Some of you may already know what is RSS feed and know how to subscribe them. But I’m sure some of you don’t know what exactly RSS feed and how you can use them as a loyal reader or visitor. We will not discuss what is RSS here because you can learn it by Googling or you can read directly from here.
So, in this post I will teach you or will guide you on how to subscribe RSS feed. But first, you need to get a RSS link and a feed aggregator (some call them as a feed reader).
A RSS link usually marked with these images or just a simple text reading RSS Feed.
In this how-to, we will use a software as an example: FeedReader (freeware)
1. First and foremost, you need to download FeedReader and install it. Once installed, run the software and you will get this screenshot.
2. Then, click on New and choose New Feed.
3. Now we are going to subscribe a RSS feed. Type the URL of the site from which you would like to get feeds.
4. Press Enter and wait for FeedReader to finish gathering all information from the site you are subscribing. Once finished, you will get a small alert at the bottom right of your screen.
5. Now, you have successfully subscribed to a site feed.
You can configure to your favorite feeds in no time using FeedReader. Get going...NOW !!!Source: Cypherhackz
Were you wondering what that ill-looking gap down below is? Well, I've just have tried testing blogger's service by inserting a blank blog...no actual content except a space in the title and body is all I did. And it worked (as you can see). Hmmm...should I term this as a flaw in blogger? On second thoughts, blogger is actually working fine coz it restricts posts with actually no contents at all. Whereas my earlier post contained a space in each of its field; i.e. Title, Body. Neverthless, I learned another simple fact today in BLOGGER.
The game is named 'Crimson Room' and is conceived by one Toshimitsu Takagi.
This is a real mind blender. I was literally scratching my head all over to get through this maze. Finally together we (an intelligent colleague of mine) paved our way out…Sigh…what a relief !!!
The motto of this game is to get out of the room. It is a flash game and can be played in IE/Firefox. There are 13 items hidden in this room in order to get out of this room.
Play the game here.
If you find:
0-6 items, your IQ is VERY LOW.
6-8 items, LOW
9-10 items,
11-12 items, HIGH, above average.
If you find 13 items, get out of the room and consider yourself VERY RARE!!! Less than 4000 people in the world have got out of the room! Inspiring enough???
Guess whats happening all this while, I was trying to setup a wireless home network for the past 2 months. My cousin gifted me a NETGEAR Wireless Router. Since then I have tried a neat 4-5 times to setup the wireless netowrk with my existing broadband line. I did follow the setup instructions liad out in the installation instructions booklet supplied by the vendor. All went fine each time but later I get stuck. The wireless network is detected by my laptop and shows the signal strength as "Excellent". But when I start browsing to check the connection, it fails to show up. Afetr a few tries, frustrated; I took Netgear's tech support to resolve my problem. Even they failed to get me thru successfully. Eventually, after supporting for a couple of times, they (she) gave up saying that the router is faulty and need to be replaced to make the wireless network run efficiently. Disappointed, I simply unplugged the router and went back to square one...using internet the wired way. I knew that the support resolution I got from NETGEAR was not correct coz the router was in perfect working condition.
A week back , I came across an advertisement by a local hardware vendor. The ad said they would also solute Wi-Fi problems. I wanted to give another try. I called up this nice person and he agreed to the service for Rs.300. I insisted that I would not pay for the service if the problem was not solved. He agreed. The next day a service engineer sent by the vendor visited my place. He started off immediately analyzing the current state of my wireless network. He then made some minor changes to the wireless setup and ran a few tests to check the connectin. In no time, the setup wasready. I have tested the wireless setup and it was indeed working fine. I restarted the complete arrangement and tried again. It was really working fine. Intrigued, I asked the engineer where the problem was. He enlightened me that the problem was lying with the router and it was not obtaining the DNS address automatically. So he fed the DNS IP values in the router and hence it started functioning fine.
Today, I came across this interesting information related to a home based wireless network. And it was indeed good!!! Here it is for the benefit of Wi-Fi users.
Many folks setting up wireless home networks rush through the job to get their Internet connectivity working as quickly as possible. That's totally understandable. It's also quite risky as numerous security problems can result. Today's WiFi products don't always help the situation as configuring their security features can be time-consuming and non-intuitive. The recommendations below summarize the steps you should take to improve the security of your home wireless LAN.
1) Change Default Administrator Passwords (and Usernames)
At the core of most Wi-Fi home networks is an access point or router. To set up these pieces of equipment, manufacturers provide Web pages that allow owners to enter their network address and account information. These Web tools are protected with a login screen (username and password) so that only the rightful owner can do this. However, for any given piece of equipment, the logins provided are simple and very well-known to hackers on the Internet. Change these settings immediately.
2) Turn on (Compatible) WPA / WEP Encryption
All Wi-Fi equipment supports some form of "encryption." Encryption technology scrambles messages sent over wireless networks so that they cannot be easily read by humans. Several encryption technologies exist for Wi-Fi today. Naturally you will want to pick the strongest form of encryption that works with your wireless network. To function, though, all Wi-Fi devices on your LAN must share the identical encryption settings. Therefore you may need to find a "lowest common denominator" setting.
3) Change the Default SSID
Access points and routers all use a network name called the SSID. Manufacturers normally ship their products with the same SSID set. For example, the SSID for Linksys devices is normally "linksys." True, knowing the SSID does not by itself allow anyone to break into your network, but it is a start. More importantly, when someone finds a default SSID, they see it is a poorly configured network and are much more likely to attack it. Change the default SSID immediately when configuring your LAN.
4) Enable MAC Address Filtering
Each piece of Wi-Fi gear possesses a unique identifier called the "physical address" or "MAC address." Access points and routers keep track of the MAC addresses of all devices that connect to them. Many such products offer the owner an option to key in the MAC addresses of their home equipment that restricts the network to only allow connections from those devices. Do this, but also know that the feature is not so powerful as it may seem. Hacker software programs can fake MAC addresses easily.
5) Disable SSID Broadcast
In Wi-Fi networking, the access point or router typically broadcasts the network name (SSID) over the air at regular intervals. This feature was designed for businesses and mobile hotspots where Wi-Fi clients may come and go. In the home, this feature is unnecessary, and it increases the likelihood an unwelcome neighbor or hacker will try to log in to your home network. Fortunately, most Wi-Fi access points allow the SSID broadcast feature to be disabled by the network administrator.
6) Do Not Auto-Connect to Open Wi-Fi Networks
Connecting to an open Wi-Fi network such as a free wireless hotspot or your neighbor's router exposes your computer to security risks. Although not normally enabled, most computers have a setting available allowing these connections to happen automatically without notifying you (the user). This setting should not be enabled except in temporary situations.
7) Assign Static IP Addresses to Devices
Most home networkers gravitate toward using dynamic IP addresses. DHCP technology is indeed quick and easy to set up. Unfortunately, this convenience also works to the advantage of network attackers, who can easily obtain valid IP addresses from a network's DHCP pool. Turn off DHCP on the router or access point, set a fixed IP address range, then set each connected device to match. Use a private IP range (like 10.0.0.x) to prevent computers from being directly reached from the Internet.
8) Enable Firewalls on Each Computer and the Router
Modern routers contain built-in firewall capability, but the option exists to disable them. Ensure that your router's firewall is turned on. Additionally, consider installing and running personal firewall software on each computer connected to the router for extra protection.
9) Position the Router or Access Point Safely
Wi-Fi signals normally reach to the exterior of a home. A small amount of "leakage" outdoors is not a problem, but the further this signal reaches, the easier it is for others to detect and exploit. Wi-Fi signals often reach through neighboring homes and into streets, for example. When installing a wireless home network, the position of the access point or router determines its reach. Try to position these devices near the center of the home rather than near windows to minimize leakage.
10) Turn off the Network during Extended Periods of Non-Use
The ultimate in security measures, shutting down the network will most certainly prevent outside hackers from breaking in! While impractical to turn off and on the devices frequently, at least consider doing so during travel or extended periods offline. Computer disk drives have been known to suffer from power cycle wear-and-tear, but this is not a concern for broadband modems and routers.
I also found this insteresting video from YouTube showing how to setup a wireless home network. Though the video is titled "Netgear Router Setup", it is more or less the same procedure followed to setup other wireless routers as well.
Learning QTP.
Who's that??? Well, I believe I need to elaborate for novices who don't know what the core topic is all about. QTP stands for Quick Test Professional. It is an automated tool used in the vertical of Software Testing or Software Quality Assurance. I have been trying to master this tool for the past week-10 days. Hhmmmm...not a really tough tool to master unlike other tools. It is a very user friendly and easy to use tool for the ever growing software testing services in India. Not to mention but for the cost of the tool which is very high, cannot allow evry one and every organization to use QTP. As always, the IT industry has it's own tips & tricks to use a trial software as a full fledged software. Hope you understand what I mean ;)
I started off with a hesitation towards learning it. Since I am a core manual tester, I've never showed any inclination towards automation of software testing. But times change and one has to be well prepared for the changes in the industry, includes me. To top this, IT industry is one such industry that has the thirst of the depth of the Mariana Trench. Just to mention in context, more and more of Software Testing services are now off shored to India which is a pioneer in off shore work targets. Keeping this trend in view, recently a new term has been coined worldwide, 'Bangalored.' See the meaning of this term as provided by Wikipedia & World Wide Words.
I have initially installed an old version (8.2) which was lying in my system for long without usage. Later I was offered a newer version (9.0) by a collesgue of mine who was generous enough to lend me a copy of it. After installation, I followed the tips & tricks as instructed. Now, the full version works perfectly. Since there is none in my team to teach me the skills of the trade, I started learning through the help file. Let me tell you, the help file is very good, elaborating the functionalities very well enough for a beginner to understand. I skid thru the help file very easily. The main functionalities of QTP are:
Recording Tests
Running Tests
Analyzing Tests
Checkpoints
Parameterization
Output Values
Regular Expressions
Multiple Actions
Right now, I am running through the last chapter Multiple Actions. All this while, I have been following the exhaustive help files. Now that I'm sort of OK-OK with it, I am looking forward to work in a live project using QTP. Let me see how it goes !!!Believe me, the best way to learn is to start experimenting yourselves rather than somebody else teaching you. This way, the things we learn tend to stay longer on the hard disk...errr..I mean in the brain. Interesting enough, QTP has succeeded in nailing my interest deep into it, otherwise which I always look for something new leaving the old behind. A very bad habit...I have also found a good number of blogs and online content relating to QTP. Here are a few to list:
QTP Forum by by Job News
QTP by Sachin Dhall
Software Quality Testing by my friend Debasis Pradhan. Worth reading.
Software Testing Zone by the same kid.
I have found this PPT on the net that describes the basic fundamentals and a few advanced topics of QTP. While the descriptions in this PPT refer to v8.0, minor changes should be accomodated to suit v9.x.
For those who are looking forward to learning QTP, the available online reousrces make this task pretty much easier. And not to mention the ease of using this tool, QTP undoubtedly is slowly 'phasing out' its predecessor WinRunner and will stand as the favorite of millions of software testers worldwide.
Happy Testing !!!!
Welcome to INDIA.
I was reading a lot of buff on paper and screen nowadays regarding voting for TAJ MAHAL to get listed in the New 7 Wonders of the world. I was browsing more info on this and stumbled upon this fantastic clipping that came out of the music maestro's cap, none other than A. R. Rahman. His numbers are really touching and have no language barriers !!!
This is a clipping I got to see on YouTube. Nice one.
Lets not get carried away from the core topic, voting for the TAJ. If you still have not, please cast your vote now. Wake up India, go!!! The TAJ deserves to be on the list of the new 7 wonders of the world.
But for your voting, we will not stand a chance to get this wonder, our own wonder onto the new list. Else, all that Indians can retort to is a rastoroko, call for a nation wide bandh, set fire to public property, burn effigies and shout slogans "Humara TAJ Sirtaj hain." mind you, all this for no reason. Hhmmmmm, we specialize in these skill sets; dont we? This is the reason I quoted above "Welcome to INDIA." So, before its too late, cast your vote now.
I have been learning how to embed videos and images from various sources into blogger. Below I have described my efforts towards same.
I have googled a few posts for tutorials on how to embed images and videos into blogger posts. After reading a post by Peter Chen, I have learnt the basics of how to embed a video into Blogger. Silly me, all these days I was only watching videos on YouTube but never paid attention to what was on the right panel on the video pages. Only today I realized that YouTube also provides a code for users like me who would like to embed the videos on their posts. Immediately I copied this code and posted it here as you can see below.
Peter Chen also posted that we could resize the video window to suite our post and blog template. I have tried resizing the video window (from the source code available from YouTube) to a smaller size. When I previewed this after editing, I could not see the video window in the preview. Alarmed, I set back the height and width attributes of the video back to default and now I could see the video window in the preview too. Probably the code of the video has some sort of dependency on the size parameters too!!!
Following the same procedure, I have tried to embed an image file in the post. Changing the attributes of the source code of the video file to an image source did no good. Right now, I'm hunting for a tutorial on how to embed and image file on the posts. Expert bloggers may find this silly nothings...but being a novice in the vertical of blogging, I love to learn & experiment my questions.
Neways, here is the video for my earlier post Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot.
