Raj Agrawal

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New Technologies Expected In 2010

December 31, 2009 by Raj Agrawal 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:

  • 3-D television expected to come to homes in 2010
  • 8 Mobile Technologies to Watch in 2010
  • Wireless 4G, Closer Than Expected
  • New Xbox, Wii Hardware Expected in 2010
  • Wireless HD Expected By CES 2010
  • Top 10 green cars
  • USB 3.0, ExpressCard 2.0 Products Expected in 2010

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

Have Happy And A Peaceful New Year !

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: wireless, xbox

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

December 14, 2009 by Raj Agrawal 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!)

Filed Under: Technology

Installing Old Hardware Drivers On Windows 7

November 12, 2009 by Raj Agrawal 2 Comments

Dealing with the compatibility issue

Recently, I was stuck with installing drivers on my computer loaded with a newly purchased copy of Windows 7 Ultimate OS. I’m referring to a Pentium 4 processor, Intel 845G 64MB integrated graphics and 512MB DDR desktop. Windows 7 seemed to run well, with the luxurious features of Windows 7 like Aero and Media center turned off. The only bad thing is that Windows 7 is not very friendly with the older stuff. “Many” of the older applications (including drivers) were failing to install on the new OS. After some troubleshooting efforts, I found a simple way to deal with the compatibility issue.

windows 7 beta boots creen
Windows 7 boot screen

Steps to install old hardware drivers on Windows 7:

  • Install a freeware file compression software 7 Zip,
  • Jump to the location where you have the setup/zipped driver file you are willing to install,
  • Right click on the setup file, unzip and extract it to any convenient location,
  • Now you can try updating your drivers by pointing the ‘hardware update wizard’ to the unzipped folder location,
  • Select “Reinstall with recommend settings” and this should do the job,
  • If it still doesn’t work out, all you can do is wait till a new fix is introduced via windows update or an update through the driver manufacture’s website or just by upgrading your hardware.

The compatibility issue is just for the time being and all the applications that you used on XP will soon work with 7.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: windows

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