One fine morning an old and rediscovered friend of mine messaged me to let me that she felt her facebook account had been 'hacked'. Though later the problem seemed to have solved itself, (it was not a 'hacked' account, but just the overloaded facebook server), I none-the-less decided that I must put some of my thoughts on the subject of password protection here.
The first thing is to have a hierarchy of passwords. Two or three levels, as you like. The first is your main email. The password should be little complicated. Please for god's sake never give out this password to anyone. Avoid till the last limit, and if you essentially have to, change it the next moment you get access to it. Trust me guys, the only times I've lost my main email account is when I myself gave away the password to some supposedly"faithful "friends".
Going one step ahead, I was thankfully able to recover the password via, the Secret question/answer pair. The trick I use there is to keep a common, a bit complicated, secret answer. It has nothing to do with the secret question. This secret answer is only known to me and only me, (The main email password is at times known to my brother, for emergency uses, though for most folks it should be the second thing only known to you). This secret answer is common to all my services. This allows me to recover any password, using the secret answer, like a back-door key to one's house.
The second level of passwords are for little less important services like secondary email, personal workstations. These can be given to the near and dear ones as you might share few things over these services.
The third level is for casual services. The password should be trivial. It can be known to many folks and even if you lose any of the services protected my this password, it should not worry you. Newsgroups, workplace terminal logins, iPods and things like this enter into this category.
The second and third level passwords can be common to people depending on choice.
The first level password should of course consist of numbers. Since you are going to change it frequently, give the password some artistic touch. Write it down in a safe place, till you get used to it, as you might have a weak short-term memory and forget it the next day after changing it!
The second level of password should also consist of numbers, as most services now require numbers in the passwords.
There is another level of passwords which are very secured. The bank account passwords. They are generally more protected by the banks themselves, but one must be extra careful with them. One obviously does not give them away, but I've seen people do that also- I was once in a shop and there was a man on his phone. He was giving some travel agent his credit-card details. Trust me he spoke all that is required for me to buy from his account. So well be careful what you are revealing and where...
There is loads to write on this subject, but that's all for now guys. You are free to add your share in the comments section.
Key.
The reverse direction
So I was disturbed by someone constantly nagging me over phone and SMS one night and I wanted to sleep. So I pressed the phone off feature on my phone. I slept a peaceful night...
I woke up the in morning and wanted to check out all that I missed during the night and wanted my pending messages to be delivered. I turned on my phone and as is common with cellphone providers I had to wait till one by one all the messages were delivered to me over the next hour or so. Moreover, I was not sure if I did get all my pending SMS!
This brought me to a conclusion. What if SMS was not a push service, but a get service? Most tech-savvy folks would shudder at the thought, considering that they are running to even get email to become push. But I'm sure some of the old timers would love it. This difference of opinion has a solution, that, like email people should be allowed to choose if they want the service as push or get.
The advantages of SMS as a get service are many. I could finally be able to subscribe to those SMS information services like 'word-a-day', without worrying about the SMSs reaching me in the middle of the night, either due to the source server sending it then, or the SMS being stuck in the operator's network for hours(which is more of a problem).
Of course one can argue and say that - 'dude just tell your phone to not beep/vibrate to an incoming SMS and read all of them at leisure', but we all know that a pending SMS, always tempts us to read it. :)
I hope someone is listening to this.
Akshat
I woke up the in morning and wanted to check out all that I missed during the night and wanted my pending messages to be delivered. I turned on my phone and as is common with cellphone providers I had to wait till one by one all the messages were delivered to me over the next hour or so. Moreover, I was not sure if I did get all my pending SMS!
This brought me to a conclusion. What if SMS was not a push service, but a get service? Most tech-savvy folks would shudder at the thought, considering that they are running to even get email to become push. But I'm sure some of the old timers would love it. This difference of opinion has a solution, that, like email people should be allowed to choose if they want the service as push or get.
The advantages of SMS as a get service are many. I could finally be able to subscribe to those SMS information services like 'word-a-day', without worrying about the SMSs reaching me in the middle of the night, either due to the source server sending it then, or the SMS being stuck in the operator's network for hours(which is more of a problem).
Of course one can argue and say that - 'dude just tell your phone to not beep/vibrate to an incoming SMS and read all of them at leisure', but we all know that a pending SMS, always tempts us to read it. :)
I hope someone is listening to this.
Akshat
A drift
I would like to take pardon of my technical/idea readers and would like to use the feelings part of this blog. Here goes.
After a long long time today "Mystical Experience" made me breathless. I don't how Boyzone songs are just so perfect. I really want to spent the whole night sitting on the chair on the roof top on winter night and know I'm feeling the "Mystical Experience".
Life was many doors...
AKI!!!
After a long long time today "Mystical Experience" made me breathless. I don't how Boyzone songs are just so perfect. I really want to spent the whole night sitting on the chair on the roof top on winter night and know I'm feeling the "Mystical Experience".
Life was many doors...
AKI!!!
who is me?
So i started out with thinking 'who is me?' What I really want and what defines me. I think the question came from a sudden attack where all the rules, your set motos in life, your principles forbid you to do that one thing you wish to do more than anything. They prevent your heart from being free to control your mind, so much, so much, that you start to question your believes and then the question, is this really who I am and want to be? What defines me? Can I trust the things which define me...
And I looked at the one place which has always guided me, answered all my question, set all my moods- my iPod. And the first time in my life it disappointed me, it didn't allow me to venture into a zone where i wanted to be. My rebel machine, restrained me and I was shocked. I looked at my best friend in disgust and stopped it. It was then i realized my music was too constrained. For the first time in my life i felt what I thought was variety was not really true. And I played each of those varieties to realize they are all just me in different modes or in different situations.
I am standing at a crossroad which allows me to choose between what I want to do and what is safe and right. Its not that I'm saying what I want to do is wrong, just that i'm not sure if it right. It's not a road less travelled, but it's road for which i'll have to shed all my covering of my own set rules and principles. To go away from being me, to being what this sudden sparks wants me to be. For once to let go of all bonds and be naked in the track of life and make myself again. I want to step out and live a different me.
I think I've lost the self respect which I had for my own standing and I wish to use my entire experience in life to build a new me, seeing and knowing what people like me to be. To remove what I don't like about myself, without once caring if it disowns any or all of my life's principles!
I wish the morning light would shed light on the right path... Till then, i just wish to be in my dream... my own created dream.
Key!
And I looked at the one place which has always guided me, answered all my question, set all my moods- my iPod. And the first time in my life it disappointed me, it didn't allow me to venture into a zone where i wanted to be. My rebel machine, restrained me and I was shocked. I looked at my best friend in disgust and stopped it. It was then i realized my music was too constrained. For the first time in my life i felt what I thought was variety was not really true. And I played each of those varieties to realize they are all just me in different modes or in different situations.
I am standing at a crossroad which allows me to choose between what I want to do and what is safe and right. Its not that I'm saying what I want to do is wrong, just that i'm not sure if it right. It's not a road less travelled, but it's road for which i'll have to shed all my covering of my own set rules and principles. To go away from being me, to being what this sudden sparks wants me to be. For once to let go of all bonds and be naked in the track of life and make myself again. I want to step out and live a different me.
I think I've lost the self respect which I had for my own standing and I wish to use my entire experience in life to build a new me, seeing and knowing what people like me to be. To remove what I don't like about myself, without once caring if it disowns any or all of my life's principles!
I wish the morning light would shed light on the right path... Till then, i just wish to be in my dream... my own created dream.
Key!
The Capacitor Trick
We as not-so-professional engineers have a habit of not putting in the required capacitors at place. We generally ignore the safety, noise suppression capacitors in power supplies of all kinds. These don't lead to immediate failure or fault, but it hampers the life of the product. It also makes the device the unsteady and this directly hampers user experience, which is of critical importance.
Leaving that to the personal jurisdiction of my fellow engineers, I move on to tell about a good capacitor trick. There is nothing great about it, but it adds a lot of grace to the device.
It's as simple as : Attach a capacitor in parallel with any LED in the circuit which needs to blink. What does it do, you ask? Well rather than the immediate turn on and turn off, the LEDs turn on and off slow and smoothly. From zero intensity they slowly rise to full intensity turning on and similarly when turning off.
Try it in one of your upcoming projects and notice the grace it brings. Oh, by the by, adjust the capacitor value to suite your taste and blink speed requirement. The law is simple, more capacitance makes the LED take long time to turn on and off.
An example of a MacBook doing the same.
Enjoy.
Leaving that to the personal jurisdiction of my fellow engineers, I move on to tell about a good capacitor trick. There is nothing great about it, but it adds a lot of grace to the device.
It's as simple as : Attach a capacitor in parallel with any LED in the circuit which needs to blink. What does it do, you ask? Well rather than the immediate turn on and turn off, the LEDs turn on and off slow and smoothly. From zero intensity they slowly rise to full intensity turning on and similarly when turning off.
Try it in one of your upcoming projects and notice the grace it brings. Oh, by the by, adjust the capacitor value to suite your taste and blink speed requirement. The law is simple, more capacitance makes the LED take long time to turn on and off.
An example of a MacBook doing the same.
Enjoy.
Happy New Year
Hey readers,
First and foremost a very happy and prosperous New Year to you and all your loved ones.
Delhi has taken to being very cold. The weekend felt like hibernation period, I'm in my blanket all day just sleeping and eating. No going out, it's foggy and chilly. More so, my semester starts from monday and early 8am classes are making me relax more in these last two days.
Trying to catch up with a few ideas and will post them soon. And there is reason to rejoice, of all the new year resolutions, i'll be writing at least once in a week here. :)
More soon.
Akshat
First and foremost a very happy and prosperous New Year to you and all your loved ones.
Delhi has taken to being very cold. The weekend felt like hibernation period, I'm in my blanket all day just sleeping and eating. No going out, it's foggy and chilly. More so, my semester starts from monday and early 8am classes are making me relax more in these last two days.
Trying to catch up with a few ideas and will post them soon. And there is reason to rejoice, of all the new year resolutions, i'll be writing at least once in a week here. :)
More soon.
Akshat
Weekend Update
Haven't posted for two days now. I was not sure what to post and I felt I was going into the domain of "too-much-talking-no-working". So I did some paper work, which I hope to put here in few days.
I also did some testing of the hardware I'm developing and will develop the PCB. Some more testing and power supply design validation today. I'm using a transformer-less supply and the capacitor I've bought is rather large to fit in the design and I need to look for alternatives, SMPS is too complicated and expensive. Anyways this will take form eventually and more details on the google-sites project site I've build. Link soon guys.
I finally got the note for the second song of "Poz" and it's coming along pretty OK. Hope to finish it by next week. The coming week will be rather free, so hope to make more music.
Have borrowed brother's Play-station Portable (PSP) and having fun with it, it's in exchange for my iPod. Watched the movie "P.S. I love you" last night. Was fun.
More on the personal front, I've made a adsorption (mind it not absorbing) layer around me, so ideas and criticism from people don't penetrate right away. I keep them away from me and analyze when I have time, this reduces my frustrations from impulsive responses.
I'm working on my MS thesis, so I can build something useful in the 2 years.
Also working on the topic of "Points of failures in electronics", because I feel it's the prime most reason for people to hate or love things, especially electronic devices.
So loads on my plate for now. Technical posts will follow from tomorrow.
I also did some testing of the hardware I'm developing and will develop the PCB. Some more testing and power supply design validation today. I'm using a transformer-less supply and the capacitor I've bought is rather large to fit in the design and I need to look for alternatives, SMPS is too complicated and expensive. Anyways this will take form eventually and more details on the google-sites project site I've build. Link soon guys.
I finally got the note for the second song of "Poz" and it's coming along pretty OK. Hope to finish it by next week. The coming week will be rather free, so hope to make more music.
Have borrowed brother's Play-station Portable (PSP) and having fun with it, it's in exchange for my iPod. Watched the movie "P.S. I love you" last night. Was fun.
More on the personal front, I've made a adsorption (mind it not absorbing) layer around me, so ideas and criticism from people don't penetrate right away. I keep them away from me and analyze when I have time, this reduces my frustrations from impulsive responses.
I'm working on my MS thesis, so I can build something useful in the 2 years.
Also working on the topic of "Points of failures in electronics", because I feel it's the prime most reason for people to hate or love things, especially electronic devices.
So loads on my plate for now. Technical posts will follow from tomorrow.
