Being Vikram

Coffee

Vikram — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 02:56:29 +0000

This is my first trial at Photoshop. I followed a design idea that I saw on another website to create this one.

Hope things will improve from here on. Full resolution (5100×3300 pixels)!! You can make poster out of it.

Coffee - Click image to view and download the wallpaper

Tagged: creative, Personal, photoshop, wallpaper

5 People Who Secretly Control You Life

Vikram — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:36:30 +0000

Your Heroes

Heroes are often one-dimensional – whether they’re real or fictional. We tend to put people on a pedestal and think because they are amazing in one sense that all their other capacities are flawless. But they’re people just like we are, and they have their own failings. When you emulate heroes, you have to be very careful not to absorb the bad with the good.

Your Nemesis

It’s easy to play the sucker to a nemesis. Often, you’ll generate huge amounts of stress trying to have what they have, and you can make same pretty stupid decisions in the name of keeping up with them. You can become extremely petty, burn bridges and actually have a negative impact on the people around you in your quest to never let your nemesis get the best of you. You become reactive (to their decisions) instead of proactive (making your own choices).

Your Parents

Since our parents are the first authority figures we come to know, we tend to put them on a pedestal early in life, thinking they know absolutely everything about life. That means some of our basic beliefs, opinions and life direction are stamped from their mold. But their mold may not even be remotely right for our lives, because it carries the baggage of their individual lives (and that of their parents).

Sometimes this means you’re conditioned to believe in scarcity. Sometimes it’s cynicism, or racism, or sexism, or whatever kind of -ism dominated their formative years. It’s hard to stomach, but in some cases we may have had parents who just plain indifferent to creating a fulfilling life or sadder yet, wanted to be better role models but just didn’t know how. Their limiting beliefs may – when transferred to you – be what’s holding you back.

Your Partner

Because we spend so much time around our partners, and we want to be on good terms with them, we can begin to experience entrainment - we are likely fall into the same patterns they have. If their standards are not as strong as ours, that can bring us down to their level. (And it works both ways – you might be the negative force on them!)

This can create a strong negative pattern that’s hard to break, because once the two of you have relaxed your standards, it’s more difficult to generate the desire to snap out of it and break free. Your new, lowered standards become “normal.” The two of you may not even realize that you’re drifting downward.

You

The mirror can be the scariest thing in the world if you’ve been conditioned to look down on yourself (whether by parental criticism, bad experience, or those damned beauty magazines). You look in the mirror and you judge yourself – you’re not pretty/thin/attractive enough, you’re a loser/fraud/sham, you’re not anywhere close to where you wanted to be at this point in your life. Every failure you’ve experienced (or imagined!), every harsh word or insult you’ve received, it all comes back to you in a rush of depression as you see that tired face in the mirror.

Projects Completed and Underway..

Vikram — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:23:56 +0000

Past few weeks have been a roller coaster ride. Been working on a lot of different personal and client projects… Sometimes high on natural enthusiasm and sometimes powered by Caffeine.

I have been up to:

Completing client websites.
Creating online presence for my sister who has started out as a doctor.
Buying my own domain name and setting up a v-card.
Adding business cards to ContentPad
Honing my mad Photoshop skills.

And we have more projects in the pipeline… Wonder when I’m going to get some sleep?

Here are the screen-shots on everything completed so far.

http://www.vikramrathore.com

http://contentpad.net/vikram/#profiles

http://iait.net.in/

http://www.doctorvandana.com/#contact

http://www.doctorvandana.com/#profiles

WordPress and Yahoo Web Hosting

Vikram — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:05:45 +0000

So, one of my clients asked me to move a WordPress based website over to his Yahoo! web hosting account and I thought this would be a breeze of a job. I could not have been more wrong.

I’ve done several WordPress blog and site setups on a number of different web hosts. Yahoo was something I had not done and now I am less than thrilled with the results I’m finding. It’s frustrating for me – but really frustrating for my client who was really looking forward to go live with this project.

Here are some details that I’ve found – hopefully you will find this list helpful when making a decision to host your WordPress blog on Yahoo! hosting.

Yahoo documentation screams that they have an installer for WordPress but the actual control panel has nothing vaguely similar to WordPress. Some research suggested that Yahoo! could not keep pace with each new release of the WordPress and decided to do away with the feature altogether.
FTP connectivity was down for 7 straight hours and would snap if two different login ids were used simultaneously over the same account…. Frustrating
Even if wordpress installs, the installation is wiped away after about 30 mins!... Seriously Yahoo!.. WTF?!
Yahoo! hosting does not give their users access to the htaccess file – So, if any other WordPress feature.. addon or plugin that you may need your .htaccess file for? Forget it – they do not give you access to it. Period.
Yahoo! requires that you install WordPress in a subfolder – rather than at the root. (Major turn-off)
No support for permalinks. (Keep your dirty links to yourself people, Yahoo! has no support for them)

Many of my clients are small business or marketing clients. Many of them want different interactive features included in their blog setup – like the WP Contact Form, the Email Subscription form, the “Email this post to a friend” – – all of those are plugins developed for WordPress – – but none of them work on Yahoo! hosting because Yahoo! forces you to use yahoomail instead of phpmail. (This was the deal-breaker for me and I will now sincerely advice anyone to not go for Yahoo web hosting).

Now, I am a geek and can actually consider digging into PHP code files to find a work around for this bullshit that Yahoo! is serving upon its clients. My clients, however, obviously would not want to pay my hourly fee to do it – and would rather go through the much cheaper process changing of webhosts, where things actually do work without all the hassle and headaches.

I did take the time to get support from Yahoo! on these issues and got this gem of reply, which is a copy-paste response from their documentation.

Question: Does Yahoo! provide support for WordPress?

Answer: No. WordPress is a free open-source utility that we have made available through your Web Hosting Control Panel as a service to you. We’ll help you activate WordPress on your site, and we provide the technical infrastructure you need to run WordPress (PHP and MySQL), but we do not offer any technical support or a warranty with the WordPress software.

This is the only way I could capture my dismay

Cliff Notes: Stay away from Yahoo! web hosting if you want to use WordPress.

Tagged: blog, musings, opinion, projects, reviews, technology, thoughts, Wordpress, work, yahoo

Simple Resume Guide

Vikram — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 08:18:49 +0000

THE RESUME

SAYING IT WITH IMPACT

Using verbs and adjectives effectively adds impact to your resume. Read this section again carefully just before you actually begin writing.

DESCRIBING RESULTS – GOING BEYOND DUTIES

The typical resume merely lists duties and does little else to sell the person. One of the best ways to sell yourself is to describe accomplishments in terms of results. Duties are often covered by “Responsible for …” Results are generally covered by using the verb developed, such as “Developed a secretary’s manual which explained hundreds of procedures and significantly reduced clerical errors.” This person’s duties were typing, filing, and answering phones, so to show that she stood above the rest, she demonstrated results.

THE WORDS TO USE

While develop is an excellent word, when used three or four times in a resume it becomes overworked. You’ll need substitutes. The most common are:

Created Instituted

Designed Introduced

Established Set up

Implemented

Other verbs that may be appropriate substitutes in certain circumstances would be:

Built Fabricated Originated

Composed Fashioned Perfected

Constructed Formed Pioneered

Coordinated Formulated Planned

Cultivated Generated Prepared

Devised Installed Produced

Elaborated Introduced Refined

Enhanced Organized Revamped

Developed (devised, prepared, produced) a creative financing/purchasing package to obtain 1900 acres of prime California farmland.

Developed (created, designed, introduced) a new concept in women’s athletics and actively promoted the program. Participation b women grew from 18% in previous years to 79%

Pioneered mime program for gifted children age 8-12.

Developed (built, created, established, implemented, instituted) an intern program to allow students to work in nursing homes and schools for the retarded.

Developed (designed, established) training programs for new and experienced employees and supervised the new employee orientation program.

Set up apprenticeship programs for five skilled trades at the Physical Plant Department.

Developed and implemented an information and referral service for consumer complaints and human rights issues.

Developed and implemented mail and telephone solicitation programs and word processor systems.

Coordinated the company marketing effort, including advertising and promotions.

Designed and installed cash and inventory control systems for various clients.

Developed (created, designed) a unique computerized system, which has dramatically increased service to customers.

For this small, 29-year-old manufacturer of toys, implemented changes in sales, marketing, and production, which enabled the company to double sales and profits in a six-year period.

Developed and supervised a medical records internship program.

Created an employee orientation program, which increased employee effectiveness and helped decrease turnover.

Developed (created, built) a team of highly motivated employees.

Established a sales award program, which substantially reduced turnover of franchise sales staff.

Foresight Proficient/proficiently

Functional/functionally Profitable/profitably

Handy/handily Progressive/progressively

High/highly Quick/quickly

Highest Rare/rarely

High-level Readily

Honest/honestly Record

Imaginative/imaginatively Relentless/relentlessly

Immediate/immediately Reliability

Impressive/impressively Reliable/reliably

Incisive/incisively Remarkable/remarkably

In-depth Responsible/responsibly

Industrious/industriously Rigorous/rigorously

Inherent/inherently Routine/routinely

Innovative/innovatively Secure/securely

Instructive/instructively Sensitive/sensitively

Instrumental/instrumentally Significant/significantly

Integral Skillful/skillfully

Intensive/intensively Solid/solidly

Intimate/intimately Sophisticated/sophisticatedly

Leading Strategic/strategically

Masterful/masterfully Strong/strongly

Meaningful/meaningfully Substantial/substantially

Natural/naturally Successful/successfully

New and improved Tactful/tactfully

Notable/notably Thorough/thoroughly

Objective/objectively Uncommon/uncommonly

Open-minded Unique/uniquely

Original/originally Unusual/unusually

Outstanding/outstandingly Urgent/urgently

Particularly Varied

Penetrating/penetratingly Vigorous/vigorously

Perceptive/perceptively Virtual/virtually

Pioneering Vital/vitally

Practical/practically Wide/widely

Professional/professionally

Significantly/Substantially

“Increased sales substantially through creative marketing.”

“Absenteeism was reduced significantly by instituting a system of flexible work hours.”

When you have no idea by what percentage you increased or decreased something, the words significantly and substantially will provide the reader with the feeling you are trying to get across. When you use these words, you are saying that what you did really had an impact. The word extensive can also be used in similar contexts.

Produced an extensive revision of the company procedures manual.”

Extensively involved in staff education and development.

Significantly improved communications between nursing administration and staff.

Virtually all apartment units were completed ahead of schedule.

Continually streamlined policies and procedures to create more reasonable work schedule.

Extremely well-organized and efficient.

Exceptionally well-trained in theatre, dance, and music.

A list of adverbs and adjectives is given below. Review the list and check the ones you feel may be useful to you. Try to include them but don’t force it. Don’t use a word or phrase unless it really fits your personality and strengthens your resume. After writing each draft, go back through the list to see if still another word or two might be useful.

Accurate/accurately Decisive/decisively

Active/actively Deep (insight)

Adept/adeptly Deft/deftly

Advantageously Dependable/dependably

Aggressive/aggressively Demonstrably

All-inclusive/all-inclusively Diligent/diligently

Ambitious/ambitiously Diplomatic/diplomatically

Appreciable/appreciably Distinctive/distinctively

Astute/astutely Diverse/diversified

Attractive/attractively Driving

Authoritative/authoritatively Easily

Avid/avidly Effective/effectively

Aware Effectually

Beneficial/beneficially Efficient/efficiently

Broad/broadly Effortless/effortlessly

Capable/capably Enthusiastically

Challenging Entire/entirely

Cohesive/cohesively Especially

Competent/competently Exceptional/exceptionally

Complete/completely Exciting/excitingly

Comprehensive/comprehensively Exhaustive/exhaustively

Conclusive/conclusively Experienced

Consistent/consistently Expert/expertly

Constructive/constructively Extensive/extensively

Contagious Extremely

Continuous/continually Familiar with

Contributed toward Familiarity with

Decidedly Firm/firmly

Reduced lost time due to illness 81% and reduced industrial accidents by 67%.

Negotiated a product classification change for California freight, saving $18,000 annually.

Negotiated, awarded, and administered contracts with vendors for the procurement of over 65,000 different standard parts.

Continually streamlined policies to reduce redundant procedures.

ACTION VERBS

Accomplished Commanded Determined Fabricated

Achieved Commended Developed Facilitated

Acquired Communicated Devised Fashioned

Acted as Completed Diagnosed Filed

Activated Compared Directed Financed

Active in Compiled Discovered Fixed

Adapted Composed Dispensed Followed up

Addressed Computed Displayed Forged (ahead)

Adjusted Conceived Dissected Forecasted

Administered Conceptualized Distributed Formulated

Advised Conducted Documented Found

Allocated Consolidated Drafted Founded

Analyzed Constructed Dramatized Functioned as

Approved Conserved Earned Gained

Arbitrated Consulted Edited Gathered

Arranged Contacted Eliminated Generated

Ascertained Contracted Employed Governed

Assembled Contributed Enacted Graduated

Assessed Controlled Encouraged Guided

Assigned Converted Enforced Handled

Assimilated Cooperated Engineered Headed

Assisted Coordinated Enhanced Hired

Assured Correlated Enlisted Identified

Attained Corroborated Ensured Illustrated

Attended Counseled Equipped Imagined

Augmented Created Established Implemented

Balanced Culminated in Estimated Improved

Bought Cultivated Evaluated Improvised

Brought Dealt Examined Increased

Built Defined Expanded Informed

Calculated Delegated Expedited Initiated

Clarified Delivered Experimented Inspected

Classified Demonstrated Explained Inspired

Coached Designed Expressed Installed

Collected Detected Extracted Instigated

Instilled Ordered Received Shaped

Instituted Organized Recognized Shifted

Instructed Originated Recommended Shipped

Insured Overcame Reconciled Simplified

Integrated Oversaw Recorded Sold

Interfaced Participated Recruited Solidified

Interpreted Perceived Rectified Solved

Interviewed Perfected Reevaluated Sorted

Introduced Performed Referred Spearheaded

Invented Persuaded Refined Spoke

Investigated Piloted Regulated Staffed

Judged Pioneered Rehabilitated Stimulated

Justified Placed Related Streamlined

Kept Planned Rendered Structured

Kindled Played Repaired Substituted

Launched Predicted Reported Succeeded

Led Prepared Represented Summarized

Lectured Prescribed Reorganized Supervised

Lifted Presented Researched Supplied

Located Prevented Resolved Synthesized

Logged Printed Responded Systematized

Maintained Processed Restored Tested

Managed Procured Retrieved Trained

Marketed Produced Revamped Transferred

Mastered Programmed Reviewed Transformed

Mediated Projected Revised Translated

Minimized Promoted Revitalized Treated

Monitored Proposed Revived Unified

Motivated Protected Saved Updated

Negotiated Proved Scheduled Upgraded

Nominated Provided Screened Utilized

Observed Publicized Secured Validated

Obtained Published Selected Verified

Offered Purchased Separated Won

Operated Questioned Served Wrote

Optimized Realized Serviced

Orchestrated Setup

VERB TENSES

Describe your current job in the present tense. For all previous jobs, write in the past tense. In your current job, you may need to describe an event, such as a project, which has already been completed. In that case, use the past tense to describe the project, while using the present tense in the remaining portions of your current job.

Developed (instituted, introduced, designed) new operating procedures which reduced labor costs 24% of gross revenues to 14%.

Instituted a preventive maintenance program which increased a combat readiness of a unit by 10%.

ACTION VERBS

A resume should sound alive and vigorous. Using action verbs helps achieve that feeling. “I changed the filing system” lacks punch and doesn’t really indicate if the system was improved. “I reorganized and simplified the filing system” sounds much better and provides more accurate information. Review the sentences below to get a feel for action words. Then quickly scan the words in the following list and check any you think you might want to use in your resume. Don’t try to force them in, use them when they feel right.

Conducted long-range master planning for the Portland water supply system.

Monitored enemy radio transmissions, analyzed information, and identified enemy strategic and tactical capabilities.

Planned, staffed and organized the intramural sports program for this 1,200-student college.

Produced daily reports for each trial and made sure documents and evidence were handled properly.

Presented seminars to entry-level secretaries and worked to increase the professionalism of secretaries in the county system.

Improved the coordination, imagination, and pantomime techniques of adults through mime and dance training.

Allocated and dispensed federal money to nine counties, as board member of the CETA Advisory Board.

Evaluated financial health by analyzing financial statements and ratios.

Prevented the loss of numerous key accounts through effective account management and by solving long-standing problems.

Compiled extensive fisheries data from interviews with thousands of sports fishermen.

Researched and proposed a $1,000,000 project to improve warehouse storage and develop a better distribution system.

Since the inventory system was designed over a year ago. It must be described in the past tense.

USING ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

Adjectives and adverbs are words that describe actions and things. Used appropriately, they can enliven a resume and describe more accurately what you did. Notice how they change the tone of the sentences below.

1. Worked with industrial engineers.

Worked closely and effectively with industrial engineers.

2. During seven years as staff pharmacist, learned the operations of the pharmacy department.

During seven years as staff pharmacist, became thoroughly familiar with operation of the pharmacy department.

3. Initiate and develop working relations with local, state, and federal agencies.

Initiate and develop outstanding working relations with local, state, and federal agencies.

4. Establish rapport with customers.

Quickly establish rapport with customers.

Here are more examples of how to use these words.

Dealt tactfully and effectively with difficult customers.

Outstanding record in teaching.

Comprehensive knowledge and experience in group facilitation.

Presented technical material in objective and easily understood terms.

Able to actively involve parents in individual Education Plans.

Able to train experienced people and develop highly effective teams.

Consistently maintained high profit margins on all.

ACTION VERBS

Corresponded	Arranged	Recorded	Separated
Performed	Referred	Consolidated	Interviewed
Examined	Posted	Controlled	Removed
Priced	Prescribed	Built	Protected
Ordered	Logged	Oversaw	Typed
Provided	Assisted	Prepared	Counted
Instructed	Researched	Loaded	Drew up
Counseled	Reviewed	Devised	Improved
Invented	Manufactured	Installed	Recommended
Operated	Adjusted	Labeled	Audited
Studied	Verified	Pulled	Determined
Negotiated	Phoned	Analyzed	Increased
Reduced	Implemented	Wrote	Organized
Supervised	Developed	Coordinated	Created
Produced	Instituted	Planned	Expanded
Identified	Collected	Hauled	Administered
Constructed	Served	Lifted	Advised
Tested	Received	Translated	Communicated
Obtained	Detected	Charted	Assembled
Routed	Distributed	Promoted	Filed
Dispensed	Filled	Lectured	Mixed
Sold	Directed	Conducted	Trained
Completed	Managed	Delivered	Checked
Supplied	Unloaded	Eliminated	Designed
Solved	Wheeled	Maintained	Evaluated
Realized	Represented	Selected	Purchased
Sorted	Processed	Moved	Packed

Tagged: productivity, resume, work

Try out Zemanta – It’s Cool

Vikram — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:08:53 +0000

Ever wish you had a blogging assistant who helped you write posts that are full of great links, photos, and tags? Wish no more: WordPress has partnered with the folks at Zemanta to give you a hand at quickly jazzing up your posts.

Once you’ve activated Zemanta, you’ll see several new widgets on your edit screen that let you quickly add recommended links, photos, tags, and articles. With just a few clicks your post goes from simple to snazzy.

This picture of a dog was automatically generated by Zemanta on detecting the post content. Pretty cool if you ask me

Image by State Library of New South Wales collection via Flickr

Tagged: Wordpress, Zemanta

FireFox Extension For…

Vikram — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:31:51 +0000

200+ extremely useful firefox extensions that save time and effort.

Advertising :

block ads on webpages : Adblock
block ads on webpages : Adblock Plus
automatically update adblocker filters : Adblock Filterset.G Updater
block Flash ads/content : Flashblock
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Archive/History :

create a log of browsing history : Slogger
see sites visited today/yesterday/2 days ago/etc : History Menu
see thumbnails of pages in session history : Reveal
Back to Top of the Page
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Blogging :

blog about the current page : Performancing for Firefox
blog to Blogger service : BlogThis
blog to LiveJournal/etc : Deepest Sender
comment about the blog page : coComment
know when blog content is under Creative Commons license : mozCC
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Bookmarking :

add a bookmark-here link in the bookmarks tree : Add Bookmark Here
bookmark at del.icio.us : Bookmark with Del.icio.us
bookmark at furl.net : Furl Tools
bypass/customize the add-bookmark dialog : OpenBook
edit bookmarks easily : Flat Bookmark Editing
search the bookmarks : Locate in Bookmark Folders
store and sync bookmarks online : Chipmark
store and sync bookmarks online : Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer
sync del.icio.us and Firefox bookmarks : Foxylicious
sync Firefox bookmarks on different computers : Bookmarks Synchronizer
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Chat :

chat on the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) : ChatZilla
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Clips/Notes/Scrapbook :

save a webpage : ScrapBook
save clips from web pages : Clipmarks
write a note about a webpage : QuickNote
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Customizing/Editing Website Display :

add/remove/change some features for sites : Aardvark
add/remove/change some features for sites : GreaseMonkey
customize a page and save as GreaseMonkey script : platypus
manage user styles for sites : Stylish
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Discover :

discover new sites being recommended by others : StumbleUpon
see useful sites for pages geographically marked with ICBM/geo.position tags : GeoURL
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Downloading/Files/FTP :

automatically save downloads to different directories : Download Sort
download all the links on a page (filter by type) : DownThemAll!
download/upload files using ftp : FireFTP
manage file downloads : FlashGot
open the download manager in another tab : Download Manager Tweak
see download speed in a statusbar : Download Statusbar
stop opening blank windows for downloads : Disable Targets For Downloads
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Email/Gmail/Webmail :

be notified when new mail arrives at Gmail account : Gmail Notifier
email the entire webpage : Amazing webpage emailer
insert custom signature into emails : Signature
insert smiley icons in messages : Smiley Xtra
manage multiple Gmail accounts : Gmail Manager
treat plain text email address as link : text/plain
use different Gmail accounts in different tabs : CookiePie
use disposable email addresses : Create disposable email addresses
use Gmail for space : Gmail Space
use Yahoo Mail with AJAX support : AJAX Yahoo! Mail
use webmail when mailto: link is clicked : WebMailCompose
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Financial/Stocks :

see prices in different currencies : ViewMyCurrency
see stock prices in a ticker : StockTicker
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Google :

add more links to Google search; remove ads : CustomizeGoogle
display my Adsense earnings : Adsense Notifier
enhance Google search results with more links : CustomizeGoogle
search Google and use other Google services : Google Toolbar for Firefox
view an unavailable page via Google archive : Cacheout!
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Internet Explorer/Other Browsers :

view an Internet-Explorer-only webpage in Firefox : IE Tab
view the same page in Firefox when it is open in Internet Explorer : FirefoxView
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Images/Graphics/Maps/Video :

click on Google images thumbnail to get full image : Google Images Re-Linker
map an address; get directions : Map+
save background/un-save-able images on various sites : Backgroundimage Saver
save all the images/media on a page : Magpie
show ALT attribute in a popup bubble : Popup ALT Attribute
zoom in/out on an image : Image Zoom
save video of a URL in clipboard : Clipboard-Save-As
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Managing Extensions :

backup instaled extensions : Firefox Extension Backup Extension
edit extensions options from Tools menu : Options Menu
install and manage extensions locally : MR Tech Local Install
list installed extensions and themes : InfoLister
list installed extensions and themes : ListZilla
restart Firefox with one click : Restart Firefox
see updates available for extensions : Update Notifier
sort the extensions list : Slim Extension List
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Mouse :

use mouse gestures (auto/history/tab scrollers etc) : All-in-One Gestures
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Music :

control iTunes using Firefox : FoxyTunes
launch windows media player for embedded video : MediaPlayerConnectivity
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

PDF :

open PDF files in a new tab : PDF Download
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Passwords :

bypass mandatory registration of username and password for sites : BugMeNot
create new different passwords for different sites : PasswordMaker
remember my username and passwords on sites : Always Remember Password
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Performance/Speed/Tuning :

edit userChrome.css/userContent.css/user.js : chromEdit
edit/delete/move the menu items : Menu Editor
minimize Firefox to system tray : MinimizeToTray
see page loading progress bar : Fission
see page loading statistics in a statusbar : Extended Statusbar
make the stop and reload button act as one button : Stop-or-Reload Button
speed up Firefox : Fasterfox
use colorful menu icons : CuteMenus – Crystal SVG
use colorful menu icons : CuteMenus2
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Print :

remove unwanted text/image block before printing a page : Nuke Anything Enhanced
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Privacy :

add/edit cookies : Add N Edit Cookies
block phishing sites : NetcraftToolbar
clear everything after the browsing session : X (Paranoia) Mod 0.6.5
clear the cache with one click on the toolbar : Clear Cache Button
see where form information is being submitted : FormFox
surf the web without leaving a trace in my computer : Stealther
use multiple proxy sites to surf the web : SwitchProxy Tool
use multiple proxy sites to surf the web : xyzproxy
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Productivity :

add a powerful multi-functional preference bar : PrefBar
add bookmarks to history to make auto-complete URL : AutoMarks
add more search engines to Firefox search box : Mycroft
automatically reload a page every few seconds : Reload Every
automatically show/close the sidebar with mouse motion : Optimoz Tweaks
create a tiny url : TinyUrl Creator
disable the install default countdown delay : MR Tech Disable XPI Install Delay
drag a link to a text area : DragToScroll
enhance search engine results with more information : BetterSearch
navigate up one folder level on a site : Uppity
open links/mailto with external applications : Launchy
remove content from pages permanently : Remove It Permanently
restore all open pages after a crash : Crash Recovery
restore the browser exactly as closed last time : SessionSaver
see all open tabs together on screen : Firefox Showcase
see date and day in the status bar : Statusbar Clock
see more search result/image entries on pages : repagination
smoothly scroll up/down the page : SmoothWheel
switch between multiple sidebard : All-In-One Sidebar
track time spent browsing / on a project : TimeTracker
use a calendar : Mozilla Calendar
use a sidebar to control multiple functions : All-in-One Sidebar
use keyboard to go to next page/previous page : NextPlease!
use the keyboard for more functions : mozless
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

RSS/Feeds/Livemarks :

Add RSS feeds to web-based/desktop readers or reader extensions : LiveLines
read RSS feeds : Sage
read RSS feeds : Wizz RSS News Reader
reload all LiveMarks : Reliby
scroll LiveMarks feeds in a tickler : RSS Ticker
see newsfeeds/blogs raw xml with styles : Feedview
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Search :

add search engines to context menu : ConQuery
automatically resize the search box for longer terms : Searchbar Autosizer
change the order of search engines : Search Engine Ordering
choose from a list of search engines : Groowe Search Toolbar
choose from a list of search engines : Hyperwords
delete a search plugin : SearchPluginHacks
preview thumbnails of search results in Google/Yahoo/etc : Cooliris Previews
preview thumbnails of search results in Google/Yahoo/etc : GooglePreview
search 1-25 custom chosen sites : Roll your Own Search for Firefox
search via contextmenu thru customized bookmark keywords : SmartSearch
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Search Engine Optimization :

see Alexa information, search engine backlinks for a page : SearchStatus
see Google Pagerank in statusbar : Google Pagerank Status
see information about the site : About This Site
see search engine link counts and ranks for the page : SEO Links
see search engine backlinks, analyze links, keyword density etc : SEOpen
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Security :

allow javascript/java/plugins/etc only on trusted sites : NoScript
control more javascript options : JavaScript Options
see cookie information on page dialog : View Cookies
manage cookies : CookieCuller
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Tabs :

add a close button on each tab : Tab X
change colors for different tabs : Colorful Tabs
duplicate a tab : Duplicate Tab
manage tabs (add/move/etc) : Tabbrowser Preferences
manage tabs (multiple links/duplicate/close same domain/etc ) : Tab Mix Plus
marks some tabs as permanent : PermaTabs
move to next/previous tab via keyboard : SwiftTabs
toggle the tab bar via chosen key : HideTabBar
use multiple tab rows : superT
undo/reopen the tab I just closed : Undoclosetab
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Text (Copy/Cut/Paste/Spell/Translate) :

automatically copy the selected text to clipboard : AutoCopy
copy plain text (without formatting/html) : Copy Plain Text
fill web forms with name/address/email etc : Autofill
fill web forms with name/address/email etc : InFormEnter
find the meaning of selected word in a dictionary : DictionarySearch
find the meaning of selected word in a dictionary : Dictionary Tooltip
find the meaning of selected word from Google definitions : Inline Google Definitions
find the selected word with search plugins : Context Search
highlight a paragraph and navigate with keys : Paragrasp
highlight every instance of a word/phrase on the page : Context Highlight
increase/decrease/back-to-normal text size of the page : Text size toolbar
paste a url and load the page in one step : Paste and Go
resize text areas in forums : Resizeable Textarea
see all tabs in one window : Viamatic foXpose
spell check text in form fields : SpellBound
translate selected text using google translation service : gTranslate
write in WYSIWYG mode in a text area : Xinha Here!
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Weather :

see weather information : ForecastFox
see weather information (+ radar images) : Forecastfox Enhanced
Suggestions/Corrections : Comment in blog : wordpress : I want a Firefox Extension to …

Web Development :

change user agent for certain sites : User Agent Switcher
find the color code of a given pixel : ColorZilla
capture screenshots : ScreenGrab!
capture screenshots : Pearl Crescent Page Saver
check the validity of links on a page : LinkChecker
copy and format selected text/title/url : Copy URL+
debug ajax/css/html/javascript : FireBug
debug javascript : JavaScript Debugger
download an entire website : SpiderZilla
edit CSS stylesheet : EditCSS
find whois information of the site : domainFinder
inspect the DOM of HTML, XUL, and XML pages : DOM Inspector
inspect the selected element with DOM Inspector : InspectThis
measure pixel width with a ruler : MeasureIt
modify http/https headers and post parameters : Tamper Data
preview the Adsense ads that might be shown on a page : Adsense Preview
run automated tests on a site : TestGen4Web
see anchors on the page : Show Anchors
see color contrast page information : Colour Contrast Analyser
see cookie information for a page : View Cookies
see current page’s heading structure in a sidebar : Document Map
see errors categorizxed by type : Console2
see GET and POST parmeters of the page : UrlParams
see how a page will look on mobile screen : Small Screen Rendering XPI
see http headers of a page : Header Monitor
see IP address of the site : ShowIP
see web development references in a sidebar : DevBoi
see Xpath information : XPather
simulate WAP browsing by viewing WML : wmlbrowser
test nightly versions of Firefox : Nightly Tester Tools
validate html : HTML Validator
view css styles; view html in another app; validate css/htmlWeb Developer
view page html source constructs directly on the page : X-Ray
view rendered source : View Source Chart
view source with an externall app : ViewSourceWith
write lorem ipsum content for test page : LoremIpsum Content Generator

Courtesy: http://www.econsultant.com/i-want-firefox-extension/

Tagged: extensions, firefox, technology

What Does Independence Mean? – Challenging Assumptions

Vikram — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 08:35:30 +0000

Freedom By Tatsu Subaru

The following is a post from another blog of mine that I abandoned long ago. Maybe I will revive it one of these days. Today being the Indian Independence Day, it was a cerebral revisit to the same thought pattern again.

As human beings born and raised in a society we are bound by assumptions, prejudices and the values of our forefathers, family and peers.
Most of us do not realize that the way we think, decide and act upon all matters (whether trivial or complex) are heavily influenced by:

1. The morals and the value system of our parents.
2. The peer environment that we had been exposed to as kids.
3. The religion we believe in just because we were born in a family that practices that religion.
4. The culture of the community/nation we were born in.

Some people would say that the above mentioned factors are what define us as an individual.

I happen to have a different view on the same:
I believe that all the above factors do not define you or me as an individual. Rather, these influences change a kid’s beliefs to align them with that of a group, society or cult. Original and free thinking is severely impacted by the way we are raised and the education system we have been exposed to. For example, a kid born and raised in a terrorist outfit would probably hate the western world all his life without even questioning the beliefs and education he was imparted.

While the above is a more extreme example, it does clarify that the way you and me have been schooled and raised, trains and conditions us to be a part of “The Group” rather than promoting free will and original thinking.

Most of the stuff we like, the choices we make, our likes and dislikes are actually not what you or me could really call “My Preferences”. These “preferences” were formed of time and influenced by the moral and the value system we were exposed to.

The icing on the cake is when we realize that we never had the independence or the discretion to choose this system of morals, values and religion by ourselves. This is what we were taught and always believed in. Some of the most important beliefs we live and swear by were never chosen or questioned by us!!

This is what I like to do:

Being naked. Not literally of course. We are not naked when we take of our clothes. We would still be wearing our assumptions. beliefs, faith, religion, morals and values. If you could take these off for an hour and spend that hour thinking like a free man who is unaffected by any external influences and uses logic and rational approach to think for himself/herself, take decisions by self and not succumb to peer, family or societal pressures.

Then, you would have the satisfaction of living life at your own terms and making your decisions.

Remember… Independence Is Challenging Assumptions!!

Tagged: freedom, independence, Inspiration, Life, My Life, Personal, thoughts, zen

SmartAss Quotes

Vikram — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 08:41:33 +0000

If you are pissed and stressed and would like to speak you mind in one-liners.. here are some quotes for you to throw around.

I found these off teh internetz and have used a lot of these in real life… epicness ensued

1. Well, this day was a total waste of makeup.
2. Well, aren’t we just a ray of f*****g sunshine?
3. Make yourself at home! Clean my kitchen.
4. Not the brightest crayon in the box now, are we?
5. A hard-on doesn’t count as personal growth.
6. Don’t bother me. I’m living happily ever after.

7. Do I look like a f*****g people person?
8. This isn’t an office. It’s Hell with fluorescent lighting.
9. I started out with nothing & still have most of it left.
10. I pretend to work. They pretend to pay me.
11. I’ve found Jesus. He was behind the sofa the whole time.
12. You! Off my planet!
13. Therapy is expensive, poppin’ bubble wrap is cheap! You choose.
14. Practice random acts of intelligence & senseless acts of self-control.
15. I like cats too. Let’s exchange recipes.
16. If I want to hear the pitter-patter of little feet, I’ll put shoes on my cat.
17. The Bible was written by the same people who said the Earth was flat.
18. Did the aliens forget to remove your anal probe?
19. I wish for a world of peace, harmony, & nakedness.
20. Errors have been made. Others will be blamed.
21. Let me show you how the guards used to do it.
22. And your cry baby whiny-assed opinion would be…?
23. I’m not crazy, I’ve just been in a very bad mood for 30 years.
24. See no evil, hear no evil and date no evil.
25. Allow me to introduce my selves.
26. Sarcasm is just one more service we offer.
27. Whisper my favorite words: “I’ll buy it for you.”
28. Better living through denial.
29. Whatever kind of look you were going for, you missed.
30. Suburbia: where they tear out the trees & then name streets after them.
31. Do they ever shut up on your planet?
32. I’m just working here till a good fast-food job opens up.
33. Are those your eyeballs? I found them in my cleavage.
34. I’m not your type. I’m not inflatable.
35. I’m trying to imagine you with a personality.
36. A cubicle is just a padded cell without a door.
37. Stress is when you wake up screaming & you realize you haven’t fallen asleep yet.
38. Here I am! Now what are your other two wishes?
39. Back off! You’re standing in my aura.
40. I can’t remember if I’m the good twin or the evil one.
41. Don’t worry. I forgot your name, too!
42. One of us is thinking about sex… OK, it’s me.
43. How many times do I have to flush before you go away?
44. I have a computer, a vibrator, & pizza delivery. Why should I leave the house?
45. I just want revenge. Is that so wrong?
46. It’s sick the way you people keep having sex without me.
47. I work 40 hours a week to be this poor.
48. You say I’m a b***h like it’s a bad thing.
49. Can I trade this job for what’s behind door #1?
50. Okay, okay, I take it back! UnFuck you!
51. Macho Law prohibits me from admitting I’m wrong.
52. Nice perfume. Must you marinate in it?
53. Not all men are annoying. Some are dead.
54. Too many freaks, not enough circuses.
55. Just smile and say “Yes, Mistress.”
56. Chaos, panic, & disorder — my work here is done.
57. Mommy, I wanna grow up to be a neurotic b***h just like you.
58. A woman’s favorite position is CEO.
59. Ambivalent? Well, yes and no.
60. You look like shit. Is that the style now?
61. This is a mean, f*****g cruel world & I want my nappy & medication right now!
62. Everyone thinks I’m psychotic, except for my friends deep inside the earth.
63. Earth is full. Go home.
64. Is it time for your medication or mine?
65. Aw, did I step on your poor little bitty ego?
66. Did I mention the kick in the groin you’ll be receiving if you touch me?
67. I plead contemporary insanity.
68. And which dwarf are you?
69. I refuse to star in your psychodrama.
70. I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted pay checks.
71. How do I set a laser printer to stun?
72. It ain’t the size, it’s… no, it’s the size.
73. I’m not tense, just terribly, terribly alert.
74. I majored in liberal arts. Will that be for here or to go?

Tagged: funny, quotes

Create Download Page In WordPress

Vikram — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:35:12 +0000

So you want to create a simple download page on your WordPress powered blog or website and would like to know how to create one? Recently I created such a page for a friend and you would be surprised to know how easy it is to create one.

There are a number of ways you can accomplish this. But we will be looking at a quick, simple and effective solution for your downloads page that you can put up without getting your hands dirty.

Here is what you need to do:

Log on to the WordPress admin panel and click on add new plugins.
Search for a plugin called “Download Manager” by Shaon.
Alternatively, you can download the plugin from here
Install the plugin and click activate.
You should now be able to see something like this in your left sidebar:
Click on “Add new file” and enter the relevant information and upload a file.
Once you have a uploaded a file for your friends to download, you will be given an access code that looks like:
Copy the code “{filelink=1}”
Now create a new page called “Downloads” or whatever you may want to call it and paste the code in its text body.
Click Save and you should have a working download link for the file on your download page.
Additionally, you can create a table in your wordpress page and use it to neatly arrange your downloads on the page.

Go ahead upload a ton files and simply add the code on the download page. Feel free to share any other ideas that you may have.

Tagged: Create, Download, Page, Wordpress

Being Vikram

Coffee

5 People Who Secretly Control You Life

Your Heroes

Your Nemesis

Your Parents

Your Partner

You

Projects Completed and Underway..

WordPress and Yahoo Web Hosting

Simple Resume Guide

THE RESUME

SAYING IT WITH IMPACT

DESCRIBING RESULTS – GOING BEYOND DUTIES

THE WORDS TO USE

Try out Zemanta – It’s Cool

FireFox Extension For…

200+ extremely useful firefox extensions that save time and effort.

Advertising :

Archive/History :

Blogging :

Bookmarking :

Chat :

Clips/Notes/Scrapbook :

Customizing/Editing Website Display :

Discover :

Downloading/Files/FTP :

Email/Gmail/Webmail :

Financial/Stocks :

Google :

Internet Explorer/Other Browsers :

Images/Graphics/Maps/Video :

Links :

Managing Extensions :

Mouse :

Music :

PDF :

Passwords :

Performance/Speed/Tuning :

Print :

Privacy :

Productivity :

RSS/Feeds/Livemarks :

Search :

Search Engine Optimization :

Security :

Tabs :

Text (Copy/Cut/Paste/Spell/Translate) :

Weather :

Web Development :

What Does Independence Mean? – Challenging Assumptions

SmartAss Quotes

Create Download Page In WordPress