Events in My life

iPhone Bug

For the first time I’ve seen some thing weird in iPhone. For the past few days, am struggling with my iPhone. Am going to write about that some time later, but for now it is about the bug. What is wrong in the below image?

There are few things that made my eyebrows raise

1) My iPhone is about 8GB size, but now it shows 13.6 GB..

2) There is no iPhone with 13.6GB, all I heard is either 8GB or 16 GB

3) I had about 1GB of music placed in my iPhone, but surprised to see the memory used and the free memory

After some time, I see the following image. Strange with 10.2 GB space

ASP.NET 70-515 Exam Preparation points

I’ve written the mentioned exam and completed this in the second attempt. I’ve failed in my first attempt, but passed in the second attempt. The second attempt for all the Microsoft exams is free. One of my friend asked me about the highlight points that helped me to attend the exam. This post arrived while preparation of the bulleted points that I recollect from the exam.

The whole exam pattern can be divided into 3 + 2 = 5 sections. The first 3 sections are more concentrate on the enhancements in v4.0 along with the traditional questions from v3.0 based. The second 2 sections are mainly into configuration and deployment of any web app that is developed using ASP.NET v4.0

To make the long story short, here is the full details that I’ve in my mind. Ofcourse, I’ve not mentioned any thing about MVC as a separate section, because, MVC is a pattern for me but not a new enhancement from the point of framework. Having mentioned that you can even consider that there are few questions pertaining about MVC too, thus, don’t forget to give attention towards MVC.

1) Traditional WebApplication questions

1) How to Configure Web Forms pages
2) What are master pages and themes
3) What is globalization

4) What are the page life cycle events

5) How to implement caching and how to manage view-state & Validate user input

2) Questions that are new to ASP.NET v4.0 Controls

6) What are user controls and how to implement
7) What are the mechanisms using which we can manipulate user interface controls from code-behind

8) What controls help to Display and Manipulate Data
9) What are the new ways to implement DataBound / DataSource controls

10) Query and manipulate data by using LINQ (ofcourse, this doesn't new to v4.0 but the exam questions are based on v3.0 LINQ)

3) This section is about new enhancements from ASP.NET v4.0

11) What is Client-Side Scripting and AJAX
12) How to induce the dynamic features to a page by using JavaScript
13) How to handle JavaScript events

3.1)Services Enhancements

14) How to create and consume a data service
15) How to create and configure a Dynamic Data project

4) Configuration Section targeting the production environment

16) How to configuring and Extending a Web Application
17) How to configure authentication and authorization
18) How to configure providers
19) How to create and configure HttpHandlers and HttpModules
20) How to Configure initialization and error handling
21) How to reference and configure ASMX and WCF services
22) How to Configure projects and solutions, and reference assemblies
23) What are custom routes and how to create controllers & actions

5) Standard Deployment of WebApps

24) How to debug a Web application
25) How to deploy a Web application

So, if you are attending this exam, please give your self a second study about the above mentioned points. If you are aware of fundamentals of these topics, that’s it you are thru. Happy certification.

Sending SMS from .NET Application

Today, when visiting the MSDN forums, came across of a request about the subject of this post. While replying, thought of writing a post with visual aids. So that it would be more meaningful. But unfortunate that MSDN forum doesn’t support to upload the Images. Hence is the blog post.

Before we talk about .NET application, it is required to understand how SMS works and the integration with some application. Thus, let’s see what happens when some one sends SMS. Am not going to talk about SMS sent to any phone with 10 digits unique number, but am talking about sending SMS sent to less than 10 digits number, sent on some reserved interfaces (or) mass SMS receiving mechanism. Mostly these kind of requirements come into action when polling is required or a kind of reality shows like American Idol in USA and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa from Zee Tv in India.

Let’s start with how this kind of polling is offered by the Providers, called as SCS Providers ie., Short Code Service Providers. Any business person who is interested to utilize the services of such SCS first has to register with these SCSProviders. The SCSProviders charge according to their business plans. Here is a simple example about the pricing by one of the Indian SCS Provider

Short Code Number: 53426
    Short Code: <KEYWORD> As per request *(subject to availability)
    Sub Keyword: Multiple ( e.g. <ShortCode Keyword> <sub-keyword>)
    Control Panel: Web Based
    Auto-Welcome: An SMS will be send to the customer who will send your short code. This message can be customized from control panel. You can create different Welcome message for sub-keywords also.

Reports: Daily Keyword/Sub Keyword based
Database: Database of received SMS will be available in your account with us. (Web Based)
Auto-Forward:To SMS (An SMS will be sent to desired number with Sender's Mobile Number SMS Forwarding Cost: 25 P/SMS)

To Email (An Email will be sent to desired mail id with Sender's Mobile Number, Keyword)
Web URL (This will submit the sender's mobile number and keyword to desired web-page and the result of the page will used as Reply Back SMS. This web page could be dynamic in nature to give any user specific reply back. e.g. Result of Exam through SMS Request)

Network Support: All India
    Setup Time: 48 Hrs. after approval of Keyword availability
    Setup Fee: NIL
    Monthly Rental: 4,500/- [4500 + 556 (Service Tax): Rs.5056]
    Quarterly Rental: 4,000/- [12000 + 1483 (Service Tax): Rs.13,483]
    Half Yearly Rental: 3,500/- [21,000 + 2596 (Service Tax): Rs.23,596]
    Yearly Rental: 3,000/- [36,000 + 4450 (Service Tax): Rs.40,450]

Rs. 4,450/- Off on Yearly subscription.

One Year Pricing (after discount): Rs.36,000/-

Hope you are now clear about the pricing details of any SCS Provider. Let me show you how the SCS provider works with some visual representation. The infrastructure and the working model would be some thing similar to that of the below mentioned

Now that you understand how your SMS communication is implemented in real world, let’s see how this can be extended so that any application can handle the situation when SMS received as well as sent.

Most of the SCS Providers do the URL Forwarding, which means they invoke any of the given URL when they get an SMS. Thus, it is the responsibility of the business application to provide any URL to receive the information about the SMS. The URL would be some thing like, http://mybusiness.com/getsms.aspx?phonenumber=93829283928&message=thisiscool

Which means that the business owner should expose some interface by means of a WebPage (or) WebService (or) what ever is feasible for the business. Once the business application gets the information, it is all within the workflow of the rules that is orchestrated by the business owners. The entire crux of this post remains in this last paragraph. Well, for a web developer, I don’t think it is required to explain how to collect the query parameters as well as send any query parameters. This is all fine to collect the SMS sent by the users on a reserved number like 53426. But now, how about sending back some information to the phones via SMS?

As you see in the diagram that every SCSProviders have a feature called as URL Forwarding, they would also be having a web page where you can send some data that would be passed onto the SMS sender. The page that is provided by the SCSProvider would be some thing like http://SCSPWebSite.com/sendsms.aspx?phnumr=93829283928&message=thisisreply .. Hope now you are totally aware of how to send SMS with the help of SCS Providers as well as receive SMS in a web application.

What do you say?

Visual Basic is the Core attention by Microsoft

Workflow foundation is currently at 4th version. The main coding syntax that is expected for any of the code activities are more from the VB code syntax. Hence, it is proven that Microsoft considers VB as primary language while doing any kind of Research.

Apart of this, there is one more fact that there is a recent toolkit released from Microsoft, just yesterday, ie., 28th Nov 2010. It is RTW for Windows Phone developer. This release enables Visual Basic developers to create Silverlight applications for Windows Phone 7 using the final version of the windows phone developer tools.

You can download the Windows Phone developer tools RTW from this link.

KRAs and KPIs

Accidently came across of these two words. They appear similar with the abbreviations, but they have huge difference when they are in action.

KRA – Key Result Area

These are the targets decided by the top management towards every individual. The set targets are measured over period of time.

KPI – Key Performance Indicators

While the KRAs are evaluated, the managers take into consideration of these KPI information.

When I decide the performance appraisals of my team, I first set the expectations and mutually agree before the evaluation period begin and keep an eye on their approach in reaching my expectations. After the evaluation period, I’d give them my feedback in terms of the KPIs that were caught in my observations and how they have helped me to award certain benefits.

From my experience, KRAs test the ability of the employee, and identifying the KPIs of the employee is a challenge for the managers.

2nd Post from Reading

It just took about 30 mins for me to get all the clearance and the luggage. Soon got the luggage, checked-in the luggage to the connecting flight. My itinerary is as followed

Trip 1) Hyderabad to Dubai. The wait time at Dubai is about 4 Hrs

Trip 2) Dubai to New York. The wait time at NY is about 6 hrs

Trip 3) New York to Philadelphia. No scheduled wait time, but ..

After checked-in the luggage to the Philly trip, realized that there is about 6 hrs of waiting time for me. The first thing that I did after this is purchased a calling card and conveyed every one that am available at NY and every thing is going as per the plan.

While calling every one from a public phone booth, all the local cab drivers surrounded me to make business out of my free-time. To my surprise, one cab driver even went to an extent of asking me to cancel the flight ticket and pay him the money, so that he can drop me at Philly. Am kept quite and listening to them to recommend me. Finally, one after the other started fighting with each as am their customer. It is just an irritating experience, just like auto drivers at Hyderabad rly station or bus station. Every one asked for about 200USD to take me around New York and bring me back.

Meanwhile, I’ve learned that there are some train services that would take me to Manhattan and other places. So, finally decided to visit New York for the time that i would be spending at Airport, instead of waiting and wasting. One of my colleague discouraged me for the thought of visiting NY. Well, I took chance to visit on my own risk. Thus, an adventure to New York city started.

My trip to NY started from AirTrain from JFK to Manhattan. Soon am out of the local station of Manhattan. As just got out of the station, found a local city tour bus. The person who is collecting the visitors, sold the idea of having a full trip of NY for just USD44. It didn’t gave me another thought. Thus, got into the city tour bus and started exploring the city by occupying the front seat on the top of the bus. My journey in NY saw places like Empire State building, Ground Zero, New York Stock exchange, China Town, NewYork Bridge, Baltimore bridge and many more..

Finally, as am getting late for my flight at JFK, decided to stop exploring and found the way back to Subway. From there again back to JFK. By the time am back at JFK it is almost 3pm and am very late for check-in. Anyhow, found a place in the plane. Unfortunately, the flight got delayed by about 6hrs due to bad weather at Philadelphia. Finally took of from NY to Philly after a long wait sitting within the charted flight.

The cab driver at Philly left the airport thinking that the flight got cancelled and he is expecting my call from NY. After having a small talk over the phone, finally he came and took me to Reading by around 12midnight. Thus reached the hotel. More about Reading in the next post. Till then .. keep blogging and keep reading ..

Post from Reading, PA, USA

This is my second trip to USA. This time am used to the full flight journey. The last time when I've travelled it is really hectic and not sure about the flight schedule and the international plans. Not any more.. This time i really enjoyed my journey with single malt scotch blended whisky at all the times.

My journey started from Hyderabad air port to Dubai. As just it started, I've asked them for scotch and they supplied few shots in 4 hrs of flight time and that’s a smooth flight journey to Dubai. Well it is almost midnight at Dubai when we arrived. It took about an hr for us to get into the security clearance and wait for the flight to be available for us to check-in. Well, here I must bring to your attention that they didn’t allow me to carry my tooth paste. The security agent said that the tooth paste is allowed only if it is packed in a plastic bag. It is really a pain in wrong place to find a plastic bag after you finished all the required security clearance. But finally made it.

After getting into the flight to New York, decided to stick to the same plan, that is have some scotch and sleep well. But it is unfortunate that i got a seat between two old ladies. yaaaaaaaaaaaak.. The counter clerk at Shamshabad air port cheated me. I’ve told him to help me with a seat that can be meaningful for me, as am suffering for leg injury. Bad boy..

Anyhow, after a long flight from Dubai to “John F. Kennedy” air port at New York, landed in USA for the 2nd time by the morning time around 8 AM. By the way, I forgot to mention about the Curd Rice & “గారెలు”. Mom gave me these for the journey. No one asked me until i get to the embassy officer. Well, at that time i’d to declare about the food that am bringing. And the embassy officer denied my entry due to bringing the food. And i’d to eat that, as I couldn’t miss the food prepared by MOM. The embassy officer granted me the visa for 3 months, after making sure that I consume the food and cleaning the carriage.

It is going to be more for a single post, so shall come back with a 2nd post ..

My Profile at MSDN

This is my profile at MSDN. On this day i have about 391 points and posted about 127 posts and had a successful answers count as 23.

I need to improve this. Am currently working on Commerce Server and replying the posts at Commerce Server forms.

Steps to improve is to participate in the user forms as well as write articles on my blog about each subject and my learning about Commerce Server from this project implementation.

What do i get out of this, ……!!!!

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. . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

All i have is no response.

MSN mailbox size is 500 GB

Don’t think that this is a false or fake news. I usually configure my outlook with my msn account. To my surprise when I've seen the server status of my MSN account, am surprised to learn that MSN is allocating 500 GB space for each mail account. You don’t believe me!! Here is the proof. See the below image, still you don’t believe that I’ve a valid point and you trust that the image is morphed by me.. ha ha ha.. then come and meet me personally, I’ll show you from my laptop.

Apart of all, how it would be, if i recommend you to configure your MSN account with your local outlook!!! Sounds great right!! Then you don’t have to suspect me, you can witness yourself. Try it ..

SVN Repository Migration

Our current employer decided to have the code base as VisualSVN. So we stated a demo server and then after successful trail started a staging server for our project. For the entire March month it worked well, and we decided to have another VisualSVN server as production. During the last week we have decided to migrate our staging SVN source to production box, but now the problem is about history or revision of the full one month.

After binging and googling, I’ve found many alternatives. Most of all, I’ve realized one simple solution and migrated the entire code base from staging to production as simple as cake biting.

Problem :

Source SVN is at 10.4.5.68 and the repositories are installed at D:\

Target SVN is at 119.18.112.63 and the repositories are installed at E:\

Solution:

Step 1:

Copy all the project folders from 5.68\d$\repository\<<projectRepositories>> to 112.63\e$\repository\

Step 2:

Copy the auth files from 5.68 to 112.63, this would copy all the users along with their project groups

Step 3:

Go to the client side and just relocate your SVN url by right clicking on the folder and point to “SVN=>Relocate”

That’s is done.. did you try?

iPad .. is it fantasy !! or market strategy!!

Mac recently reported that they had a reported on their website as they have sold over 300,00 iPads on the first day. That’s a good news to read from both the sides, ie., from internal Mac as well as from out side as consumers that this product is being liked by such huge number on the first day. By now, the number might have been reached to 4.2 million or it might reach in the near future.

The internal sources say that they would sell about 5.6m by this year and reach 7.1m on world wide. Not just so, according to this link they are also predicting it to triple by 2012. Is this a hype or just the business!!

On a flip side, there are many limitations on this product such as the temperature. It needs to be cooled before you use it when the inherent temp crosses certain limits. Not just this, it can’t be used under the bare sun due to the natural temperature, don’t believe me.. just read this. Yes, of course, that the iPad is coming with the GPS feature, which would add a value for the USA vehicles to track the road and help the driver with the road map. But what happens when it is heated much due to the external factors!!??

Apart of all these, I see this as a marketing push of a product to the daily life and make some trade. Once the trade is complete the manufactures can release few number of service packs or few free service supports. Nothing but the business plan as implemented by Microsoft.

What do you think?

What is Project Management and Project Leadership

The main difference between these two is as simple as the difference between, Dependence and Independence. This is been nicely explained at the project shrink's website.

I liked the way he narrated the story and the simplicity to show the difference is awesome. What do you say?

Yahoo .. Mail server is down..

Yahoo.. It’s You.. that’s a real caption. Now-a-days, yahoo management is doing an extensive marketing promotion to take yahoo to the next generation. On one side, they are targeting the young blood, while the other side they are ignoring the revenue generating agents like small business partners.

Our business mail provider is Yahoo, recently, since last 2 days our email servers are down. Can you imagine a software business with out emails? Here is the proof..

My First Impression on ShopCorn.in

Today, while reading some tweets, got to know about ShopCorn. It is a general tendency that to see what is that and how different it is from others. My first impression is that, this is an online place to buy / sell PopCorn. And that impression become wrong, this is an other online shopping portal developed using .NET. And this application also takes support from cross technologies like PHP and Java

The theme of the site is more like any other wordpress hosted application. This portal designed in much better style when compared with the other competitors in the current market.

What’s Bad

1) But their real-estate plan is worse.

2) Visitor is expected to scroll down to see what’s there in the whole home page

3) 2 live chat links… unnecessary

What can be improved

1) The visitor is given attention on the 3 big boxes. Infact, they can be reduced

2) the model’s image can be adjusted to half of what it is currently

3) The top menu and the submenu size can be little larger

4) They can rearrange many things such that the user is not given chance to scroll down for what all available

5) “Attractive Deals & Community” tag line can go into the center of the header of the home page

…

Many more, that’s enough for the first impression. More follow

Austin Trip

This is my first trip to USA. Am living in Austin, Texas.

Voice Blog

WhitePages.com recently acquired Snapv!ne. Ofcourse, it doesn't really matter me. but the interesting aspect here is that about Snapv!ne. This is a voice blog and i just started my voice blog. This seems good as long as you have all the facilities towards voice blogging, but not sure how this will work when am back in India.

Anyhow, you can find my blog here. I started my first post. Did you see this? do you have account?

Do let me know your comments.

Team Lunch - GL Group

This post is from Austin, Texas, America. Recently, i've moved to Austin, Tx, on a business trip. I'm currently in USA on B1 for about 3 months from 20th Aug 2008 to 17th Nov 2008. During this trip, i would be placed with our client GL Group, and study their technology practices. Once i go back to India, will start my own team to develop application for GL Group.

With in the current group am working with, there is a regular practice on Wednesday's, ie., Team Lunch. according to Mr. Mehar, SW Dev Manager (As his signature on mail says), it is optional that any one can attend and every one can attend. But every individual pay pay their own bills. And this day being my birthday as well, i thought to join them and give them a party.

Mr. Mehar is so friendly and (honestly he is very kind / humble / down to earth / blah... blah .. what ever you can see in a matured personality) volunteered to pay the bill on my behalf. i guess it would be about $100, what ever is the bill, he took it on the bills of the organization. i dont know how.. but mentioned that. here are the few pics from the "Team Lunch"

This is the lunch that Mr. Mehar ordered for me.

Mr. Mehar, Curt Lansing , Elliot O'Hara, Aiden Povedano

I took this picture, that's the reason you could see my seat empty. Ajay Guatham, My Seat, Clint McCulloch and Aaron Whatley

Aiden Povedano took this picture assuming that wanted to have every one. As i already took the one side of the table i wanted the other side. Anyhow, as this didn't come well, i've asked Aiden Povedano to take only the other side. the next one is some how better.

After lunch, Mehar and Elliot left early due to meetings, and we left behind.

We are walking back from lunch.

CEOs Forum Meeting

On 2nd August 2008, I've attended the mentioned meeting conducted by hySea at Motorola India office, located at Hitech City, Madhapur. The speaker of the event is Mr. Sudhakar Ramakrishna, Corporate VP and Head of Software for Home and Network Business, Motorola. He spoke about, "Leading Innovation.. the challenge for Leaders"

By sharp 8:25am, am there at the venue. It took about 7 minutes towards the security clearance and other formalities. And after that I'm straight away there for the conference room. To my surprise, as it is CEOs meeting, it should be that every one has to arrive late. Unaware of that, being the head for Indian operations of Obsys Technologies and never used to the CEO kind culture, looked for some one to receive me by the organizers. Though there is no one there to receive, Motorola's security person took me straight to their cafeteria.

Slowly one by one joined me there, and started introducing one other. Then i got to meet big shots, and learned about their products as well as their companies. Incidentally in the crowd that am sitting are all live in US, and they are all here in India just for business. i felt alien in their crowd. Anyhow, managed. Later we proceeded towards breakfast.

Breakfast includes, aloo based item + idly + vada with water melon juice.

While we are breaking our fasting, there came a gentleman. Slowly talking to every one, except me. For some moment, I felt embraced. But later, recovered and ignored. To my surprise, this is the guy who is speaking that morning. Slowly after the breakfast, around 9:10am we reached the conference hall. After a small talk by some Motorola's senior person and introduction of Mr. Sudhakar, the actual talk started.

Mr. Sudhakar's main idea for the talk is all about "Innovation". His tag line is, "any thing that is Better, faster, cheaper is innovation". Yes!! for some time I felt the same. but for me innovation is doing our own way, but in an extraordinarily. Most times, I quote as

Innovation doesn't consists of doing extraordinary things, but doing ordinary things extra-ordinarily well

Thus said, i do the same thing that every other does, but in my own style with more effectiveness. anyhow, let me not continue with my ideas. As this is the post all about the meeting and Mr. Sudhakar.

According to Mr. Sudhakar, over the time the innovation becomes discontinues with in the organization. Hence the organization has to take the responsibility to dissolve such discontinuity. There is a necessity for the management to keep the innovation as a continues activity. One has to find different means and ways to keep the Innovation as a continuous process. He gave couple of examples out of his experience as how he made that a regular practice.

Then he stopped his speech and let the floor talk about how they made the innovation as a reality in their respective organizations. Every one expressed their success stories. The following are that i could recollect

Bug Meter
Idea Forum
i = i + i (Some Senior person from TCS.. guess)
i = i + i + a ( By Mr. Sudhakar)

Mr. Sudhakar, concluded his talk with the following note

Managers do the Right thing, Leaders do the thing Right

Overall, that is a cool discussion that i ever had. But honestly, I don't know how all those high profiled people will nod their heads in this room and be dumb in their own work place. Anyhow, as i don't know them from their respective organizations, it is wise for me to be silent and play a diplomatic game.

Insipred by Uma MRL

As mentioned in the title, inspired by Umamaheswara Rao L, i too took the personality test from the given link. As a result you could see the below graph. Ofcourse, i don't trust all the statements given by these kind of online tests, but they are fun to attend and you could enjoy. Did you gave any try?? Try once..

Your score on this personality test was 71%

Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive personality; a natural lead, who's quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.

Personality Quiz
Take More Quizzes

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This is just out of my collection, if you have any objections, drop me a mail at dskcheck@gmail.com

Birthday Cake - 2007

This is my first ever birth day cake of my life. Friends and colleagues, have taken many pics. but out of all, only these two survived and reached me, after many followups. Thankyou all of you .. for the cake as well as pics.

That day, they had applied the cream every possible exposed part of my body, except the dress, every other place. Somehow, that's a nice experience.