Archive for March, 2010

.avi file compression

Uncompressed video files ( .avi) which are recorded from cameras or webcam use a huge file size. A 25 sec moderate quality video takes 150 mb of space. It is not possible to share this raw format with others through internet and so I was looking for a method to compress the file and keeping it as a .avi file. After searching the net and testing with a few softwares I was finally able to compress my 150mb .avi file to 5 mb without losing the framerate or quality of the video.

VirtualDub was the answer to my problem. You can download VirtualDub from here. Its a zip file which you can extract and start using by just running the file VirtualDub.exe

You will also need a Xvid Codec for the compression, a good codec is Koepi’s XviD Codec 1.2.2 which you can download and install. I got an error to override the deafult codec while installing it, but I Ignored the error and everything worked fine after that. (more…)

Quotes

Nothing hurts more then waiting since I don’t even know what I’m waiting for anymore.

You asked me what was wrong,I smiled and said nothing,when you turned around and a tear came down & I whispered to myself… everything is.

You know you love someone when the mere thought of losing them brings you to tears.

Life and love is kinda funny some time cause the guys we want are so hard to get, but the ones that we dont want are so hard to get rid of.

I don’t know which is worse, loving someone knowing its going to cause you pain or being in pain because you can’t love someone.

Sometimes the one love you can’t get over is the one love you never really had.

If your wish does not come true then something better was meant for you.

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only “choice” you have. (more…)

Ubuntu security

I am not a security expert but I have implemented a few of these measures in my Ubuntu box and so thought about discussing about it. Please know that implementing these features will not make your box fully secure. You can discuss or find solutions for any security issues in the Ubuntu Forum

The two features I will discuss is ssh, as you let peoples walk in your machine through these applications.

SSH( Secure Shell Access) normally use password authentication to let peoples in. Firstly you will make up your mind if you at all need to have a ssh connection to your machine. If not, you can disable ssh from the Synaptic Package Manager. If you need the ssh connection to your machine, then change the port for it. Default port for ssh is 22 . Use the following method to change the port (more…)

Drinking theory

From Cheers. Cliff Clavin explaining the ‘Buffalo Theory’ of eugenics to his buddy Norm:

“Well ya see, Norm, it’s like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. So when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.

The human brain works that way too. It only operates as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. So, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That’s why you always feel smarter after a few beers.”

~Cliff Clavin (from Cheers)

Cloud Computing

So what is Cloud Computing ?

I was looking around all the definitions on cloud computing over the net but all are too complicated. Finally I found the easiest definition to understand it. Cloud computing is a network of servers that involves delivering hosted services to customers over the Internet. A cloud service has three unique characteristics that differentiates it from traditional hosting. It is sold on demand, typically by the minute or the hour. A user can have as much or as little of a service as they want at any given time and the service is fully managed by the provider . The consumer needs nothing but a personal computer with an internet access.

These services are broadly divided into three categories: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The name cloud computing was inspired by the cloud symbol that’s often used to represent the Internet in flow charts and diagrams. (more…)