What can make application more successful?

After looking in to most of the online applications like delicious, flickr, wordpress, blogspot and much more, there is been something called control or what users want to have or show on their applications have shown to rule.

It doesn’t stop with the community application like flickr, wordpress and other. It could be applied to other applications or even domain specific. It could be a network monitoring software or a document editing software or photo editing software.

What I am actually trying to communicate is that the core application gives the desired functionality and the users are given an option to play around to express themselves different from each other by providing plugins or extensions which could relate with their personal interest.

For example
Assume that I use a network monitoring software being a system administrator when my core application is doing my job, well actually monitoring my network, what else would I like to show off or my interest would be

1. My own personal presence online, what are the ways it could be my blogs, my flickr, my orkut, yahoo groups, IM etc
2. or I might be even a contributor, who may not even blog but contribute in forums or make comments in blogs
3. or just read tech news from different aggregators

So how should my application should be
My core application does the job, allows notification/alerts on the current news (eg. virus alerts for network administrators, a new tech on spam blocking etc)

When he reads these articles, he should be able to blog (export) to his wordpress, blogspot of use flickr etc from with in this application or even send this article as a mail to his boss or friends.
For eg. if you have been to groceries store or medical shops in India (cities), if some medicine or a product is not available, he wouldn’t say that he doesn’t have the product, he would send one of his men to fetch the product and give it to the customer. (building repetitive customer ),
so you could ask me does the shopkeeper gets anything and every thing the customer wants?
The answers is simple, what would interest his shop he would, what would his shop gain he would..

the above is just my thought process, if you are a network administrator, just let me know what you have in mind
in short “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”

to summarise, people like to control things what they own, would be ready to explore make a change if some one has on the community is contributing things which could improve/change their productivity.

Take my previous post Crazy about cars, The company allows to configure the toys, how about they have a site which allows people to contribute their designs

that could be a kick ass is my feeling

Technorati Tags: network administrator,apps, application, contribute, community, success, customer relationship, retain customer, brand building

Crazy About Toys Cars

Well I am crazy about miniature cars, some how it turns me on



These are cool wooden toys – you could create one, change its existing parts etc Lego kind of toys which allows you mix and match.
the best part is all are futuristic cars, would you not love your kids to own one, here is the company which offers you these lovable toys
Automoblox
Well I wanted to buy one, I could find any stores in India, I guess I have tell my friends in the US to buy some and get it for me.

Technorati Tags: toys, cars, minature, futuristic, automoblox, lego

Adobe releases Flash player 9

Adobe Flash Player Download Center

File size: 1,324 K
Download Time Estimate: 2 minutes @ 56K modem
Version: 9,0,16,0
Browser: Firefox, Mozilla, Netscape, Opera, and CompuServe
Date Posted: 6/27/2006
Language: English

Did you find some thing missing on the browser listing- Internet Explorer -(IE)

Not sure whether it intentional

Technorati Tags: flash, flash player, flash player 9, adobe, Internet Explorer

People Write mails that I complain a lot

There have been Anonymous mails, that I crib a lot on the products/service which I accept to use, Well every body cribs they tell it to the closest circle of influence.

Things which I look for

1. Service
2. Value for money

there have been times where the quality of service can go down, but it is up to the service representative to give back the confidence that they will get the best results.

How many times each and every one of you felt that some things are not meant to be right and why people are just ignoring it.
At-least let me speak

Technorati Tags: quality of service, crib, complain, service, value for money, customer representative, building relationship

Castrol BikeZone – Not your usual Service Center

If you are here to find the address of Castrol BikeZone service centers here is the website address

http://www.castrol.com/castrol/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9006729&contentId=7013715

I had problems with the castrol bikeZone service which has been sorted out, and I am happy about their service which they have done to be currently. I would like to appreciate Mr. Baskaran for all his efforts. If you have any problem in your service you can contact Mr. Baskaran. He will be glad to sort out the problems and he will do the best he can. And I guess, My approach which I have taken is not the right method to get the problem solved. So I request everyone who felt the service which castrol bikezone offered was not up to your satisfaction please contact Mr.Baskaran

Mr. Baskaran
Castrol BikeZone MSF Manager
Mobile: 9884400621, email: p_baskaran@castrol.co.in

This was the post which was available earlier stated below.

This is the 3rd visit to Castrol BikeZone, One thing which I quickly noticed was deterioration of quality of service
Things which made me upset
I remember the 1st time when I stepped in to Castrol bikezone, every minor detail was taken care

1. Like calling up to replace old parts
2. Stating the vehicle was ready to pick and what was the payable amount

More or less a before and after marriage relationship feeling

There could 2 reasons why there was a deterioration

1. There where very few customers so they where able to look in to every minor detail
2. They believed in building more customers and not increase on customer representatives who can handle customer issues

I opted for Silver service which is 199 INR but payed by the “Gold” premium service Which cost Just INR 299 and the total cost of INR 1077 for all the stated jobs for my vehicle jobsheet
I had to return the third time to the service center to fix up my vehicle, certain detail on the jobsheet was not fixed.Certainly not a productive method

Who needs to take the blame.

As a Customer I felt and even communicated to the representative that a street prop shop would do a better job than them. they don’t charge a premium service
like the bronze – 99 INR
silver – 199 INR
Gold – 299 INR
MY verdict: No to bike zone- they are your worst expected service center

Why don’t they ask a question or a simple justification to themselves before giving out a service or product
If they were the customer, would they pay the amount, for the quality of service they provide.

Comments Section is closed for this post and some comments were deleted.

Technorati Tags: customer service, customer, service, customer relationship, bad customer service, Bike Zone, Castrol, Castrol Bike Zone, Bikers, Bike, quality of service

Curious Math – Magical Numbers

Mathematics has always been a brainchild to so many things that have evolved in life, its a under statement that some mathematic calculations lead to amazing combinations in its own.

Well with amazing i do mean that they are amazing combinations used, the Fibonacci series is one of them, but how many such series do exist do we even know about them, here are few series which lead to an amazing amount of curiosity what numbers can do.

I found this through CuriousMath just wondering how many such combinations do exist, your inputs are always welcome, but still have a look at some amazing combinations numbers can perform.

3 x 37 = 111 and 1 + 1 + 1 = 3
6 x 37 = 222 and 2 + 2 + 2 = 6
9 x 37 = 333 and 3 + 3 + 3 = 9
12 x 37 = 444 and 4 + 4 + 4 = 12
15 x 37 = 555 and 5 + 5 + 5 = 15
18 x 37 = 666 and 6 + 6 + 6 = 18
21 x 37 = 777 and 7 + 7 + 7 = 21
24 x 37 = 888 and 8 + 8 + 8 = 24
27 x 37 = 999 and 9 + 9 + 9 = 27

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10 = 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

7 x 7 = 49
67 x 67 = 4489
667 x 667 = 444889
6667 x 6667 = 44448889
66667 x 66667 = 4444488889
666667 x 666667 = 444444888889
6666667 x 6666667 = 44444448888889

and so on

4 x 4 = 16
34 x 34 = 1156
334 x 334 = 111556
3334 x 3334 = 11115556
33334 x 33334 = 1111155556

The above post is from http://techie-buzz.com/technology-buzz/mathematical-combinations-so-interesting.html
I was looking for the trackback, couldn’t find one  so thought I would make a post here.
Here is my note on the Curious Math

1 X 9 = 09   = 0 + 9 = 9
2 X 9 = 18   = 1 + 8 = 9
3 X 9 = 27   = 2 + 7 = 9
4 X 9 = 36   = 3 + 6 = 9
5 X 9 = 45   = 4 + 5 = 9
6 X 9 = 54   = 5 + 4 = 9
7 X 9 = 63   = 6 + 3 = 9
8 X 9 = 72   = 7 + 2 = 9
10 X 9 = 90 = 9 + 0 = 9

 and the the magical number is 9
Do feel free to add more magical numbers.

Technorati Tags: magic number, curious math, math, mathematics, numbers, magic, 9, no:

Epilepsy – Know to help them

A friend of mine I stumbled upon who has epilepsy, she started a group on SU called `Epilepsy' at http://epilepsy.group.stumbleupon.com/forum/ to help shatter the stereotypes, myths, and unfounded fears that people have about this condition. You can help educate the world and when one of them has a seizure, you will know what to do and what not to do. Ignorance is the problem, be a part of the solution!

Well you can join this group! You don't have to have epilepsy to join. Join Now

Technorati Tags: Epilepsy, help, SU, educate, Life, the life, friends, emergency, love

Confusions of a developer – Choice of Ajax Framework

Top 10 Web Developer Libraries – Cameron Olthuis

Top 10 Web Developer Libraries June 16th, 2006 39 Comments I decided to make a list of the top libraries that I have come across or that I personally use. Libraries can be a web developers best friend. They are great resources to learn from and can save hours and hours of time. These libraries include JavaScript, Ajax, Colors, PHP, and CSS. These should be in any web developers bookmarks, so go ahead and look through these libraries and bookmark your favorite ones. The list is in no particular order.
1) Moo.fx – A superlightweight, ultratiny, megasmall javascript effects library, written with prototype.js. It’s easy to use, fast, cross-browser, standards compliant, provides controls to modify Height, Width, and Opacity with builtin checks that won’t let a user break the effect with multiple crazy clicks. It’s also optimized to make you write the lesser code possible.
2) Rico – An open source JavaScript library for creating rich internet applications. Provides full Ajax support, drag and drop management, and a cinematic effects library.
3) Swat – Developed by silverorange, Swat is an open source web application toolkit built with PHP.
4) ColorCombos – Who would’ve thought a color library would end up mixed in with a bunch of JavaScript and PHP libraries? Well they do have a pretty sweet little color library for finding color combinations, all you do is select the color and they show you some nice combos that work with that color.
5) script.aculo.us – Provides you with easy-to-use, compatible and, ultimately, totally cool JavaScript libraries to make your web sites and web applications fly, Web 2.0 style. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say this library is my favorite.
6) Mochikit – A kick-ass lightweight JavaScript library that will help you get shit done fast.
7) Dynamic Drive CSS Library – Here you’ll find original, practical CSS codes and examples such as CSS menus to give your site a visual boast.
8) PEAR – A framework and distribution system for reusable PHP components. PEAR provides the above mentioned PHP components in the form of so called “Packages”.
9) DHTML Goodies – A good sized library of DHTML and AJAX scripts.
10) dojo – Open source JavaScript toolkit that makes professional web development better, easier, and faster. Honorable Mentions
11) Cross Browser | Toys – Huge JavaScript library.
12) Yahoo UI Library – The Yahoo! User Interface (YUI) Library is a set of utilities and controls, written in JavaScript, for building richly interactive web applications using techniques such as DOM scripting, DHTML and AJAX. The YUI Library also includes several core CSS resources.

I should thank Cameron Olthuis for the above post
well few more frame  works are missing on the above list, I would like to add few more Dojo Toolkit, Adobe Ajax toolkit, Google Toolkit
The only problem I face as a developer, Which one is the right framework for me or my project.
options are too good, Imagine a situation where

1. developer will love one framework for his ease
2. Designer likes the other for the effects
3. and my Team Manager Loves it for functionality
4. Oops, do I have my choice

Absolutely no way

You can even say depending on my size and complexity of the project and the choice of platform ( the programming language ) I could make my choice, Absolutely true.
Most of time, when you combine frameworks you land on a mess with incompatability or memory leaks or awful effects because of the content heavyness it would slow down the who page look shabby.

Kindly Note: All we need is a better exposure to the frameworks and little more time to excercise and play it with caution. The whole thing is that I could be Wrong because I had lot of options of different frameworks and I couldn’t lay hands on all of them. I can’t be JACK of all trades. May be I should like the statement

I take my life head on

Technorati Tags: ajax, frameworks, confusion, library, javascript library, developer, developer tools, toolkit, Life, headon, caution

Tails – Effortless bugtracking.

Bugtracking applications have become hellishly complicated. So complicated, and so frustrating to use, that we set out to do the job ourselves. Introducing Tails. It’s light, attractive and has just what you need to keep track of issues in your software. Without the fluff.

I have looking for bugtracking software for quiet sometime, and happened to land on this the site Angry Amoeba, who actually have worked for the website for Zyotism
The software is yet to be relased if you want to get notified, do enter your email address.

A lot of expectation is on you guys. All the best

Technorati Tags: ails, angry amoeba, zyotism, bugtracking, web 2.0

My Picasa 2 Web Albums My experience

I had been on vacation with my friends and family tour, When I came back I didn’t have option to show all the images to all my friends. Yeah I know we have lots of websites which offer you free upload of images and allow you to view them, but the toughest part was to upload all these images one after the other, that was really a pain.

I am sure most of you would have experienced the same with flickr or other website which offer you this service.

Google seems to understand the users expectation all the time. The users pain.

I had picasa installed already on my machine, After I got the invite they presented an update on Picasa, felt do I really need to update my Picasa. After I did, it was a wonderful experience.

As I too work on a product Opmanager as the User Interface Designer, I find really find the user experience approach of google to be amusing.
The minute you login to the destop version of picasa and configure the google online account with picasa you are done.
Things which were magic on the picasa desktop

1. select the images right click Choose “upload to web Album”
2. Choices you get
3. You can create a new album
4. post your images to the existing one

All selected images got uploaded successfully, with out you knowing, you could go and take cup of coffee, by that time things are done

Things which I loved on the online version

1. The Zappy thumbnail sizes offered automatically all I had was huge image which was neatly sized with respect for 3 dimension, small, medium and large
2. ( what else can I expect from the product more)
3. Oh Yeah the online Url which will let others to view the images well here is one that I experienced

Well I forgot to tell you one thing, I was able to Blog about a photo of mine right inside the Picasa desktop client.

Too good to be true. here is my http://vinodvv.blogspot.com/ only drawback on the blogging tool is not the ability to post on other blogging sites

Technorati Tags: user experience, google, picasa, flickr, opmanager, usability