Briefcase PC

1. Now this is likely going to be the longest one till date in terms of what I write since a lot of work and effort has gone into it. The idea had been obsessing me for months now about fitting a PC into a brief case. I got the mite of this possibility from one of my senior colleagues Baiju last year. Some how I thought with a year down the lane, with a much better form factor available now a days I would be able to squeeze “More in Less”. So when I got the official permission from my honcho in the office, I was quick in exercising the same.

2. Where to start from ? So the first question came to my mind about where to start from. Whether I start from selecting the mother board or first I select the most lilliputian brief case available in the market or the smallest monitor or what? So I googled a good deal on if any one can give me lead on this ,but what I generally got from the web was assembled lot of pc essentials with a cobweb of wires. So I came back round round to where I was primitively of the search.

3. By now I had started having a feeling of thriftlessness as I had invested or should I appositely say wasted about 5-6 days on the issue of where to start from? So eventually cogitated to start from the smallest mother board. So the recent Digit magazine and Amod Sir(big boss of IT related issues in my circle) suggested that go for the recently launched atom processor based essential series mother board.

So when I finally got one on my table it looked like in set. A real treat to start with. Ideate a mother board with processor that encroaches only 7 inch by 7 inch area. So I was happy to start with this and finally made it final for selection.

4. Some thing about the mother board. Now this one is designed to support Internet-centric computing for the new flexible Mini-ITX form factor. Following features are inbuilt :

(a) Integrated 45nm Intel® Atom™ processor

(b) Energy-efficient solution for home users as well as for unique vertical market needs.

(c) Designed with Intel's leading edge 45nm Hi-k metal gate processor,

(d) Provides incredible opportunities to communicate, listen, watch, play via Internet connectivity.

(e) 4 USB Drives

(f) Lan port

(g) COM1/LPT1

(h) Regular interfaces for Mouse and Keyboard ie PS/2 etc

5. Bootable pendrive or Hard Disk ? Next in row was the hard disk.I was quiet aye that I would be able to make a bootable pendrive or a bootable lap top harddisk. So I tangled with various web pages that claimed to make a bootable pen drive.But…but….but……….I could never bring home the bacon. I mean could not make that. I tried all stunts incl formatting with FAT32,assayed many 3^rd party software’s but could not. Eventually I turned discomfited and decided to go with an internal SATA drive. But I am still working on this. I will make it in days to come if any one has been able to make it after googling. That’s slightly ahead anyway. So for the time being I selected a SATA 160 GB. No hue and cry about the simple connections with the mother board.

6. Choice of the SMPS : The SMPS was a choice to be made from a sea full of resources. Right from Chotu and Tambi of Zebronics make who do not have fans but are able to make it thru fins only to the MICRO ATX cabinet of i-ball ,I called all of them one by one in my office and then finally settled with the iball one with the fan on lower side.I was some how keen on keeping the fan facing down in the briefcase. So went ahead with it.Although Tambi and Chotu were quiet keen on making it inside my briefcase owing to the beautiful and very bewitching form factor.

7. Key board : Now was the choice of the keyboard. I had no time wasting in this. I was sure about the flexible keyboard of Icom worth Rs 350/- only .Now this one is a thing to watch out for those who have not seen and heard of .I first saw it in the hands of Patil Sir.So first impression of it carried for about a year or so. Although I had another option of trying the laser keyboard,but some how the cost kept me on the back foot.The grey market cost of the same ex secunderabad is Rs 4500/-.So to be economical for the first time,I played safe with the cheap and trust worthy flexible icom Keyboard.

8. DVD Drive : Now what is left? The DVD drive, mouse and the briefcase. So when I embarked on surveying about the DVD drive.I had a choice between the small 3.5” dvd drive of LG/Samsung and the normal DVD drive. So instead of trammeling and constricting to use of the smaller DVDs I went ahead with the normal drive size. To be precise I plowed ahead with LG Combo drive DVD-R/RW.

9. Briefcase : So for now I had the masala in form of all the actors and actresses to star in the movie, I mean the hardware. So now I had to choose a brief case which can take it all. First I surveyed the local make briefcases available in jalandhar.I got many choices, but some how people around me actuated me to go for the trademarked ones to obviate any breakage and ensure a strong casing for protection. So the cheapest I could home on was of make Safari 21”.Why Safari and why not a VIP? Simply because Safari is a trusted cheaper brand. Although I could have attempted to fit all in a 17” one,but for sake of safety I thought…..21” is better.I was correct in deciding this as I agnized later.

10. So all at the table now. How to earmark the land to the hardware in the available land space inside the briefcase ? Tried few combinations and then more combinations and then was finally able to home on the layout as shown in the pic inset.

11. Sealing : After the regular slots were made for the motherboard interface, SMPS power supply plug, SMPS fan, DVD drive, another problem that was standing upright was the case of sealing. How do I seal the brief case from outside detritus?Should I use the cheap looking tape or should I use the cut pieces of the briefcase or wax it? I fortunately got in contact with one civil carpenter who prefaced me to a type of sealing which is actually a gel and when you fill it in the empty space to be sealed, it gradually takes into the form of rubber overnight. Jet black in color. How does it look like? Shown in set. So I decided to try this. And I got what I wanted but some how I was dysphoric with the final finish.

12. Monitor : Oh!How can I forget the monitor. No fights and confusions on that. Actually wanted to go for a 14” TFT since it would encroach lesser area,but some how I found that 14” TFT is not available easily and at the place it is available, it is even costlier then the 15” one. Seems like manufacturers have kiboshed making this size. Since I had ample of space for this one too,I went ahead with a 15” TFT LG make.

13. Fitment : How to make the DVD drive, Hard disk, SMPS and the mother board stick to the base of the briefcase? The first thought that came to my mind was to stick all with good quality thick Velcro. But some how was hesitant in going ahead with this.The second option was screw and nut, a stronger alternative!!So I opened up the bottom screws from DVD Drive and screwed them again from bottom with the briefcase base in between, it came out nicely intact and neat. Similarly for the SMPS and the motherboard. For the mother board one small forethought was to place cut to size small rubber pads to maintain a distinct air gap between the motherboard bottom and the briefcase. For the hard disk I went for a thick Velcro since it would be the most prone for changing at times and I have to experiment it replacing with a pendrive!!!!!!!Monitor was difficult to decide upon w.r.t fitment. Velcro would not have been able to take on the load, bolting is not possible, fiddling with back cover is not advisable……now what? So came a solution from the house hold queen of my life, my wife. She recommended trying it with a sliding drawer rail fitted on both sides of the monitor. And……….it worked like the rails were made for the monitor to fit in. Problem solved. See the fitment in set.

14. Extra’s : Just to take care of the additional risk of placing motherboard in open I covered the inside briefcase with a cut to size transparent acrylic fiber sheet screwed on aluminum channels if u can notice in the pic below with keyboard on top.

15. Ratiocination : All items fitted, fitment done, repair tool kit inside, sealing done, connections made, the thing of assembling the pc inside a briefcase is over. But that felicitousness from within has not come since I am still failing at making a bootable pen drive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nehru Place : The hub

1. Not so long back I adverted about the “Software Lelooooooooo” thing in Nehru Place,Delhi vide http://anupriti.blogspot.com/2009/01/software-leloooosoftware-leloooooout-3.htmlNehru Place is the hub, the google, the god ,the solution for any computer hardware software freak where every thing related to hardware/software is available at ease at dirt cheap prices.

2. Today morning I got an opportunity window of 3 hours to be in Nehru Place exploring the shops selling these computer accessories. Any time I have been to Nehru Place earlier ,I have always found something new. Few things that evoked my interest this time are as follows:

a. USB to Lan Socket(with driver CD)[means NIC card is over???]

b. USB to Audio Video.[means Sound Card is over???]

c. SVGA to Audio Video(without power)

d. USB to blue tooth(…I had seen this one earlier)

e. USB vacuum cleaner(enough to handle dust in mother board)

f. USB to table lamp with stand.

g. USB cooler fans in various designs

h. Windows 7 software(they install if u have laptop along with drivers from net available on WiF hotspot!!!!!!!!!!!)………..truly amazing……….Bill…r u listening? Pics of such sellers In-Set.

3. Plebeian Point about all these items mentioned is that these all are Chinese items,all are available in a bracket of Rs 100-200 and most importantly no no no Guarantee or Warranty from the moment you leave the shop .If u can, test at the shop.

4. Last time I did not mention about the ink filling procedure being practiced with loads of success for the sellers at least. As shown in the picture in set. That setup is enough for one to get an ink refilled in the cartridge for Rs 50/-(fifty only) with the help of disposed syringes that they arrange from the local medical clinics… …..shocking or surprised? In fact to stop this ,HP and Canon like companies who deal with printers should start reporting matter to the concerned IT departments to ban and stop this.

5. I m putting up a scanned copy of visiting card of one of these software sellers, not meant to motivate you to buy from him,but to show you how piracy has made professionals in this field. Why is the IT act 2001 in a state of quiescency here???

Recession Laptop

1.            Now a days working on making a recession laptop…all by my self.The idea is not original,but the work is.What is Recession Laptop? Just a Buzz word to make people hear and turn back. Recession is the key word now a days every where…be it industries, employment, export, import, IT, real estate and so many other things…

2.            Recession laptop is actually PC in a brief case….yes…in a easily available SAFARI make suitcase….GAREEB ka Laptop actually.

3.            Will post all all details soon….i hope some one see’s and reads it!!! 

GUIYU : THE CONNECTION WITH E-WASTE

1. Have you ever thought where have all the 486 and Pentium machines vanished from your desktops at home and offices, what happens after your ink cartridge gets over and is thrown in the garbage, what happens to the discarded keyboards, mouse’s and all electronic accessories that u reject being obsolete. In 90% of the cases, they often end up in GUIYU, which may be the electronic-waste capital of the globe. Guiyu (pronounced GWAY-yoo), a few hours' drive northeast of Hong Kong, is by far China's biggest e-waste scrap heap. The city comprises 21 villages with City businesses processing 1.5 million tons of e-waste a year. As much as 80 percent of it comes from overseas.

2. China is believed to be the predominant recipient of the world's e-waste, with a roughly estimated one million tons of electronic waste being shipped there per year, mostly from the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. It arrives via container ships through the ports of Hong Kong or that of Pearl River Delta such as Nanhai. From there it is trucked to informal e-waste processing centers. Guiyu receives more e-waste than any other area in China. Guiyu began receiving e-waste around 1995, slowly attracting peasant migrant workers from other provinces to work in processing it. There are an estimated 150,000 e-waste workers in Guiyu.

 

3. This obscure Chinese rice village is now the e-waste capital of the world - a place where bona fide mountains of keyboards and circuit boards tower over its inhabitants. The water here is undrinkable - it has been for years. Most of Guiyu makes their living by trashing outdated Dells with their bare hands. To access the cooking needs, for example, they roast circuit boards over coal-fired grills. Gold is obtained using acid strippers, whose sludge is later dumped into the local river.

4. During an undercover visit to Guiyu in December of 2001, representatives of the Basel Action Network, Seattle, saw and taped villagers manually cracking leaded-glass computer monitors to retrieve the copper yokes within. The men, women and children of Guiyu also conduct open burning of PVC-coated wire and cable; they “grill” circuit boards to melt the lead solder to remove chips; and they work with a 75 percent hydrochloric acid solution to separate precious metals from circuit boards.The amounts of scrap computers, monitors and printers is staggering, overflowing in large piles in the front and back yards of villagers who work from their homes or other small locations.The acid stripping operations, along with the open dumping of waste and ash residue into ditches and riverbeds, has rendered the well water and ground water of Guiyu undrinkable. For the past five years, water has been trucked in from distant villages.

5. "If you burn it, you can tell what kind of plastic it is," said the man, who gave only his surname, Wang. "They smell different. There are many kinds of plastic, probably 60 or 70 types."Six of Guiyu's villages specialize in circuit board disassembly, seven in plastics and metals reprocessing, and two in wire and cable disassembly.An average computer yields only $1.50 to $2 worth of commodities such as shredded plastic, copper and aluminum. 

6. The biggest obligation lies in the developed countries that export e-waste, instead of doing something about the problem ,they are just dumping the same in underdeveloped and developing countries. JUST TRANSFERING THE TRASH AND GETTING AWAY. 

7. Perniciousness is only one reason that recycling electronics is costly in the United States. Another is poor design. U.S. manufacturers haven't made products to facilitate disassembly. A report advises that investing $1 more in design costs per computer could save $4 for American recyclers in disassembly costs. Nor have manufacturers gone very far in finding "green" materials to replace toxic flame retardants.

 8. So whats the sole purpose of writing this and doing some cut paste from various utilitarian sites like wiki/ban.org and many others,the intention is to get educated on the subject. Nothing more. It is not in my or your hands to stop receiving e-waste from the so called developed countries, it is in the hands of the political big bosses who are busy pheroying jhanda’s of respective parties and are absolutely clueless. Where’s is the GUIYU town in India?????Any clue’s?

IRON KEY : World's Most Secure Pen Drives

1.         Pen drives are dangerous and have even been banned by few organizations including the prestigious armed forces after one scandal of security leak came to light few years back in navy.Is that the solution? Now it is like marta kya na karta wali baat….”i don’t have control over it so better ban it”.Good News for those who still desire to use pendrives in a much much safer way then available in the market.IRON KEYS have come to take care of the security issue of pendrives.What is IRON KEY? Read on…….. 

2.         The IronKey drives are very small, very portable, and very convenient. They come in configurations of 1Gb, 2Gb, 4Gb, and 8 Gb’s. IronKey’s Secure Flash Drive is similar to an iPod, as its hardware, software and online service all rolled into one product. The IronKey Cryptochip uses US government-approved AES, CBC-mode, 128-bit encryption at the hardware level. 

3.         All models come in a sleek, stainless-steel, waterproof case that is sturdier and heavier than other USB drives. The case has been injected with an epoxy compound that blankets the inner workings and keeps them dry and shock-resistant. Security-wise, the case would be extremely difficult to pry open without destroying what's inside. 

4.         IronKey has a password generator that can create passwords up to 99 characters in length at either normal strength with alphanumeric characters or stronger strength, which includes all keyboard characters. To use the IronKey flash drive, you need to activate an online account. This is a necessary step to enable certain services -- such as online password backup, device and software updates and to access IronKey's encrypted Web-surfing service, which uses Mozilla's Firefox. Besides creating an online username and password, you are asked to supply answers to three supplemental authentication questions that will verify your identity in case you ever lose your username or password. Failing to answer the questions accurately will lock you out of your account permanently. 

5.         IronKey e-mails an activation code that you must enter in a window to complete your online setup. IronKey allows you to change personal security information at any time by accessing account settings. If someone does happen to gain access to your flash drive and they fail to type in the correct password more than 10 times, IronKey will self-destruct, permanently locking out users and wiping out all the data on the drive. 

6.         From a speed standpoint, IronKey is fast. Hd Tach tests showed speeds well above the competition: IronKey's speed is 31MB/sec. burst speed; an average read rate of 29.6MB/sec., and a 6-millisecond random access rate. The CPU utilization rate is vastly higher than any other driver on the market by as much as 22%. SLC memory lasts about 100,000 write cycles and MLC memory lasts about 10,000 writes. 

7.         Special Solutions USA is an exclusive distributor of IronKey Secure USB flash drives for the Indian market. 

8.         More on https://www.ironkey.com/

Download video from Magazines/Billboard: MMCC

1.         Imagination is one key to success today. Had we never imagined things, things would not have come up as they have today.Today I read this article on Indiatimes.com/ InfoTech Tab about Mobile Multi-Colour Composite (MMCC) 2D-Barcode.Now it looks like just another IT dictionary term which has a complex name but a simple function and utility. It goes like this……

 2.         Ideate(…means imagine) a magazine with an advertisement of a mobile phone manufacturer with a bar code printed something like inset. From this bar code, can u think of downloading ringtones, product info, Video? Can you? Puzzled, I am sure. This has no more remained a subset of imaginativeness, it has become unfeigned today with this technology, which is known as Mobile Multi-Colour Composite (MMCC) 2D-Barcode. 

3.         The MMCC is a color 2D barcode designed for storing high capacity data on printed media and displays, tailor made for camera mobile phone applications. Using the MMCC, the user can retrieve digital content to their camera mobile phone directly from the barcode by capturing an image of the barcode and decoding it on their mobile. According to the scientists, by taking a photo of the barcode, users can download complex information, such as videos, voice recordings or text, instantly to their mobile.

4.         Why named 2D Bar code ? 2D means 'two dimensional'. 2D barcodes comprise more information than conventional one dimensional linear barcodes. Conventional barcodes get wider as more data is encoded. 2D barcodes make use of the vertical dimension to pack in more data. Data is encoded in both the horizontal and vertical dimensions. As more data is encoded the size of the barcode can be increased in both the horizontal and vertical directions thus maintaining a doable shape for easy scanning.

 5.         Advantage of 1D over 2D : Although 1D barcodes hold a more belittled amount of data it is 'spread' over the whole height of the barcode. The barcode contains a high degree of redundancy. This means the barcode can be read even with considerable degradation. If your application needs only a few characters (up to about 15) then a 1D barcode is probably the best solution. Increasing the height of a 1D barcode does not increase its capacity but it does increase its redundancy thus making it more resistant to abasement and obliteration and making it easier to scan.

6. In Japan the 2D Barcode has even been placed on Billboards(picture inset).[Source: http://cootieshot.wordpress.com] 

The visitor takes a picture of the Barcode on the Billboard and their phone brings up more information about the deceased person, pictures of them or any other content the family or pre-deceased and now occupant so chooses. In spain they are being used to contain detailed train maps to make travel easier and most interestingly in a recent Holland Inovation Fair placed a code on each visitor’s badge and each presentor’s tent. The visitors didn’t have to exchange business cards if they wanted to learn more about eachother’s ideas. They simply scanned the other person’s barcode and their information was sent to their cellphone through SMS.

 7.         As on date, Bartender comes as one of the leading software’s in creating 2D barcodes.I could not find any thing on the price aspect as to how much it costs today. So next what? Download something from your news paper or download movie trailers from movie magazines……grrrrrrrr8……Future is bright…………. For now keep waiting till the technology reaches your doorstep.

THE LINK : BJP & OPEN SOURCE!!

1. Rajnitee and IT ?Do they share a relation in our country? Do they meet anywhere in Indian scenario?Have you ever heard a technical IT buzz word shooting from any of the mantri’s mouth.I am sure in most cases the answer would be NO. 

2. Recently I read this article at the http://infotech.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4272163.cms wherein it adverted that Mr L.K.Advani has said that if his party comes to power, it will actively promote opensource software and internet telephony. Now irrespective of  whether Mr Advani knows what open source software is or not,or whether he just recited what he was told to by IT savvy speech writer,the good good news is that IT is buzzing now in politics.

 3. The power of open source software is still lying completely unexploited in our country for most of us don’t know what opensource has in store for us.All paid softwares ex any Software developer viz Microsoft,Corel etc to name a few has an equivalent in opensource costing free which unfortunately now one is aware.Did you still not understand ? Read on for what is open source? 

4. Open source software (OSS) is defined as computer software for which the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that meets the Open Source Definition or that is in the public domain. This permits users to use, change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified forms. It is very often developed in a public, collaborative manner. The term open source software originated as part of a marketing campaign for free software. A report  states that adoption of open source software models has resulted in savings of about $60 billion per year to consumers.(…thanks wiki) 

5. So Mr L K Advani’s party seems to be the first to realize the power hidden in this.Good!Isn’t it…….Now why open source doesn’t seem to be a success in India?One line answer….may I attempt?........”because Microsoft’s Cracked Windows Xp and Vista are available for free in any gali,mohalla of the Hindustan.So the next motto for a political party would be to crack those crackers!!!!!!!!!!For now its INDIA SHINING!

PictBridge

1. Any time we wish to take  a printout of clicked pics from our camera,what do we do?Either insert the memory stick directly into the card reader of lap top/pc or we connect thru the regular interface cable.In both the cases,we need to have a computer as a via media.So to kill this form factor,PictBridge has arrived.Whats PictBridge?...read on....

2. PictBridge is a technology that was created to allow the user to transfer pictures from a camera phone (or digital still camera) to a printer without a PC or image-editing software. PictBridge makes printing digital photos easier and more accessible. A number of manufacturers have direct printing  methods on the market today. The drawback is that some of these direct printing methods are proprietary, which means that you can only print your pictures when everything is provided by the same manufacturer.Its formal name is "Standard of Camera & Imaging Products Association CIPA DC-001 — 2003 Digital Solutions for Imaging Devices".

3. PictBridge is typically implemented using Universal Serial Bus ports and the USB protocol. PictBridge-capable printers typically have a USB Type A receptacle which is then connected by cable to the USB port of a PictBridge-capable digital camera (typically a Type Mini-B). The user then uses the camera to select the pictures to print, which the printer then retrieves from the camera and prints. 

4. The good thing is that it is not just limited to printing from Camera's,it can be a mobile which is PictBridge enabled.The limitation to use this is both the devices have to be PictBridge enabled.As on date most of the high end Canon brand models are supporting this PictBridge.Just like Lightscribe logo the PictBridge too has its small green label as shown in set.

5. Just a start on the right road.......FUTURE IS BRIGHT...for now we have to bear with limitations and enjoy what we have.

Be CAREFUL

1.         We all drive our respective vehicles daily from one point to another without agnizing what risk we are always at. Disregardless of how we drive, what matters most is how others drive.3-4 months back on way from Gurgaon to Noida I saw this mangled, mutilated remains of a so  called Car(INSET). A small mistake, be it in form of being tired on a long drive or speaking on phone or just driving casually would lead one’s soul out of this globe.

2.         The sole purpose of posting this is to promote the tag “DRIVE CAREFULLY”.

Fight of the Browser's : ACID3 TEST

1.         I recollect the first interaction with the web with the services of Internet Explorer 3.0 some time in 1997.Then there was a alternative of Netscape Navigator 3.0 only.So between the two in those days,there was sinewy competition and I would appreciate that the choice between the two mattered owing to individual’s personnel choices. I liked browsing with Netscape Navigator and Ujjwal (my only IT savvy friend then…) liked it with IE 3.0. 

2.         So there were no standards then to decide upon which one is actually better. Time graduated to the early 2000’s and in came a lot many browsers each arrogating to be the best amongst lot. These included Amaya, Konquerer, Phoenix, Galion and the list is endless. Anyone interested in knowing about these unheard names today may just google and inquire about them…..now on way to superannuation!!! 

3.         Those which endured the decade long fight of the browsers included Safari, Opera, Mozilla to name a few and few new one’s to include Google Chrome, Flock. 

4.         Now after a decade of evolution , few standards spranged up to finally one make adjudicate about which one is actually better.The standard I am going to mention is ACID3 TEST. Nothing to do with Sulphuric or Hydrochloric acid. 

5.         Acid3 is a test page from the Web Standards Project that checks how well a web browser follows certain web standards, especially relating to the Document Object Model and JavaScript.

 

6.         When successful, the Acid3 test displays a step by step increasing percentage counter with colored rectangles in the background. I tried on mine ie Google Chrome and it scored 78/100(Picture In Set).The percentage displayed is based on the number of sub-tests passed. It is not representing an actual percentage of conformance as the test does not keep track of how many of the tests were actually started (100 is assumed). In addition to these the browser also has to render the page exactly like the reference page is rendered in the same browser. 

7.            Further to this I inquired about why Chrome scored 78,it was because prior to conduct of test it was supposed to be set to its original default settings which I did not do. So I surfed few forums on what has been the score of other browsers. This lead me to conclusion that as on date Chrome scores over others at least in ACID3 test and being a sincere Chrome user my self...believed the same quickly....thanks for wiki for info!