OOPs.. I Don't have to do it again

Siemens Washing Machine : Kill the Buzzer

2012-01-19T03:20:00.001-08:00

The washing machine we have has the habit of sending out an irritating beep after it finishes the wash cycle.

Ok enough; but these intermittent beeps go on and on and on till it is sure everyone came back home after your attending your funeral. One awful engineer who programmed the chip.

Anyway, been looking around the net if there is a work around. Found this written by some Russian. I didn’t have patience to correct the grammar entirely. If the below does not work, there is always the option of an Axe and ‘hey Siemens,..Heeeere is Johnyyy!)

-- text

You can change the volume of the buzzer according
to your requirement.
The operation procedure:
1. Switch on the machine,turn the program selector
to Off .

2. Turn the program selector to cold Easy-care ,
press the additional function button Intensive
stains and dont let go. You can hear the volume
of the buzzer from minimum to maximum to off
cycled (I didnt hear this!). If you decide the volume that you wanted,
loosen your finger.

3. Finally,turn the program selector to Off . If
necessary,select other programs by turning
the program selector after several seconds.

4. If the volume of buzzer has been opened,you
can hear the audible feedback as same volume
as buzzer when you press Start button. If be
not opened,you can t hear the voice.The operation
may check if the volume of buzzer has
been opened.

About Pitroda & the C in Congress

2011-12-27T03:44:00.001-08:00

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-c-in-congress/892432/

For once, I think Mr. Mehta is mistaken.

Even if Congress was the paragon of virtue for 50 years as the author wishes them to be, it would have made no significant, in my opinion, to difference in attitudes towards caste.

For all its advancements, Americans of African origin started to join the mainstream only from the 80's. Oprah and MJ helped the process. Obama cemented it.

Secondly what is wrong in calling Sam Pitroda by caste? Why is it ever demeaning?

A child born does not understand what caste means. The narrow identity is instilled into it by society and parents. The only way the child can get out of this is if they identify with role models whose talent or professional success outshines the perceived limitations of caste identity.

If society still thinks it is shameful for Pitroda to be identified by a certain identity, then it denies opportunity to those currently in that bracket, to think of Pitroda as someone who transcended prejudice or discrimination.

I would appreciate Rahul in fact! He is emulating Mayawati, without spending on statues.

UML Use Case

2011-11-08T07:40:00.001-08:00

Do not try to make sense of it as an English word. Use of Case, Case of Use.. no no.

Use Case title is the statement of the actor's goal in a verb phrase. e.g. “Admit Patient”

Actor : Someone who has a goal in using the system. “Nurse”

Regular Expression for Numerics (Integer and Decimal)

2011-08-30T10:04:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you need to validate your ASP.net web form user input for numeric values.. The following works for me

Any integer, positive or negative

^[-+]?[0-9]*$

Validates
-9
9
12
1352345234
–3434134
+34

Does not validate
-9.6
+89.9

Any decimal/float value

Being: positive or negative, specified maximum length, limited number of decimals

^[-+]?\d{0,12}(\.\d{1,2})?$

Validates
123456789012.34
-123456789012.34
+123.45

D0es not validate
1234567890123
1234.123

Reversing Yakov Smirnoff

2011-08-05T05:26:00.001-07:00

Truncate LOG files of SQL Server

2011-07-19T11:43:00.001-07:00

USE tmssmall
GO
DBCC SHRINKFILE(tmssmall_log, 1)
BACKUP LOG tmssmall WITH TRUNCATE_ONLY
DBCC SHRINKFILE(tmssmall_log, 1)
GO

tmssmall is name of database

So… copy the above text entirely to Notepad

Ctr+H
Find what is ‘tmssmall’
Replace with is ‘yourdatabasename’
OK.
Copy the new text and execute query

Save space!!

Datatable Grouping in .Net 2.0

2011-04-18T12:34:00.001-07:00

This functionality is missing in the GridView control.

There are various ways to go about it. I thought I will do it without Ajax or other overheads.

The following code takes in a Datatable as input and returns the grouped Datatable as output.

Make the output datatable the source of any gridview!

The parameters allow multi column grouping and sorting

becomes

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Public Shared Function GroupDataTable(ByVal T1 As DataTable, ByVal GroupByColumns As String(), _
    Optional ByVal SortOrder As Boolean() = Nothing, _
    Optional ByVal SumColumns As String() = Nothing, _
    Optional ByVal HeaderCell As Integer = 0 _
    ) As DataTable

        Dim T2 As New DataTable
        Dim sortStr As String = ""
        Dim i, j, N, T, m As Integer
        Dim dR1 As DataRow
        Dim drSum As DataRow
        Dim xS As Double

        Try
            Dim dView As DataView = T1.DefaultView
            For i = 0 To GroupByColumns.Length - 1
                If String.IsNullOrEmpty(sortStr) Then
                    sortStr = GroupByColumns(i)
                Else
                    sortStr = sortStr & ", " & GroupByColumns(i)
                End If

                If Not IsNothing(SortOrder) Then
                    If SortOrder.Length > i Then
                        If SortOrder(i) = False Then
                            sortStr = sortStr & " " & "DESC"
                        End If
                    End If
                End If
            Next
            dView.Sort = sortStr
            T2 = dView.ToTable
            ' Sorting Done

            Dim Gr1 As String = ""
            Dim Gr2 As String
            T = T2.Rows.Count

drSum = T2.NewRow

            For j = 0 To T - 1
                m = m + 1
                Gr2 = T2.Rows(j + N)(GroupByColumns(0))
                For i = 1 To GroupByColumns.Length - 1
                    Gr2 = Gr2 & ">" & T2.Rows(j + N)(GroupByColumns(i))
                Next
                If Gr2 <> Gr1 Then   'Group changes
                    'Header row
                    Gr1 = Gr2
                    dR1 = T2.NewRow
                    dR1(HeaderCell) = Gr1
                    T2.Rows.InsertAt(dR1, j + N)
                    N = N + 1

                    'Summary row
                    If Not IsNothing(SumColumns) And j > 0 Then
                        drSum(HeaderCell) = "Rows: " & (m - 1)
                        T2.Rows.InsertAt(drSum, j + N - 1)
                        N = N + 1
                        drSum = T2.NewRow
                        xS = 0
                        m = 1
                    End If
                End If

                'create summary rows
                If Not IsNothing(SumColumns) Then
                    For i = 1 To SumColumns.Length
                        If Not IsDBNull(drSum(SumColumns(i - 1))) Then xS = drSum(SumColumns(i - 1))
                        If Not IsDBNull(T2.Rows(j + N)(SumColumns(i - 1))) Then xS = xS + T2.Rows(j + N)(SumColumns(i - 1))
                        drSum(SumColumns(i - 1)) = xS
                    Next
                End If
                '---------
            Next
            'Last summary row
            If Not IsNothing(SumColumns) Then
                drSum(HeaderCell) = "Rows: " & m
                T2.Rows.Add(drSum)
            End If

'Row increment done

T2.AcceptChanges()
T2 = T2.Copy

        Catch ex As Exception
            Throw
        End Try

Return T2

End Function

Reset Identity in Table – MS SQL Server

2011-03-16T04:13:00.001-07:00

Bloody syntax.. keep forgetting

DBCC CHECKIDENT (budgcodes, RESEED, 0)

DBCC CHECKIDENT (tablename1, RESEED, 0)

DBCC CHECKIDENT (tablename2, RESEED, 0)

phew.. like learning multiplication tables in primary school

I am a Congressi

2011-02-09T06:08:00.001-08:00

Really.. hope to get in someday :)

Inspired by Karunakaran and a famous mimicry

Re: The UPA’s split personality

2010-12-08T01:55:00.001-08:00

The UPA’s split personality

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-upas-split-personality/721805/0

Fantastic and incisive article!

The case does not only apply to 'Big' business.
Even when a startup business attempts to legitimately create value, it runs into the blurred rule structure defined by the state.
On the other hand, in a capitalist system, if a process/idea proves that Money can be made, then it will get made. Either by the originator, or the copier.
Also if there are enough parties aggrieved at losing money due to illogical/crony C policies of the state (ultimately represented by individuals responding to incentives), then they will provide the push to correct the imbalance.
South Korean history is a very good indicator.

The only solution to 'scams' is to bring in more and more competition.

The state does need to keep the moral balance to protect causes without an immediate monetary incentive, like the Environment. Let us hope such policing is always logical and not dogmatic which is what sometimes Mr. Jairam Ramesh is tending to be.

Samsung Remote Control – TV & DVD

2010-09-17T00:46:00.001-07:00

http://ars.samsung.com/customer/ctry/jsp/faqs/faqs_view.jsp?SITE_ID=24&isARS=Y&AT_ID=20131&ARS_ID=9050369

We have a 40’ Samsung LCD TV as well as a Samsung DVD Recorder with Hard Drive.

The remotes of the two machines works interchangeably. ie.; You can switch on/off TV, change source etc with the DVD remote. Likewise, you can pause, play, stop etc with the TV remote.

One fine day I find that the dvd remote is not being recognised by the TV.

Felt a bit like Excel files not recognised by Access! ;)

Luckily I found the link above after some searching.

To sort it out, I did the following

For DVD Players (Only If DVD Remote control has a TV Power Button)

Turn on the TV
Point the DVD's remote at the TV.
While holding the TV POWER button (on the DVD Remote) down, enter the code for your brand. (For Samsung it is ‘01’)
If the TV turns off, setup is complete.
Enter other codes of the same brand if the first code does not work.
To operate the TV, use the TVPower, Channel Up and Down, Volume Up and Down and TV Video Button.

Cool.

Sambar recipe

2010-07-22T02:25:00.000-07:00

In powerpoint..

did it long ago when my mother was giving me tuition on cooking :)

Fixing laptop keys

2010-03-17T05:59:00.000-07:00

Our 5 year old Acer Extensa laptop is being dismantled by Nandan.

2 years and a month old, and he can use the windows key to pop up the start menu, use the touchpad to go to his favorite program (skype, to check if Gaan-ma is Off ine or not).
Other shenanigans include opening all sites one by one in the favorites bar, playing minesweeper, changing skype profile image, changing windows user image (dont know how he manages this one), playing Reversi at expert level setting (maybe watching me on it most of the time)

Recently though I found two of the keys missing.
After searching and finding the parts, the problem was how to put them back!

I cannot offer any images here, though it would have been helpful.
To fit the key back, follow these steps

- Take out all pieces, dont leave anything on the keyboard. Usually there are 3. The button, and two other parts.
- The 2 parts apart from the button will fit into each other like an X
- In the case of Acer keyboard, one piece will go into the other and pivot, thus forming a movable X that moves freely at the midpoint.
- To make the pivot, there will be two pins sticking out of one piece which go into holes in the other piece. These holes are not very visible, but they are there! I found it after lot of attempts to fit the pieces in.
- OK. After getting the movable X ready, flatten it after hooking to the points in the keyboard. The two pieces will have their points which will snap in.
- Finally push the keyboard button into place and push it all the way down hard.
- Hopefully you will hear a couple of click sounds which is of the 2 parts binding to the Button

Good luck!

Acer laptop - Windows xp hangs after login

2010-03-17T05:23:00.000-07:00

But works perfectly in safe mode! Works with external mouse instead of touchpad!
Wierd.

Full scan did not find a virus. Including a rescue disc scan booting from Linux ;)
Was getting perplexed and frustrated.

The system became unresponsive the moment the username password screen came up.
Most posts pointed to a likelihood of failed driver.

The problem of all things was the BATTERY!
Apparently due to age, it was not providing enough power for the keyboard and mouse.

Also it would work if you disable the Microsoft ACPI compliant control from the Device Manager.
Best option is to replace battery.

It has arrived

2010-03-17T05:10:00.000-07:00

Been using for about 2 months ..
Newness and excitement is wearing off :)
Still polishing after a dirty drive though.

Engine could have had more power. Had opted for the 1.3 JTDM (the smallest diesel for the model), so cant really complain.
Has the nasty habit of stalling when moving off even at the slowest of speeds.

Looks are nice. No denying!

Object Events

2009-12-22T04:07:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been doing some thinking on the 'action' part of Objects.

Objects have properties. But how do you describe an action or an occurrence?

When the accelerator is pressed, the car moves.

One way I thought is that there could be an Observer object.
The Accelerator is subscribed to the Observer.

Upon Creation, Update or Delete of the target object, say A, a sequence of actions have to take place.
I was trying to find a structure for this.

Also CRUD events of A can be initiated by itself or another object B

So to start off, there has to be a table

Id -> unique eg= 7
Action -> Create/update/delete
TargetObj-> A
CallerObj-> A

for event id 7,
properties of [A], say A1,A2,A3.. have to be populated with values.
The structure for this operation needed a lot of thought and was quite frustrating.
(Yes I know exact same thing has been done before by someone, but I cannot find that information, nor is there anyone to guide)

Ok, getting back.

The key conclusions I derived are the following.

Upon event concerning [A],
A specific property of [A], say A1
can have

i- A static value
OR
ii- Value equal to a specific Property of a specific Object whose instance is dynamic
OR
iii- Value equal to a specific Property of a specific Object whose instance is static

To explain,
(i) is easy. Self explanatory
(ii) Property A3 = Property C3 (of object C, instance of which is derived through a property of A)
(ii) Also self explanatory.

Well if anyone has any queries or suggestions, please comment.

Something to look forward to..

2009-10-18T03:24:00.001-07:00

Lucky chap can get a newer car.
..Not that he can complain about the Corsa

Bit on the expensive side, low on practicality with the 2 doors and stuff.. but then its only one life that you got and might as well turn some heads during the time you are around ;)
I hope the blue eyed blondes in kindergarten take notice of the little naughty coming in the red car.

Have booked the Alfa 3 weeks or so ago. Red as in the pic, leather seats with some camel shade, 17'' alloys, Alfa DNA were included in the Distinctive version. 1.3 diesel engine as im not much into speed.
3-4 month wait for delivery!

Memories of Guj, Bacchon ka beer

2009-10-18T03:01:00.000-07:00

Not a Hoegaarden being served.. or is it?

The signboard font and the surroundings look very familiar. Interior Gujarat..or Rajasthan most likely.

Brings back some memories of Halol and the Zerox ("Jeerox") shops around which I killed a few years.

Source - unknown. Place unknown. Came in one of those fwd fwd fwd emails.
All credits to the original photographer.

Quotable quote - Review of "Gone with the wind"

2009-10-09T07:39:00.000-07:00

This was one funny review..and I fully agree with the person who wrote it.
Made me think of the similar pattern in Indian films where the protagonists are invariably of the upper class with appropriate surname - If NOT; then the character necessarily has to have certain undignified mannerisms that point to where he/she came from.
--

How can anyone seriously criticize this film? Well, some people can, but that’s not my point. The point is that this is the greatest American film since “Birth of a Nation.” Watch in awe as Scarlett and Ashley pine for the bygone days when the soft high sound of Negro laughter rises like the Louisiana marsh mist from the decrepit, rat-infested slave quarters swimming in lice and feces. Chortle with Rhett as he sprays misogyny across Georgia like an alley cat with a urinary tract infection. Pray with the Confederacy as it bravely attempts to defend time-honored traditions of patriarchal subjugation, racist contempt for human life and belligerent arrogance bordering on the psychotic. Boo and hiss as uppity Negroes humiliate the once proud South by asking for things like civil rights and a decent standard of living. Cheer for Scarlett (again) as she pops all her scruples like over-ripe zits in her pathological quest for a goal even she doesn’t understand. And finally, share in the triumph of the filmmakers as they achieve the astounding feat of creating sympathy and admiration for one of the most sordid and shameful chapters in American history. Can you think of any reason modern audiences might not be totally pleased with this sugar-coated atavism? I sure can’t.

Arch Stanton (Pasto, Columbia)

Finding obsolete DLL and OCX files

2009-10-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

Today I had to make an ancient application developed in VB6 work. This was to demonstrate to third parties that this app was once functional and used actively for business.

The code was provided in some backup CD. The programmer behind the project had long dissappeared.
Also most of the components used in the project were made by companies that have ceased to exist.

Result was that the code would not compile in my machine.
Errors were thrown up like "component xyz not registered" "Invalid Reference" and so on.

Only way was to find these dlls somehow and register them manually using regsvr32
But how?? and where to find them!

It was interesting to search for companies that made products such as SSINPUT1.ocx and sold them for $500+
Needless to say, then went either bust or got acquired. Those who acquired them got acquired and they in turn..... funny.

I made some discoveries which could be useful for people in a similar scenario
SSInput1 is an OCX control for data entry - SS stands for Sheridan Software - gobbled by Infragistics - gobbled by ComponentOne
SS also made a package of components and released them as ActiveInput 1.0

PVDateEdit, PVxxx,.. belongs to ProtoView - Another software company that does not exist any more.

Ok, now the way I found these dlls
Search in google or something with this string

"xyzcomponent.dll siteadvisor"
Eg:
http://www.google.be/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=ssinput1.ocx+siteadvisor&meta=&aq=0&oq=

www.siteadvisor.com will return a list of setup.exe files.
In my case they were programs used for Firefighting, Biotechnology, Glassmaking..

Install each one.
The respective program will register the needed dll or ocx.
Else find them in windows\system32

Uninstall after use.
Whew

Yet Another Biryani Recipe - YaBii?

2009-09-10T10:43:00.000-07:00

This is one extremely frustrating dish to make.
A tiny mistake and 3 hours of work tastes forgettable.

I used to make really good ones.. that too the 'kacchi' type.
Then suddenly I found that the touch was lost.. a bit like the form of Vinod Kambli.
Whatever you do, the triple centuries never come back.

I dont have a knack to keep things in memory, especially recipes.
Always prefer to look up on my scribblings saved txt with Notepad.

The losing of 'touch' was mostly due to a lapse of not writing down what I was doing.
Anyways.. what is gone is gone and I still dont remember what I used to do to make it smell, look and taste decent.

Many attempts (disasters) followed which were based on one or the other of hundreds of Biryani recipes floating around waiting to be BINGed.

Today I was too tired to refer to yet another recipe, and needed to do something quickly & get back to work. Had to rely on instincts.. although I admit I did refer to the list of spices.
(Please note that 'quick' and 'biryani' is generally not used in the same sentence)

The surprising thing was that this 'quickie biryani' came out way better than the previous attempts based on 'authentic' recipes. I think it also has less minefields to negotiate.

So without adding further to the prologue, here is my suggested way to make a relatively tasty biryani.

//Biryani Recipe for Two//

Decide -> Chicken or Mutton?
Lamb can be used although the frozen ones from NewZealand doesnt taste as good as mutton and is NOT close to the taste of a goat in Kerala.
Fish biryani, Beef biryani are jokes.
For the recipe here, I am using Chicken. Ctrl+F and replace Chicken with Mutton for mutton biryani.
-

>Always for Biryani buy a big whole chicken - with skin. Not assorted pieces of chicken.

> Pull out the skin and keep aside
> Cut 2 big pieces = 2 x (thigh+leg of each side). A good chicken will have some fat sticking to these pieces. More fat the better.
> Use the breast as large cubes if you want to, else use it & the rest of chicken for some other recipe.

> Take a large heavy bottomed pan and boil about 3 cups of water
> Add plenty of salt, say about 5 tsp

> Once water boils, put the chicken skin in the water along with spices
- Cumin Seeds 1 tsp
- Cinammon (use the Indian juicy variety) about a finger length broken into chewable pieces
- 4 cardamom pods
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp mace
- 2 Star Anise broken up
- 1/2 tsp whole cloves
- 1/2 tsp sliced ginger

Keep boiling till skin curls up and water becomes fatty
> Put the chicken pieces in and boil for about 5 mins till half done and the outside is white everywhere

> Retain water. Remove chicken pieces and keep aside. Discard the skin.
Make sure the water is still salty. Else add salt.
Salt will single handedly screw up the biryani if not in the right amount.

> Take some good quality Basmati rice and put into the water.
(Disregard all the crap you read about soaking for half an hour etc)
> Add some fresh mint leaves and fresh coriander leaves if available
> The water has to be enough so that the rice gets cooked fully, but doesnt remain soggy. This usually comes from experience.
The water cannot be more than required, else you will end up with pudding instead of biryani.
Better to have the water less. You can always add bit as the rice cooks and absorbs the water.

Parallely
> Heat oil or butter in Pan#2. Fry the half cooked chicken pieces along with the usual suspects of 'Indian'(misnomer) cuisine.
- Ginger sliced
- Garlic
- Green chillies sliced
- Turmeric
- Coriander powder
- Bits of each of the spices above that were used in boiling
- Salt if needed

> Once Chicken is dry, stop cooking Pan#2
> By this time the rice in the Pan#1 should be nearly dry and slightly glazing with chicken fat
>Lower the flame to least least possible. The rest of cooking should be done in the mildest of direct heat. The other option is to stop flame cooking at this point and use baking tray and oven.
I am here continuing with flame cooking..

> Add whole cashews, raisins into the rice and mix
> Separate the rice in the centre and bury the chicken inside it fully and spread the top evenly
> Put some salted butter pieces on top
> Cover Pan#1 with a lid tightly. A glass lid is better if you have it.

> In Pan#2, add butter and heat.
> Take an Onion and slice it wafer thin longitudinally
> Fry till brown adding a bit of sugar in between and take off heat
> The slices become crispy when they cool

> Take 1/4 cup hot water in a cup and add some saffron strands to it. Retain for 2 mins till water takes the colour

> Open pan#1. Spread the onions on top.
> Sprinkle saffron water over the rice
> Put lid back and cook (in lowest heat as was being done) for 5 mins more.
> Let it rest for 10 mins before serving

Biryani is DONE

Checklist
-Rice should be fluffy and not over cooked. Else disastru
-Rice should be having right amount of salt. Else disastru + waste of time.
-Rice should not be sticking at the bottom. Else use thicker pan next time, or else bake instead of slow cooking
-Bottom layer should be reddish with the spices & oil of the fried chicken and top layer should be white. When you serve, both layers should be given in a plate.

Preserving uniqueness without changing table structure

2009-09-07T10:50:00.000-07:00

This one took me a year to realise.
Yes a bit thick!
It is so simple, one wonders why it was not visible before.

I had to design a database table for charges against a service.

The charge depends on various parameters.
The usual way of representing would be to put the parameter values and the results in single unique record

Eg:
Z= f(x,y,z)
Z= 40.9 when x=1 y=2 z= 3

Record
Z x y z
40.9 1 2 3

Blow up the same methodology for cases like 3<=x<=9.5
For this, you would need columns such as
GEx GTx EQx LEx LTx
Populate with values and you can define a condition

Repeat for each variable.

You will end up having a table with fairly large number of columns.

I did not want this.

Also I was wondering about cases where say Y is a string and not a number.
This was posed as a question to ether space via this blog in an post made in Apr09

Z = 80.345 when x=1,z=3 and Y contains string "Singh"
Say it defines a taxi rate to the airport when your name is same as the driver's.

The solution I found is to represent these conditions as multiple records in a different table which a link to the unique rate record held in the 'rate' table.

I am sure this has been done before and used commonly!
Anyway, no one was there to tell me.

Quick Review : Blindness of Insight - Dilip Menon

2009-09-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

Whom do they address in the books they write?
Is the primary aim to convey the insight received during thought
Or
to use tedious vocabulary that appeals to peers but obfuscates the message to laymen

Maybe I am a bit thick, or I picked up a book not intended for me.
I wanted insights but ended up spending more of my time trying to decode the language and understanding what the author is trying to convey.

*Essay 1 - Why communalism is about caste*
I did not get the answer. The analysis was not convincing enough.
One problem I found in most of the book is the over emphasis on static analysis.
That economics, technology, Time, changes the way people think does not seem to be considered. The views of 1920 is extrapolated to 2000. What drove the actors a century ago drives another set today.
Reforms, Internet, Industrialisation, English.. what effect does these have?

I want answers for Tomorrow based on insights derived from events of yesterday.
Analysis of yesterday based on yesterday does not serve much purpose. Alteast to me.

The author says "neatness of categories like 'Hindu' and 'Muslim' hide the porousness of identities"
Very well said.
My question is, can you define ANY category that is not porous?

An individual is an individual. Classifications of people are bound to be porous.

Actually, in the next essay, the author classifies EMS neatly as a 'brahmin'.
Every publication of EMS is viewed through the prism of his caste based classification.

Maybe EMS did 'use' Marxism to fulfil himself or his caste.
I did not find much use of the analysis because I could not then go on to explain how the same Marxism under different leaders can be used for organised corruption today.

If the aim is to gain insights which would help one identify entrenched, manipulative interests of today; patterns that help build and upkeep these negative structures of today; then I probably need another book as this did not serve the purpose.

Apologies to Mr. S

2009-09-07T10:04:00.001-07:00

A quick one.
Mr. S seems to be changing from whines to actual reporting!

TOP n of Each -- SQL

2009-07-17T04:13:00.000-07:00

Suppose you have a table like this and want to know say the Latest 5 [INPUT] values for all [INST]
ie; you have to sort a given INST by date (descending), take the 5 top most from the result. Repeat for each INST and merge all results together.
Pretty easy if you have a FOR EACH or some other type of LOOP.

[DW_X]
ID PROP INST INPUT UPDATEDATE USERID DOMAIN
12 4 1 KUJU 7/14/2009 11:27 1 1
13 4 1 KUJU2 7/14/2009 11:28 1 1
14 4 1 Kuju 7/14/2009 13:41 1 1
15 4 1 kuju2 7/15/2009 9:48 1 1
16 4 1 Kuju3 7/15/2009 13:47 1 1
17 4 6 litlOne 7/15/2009 15:11 1 1
21 4 7 Kuju no 7/16/2009 9:59 1 1
22 4 7 Test1 7/16/2009 13:08 1 1
23 4 7 test2 7/16/2009 13:09 1 1
24 4 1 B 5/16/2009 13:09 NULL 0
25 4 1 C 5/16/2009 13:09 1 0
26 4 1 AA 5/16/2009 13:09 1 0
27 4 1 WW 5/16/2009 13:09 1 0
28 4 1 RR 3/16/2009 13:09 1 0

Instead of loops, you can achieve this by a single SQL statement.
Was trying and it works out like this (MS SQL syntax)

SELECT * FROM DW_X T1 WHERE
T1.ID IN
(SELECT TOP 5
T2.ID FROM DW_X T2 WHERE INST= T1.INST ORDER BY UPDATE_DATE DESC )

In practice, you might not even want to hard code the number 5.
In my case, I stored the value in another table.
This gives you the flexibility of getting the top n for each INST, where the 'n' can vary for each INST.

SELECT * FROM DW_X T1 WHERE
T1.ID IN
(SELECT TOP (SELECT Hist_Count FROM IDE_INST WHERE IDE_INST.Id=T1.INST)
T2.ID FROM DW_X T2 WHERE INST= T1.INST ORDER BY UPDATE_DATE DESC )

Gayathri Mantras

2009-05-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

I have been repeating this since age 5 in the order specified.
Thanks to my parents! Upto me to teach it to Nandan

OM ekadantAya vidmahe vakratuNDAya dhImahi ,
tanno dantiH prachodayAth ..

OM tatpuruShAya vidmahe mahAdevAya dhImahi ,
tanno rudraH prachodayAth ..

OM dAsharathAya vidmahe sItAvallabhAya dhImahi ,
tanno rAmaH prachodayAth ..

OM devakInandanAya vidmahe vAsudevAya dhImahi ,
tanno kRiShNa prachodayAth ..

OM kAtyAyanyai vidmahe kanyAkumAryai dhImahi ,
tanno durgA prachodayAth ..

OM mahAdevyai cha vidmahe viShNupatnyai cha dhImahi ,
tanno lakShmIH prachodayAth ..

OM vAgdevyai cha vidmahe kAmarAjai cha dhImahi ,
tanno devI prachodayAth ..

OM sarvasaMmohinyai vidmahe vishvajananyai dhImahi ,
tanno shaktiH prachodayAth ..

OM gurudevAya vidmahe parabrahmaNe dhImahi ,
tanno guruH prachodayAth ..

OM bhAskarAya vidmahe mahadyutikarAya dhImahi ,
tanno AdityaH prachodayAth ..

OM bhUrbhuvaH svaH tatsaviturvareNyaM bhargo devasya dhImahi ,
dhiyo yo naH prachodayAth ..

Om Tryambakam Yajamahe Sugandhim
Pushtivardhanam Urvarukamiva Bandhanan
Mrityor Mukshiya Maamritat

Shipment Rates Object

2009-04-21T02:41:00.000-07:00

A shipment carried by a haulier has a quoted rate that depends on the value of different variables.

I have been scratching my head for considerable time over this ..
I do have some ideas, maybe it will work.
Would appreciate if someone can put give their inputs

Shipment = S1

Source = L1
Destination = L2

Rate = $1.7532 / kg
if Gross wt > 1000kg AND <= 3000 kg

Rate = $1.2365 / kg
if Gross wt > 3000kg AND <= 9000 kg

Sender = "Phutt Air Ltd"
...

Shipment = S2

Source = L1
Destination = L2

Rate = 0.00

if
Sender = "Singh is Kingg Ltd"

-----------------
Object structure?

Everybody loves a good Whine

2009-04-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

I have a problem with Whines published in mass media which are predominantly based on prejudice.

http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/18/stories/2009031855770800.htm

It doesnt appeal to me at all when the author portrays rural India , column after column, as a joyless, hopeless place that cannot change from within.

Some can be very good at listing problems. I believe though that true ingenuity and courage, lies in proposing concrete solutions.
Courage, because what one proposes might fail and he/she has to be brave enough to own up the failure.

Individuals with a self perception of being weak will usually try align with the winning side. They do not take risks by having clear cut positions. Instead, the preffered low risk approach is blaming current systems and leaving the proposed alternate system with specs vague enough to be disowned.

This ensures that you always fall on the correct side of history.

Mr.S seems to imply that the only economy that can be 'just' is a communist-socialist one. The possible failure of the model, or whether the history of USSR would repeat itself in India, is not elaborated upon.
100 years would have gone by the time the flaws become apparent.. and you and I and Mr.S wont be around anymore!

Now the other thing I was wondering is, why do these views get published in mass media.

Perhaps it has some relation to an excellent article I happened to read in the International Herald Tribune called “The Daily Me”

The IHT article says how
“we generally dont truly want good information - but rather information that confirms our prejudices. We may believe intellectually in the clash of opinions, but in practice we like to embed ourselves in the reassuring womb of an echo chamber”

Maybe there is a class large enough whose 'Daily Me' consists of stories that Mr. S delivers? Maybe it confirms their prejudice that they are the perpetual victims.
My state is this because someone big is oppressing me; the system is configured against me
- and NOT that I stopped trying.

P.S.
It beats me how a delightful and balanced column by Mr. Harish Khare can co-exist in the same page with another from Mr. S that tilts so obviously to one side.

P.P.S
I didnt know that the Prime Minister likes what I like!
Cool!
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200906192015.htm

The best pen in the world

2009-04-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

If you still write instead of typing, then this is the pen I would recommend.
The writing is near perfect & my handwriting never appears better.

The engineers who spent days and nights solving viscosity problems, barely get the recognition they absolutely deserve.
(Funny, when i read about certain creators of a "search" algorithm)

Here is HariOm saying
THANK YOU !

Arigatou gozaimasu!

The pen being mentioned is a relatively cheap ball point with a refill called
SA-7
It is a 0.7mm dia.tungsten carbide ball

It is manufactured by Mitsubishi Pencils/ UNI
The pens that contain this refill are UNI-SAS FINE (0.7mm)
I have also found that UNI Lakubo has the same refill.
More info here
http://www.uniball.com/catalog/show/product.php?no=26

Good ringtone, Fun advert

2009-04-06T09:03:00.000-07:00

Although how it relates to chocolate is not very evident
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVblWq3tDwY

HMV

2009-04-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

The Truth, nothing but the Truth !!

http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/28/stories/2009032854911000.htm

Celebrating social emancipation in Tibet

N. Ram

History shows that resistance to anti-feudal reform was deeply entrenched in the Dalai Lama’s theocratic regime — fusing the causes of separatism and the preservation of feudal serfdom. The events of 1959 brought forward China’s project of freeing a million serfs.

Today the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) of the People’s Republic of China celebrates its first Serfs Emancipation Day, an official annual holiday. The commemoration has come half a century after the Democratic Reform did away with feudal serfdom and slavery and the theocratic system in Tibet, emancipated a million serfs, and laid the basis for the autonomous modern development of the region as part of the Chinese socialist system. It was on March 28, 1959 that the central government announced it would dissolve Tibet’s local government and replace it with a Preparatory Committee for establishing the Tibet Autonomous Region.

....contd

But right now, thousands of Chinese schoolchildren and university students are sampling the historical evidence at an exhibition on the ‘Democratic Reform in the Tibet Autonomous Region’ at Beijing’s Cultural Palace of Nationalities. You can see they are engaged, at points wide-eyed and wide-mouthed with astonishment, as they see and file past the documents, the photographs, the artefacts, and the instruments of the most savage medieval torture imaginable, which were employed, by both the lay and monastic serf-owning nobility, right up to the middle of the 20th century to conserve ‘friendly feudalism.’ In the last week of February, I spent a couple of hours at the Beijing exhibition, observing the exhibits as well as the reactions of the young visitors. It was a powerful and compelling unveiling of the truth.

--------------------------------------------------

Version (2) .. I watched Rashomon

--------------------------------------------------
http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13382035

Rejoice, damn you

China prepares to celebrate a dangerous anniversary

IT’S official: “Tibet has moved from darkness to light, poverty to affluence, dictatorship to democracy and seclusion to opening up.” So proclaims the notice at an exhibition in Beijing marking the 50th anniversary of Tibet’s “democratic reforms”. To celebrate, officials in Tibet have designated March 28th Serf Liberation Day. Lest anyone not share the mood of rejoicing, security will be tightened, dissidents kept behind bars and foreigners firmly steered away from the region.

With grim determination the authorities are trying to manufacture joy. Floral displays bedeck parts of Lhasa. The official media are filled with stories of happy Tibetans. In Beijing, the Tibet exhibition aims to show how the region has flourished under Communist rule after “centuries of slavery and suppression”. Pride of place goes to a diorama showing former serfs merrily chucking “feudal documents” into the fire.

...

YouTube may also be a victim. Access to it has been blocked in China since shortly after the Tibetan government-in-exile released video footage (denounced as a lie by China) purporting to show Tibetan protesters being beaten by Chinese police. No such slur is permitted in Beijing. The cause of human rights in Tibet, says an exhibition brochure, has made “remarkable progress”.