Facebook Friend Collage thumbnail pictures

I have found a hidden [actually not so advertised and well known] Facebook feature. It is the ability to view your friends as a grid of profile pictures.

Here's how to make it happen:

1: Log in to your Facebook account.
2: Click the Friends tab.
3: Select the drop-down box. Choose list separator indicated by (-) or grid option there.

Visual Help: Checkout the screenshot. Click on image to enlarge it.



Result:
You shall get a good collage of your entire friends list. The thumbnails photos are arranged in a grid fashion.

Tar command in Linux [additional notes in Freebsd] to archive and extract contents (तार कमांड इन लिनुक्स)

'tar' command in linux is used to make archive and also to extract from the tar archive. Actually TAR is a file compression format and linux supports it very well. It is also used synonymously with TGZ sometimes. The same 'tar' command is used to create as well as extract from a tar.


A) To Create linux tar gz (Gzip) archive
tar -czvf myarchive.tgz mydirectory/
-c, –create create a new archive

In Freebsd there is no -v -z options so simple command like :
tar -cf would do it.

If you use -w , then it will prompt you at every file. -v will give you a verbose output at each line.

It is important to note that .tgz is the same thing as .tar.gz


B)To Create linux simple tar archive without any compression
tar -cvf myarchive.tar mydirectory/


C) For Extracting linux tar archive:
tar -xzvf mystuff.tgz
-x tells to extract the files form the tar archive
You can remove z if it is a simple tar file.

There are a lot more options available that you can get to know using man or --help. Also, a good book on linux will help you learn more on file compression decompresion and tar zip commands etc. The things i mentioned, will suffice your daily needs anyways. Cheers ;)

Access copy Share files between Host and guest file system in VMware virtual machine

There is definitely ways to achieve the task. It all depends on the choice of the host machine you are using and the guest OS in the VMware. Just keep in mind the following matrix:

Host	Guest	Tool
Win	Win	windows file sharing
Win	Linux	samba, ssh
linux	win	smbmount
linux	linux	nfs,ftp,telnet

The same above in graphics is

To summarize:
# If Both systems run Windows operating system, you can use Windows file sharing
# If You are connecting from a Linux system to a Windows system, you can use smbmount
# If You are connecting from a Windows system to a Linux system, use Samba
# If Both systems run Linux operating systems, use NFS, FTP and Telnet

For more detailed description you can also visit VMWare official website document on this topic at the following location. Click Here for VMWare Help

In order to share folders between the host operating system and the guest operating system you can use VMWare settings. Go to VM->Settings->options

The same is shown in the adjacent snapshot.
Added notes in July 2012 :-- VMware Workstation 4 Features | Documentation | Knowledge Base | Discussion Forums Prev Contents Last Next Using Shared Folders With shared folders, you can easily share files among virtual machines and the host computer. To use shared folders, you must have the current version of VMware Tools installed in the guest operating system and you must use the Virtual Machine Control Panel to specify which directories are to be shared. You can use shared folders with virtual machines running the following guest operating systems: Windows Server 2003 Windows XP Windows 2000 Windows NT 4.0 Linux with a kernel version of 2.4 or higher To set up one or more shared folders for a virtual machine, be sure the virtual machine is open in Workstation and click its tab to make it the active virtual machine. Go to Edit > Virtual Machine Settings > Options and click Shared folders. You can add one or more directories to the list. Those directories may be on the host computer or they may be network directories accessible from the host computer. In a Windows virtual machine, shared folders appear in My Network Places (Network Neighborhood in a Windows NT virtual machine) under VMware Shared Folders. For example, if you specify the name Test files for one of your shared folders, you can navigate to it by opening My Network Places > VMware Shared Folders > .host > Shared Folders > Test files. You can also go directly to the folder using the UNC path \\.host\Shared Folders\Test files. You can map a shared folder to a drive letter just as you would with a network share. Note: To see shared folders displayed in this way, you must update VMware Tools in the virtual machine to the current version. If your guest operating system has the version of VMware Tools that shipped with VMware Workstation 4.0, shared folders appear as folders on a designated drive letter. In a Linux virtual machine, shared folders appear under /mnt/hgfs. So the shared folder in this example would appear as /mnt/hgfs/Test files.

Vmware and sharing rocks!!

Unix Commands related to Handling files

Without an introductory speech let me come directly to the point.
Listing files in a directory

ls
list the files in the current directory
ls -a
list ALL files, even ones which begin with a dot, which are normally omitted
ls -s
list files, with their sizes
ls -l
list files, giving full details about each file
ls -al mydir/
list all files in directory mydir (including those beginning with a dot), giving full details about each file
ls *.c
list the files which end ".c"
ls mydir/
list the files in directory mydir


Moving or renaming files (IMHO please consider both the same if you are on Unix flavored OS or on Mac)
Examples:
mv oldname newname
rename a file
mv myfile mydir
move a file into another directory
mv myfile1 myfile2 myfile3 mydir
move several files into another directory


To Copy files
Examples:
cp oldname newname
make a copy of a file
cp myfile mydir
make a copy of a file in another directory
cp myfile1 myfile2 myfile3 mydir
make a copy of several files in another directory


To Delete files
Examples:
rm file...
delete the specified files
rm -i file...
ask for confirmation before deletion
rm -f file...
don't ask for confirmation before deletion. BE CAREFUL!
rm -r directory
Delete directory and everything in it. BE CAREFUL! To remove empty directories, see rmdir
rm -rf directory
Delete directory and everything in it, without asking for confirmation. Hey man its not the magic. Actually –rf tells the OS to suppress asking for confirmation. Actually there is never a magic in Software Arena. It’s all how deeper you go, and how diversified the developers approached to a problem. But defects/bug usually come as a magic!! (Some say, if you understand a woman, it is a magic in itself. Have I understood my Girlfriend and would be wife yet!!!!)


You can write me at toughjamy@yahoo.com.
To Know me professionally visit ..Linked In..
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Read jokes at ..Jokes Limitless..
You can also know more about me at ToughJamy : An Informal Me!!

Using Torpark Browser to surf Anonymously

Opening proxy server to surf through or using proxy software like Anonymizer refer, has been the real solution for this through decades. There is yet another solution, novel in its kind. Torpark, which is a Firefox-based browser designed to access the Tor network of encrypted proxies. You can see more info at https://xerobank.com/download/xb-browser/

When you use the Torpark browser, your Web session iterates through multiple secure proxies, encrypted, until your request reaches its destination. Torpark is a quick download and and you can just launch the executable when you need it.

For downloading you can go to URL http://www.brothersoft.com/xb-browser-torpark-75427.html

It should be remembered that, Secure browsing is considerably slower than regular browsing.


You can write me at toughjamy@yahoo.com.
To see my Dynamic profile visit ..MeOnShow Profile..
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Diagnose and analyse Windows Operating System issues Using Event IDs

Event viewer is the tool that helps your butts here. Anytime your system crashes or an application freezes up, Event Viewer dutifully logs the error. It is under Start, Settings, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Event Viewer. The utility's System node logs Windows issues and the Application node logs issues with other software. In addition, any Third-party apps might create more nodes. Events are fairly self-explanatory in themselves. The date/time of each event are logged along with its source and some relevant information. The list is usually long but the 'Information' labelled events are generally ignored. The 'Error' and 'Warning' entries are what you should deal with.

In the Event Properties window, there is detailed information about the error in question and a link to the Microsoft’s support Web site. The link will open a detailed page within the Windows Help application for the error.

Using Keypad if your Mouse is not working properly

It is a simple trick. Just Press Left Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock Button + Ok
Now you can move mouse pointers with the help of Numeric Keypad.
7 8 9

4 6

1 2 3
For a Normal Click (usually Left Click in Windows) you can press 5.

enable Folder option if it is not visible

This was a secret Trick on how to enable Folder option if it is not visible. Now it is no more a secret. But who cares. It still remains a 'trick'!!

Often due to virus attack etc, users face a common problem on Windows Systems. Sometimes the "show hidden files and folders" option is not enabled. Even if enabled, you can not view the hidden folders.

In such a case, open RUN, type regedit to open Registry editor. Search for “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Explorer\Advanced”. In the pane on the right side modify the value of “Hidden” to 1 and refresh My Computer window. You shall be be able to see hidden files now.

List of Keyboard Shortcuts In MicroSoft PowerPoint

Hey, I got this list from Internet and the source claimed that he following is borrowed straight out of the PowerPoint 2000 Help File. I respect the author but the authenticity of each command is open for your test.

Function Keys

F1 Display Help or the Office Assistant
SHIFT+F1 Start context-sensitive Help
F2 Select the text box (with text or an object selected inside the text box) or select the text within a text box (with the text box selected)
ALT+F2 Carry out Save As command
ALT+SHIFT+F2 Carry out Save command (File menu)
SHIFT+F3 Change the case of letters
F4 Repeat the last action
SHIFT+F4 Repeat the last Find (Find Next)
CTRL+F4 Close the window
ALT+F4 Quit PowerPoint
ALT+SHIFT+F4 Quit PowerPoint
F5 Carry out Slide Show command (View menu)
CTRL+F5 Restore the presentation window size
ALT+F5 Restore the program window size
F6 Move to the next pane
SHIFT+F6 Move to the previous pane
CTRL+F6 Move to the next presentation window
CTRL+SHIFT+F6 Move to the previous presentation window
F7 Carry out Spelling command (Tools menu)
CTRL+F7 Carry out Move command (presentation Control menu)
ALT+F7 Find next misspelling (Automatic Spell Checking enabled)
CTRL+F8 Carry out Size command (presentation Control menu)
F10 Activate the menu bar
SHIFT+F10 Display a shortcut menu
CTRL+F10 Maximize the presentation window
ALT+F10 Maximize the program window
CTRL+SHIFT+F10 Activate the menu bar
ALT+F11 Display Visual Basic code
F12 Carry out Save As command (File menu)
SHIFT+F12 Carry out Save command (File menu)
CTRL+F12 Carry out Open command (File menu)
CTRL+SHIFT+F12 Carry out Print command (File menu)

Keys for working with presentations

CTRL+N Create a new presentation
CTRL+M Insert a new slide
CTRL+D Make a copy of the selected slide
CTRL+O Open a presentation
CTRL+W Close a presentation
CTRL+P Print a presentation
CTRL+S Save a presentation
F5 Run a presentation
ALT+F4 Quit PowerPoint
CTRL+F Find text, formatting, and special items
CTRL+H Replace text, specific formatting, and special items
CTRL+K Insert a hyperlink
F7 Check spelling
ESC Cancel an action
CTRL+Z Undo an action
CTRL+Y Redo or repeat an action
F6 Switch to the next pane (clockwise)
SHIFT+F6 Switch to the previous pane (counterclockwise)

Keys for browsing hyperlinks in a slide show

TAB Go to the first or next hyperlink
SHIFT+TAB Go to the last or previous hyperlink
ENTER while a hyperlink is selected Perform the "mouse click" behavior of the selected hyperlink
SHIFT+ENTER while a hyperlink is selected Perform the "mouse over" behavior of the selected hyperlink

Keys for deleting and copying text and objects

BACKSPACE Delete one character to the left
CTRL+BACKSPACE Delete one word to the left
DELETE Delete one character to the right
CTRL+DELETE Delete one word to the right
CTRL+X Cut selected object
CTRL+C Copy selected object
CTRL+V Paste cut or copied object
CTRL+Z Undo the last action
Keys for moving around in text
LEFT ARROW One character to the left
RIGHT ARROW One character to the right
UP ARROW One line up
DOWN ARROW One line down
CTRL+LEFT ARROW One word to the left
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW One word to the right
END To the end of a line
HOME To the beginning of a line
CTRL+UP ARROW Up one paragraph
CTRL+DOWN ARROW Down one paragraph
CTRL+END To the end of a text box
CTRL+HOME To the beginning of a text box
CTRL+ENTER To the next title or body text placeholder (see note)
SHIFT+F4 To repeat the last Find action

Keys for selecting text and objects

SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW One character to the right
SHIFT+LEFT ARROW One character to the left
CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW To the end of a word
CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT ARROW To the beginning of a word
SHIFT+UP ARROW One line up
SHIFT+DOWN ARROW One line down
ESC An object (with text selected inside the object)
TAB or SHIFT+TAB until the object you want is selected An object (with an object selected)
ENTER Text within an object
CTRL+A (in the slide pane) All objects
CTRL+A (in slide sorter view) All slides
CTRL+A (in the outline pane) All text

Change or resize the font

CTRL+SHIFT+P Change the font size
CTRL+SHIFT+> Increase the font size
CTRL+SHIFT+< Decrease the font size
CTRL+SHIFT+F Change the font

Apply character formats

CTRL+T Change the formatting of characters (Font command, Format menu)
SHIFT+F3 Change the case of letters
CTRL+B Apply bold formatting
CTRL+U Apply an underline
CTRL+I Apply italic formatting
CTRL+EQUAL SIGN Apply subscript formatting (automatic spacing)
CTRL+SHIFT+PLUS SIGN Apply superscript formatting (automatic spacing)
CTRL+SPACEBAR Remove manual character formatting

Copy text formats

CTRL+SHIFT+C Copy formats
CTRL+SHIFT+V Paste formats
Align paragraphs
CTRL+E Center a paragraph
CTRL+J Justify a paragraph
CTRL+L Left align a paragraph
CTRL+R Right align a paragraph

This list would be of much help to those guys (Gals I m sorry, I always forget you!) who are keyboard-holic. In addition it turns out to be really sometimes coz it eases navigation and editing.

Microsoft Useful Apps and Powertoys for Windows

I am listing some of very important utilities that Microsoft shares with people. These can be very useful in day to day job. Some of the tools are also reffered as PowerToys by Microsoft. (And some of the contents are directly fro Microsft website!!)

WinDbg is a tool for debugging any Crash in a program. This tool automatically syncs up the required pdb files ie. The symols file from the MSDN and enables your machine to debug the problems. Refer http://http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/installx86.mspx You can have a dump of your crash and investigate, or contact your administrator. In addition, you can also log a radar (defect/bug) on the Microsoft. (Also See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WinDbg)

ClearType Tuner: Dramatically improves font legibility on some LCD screens. For more details over this see http://www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/tuner/tune.aspx

Image Resizer: This tool adds a new menu when you right-click a photo on your PC. Just click Resize Pictures to change an image's dimensions without opening an editor. (You may even try this tool to test how your photo looks in your Splash Profile at MeOnShow.com

CD Slide Show Generator: With this PowerToy you can view images burned to a CD as a slide show. The Generator works downlevel on Windows 9x machines as well.

Virtual Desktop Manager: Manage up to four desktops from the Windows taskbar with this PowerToy.

Taskbar Magnifier: Use this PowerToy to magnify part of the screen from the taskbar.

Tweak UI: If you don't already have Tweak UI, get it. This essential OS tweaking tool offers more granular control over your privacy settings and operations, and even over the way you log in to your PC (plus much more). It should be one of the first things you install on any new computer.

Alt-Tab Replacement: Adds previews of each page when you switch between open applications using -.

SyncToy: Improves the task of synchronizing files among multiple machines, especially compared with Windows Briefcase.

These tools can really help incrrease your productivity!!
[not reproductivity ;)lol]

Using Process Explorer in Windows XP Server Vista and Win7

In Order to know what all processes are running and to forcibly terminate any you need to explore Process explorer. In Windows platform this can come easily by opening Taskbar. Ctrl+Alt+Delete and selecting Taskbar is historically the method to reach there.

You can instead of killing a process, suspend it (right-click on a process to see this option). This is useful in the case if program stuck in an endless loop.

In addition, if you wanna know what is the process identification (term better known as PID historically since the advent of Unix based Systems), then Open the program, then switch to Process Explorer. In the top-right corner there is a target icon (see concentric circles). Clicking this icon and dragging it onto the program you want to see, the Process Explorer will highlight the process.

Two methods for Accepting User Input in Windows Command Line Prompt

Recently there was a task in Adobe that involved automation of entire Code Coverage Automation System. This involved calling one script after other. As the whole task involved some 100 number of scripts and I had to check the status of system say after execution of script number 56. So I had to interrupt in between in such a way that this interruption does not cause any data loss and we can continue from where we paused. For this I employed user input trick.

Method 1:

You can interact with a user and ask for any data to be entered. The traditional DOS O[perating System had a "Choice" command for a limited interaction. It is now superceded in Windows XP/Vista by the more versatile "set /p".

The syntax is:
set /p variable= [some string]

Here "variable" is the name of the variable that will be assigned to the data that you want the user to input. "some string" is the message that the user will see as a prompt. If desired, the string can be omitted.

Here is an example that asks the user to enter his or her id:
set /p u_id= What is your UserId?

This will create a variable %u_id% whose value is whatever the user enters. Note that the user must press the "Enter' key after typing the input.

You can also access this variable using following syntax:
%variable%

For example to print what was entered earlier just pass following command on command prompt: echo %u_id%


Method 2:

You can use "copy con" command to achieve somewhat similar goal. The syntax is:

copy con

This command accepts user input (including commas and enter keys) and dumps it into a file specified by the given file name. The reading continues till it is stopeed by Ctrl+z key combination. From there it can be read thereafter.

For example, if you have to prompt user to enter his user id, you can do the following:

echo Please enter your UserId
copy con abc.txt

I tested both the methods and personally found method 2 to be more satisfying. Though I find both methods to be error free, easy and enjoyable, yet you may have your own taste!!

So Happy Tasting (Not Happy Testing ;)

You can write me at toughjamy@yahoo.com.
To Know me professionally visit ..Linked In..
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Read jokes at ..Jokes Limitless..
You can also know more about me at ToughJamy : An Informal Me!!

Bewitched Apps using the Genie Effect or Slow Motion Effect in Mac OS X

Have you heard about famous Genie Effect in Mac. It is also regarded as Slow down effect.

You can see this by holding down shift when clicking on the window minus button or documents in the dock. As discussed, I am showing another use of this Genie effect that would make UI of apps in Mac distorted yet perform well.


The trick is to Open up any App or say Safari browser and navigate to a nice long web page.

For instance you can visit MeOnShow.Com or even open one of my another blog Jokes Limitless


Now Launch up a Terminal and type “Killall Dock”. Do not press enter at this time. Also make sure that your App or Safari window is in the background and Terminal is your active window. Now Hold down the shift key and click the minimize button on your App or Safari window. Now in midway of minimizing window press the enter key on terminal to execute your Terminal command. You will be amazed to see that your application, or Safari window in this case, would stuck in a distorted shape. You can scroll through webpage or App, navigate and use your App, Click On buttons, do interaction, in a distorted shaped window. This is the secret logic and trick behind my famous Bewitched Apps Trick that has amazed many of my colleagues in TCS, CSC, Patni, HCL, Adobe and Amazon.


You can write me at toughjamy@yahoo.com.
To Know me professionally visit ..Linked In..
You can befriend me at ..FaceBook..
Read jokes at ..Jokes Limitless..
You can also know more about me at ToughJamy : An Informal Me!!

Happy Programming and Happy Hacking.

How to remove Thumb.db file

We all know that Thumb.db file is a cache of the current picture in that directory. But sometimes it become necessary to remove it. In order to remove it go for following step:

1--> open "WINDOWS EXPLORER".
2--> go to "TOOLS".
3--> open "FOLDER OPTIONS".
4--> go to "VIEW".
5--> see 1st section "FILES & FOLDERS".
6--> click on the "DO NOT CACHE THUMBNAILS".

Now the thumbnail file will be removed from the computer system. And once you do this the file will be never created.

Some Useful shortcuts tricks and tips in Mac OS X

Today I am writing about several shortcuts and tricks in Mac OSX Platform. Some may be know to few people but some may really amaze you.

a) Select text in your browser and then drag and drop it onto your desktop. There will be a basic text file with your text in it.

b) cmd-click Finder window title: It shows a Pop-up menu showing path to current folder/document

c) Command Key and Tab Key can be used to cycle through your running apps as was done in Win platform using tab key alone.

d) Many do not know that you can change the style of the text/icons of a window by command clicking on the little button in the top right of the window of a program. That small button has more functionality too. Explore!!

e) Have you heard about famous Genie Effect in Mac. It is also regarded as Slow down effect. You can see this by holding down shift when clicking on the window minus button or documents in the dock. I will further explain this in Genie effect blog post separately.

f) Voice over Utility:
You can use apple logo key and F5 to launch Voice over utility App. You may also find this by default at /application/utilities/voiceover. I will write about this utility at some later time but if you explore yourself, you will be more benefitted.

g) Resizing a column divider in a Finder window is simple. But there is yetr another trick. Press Alt-click and drag column divider in Finder column view resizes columns evenly. This would resize width of columns in all finder windows opened.

h) Pressing F11 would engage expose and move all windows to the edge of your screen

i) Negative Vision Trick.
I discovered this a year earlier. Since then I used this many times to stun my younger sis, or for that matter my MBA Wife. Use control+alt (option)+command+8. This would make your screen go like a negative vision of your screen. You can do again the same to revert back.

Write your opinion.

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Read jokes at ..Jokes Linitless..

Emac from Unix to Mac.

The command emac can be used to play some games or some refreshing exercise once you get bored through your usual routine job. I do not know about its history but can be surely searched at Wikipedia. But today I will tell about some tricks with emac.

1) One trick is pressing control+option+command+8.

Another one is going to terminal then typing "emacs", then press "esc" and then "x", then type "doctor" or "tetris" or “life”. The effects are that ‘Tetris’ would pop up the classic ‘tetris’ game, ‘life’ shows the cell division process.

2) If you are a little bit bored, you can try M-x hanoi. If you are considerably bored, give it a numeric argument. If you are extremely bored, then try an argument of 9. Sit back and watch the Hanoi Towers been created.

3) If you want self involvement, try M-x gomoku, which plays the game Go Moku with you.

4) M-x dunnet runs an adventure-style exploration game, which is a bigger sort of puzzle.

5) As told, M-x tetris runs an implementation of the well-known Tetris game. What was not told is that, M-x snake provides an implementation of the famous Snake game.

6) When you are frustrated, try the famous Eliza program. Just do M-x doctor. End each input by typing RET twice.

7) When you are feeling strange, type M-x yow.

8) The command M-x zone plays games with the display when Emacs is idle.
So in this way you can counter react to the boredom at work if it occurs on Unix or Mac platform. One’s who are in luck to always deal with black screen of traditional Unix based system would really know what I mean when I speak of boredom ;)

And yes, do not forget ending with emcs—ctrl+q then ctrl+c .

So, Happy Emac-ing (I prefer calling e-mack-ing)

How Google Search Suggest or "did you mean" Algorithm works

According to Douglas M., former CTO of Google , the logic behind suggestions is as follows:

1) Anyone writes a ( misspelled ) word in google

2) If the person does not find what he/she wanted then he/she does not click on any results that came.

3) He/she realizes that there was a typo error. So a rewrite of the word in the search box happens by him/her. That is he/she enters the correct word.

4) He/she finds what they want. They proceed by clicking on any of the result.

This is where the catch is. This pattern multiplied millions of times, by zillions of users, show what are the most common misspells and what are the most "common" corrections. So based on this Goggle corrects the searched query (rather suggests a correct query).

Enjoy Googling!!!

Mohd Anwar jamal Faiz
Websites:
Jokes Limitless
Puzzles in Job Interviews
MeOnShow

On Someone's something, someone said something to someone, somewhere at some time. Why am I to be blamed?

Python string encryption and decryption is so easy.

Just try the following piece of code-->
__________________________________________________________________________________
import os
a='726f745f3133'
b="Ba Fbzrbar'f fbzrguvat, fbzrbar fnvq fbzrguvat gb fbzrbar, fbzrjurer ng fbzr gvzr. Jul nz V gb or oynzrq?"
print b.decode(a.decode('hex_codec'))
__________________________________________________________________________________


Can u guess the output??

;) Keep updated. Stay tuned @Discussioons for IT People