A 2-liner

When you have received something you need without even asking for it, you are loved.
When you give something someone needs without waiting for them to ask, you love.

Remote Tech Support

Most of us would have faced this. Our not-so-tech-savvy parents living away need to do something complex on their machine - like install a web cam driver, or setup some app - and we want to help them remotely.

I found a reference to an approach on lifehacker using VNC to do just this and got it to work successfully with my folks in India.

http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2007/04/05/free-and-easy-remote-access-with-vnc-reverse-connections/

Forwarding port on my router admin application was also easy, and didn't really require a special tool. Also important is to disable the port forward after the session is over.

Let me know if you guys need any help!

What's next on the Web

Since last week or so, I have been trying to find a very very simple but useful app which I would construct to start my experience developing with GWT. I wanted the web app to serve a useful purpose. That was and is my most important goal. I would say that so far, I haven't been very successful. I came up with some ideas, but they wouldn't be anything special and more useful than something that already exists out there.

Here is an opinion, or rather a question.

I think web technology in the last decade or so has crossed an important barrier in its providing us abilities to communicate effectively. The advent of social networks has made people feel more connected than before. IP voice, chats, video conferencing, photo & video sharing on internet have all helped us stay much closer to people & information, more effectively and at lesser costs in recent times. Web 2.0 was the era of improving communication. Perhaps it was the weakest problem that had the most impact on most people's lives. And technologists pounced on it.

Is communication still the most important problem now? Will more solutions for general communication problems still have significant benefit? Or are there other (perhaps weaker) problems whose solutions will have a far greater impact in how we do things?

Just trying to change the way I think...

Superstitions

Its funny to see how superstitions have slowly gained more importance in my life as I have become older. I can still vividly recall the days being the lone guy who didn't bother to pay my exam fees on a Tuesday (considered a not so good day). My close friends would wait for the auspicious days to do that important action. At that time, I honestly didn't care too much about rank or recognition. I wasn't scared of anything - I felt I had nothing to lose. I believed I was the one who created my destiny. And you know what! I ended up with a university rank!

Comparing those days with now, I seem to have a lot more now that I feel I cannot afford to lose. My achievements, how people perceive me, my wife and family, my relationship with my friends etc. I really seem to need them now! In those days, I would dare to my mother and hand her the salt box without placing it on the table. (Changing salt hand to hand directly is considered a taboo and it is believed that the two people involved will fight if they do.) Now-a-days, I seem to think twice before I try that. I once yelled at my wife when she cut her nails carelessly in the living room. (It is said that if one steps over another's nail, they will fight).

I remember a few years ago I had a prolonged disagreement with a friend, and I remember that I had lent him salt. Perhaps, it was a coincidence, but it has registered in my mind as a probable cause. Such unwelcome incidents just happen and our brain creates connections from past experiences, and it just comes up magically with the reasons!

But the bigger message I want to convey is that it is indeed amazing to know how we gradually hold on to things in our lives! We tighten the grip as time goes on; we don't want to let go of them at all!

I guess I am ok with it. It is just a game I am willing to play!