its interns like full-time employees, which means it also expects you to work like a full-time employee.
Interns work on real projects that are on Facebook's roadmap -- not busy work designated for interns.
Hyla Wallis, Facebook's university operations lead, said the company views internships as an evaluation programme of sorts.
"(It's) an opportunity for us to get to know our interns and for our interns to get to know us," she told us.
Three former Facebook interns told us what it's really like to temporarily join the biggest social network in the world -- an internship that career site Glassdoor says is its highest rated this year.
It's also one of the highest-paying gigs a college student can land. Facebook interns get paid about $5,600 per month on average. That's $25,000+ more than the average US citizen.
Facebook
gives interns a lot of responsibility and independence. Elizabeth
Gregory is a former product design intern who worked for Facebook last
summer.
She says working at Facebook is like joining a "coalition of startups." You hardly notice you're one of thousands of employees.
"Each team is working hard on a particular project, and it doesn't really feel that big," she said.
Patricia McKenzie, a recently-hired software engineer who interned at Facebook last summer, agrees. She used to book conference rooms and share them with five other interns to collaborate even when they'd been given different assignments.
"It's a really open work environment," she said.
"I worked harder than I ever had before," another former intern said of his time at Facebook.
While Facebook might not feel large from a team perspective, its Menlo Park campus is expansive. It's decked out with bike lanes, cafeterias, coffee shops, ice cream parlors and barbers.
"It totally felt like a college campus on steroids," she said. "But it was so much more fun and well kept."
"They had a bartender come in and make cocktails"
As much as Facebook prioritizes work, it encourages fun, too.
McKenzie, who interned in Facebook's Seattle office, said that she's still friends with a lot of the people she worked with last summer. There's a Facebook group for those who work in Facebook's Seattle office called "Seattle Social," where employees post open invitations for events.
Facebook organizes its own community-building activities, too. One former intern referenced an outing to a baseball game, and McKenzie described her experience playing dodgeball in a company tournament.
"I was able to be on a dodgeball team with my manager, and I don't think a lot of other people can say that," McKenzie said.
Facebook also offers free meals for interns and employees daily, possibly the internships greatest perk. The company brings in bartenders for special happy hour celebrations on Thursdays.
"Every Thursday they had cocktail time," one intern said.
"Mark Zuckerberg had a desk that looked exactly like mine"
Facebook's billionaire CEO Mark Zuckerberg doesn't hide away in a luxurious office during the work day. He sits with other Facebook employees and kindly greets workers -- interns included.
"Mark Zuckerberg has a desk that looked exactly like mine," Gregory said. "Same computer, same everything, so that was really nice... He was a really nice guy, and he always said hi to me walking around even if he didn't know exactly who I was."
As an intern, Gregory said she got to sit in on a meeting with Zuckerberg.
"I was just observing, but it was cool to see what Zuck was like," she said. "It was very intense because he just spews wisdom at you."
In addition to the weekly Q&A meetings on Friday, where Zuckerberg and other executives hold town halls to address employee questions, female interns got to attend a special meeting with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.
"All the female interns got to meet Sheryl and talk to her," McKenzie said. "She gave this presentation with a few other female managers and engineers about not just being a woman in tech, but it any field that's underrepresented."
What Facebook looks for in its interns
Internships at companies like Facebook are competitive and selective, but Wallis says the company generally looks for candidates that can "tackle really hard problems." If you're applying for a software engineering internship, experience participating in hackathons is a bonus.
"If they can display things that they've been working on over time, like apps, those are the things that we'd want to see."
And, previous experience isn't always the most important thing.
"(We) definitely look for the skills that they have maybe more so than some of the experiences they have," she said.
She says working at Facebook is like joining a "coalition of startups." You hardly notice you're one of thousands of employees.
"Each team is working hard on a particular project, and it doesn't really feel that big," she said.
Patricia McKenzie, a recently-hired software engineer who interned at Facebook last summer, agrees. She used to book conference rooms and share them with five other interns to collaborate even when they'd been given different assignments.
"It's a really open work environment," she said.
"I worked harder than I ever had before," another former intern said of his time at Facebook.
While Facebook might not feel large from a team perspective, its Menlo Park campus is expansive. It's decked out with bike lanes, cafeterias, coffee shops, ice cream parlors and barbers.
"It totally felt like a college campus on steroids," she said. "But it was so much more fun and well kept."
"They had a bartender come in and make cocktails"
As much as Facebook prioritizes work, it encourages fun, too.
McKenzie, who interned in Facebook's Seattle office, said that she's still friends with a lot of the people she worked with last summer. There's a Facebook group for those who work in Facebook's Seattle office called "Seattle Social," where employees post open invitations for events.
Facebook organizes its own community-building activities, too. One former intern referenced an outing to a baseball game, and McKenzie described her experience playing dodgeball in a company tournament.
"I was able to be on a dodgeball team with my manager, and I don't think a lot of other people can say that," McKenzie said.
Facebook also offers free meals for interns and employees daily, possibly the internships greatest perk. The company brings in bartenders for special happy hour celebrations on Thursdays.
"Every Thursday they had cocktail time," one intern said.
"Mark Zuckerberg had a desk that looked exactly like mine"
Facebook's billionaire CEO Mark Zuckerberg doesn't hide away in a luxurious office during the work day. He sits with other Facebook employees and kindly greets workers -- interns included.
"Mark Zuckerberg has a desk that looked exactly like mine," Gregory said. "Same computer, same everything, so that was really nice... He was a really nice guy, and he always said hi to me walking around even if he didn't know exactly who I was."
As an intern, Gregory said she got to sit in on a meeting with Zuckerberg.
"I was just observing, but it was cool to see what Zuck was like," she said. "It was very intense because he just spews wisdom at you."
In addition to the weekly Q&A meetings on Friday, where Zuckerberg and other executives hold town halls to address employee questions, female interns got to attend a special meeting with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.
"All the female interns got to meet Sheryl and talk to her," McKenzie said. "She gave this presentation with a few other female managers and engineers about not just being a woman in tech, but it any field that's underrepresented."
What Facebook looks for in its interns
Internships at companies like Facebook are competitive and selective, but Wallis says the company generally looks for candidates that can "tackle really hard problems." If you're applying for a software engineering internship, experience participating in hackathons is a bonus.
"If they can display things that they've been working on over time, like apps, those are the things that we'd want to see."
And, previous experience isn't always the most important thing.
"(We) definitely look for the skills that they have maybe more so than some of the experiences they have," she said.
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