Latest posts in Subodh's Blog

Installing Windows 7 on iMac 27”

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 09:01:57 GMT

The new iMac with its 27” LED display and core i7 goodness, slim profile and drop dead gorgeous looks lacks just one thing. It doesn’t run Windows 7 out of the box. Snow Leopard and the lackluster Apple supplied software notwithstanding, I was still drooling at how big a code window I could get if I fired up Visual Studio 2010 in this baby. Here’s a step by step guide to matching the most beautiful (if not the best) hardware with the most useful OS of all times – Installing Windows 7 on iMAC 27” Core i5/i7.

Wish you a Very Happy 2010

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 07:03:10 GMT

Here’s wishing you a very Happy New Year. And a very happy new decade too! I’ve been making resolutions off and on since childhood. And breaking them too. At some point I lost interest in them. At another, I tested my will-power to its extremes. Of course, a resolution was always meant for just that one day. This year’s resolutions;

Packaging multiple DNN modules via Command line

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 07:37:26 GMT

How does somebody package a DNN module? Login as host, go to Module Definitions, hit Edit on the module you want to package and voila, there’s a Create Package button! How do you create a package from command line? Or, how do you create a package that contains multiple packages? I have to admit, I couldn’t Google enough to find a solution. So, here it goes.

Ready? Set. Go! SpeedBlog Version Comparison Matrix

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 01:35:53 GMT

It’s almost done. Thank you for waiting. The feature matrix for different versions of SpeedBlog has been finalized. There might be some minor changes from now until the final release but most of the high level features will remain the same. Thanks to the amazing feedback that many of you submitted during the Beta Preview, we’ve made quite a few changes.

SpeedBlog & Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:34:28 GMT

p.lead-in { color:#888888 !important; font-size:18px; line-height:1.6em; margin-bottom:24px; margin-left:12px !important; font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif; } For those of you currently testing the Beta Preview version of SpeedBlog (as well as for those who are yet to even activate!), here’s some search candy. And some tips to help SpeedBlog optimize your blog posts automatically for you.

Is PowerDNN Hosting a Rip-Off? Maybe not.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:19:33 GMT

I’ve never hosted with PowerDNN. I have no idea why their services are so -- “Expensive.” I also hate spammers. And scammers. So tell me people; what is it that I have missed about PowerDNN? Is it a ripoff? What’s with all the TVs and Giveaways spamming my DNN search tabs on twitter? Are people really stupid? Or is it just me? Updated.

SpeedBlog: Debug Mode installation

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:22:54 GMT

p.lead-in { color:#888888 !important; font-size:18px; line-height:1.6em; margin-bottom:24px; margin-left:12px !important; font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif; } From the main SpeedBlog download page, you can now download a debug checked build as well. When and how should you use it is explained in this post.

Installing SpeedBlog CE Beta Preview

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:16:34 GMT

p.lead-in { color:#888888 !important; font-size:18px; line-height:1.6em; margin-bottom:24px; margin-left:12px !important; font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif; } For those of you who requested for a SpeedBlog Beta Preview invite, “Thank you.” Here’s a quick run down on how to go about installing the beta preview, setting up Windows Live writer to connect to SpeedBlog and making your first post, in much less time than it takes you to read this post!

Introducing SpeedBlog CE Beta Preview

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 06:02:08 GMT

.pagebody { margin-top:30px; } .speedblog-multiple{ float:left; padding-bottom:24px; padding-right:20px; width:447px; text-align: justify; } .speedblog-tags, .speedblog-languages{ border-left:1px solid #dfdfdf; border-right:1px solid #dfdfdf; float:left; padding-bottom:25px; padding-left:20px; padding-right:20px; width:276px; text-align: justify; } p.lead-in { color:#888888 !important; font-size:18px; line-height:1.6em; margin-bottom:24px; margin-left:12px !important; font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif; } If you're an avid blogger and use DotNetNuke as your CMS, we can give you some pretty cool reasons to consider SpeedBlog as your Blog platform. When you’re convinced, ask us for an invite. Get your invite! !

Exchange Server 2007 with GoDaddy UCC Certificate and ISA Server 2007

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:36:02 GMT

A proof of how quickly time flies asserts itself around this time of the year when it is time to renew the SSL certificate used for SMTP, POP and IMAP services on Exchange Server 2007. It is surprising however that the documentation on how to do so is still scarce and hard to come by, nearly 3 years since I embarked on the original installation. What is more intriguing however -- I end up doing the same mistakes every year. This time, I’m going to outline the whole process. Here’s how to use GoDaddy’s SSL certificates with Exchange Server 2007 and ISA Server 2006.

Life does get the way

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:55:23 GMT

Planning for that much awaited vacation? Expect boss to come up with a work-during-weekends-plan. Never been late on payments? Expect your credit card company to jack up the interest rates. Thinking of saving some money by moving to Vonage? Expect AT&T to hit you with a $1000+ bill. Planning on flying after a long time? Expect Obama to pay a visit and lockout the entire airspace. Hoping Bipin or Ashok would show up on the weekends? They’d get too darned busy to even say “See ya sucker.”

Hello SpeedBlog for DotNetNuke

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:02:57 GMT

It’s done! It’s over. Goodbye DNN Blog , Hello SpeedBlog. Written from grounds-up, SpeedBlog is my own platform for writing blogs and articles. Now, now I’m not going to say much except for quoting purely-narcotic - “Normal blogging shall resume soon.”

Goodbye DNN Blog.

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:09:00 GMT

This was bound to happen. But it didn’t have to. For an open source framework like DotNetNuke, so powerful and widely adopted, yet blogging or even publishing an article was an after-thought. In the OpenSource world they say, “The product has to be absolutely top-notch to succeed” and yet instead of harnessing and shoring up on the success of DNN, the Blog module stands there, lackluster in every sense, reeking of neglect, derelict, unending wait except for the oohs and aahs of what’s about to come in the next version.

Windows 7 under Hyper-V. First Look.

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Microsoft Windows 7 is now in RC. For those of you excited by the new OS, here’s a first look at the Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate install process on Hyper V . Total time to install : less than 30 minutes, including answering the Setup wizard. Verdict: Highly recommended if you’re on XP ; wait for the final version if you’re on Vista .

From First Solo to unsupervised Solo

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:33:00 GMT

“There is life before solo, and there is life after solo” – Scott Rohlfing. When you have an instructor confident enough that you are ready to be kicked out of the nest, things can change from unnerving to confident very dramatically.

Running Team Foundation Server under Hyper-V

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:30:00 GMT

Just coz I keep forgetting should mean somebody somewhere is looking for this information too. Just wishing the install process for team Foundation were to be a straightforward isn’t enough. Here, here is the walkthrough just for the keepsakes. No, it is not at all a bad idea to keep source control virtualized, in fact it could be advantageous simply because it can be isolated even further due to the virtual setup.

Lookie! First Solo

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:55:00 GMT

June 4th, 2009. 9:22 AM, Reid Hill View. “Reid Hill View Tower Cessna five zero niner three Kilo ready on the right.” “Cessna five zero niner three kilo Reid Hill View Tower Right closed traffic approved runway three one right cleared for takeoff.” “Five zero niner three kilo.” Position, brakes, feet on rudders and Full throttle. I wanted to remember the moment I take off, all by myself. Was not to be, the tiny plane was more eager than me to get off the ground. Looked at the watch, it was still 9:22 AM. All smiles, I was beaming to myself, hoping I’d remember this moment long after. Its almost beyond belief. Its sheer elation, joy and awesomeness to be up in the air. Thank you Scott. And niner three Kilo.

They grow up so quickly

Wed, 27 May 2009 16:00:00 GMT

At 10 minutes, she looked so straight in my eyes, I could hardly hold back tears. At 1, her smile meant the world to me At 2, she would run so fast, I couldn’t catch my breath At 3, she was more comfortable with a Windows machine than a Mac At 4, she suddenly grew up and was more prepared for her baby brother than her parents. At 5, she gets up at 4 AM and prepares all the goody bags, gifts and toys, all by herself for her 22 friends even before her Dad can say “Happy Birthday” Wait, weren’t you so … just a few days ago?

Learn to fly, the right way

Thu, 21 May 2009 21:37:00 GMT

I have held this post in draft for a really long time, hoping friends and fiends would never know about the ineptness, humiliation, blips and the frustration I underwent (and still go through) when I decided to learn flying. However, even at the cost of looking like a nincompoop to these crass friends, I would let this post go live, simply because of the dearth of information out there. Had I known about a few things before-hand, I might have done better, cheaper and certainly faster.

Runway Safety and Eye Candy

Sun, 03 May 2009 18:00:00 GMT

How does one get 150+ bullet points noted down in head in a 1 hour class? Ask the FAA and the answer is “Eye Candy.” I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the quality, storyline and the delivery straight from the experts. Quite a contrast from my initial feeling of “Do we really have to do this?” to “Wow, can we go through it again? ” FAA’s runway safety course really does drive the point(s) home. Here’s some of the eye candy if you’re interested.

Can it run FORTRAN?

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 07:14:00 GMT

PIG: “Err… Sir, I do not have the FORTRAN compiler, do you have one?” DBF: “What do you mean huh? Can you tell me how much is the power loss?” PIG: “Sir, I can tell you if I had the Fortran compiler installed but I do not have one installed right now!” DBF: “ Ah, so your new machine cannot even run my FORTRAN program and you say it is better than everything we have put together with hard work all these years?” PIG: “But Sir ..” DBF: “Listen You pot of mud, you can fool everyone here but not me. You can take your machines and your senseless proposition out of here. What is this I say? You have connected everything to one power socket?”

An ID is an ID. A design is forever. Part I

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 06:05:00 GMT

I never quite understood why it takes people n different iterations to get a design right. No, it is not surprising that they do understand Object Oriented Design, it is downright irritating that they learnt OOP all through their founding years, graduated in CS, have been doing this for life and still write software like every damn piece of their code is a masterpiece in itself. Look, I have no issues to your claim of having mastered the Object Oriented paradigm. I don’t even care how you code. I don’t care you know your algorithms or not. I don’t care what language you program in. I need to know you’d be consistent.

At the top of the world. In Love.

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 08:08:00 GMT

Granted, I have been distracted. Well, I continue to be distracted. In between all the hullabaloo surrounding kids, tuitions fees, mortgage payments, vacation expenses, office cameos, “programming must be done(s),” keeping my Xbox from screaming ‘wuss’ at me or avoiding those awesome kids across the next blog who think I could star as “The old man (in) and the sea,” I surely have to be hard pressed to keep myself buzzed. Buzzed as in adrenaline buzzed, you know -- the kind that stirs butterflies in the stomach, the kind that makes the world around seem so inconsequential, the kind that makes you fall in love. Truly, madly, deeply in “love.”

Why wouldn't you smile?

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:10:00 GMT

Its amazing how so many of us are proud of ourselves in everything we do yet when it comes to smiling for the camera, we look for the nearest fire exit. In a way, it is the right approach. What's a guy to do when a Canon Rebel toting, self proclaimed photographer is intent on making a permanent painful memory out of your otherwise nice sunny day? Funny, how an expensive camera doesn't make up for lack of common-sense. Whether you are a professional photographer or just beginning to get addicted, please read on ... and spare us some trouble.

Notify on reply to Comment in DNN Blog Module

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:21:00 GMT

I know I have been looking like a totally third class blogger (with DNN Blog) without the ability of notifying commenters when their comments have been replied to. Without the notification in place, nobody knows that you’ve replied to them and you cannot really build a meaningful discussion in the absence of a Notification. Even if people do come back and reply to you, the thought chain gets spread over multiple, in-between comments that make no sense to a passer-by. DNN Blog really needs a Notification. Oh well, DNN Blog needs a lot of things to be really up to par. Here’s my quick and dirty solution to add a ‘Notify’ solution to the DNN Blog module.

VIFA Winter Foosball Leagues

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:13:00 GMT

Some pictures from the VIFA Winter foosball leagues (San Jose) . We play at Cuetopia every Wednesday night. If you play foosball for fun, you should join us!

Of Snow, Yosemite and Yathin

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 06:54:00 GMT

I know I’ve been distracted. Haven’t posted here in a while – A whole month to be exact. What better way than to start again with a few pictures. Yosemite is beautiful. And Yathin is always right! This post is about three valuable lessons I got in just one day. Yay!

Seriously, you really think you know me?

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:31:47 GMT

Ha! I’ve been fooling you. No, I’m not rich. Nor was I born with a golden spoon. I don’t have a class, I don’t know what to do on a dance floor. Gyrate I can, but not to what you think. At peace I am but not where you are. Intoxicated I get but not with what you get high on. I like the perfumes but not the kinds that you get at Macys. I may write the code that serves millions every day but I also herd the cows. Think you know me?

Canon 50D Vs Nikon D90

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:04:00 GMT

Yeah I know there are tons of reviews out there that make you go envy over both of them so much, it almost feels like you need to own both. I actually did buy both; And returned one. The choice was difficult, albeit reasonably sure. Now my opinion may not be the same as yours but it would be worthwhile to see these two cameras compared from a geek’s perspective. Sans all marketing gimmick, nay!

Fixing the DNN Blog and Feedburner issues

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 07:03:00 GMT

Maybe its the sign of old age. I’m not used to people ignoring me. Alright, so DNN Blog module has been bugging me coz of its incompatibility with Feedburner. If you try to import your DNN Blog module feed into feedburner, you would notice the images are all missing. Here’s a quick fix for a happy feed burning.

When to cancel a credit card

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 03:52:00 GMT

Let’s start the new year with some good deeds. For self. And, while I am at it, let me also explain why. Be mindful, my intent is solely driven by the goal of keeping my credit score (being new to the US and all) in check so I won’t be doing something out of angst. Okay, maybe I did intend to get rid of lenders who acted un-cool with me. But wasn’t I looking for an excuse anyway? Awesome!

10 Must-have Blog Features

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:56:00 GMT

“We hates it.” “We loves it.” No. I think “we mostly hates it.” I’m so jealous of all the bloggers around me that I decided to put down my own list of top 10 must have features for DNN Blog. Bear with me, while I list down features that you have already been using for years, at LiveJournal, Wordpress, Typepad or the likes and I haven’t been. And I sure hope I can get to use some of these, at least.

My Xbox 360 has a blog of its own

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:42:00 GMT

My Xbox 360 also has a voice of its own. If I fail to live up to its expectations, it sure can talk smack too. I better be careful, for this thing has a mind of its own. Want to give your XBox a voice of its own as well? Just remember, you gotta be careful! No more leaving the Xbox 360 out in cold!

What is your Blog Post Rated?

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 19:53:00 GMT

Are your blog posts safe enough to be read by kids? Or, you are targeting a more refined audience? Find out what your Blog’s rating could be if MPAA standards were to be applied to your blog post.

7 things to do before you get laid off

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:40:00 GMT

There are tons of sites out there telling you how to prepare for impending doom -- the layoffs. Trust me, they know nothing. Let me tell you how to do things the riii..ght way. Read on for the bare minimums and must dos before the big day arrives

Of Exchange 2007, Outlook 2007, Language packs and a half baked IDN solution

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 00:51:00 GMT

IDNs (International Domain Names) have been around for a long time. And Microsoft had an Office 2007 Language Pack available for Hindi more than a year back. Considering that Exchange Server 2007 is running post sp1, one would assume that something as simple as getting an email to an IDN email address would be straightforward. Fail .

Gidhey vich nachdiye – Britain’s Got Talent

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 18:17:00 GMT

Happy Friday!

Capture Any Screenshot on your desktop, window or application

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:41:00 GMT

C# / Windows Only. Need a quick and dirty code to snap that Flash player on your screen? Need to capture the whole of the Desktop? Or just an application window? Get the code here for doing it as your please.

Drink but don’t get caught

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:36:00 GMT

Can you drink? Sure you can. But being in dark about how much alcohol exactly is there in your system before you hit the wheels doesn’t have to be a guessing game. Take a scientific approach. Measure it. Use a breathalyzer. You may think you’re not drunk but a breathalyzer can certainly decide otherwise. A BAC above 0.07% can severely strain at the shards of your otherwise normal life. You may be able to escape 99% of the times but that 1% of the chance is not worth it; not at least in this economy when a mere $25 could have saved you all the trouble and expenses. Image Credit: l3ty ~DeviantArt

Dear Google

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:32:00 GMT

Dear Google: Look, I know you’re big, and that’s cool. I’m a small blogger, that’s pro'lly somethin' you don' bother 'bout. Ya see, I had been runnin’ AdSense on my blog but you freaked out on somethin' and locked up me account. I’m straight, dude, I’m cool. I know how it works, you and the god damn one time appeal. Excuse my forwardness on the situation, but I ain’t got that much time, shit to do, just like you, my man. Image Credit: PhotoYoung ~DeviantArt

Sony VAIO Back in Business. Assembly

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 21:03:00 GMT

We are ‘teh awesome.’ Me and my VAIO I mean. If somebody ever needs to look up step by step guidelines on how to assemble/un-assemble a Sony VAIO (I might), here’s how. Just in case you ‘re wondering How my VAIO ended up like this, my VAIO died in the morning out of over-heating .

This was once my (Sony VAIO SZ491) laptop

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:10:00 GMT

I had a restful sleep. Sound sleep. Woke up at 9:35 on Sunday morning. Got a lot of things to do. I walk into my den and find my laptop off. WTF. Power on. Windows starts with the ominous “not shut down properly screen…” Eh, normal … but … the laptop switches off! WTF, is this the way to say “Good Morning?” Try once more. Same thing, the laptop shuts down after 10 or so seconds. Arrgh… So, it happened sooner than I expected! I knew this was going to happen … but so soon?

Enhance your photos in 2 minutes

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:04:00 GMT

The first step to freezing a memory is a good camera. Also required are photographic nerves, passion and a great feel for the world around you. Last? Post-processing. Here’s a small preview of how even a little post processing can go a long way in adding ‘the zing’ to your pictures. Photo credit: “ The Sun is all set ” by Yathin

No Really, How smart are you?

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:04:00 GMT

Ok, I admit I didn’t see this one coming. What seemed like a harmless looking challenge turned into a long drawn out, 45 minutes plus of a total time waste. First thing in the morning! Well, at least I have a much better I.Q than Dr. Einstein here. Don’t tell me you fell for the scam!

The ominous, impending doom

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:32:00 GMT

I can hear the sound of an impending doom. Loud and clear! My trusty Sony Vaio is making that ominous, about to “crack up,” characteristic humming noise that I can hear miles away. Uh ok, maybe not miles away but its enough to attract glares in an otherwise silent and inconsequential meeting. Got any ideas?

Foosball league pictures

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:07:00 GMT

Its the end of a fun filled foosball leagues season. Dang, and I just got my pull sorted out! Here are some of the pictures from the last game. Have fun!

Coke and Mentos; Viral fun

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Extreme Coke and Mentos experiments that grossed over $30,000 and more than 10 million views before everybody started ripping this video off. It took less than a week for this video to become viral. Watch why!

Go Green inside your house: Top 5 energy saving tips

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 06:00:18 GMT

Hear me people. You do not have to be a celebrity to go Green . Its the 26th of the month and my PG&E bill is still less than $76.00. Extrapolate it and its going to be less than $100 f

The End of the world

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:00:03 GMT

Here's a hilarious animation about an "end of the world scenario" from 2002! There were two versions of this video then, one with a hilariously accented French voice, one with a British accent. This is the one that has been copied thousands of times over at all sorts of video sharing sites although nobody seems to give any credits to the original author.

Budget Advertising Campaign shootout.

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:24:15 GMT

So which online advertising campaign can give a small-time, tight on budget advertiser best bang for the bucks? Who delivers the maximum impressions? Who delivers the best CTR? Who generates the highest traffic? Find out yourself.

Animator Vs Animation

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:22:43 GMT

An animator faces his own animation in deadly combat. The battlefield? The Flash interface itself. A stick figure is created by an animator with the intent to torture. The stick figure drawn by the animator will be using everything he can find - the brush tool, the eraser tool - to get back at his tormentor. It's resourcefulness versus power. Who will win? You can find out yourself

Moving NTP Time Server Role to new Windows 2008 domain controller

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:19:09 GMT

1000s of documents out there that describe how to seize FSMO role RID Master, Infrastructure Master etc from one domain controller to the other but not that easy to find a document that describes how

The Website Is Down: Sales Guy vs. Web Dude

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:01:56 GMT

This could so easily be real. It is almost real! Sales Vs Web-dude, Management Vs IT, Sales Vs PM, PM vs Engineering, it would fit any of them;

Yahoo! Messenger Pingbox™

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:28:42 GMT

Super convenient widget that allows visitors to your website/blog/social network to IM you privately. The best part! It takes less than a minute to get it working!

Running ISA Server 2006 under Hyper-V

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 06:57:33 GMT

There are so many cool reasons to go Hyper-V. Including your firewall. The problem is(was), it is not documented anywhere. Entering the 3rd month of successfully running an ISA Server 2006 inside Hyper-V while still maintaining complete security of the internal network including the host machine required just a little effort.

Submerged PC

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:27:23 GMT

Ever thought you could submerge a PC in water? Oil? Its not just a joke, its been running for more than a year.

New to US? Lock down your Credit 101s

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:01:07 GMT

Ever seen those " check your credit report for free " advertisements? Know that you shouldn't actually click on them? Or for that matter never ever authorize your bank to watch your credit score for you? If you are one of those unfortunate few

You still here? It's over, go home

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:51:45 GMT

It's over. There's nothing left for you here. Wake up. Go home. Your children are waiting. You never saw this coming did you? For, you fought so many hard pitched battles, you won too, bullet by bullet and your comrades, even when falling by the way-side had only one th

How many PCs are "way too many?"

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:37:55 GMT

I have a theory. An average Joe's digital home must consist of at least three computers and one or more laptops. An average nerd's home on the other hand -- has to have at least 7 of those! If you do not agree with me, read on; if you do, you really would be shocked to find their electricity consumption (you should still read on). Reality check after the jump...

McAfee Antivirus good for nothing

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:28:31 GMT

Alright, so I clicked on a link I shouldn't have. But... it was from digg !! Okay, a lame excuse. I always doubted that the so called Advanced McAfee Total Protection antivirus running on my laptop was doing anything other than slowing down my laptop and causing unnecessary "no can't do" nonsense. Well, I got a proof the other day. Thankfully, Microsoft Windows Defender did throw up a dialog box stating my IE settings have changed and even though it did nothing else to either prevent the spyware

Spammers Ahoy!

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 02:35:46 GMT

Too many spammers! Yep, I've had to take down any and every email address at this site simply because I get too much of spam. Unfortunately, it also means, those who need to get back in touch need to use the Guestbook (which btw, goes through aggressive spam filters too). Of late, I've been getting a new kind of spam. I guess some a** gives an email address like his-first-name@subodh dot com and signs up for a new google or orkut account. I wouldn't know if the (verification emails or the forgot password) emails I received are spam or genuine efforts by some lame duck internet newbie trying to make a quick impression. Some of these emails even turn out to be sad but hilari

Top 20 energy consuming appliances in your home

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 05:01:00 GMT

The results are in. The verdict from PG&E says my Electricity bill dropped by $274.39. Phew! if only I knew about this awhile back. Hopefully, this information would be useful to somebody else. Just to give you an idea of how crazy I feel at the moment to divulge the details of my successful mission to lower energy usage in my home.

How to meter energy usage in a home?

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:40:26 GMT

Jolted by a huge PG&E bill, I went around an energy conservation effort by using these techniques. After a lot of research all over the Internet I decided to spend couple of bucks (I'm in a $$$ saving mode, what am I doing spending more money?) to help me measure more accurately and scientifically rather than running from Circuit breaker to the electricity meter every now and then. The list came down to just three gadgets

PG&E gives me a wake-up call!

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 07:59:16 GMT

When I received my electricity bill for January, I was in for a big shock! No way I was using that much of electricity all of a sudden. Or was I?

Understanding the PG&E billing

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 07:58:34 GMT

I asked my friendly neighbors. And friends, colleagues, sometimes even total strangers. Everybody seemed to be paying less than $100 every month. And here I was going poorer day by day by paying hefty electricity bills to PGE for all of last three years. Last month’s bill was just a wake-up call. Something was really wrong here!