A worthy forward!

Of all the forwards (and spam) that I receive everyday, I guess this one sent by Pele is really worth sharing:

This is a list of more than 110 free online video courses from Top Universities like MIT, Stanford, Wharton, UC berkeley, Washington, NOVA etc., on various Subjects. Theses are  class room recorded videos. No Login, No fee required.

Try to Share this with others so that everyone is benefitted by this.

Computer Science & Programming (31)
1.        Introductoy Progamming [University of Washington]
2.        Understanding Computers and the Internet [Harvard University]
3.        Computer System Engineering
4.        Freshman Computer Science Seminar
5.        Data Structures
6.        Graduate Computer Architecture
7.        Introduction to Algorithms
8.        Introduction to Computers
9.        Machine Structures
10.        Computer Language Engineering
11.        Data Structures, Algorithms and Applications in Java
12.        Introduction to Copy Right Law
13.        Operating Systems and Systems Programming [OS]
14.        XML foundations
15.        Programming Languages
16.        Introduction to Symbolic Programming
17.        Vision Algorithms
18.        Data Management System Design
19.        Computer System Analysis
20.        Object oriented programming with Java
21.        Relational Database Management Systems [RDBMS]
22.        Introduction to Programming
23.        C Programming
24.        Programming in C++
25.        C++ for Particle Physicists
26.        programming with JAVA
27.        JAVA, Advanced JAVA
28.        ASP.NET AJAX and 2.0
29.        SQL Server 2005
30.        Python, Java, Ruby, Linux, Graphics, Blender etc…
31.        MSVC Debugger Tutorial

Electronics (17)
32.        Solid State Devices
33.        Circuits and Electronics
34.        Digital Integrated Circuits
35.        Electricity and Magnetism
36.        Electromagnetic Fields, Forces and Motion
37.        Integrated Circuits for Communications
38.        Introductions to MEMS Design
39.        Linear Integrated Circuits
40.        Introduction to Microelectronic Circuits
41.        Microelectronic Devices and Circuits
42.        Advanced Analog Integrated Circuits
43.        Advanced Digital Integrated Circuits
44.        Analysis and Design of VLSI Analog Digital Interface Integrated Circuits
45.        CMOS Analog IC Design [Boise State University]
46.        CMOS Mixed-Signal IC Design [Boise State University]
47.        Advanced Analog IC Design [Boise State University]
48.        Physics of Microfabrication: Front End Processing

Signals & Systems, Communication systems (6)
49.        Digital Image Processing [DIP]
50.        Digital Signal Processing [DSP]
51.        Electromagnetics and Applications
52.        Principles of Digital Communication II
53.        Structure and Interpretation of Systems and Signals
54.        MATLAB Tutorial Movies

Computer Networking (13)
55.        Introduction to Computer Networking
56.        Computer Communication Networking
57.        Wireless and Mobile Networking
58.        Internet Protocols [IP]
59.        Broadband and Optical Networks
60.        Wireless, Wi-Fi, VOIP and Many more

61.        Introduction to Network Communication – Audio only
62.        Cisco Certified Networking Associate – Audio only
63.        Local Area Networking [LAN] -Audio only
64.        Integrated Communication Networking -Audio only
65.        Communications Hardware -Audio only
66.        Network Interface Design -Audio only
67.        Internetworking and Higher Layer Protocol -Audio only

Mathematics (20)
68.        Linear Algebra
69.        Differential Equations
70.        Introduction to Statistics
71.        Mathematical Methods for Engineers I
72.        Mathematical Methods for Engineers II
73.        Mathematics of Finance
74.        Fundamentals of Algebra
75.        Applied Probability
76.        Discrete Mathematics
77.        Calculus-I Key Concepts
78.        Limits, Differential Equations and Applications
79.        Mathematical video lectures [All Topics]
80.        Brief review of Elementary Algebra
81.        Mathematical Problems II
82.        Statistics and Numerical Methods in HEP
83.        Applied parallel Computing
84.        Finite Mathematics
85.        Integration and Infinite Series
86.        Single-variable Calculus
87.        Dovermann’s Derive Videos

Physics (17)
88.        Introductory Physics [University of California]
89.        Physics I: Classical Mechanics
90.        Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism
91.        Physics III: Vibrations and Waves
92.        Physics for Future Presidents
93.        Descriptive Introduction to Physics
94.        Exploring BlackHoles: General Relativity & Astrophysics
95.        Electromagnetic Fields, Forces and Motion
96.        Introduction To Mathematical Physics -Audio podcast
97.        Geometric Optics
98.        Modern Physics [Prof Sharma's]
99.        Lectures on Quantum Physics
100.        Physics of Microfabrication: Front End Processing
101.        The Wonders of Physics
102.        Physics – How Things Work
103.        String Theory
104.        Quantum Mechanics for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Chemistry ( 9 )
105.        Introduction to Chemistry
106.        Introduction to Solid State Chemistry
107.        Principles of Chemical Science
108.        Chemical Structure and Reactivity
109.        Organic Chemistry
110.        Astrophysical Chemistry [NOVA]
111.        Organic Chemistry [Hoverford college]
112.        Organic Chemistry II [University Regensburg]
113.        Imperial college chemistry

Anatomy & Physiology (4)
114.        General Human Anatomy
115.        Comparative Physiology
116.        Human Anatomy & Physiology
117.        Anatomy and Physiology [California State University]

Hungry Scruples

One of the most discussed (or should I say – disagreed upon) topic is that of vegetarianism. This has always been, and I’m afraid, will be a green discussion topic. Anways, this post comes as a reply to Pavan’s post – A what-tarian?, which happens to be a reply to another post by Vimal. (I kinda like these linked posts! )

Pavan mentions two sides to the argument, one the vegetarians’ where he mentions Sentience Quotient and the fact that many vegetarians literally hate non-vegetarians. And the non-vegetarian’s argument that man was originally a non-vegetarian. I’ll address both these issues below.

Firstly, I’m a vegetarian too; but I wish to elaborate. I’m a vegetarian not by force, not by the bounds of my religion nor by any fear. I’m vegetarian simply by choice. A choice that I’m happy about. And also, I’m not a person to judge people based on their food habits and start hating them instantly, which sounds n00bish anyway!

I totally agree with the Sentience Quotient, and second the idea that no animal should be killed for food! Also, if you did that, what difference would there be between a man and a wild animal? Especially when the man is gifted with the power of reasoning and he refuses to use it! However, I condemn the act of vegetarians hating the non-vegetarians; I wouldn’t hate them. I’d be sorry for the animal which sacrificed itself to satifsy someone’s pleasure of taste. Secondly, I know people who are very uncomfortable with eating with non-vegetarians – which is completely understandable and I find nothing wrong in they expressing their uneasiness. Though the way they do it matters: they could try and ask the non-vegetarian to move elsewhere (which can be pretty offensive to the latter), instead they themselves could stay away from the non-vegetarian until his meal is complete. Also, if its a friend, they can try and make him understand that he is killing an animal when there are better ways to satisfy his hunger; I doubt if that will work anyways. At the most, it may result in another argument and finally as a post in another blog elsewhere.

Coming to the point that man was a non-vegetarian from the beginning: Man was a nudist, hairy, and a smelly barbarian too. Why change everything else and retain the eating habits? Only because of the momentary pleasure that the taste brings? It is also accepted that any nutrient that is obtained from animals can be obtained ‘vegetatively’; one exception being animal fat – which man doesn’t need by the way. Also, man then was scientifically illiterate and ignorant. How can such a comparison be even speculated? With all due respect to whoever supports this theory: Does it mean that they are still so?

Its sad though, when non-vegetarians use milk and silk (LOL! They rhyme as well! ) as points against vegetarians. Firstly, there is no killing for milk. Secondly, I’ve heard people say using milk is stealing a calf’s food. To this, I can give you an image of what really happens since I’ve lived close to a cow-shelter for almost all my life. When the cow gives birth to the calf, for the first 30-45 days, it secretes very thick milk much higher in nutrition. This milk is not used by people. The calf is fed only this apart from a few supplements, until a stipulated period of time, probably until the calf can walk on its own. After this thick milk, the cow gradually starts producing normal milk. This is when the milk is used by people. And by which time, the calf is ready to eat the same food as the cow. (This information is not a citing – its from what I have seen to be in practice)

Then, the silk which is obtained from an insect – silkworm. I have to say that all people share the same mindset towards insects (apart from a few queer ones who eat them!). I may sound a little blunt but, don’t you kill a mosquito or a swat a cockroach when you find one lurking in your house? If I found a way to make money from them and bought it from you and if I killed it, would it make any difference – at least, to the dead insect? And silkworm rearing has been in practice for over 3500 years now and there have been no great impact on the bio-diversity of nature because of it.

On a concluding note, just like Pavan said, I only hope that someday people would understand and change. I’m sure I’ll be disagreed on a lot of points. I welcome all your opinions – just keep them vegetarian!

P.S:
Scruples (n) : An uneasy feeling arising from conscience or principle that tends to hinder action.

India: 61 years of independence!

Indian Flag

Salute to a country which knows the value of freedom. Salute to a country which has its moral roots etched in non-violence and secularism. Salute to a country which has never resolved to violence in its entire history.

India got its freedom after a long strenous fight for independence that spanned over 90 years. As a colony, India suffered greatly at the tyrant rule; All to recover in such less time and emerge as a nation which is the fastest growing economy in the world.

Hats off to the country which has given birth to heroes in every field. I love my country and I will live and if needed, die for it!

Happy Independence Day to all! Celebrating freedom – the feeling that no one can take from you!

Theme reverted.

I was forced to revert to the Garland theme for my blog. This is mainly because I cannot make do with a single sidebar. I really liked the woody look of the Quentin theme which I enabled a short while ago.

Also, I’m planning to shift the ‘Think it over..’ section to a blog of its own. I can then pull the RSS from that blog and show it in the sidebar – another reason why I really need two sidebars.

Secure your browsing with Firefox

If you haven’t read the previous post of this series, I suggest you do. If you have done that, or you are already a Firefox fan, then read on to know more on securing your browsing on firefox.

One of the major aspects of firefox is its extensibility, which is possible by the use of addons. Addons are either themes, plugins, or extensions. While themes enhance the appearance of the browser, plugins enable viewing of certain types of content from within the browser, such as flash and videos. However, extensions improve the functionality of the browser. Choosing the right extensions can effectively improve your online browsing experience.

The top five must have firefox extensions:

1. NoScript

NoScript is the best security extension that firefox has got till date. It works by blocking all scripts from ‘unknown’ websites. Once the page is loaded, you can allow or permanently block scripts on that website. You can also allow scripts to run temporarily for the current firefox session. This extension also blocks Java applets, flash and silverlight objects on the page. With a wide range of options to configure from, this is a must-have extension for all firefox users.

2. Adblock Plus

As the name suggests, this versatile extension blocks all the annoying ads on the webpages. All kinds of ads such as textlinks, banners, rotating images and video ads are blocked. You can also add a subscription list which is updated with all new ad loaders. Thus, once installed, Adbock Plus saves you the distractions arising from the adverts.

*This extension must be taken with a pinch of salt. Though it sounds all pretty and nice, you may lose out on good deals, and links to better websites. I suggest using it selectively for different websites.

3. DownThemAll!

The ultimate download helper extension for firefox. It is the best because, it does all the work of a commercial download manager program and the best part is that it works from within firefox. It splits the files upto 10 chunks and downloads them simultaneously thereby increasing download speeds.

*Did I mention that it works for rapidshare.com links as well?

4. Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer

Are you one among those who browse the internet at several places? Home, Office, Laptop, etc? Imagine having to maintain a separate list of bookmarks at each browser! Foxmarks helps to overcome this problem by synchronizing the bookmarks between the ones on your system with the ones on the server. All you need is sign-up for an account (or you could also use your own FTP server) and foxmarks maintains a global bookmarks list on the server which is updated every time you add a new bookmark. Hence wherever you log on to the internet from, your bookmark list will be intact.

*This extension has saved my bookmarks several times when there were browser crashes, and I have no need to make backups while I’m reinstalling my OS.

5. StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon is an amazing extension that helps you ’stumble upon’ webpages based upon your interests. This is one of the long standing extensions in the history of firefox and is awesome fun and very useful when you are searching for something specific.

*I have elaborated upon how to acquire StumbleUpon in one of my previous posts, take a look for complete instructions.

The next part of the series, will contain information on more utility addons which are particulary useful and help you browse the internet with ease.