Games I Loved to Play Back Then!

I started using computers back in 1992. At that time, in my village, only few computers were in use. None of them had those fancy and costly GUI or mouse. Almost all of them ran DOS and I remember one Apple machine which started malfunctioning the very next day I joined the computer class. As everyone else, for me computer class means, playing games and boasting everywhere else that I am a hardcore programming geek :-) So, here I am going to share my experience about few games which I played as a kid.

1. Paratrooper

This was the first game I saw on a PC. That was the first PC I ever saw itself. When I walked in to the computer classroom, I saw a girl tapping the keyboard franticly. I looked in to the screen and some helicopters and paratroopers. WOW! That was cool. I thought in few days, I could also do many such things in computer (i.e. I thought I could develop a game itself!) It is a very crazy game. When 3 or more paratroopers land on any one side, you are doomed. Also you should be careful about those bombers.

2. PC Man

This is the second game I saw in action. It was usually played by those seniors or tutors in the class. We just sit behind them and cheer them. I remember seeing one person going up to 8 or 9th level. This game was awesome and it was highly addictive. This looks great those black and white PC screens.

3. Dangerous Dave

This game is the first side-scrolling game I ever played. It was bit advanced compared to PC Man or Paratroopers. It had entirely different levels, guns, jet-packs, wrap-zones (bonus levels). It has 10 exciting levels. In every level, we need to collect a trophy to get access to the door. We have played till we have attempted all funny things in that game and scored up to all possible digits showed 9 :-)

4. Prince of Persia

The first game with descent storyline and good graphic (yes, back in those days). You have to fight sultans to rescue the princess from the evil Jafar. To open a door, there are keys on floor. In some level (I don't remember), the key would be in a very distant and dangerous place. Even a second's delay the door will close before you return. There are magic potions to give health, ability to survive falls etc. And to note, this is the first game in which I used cheat codes. You can increase health, instantly kill enemy, increase time left etc with those cheat codes!

5. Wolf 3D

There was a new PC one day. It had color monitor. It had a mouse! And it had Wolf 3D on it! Wow!!! This became the favorite game of mine for 3 years. I played and played till those crazy 3D effects gave me headaches and nausea. But still, the sessions used to continue for hours. If you are a Nazi hating person like me, then this is your game! You can kill those evil Nazis, even today from your PC ;-) This game also had cheat codes. I just go in to god mode (can't be injured) and take all weapons and start shooting anything on sight!

Those were the golden days of PC games. PC had a different meaning back then. We enjoyed games with minimal effects but great concepts. We even wrote some games in GWBASIC. Even today when I am free, I visit http://www.msdosgames.com/ and play my childhood favorites. Given are just few games. I loved lot more games like Ninja Turtles, Shadow Knights, DemonStar, Lion King, Aladdin, F1 Race, Road Rash and hell lot of others. Please share your childhood game experiences in comments. Thanks for reading.

ஆண்ட்ராய்டு கருவிகளில் தமிழ் தட்டச்சு

<<<Read this article in English>>>
<<<இதை ஆங்கிலத்தில் படிக்க>>>
இப்பொழுதெல்லாம் அனைவரும் ஒன்றோ அல்லது ஒன்றுக்கும் மேற்பட்ட ஆண்ட்ராய்டு கருவிகள் வைத்துள்ளனர். அதே சமயம் இணையத்திலும் நிறைய தமிழ் மொழியில் எழுதப்பட்ட கதைகள், கட்ருரைகள், கவிதைகள், செய்திகள் மற்றும் பல உள்ளன. இவற்றை நாம் வாசிக்க முடியாமல் போவதற்கு முக்கிய காரணம், இவற்றை நாம் எவ்வாறு தேடுவது? கூகிள், யாஹூ, பிங், டக்டக்கோ போன்ற முன்னணி தேடுபொறிகள் தமிழ் வலைத்தளங்களையும் தேடக்கூடியவையே. ஆனால் நாம் எப்படி அதைத் தேடுவது? ஆங்கிலத்தில் தட்டச்சு செய்தா? கணினியிலாவது நாம் சில மென்பொருள்களின் மூலமோ ஆன்லைன் மொழிமாற்றிகள் மூலமோ தமிழில் எழுதலாம். ஆனால் மொபைல் மற்றும் டேப்ளெட்களில் என்ன செய்வது?

உங்களுக்குதவ இதோ வருகிறது ஒரு நல்ல ஆண்ட்ராய்டு மென்பொருள். AnySoftKeyboard with Tamil layout extension. (எனிசாப்ட்கீபோர்டு மற்றும் தமிழ் இணைப்பு)

இதை உங்கள் ஆண்ட்ராய்டு கருவியில் பெற கீழே உள்ள எழிய வழிமுறையைப் பின்பற்றவும்:

1. முதலில் உங்கள் கருவியில் தமிழ் எழுத்துக்கள் சரியாக காண்பிக்கப்படுகிறதா என்று சோதிக்க இந்தப் பக்கத்தை உங்கள் கருவியில் உள்ள browser-இல் பார்க்கவும்.

குறிப்பு: பெரும்பாலனவர்களுக்கு இந்தப் பக்கத்தில் உள்ள தமிழ் எழுத்துகள் சரியாகத் தெரியும். ஒருவேளை இந்த பக்கம் சரியாகத் தெரியவில்லை என்றால், உங்கள் கருவியில் தமிழ் எழுத்துக்களுக்கான font இல்லை என்று பொருள். இதை எப்படிப் பெருவது என்பது இணையத்தில் உள்ளது. அதை நீங்கள் உங்கள் விருப்பப்படி செய்துகொள்ளுங்கள்.

2. கூகிள் பிளே ஸ்டோரில் இருந்து எனிசாப்ட்கீபோர்டு மென்பொருளைப் பதிவிறக்கம் செய்யவும். இந்த இணைப்பைப் பயன்படுத்தவும்.

3. எனிசாப்ட்கீபோர்டு தமிழ் இணைப்பை இந்த இணைப்பில் இருந்து பதிவிறக்கம் செய்யவும்.

4.இந்த இரண்டும் உங்கள் கருவியில் install செய்யப்பட்டபின், உங்கள் கருவியில் "Settings -> Language & Keyboard "க்குச் செல்லவும்.

5. அதில்  "AnySoftKeyboard"-ஐ அனுமதிக்கவும்.

6. உங்களிடம் இந்த மென்பொருளை நீங்கள் அனுமதிக்க விருப்பமா என்று கேட்கும். இது பொதுவாக எந்த தட்டச்சு மென்பொருள் பயன்படுத்தினாலும் கேட்கப்படுவதே! இது கட்டற்ற மென்பொருள். ஆகவே, பயமில்லாமல் அனுமதிக்கவும்.

7. இப்பொழுது, sms, browser அல்லது வேறு ஏதாவது எழுத்து உள்ளீடு செய்யும் பகுதிக்குச் சென்று, long press செய்யவும். ஆண்ட்ராய்டு 4+ கருவிகளில் notification பகுதியில் select input method மூலம் இதை செய்யலாம்.

8. ஒத்த ஓசையுடைய எழுத்துக்களை பெற அவற்றை long  press செய்யவும். எடுத்துக்காட்டாக "ஆ" டைப் செய்ய "அ"-வை long press செய்யவும். "ய" டைப் செய்ய "ஐ"-யை long press செய்யவும்.

9. உயிர்மெய் எழுத்துகளைப் பெற மெய் எழுத்தை முதலில் டைப் செய்துவிட்டு பின் அதற்கான உயிரெழுத்து இணைப்பை டைப் செய்யவும். எடுத்துக்காட்டாக "பூ" டைப் செய்ய, "ப" டைப் செய்துவிட்டு, பின் "உ"-வை long press செய்து வேண்டிய துணை எழுத்தைத் தேர்வுசெய்யவும்.

10. "AnySoftKeyboard settings"-இல் "suggestion"-ஐ நிறுத்துவதன் மூலம், உங்கள் தட்டச்சு அனுபவம் மேலும் நன்றாக இருக்கும்.

சிறப்பம்சங்கள்:

1.  முற்றிலும் கட்டற்ற மென்பொருள். விளம்பரங்களோ கட்டணமோ இல்லை. மூல நிரலைப்பெற இங்கே சொடுக்கவும்.

2. ஆங்கில QWERTY தட்டச்சைப் மனதில் கொண்டு வடிவமைக்கப் பட்டது. ஆகவே, எழிதாக நினைவல் வைத்துக்கொள்ளலாம்.

3. ஒரே தொடுதலில் தமிழ் மற்றும் ஆங்கில மொழிகளுக்கிடையே மாற்றிக்கொள்ளலாம்.

4. பயன்படுத்த இணைய இணைப்பு தேவை இல்லை.

5. சிறிய அளவிலான மென்பொருள். வேகமாகவும் இயங்கும்.

6. ஒரு லட்சத்திற்கும் மேற்பட்ட பயனர்கள். 4+ நட்சத்திர புள்ளிகள் பெற்றது.

இன்னும் என்ன யோசனை? இதை இன்றே பயன் படுத்துங்கள். உங்கள் நண்பர்கள் மற்றும் உலகுடன் தமிழ்லில் பேசுங்கள்/எழுதுங்கள்/பகிருங்கள்.

கருதுக்கள், சந்தேகங்கள் வரவேற்கப்படுகின்றன.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta

Here comes another weekend! So let us cook some different food to enjoy the weekend rather than ordering or eating out. Here is a simple recipe of "Creamy Mushroom Pasta" which you can easily prepare with stuffs available in a typical Indian kitchen or at least with stuffs available in a nearby shop.

Things you need to serve 2:

For Pasta:

Pasta - 200 g
Water - 1.5 l
Sea Salt - 1/2 tablespoon
Olive oil - 1 teaspoon

For Creamy Mushroom Sauce:

Mushroom - 150 g (washed and chopped in to large pieces)
Cheese cubes(small) - 2 (shredded)
Onion (large) - 1/2
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves (finely chopped)
Milk - 150 to 200 ml
Pepper powder - to taste
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves - for garnishing
Olive oil - 1 to 1.5 tablespoon

How to Prepare:

Pasta:

Pour 1 litre water in a large vessel and bring to boil. Add 1/2 tablespoon of sea salt and stir till it dissolves. After that, add 200 grams of pasta. I prefer pastas made of durum wheat as they are stiffer and non-sticky. But normal pastas are also possible candidates. Keep in medium flame and cook till the pasta becomes floppy. Try eating one small piece and make sure that it doesn't stick to teeth. Once it comes to this state, turn off the stove and cover the vessel with a plate and filter out excess water. Immediately add two tumblers of cold water and drain it is too. Now you have the cooked pasta at a warm temperature. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of olive oil and gently mix it (with hands or carefully with a spoon). Your pasta is ready!

Creamy Mushroom Sauce:

To begin with, mince onion and ginger in a mixer grinder and keep the paste ready in a cup. Heat olive oil in a large pan. Add finely chopped garlic and onion-ginger paste. Stir fry form some time with low flame. Now add mushroom and stir occasionally. After 1 or two minutes, add the pasta prepared earlier and mix well. Now add milk, shredded cheese, salt and pepper. Add salt with caution as the cheese already contains salt. Also, don't add too much pepper. A pinch or two is enough, as pepper is only for flavoring and this recipe is not a spicy one. With medium flame cook for few minutes. Ensure that no cheese is left as chunks. Usually it will melt within 2 minutes. Now add washed coriander leaves and gently mix it. Your Creamy Mushroom Pasta is ready. Please ensure that the stove is turned off before you start eating ;-)

Conclusion:

This is easy yet tasty recipe. It is healthy compared to those hotel foods and also costs you lesser. If you want to know how it will taste, try Maggi pasta of the same flavor. I have really imagined and worked out this recipe on my own. The photo in this blog is the one I cooked yesterday. It came out well and everybody in my family liked it. Please share your improvements and suggestions in comments. If you try this, let me know how well it came and whether you like it or not. Thanks for reading!

My Favorite Addictive Games

I am a very poor gamer. I hate playing games generally. But sometimes I play games to the level that the game starts to interfere my daily life. I used to forget about exams next day or having supper till all the shops are closed (when I was staying alone). But wait! Don't imagine some games with pretty graphics or which needs lot of finger works. Games I love may look silly. Here comes the list

1. Minesweeper/KMines/Mines

Even though I exclusively use GNU/Linux at home, I worked with some XP machines in college labs, friends' houses and at work. From there I got infected with Minesweeper. That is the only thing I love that comes from the house of Microsoft. But still it is morally wrong to play it! I am the guy who frantically clicks both mouse buttons during those silent post-lunch sessions. Even at home I play KMines/Mines. I prefer KMines/Mines indeed, because they are free software. This game is suitable to be played in short breaks.

KMines - KDE flavor!

The GNOME Mines

2. KReversi/Iango

There was a game in my old Nokia 2300 phone. It was named "Opposite". The game is very simple yet interesting one. I remember playing a similar game in TV video-game at my friends home only once. Its name was "Othello", I think. If you get the corners and with some trick moves, you can win. This game is also suitable for quick breaks, bus travels etc. I used to play between studying each unit while preparing for examinations. I have even taken 64/64 in all difficulty levels in my phone.

Kde's KReversi

Iango

3. Freeciv

This is a weekend game. If you want to earn the ire of everyone in your family, then try Freeciv on a weekend day. You will forget to take bath, eat your breakfast or do anything else when you start this game. All you do is stare at the screen and slowly move/click mouse. The good thing is, people won't realize that you are playing unless they look in to your screen. I have escaped like this, playing for hours while everyone in my family assumed that I am doing some office work even during weekends.

4. 2048

This is a relatively new game. But soon it took over a considerable share of my thoughts. The temptation is high even while writing this piece. Currently I have restricted myself by not installing it in my mobile. Because I know exactly where it will take me if I have it in my mobile. I prefer playing the online version. The game can be short or long and the problem is, you won't settle with one try. You will always crave for another!

http://saming.fr/p/2048/

5. Tetris

From TV video-game to mobiles, this game is omnipresent and it is the all time favorite of everyone in our family. This game can last as long as possible in expert hands. I often mess up trying to hit a tetris, waiting for the 4-block-line to come. And that awkward moment, when someone peeps in to the screen, I just quit the game quickly and pretend that I am seriously doing something else.

 

As I told earlier, these games don't pack great graphics or effects. But they pack a hell lot of fun. They improve your decision making skills and gives our brain a good exercise. You can share about the games you love in comments :-)

Operation Windigo - The New *NIX Security Threat

In a previous post, we have seen that free operating systems are relatively safer than Windows or OSX based systems. But still, there are sporadic incidents of malrware/trojans/security vulnerability happening. After NSA revelations, the free software codes are reviewed strictly and lot of overlooked vulnerabilities are surfacing as in the case of GnuTLS (but it seems not many are actually affected due to it). Now security researchers have revealed that a widespread attempt is made to infect Linux/Unix servers.

This attack so far is targeted ONLY towards servers. But this is a crucial lesson for us to learn that, just running GNU/Linux or BSD or any other OS makes you secure by default. To be secure, you must spend time to make your system secure. At least install ClamAV immediately if you have not installed it already. Anyway, let us see how this Operation Windigo works.

ClamTK in action

Operation Windigo uses several different malwares to infect servers and hence they try to earn money by sending spams and redirect users to ad sites or making users to download trojans for further infection.

The following are the list of malwares and their role/behaviour involved in the operation.

Ebury is used to create a backdoor (illegal entry to your machine without your notice). It can also steal your SSH password.

Cdorked is also a backdoor provider. But it can also make end users to download malicious files.

Onimiki is used to redirect users to different IPs for a given URL pattern.

Calfb is a Perl based spam engine. It can send spam mails with malicious links to users.

Boaxxe.G and Glubeta.M are the files sent to Windows users so that their machines can be infected for causing further damage.

To quickly check if you are infected, open a terminal window and type the following.

$ ssh -G 2>&1 | grep -e illegal -e unknown

ssh -G showing "unkown option" in Fedora

If there is an output, you are safe. If blank, you may be infected! To dig further, follow below steps.

$ su

Enter your password

# ipc -m

If you see any process attached to any user with full read/write permission for all users (666) and size greater than 3MB, it is a strong indicator of infection Ebury infection.

The above commands check for Ebury. The other malwares and their checking are not suitable for home users. As told earlier, chances are very slim to have this infection in your PC/laptop as the target is mainly servers. So far 25000 servers are compromised. That is very less compared to billions of infected Windows machines.

References:

1. http://www.welivesecurity.com/2014/03/18/operation-windigo-the-vivisection-of-a-large-linux-server-side-credential-stealing-malware-campaign/

2. https://github.com/eset/malware-ioc/commit/b4c4a6d8a67b22693d04092b5962875b6d0fabeb

3. http://www.clamav.net/lang/en/

Tamil Nadu Government Offices to Ditch XP for BOSS

I have already written in this blog about ending XP support and Free Operating Systems as a possible alternate. I have also written why to use a Free OS instead of proprietary OS like Windows 7/8 or OSX. Now, I am so happy to know that TN government is taking this initiative. This is a step in right direction to liberate our computers from corporate monopolies and those viruses/malwares/back-doors.

Image courtesy: http://distrowatch.com/

Though, the Government's order is a good one, it still has some gray areas. It didn't enforce the use of BOSS (Bharat Operating System Solution, a GNU/Linux distribution developed by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing). But it is given as a suggestion. The Government offices are asked to "consider" installing BOSS than purchasing proprietary operating systems.

BOSS is the operating system bundled with free laptops given by Tamil Nadu government. Earlier it was planned to ship only with BOSS, but later Windows 7 was given a place. Due to this, many students simple ignore BOSS. Here I place my request to ship free laptops with any free operating system ONLY. Now let us see the pros and cons of the BOSS

Pros:

1. BOSS has excellent Indic fonts support. So our people can use the computers in their own language.
2. BOSS is relatively robust, almost virus-free, free of cost, requires no hardware upgrade and easy to use.
3. As a free software, our Government data will not be under immediate threat of NSA(or NSA like) sponsored corporate back-doors.

Cons:

1. Its repositories are relatively old. So latest and wide varieties of software are not available easily.
2. It is bundled with proprietary codecs and freewares like Adobe flash, mp3 etc, which are not needed in context of Government offices.

My Two Cents:

The battle has just begun. But we need to do lot of things.

* Indian government can spend a little more and build a better OS suitable for Government office needs.

* If community supported distros can give latest and greatest software with rock solid stability, why can't one of the fastest developing nation develop and support one?

* Government should mandate that all PC/laptops sold in India must have a OS-less version available.

* All proprietary software should be kicked out from curriculum.

* Government should encourage/mandate universities to contribute to Free Software projects and also give generous donations to Free Software projects. They should not (ab)use free software as they are available for free of cost.

* Dangers of using proprietary software should be advertised as in the case of unprotected sex.

References:

1. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/state-departments-asked-to-switch-over-to-free-open-source-software/article5798429.ece
2. http://bosslinux.in/
3. http://cdac.in/
4. http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main50.asp?filename=Ws101011MICROSOFT.asp

How to Download An Entire Website?

Sometimes, we like to have an entire site or part of it archived in our disk so that we can read it even without Internet connection. But how to do it? Here are two easy to use tools that does the trick.

1. wget:

"wget" is a simple yet powerful command line tool. As usual it is a free software that respects your freedom as well as gives you the freedom to read a site even without a working Internet connection. This tool is available by default in almost all GNU/Linux distributions. It has lot of options. You can use it to download a single file or a web page. You can also download recursively, i.e. a page and all the links in that page. You can choose to download pictures, style sheets, JavaScript files. You can choose the domains from which the files can be downloaded (by this, you can skip unwanted ads getting downloaded).

I am giving here a sample of wget script using which you can download this site.

wget --recursive --timestamping --span-hosts --page-requisites --adjust-extension --convert-links --domains=blogspot.in,bp.blogspot.com --no-parent techmusicnmore.blogspot.in

Let us see the options one by one

--recursive

This tells wget to download a page and all the links in the page recursively. Us it with caution as some sites have many levels of links and you may end up downloading lot of data. You may need to specify the depth using --level=n option to restrict downloads after a 'n' layers of depth.

--timestamping

This is a clever option that downloads a file only if a newer version is available. For example, if you have downloaded a site already or canceled it in between, then you can restart it without worrying about wasting your bandwidth to re-download all the files. This option will make wget to download only non-existing files and re-download only outdated files.

--span-hosts

This tell that wget to look in to other servers if needed. As our blog's images are stored in other domain(s), we need to give this option. But be informed that this may cause you to download the entire Internet!!! So you can restrict the domains by white-listing them using --domains option or black-listing them using --exclude-domains option.

--domains=server1,server2

As discussed in previous option, this option is used to restrict the downloads to just the domains specified in the comma separated list.

--page-requisites

This option is to download all the artifacts required to display a page properly. That is to download images, scripts, css etc.

--adjust-extension

This option cleverly converts the file extensions of pages to html if they are not so by default. Some sites will have other namings like .jsp or .gsp. In such cases too, the files will be converted to .htm(l) extension.

--convert-links

This option is used to convert all the links in the pages to point to local location. Without this, all pages will be downloaded. But the links will still point to the actual website.

--no-parent

To tell wget that it should download ONLY the links/files below the given URL. It will not allow the parents of current link to be downloaded. For example, you have a web page with links to all articles written by a particular author. If you use wget without this option, then all the pages including home page, about us etc will be downloaded. With this option, only the pages written by that author will be downloaded.

wget in action; downloading this blog ;-)

These are not the only way to do the things. You can do lot of things with wget. There are some websites which will prevent automatic downloads like this. You can cheat them by acting like a real user by hitting the server with some time intervals and masquerading that the requests are from real browser.  For that you may need to go through the manual. The link is given below.

wget manual: https://www.gnu.org/software/wget/manual/wget.html

2. Httrack

If you are not running GNU/Linux, my first advice is to switch your OS. If you can't or you need a GUI based alternate to wget even in GNU/Linux, here is Httrack. This has all the options as in wget and lot more. But it has some other options that wget doesn't. That is mainly because, wget is developed for general reasons, while Httrack is specifically developed for website archiving and crawling. So it has a slight edge over wget.

This awesome tool is available for Windows, OSX, Android and of course GNU/Linux and BSD platforms. It is a free software released under GPLv3. So have no guilt in using it. If you are a GNU/Linux user, then download the source package using wget and compile it locally for extra fun!

You can get Httrack from here: http://www.httrack.com/
Httrack for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.httrack.android
Httrack manual: http://www.httrack.com/html/index.html

I Love Pathaneer (பதநீர்)

Summer is approaching with the mercury levels raising everyday. On the other hand, water and electrolyte levels in our bodies are falling every hour. It is very important to keep yourself well hydrated and to maintain the electrolytic balance during summer season to avoid a lot of health problems and tiredness. So here is a sweet and affordable solution from Mother Nature! Pathaneer!

What is Pathaneer?

Pathaneer is a sweet beverage extracted usually from palm trees (sometimes also from coconut trees, but in Tamil Nadu, they are almost always from palm trees). It is a non-alcoholic beverage. But without proper preservation techniques, fermentation will kick in due to airborne yeast/bacteria, which will turn it in to alcoholic toddy. Pathaneer has a unique taste, which is predominantly sweet with a hint of astringent taste. It a translucent, white, watery liquid in pure form.

How it Is Extracted?

Pathaneer is collected overnight from palm trees by scrapping/cutting the tender spathes on top of the tree and keeping a collection pot. Usually the collection pots are coated with calcium carbonate to reduce the risk of fermentation. Tree climbers climb the trees during evening and prepare for the collection. Before daybreak, they again climb the trees and collect the Pathaneer as raising temperatures after sunrise may accelerate fermentation. They may need to climb 40 to 50 trees every day and most of the times, they work overnight. At this point, I take pride in remembering my ancestors who were such tree climbers (toddy tappers). That might be a job forced on them; but still, they didn't cheat or steal or forced others in to slavery!

Health Perspective

I can falsely claim that Pathaneer can cure all known diseases from hairfall to obesity. But the truth is Pathaneer is good at treating a major disease that affects almost everyone during summers. Thirst and dehydration. They may sound silly. But they can bring a host of health problems even before you become aware. Head aches, fatigue, increased blood pressure, decreased electrolyte etc can be caused by excessive sweating. So Pathaneer is an easy way to replenish the water and essential electrolytes in your body with a punch of carbs to keep you kicking throughout the day. Carbohydrates are the major nutrient, followed by calcium, phosphate, Vitamin B, Vitamin C and other trace micro-nutrients. It is surely a better choice than sugary sodas or packed fruit juices (which are nothing but chemical flavors and sugar). Only other alternate is tender coconut.

Where to Buy?

Pathaneer is packed and sold by Tamil Nadu State Palmgur Cooperative Federation in 200ml plastic pouches (like curd or milk packs). It costs around Rs. 10 and available in shops near you. They are cheaper than tender coconuts which are sold at a higher price around Rs. 30 to Rs. 40. Pathaneer packs are refrigerated and hence you can get a cool and refreshing drink without any hazardous chemical or excessive sugar for just 10 bucks. They are processed and packed to ensure that no fermentation happens and shoul be stored in optimal temperature. So don't buy if not stored in refrigerator.

What Else?

Pathaneer is just one product of palm nectar. It can be allowed to ferment to produce alcoholic beverage (toddy – கள்ளு). Fermented toddy can be distilled to produce arrack (பனஞ்சாராயம்). The nectar can be further boiled and processed to produce palmgur (கருப்பட்டி /பனைவெல்லம்), palm sugar (பனஞ்சீனி) and palm candy (பனங்கற்கண்டு). There are hell lot of other products/by products of palm tree, but they are not relevant to the Pathaneer which we are discussing here. So those who are interested can check “Additional Links” section.

An Appeal for Toddy!

I hear by humbly appeal both the Indian Government and Tamil Nadu Government to lift the ban on toddy and regularize the sale of the same as they have done with Pathaneer. If Pathaneer sales can be standardized, regularized and monitored to ensure quality, then why not toddy? Also, the government is allowing the sales of hard liquors, which contain more than 40% alcohol manufactured by corporates. But toddy contains only 4 to 5% of alcohol. By banning other liquors and allowing naturally brewed toddy, wine and beer, we can ensure that the livelihood of farmers are improved while the livelihood of drinkers are protected from excess alcohol consumption and economy drain.

Conclusion

So, enjoy Pathaneer this summer and be a proud Tamilian by drinking this palm elixir which is part of our cultural heritage. Also please appeal to government in whatever democratic ways you can to ban sales of hard liquor and allow toddy to be sold in a regularized and controlled way through cooperative societies or Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC). And when it comes to alcohol, my personal advice is to avoid it altogether than becoming an addict. Because “Perfect moderation is harder than total abstinence!” as told by St. Augustine.

Additional Links:

http://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/பனையிலிருந்து_பெறப்படும்_பயன்கள்

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neera

Software Suggestions: 5 GNU/Linux Packages

1. SMPlayer

Want a clean, simple yet powerful media player? Tired of VLC? Don't want to use those trial/crippled sharewares? Then you should give SMPlayer a try. An awesome media player with support for lot of codecs.

Name: SMPlayer
License: GPL
Website: http://smplayer.sourceforge.net/

2. Stellarium

Are you a person who likes to stare at the night sky but couldn't due to various reasons? Then here is a software that can bring the space experience to your PC. Stellarium has lot of features that make things even more interesting. You can zoom in to objects, you can see the moons of Jupiter going around it! You can fast-forward the movements of heavenly bodies. You can get real-time position, scientific names etc for almost 210 million stars (you have to install those extra catalogs).

Name: Stellarium
License: GPL
Website: http://www.stellarium.org/

3. Freeciv

Do you think you can change the world? Give it a try with Freeciv. You begin to rule a small band of settlers, workers and an explorer. You have to research each and everything like pottery, iron working, gun powder and you can go till nuclear weapons, super conductor and spacecrafts. Also you can progress in to a republic or democracy. You can build wonders, city improvements etc. You have to keep and eye on each city so that people are content and the city is not slipping in to famine etc. If you start this game, surely it will take hours to finish :)

Name: Freeciv
License: GPL
Website: http://freeciv.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

4. Audacity

Edit your audios like a pro. You can filter noise, merge stereo to mono, invert stereo tracks to cancel out voice, alter pitch and lot more. It comes handy to edit audios for stage shows. It has ability to convert audio cassettes in to digital music with surprising results. If you love music and have lot of cassettes, you must try this out!

Name: Audacity
License: GPL
Website: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

5. GIMP

Tired of using pirated versions of Photoshop? Is that serial-key generator for Photoshop contain virus? Don't have enough money to buy a license? Forget about that! Here is GIMP! GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) can be used to create high quality images, icons, gif animations, wallpapers or just casual photo editing. Cartoon effect, pencil sketch effect, photo frame effect are readily available. In experienced hands, GIMP can work miracles.

Name: GIMP
License: LGPL/GPL
Website: http://www.gimp.org/

Why You Don't Need an App for Everything - 10 Reasons

We need the so called "apps" in order to get the maximum out of the hardware of our phones. For example, without apps, how can we take photos or use the magnetic compass or flash-light? Apart from these hardware specific tasks, I think we don't need apps for things we can easily do with a good browser. I am not against necessary apps. But some people start to install every possible app out there. Is that the right way to go?

1. They eat up your memory

 

Apps usually eat up lot of memory in your mobile. Especially if you have a low end mobile, memory dedicated for apps will be lesser (< 300MB). Every app will occupy around 5 to 10MB and some even take up to 25MB (these are normal apps, not those games with fancy graphics and sound effects). Also with time, they store data as cache. This will result in low free memory in your phone which may cause it to slow down, crash often or behave in unexpected ways. Some "clever" people say they can move the apps to SD card. That too is not a good option. SD card apps are relatively slower and when you change your SD card or the SD card becomes corrupted, those apps are lost.

2. They consume your RAM

Apps are started and stopped by Android automatically. So when you reboot your phone, even without opening any app, many apps will be up and running. They occupy more RAM and when you open a message or contact book, those apps will be closed by Android to free some RAM for the app you are accessing. So, it too slows your phone down. Some people claim Android is smart enough to handle tasks. But those who use their phone with good amount of apps know what I am saying. Some "smart" people use task-killers to kill those tasks. But again, in few minutes those same apps will be started. There is no sure way to ensure that particular app is not started automatically than to uninstall it.

3. They suck your network bandwidth up

As mentioned in above point, apps automatically start and also start to consume your Internet connection. Some apps will be synchronizing, some may be downloading ads, others may be busy checking whether a latest version is available while some "great" apps are sending your private information to their servers. There are apps that upload your SMS, contacts, emails and even whatever you type etc to their servers. All these take a good amount of network bandwidth and you may run out of free data soon. Some "brainy" people try to circumvent this by going for "unlimited" data plans. Even then there will be a limit after which the connection speed will be throttled. Also when all these apps are chocking your network in background, you may wonder why that small email is taking so much time to be sent or why your browser is taking too long to show that your IRCTC ticket is not booked.

4. They drain your battery

As mentioned in points 2 and 3, these apps start and connect to Internet automatically. So they consume lot of power. They cause phones to heat up and you may not be able to call someone or listen to music as these apps had already sucked the last drop of power out of your battery. Some people come up with some "tricks" to sort this out. That is by installing an app to improve battery life. What an idea sirji! Some say they are not bothered as they always carry the charger with them. I think they also carry a generator with them or their charger is solar powered!

5. Slows down your phone

Due to insufficient internal memory, processor load, insufficient RAM, clogged network etc, your phone may slow down to unusable levels. One of my friend came to me saying that his phone's touch-screen was not working. I checked it. Actually the touch-screen was working fine, but due to overload, the response was slow. I uninstalled few bloatwares, and it started to work normally again.

6. Threat to your privacy

Most people won't give a damn about what all the permissions the app asks before installing. And Android's innovative design makes it impossible to restrict access to SD card or Internet at app level. There are some options like Droidwall to restrict the app's access to Internet, but still, it is is bit tough if the app demands that an Internet connection is needed to proceed and our people will set that app as exception permanently to avoid "hassles". There apps like Truecaller which uploads entire contact book with photos, pet name, and other details to Internet. I know people who store their PAN number, Bank account number, ATM PIN number etc in their contact book. Imagine what will happen if these details are uploaded to someone somewhere! I have recently seen some apps that require permission to send/receive SMS but they are actually meant to be live wallpaper.

7. They distract you a lot

These apps annoy you a lot by giving unwanted notifications. You may be awaiting an SMS from your bank stating your "one time password" for a credit card transaction or you may be in a meeting. "beeeep" There is a notification saying that some has invited you to play a stupid online game. To take it to the next level, some apps give alerts/notifications/reminders to rate their app in Playstore, purchase unlocked version or to try their new app. All these things distract you and waste your time for no good.

8. They have misleading ads

Yes, ads are there in websites too. But why I am mentioning it here as a specific problem in using apps? The ads in apps are displayed like buttons or links in the app itself. This misleads the user and make them click on them. Once clicked, you are taken to malicious websites/apps. Moreover, there are some apps which are meant to be used by kids, but contain ads suitable for adults.

9. They are hard to maintain

These apps are hard to find, install, keep updated and to use. For example, if you want to book flight tickets, then you have many apps to do that. How to tell which one suits your needs? Are you going to install every app and use them to find out? In case of websites, it is easy to just hit the URL and try it and move to other. Similarly, if you have many apps installed, you need to keep them updated. That costs you lot of data and also battery power. It can be time consuming at times. Also, if your home screen and app-drawer are crowded with these apps, it is hard to spot the app  you need. Yes, we can use the built-in search to spot the app, but still, it is not that easy right?

10. Most apps are unethical

Most apps are so called proprietary software or "closed-source". So, even if you want an app, please look in the F-Droid repo for a free software alternate. Don't use apps that don't respect your privacy or freedom. Don't feel proud about yourself that you have purchased an app and that is going to support the developer of that app. No! The developer only gets a fraction of the money you paid unless you directly pay the developer and get the app in some other way other than from the Playstore or App store. So these apps also cheat developers. So which developer will allow themselves to be cheated? Those who want to cheat others in some other ways right?

Points to Note:

So, as you can see, don't buy in to the apps argument and install any "crapp" unless and until you are sure that there is no other good way to do it and sure that the app is legitimate and respects your privacy and freedom.

1. Check for website alternates and use a good mobile browser like Firefox to access the site directly instead of using apps

2. Check the apps' developer and ensure that it is from a legitimate source. For example, you can find apps with same/similar names but from different developers (some apps are just repacked malwares)

3. Don't install .apk files shared in forums/sites/bluetooth etc. Download them from F-Droid or Playstore alone

4. Check the apps permission before you install. If the app asks unwanted permissions or if you feel suspicious about the permissions, don't install it, even if it seems a must have. Security first. Rest later!

5. Read reviews about the app both in the repository as well as in tech-sites. Now-a-days paid reviews are very common and there are companies that offer services to boost your Playstore ratings/reviews. So you should be able to differentiate between genuine and bogus reviews.

6. Periodically check and uninstall apps you no longer use.

7. Disable Internet connection while using apps that have ads.

Conclusion:

Apps are waste of time for users and waste of money for companies developing them. If you are a business looking for app development, my advice is, don't go for it. Are you going to build an app for every platform out there? (Android, iOS, Windows, Symbian, Ubuntu etc) It will cost you more to develop, bug-fix and make changes in apps for multiple platforms than to develop and maintain a good mobile site. If you are a developer, please advise the same to your clients who come to you for developing an app.

Sooner or later, everyone is going to realize that apps are not the solution for everything. So you better realize it now.

Related Sites:

• https://f-droid.org/
• http://www.replicant.us/

When I Was a Kid...

When I was a kid, I used to play with kids next door. Suddenly a faint fluttering sound would appear. We would stop playing and listen carefully. When luck is by our side, the sound would steadily grow and grow. And one of the boys would cry "There!" Pointing his finger towards somewhere in the sky. A grey dot would appear. "Wow! Helicopter!” We would run behind it, street after street till the helicopter vanishes again with that faint fluttering sound in to the horizon. We used to stare at the sky for some time with the stray hope that it may return.

Sometimes the sound of a Bullet bike next street or some load-auto on road would cause me to run out and stare the sky and when the sound fades quickly, it was time to realize that it was not a helicopter and return home to face my mom awaiting to scold me for leaving the lunch behind. Rainy seasons were somewhat different. The moist air would make hearing the flying machines easy but clouds would make it tough to get a glimpse of them.

Jets and small planes used by forest department in nearby hills were like unicorns and mermaids. They were very rare, hard to spot and usually less visible due to distance and height. The smoke left behind by jets would remain for sometime and I used to stare at the sky with mouth open till the smoke dissolve in to the blue sky. Night time sightings were special due to those colorful blinking lights.

Me and my friends even believed that by climbing on a tree or roof of a tall building we can touch the helicopter or at least distract the people inside to drop us something. We tried that with my house's roof. Nothing happened! Then we thought my house was not tall enough. Some "big brothers" even told tales of hitting planes with stones, which we never believed but promptly nodded to them out of fear.

Then days rolled... I was an adolescent back then. I would be sitting with a book and reading or helping my dad with totalling corrected answer sheets when that familiar humming sound was heard. "Yes. It is a helicopter!" My heart would want to run out and look at the sky. But "grown up boys” won't be that silly right? That's what people say. So with a sigh, I used to continue what I was doing.

Now, after many years, I live near an airport. With hundreds of flights coming and going everyday. I work in upper floors of a very tall building and could see the flights even though it is bit far from the airport. Now I even earn enough to fly occasionally. But I have no time to stare at the sky, no interest left in watching them. I live/work in tall buildings but don't believe that i can touch the flights any more.

Last time I was bit excited about the sky was, when I accidentally clicked a photo of exploding space craft sent by ISRO. And dreams about reaching for the skies lasted seconds when I saw in news that NASA is looking for volunteers for a one way trip to Mars. Yup! We used to see beauty in petty things and longed for them to happen. Once grown up, things we thought boring when we were kids, like paying electricity bills or buying ration becomes priority. And this is the real beauty of our life!

5 Resons to Use a Free Operationg System

1. Freedom and Free of Cost

With Free Software, you get freedom. That is what the "Free" in Free Software means. But for our people, who are brainwashed by corporate media, free also means for no cost. The good news is, most free operating systems also come for free of cost too. Don't come with vile excuses like you have a pirated copy of Windows or you got it bundled with your machine. Former is silly and later is stupid. It is silly to steal a product when a better product is available freely and it is stupid to claim that you got Windows free of cost with your machine, while you have paid for it through "Microsoft tax". Also you can be sure that no NSA agent is offered a backdoor in your machine. If you doubt it, look in to the source for yourself!

2. Secure

Free operating systems like GNU/Linux and BSD are more secure. There are only few know viruses exist for these platforms and they are also controlled currently. Unless you are foolish enough to reveal your password or keep a password that can be easily guessed or fooled to install a malware, you are almost safe. Even though I will suggest you to have a Free Software anti-virus program like Clam-AV to prevent propagating virus unknowingly to other platforms and any new threat.

3. All in One

When you install Windows, you have to install all drivers and other software separately. And some of them are costly too. It is time consuming to keep all of the installed software up to date. You have to check the software's website regularly and download the latest version and install them. With the software repository concept, (which was there as far back as I remember) Free operating systems allow you to install and maintain all software in one place. Also you can find free software alternate for almost all tools you like. When a new version of your favorite browser or media player is released, your system update itself will update them too. Isn't that easy?

4. Choice of UI

Don't like the Aero UI? You can switch to the Classic UI. Or you can console yourself by changing the color themes. These are the few options available with Windows. With the Free operating systems, you can have wide varieties like GNOME, KDE, MATE, Xfce, LXDE, Enlightenment, Cinnamon and I can't list them all here! You have that many choices. You can install whatever you want or you can install multiple desktop environments in a single system and switch between them in login screen. You can choose not to install any UI and use in CLI mode. This will suit servers and workstation for hardcore geeks like Torvalds or Stallman.

5. No Fragmentation

If you have used Windows for a good amount of time, then you should have noticed that the system slows with time. Why? This is due to file fragmentation. That is, files are stored scattered along the disk and the hard disk head has to move back and forth to read a sequence of data, say an audio or video file. This will also reduce the life of your hard disk. Windows comes with a defragmentor tool. But that too has lot of limitation. But free operating systems come with cutting edge journaled file systems which don't fragment with time. Even if they do very rarely, you can just copy the files to some other partition and copy them back. But I have never came across such situation.

Walking Tips

According to America Heart Association, we should get at least 150 minutes of moderate activity every week. That is the bare minimum. Each segment should last at least 15 minutes. This activity includes swimming, brisk walking, aerobics etc. But all things cost or need special location/trainer except walking. So I do this easy and effective exercise everyday.

WARNING: Walking for exercise (especially prolonged and brisk walking), like any other exercise have some limitations. You may need to consult your doctor if you have existing medical conditions or common problems like knee pain.If you are a healthy, normal adult in prime age, you can assume walking is safe for you.

Moderate walking means 100 to 120 steps per minute. It may vary with your age, weight and other health factors. Also, you should wear comfortable dress, shoes and well hydrated while walking.

According to experts, walking 10,000 or more steps a day makes you a person with "active lifestyle". 10,000 steps is around 8 kilometres. You may think it is too much. But that is required for your health, especially if you are working at offices, sitting all day long.

1. Morning Walking:

When you wake up in the morning, after bowel movement, drink a glass of water, put on your t-shirt, track suit and shoes and start walking in a nearby park or street or roads without traffic. This walking can be very brisk and if you feel like, you can also jog. Walk for at least 30 minutes. That will give you an initial start of 3,000+ steps for the day. You can enjoy the birds singing, sun rise, fresh morning air for free of cost. Except few rainy days, this is the best way to start your day. By this you will get 210 minutes of activity every week, which exceeds the American Heart Association guidelines of 150 minutes!

2. Use Public Transport:

Park your car/bike. Else better sell them off. Take a walk to your nearby bus-stop or railway station. Board a bus or train. Also walk those few blocks to your college/office from the bus-stop or railway station. By this you can add 1,500 to 2,000 steps to your count and you have covered 5,000 steps (yes! that is 50% of your daily target) before you reach office. Also you can be proud about you for being a socially responsible person by reducing the carbon emission and traffic.

3. After Lunch Walk:

Recent studies show that walking after meals can reduce your blood sugar levels and as well as provide three times benefits of usual walking. So after taking lunch, call your friend/colleague and walk slowly in a shaded place for 20 minutes. Chat with them about Free Software, music or just about anything you love. This will add another 1,000 to 1,500 steps to your count. Wow! That is 6,500 steps. Keep going! This walk also makes you brisk and refreshed and your afternoon work will be productive as good as in the morning.

4. Returning Home:

As we discussed early, returning home using public transport will again add 1,500 to 2,000 steps. So it will make the overall count to 8,000 steps.

5. Night Walking:

After having supper, call your wife/kids/parents and walk in your street for some 20 to 30 minutes slowly, talking about the day and other stuffs that relaxes your mind. This will add some 1,500 to 2,000 steps, making the total 10,000 steps per day within your reach. This walking will aid you to get a good sleep which will prepare you for an energy packed day ahead!

6. Hidden Extras:

Walking to shop to buy milk, walking inside home/office etc are not counted here. These will come around 1,000 to 2,000 steps. These extra steps won't harm you but benefit you! Count them as bonuses!

7. Other Tips:

If you are worried about days missed due to rain, you can invest on a treadmill. You can also install mobile apps that use GPS or accelerometer to measure the distance you cover. Else you can invest in pedometers to capture exact numbers of steps you walk a day.

Conclusion:

Walking is a good exercise for all ages. But it should not be considered as sole exercise. If you are fit enough, you can include other activities like jogging, cycling, aerobics, weight training, swimming etc. Also eat a balanced diet. Walking can't be an excuse to eat that extra samosa or chili bajji. Drink enough water. Avoid refined sugar, reduce salt intake and consume less fast-foods.

All these things, you can't do alone. You will get bored and start sliding in that slipper slope back to sedentary life-style. So encourage your family and friends to join you. By this, you are forming a team which will encourage you back, when you are down. With all these practices, you can improve your health and stay fit.

References:

• http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/PhysicalActivity/StartWalking/American-Heart-Association-Guidelines_UCM_307976_Article.jsp
• http://www.thewalkingsite.com/10000steps.html
• http://www.healthline.com/health-news/aging-walking-after-meals-to-control-blood-sugar-spikes-061213
• http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/12/diabetes-walk-after-meals/2408753/
• http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090317094719.htm