One good thing is, as this update brings Flash Support, i'm now able to watch the Youtube videos embedded in my blog... :)

Am yet to test on the GPS fix part... will check that during the day time and comment on that too.

Just got a new D-Link  DIR 615 Wireless N Router today, after a week of my old Netgear router stopped working (have to do a postmortem of that router soon). After the issue faced during the setup of my old netgear router, this time, wanted to ensure that, the setup of this router, is smooth and without issues. 

The cover of the router box itself said, "EASY INSTALL - 3 simple steps". That gave me lot of relief, as i dont have to go through the rather little difficult task of configuring it manually. Inserted the CD, and launched the "Router Setup Wizard". After clicking on "Agree" button (as always, didnt read any line in that agreement text, but always ensure that, i drag the scroll bar down, till the end), the first page was to select the language. Selected English, and clicked Next. All is well till now. 

The second screen was "Checking the current network" and "Verifying the Current Network". started the first one of checking the current network. just then popped up an windows error window, saying that "The program has encountered an ERROR"... just thought it might be because of, the setup not be compliant with Windows Vista. Read the manual, which was saying it compatible from Windows2000 till  Windows7... 

Closed the wizard, took the CD out, inserted it, and tried again (got used to the Windows method of restarting to solve any error encountered). But no use with this one.

Also tried disabling the Windows Firewall, Defender, and other Anti-Malware services. but no hope of going through this setup wizard. 

Though i can manual setup, instead of using setup wizard, i wanted to find out the reason behind this setup wizard crash. After little reading here n there, and trying to understand what its doing when its checking for current network setup, finally was able to find the root cause for the crash. Found that, those network connections, which were created for the Virtualization Software(s), was the culprit behind this crash. This setup wizard was not able to get proper info or its getting some info which its not able to understand, and ultimately ends up crashing. 

Disabled all the other Network Connections, except the main one, in which i have connected it to the internet. This time, the whole setup went through fine, and configured my wireless connection also using the setup wizard. Relax at the end!!!!

This plugin is actually a additional ajax script on top of GreaseMonkey AddOn. Though GreaseMonkey is available for IE, FireFox, Chrome, etc, this one works well with FireFox (as far as i tested it). So, the following step by step procedure will help you to install this plugin on FireFox browser.

Target is the "Plan My Travel" page on IRCTC site. The first step to book any ticket, is to find out the trains running between our travel route and then check on availability on those trains. We do this in IRCTC page, by entering the source and destination stations, date of travel etc. and hitting "Find Trains". Now the page shows the list of trains that run between the stations on that day. So far, so good. Now, to book tickets on a train, the we select a train and hit "Book Ticket", if we know for sure that tickets will be available for that train. However, typically we need to check availability of tickets before proceeding to book them. The page makes it frustratingly difficult to do that - checking availability for a train takes two clicks, and worse, the availability information shows up on a new window, forcing the user to switch back and forth between the windows.

So, how about the listing the availability on the same page, where it shows the list of trains? thats what this plugin does, without any extra load on that page.

Gorilla Glass is two to three times stronger than chemically strengthened versions of ordinary soda-lime glass, even when just half as thick. Its strength also means Gorilla can be thinner than a dime, saving on weight and shipping costs.

How tough is that and how practical it is to use??? watch this "Torture Test of Dell Streak's Gorilla Glass Screen"... i'm amused really...

An ultra-strong glass that has been looking for a purpose since its invention in 1962 is poised to become a multibillion-dollar bonanza for Corning Inc.

Corning set out in the late 1950s to find a glass as strong as steel. Dubbed Project Muscle, the effort combined heating and layering experiments and produced a robust yet bendable material called Chemcor.

Then in 1964, Corning devised an ingenious method called "fusion draw" to make super-thin, unvaryingly flat glass. It pumped hot glass into a suspended trough and allowed it to overflow and run down either side. The glass flows then meet under the trough and fuse seamlessly into a smooth, hanging sheet of glass.

To make Chemcor, Corning ran the sheets through a "tempering" process that set up internal stresses in the material. The same principle is behind the toughness of Pyrex glass, but Chemcor was tempered in a chemical bath, not by heat treatment.

Corning thought Chemcor sheets created this way would be the material of choice in car windshields, but British rival Pilkington Bros. intervened with a far cheaper mass-production approach. And another Chemcor adaptation in photochromic sunglasses also fizzled in the retail market.

The 159-year-old glass pioneer is ramping up production of what it calls Gorilla glass, expecting it to be the hot new face of touch-screen tablets and high-end TVs.

Gorilla showed early promise in the '60s, but failed to find a commercial use, so it's been biding its time in a hilltop research lab for almost a half-century. It picked up its first customer in 2008 and has quickly become a $170 million a year business as a protective layer over the screens of 40 million-plus cell phones and other mobile devices.

Now, the latest trend in TVs could catapult it to a billion-dollar business: Frameless flat-screens that could be mistaken for chic glass artwork on a living-room wall.

Because Gorilla is very hard to break, dent or scratch, Corning is betting it will be the glass of choice as TV-set manufacturers dispense with protective rims or bezels for their sets, in search of an elegant look.

Its the final day of "Aero India 2009". The latest news i heard about that show is in the afternoon where a F16's Tyre burst as it landed after a fantastic display in the air. And the traffic near the Yelahanka Air Base was stunning, no space for any vehicle to move. Though various arrangements were made, like parking in 8 different places near the Air Base, as its Sunday, people flocked like anything. Its stand still traffic there. So, here are some of the details which i have about the show. (You can find the PART 1 here)

Indian Air Force jets perform at the opening of Aero India 2009 at Yelahanka air base on Wednesday. The inaugural day was marked by a flypast and breathtaking manouveres from IAF's assorted aircraft - Sukhoi-30MKI, Mirage 2000, Jaguar, MiG-21, supersonic jet trainer Hawk and subsonic trainer Kiran and a slew of helicopters.

IAF's transport behemoths and air-to-air refuelling aircraft had the spectators in awe with their sheer size and functionality mid-air. With at least 50 official delegations, including many led by their defence ministers and air chiefs, the Indian version of the air show has come of an age to turn into a war theatre for the world's major aerospace firms and global consortiums.

Security personnel stand guard as aircraft from different countries are on display at the opening of 'Aero India 2009' at Yelahanka air base on the outskirts of Bangalore. To provide foolproof security and prevent any untoward incident, the venue has been turned into a fortress, with three-tier protective layer, 140 CCTVs, three x-ray machines, radio frequency identification (RFID), 330 defence service corps, 180 air force police personnel as well as platoons of the Central Industrial Security Force and special commando forces.


Aircrafts from different countries are seen parked at the opening of 'Aero India 2009'. A dozen global aerospace firms, including the state-run HAL, as well as US and German air forces have flown in their fighter jets, transport planes, a fleet of helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles for flying and static displays at the event. Among them are the American Lockheed Martin with its strike fighter F-16, Boeing with its F-18 Super Hornet, Russian MiG with MiG-35, European consortium with Eurofighter (Typhoon) and HAL/IAF with Sukhoi, Hawk, Intermediate Jet (IJT) and Dhruv.

Representatives of different aviation companies are seen at the 'Aero India 2009' in Yelahanka air base. Spanning an area of 44,000 square metres as against 30,000 sq m in 2007, the exhibition area has five international pavilions hosting Australia, Belgium, Germany, Israel and Romania, 54 chalets and about 600 stalls to house international and Indian firms and a host of facilities forming the eco-system.


Indian ace shooter and Olympics Gold medallist Abhinav Bindra was on cloud nine Thursday after he flew in US fighter jet F-16IN of global aerospace major Lockheed Martin at Aero India international air show at Yelahanka air base near Bangalore on Thursday. "Most exhilarating experience I had after the Olympics and probably for the rest of my life," a beaming Bindra told reporters after he was flown as a 'co-pilot' by Lockheed test pilot and former US Navy pilot Paul Randall for 45 minutes on board. The Super Viper is touted to be the world's best fighter plane with an unsurpassed performance by veteran air force pilots the world over, the company claimed in a statement. The fourth generation F-16IN is in race for the IAF order floated to induct 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) into its depleting fleet and as a replacement in phases to the ageing Russian-made MiG-21 fighters. The 26-year-old shooter joins the elite list of Indian fliers such as Tata group chairman Ratan Tata, who flew as a co-pilot in F-16 during the 2007 biennial air show here, and former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who flew in Indian Air Force (IAF) combat aircraft Sukhoi-30MKI in Pune in June 2006.

"I salute all those brave men who risk their lives to fly in the air to shoot targets unknown and invisible to them, and all this because they love their country. The F16IN - I believe is a step towards making the lives of these brave men a little easy and make them better equipped miles above in the air," Bindra said after the flight which took him up to Mysore, about 140km from Bangalore. Randall, who piloted the strike fighter, said it was a pleasure to have Bindra as a 'co-pilot' as he picked up everything very quickly. Bindra did not take control of the aircraft.

Courtesy: MSN India News

World Beauties in Bangalore!!!!! take a break... Welcome to Yehanka Air Force Station, treat yourself to some of the world’s beauties … Airplanes. I'm always amused to see these birds on the move. But this time also, i'm so sad that, i wont be there to have a very close look at them, touch them, spend time with them...

Aero India 2009 begins from Wednesday to Sunday. Aero India has already carved a niche for itself globally as a premier aerospace exhibition, with six successful editions organized between 1996 and 2007.The show aims at bringing under one roof, exhibitors from all around the globe to showcase the best in aviation. Aero India includes both flight and static displays of a wide range of civil and military aircrafts from leading manufacturers, vendors and suppliers.


Eyeing India's over $30 billion defence market, 592 global and Indian defence companies will showcase their aircraft and weapon systems at the seventh edition of Aero India starting in Bangalore from Wednesday. Of these exhibitors from 25 countries, 303 are from overseas and 289 from home. The major participant countries include the US, Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Russia and Israel. This is the largest foreign and Indian participation at the show.

At the moment, India's long defence shopping list includes big ticket items such as the 126 multi-role combat aircraft, 197 light utility helicopters, various reconnaissance aircraft and choppers and types of artillery systems, radars and sensors for its three services. Additions to the existing list were made after the 26/11 terror strikes with armed forces going in for fast-track acquisition for their urgent needs.




To witness the mega event, Defence Ministers from eight countries including France, Peru, Bolivia, Surinam, Mongolia, Oman and Maldives will be at the show, besides high level delegations from 40 countries. Germany and France with 31, 26 Companies from Britain, Russia with 24, Italy with 20 and Israel with 11 companies would be the major participants at the seventh edition of the show. China would participate in the show for the first time with a 10-member delegation led its Deputy Air Chief. US will be the largest participant at the event in terms of the space occupied at the venue. 22 of its companies will showcase their different civilian and military aircraft as part of flight and static displays. The major attraction of the show would be the flight displays by the four foreign fighter aircraft vying for IAF's 126 multi-role combat aircraft deal. This includes the American F-16 and F/A-18, Russian MiG 35 and the European Eurofighter Typhoon. The other two contenders Gripen and Rafale have not brought their aircraft for the show.

Rivalry of the US contenders to fly Indian VIPs in their fighter jets will continue during this edition also with Lockheed Martin flying Indian Olympic-star Abhinav Bindra in its 'Fighting Falcon' and Boeing planning to fly two aviation personalities in its 'Super Hornet.' In the 6th edition of the show, Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata was flown by both the companies in their aircraft.



Its an wonderful opportunity for the Air-Freaks to have a look at the masterpiece machine, live, with its best possible capabilities showcased. And i always admire those Test-Pilots, who pushes these mind-blowing machines to its atmost limits. I'm gonna miss it this time too.. really bad!!!!! but, will definitely be there for next time. For this time, will keep you updated with the latest happenings at the show...

Oops.... if the title matches your search, then i feel really bad for your situation. Because this is the worst thing that you can imagine and the least scenario which you expect to happen to your costly router. But dont panic. Here's a simple and easy steps for overcoming that problem. I have tried to put down the steps in most elaborate and sequential manner, as i couldnt find such step-by-step procedure anywhere to solve this problem (if you know any, please dont hesitate to include it in comments).

Product:
I have WGR614v9 Wireless Router with me. So, the following steps are tried and tested in WGR614 Router Family. But please note that this is applicable to all the latest Netgear Router Families. You can find your Router Product Version on the bottom label of your router.

Symptoms:
Your router is not working. It occurs mostly after upgrading router to latest version. And you find that the Power LED blinks every second.

Cause:
Your router firmware is corrupt. (Note: Firmware - is a computer program that is embedded in a hardware device) The major possibility for this to happen is when power supply is cut down while the router is getting upgraded to the latest version i.e. while firmware in your router is upgrading. As the upgradation of firmware takes few minutes, its always advised to make sure that the power supply to the router wont get interrupted during that time (max 5 mins).

Solution:
Now lets come to your current situation i.e. Power LED is blinking. Firmware got corrupted somehow. Here are the very simple steps to solve this problem:

1. Download the latest firmware.
When you're upgrading the firmware automatically while starting the router, then it might have already downloaded the latest version. If so, locate that file. The filename looks like this "WGR614v9-V1.1.0.19.chk"
If the file is not there, you can download the latest firmware by choosing your router product family here. (for downloading, you can connect your computer directly to your modem for direct internet connection). Since the supported firmware versions are of GNU General Public License "GPL", you can also get the code for those here. (Note: Please refrain from using unsupported firmwares like Tomato, etc. , which will lead you to more troubles , like WAP/WAP2 security cant be used, though they solve this problem.

2. Download TFPT Client.
Though your firmware is corrupt, the good news is that there's a TFTP server running on your router. This enables us to manually push the proper firmware to the router. For this purpose, you need to have TFTP client on your machine. There are lot of free/trial softwares which provides you tftp client, like FTPrush, WinAgents, etc. , I used and will recommend Tftpd32 for first time users. You can download the software here and install it in your machine.

3. Connect your computer to the router.
Now you can disconnect direct connection to the modem and connect the cable to any one of the slots at the back of your router. (Note: You can't use wireless means for upgrading the router.) you'll need the wired connection between your system and the router.

4. Change your computer's ip address to static one.
The default id address for your router is 192.168.1.1, in other words, your router runs the tftp server in the mentioned address. The present setting for your computer will be "Obtain an IP address automatically" and "Obtain DNS server address automatically", since you were connected to internet. So, change it to static address by following the navigation "Start > Control Panel > Network Connections", right click on "Local Area Connection", click on "Properties", under General tab, select "Internet Protocol [TCP/IP]", click on "Properties" button, select "Use the following IP address" radio button, enter the values for IP Address: 182.168.1.2, Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0, Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1, select "Use the following DNS server addresses", enter the values for Preferred DNS server:192.168.1.1, Alternate DNS server:[leave it blank], click OK button in all the open windows for saving the settings.

Verify your settings by giving "ipconfig" in the command prompt, which should display the ipaddress as "192.168.1.2". Also verify the connection to the router by giving "ping 192.168.1.1" in cmd prompt, for which you should get successfull reply.

5. Upload the new firmware using tftp
Launch your tftp client using the navigation "Start > All Programs > Tftp32 > Tftp32". Click on the "Tftp Client" tab, and enter the values for Host: "192.168.1.1", Port:"69", for the Local File value: browse and select the latest firmware file which we downloaded in Step 1, and Click on "Put" button. The transfer may take from few seconds to few mins. Once the file is uploaded to the router, it will take 2 to 5 mins for the router to get updated. Still if your Power LED does not stop blinking, then try disconnecting the power supply and connect it again. Now you'll see the Power LED in ON state (instead of blinking state).

Congrats.... Thats it. You have successfully crossed the hurdle.

Now you can connect the router with your modem, make the settings of your computer to "Obtain an IP address automatically" and "Obtain DNS server address automatically" by following the same process mentioned in Step 4, to allow your computer to connect automatically. Verify your internet connection now.