vtiger, Open Source CRM

With Open Source, you get the product free, the code free & in case of vtiger, you get support free too. That is, till now. A blog post there now asks if the community that is being benefited can give bucks for support. A very valid request, I should say keeping in mind the point that the team that is developing the core project needs motivation & money to keep itself moving.

If you are an Open Source advocate, join the discussion there.

WordPress Splogs

Google addressed the splog problem in blogger.com. & this was a welcome step for marketers advertising through Google Adwords. But seeing Google ads onWordPress based splogs causes concern. One such splogs network I found :

http://college-news-info.com/
http://www.cancer-news-health.com/
http://www.auto-info-news.com/
http://www.diet-info-news.com/
http://www.loan-info-news.com/

When is this going to be addressed, Google?

Chennai Book Fair 2006

Didn't want to miss the trip I make every year. It was as usual. The fair keeps growing & they'd said there were around 250 stalls this year. Yesterday being the last day, the crowds were there & it was difficult entering many stalls. Didn't have time to visit all & had to choose prominent ones.

Had a look at Jayamohan's 'Kottravai', the much talked about book but then the kaapiyam-style writing was a little over my head. And had some faint remembrances when flipping through KiRa's Koballagrammam. Thought about buying SuRa's JJ:Sila Kuripugal but then changed my mind.

Books bought - To Kill a Mocking Bird (had always wanted to own a copy so that I can read it whenever needed) & 1984 (Orwell's masterpiece, another book I'd badly wanted to read). Bought Malcom Gladwell's 'Blink' (was impressed by his 'Tipping Point') on the platform & went to Spencers Landmark (so many blue shirted staff around!) & bought 'Guns, Germs & Steel' a book that Sandeep had recommended. Hmm, all these I hope to read atleast before the next year's event.

This is cute

A Flickr enabled LCD photo frame for $250!

From the thinkgeek site :

ThinkGeek has the new and completely uniqueeStarling Wi-Fi Photo Frame ready for your hot little geek paws."Wi-Fi Picture Frame?" you respond quizzically with greatanticipation... The eStarling frame is a standalone Wi-Fi LCD photo frame that connects to a wireless networkand automatically displays photos e-mailed to it in a slideshowformat. Additionally you can specify an RSS photo feedfrom Flickr based on your own tagged keywords. You can even shootphotos on your mobile phone then e-mail them directly to youreStarling frame for display.

That's Google

Google's way of celebrating Braille's B'Day! Cool :)

The first Mouse

Scobleizer has some pretty pics of the first mouse, courtesy his visit of Douglas Engelbart. Here's a close-up shot

This is funny

Hugh points to this funny post - Rules when dating Jack Yoest's daughter :-)

Towards a secure OS

Thanks to Doc for the link, this post by Mike Warrot has some interesting points.

How do you know you've got a secure OS?

Simple...

When you can run ANYTHING on it, at ANY time, with NO FEAR.

Ifyou've got a secure OS, you'd be willing to take a CD from any randomperson on the street, stick it in, and run the damned thing because youknow your OS will only allow it to do exactly what you've specified,and nothing else.

If you've got a secure OS, you know that NOapplication can ever take over the OS, unless you explicitly given itthe capability to do so, and haven't revoked it.

If you've got a secure OS, you never have to run a virus scan again, EVER.

If you've got a secure OS, you can just get your work done, and get on with life.

Wishing Mike success.