Bobby Maisnam -- Blog

Brother MFC-7840W Wireless Laser Printer, and Amazon Amzn.com Short URLs

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:26:56 -0500

Brother MFC-7840W Wireless Laser Printer Bought a Brother MFC-7840W All-In-One Wireless Laser Printer from NewEgg today for $219, no tax, free shipping. I feel it is a pretty good deal. I have been looking around for an All-In-One printer for some time. This one has a laser printer, a copier, a scanner, a fax; and has both wireless and ethernet networking capabilities. Brother MFC-7840W - $219 on NewEgg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16828113303 Image Courtesy: www.brother-usa.com I had a basic HP inkjet printer but the ink always seemed to dry up before I could use the whole cartridge. And I have often felt the need to scan or print something at home. I don't think I will be using the fax option that much though. The printer is available for $249 at Amazon - http://amazon.com/dp/B0016ZQ566/. It has pretty good reviews there.

Amazon Amzn.com Short URLs Speaking about Amazon, I figured out a way to find the shortest possible Amazon URLs for a product. Of course, I can use tinyurl.com or bit.ly, but this is the shortest URL I could find using an official Amazon website. In the example above, the original link was: http://www.amazon.com/Brother-MFC-7840W-Multifunction-Wireless-Interfaces/dp/B0016ZQ566/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=office-products&qid=1265863094&sr=8-1 The standard shortened link is: http://amazon.com/dp/B0016ZQ566/ However, it can be made even shorter by using the amzn.com domain name. The trick is to append the product id (in this case - "B0016ZQ566") after "amzn.com/". http://amzn.com/B0016ZQ566/ More info about the amzn.com short URL service: - http://www.geek.com/articles/news/amazon-introduces-amzncom-short-url-service-20090511/ - http://www.conceptualist.com/2009/05/08/smart-branding-amazon-short-url-broadcasts-its-own-brand/

Gmail HTML version link

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:14:02 -0500

Click the link below if you wish to view the Basic HTML version of Gmail. This is useful when the regular Gmail version is having problems loading.

Gmail Basic HTML Version: https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=html

To go back to the regular version, you can:

Use the links at the bottom of your Gmail screeen, or
Log out and log back in, or
Use the following links to toggle between the different versions:

Snow Day

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:12:07 -0500

CNN iReport: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-401420 More photos: Picasa album Richmond had a snow day today (Saturday, Jan 30). The snowing started on Friday around midnight and has continued the whole day. We had between 8 to 14 inches of snow.

Good free FTP/SFTP server for Windows - Core FTP / SFTP Server

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:52:21 -0500

If you would like to install a free but good FTP/SFTP server for Windows, CoreFTP secure FTP server is a good one. This is useful for transferring files between computers or to act as a standalone FTP/SFTP server. CoreFTP secure FTP server : http://coreftp.com/server/ Tip: For faster downloads, use the CoreFTP Lite client which is also free. I also tested freeSSHd which is open source. However, the transfer speed was very low - only about 35 kbps on an intranet. On CoreFTP however, I got around 600kbps between two computers on an intranet.

Count number of lines in a file using DOS

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:07:28 -0500

To count the number of lines in a file using DOS, use the following command. Replace filename.txt with the actual filename. findstr /R /N "^" filename.txt | find /C ":" This is especially useful when the file is very large (say, over 250k lines) and using NotePad to open the file would definitely hang. Just tested the command on a 1.4M lines file and it took about 2 minutes to give me the result. Reference: http://brett.batie.com/?p=25

How to use gift cards on Amazon.com

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:26:58 -0500

Amazon.com does not allow you to use two payment options when paying for an item. But often, we wish to pay for part of a purchase using a gift card. The workaround is to use an Amazon online gift card for one part of the purchase. Option [1] Buy an Amazon online gift card for the balance amount with your credit card (Amazon recommended method)

- Item price: $125 - Amazon online gift card: $25 (purchased using credit card) ------------------------------------------ - Pay balance with gift card: $100

Example: Gift card: $100. Item price: $125. Buy a $25 Amazon online gift card using your credit card. Add the Amazon online gift card to your Amazon account. During checkout, the $25 Amazon gift card balance will be automatically deducted. $125 item price - $25 Amazon gift card balance = $100 balance. Make the final payment with your $100 gift card. This option is recommended by Amazon - see email at the bottom of this post for details. Option [2] Buy an Amazon online gift card with your gift card

- Item price: $125 - Amazon online gift card: $100 (purchased using gift card) ------------------------------------------ - Pay balance with credit card: $25

Example: Gift card: $100. Item price: $125. Buy a $100 Amazon online gift card using your gift card. Add the Amazon online gift card to your Amazon account. During checkout, the $100 Amazon gift card balance will be automatically deducted. $125 item price - $100 Amazon gift card balance = $100 balance. Make the final payment ($25) with your credit card. Important Note: Make sure you register your gift card so that you can use it for online shopping. Most gift cards will have a website listed on the back of the card which will provide additional information. Email from Amazon customer service recommending option [1] above: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Amazon.com Customer Service Date: Mon, Apr 6, 2009 at 11:12 PM Subject: Your Amazon.com Inquiry To: Bobby Maisnam Thank you for writing to us at Amazon.com. From your message, I understand that you want to use more than one payment method to pay for the item you want to purchase. We cannot accept more than one payment method for an order on Amazon.com. Because gift cards issued by the major credit card companies also work exactly like credit cards, this restriction applies to those payment methods as well. You can, however, combine Amazon Gift Cards with a credit, debit, or gift card issued by a major credit card company to complete your order. If you wish, use your credit card to purchase an Amazon Gift Card for the amount that your credit card gift card balance will not cover and have it e-mailed to yourself. Then you can designate your credit card gift card as the payment method on the order and enter the Amazon Gift Card number in the Gift Card field of the order form. We recommend that you do not use your credit card gift card to purchase an Amazon.com Gift Card. The authorization for the Amazon Gift Card purchase will actually decrease the amount immediately available for your order by $1. We appreciate your business and look forward to your next visit to our store. ---- Original message: ---- --------------- 04/06/09 18:59:54 Your Name:Bobby Maisnam Comments:Hi, I have $157.99 in my cart ($119.70 + $25.20 + $13.09). I have a $100 visa debit gift card (Simon giftcard). How do I pay for the items in the cart using the gift card to pay $100 and pay the balance $57.99 with a debit/credit card? Thanks, Maisnam ---------------

Google Apps Free/Standard Version Link

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:04:33 -0500

Looks like Google Apps has made the free/standard version harder to find. If you search for "google apps" in Google, you get pointed to www.google.com/apps/ but that does not have the link to the free/standard version. As of 9/28/2009, the link to the Free/Standard version of Google Apps is: www.google.com/apps/intl/en/group/ or www.google.com/a/cpanel/domain/new or www.google.com/a/ and then click on the "Standard" link

7-Zip - Free open source program to open zip, tar, gz, tgz files

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 02:47:30 -0500

I use WinZip to open most zip files. But it does not work with Linux compressed files like tar, gz and tgz. For those, I have been using WinRAR. However, I am not a big fan of WinRAR and above that, it only comes with a 40 day trial version. So, I was searching for an open source replacement. It appears that 7-Zip is a great file compression software. I just tested and it works great with gz and tgz files. Download 7-Zip 4.65: http://download.cnet.com/7-Zip/3000-2250_4-10045185.html Official website: www.7-zip.org/

How to transfer domain name from OfficeLive.com

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:12:19 -0500

OfficeLive.com was offering free domains with their OfficeLive package in 2006. They were renewing the domain names for free every year. However, they have recently changed their policy and are not renewing the domain names anymore (effective Oct 1, 2009). If you are an OfficeLive customer and have a custom domain name, you have the option of paying $15 per year to keep the domain name active. On the other hand, if you want to transfer your domain name from OfficeLive.com to another registrar, say GoDaddy, follow the instructions below. The instructions are lengthy but they work. Notes: - IMPORTANT: Transferring your domain name to another registrar cancels your OfficeLive account and you will lose all your webpages, email etc. - The Domain Registration Key (DRK) provided initially is different from the Domain Name password required later during domain name transfer. MelbourneIT calls it Domain Name Password/authinfo (see step 19 below) while GoDaddy calls it an Authorization Code. - The cancellation confirmation email from OfficeLive comes in a couple of minutes and does not take 48 hours as mentioned below - Make sure the domain name is unlocked at MelbourneIT before attempting a transfer to another registrar

Procedure to transfer your domain name from OfficeLive (i.e. from Melbourne IT) Please note down your Domain Registration Key (DRK) to unlock your domain name at Melbourne IT, by following below mentioned instructions: 1. Go to http://www.officelive.com/ 2. Login into your Microsoft Office Live account using administrator Windows Live ID and password. 3. On the Home page, at the top of the page click on 'More' option. 4. In the drop down menu, select Domain manager. 5. Click on the link 'Learn about saving your information'. 6. Note down your domain name and Domain Registration Key. When you retrieve the DRK for your domain, please follow below mentioned instructions to cancel your Microsoft Office Live account: 1. Sign in to your Microsoft Office Live account using your Windows Live ID and the associated password. 2. On the Home Page click on "Account Management" under "Manage Your Office Live Account". 3. Now, click on "Cancel your account" on the middle of the page. 4. Click on Next. 5. Select the reason for cancelling the account. 6. Click on Next and enter your alternate email address where you want the cancellation confirmation email. 7. Now, click on "Cancel this account". Note: You will receive a cancellation confirmation email within 48 hours along with the Domain Registry Key (DRK) details associated with your domain. Once you cancel your account with Microsoft Office Live, if you want to transfer your domain name to another web host provider, please follow the below steps on how to unlock and manage your domain name: 1. Go to http://www.melbourneit.com.au/cc/godirect/ 2. Enter your domain name and registry key and click on continue. 3. Click on 'create a new account' below the text box where you are prompted for My account password. 3.1. Fill up all the information needed: 3.1.1. Contact Information 3.1.2. Login Information 3.1.3. Other Information: 3.2. The Country Code is "1" for United States (for UK it is 44) 3.3. The email address you enter must not be related to the domain you are attempting to transfer/manage. 4. After filling up all the information, check the box that says I have read and understood the Sign Up Terms and Conditions. I agree to abide by the terms and conditions, as stated there in. 5. Click Create. Now your account is created. 6. On the My Account Console page, click Logout on the right side of the page. 7. Now you will be redirected to the Melbourne IT web site. 8. Click Manage Domain Name on the right side of the page. 9. Type your domain and registry key. 10. Click Enter Management. 11. Click Transfer management to Melbourne IT. 12. Sign in using the username and password for your Melbourne IT account using the username and password, which you created for your Melbourne IT account. 13. Click Continue after you have verified all the information on the page. 14. Click on My Account console. 15. Click on the link "View/Manage domain name" under the Domain Names. 16. Click on your domain name (customer domain name) under the Domain Name section. 17. Click on the Unlock Domain Name. 18. To change name server, click on Change Delegation Details under Name Server Details on the right side of the page. Here, you can change the domain name server settings for your new service provider. 19. To obtain new authorization code in order to transfer your domain, click Retrieve Domain Name (authinfo) Password (on the same page on point 17). Upon cancellation, you will no longer have access to email accounts created through your Microsoft Office Live account. If you still want to cancel your Microsoft Office Live account, then please reply to us with the confirmation along with the requested details. Additionally, please note that DRK is the authorization code needed to transfer your domain name. With the DRK you will be able to manage your domain with other host and change the name servers.

Instructions to transfer your domain name from Melbourne IT to GoDaddy Instructions on how to transfer the domain name from MelbourneIT to GoDaddy is available via the following links: - http://help.godaddy.com/topic/160/article/1592?prog_id=GoDaddy&isc=gdbb2 - http://products.secureserver.net/products/domain_transfers/transfer_domain_melbourne_it_reseller.pdf (PDF) Note: The Domain Registration Key (DRK) provided initially is different from the Domain Name password required later during domain name transfer. MelbourneIT calls it Domain Name Password/authinfo (see step 19 above) while GoDaddy calls it an Authorization Code.

Useful Links: - http://office.microsoft.com/client/helppreview.aspx?AssetID=HA102829191033&ns=OFLV20 - http://smallbusiness.officelive.com/en-US/DomainPolicyChange - http://www.peter-v.com/how-to-cancel-office-live-and-transfer-domain-to-another-registrar/ - http://www.kartik.info/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=19 - http://ask.officelive.com/smallbusiness/wiki/support/cancel-a-custom-domain-name.aspx - http://products.secureserver.net/products/domain_transfers/transfer_domain_melbourne_it.pdf

Vista Disk Management Console (diskmgmt.msc)

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:56:06 -0500

To launch Disk Management Console in Windows Vista, use Start > Run > type "cmd" > type "diskmgmt.msc" I added a new internal IDE hard drive as an external hard drive using an IDE hard drive enclosure. Previously, I have been using Partition Magic but it appears that it does not work on Windows Vista. I researched a bit and found that Windows Vista comes with a disk partition utility called "Disk Management Console". I was however, unable to find it in the Vista Control Panel. I finally figured out that you can launch the Disk Management Console in Windows Vista by typing "diskmgmt.msc" in the command line. Disk Management Console is also known as Logical Disk Manager. Related Links: - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_disk_partitioning_software - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logical_Disk_Manager

NPR by phone - dial 202-609-7549

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:51:41 -0500

I found this out a couple of days back. If you missed the daily NPR news update and have only access to a phone at the moment (ex: on the road), you can get the latest NPR hourly news update by calling 202-609-7549. Related websites: - www.npr.org/services/mobile/mobilewebandmobilevoice.html - www.npr.org/services/mobile/blackberry.html Note: This is NOT a toll free number and long distance charges / your mobile minutes will apply. I usually call this number on weekends or between 9 PM to 7 AM (so that I do not use my daytime minutes).

(Kill) Bill is dead

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:22:20 -0500

Bill (David Carradine) of the "Kill Bill" movie series died today at the Swissotel Nai Lert Park Hotel in central Bangkok, Thailand. He was in Bangkok to shoot his latest movie - "Stretch". He was 72. David Carradine as Bill in "Kill Bill 2". Courtesy: Yahoo! Movies From the New York Times:

"David Carradine, an enigmatic actor who never outran the identity he earned in "Kung Fu," the 1970s Chinese-western television series that made him an unlikely cult hero -- even though he also starred as Woody Guthrie in Hal Ashby's 1976 film biography "Bound for Glory" and, more than a quarter-century later, played the title character, a cunning assassin who becomes a murder target, in Quentin Tarantino's twin thrillers, "Kill Bill" Volumes I and II -- was found dead on Thursday in a hotel room in Bangkok, where he was filming a new movie. He was 72."

First 50 Manipur related Domain Names

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 02:36:49 -0500

I have compiled a list of the first 50 domain names which are related to Manipur, or are owned by Manipuris. The emphasis here is on WHEN the domain name was registered. Hence, the list is ordered by domain registration date and not by relevance of content. This is a work in progress. So, there are not 50 domain names yet :). If you wish to add an entry to this list, please post a comment to this blog entry or email me at bobby AT maisnam.com.

View the most current version of this list in HTML | Excel | PDF | Text. If you cannot access Google Docs, you can view the Text version here.

First 50 Manipur related Domain Names (Last updated: 9/23/2009)

Rank	Date Registered	Domain Name		Notes
1	2000-01-04	e-pao.net		Manipur News Portal
2	2000-05-04	manipuronline.com	Manipur Portal
3	2000-05-15	coremanipur.org		CORE Manipur - NGO Organization
4	2000-07-09	kanglaonline.com	Manipur News Portal
5	2000-11-13	bobbymaisnam.com	Bobby Maisnam's website
6	2001-06-11	brajeshwar.com		Brajeshwar Oinam's blog
7	2001-09-10	sanaleibak.com		Sachi Sharma's website
8	2002-10-07	elangbam.com		Elangbam Family website
9	2002-11-05	chorusimphal.com	Ratan Thiyam's Chorus Repertory Theatre
10	2003-01-03	ema-europe.org		European Manipuri Association (EMA)
11	2003-03-30	haobam.com		Martin Haobam's website
12	2003-07-13	oinam.com		Owned by Brajeshwar
13	2003-08-11	thesangaiexpress.com	Sangai Express newspaper
14	2003-08-18	maisnam.com		Owned by Bobby maisnam
15	2003-09-18	imphal.net		Redirects to manipur.org
16	2004-08-29	manipur.org		Info about Manipur
17	2005-01-10	radiomanipur.org	Streaming audio of Manipuri Radio programs
18	2005-04-16	ifp.co.in		Imphal Free Press newspaper
19	2005-07-06	dhaniweb.com		Dhani Computers Imphal
20	2006-02-04	e-paolive.net		E-Pao.net's media website
21	2006-03-12	meyamgi.com		Dynamic AJAX based Manipur phonebook
22	2006-07-21	namaonline.org		North American Manipuri Association (NAMA)
23	2006-08-23	duranthiyam.com		Duran Thiyam's website
24	2006-10-31	ocricket.com		Owned by Brajeshwar
25	2007-03-31	manipurpolice.org	Manipur Police official website
26	2007-04-17	linux-manipur.org	Linux Manipur
27	2007-05-22	huirem.com		Owned by Brajeshwar
28	2007-05-22	nongmaithem.com		Owned by Brajeshwar
29	2007-06-02	chabungbam.com		Chabungbam's blog
30	2007-07-16	sekmai.com		Owned by Brajeshwar
31	2007-10-22	manipurpage.com		Manipur Portal
32	2007-11-08	tongbram.com		Anthony Tongbram's blog
33	2008-01-18	northeasterner.in	NE India articles
34	2008-04-05	poknapham.in		Poknapham Manipuri newspaper
35	2008-08-16	istvimphal.com		ISTV Cable TV Network
36	2008-09-12	msadmanipur.com		Manipur Students' Association Delhi (MSAD)
37	2008-09-21	thabal.com		Social Networking Site
38	2009-04-18	manipurcomments.com	Collective blog by Manipuris

Importing waypoints from Garmin 650 GPS

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:10:33 -0500

You can import your waypoints from the Garmin 650 GPS using Google Earth. [1] Connect your Garmin 650 GPS to your computer via the USB cable [2] Turn on your Garmin 650 GPS [3] Go to Tools > GPS in Google Earth [4] Click on "Garmin" [5] Click the "Import" button Detailed instructions: http://earth.google.com/userguide/v4/ug_gps.html#import Waypoints current.gpx file Note: The waypoints are stored in a current.gpx file. The location is F:\Garmin\gpx\current.gpx. In this case, the GPS shows up on my computer as the "F" drive. It is an XML file and you can read it using Notepad/Wordpad or drag/drop into Google Earth. GPS coordinates in Google Maps If you know want to send a GPS coordinate link in Google Maps by email, you can use the following syntax. - http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.89767,-77.03655 In this case, 38.89767 is the longitude and -77.03655 is the latitude. This is similar to entering 38.89767,-77.03655 in Google Maps.

Order Dell backup Windows and Driver CDs

Sun, 31 May 2009 22:54:16 -0500

If you have a Dell computer, you can order 1 (one) copy of your Windows and Driver CDs using the following form. [1] Dell "Request Backup Discs" form https://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dellcare/en/backupcd_form [2] Reinstall Options The different reinstall options (System Restore, PC Restore, Manual Restore) are available here: http://tinyurl.com/restore-reinstall-windows [3] PC Restore Note that most newer Dell computers come with feature called "Dell PC Restore". You can restore the original configuration of your computer from an unmounted partition on the hard drive. Do not forget to BACK UP all your data before you use this option. Details below: http://tinyurl.com/yph34j I started getting blue screens on my Dell XPS M1330 yesterday. I spent half a day trying to restore and repair my Windows installation. But I was not able to fix the problem. I could not use the "Dell PC Restore" option because I had not backed up my data yet. I finally fixed the problem by inserting the Windows Vista disc and then choosing the "Repair" option (instead of the "Install" option). That fixed my problems. I then quickly backed up all my important data.