Internet is becoming so vulnerable every day (ok, at least every year). It’s very difficult to save important information online. A couple of weeks back, experts found a vulnerability in Internet Explorer. It was the talk of the town (or talk of the digg, etc) then.  It was immediately followed by a vulnerability in Firefox inwhich many people have a lot of trust.

I was a regular user of Firefox. I immediately switched onto Opera since then. I still use Firefox occasionally though. I also use Chrome and Safari in Windows. However the recent vulnerability in Safari made me think, if there is any security at all in the internet world where I spend almost 12 to 20 hours a day. It has also become very important to keep up to date with the lastest browser news.

Anyway, I’m still stick with Opera that is considered more secure than any other browser in the industry. Do share your views on this topic. Thanks.

Recently I was in a situation where I had to TALK to one of my clients using Yahoo Messenger. The situation may be an ideal situation for others. Certainly not for me!

I’m using Linux (Ubuntu 8.04) with Pidgin installed in it to use Yahoo Messenger’s services. I was really bit embarassed when I was forced to TALK on a fine day. Then I explained the situation to my client and requested him to TALK via skype.

For those who don’t know much about the difference between skype and yahoo, here are some…

1. Skype is available in almost all the platforms viz, windows, linux and mac. In case of Yahoo, it’s available only for windows and mac.
2. Skype can also be used as an Instant Messenger.
3. Skype offers better quality VOIP services.

Love to hear, if anyone of you switched to Skype from Yahoo.

Here are some genuine tips for choosing the right free/cheap/reliable web host…

• Find out how long they are in business. (Some are very new, never faced hard times.)
• See genuine reviews. (Do some research. You’d definitely feel better while signing up.)
• Find out their integrity. (Genuine web hosts provide/display as many details as possible to users. Some even put up their uptime/downtime, public forum, uptime guarantee etc.)
• Technical Details. (Clustering hosting yield faster page loads.)
• Read their TOS. (Very important. You might find many things that you just can’t accept.)

I’m currently hosting my domain (luckweaver.net) in byethost. They _seem_ good so far.  So, free web hosting is not a joke for me yet. Try it(byethost), if you have time and send me a review, if you have any issues with them.

Hi there,

This is a forum targeted towards India. The forum admin has been doing a noble task by providing contracted work to unemployed people in India. He has his unique style of selecting people for his work. He needs to know what kind of computer, internet connection one has got before assigning work. He also needs to know how many hours a person can dedicate. And finally he expects a proper resume too.

He has a point here. Let me go through one by one.

• There are many people who don’t have a proper computer and/or reliable internet connection in India. There are people who still use P3 computers (with 128 MB memory and Windows 98) and expect to earn $10 an hour. And there are some people who have a BSNL connection and think it is a reliable connection. There is no doubt BSNL has done a great job by making internet avaiable to rural people with affordable rate. But the question is, “Is BSNL reliable?”. I bet it isn’t. You could refer http://broadbandforum.in/ to see others’ opinion on this issue.
• And the next point is availability. He’d like to know how many hours a person can dedicate. He doesn’t want anyone to quit his/her present job and take his assignments. However, he’d like to know if the applicant can stick to what he/she promises. For example, if an applicant assures to work for 4 hours a day, every employer in this earth expects the same from the applicant.
• Finally resume. There are brilliant people, who speak/write English naturally/fluently, out here in India. Well, in reality, how many of them are working as a freelancer (part-time or full-time)? It’s hardly countable. Many of those exceptional people join in companies where the starting package is more than what their parents earned in ten years. So it is natural to ask their resume before applying for a job.

A similar system was followed by www.luckweaver.com. Unfortunately, there were many people who started scamming. Hope it wouldn’t happen to http://wahm.in/forum

It is simply amazing to use GoogleGears with WordPress. My speed while working with wordpress has increased tremendously since I installed it in my laptop.

If you don’t know what is it and how to use it with your wordpress blog, check it out here.

The other application (that I use) that takes advantage of Google Gears is “RTM” (Remember The Milk).

If you visit browsing centers a lot, to check e-mails or to browse through regular pages, here is a tip…

1. To save time checking mails, use e-mail client.
2. To save time entering passwords, use “save/remember password” option in your browser. (I don’t recommend to do it with internet explorer).
3. Bookmark the pages you regularly visit.
4. Always have a file called ToDo.txt.

But…… how to do this?

Easy…

• Take your USB flash drive.
• Go to PortableApps.com.
• Download the softwares/suite you need.
• Carry your drive wherever you go.

It will maximize the effectiveness of your browsing center time.

You will do more things in the same time.