M Cube insvestment Software Pvt. Ltd. (Questions asked)

The first company that visited our campus did leave me with an unforgettable experience. M Cube is a very different kind of company from the scratch. Why?
1. Their aptitude test has no mathematics or logic or the other standard sections that you find in other papers
2. Only 2 questions, 1 hour time to solve
3. Both the questions will be algorithmic puzzle expected to test your analytic reasoning.
4. The interviewers question on linked lists, FIFO, circular linked lists, trees, and all other data structure concepts you can possibly think of.
5. They worry a lot on space and time complexity.

The 2 questions that we got :
1. Consider a string. Devise an algorithm to find all possible circular rotations of the string.
Eg:

The Aliens have landed, the Aliens have landed !!

 No, I'm obviously not talking about real aliens. This is a news for hardcore gamers and technology enthusiasists to rejoice upon because, Alienware has set retail shop in Koramangala, Bangalore.
       Alienware was initially a separate firm that aimed at making high configuration computers to satisfy the hardcore gamer's need. It was later on acquired by Dell and is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Dell computers. Alienware added a lot of new products to Dell, including AMD processors. To prevent cross-market products, Dell continues to run Alienware as a separate entity. The exclusive Alienware Gaming Zone in Bangalore will offer a 3D gaming experience with graphics, performance and the latest in computing technology, with 16 high-end Alienware gaming machines.
       J. Suhas, Brand Manager for Alienware, said that the café won’t be providing Counter Strike 1.6 (w00t!) But, gamers do get an opportunity to experience the latest and most advanced gaming machines such as the Alienware Aurora ALX desktop and did I mention WiFi connectivity.

The few eye popping specifications of the Alienware Aurora ALX desktop are :

• Overclocked Intel core i7 975 extreme edition processor, 3.33GHz (8Mb cache) Quad core processor.
• ATI CrossFireX - Dominate any game with an ultimate multi-GPU performance gaming platform with Microsoft® DirectX® technology.
• NVIDIA SLI - Don’t dial back game settings; crank ’em up. With NVIDIA® SLITM graphics and Microsoft® DirectX® technology, you can experience your digital media like never before.
• Up to 4 SATA2 3.0Gb/s Storage Drives.

(Note that these are high-end specifications. There are other options too. Visit Alienware online store for more details)

 The Alienware spaceship is at  # 644, 80 Feet Road, Koramangala 4th Block in Bangalore. So gaming freaks, enjoy...

When Facebook's privacy settings can lock you out...

       Facebook has undoubtedly grown into one of the biggest social platforms, outperforming Google's Orkut, Buzz and the popular MySpace. Its developer API has made way for some of the most addictive games like Mafia Wars and FarmVille. But, the security and privacy settings they adopt can sometime lock you out of your own account.
       For instance, here is a true story of my friend who was an active Facebook user and had over 928 friends!! He is studying in Bangalore and so uses Facebook here. When he went to his native for vacations this time and tried to access his account there, he got locked out. The reason being - they doubt whether it was him accessing the account because its from an unfamiliar place for that account. Here is the exact wordings used by facebook to show the error - " Your account was recently accessed from a location we're not familiar with. For your protection, please review your recent activity to make sure no one is using your Facebook account without permission.

Reviewing your activity takes just a few moments. We'll start by asking you a couple of questions to confirm that this is your account. (If we recognize your computer, you'll be able to skip this step.) "
       Okay, they give you profile pictures of your friends and ask you to identify in order to authenticate the account. But, the funniest part is, they give pictures of your friend's farms (virtual farms created using FarmVille) and ask you questions like "Whose farm is this?". Can you beat that. My friend obviously didn't know whose farm it was, he never was the "farming" kind too. So facebook decides that he's an intruder and locks him out of his own account. Apparently the situation is called a Roadblock.

Check out the screenshots of Facebook's hilarious questionnaire :

These are screen shots asking him to identify the friend based on profile pictures...

Apple now keeps mouse away

       We all have heard of "Apple a day keeps the doc away". But, Apple computer corp. has been redefining that saying by keeping "mice" away.
       Apple on Tuesday unveiled the Magic Trackpad, a touchpad which allows a user to operate the computer using only the gestures made by the finger, thereby eliminating the need for a mouse. The Magic Trackpad costs $69 in the online Apple Store. The battery-powered device looks like a notepad and is made of aluminum and glass. It operates using the Bluetooth wireless technology. The entire surface of Magic Trackpad is one large button, so you can click and double-click anywhere. Magic Trackpad also supports a full set of gestures, including two-finger scrolling, pinching to zoom, rotating with your fingertips, three-finger swiping, and activating Exposé or switching between applications with four fingers. The device incorporates the pinchs and gestures familiar to Apple i Phone users. The maximum range of the device is said to be 33 feet away from the computer and is already featured in Apple's Macbook Pro notebook.

The Trackpad stripped :

World's first 3D camcorder

       The 3D revolution has been rapidly spreading, starting from movies like Avatar to home entertainment that includes 3D TVs and 3D mobile displays. The latest addition to this family is the World's first 3D camcorder, launched by Panasonic on Wednesday.
       The HDC-SDT750 3D, priced at £1,300 works on a sophiscated double lens model. Company spokesman Barnaby Sykes said "Just as we have two eyes, the camcorder has two lenses side by side". The camcorder imitates the human brain by merging the images from the two lenses to create a single 3D vision. The images recorded can be viewed on the already available 3D TVs.  Also, it is capable of recording full-definition images even if the 3D lens is detached from the camera. It features a time lapse recording that plays scenes at a desired accelerated speed. The camcorder is expected to be available from September.

Is Java Dying ???

       Though many projects still continue to be developed using Java, some analysts predict that the language is already dying, especially in the SOA world. SOA emphasizes interoperability more than cross-platform deployment, and the analysts say that Java EE is ill-suited for this (despite the existence of efforts such as Project Tango to directly address this.)
        Lets try to separate fact from fiction in this discussion. Only a small percentage of developers go to conferences like JavaOne. These people constitute the majority of those who read, write and comment on blog sites and they are the first-adopters of new technologies and languages. These people are enthusiastic evangelists of new and cool technologies fueling, for example, the rise of Dynamic languages (which I applaud). But these same folks can be vocal complainers, ignoring possible work-arounds of existing features in languages such as Java, and predicting the death of Java. For many developers, these dire predictions can inspire fear for their jobs, compelling some to prematurely drop Java, further perpetuating the rumor that Java is indeed dying.
       It is impressive that Java has been consistently popular for over 12 years (Ruby was created in 1995, but only really became popular once David Heinemeier Hansson released Ruby on Rails in 2004). In our industry it’s impossible to predict how something will be used in a decade and maybe we shouldn’t try. Have Sun got carried away with the popularity of Java and tried to make it into something it wasn’t designed to be, creating an overly complex beast? Are these proponents of Java-Death simply Java gurus that who are just seeking perfection?

Techmeme - automatically updating news site

       Techmeme is the brain child of former Intel Engineer, Gabe Rivera. This is a dynamically and automatically changing news site that works on the foundation of some software algorithms. The algorithms continuously scrap through various blogs and websites and compiles the most recent technology related news as the front page of its site. The process of ranking the news according to its importance, phasing out stale news etc is done by an automated process although manual intervention is required at times.
       Once a particular news of importance has been detected, it compiles links to list of sites that may contain news related to the same info. This helps to gather more news about the technology and also to keep focused on the current news. It also maintains a database. When techmeme identifies that a particular site or blog is a source of good news, its added to the database and used for further updates in the future.
       The success of this technology has even prompted it to go mobile. Techmeme now has a mobile version built for devices like Apple i Phone, Palm Pre and Motorola Droid. New mobile versions are also available for Gabe Rivera's other sites, Memeorandum, Ballbug, and WeSmirch. This is expected to increase site readership. The mobile version of the site can be found at http://techmeme.com/m

India's cheapest laptop costing Rs. 1500

       Launched by the Human Resource and Development Minister, Kapil Sibal, the laptop that costs $30 is not only India's, but the world's cheapest laptop. The laptop, unveiled Thursday by Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal, has all the basic features, including a built-in key board, a 2 GB RAM memory, Wi-Fi connectivity, USB ports and is powered by a 2-watt system for use in power deficit areas. Interestingly, the device doesn't have a hard disk. This is an idea used to cut costs as well as save power. The device is likely to be available next year. 

       The seven and nine inch Linux-based touchscreen gadget can also be run on solar power, besides the battery operated system. The computing device will support functions like video web conferencing facility, and multimedia content viewing. The HRD ministry, under whose initiative the computer was designed and developed, hopes to bring down the price to $10 after the device is mass produced.

       Teams of experts, students and professors drawn from the Indian Institutes of Technology at Kharagpur, Kanpur, Chennai and Mumbai and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, offered their skills and expertise to bring out the device with the HRD ministry.     

       One motherboard was reportedly designed by a student of Vellore Institute of Technology under his B.Tech project and was fabricated at IIT Kanpur. The cost had worked out to Rs.2,209. Thereafter, the processes of customisation helped reduce the price of the computing device.

       Once it becomes commercially available, it will surely help students as they can now own a resonably fast laptop at very affordable prices

KEA now brings jobs for grads

       Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) is well-known for the Common Entrance Test (CET) that it conducts, which enables students to choose an engineering seat in the college of their choice based on their ranks. After seeing its immense success, many private firms and MNCs have requested KEA to conduct a common aptitude test for graduates, that would ease the recruiters task of hiring freshers every year. This is a boon to many students, especially to the ones studying in the "lesser-known" colleges as the test serves as a common platform and does not differentiate students based on the colleges they're in. KEA has teamed up with The Karnataka Vocational Training and Skill Development Corporation (KVTSDC) and aims to revamp the currently "dying" Employement exchange by setting up a Central Placement Cell (CPC). The students are requested to register on the KEA online portal - http://www.jobraiser.com and upload their resume.

Samsung's first Android based phone arrives

       India has got its first Android-based smart phone. Tata DOCOMO, the GSM arm of Tata Teleservices, has launched the first Android-based smart phone of Samsung, the Samsung Galaxy i7500, in India on Wednesday. 

Samsung Galaxy i7500 Features:

• 3.2-inch AMOLED touch screen with light sensor
• Enhanced touch sensitivity and anti-scratch Display
• Google Chrome-Lite browser
• 5MP camera
• 8GB of internal memory
• GPS with Digital Compass
• All Google Services like Search, Gmail, YouTube, Google Calendar, and Google Talk
• HSDPA 7.2Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mbps (900 / 1700/ 2100MHz)
• GSM/EDGE / GPRS (850/ 900/1800/1900)
• 528MHz CPU with 128MB RAM running latest Android OS v1.5
  
  

3D Display on mobile phones

       After a boom in the 3D and animation industry in recent times, mobile phone vendors are now all set to market phones with 3D displays. Samsung Corp. is the first one to sell 3D mobile, Samsung W960 Amoled 3D to the world. The 3D images can be viewed without using any special glasses. The users of mobile phones, communicators or pocket PCs can use the display as an accessory making it possible to switch between 2D and 3D modes. The volume screen images can be viewed from different screen positions even if the mobile is turned by a large angle.
       The displays are built on organic luminodiodes. The amount of profits expected from the sales is over 2 billion dollars. Other players vying for the same market segment are :

What a Girl wants, What a Girl needs....

       No, I wasn't humming that Christina Aguilera song. I am in fact talking about the most mind-boggling question - what is it that a girl expects out of a guy?? Seems like there has been a lot of scientific speculation and theories trying to explain the answer. This one just caught my eye. Its referred to as "The Ladder Theory".

This Pie chart has been constructed based on data acquired from extensive field study.

• Money contributes to about 50 % of the reason for attraction. Money also includes Power because one is often the reason for the other and both the terms are very closely associated. How much money is "more money" also depends. For a 16 year old, a guy who can afford a bike and cell are rich guys. But as women get older, the amount of money that qualifies a guy as rich also increases. Bottom line - chicks dig rich guys.
• Attraction contributes to 40 % of the reason. Attraction can be further expounded as physical attraction, competition, novelty and others.

       Physical attraction is when a woman mysteriously transforms into a 7th grade retort when she sees a "cute" guy at the club or the lead guitarist of a band. This refers to guys who are handsome or to the muscular hunks that she happens to meet.

Dell now "cells" phones in India

       Everyone knew Dell to be the popular laptop and desktop manufacturer so far. But with the country's love for cell phones and the potentially large buyer market, its no surprise that Dell Inc. have decided to market smart phones in India. Yes, they'll have to establish themselves first before competing with other brands like Nokia which operate on the Symbian O.S and the more recent Samsung which operates on the Bada O.S, but they are willing to give it a try.

 

Paul the Octopus - Psychic or deserves to be grilled ??

       With the final round of football World Cup scheduled today at midnight, people are really gearing up to cheer for their favorite team and place bets. But amidst all this enthusiasm, there has also been a rise in the number of "Animal Psychics".
       The most popular one among them is Paul the Octopus. Paul predicts that Spain would walk away with the world cup today. This is an added inspiration for Spain. The Hollanders on the other hand want Paul to be grilled and served!

Apple i Phone 4′s Grip of Death

       Steve Jobs, Founder and CEO of Apple recently unveiled the latest addition to the i Phone family – Apple i Phone 4.  The i Phone has always been a much hyped product but this time, the apple fanatics have very little to be proud of. It was announced that when the device is palmed with the left hand, there is an increased probability of your finger blocking a particularly sensitive part of the antennae, there by causing a sudden drop in the reception signal.  Steve Jobs recommended that holding the phone in the right palm while using the device would alleviate this problem. As it is a glitch caused due to lack of insulation between the antennae and the user’s hand, a software patch can’t obviously fix this problem.
       Also, there is a problem with the formula that Apple uses to calculate the signal strength.  “Upon investigation, we were stunned to learn that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong,” Apple said in a statement. “Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars,” the company said. This mistake has been present from the first generation i Phone itself. So, if you were thinking that your i Phone was best at signal reception compared to other phones in the same vicinity, then you’re mistaken.
       Apple said it plans to remedy the situation through a patch that adds an AT&T-recommended formula for checking signal strength. Though the software bug can be fixed through a patch, the “Grip of Death” issue still remains. Users have started a petition demanding that Apple either develop a proper fix or issue free rubber cases that insulate the antenna from human contact. So far, Apple has not responded to the demands.
       Yes, Apple does have an incredible reputation for the quality of their products. Now, i Phone does have many app developers based on  its SDK too. But at the end of the day, a phone is a phone and if you can’t hold it the way you want to while speaking, is it worth buying that phone ??

Tech Wiz

There is no use of yesterday’s technology. Lets get geared up for tomorrow, today. This is the spot to talk about everything, hardware, software, mal-ware, spy-ware, firmware, all the wares you can possibly think of. So contribute, think, grow…

Interviews

This is my first blog.  So wats happening at our college.. Lets start with placements shall we.. Do place your comments abt r campus recruitements..

Good news for people awaiting placements. Our notice board proudly announces that 3 students from CS gets placed in SAP Ltd. with a monthly salary of Rs.40000. I met the people who got placed. Sadly, they’ve finished only one round. Technical round and GD still awaits them. And before those results are announced, the college has “Declared” that they’re placed. Anyway, the placement officer knows someone from SAP HR it seems and he got a grapevine that these people are more or less placed. Congrats to my pals.
Some have also cleared exams for IAF as technical officer. But, on the whole, placements are still on a low note. Much more work is to be done but we’ve our beginnings now to work on…

Visit to Mantri Square

       With a lot of hype and a grand launch of the country’s biggest mall – MANTRI SQUARE , namma bengaluru has just got itself yet another landmark to boast of. So, my friends and me decided to go check it out and see whether its worth all this hype.
       If you’re in a hurry, skip to the “Conclusion” right away.
       We preferred public transport to private ones because the mall is at the heart of the city and well connected with buses. It is at Malleshwaram, Sampige Road. So we first went to Majestic and buses leave to this place from Majestic Bus Station,Platform number 20. Virtually any bus from this platform would go via MANTRI. In about 25 mins from Majestic, we reached the mall.
       From the outside it does look huge but you can only perceive the actual size of the mall once you enter. They have a Lower Ground Floor(LG), Upper Ground(UG) and the 1st,2nd and 3rd floors. We started with the lower ground floor. The main attraction here is the huge Spar mall. Spar seems to have covered most of the place in the LG floor and also seems to be well organized. There are other stores too, mostly fashion accessories lik SHOWOFF. But they’re comparitively small. Then there is some mouth watering Gelato being served here. Not to forget Kalmane Coffee Shop to refresh you in case you stepped in after a bad night’s sleep! Then we took the escalator to the UG floor.