Monday, October 12, 2009

Founders @ Work!!

Last night was searching for some thing interesting on Start-ups and found this book. Introduction and the first interview with Founders of Pay-Pal made me eager to read more..I thought of to share some lines which I liked, motivated ... in that book

12/10/09
Big companies won’tbe able to do everything these startups do.
In big companies there’salways going to be more politics, and less scope for
individual decisions. But seeing what startups are really like will at least show
other organizations what to aim for. The time may soon be coming when
instead of startups trying to seem more corporate, corporations will try to seem
more like startups.

Friday, July 24, 2009

How to Setup IntegrityApp (A continuous integration tool for Ruby on Rails)

CI a buzz word in the latest technology has hit us too., and we started off to go with IntegrityApp for our Rails Application, but then there were few technical issues which on tweeking were solved and now is made available for you to make use and make it run for your projects in no time.

the git clone url for the integrityapp (After the changes being incorporated)

git clone git://github.com/wholly/integrity.git

Then follow these steps and go on installing the Integrity :

These are the detailed steps for your reference


1) Installing the Git from the git clone

git clone git://github.com/wholly/integrity.git

2) Now following the steps in the github, firstly installing the sinatra gem

(i) To Install sinatra, you need to have rack

gem install rack

(ii) Now go ahead to install the sinatra gem

gem install sinatra-sinatra -s http://gems.github.com

3) Next with thin and sqlite adapters (as mysql is not working with Integrity yet) and oauth

gem install thin do_sqlite3

gem install oauth

gem install -s http://gems.github.com jstewart-yammer4r (* if you would like to have notifiers to YAMMER)

4) Copy the sample configurations file as a config.ru

cp config/config.sample.ru config/config.ru

5) Now the db yml file as well and change the settings according to your needs and also the paths in the file for builds and logs

cp config/config.sample.yml config/config.yml

6) Db Migrate step

bin/integrity migrate_db

7) make sure these directories exist :
(i) :export_directory --> The directory path which you have specified in config.yml
(ii) /tmp/integrity-exports/cache

8) Starting the server

thin -C config/config.yml -R config/config.ru start

**This is what worked for me (make sure all path variables are added)
~/.gem/ruby/1.8/bin/thin -C config/config.yml -R config/config.ru start
(Add bin to your paths)

**NOTE: IN CASE IF THERE ARE ANY ERRORS AND YOU WISH TO DEBUG PLS GO AHEAD AND START THE SERVER AS

bin/integrity launch

9) starting with new Project

open localhost:3000 ( default port is 3000)

and create a new project and click on Manual Build. It doesn't give you any signs of the process being completed, upon returning to the projects page, you will find the details of the build

Monday, July 20, 2009

CurvyCorners and Coda-slider

The Problem:

Applying Rounded Corners to a web-page divs where in you also have a coda-slider inside the main div works not only in Firefox and other major browsers but also in MSIE-6 & > versions.
Upon Searching for rounded corners, I came across many plugins and css tricks like rounded-corners, corner, curvycorners to name a few, but none was giving what I expected to work in IE.
I was happy to see CurvyCorners working in IE when codaslider was not integrated, but it also bombed when slider was integrated, although the corners were getting rounded, the slider was not in place either in IE or in firefox.

Resources:

Coda-slider
http://css-tricks.com/creating-a-slick-auto-playing-featured-content-slider/ (I have used this)
http://jqueryfordesigners.com/coda-slider-effect/
http://www.webresourcesdepot.com/featured-content-slider-with-jquery-ui/

Rounded Corners:
http://www.atblabs.com/jquery.corners.html
http://www.curvycorners.net/instructions/ (and Used this version 2.0.3)
http://www.aspcode.net/JQuery-Curvy-Corners.aspx
http://battletech.hopto.org/html_tutorials/rounded_css_borders/more_styles.html
http://perishablepress.com/press/2008/11/24/perfect-rounded-corners-with-css/
http://www.sitepoint.com/article/css-round-corners-boxes-curves/
http://www.cssplay.co.uk/menu/
http://www.html.it/articoli/nifty/index.html
http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64799

The Directory for rounded corners
http://www.smileycat.com/miaow/archives/000044.php#javascript


So, I have taken to the task of finding a solution to make it work when it is integrated too.

Now into the solution:

Step 1:

Applying rounded corners to an div having only content. I am using the Nifty Corners for the rounded corners (as a first test)

Changed my Mind: Proceeding with where I left... Starting with CuryCorners Plugin

Working Normally for a simpl,e div with text
Step 2:

Now applying Slider into the div:

When the slider is applied to the div, the corners are getting applied but the slider href are getting manipulated when the curvyCorners function is being called

Step 3:

Eliminate the Slider and only put a div with a href and the curvy corners js and its related functions

Working fine, but when when tested for the returning of the value of
$(this).parent().attr('href').slice(1) returns the whole url string instead of the last number or the last element
for suppose
this is the url:
file:///Users/saideep/Public/Problem-RoundedCorners/curvyCorners.html#6
Instead of giving 6 it returns the whole url after the curvycorners method is invoked only in IE6 & IE 7. For firefox it is working fine

Step 4:

Now debugging into the curvy corners Method in curvycorners.src.js

Step by step and function by function, at one point you see that in the above js file the author is taking a back-up of the whole content in the following syntax:

this.boxContent = this.box.innerHTML;

along with other properties and then he is doing the following

this.box.innerHTML = "";

And then re-assigning the content into another new div as follows:

var contentContainer = document.createElement("div");
contentContainer.innerHTML = this.boxContent;

This is where the problem persists. Actually when we the backup of the whole content is being done and re-assigned in IE 6 & 7 versions. the href attribute is getting stored with the complete base url.

And in the coda slider onclick functionality we have been using the following


theInterval($this.parent().attr('href').slice(1) - 1);

where in the attr('href') is returning the whole url and in the string format which is not getting sliced. To the above instead if you put the following syntax, and split the whole by "#" and get the number from the array, here you go you get what you are waiting for:::

theInterval($this.parent().attr('href').split("#").slice(-1)-1);


Step 5:

Integrate and look with the working version of Coda-Slider & the CurvyCorners in IE 6 & 7 as well.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Mysore Trip with 3.2 MP cam ( idhi pedda bokka guru)


20th June 6:45AM

Myself and Srikanth (Fren/My roomate/Jr @ MSIT) started off to Ghajini's (Sandeep) place where Sandeep and Sunil Satti were waiting along with cab eagerly for us. Srikanth as usual was busy with his work @ office last nite and returned home only at 12:30am and myself usually waiting for him, was watching movies till he came.
   Ok!! Back to the trip. we reached his place at around 7:15 and we finally started off at around 7:30 am
<---  On the way to Sandeep's place .. Covered with greenary
At about 50 kms from Bangalore you have Kamat Hotel which is famous for its good taste, which obviously was filled with rush and we had to proceed further to a restaurant and have our break fast. Finally, we reached Srirangapatna around 11:00 am.

The Ranganatha Temple is a famous temple. Apart from the temple,  there is this 
Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary about 5kms from Srirangapatna and believe me, it is an awesome place, where you get to watch birds all over from Syberia, Russia, Australia, Japan and many other places and these birds fly all the way to this place and stay here for 6months till September and fly back to their respective places. 
There for the boating to watch Crocodiles ( which I forgot to mention along with birds ;) ) and birds, each person is charged 25 Rs, or else if you would like to have a boat special trip it costs you 250/- and we went with this. One hour of wonder, it was like we are in a new island away from the computer world to greenary all over and beautiful birds and crocodiles as well, sleeping and swimming all around. 
The best time to visit and go boating is in the early hours of morning before its too hot, and spare your evening for Brindavan Gardens at Mysore. 

Little about the Bird Sanctuary: (collected) 
The Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary is located about 5 km away from Srirangapatna. It is spread in an 57 acres area. The sanctuary is a small island on the banks of river Kaveri. It is a place of interest to all bird lovers.
The sanctuary is a nesting and breeding center for all kinds of birds. One can see species like the herons, egrets, white ibis. Also little cormorants, dantes, open billed stork etc. are also some of the birds that can be seen in island when one takes a round by a boat.The best time of visit to the island is from June to October.

----
After enjoying the nature at the Bird Sanctuary, we drove to Chamundi hills., Where Goddess Chamudeswari killed Mahishasura, the king of Mysore ( Mysore came from the king name). After the darshan, while coming to Mysore we came across with Karnataka Police (nijamga police aa kadaa ani doubt) with speed sensors raping the commutators with money for over speeding by 1KM, 2KM...... and documents.. ( now i came to know why people here follow traffic rules). Unfortunately, we were made to wait for about 20 min.  for not having a insurance document. Atlast after serious phone calls to the travel owner and cold discussions with police we were freeed with 100/-  into the account of karnataka police :) its not a bribe, we were give a duplicate  token of receipt for the fee.
By now our sunil was dying of hunger, once we came back to Mysore city, we searched for hotels to have lunch., According to our Source Mr. Satti Sunil, Hotel RRR is pretty famous at Mysore and we on finding it filled with heavy rush after Kamat and have time constraints, we left to Mysore Palace directly.
Being a first visit to Mysore for 3 of us except Satti, I personally had great expectations for the palace and couldn't wait any longer to visit. But, after having a visit, I would only rate 2-2.5 on a scale of  5 to the Palace. Infact the Palace is being well maintained by the Govt. of Karnataka, but the designs and the architechture was not upto the mark when compared to the Nizams., Also, once you exit out of the palace, you are redirected to another building which is in the back side of the palace ( ppl call it as 2nd palace which is not listed anywhere) and where you will have to again buy a ticket for 25/- which goes not to the Govt. pocket, but to the Mysore Maharaja's family. Unfortunately, the items showcased in this are not well maintained. 
Apart from Mysore Palace, there is also Lalitha Mahal Palace in Mysore which is good, but turned into a 5-star Hotel now (we didnt visit this place). 
After the Palace, we had our lunch @ Pizza Corner ( heavy bill as usual, ok ok kinda stuff) . It was about 6pm by the time we finished our lunch (It may not be lunch but we called it as lunch ) and then we headed to the Last awaiting Brindavan Gardens.
I never expected Brindavan Gardens to be so cool, It is a beautiful place to spend time in the garden with all the fountains. It is completely filled with rush on weekends (more than the palace). Nice time to visit is the evenings. They say about the Musical Fountain which is not very interesting, but the lighting of the garden is very good. 
We stayed at the garden for hardly one hour and returned. In the night and car failed with the head lamps (thanks to the Cab driver for safe journey who blessed me to write this blog), we halted @ Kamat (hope you remember we missed the breakfast here ;) ) for a lite dinner (which was good, North Karnataka style) and reached Bangalore by 11:30 pm
Last words,
Four Persons with 1000/- each enjoyed the trip with comfort and good timings (if u can spare and skip pizza corner kinda hotel, you will cover the expenses around 800/-).. Saturday went off with the travel and sunday.. huh!!! sleep till 10:am , Breakfast @ 12... sleep sleep.. 
An awesome trip organized and accounted by our Ghajini (sandeep) :D ... We had a great and wonderful time last weekend. 
Officially Decided and anounced on returning to Bangalore that Ghajini will be our Tour Organizer/Accountant in Bangalore ;)
Thats it about Mysore... Be back with another exciting trip soon (Bandhipur Forests hopefully)..
Note: The above photo's were not captured by our a/c managers 3.2MP CAM

******THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO GHAJINI (SANDEEP AKA ORGANIZER/TOUR PLANNER/ ACCOUNT MANAGER AKA 5 Plans 1 Implementation)

Saideep :)


Tuesday, May 05, 2009

A trip to Lonavala & Khandala .. Awesome

huh!!! atlast I named the post... which i have been pushing since feb .. ;) .. post in progress.. :D