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action / cool places — Comments Off on GOOGLE: “If you’re watching a YouTube video, we know you’re watching that video.”
11
Apr 07

GOOGLE: “If you’re watching a YouTube video, we know you’re watching that video.”

google radio and tv  

– Hey, mom, what channel is GOOGLE on today?
– You’re my silly boy… – on every channel. You see these little ads on the right of our 65” TV screen?

– Hey, mom, I am bored, can you turn on the radio?
– Sure, sweety.. Oh, your favorite "GOOGLE tunes"
– Yea, mom, GOOGLE knows what I like

Information right from the source

Google CEO Eric Schmidt on "How big is the market for all these Google ads":

Today, the vast majority of our revenue is in text ads correlated with searches. In the last couple of years, we have developed what are called display ad products, including banner ads, video ads, click-to-call ads, and things like that. And I’ve also said that we are pursuing the possibility of television advertising. By that I mean traditional television advertising. And we bought dMarc Broadcasting to do radio ads.

So let’s rank the probability of them being affected by targeted ads. There’s search: That’s 100 percent affected. What about radio? Is it possible to get a targeted ad right to your car right now? Not yet because we can’t target the individual receiver in your car. If two cars are next to each other, the same radio station cannot have two different ads. However, if it’s at a regional level we can do it to the zip code level. So let’s call that partial targeting.

Now, let’s look at television. Every one of the next generation of cable set-top boxes is going to get upgraded to an IP-addressable set-top box. So all of a sudden, that set-top box is a computer that we can talk to. We can’t tell whether it’s the daughter or the son or the husband or the wife in a household. All we know is we’re just talking to the television. But that’s pretty targetable because family buying patterns are pretty predictable, and you can see what programs they’re watching. And if you’re watching a YouTube video, we know you’re watching that video.

My point of going through this little treatise is to say, if the total available market is ($600 billion to $800 billion, we won’t be able to target all $800 billion. It will not be a 100 percent perfectly targetable, straight into your brain, but we should be able to offer a material improvement (in response rates) to many businesses.

 

howto / software / tutorials — Comments Off on Top 10 Windows XP shortcuts
10
Apr 07

Top 10 Windows XP shortcuts

Always very useful to have/know these if you are using Windows XP. The best and the easiest way to see how useful they are is just to try them out as you go along the list:

windows key – an example of a <Win Key> that is used here in the list

    1. <Win Key> + e = Opens “Windows Explorer”

    2. <Win Key> + r = Opens “Run command” – e.g. where you can type “cmd” and press enter

    3. <Win Key> + Pause/Break key = Opens “System Properties”

    4. <Win Key> + f = Opens “Find Files”

    5. <Win Key> + d = Minimizes all windows – shows desktop – press it again to get back to original state, or try <Win Key> + Ctrl + M

    6. <Win Key> + l = Locks Computer (Keyboard)

    7. <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <Escape> = Opens “Task manager”

    8. <Shift> + <Del> = Removes file(s) without sending to Recycle Bin

    9. <Alt> + <Enter> = Shows file(s)/directory(ies) properties

    10. <Alt> + <Prnt Scrn/SysRq> = Saves snapshot to the clipboard of the current active window only

Extra cool stuff:

    <Alt> + <Esc> = Activates windows in the order that they were opened

Below two shortcuts are not necessarily Windows XP’s – they are for Firefox & IE but very useful:

    <Alt> + d = Selects browser’s Location Bar, now type google and press
    <Ctrl> + <Enter> = Attaches www. and .com to whatever you just typed, and submits it to the browser

Very simple – not for gurus, but very useful!

howto / mysql / tutorials — Comments Off on MySQL: Reset Lost Root Password
10
Apr 07

MySQL: Reset Lost Root Password

Here is a quick Step-by-Step “how to” which helps restoring MySQL root password that was lost/forgotten.

It happens to everybody, especially if several distributed (different) systems are maintained, where the password is not the same. Here is what needs to be done to restore it:

Step 1: Stop MySQL daemon if it is currently running

Depending on the operating system MySQL is installed on, the daemon can be checked/stopped differently. Here is an example on how to do it in Unix-like systems. 

[ NOTE ]: You might need to run it as a Unix System superuser (root) - depending on 
          how the system is configured, and what permissions your Unix account is granted)

Here is how to stop/kill the existing mysql daemon, in case it is running:

      ps -ef | grep mysql      - checks if mysql/mysqld is one of the running processes.
 
      pkill mysqld             - kills the daemon, if it is running.

Note: if pkill (’process kill’) is not on a particular Unix system, use kill -9 ‘pid’, where ‘pid’ corresponds to processes that were found with ps -ef | grep mysql

Step 2: Run MySQL safe daemon with skipping grant tables

      mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables &

Step 3: Login to MySQL as root with no password

      mysql -u root mysql

Step 4: Run UPDATE query to reset the root password

In MySQL command line prompt issue the following two commands:

      UPDATE user SET password=PASSWORD("ualue=42") WHERE user="root";
      FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

“ualue=42” is a common password for “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” people which reads “Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything=42“

Step 5: Stop MySQL safe daemon

Follow the first two steps, but this time kill (pkill) “mysqld_safe” instead of “mysqld”

Step 6: Start MySQL daemon

Depending on the operating system (Unix-like examples):

      /etc/rc.d/rc.mysql start

OR

      /etc/init.d/mysql start

OR

      /etc/rc.5/mysql start

etc.. check existing MySQL configuration

Step 7: Root password is reset and ready to use

Password is reset. Privileges are flushed. Start MySQL and login as root with the password set in step 4:

      mysql -u root -p mysql

Note: sometimes (most of the time) ‘root user’ privileges are required for the system (OS) in order to stop/start processes

what is next? Reset Lost Password in Sun Application Server…

action / software — Comments Off on GAIM vs. AOL = Pidgin
09
Apr 07

GAIM vs. AOL = Pidgin

GAIM is now Pidgin   Many years ago when GAIM project was first started, it was called “GTK+ AOL Instant Messenger.” AOL naturally complained, and Mark Spencer changed the name to “Gaim.”

A few years later AOL trademarked “AIM,” and started referring to their IM services using that name. They complained.

At long last, GAIM have a signed settlement and can release a new version. There is one catch however: they have had to change the project’s name.

After a long, and secret debate, GAIM’s team settled on the name “Pidgin” for GAIM itself, “libpurple” for “libgaim” (which, as of 2.0.0 beta6, exists), and “Finch” for “gaim-text”. Yes, the spelling of “Pidgin“.

The final Pidgin 2.0.0 will be released late this week or early next week.

music — Comments Off on Music Video Clip of the day: Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
08
Apr 07

Music Video Clip of the day: Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit”

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” is a song by American rock band Nirvana, and the opening track and lead single from the band’s 1991 breakthrough album Nevermind. Written by Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl and produced by Butch Vig, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is commonly regarded as the song that brought alternative rock and grunge music to prominence worldwide, and served as an anthem for Generation X

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