Raj Agrawal

Learnings from software and technology

Connect

You are here: Home / Archives for Raj Agrawal

Tricking Google Search With Scroogle

by 6 Comments

Update as on 17th November, 2015 – Scroogle.com no longer exists.

No cookies. No search-term records. Access log deletes within 48 hours

It’s a quite difficult to obtain and maintain privacy on the web. With the various intentions of collecting user data, it’s really hard to be anonym us all the time. Google Search collects the user’s IP address, search items along with the date and time which can be avoided by using proxy anonymizers and even better, by using a search engine called Scroogle.

Wikipedia reveals:

Google originally placed a cookie on each registered user’s computer, which can be used to track that person’s search history, and that cookie was not set to expire until 2038. As of 2007, Google’s cookie now expires in two years but renews itself when a Google service is used. There is no evidence that Google turns over information to the FBI or the NSA, though some users remain anxious about the possibility. In response, Google claims cookies are necessary to maintain user preferences between sessions and offer other search features.

In early 2005, the United States Department of justice filed a motion in federal court to force Google to comply with a subpoena for, “the text of each search string entered onto Google’s search engine over a two-month period (absent any information identifying the person who entered such query).” Google fought the subpoena, due to concerns about users’ privacy. In March 2006, the court ruled partially in Google’s favor, recognizing the privacy implications of turning over search terms and re-using to grant access.

scroogle
Screw-Google?

Who is Scroogle? How does Scroogle work?

Scroogle, a Mozilla Foundation, is a nonprofit organization with a history of activism on privacy issues. For more info visit: Link

When you enter a search term through Scroogle Search, Scroogle randonly grabs an IP from a pool of it’s IP addresses called Goo IPs. It uses SSL to encrypt your search activity.Then Google issues a new cookie with a new ID, and sends the search results. Scroogle deletes the cookie and saves the results in a file which is also deleted within hour. Google records Sroogle’s IP address, search items and the date and time.

Is there a Firefox, Flock, Microsoft IE7 / IE8, Opera or a Chrome extension available for Scroogle?

Yes. A short tutorial on ‘how to’ is available on the website. www.scroogle.org

So, if you have used this service, do share your experiences in the comments section.

New Technologies Expected In 2010

by 8 Comments

UPCOMING TECHNOLOGY – Our civilisation is entering a new phase of time, year 2010, just two years closer to 2012. Ok, stupid jokes aside. The year 2010 coming along with many technological advancements and plans for a more techie future. From USB 3.0, 3-D television sets to the upcoming Xbox console, all are expected to be witnessed in the year 2010. I am personally looking forward to the 3-D television. When this becomes a part of our everyday lives, it will surely change the way of home entertainment.

3d tv without glasses
An illustration of 3-D TV, without the need to wear glasses

I have assembled a list of the upcoming techs in 2010 from various sources. Check them out:

So which of these upcoming techs are your favorite? What are you expecting?

Have Happy And A Peaceful New Year !

Warning: This Math Trick Can Actually Improve Your Social Image!

by 3 Comments

An algorithm to remember and calculate

We know that Mathematics is linked to everything we can see, feel and imagine. Math can help a human build something he has only dreamed of.  It has the power to create, modify and destroy things. From the process involved in building computer applications to the preparation of food we eat, all have ‘at least’ a point where Math has to be used. So, here is the bottom line “Can you use Math to improve your social image”? You know the answer is the obvious, yes you can!

Can you count?

The following is the guide to a simple mental calculation (referred from Wikipedia) that will help you easily calculate the day of the week of any date of any year!

Points to be considered:

  • The algorithm is valid for the Gregorian calendar. This began in Britain and her colonies on September 14, 1752. The area now forming the United States changed at different times depending on the colonial power; Spain, France, Italy, and others had changed in 1582 and Russia had not changed by 1867 when Alaska was purchased by the U.S. from Russia.
  • To know whether a year is a leap year or not, divide the last two digits of the year by 4. If the quotient you get is a whole number like ‘2’, then it’s a leap year. In a special case where the year (all digits) is completely divisible by 100, must also be divisible by 400 in order to qualify as a leap year. If the quotient is a decimal figure like ‘1.25’ it’s a regular year.
  • Lets take the year 2008. 08/4 = 2 which means the year 2008 is a leap year. But the year 2100, being completely divisible by 100, must also divisible by 400, which isn’t. So, the year 2100 is not a leap year.

These are the values for the given centuries,months and days:

Centuries table

* 1700-1799 = 4 (Still Julian Calendar in Great Britain and it lands until 1752)
* 1800-1899 = 2
* 1900-1999 = 0
* 2000-2099 = 6
* 2100-2199 = 4
* 2200-2299 = 2
* 2300-2399 = 0
* 2400-2499 = 6
* 2500-2599 = 4

Months table

* January = 0 (in leap year 6)
* February = 3 (in leap year 2)
* March = 3
* April = 6
* May = 1
* June = 4
* July = 6
* August = 2
* September = 5
* October = 0
* November = 3
* December = 5

Days table

* Sunday = 0
* Monday = 1
* Tuesday = 2
* Wednesday = 3
* Thursday = 4
* Friday = 5
* Saturday = 6

Here comes the main part, the calculation:

Let’s use April 24, 1982.

1. Look up the 1900s in the centuries table: 0
2. Note the last two digits of the year: 82
3. Divide the 82 by 4: 82/4 = 20.5 and drop the fractional part: 20
4. Look up April in the months table: 6
5. Add all numbers from steps 1-4 to the day of the month (in this case, 24):
0+82+20+6+24=132.
6. Divide the sum from step 5 by 7 and find the remainder: 132/7=18 remainder 6
7. Find the remainder in the days table: 6=Saturday.

It should be noted that, in this algorithm, the days on which the century, year, and month start are the “zeroth” day. This allows us to add the day of the month directly (without subtracting 1). For example, 1900 starts on day 0 which corresponds to a Sunday; however, we still need to add 1 for the January 1 which brings the day on which January 1, 1900 fell to day 1, which is Monday, the correct day.

So, next time you talk about birthdays with your colleagues, don’t forget to impress them with your new Math Trick 😉

(Errors rectified, as spotted by the readers. Thanks Chirag64!)