chetan jadhav

Apple Connected TVs & DVRs

2009-02-07T06:47:00.001-08:00

The rumor world, well more like investment bank Piper Jaffray, thinks Apple will release networked televisions and an updated Apple TV with DVR functionally in the next 2-years. Notably, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard about an Apple DVR.

Although Apple has publicly denied interest in such markets, investment bank Piper Jaffray said Thursday it expects the company to introduce a networked television in the next two years and update its Apple TV set-top-box with DVR capabilities by year’s end.

see the DVR thing panning out. It’s the only way Apple will truly reach critical mass with their Apple TV, but actual TVs branded by Apple, I think that’s a bit of a stretch. Yes, they do produce their own LCD monitors via LG, but I think that strays too far from their core offering, which is computing and more importantly media delivery. Displays have always been an up sell for Apple and not a mainstay. Would I love to see an Apple TV with DVR? You bet your bottom dollar I would. I’d snag me one right now if it did that kind of stuff out the box. Hacking the Apple TV to work with services like Boxee or any number of things is too much work for me, although I’m growing more and more interested in Jailbreaking my iPhone.

55 important Interview Questions for SEO

2009-02-06T05:58:00.000-08:00

Every SEO prefers certain tactics over others, but familiarity with many could indicate a deeper understanding of the industry. And while every SEO doesn't need to have a web developer background, having such skills can help set someone apart from the crowd.

1. Give me a description of your general SEO experience.
2. Can you write HTML code by hand?
3. Could you briefly explain the PageRank algorithm?
4. How you created any SEO tools either from scratch or pieced together from others?
5. What do you think of PageRank?
6. What do you think of using XML sitemaps?
7. What are your thoughts on the direction of Web 2.0 technologies with regards to SEO?
8. What SEO tools do you regularly use?
9. Under what circumstances would you look to exclude pages from search engines using robots.txt vs meta robots tag?
10. What areas do you think are currently the most important in organically ranking a site?
11. Do you have experience in copywriting and can you provide some writing samples?
12. Have you ever had something you've written reach the front-page of Digg? Sphinn? Or be Stumbled?
13. Explain to me what META tags matter in today's world.
14. Explain various steps that you would take to optimize a website?
15. If the company whose site you've been workind for has decided to move all of its content to a new domain, what steps would you take?
16. Rate from 1 to 10, tell me the most important "on page" elements
17. Review the code of past clients/company websites where SEO was performed.
18. What do you think about link buying?
19. What is Latent Semantic Analysis (LSI Indexing)?
20. What is Phrase Based Indexing and Retrieval and what roles does it play?
21. What is the difference between SEO and SEM?
22. What kind of strategies do you normally implement for backlinks?
23. What role does social media play in an SEO strategy?
24. What things wouldn't you to do increase rankings because the risk of penalty is too high?
25. What's the difference bewtween PageRank and ToolBar PageRank?
26. Why might you want to use nofollow on an internal link?

Analysis

A big part of SEO involves assessing the effectiveness of a campaign both relative to past performance as well as to competiting sites.

1. Are you familiar with web analytics and what packages are your familiar with?
2. From an analytics perspective, what is different between a user from organic search results vs. a type-in user?
3. How do you distinguish the results of your search optimization work from a seasonal change in traffic patterns?
4. How do you evaluate whether an SEO campaign is working?
5. What does competitive analysis mean to you and what techniques do you use?
6. If you've done 6 months of SEO for a site and yet there haven't been any improvements, how would you go about diagnosing the problem?
7. How many target keywords should a site have?
8. How do *you* help a customer decide how to their budget between organic SEO and pay-per-click SEM?
9. You hear a rumor that Google is weighting the HTML LAYER tag very heavily in ranking the relevance of its results - how does this affect your work?
10. Why does Google rank Wikipedia for so many topics?

Industry Involvement

Is SEO just a job to pay the bills? Nothing wrong with that, but some senior positions can benefit from more enthusiasm and interest that can be measured by work done outside of the office.

1. If salary and location were not an issue, who would you work for?
2. In Google Lore - what are 'Hilltop', 'Florida' and 'Big Daddy'?
3. Have you attended any search related conferences?
4. Google search on this candidates name, (if you cannot find them, that's a red flag).
5. Do you currently do SEO on your own sites? Do you operate any blogs? Do you currently do any freelance work and do you plan on continuing it?
6. Of the well-known SEOs, who are you not likely to pay attention to?
7. What are some challenges facing the SEO industry?
8. What industry sites, blogs, and forums do you regularly read?
9. Who are the two key people - who started Google?
10. Who is Matt Cutts?
11. If you were bidding on a contract, what competitor would you most worry about?

Open-Ended

These questions are more about how an answer is given rather than the actual answer. They often scare interviewees, but with no wrong answer they're actually a good opportunity to shine.

1. Tell me your biggest failure in an SEO project
2. What areas of SEO do you most enjoy?
3. In what areas of SEO are you strongest?
4. In what areas of SEO are you weakest?
5. How do you handle a client who does not implement your SEO recommendations?
6. Can you get â€œxyzâ€ company listed for the keyword â€œGoogleâ€ in the first page?
7. What do you think is different about working for an SEO agency vs. doing SEO in-house?
8. Why are you moving from your current position and/or leaving any current projects?

How to add custom entries to Windows Vista's AutoPlay

2009-02-02T12:30:00.000-08:00

Many people, including myself, have been hassled by the fact that you cannot add any custom entries to the AutoPlay menu in Windows Vista. You can only choose from the applications that Windows Vista wants to give you access to. To solve this problem, some suggest using TweakUI, which was designed for Windows XP, and run it in compatibility mode. Unfortunately this solution doesn't work, especially on Windows Vista 64bit. After a lot of research and testing I managed to find a rather unknown application which works both on the 32 and 64 bit versions of Windows Vista and gets the job done very easily. The application is called Autoplay Repair v2.2.2 and it was developed by a programmer named Darius Baczynski. To learn how to use it, click on 'Read more'.

First, you need to download and install Autoplay Repair. This can be done from the OrangeBlue site. Alternatively you can download it from our site, using the download link posted at the end of this article.

Once installed, you must run Autoplay Repair as administrator. To do this, right click on its shortcut and select 'Run as administrator'.

When working with Autoplay Repair, don't use the Autorun Cleanup. For some reason this feature is not compatible with Windows Vista and it will cause the application to crash.

To add custom entries to Windows Vista's AutoPlay click on Autoplay Manager.

There you will see lots of tabs, each containing the autoplay settings for different types of media. To add a new entry, click on the appropriate tab and then on the 'New Autoplay Handler' button highlighted in the screenshot below.

Next, type the name of the action that will be done and its provider. The provider should be the name of the application doing the action.

To explain better, I used KMPlayer as an example. KMPlayer is a good video player which doesn't get registered in Windows Vista's AutoPlay settings. I needed to add KMPlayer as one of my DVD movie players. Therefore, the name of the action is 'Play DVD movie' and the provider is KMPlayer.

After this, click on the button with three dots, browse and select the main executable file of the application.

Autoplay Manager will also set the icon shown in the AutoPlay menu as the default icon of the selected application. You can change it by clicking on the Icon button. Browse and select the file containing the desired icon. You will see all icons found in the selected file. Click on the one you want to use and then on OK.

The new AutoPlay item is now added.

If you need to edit any of the available AutoPlay items, you can right click and select Modify. One option which I found very useful is to copy one AutoPlay entry from one tab to another. To do this, right click on the entry you want to copy, then on Send to and select the tab where you want to copy it.

Once you have added the entries that you need, you can test to see if your configuration works. As you can see from the screenshot below, when I insert a DVD movie, KMPlayer is now shown in the AutoPlay menu.

Chances are, the application will work without any problems. If you want to send a 'Thank You!' to the person who programmed this application, go here and make a donation. I'm sure he will appreciate it.

The World's thinnest and lightest 17-inch notebook

2009-02-02T12:13:00.001-08:00

A battery that last up to 8 hours A high-resolution wide screen display. now everything in the 17-inch macbook pro is huge. Except its size and weight.

The battery in the new 17-inch MacBook Pro lasts up to 8 hours on a single charge and can be recharged up to 1000 times — compared with only 200 to 300 times for typical notebooks. To do this, Apple engineers custom-designed lithium-polymer cells to create the largest possible battery, then they went even further: They built the battery right into the computer, eliminating the space-consuming mechanisms and housings that standard removable batteries require. The result is a battery that’s 40 percent bigger than the previous generation and offers up to 8 hours of wireless productivity on a single charge — all in a notebook that’s less than an inch thin, weighs just 6.6 pounds,and remains the same price as the previous-generation model.

India Aim to seal series: sri lanka see survival

2009-02-02T11:45:00.001-08:00

M.S. Dhoni's mend holding their nerves in Colombo on Saturday,India now have the chance to wrap their second consecutive series win in sri Lanka in the thrid ODI.

So far,the on-a-high India team have been a bit too sharp for Mahela Jaywardene's men so far.

India are up 2-0 in the series and victory in tuesday's crucial game will round off things quickly.India now have seven Consecutive victories and coach Gary Kirsten said they are keen to Keep the momenturn going ad they look to clinch the five-match ODI series.

"Yes,it would be nice if we could finish off the series ad quickly ad possible" Kirsten said.

"We know we have a lot of work to do but the momentum is with us at the moment. We just have to focus on what we have been doing and give us the best chance of winning the next match," he said at the pre-match press conference.

Sri Lanka have a proud home record to protect but they have been outplayed in the two games so far.

Tips For hot Lips

2009-02-02T11:08:00.001-08:00

1. Get that ideal lip line– Once you have applied your lipstick, use a concealer brush that has been dipped in a foundation, to move around the outline of your lip, thereby covering any smudges.

2. Use of lip stains– Go for it only when you have smooth lips and no lines around the area of your mouth. You can rub your lips with a toothbrush that has been dipped in a mixture of water and sugar to get smooth lips. Don’t rub vigorously and remember to apply a balm before you apply the lip stain.

3. Go for gloss– Apply some gloss on the inner fleshy region of your lower lip after you have worn your lipstick.

4. Give dramatic effect– After the application of lipstick or gloss, use some white shimmer powder where your upper lip has a dip. Dab some just under your lower lip too.

5. Red rules– Go for that red lip by applying a lip liner of light flesh color. Follow it with a red lip stain and then use a moisturizing lipstick of red color. Stay away from red lip-gloss as it will get messy quickly.

6. For small lips– Select a lipstick of light color or one of a bright shade. Use a shimmer colored gloss that will help your lips look bigger, with its magnifying effect.

7. For big lips– Apply a small amount of gloss at the center part of your upper lip and lower lip. Use your fingertips to blend it all over the lips to have a shine that doesn’t distract from your face.

8. For that pearly smile– Use a bit of baking soda for brushing your teeth. Next, select light shaded lip colors to impress with a pearly smile.

9. Selecting liners wisely– Don’t use a lip liner which is a few shades darker than the color of your lipstick. Use a balm on your lip before using the liner on your entire lip so that you don’t get irregular or dry color in chunks.

10. Don’t let your lipstick bleed– Use a flesh colored liner of light shade and follow it with a moisturizing lipstick that stays for a long time. It’s good not to use glosses as they may run and give you a messy look.

Sony DSC-T300: First Camera with Smile Detection

2008-12-02T08:22:00.000-08:00

While face detection has become a common feature in modern digital cameras, Sony took one step ahead and developed the first camera with smile detection, the DSC-T300, and proudly announced it today.

The main attraction of this camera is certainly Sony’s new smile detection technology. So howdoes this new feature work? When the camera is set to smile detection mode, a user can select one out of the three preset smile detection levels (i.e. smile, grin, and great grin). After the shutter button is pressed, the camera will detect the target’s face and shoot the photo automatically once the chosen smile level is reached. Sounds cool to me, with this great feature I’ll never miss the smiles while shooting photos :)

Besides the smile detection feature, Sony also implemented the newly developed iSCN “random scene recognition” feature. iSCN’s main goal is to minimize exposure failure in five modes: night scene portrait, night scene, night scene with tripod, backlit portrait and backlit.

Sony DSC-T300, which comes in three color options: gray, red and black, features 5x optical zoom with 10.1 mega-pixel resolution, 3.5” LCD, ±2.0EV with 1/3 increment, ISO range from 80 to 3200, and 15 MB internal memory with a 128 MB Memory Stick Duo included. This new model will be available from March 7th onwards

Apple slashes prices in Black Friday sale

2008-12-01T10:04:00.000-08:00

Apple is holding a one-day sale on its MacBook laptops and iPod music players in what's widely thought to be an effort to boost consumer spending.

The discounts will apply both in-store and online. It means prices for the new aluminium MacBook laptop start at £888.01, rather than the usual £949, a saving of £60.99, while prices for the desktop iMac computer start at £768 rather than £799, a saving of £31.

Even the price of Apple's iPod range has been cut, with 8GB iPod nanos costing £104 rather than £109, and iPod classics starting from £168 rather than £179, a saving of £11. The iPod touch device, which doubles as an iPod, web browser and hand-held games console, will cost £158 instead of the usual £169, saving shoppers £11.

The Apple iPhone 3G is not included in the sale.

Apple declined to give a reason for the sale, which is taking place in the US as well as the UK to mark "Black Friday", the day after Thanksgiving when stores in the States traditionally hold huge sales.

Although this Apple sale is by no means unique, the Californian technology company rarely discounts is products to such an extent. But with the credit crunch biting and consumers expected to spend less than usual this Christmas, it is likely Apple decided to reduce the price of some of its most popular and high-ticket items in the hope of encouraging shoppers through its doors ahead of the festive season. It also brings its pricing into line with that of approved Apple retailers, such as Amazon and PC World, which regularly reduce the price of Apple products.

"The company's high margins could likely absorb a few days of discounts," said Ben Reitzes, an analyst with Barclays Capital.

Amazon, too, is another major retailer slashing prices ahead of the Christmas shopping period. It has already re-priced a large number of products at the new VAT price point of 15 per cent, which doesn't come into effect until Dec 1.

Selected consumer electronics, home and garden equipment and children's toys are on sale at the lower tax rate. Customers need to use the LOWERVAT voucher code at the checkout when making a purchase.

Nokia N95 8GB Clone (China Made): Full Specifications and Features

2008-09-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

If you are wondering what are Nokia N95 8GB Clone (made in China) cell phone specifications and features, look no further because it’s very very similar to the Nokia N95 original cell phones. Believe me, knockoff cell phones made in China look real if you’re not used to seeing original Nokia cell phones.

The N95 8GB Clone (China made) was actually offered to me by a friend in Laoag City, Philippines. This knockoff Nokia N95 model is only sold in stores in the Philippines for Php 4,000 or less. Just like the Toshibo N99i V9+i Mobile TV Knockoff Nokia model, the Nokia N95 8GB Clone’s operating system is NOT Symbian. It is also PDA-like with a touch screen (stylus provided). Except for that, the full specifications and features of the Nokia N95 8GB Clone (China made) mobile phones are virtually the same as the original Nokia N95 8GB model.

Here are the full specs of the Nokia N95 Clone model:

Operating Frequency

Automatic switching between bands and modes
WCDMA 2100 MHz (HSDPA), EGSM 900 MHz, GSM 850/1800/1900 MHz (EGPRS)

Dimensions

Volume: 96 cc
Weight: 128 g
Length(max): 99 mm
Width(max): 53 mm
Thickness(max): 21 mm

Memory Functions

Up to 100MB internal dynamic memory for messages, ringing tones, images, video clips, calendar notes, to-do list and applications
Up to 8GB internal flash memory for multimedia content such as music, pictures, ringing tones, map data

Changes to product details are possible without prior notice. Application offering may vary. Dynamic memory means that the available memory is shared between dynamic memory functions. When any of these functions is used, there is less available memory for other functions which are also dependent on dynamic memory.

Power Management

Stand-by time: up to 11.5 days (WCDMA and GSM)
Battery: Nokia Battery (BL-6F) 1200mAH
Talk time: up to 3.5 hrs (WCDMA), up to 5 hrs (GSM)

Display

Large 2.8″ QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) TFT display with ambient light detector and up to 16.7 million colors

User Interface

Active standby screen
Dedicated media keys
Multimedia menu

Apple recalls tiny iPhone 3G power adapters

2008-09-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

Apple Inc. on Friday advised iPhone 3G users in many countries to replace the device's power adapter following reports that metal prongs broke off and stuck in power outlets, creating a risk of electric shock.

Apple said it will exchange the ultra-compact USB adapters for a redesigned model, without charge, in retail stores and online starting Oct. 10.

In the meantime, iPhone 3G users who received the tiny USB adapter with their phone or who bought it separately should immediately stop using it. Apple said iPhone 3G owners should use its standard USB power adapter, which has fold-up prongs, or charge the device by plugging it into a computer.

"We have received reports of detached blades involving a very small percentage of the adapters sold, but no injuries have been reported," Apple said in a statement online.

Spokeswoman Natalie Kerris could not say exactly how many adapters have broken in this way.

The recall affects ultra-compact USB power adapters sold in the U.S., Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Panama and Peru.

Adapters with a green dot on the bottom are safe and do not need to be replaced, Apple said.

Virgin Mobile India

2008-09-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

Virgin Mobile Brings India its First National Mobile Service for Young People

Virgin Mobile India

Virgin Mobile Sign

Virgin Mobile, a global mobile communications brand, recently entered the Indian market with Virgin Mobile India, said to be the country's first national mobile service
focused on teenagers and young users.

Since Virgin Mobile doesn't have a network of its own and operates worldwide by collaborating with other operators, in India the company works together with Tata Teleservices.

With a "Think Hatke" philosophy and a wide range of new offers, Virgin Mobile India plans to quickly attract several million customers. The company comes with attractive phones plus offers that India didn't have until now. For example, Virgin users will get extra credit for every incoming minute received from any other network, they will be able to call more for less and also to easily upgrade their phones.

Virgin Mobile India also launched a nice looking and funny (especially in the "Why switch to Virgin?"section) website, to make sure potential users don't miss the reasons why they should choose Virgin over other brands.

"At Virgin Mobile we believe that the existing operators are all pursuing the same strategy: to get as many subscribers as quickly as possible," said Sir Richard Branson, Chairman and Founder of the Virgin Group. "Virgin Mobile's strategy is different. We want to deliver a more tailored, more relevant offering for a single, distinct segment. We are not pursuing scale for scale's sake."

"We are very excited about our association with the Virgin Group," declared Anil Sardana, Managing Director of Tata Teleservices. "Their service innovation and strong brand resonance with the youth segment will allow Tata Teleservices to offer a truly world-class service experience to our youth subscribers. This association also supports our efforts to be the fastest growing mobile network in India".

"There are more than 215 million Indians aged between 14 -25 years old. Over the next three years, we expect this segment to be adding over 50 million new youth subscribers and to have mobile service revenues of over Rs 350 billion. By focusing exclusively on a single segment and by continuing to deliver innovative services that cater to this segment's distinct needs, we believe Virgin Mobile can capture more than 10 percent of this incremental market within 3 years of launch," said Jamie Heywood, Deputy CEO, Virgin Mobile India.

With about 225 million subscribers, India is one of the most important mobile markets in the world, currently having no less than 10 mobile operators with over 1 million subscribers. Among them, Airtel, Reliance, Vodafone, BSNL, Tata and Idea Cellular all have more than 10 million customers. Only time will tell if Virgin Mobile can integrate into this market.

Apple iPhone 3G (16GB, black)

2008-09-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

Apple iPhone 3G

The good: The Apple iPhone 3G offers critical new features including support for high-speed 3G networks, third-party applications, and expanded e-mail. Its call quality is improved and it continues to deliver an excellent music and video experience.

The bad: The iPhone 3G continues to lack some basic features that are available on even the simplest cell phone. Battery life was uneven, and the 3G connection tended to be shaky. Also, the e-mail syncing is not without its faults.

The bottom line: The iPhone 3G delivers on its promises by adding critical features and sharper call quality. The iTunes App Store is pretty amazing, and the 3G support is more than welcome. Critical features still are missing, and the battery depletes quickly under heavy use, but the iPhone 3G is a big improvement over the original model.

Specifications: OS provided: Apple MacOS X; Band / mode: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900; Wireless connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0

Sony Ericsson C902 Review - Mobile Phones

2008-09-11T22:38:00.000-07:00

The new mobile phone that will be out on the market soon is the Sony Ericsson C902. It comes in red and black as colors. Nicknamed the C902 Cyber-shot, this phone was made specifically to make great pictures. The Sony Ericsson C902 has a slide-out lens cover that activates the 5 megapixel camera, an amazing size to be combined with a mobile phone. You can make adjustments to the picture via the mobile phones touch keys.

Some of the amazing features of the Sony Ericsson C902 are a thing that is simply named the Storyteller, this application is said to be able to bring your pictures to life like has never been possible in other mobile phones on the market. You can create a slideshow on your mobile phone, even add thought bubbles to the screen, use paint to make your pictures look even more creative, or perhaps you want to use the clone feature and clone parts of your picture and send them to friends for laughs.

You may also want to take advantage of the photo feeds this will allow you check not only your own blogs, but those blogs of your friends and family. You can access them all from one place, yep your mobile phones Media photo album.
Video clips are a great way to save those moments you want to share with all the people around you. The great thing about having the ability to take videos from your mobile phone is for those moments that come out and surprise you. Now you will have the ability to take the video and save it for others to see also.

No we're not done with the features of the Sony Ericsson C902, you can also complete slideshows using your phone, and you can do it just like you were using Microsoft PowerPoint, with sounds and transitions, but only using your mobile phone.

Having a problem hearing your phone call, all you need to do is put the phone on speakerphone, and you will be able to use your hands-free kit for your mobile phone and have an easy conversation and be able to hear perfectly.

How about a video conversation. With Sony Ericsson's 3G technology you will be able to share a video conversation with a loved one very easily. They can see you if their mobile phone is also a 3G technology phone.

We've already stated that the Sony Ericsson C902 allows you to look and update your written blogs; it also offers you the ability to do a video blog. How cool is that for a mobile phone to offer you all these things? It's great, one way to keep friends and family up to date of what is going on in your life.

There is also what is called the BestPic option; this will take a quick nine pictures with one press of the camera button. The best picture or pictures that you like just save to your phone, delete the rest.

Also you can rotate your pictures to which ever mode you like to look at the picture the best from, be it portrait or landscape mode.

The Sony Ericsson C902 has impressive download speed and speed when you go onto the internet. Large files or even larger email attachments will download in a snap be ready to be impressed.

You will be able to access your email from anywhere in the world with the Sony Ericsson C902, also your new Sony Ericsson C902 will hook up to other devices with Bluetooth capability.

Nokia N96 now in India

2008-09-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

With the much awaited launch of the Nokia N96 mobile in India, users will have a hard time deciding between the Apple iPhone and the Nokia N96. Priced at Rs. 35,000 the N96 mobile is here to compete with the iPhone.

The Nokia N96 to compete with the Apple iPhone

The Nokia N96 has much more advanced features than the Apple iPhone. The already launched Apple iPhone has got a lukewarm response.

Nokia N96 definitely has an edge over the Apple iPhone in terms of cost and features. Though both the phones are 3G enabled, the Nokia N96 has a 5 MP camera and Bluetooth option, an advantage over the iPhone.

The main highlights of the N96 mobile phone are the 5 mega pixel camera, 2.8 inch TFT display with 16 M colors, Navigation via joystick and touch screen, connectivity options such as EDGE, GPRS, Bluetooth, and HSDPA. N96 runs on the Symbian OS version 9.3, has integrated hands-free speakers, Stereo FM radio, 16 GB of internal memory, Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connectivity, Support for standard 3.5mm headphones.

Nokia N96... Impressive!!!

Approx 18,000 songs and 20,000 images of 5 mega pixel resolution can be stored on the N96 mobile phone. The N96 also has a microSD card slot that the user can use to increase the storage up to 24GB.

The N96 would definitely bring about a tough competition between Nokia and the Apple mobile phone, but for now advantage Nokia.

Happy Independence Day India

2008-08-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

Friends,

Wish you all a very Independence Day. You may be from any country, any place but all the people deserves a independence and I wish you all get the freedom you want.

Friendship Never Ends....

2008-08-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

छत्रपती शिवाजीराजे भोसले

2008-02-18T11:26:00.000-08:00

Date: 19th feb2008
on 381th Birth Day of Shivaji Maharaj
We are going to dadicate this Post to CHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ

Historical background

The land of Maharashtra , in central-west India, was ruled by a local dynasty, the Satavahanas from 300 BC to 230 AD. After which, it constantly morphed into many different kingdoms.

In 1292, Ala-ud-din Khilji, an Islamic invader, defeated the Yadavas of Devagiri, but the Yadavas continued to rule till 1310. A branch of the Yadavas ruled parts of Konkan and Khandesh regions of Maharashtra for a century . Although the Maratha capitals fell to invaders, the regional lords held their power base and influence.

In 1453, an invasion of Bahamani in the region of Vishalgarh resulted in a defeat of Yadavas. Over time, an understanding evolved between the sultanates, and the local regional lords and their erstwhile master Yadavas. The Yadavas became a vassal of Bahamani. In 1492, the Bahamani sultanate broke into five kingdoms each called a Shahi.

In 1565, the allied Deccan sultanates vanquished the Vijayanagara Empire at Talikota. By the time Shivaji began his military career, power in the region was shared by three Sultanates - Bijapur, Ahmednagar, and Golconda. Most of the Marathas continued as soldiers and noblemen of the Sultanates as the sultanates engaged in a continuous game of mutual alliances and aggressions.

Like his ancestors, Shahaji (Shivaji's father) was a major player in the Mughal Wars. At that time, Shahaji was a regent for the young Nizam. Together with the prime minister of Nizamshah, Malik Amber, he put up a stiff resistance to the advancing forces of the Mughal emperor and thereafter defeated them.

However, tired of the unsettled conditions, Shahaji Raje left Nizamshah's service and joined Adilshah of Bijapur, who gave him a higher title of 'Sar Lashkar'.

The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan again attacked the Kingdom of Nizamshah. At this critical hour, Shahaji Raje returned to the military service of Nizamshah to help stiffen-up the defences. Meanwhile, a prominent Maratha sardar Lakhuji Jadavrao was murdered on the order of the Nizam, and this was not acceptable to Shahaji, and it prompted him to raise the banner of independence and establish an independent kingdom.

Note : this info powerded by : wikipedia.org and chatrapati-shivaji.blogspot.com

Seo | Search engine optimization

2008-02-01T17:13:00.000-08:00

Major search engines

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural" ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results for targeted keywords. Usually, the earlier a site is presented in the search results, or the higher it "ranks", the more searchers will visit that site. SEO can also target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, and industry-specific vertical search engines.

As a marketing strategy for increasing a site's relevance, SEO considers how search algorithms work and what people search for. SEO efforts may involve a site's coding, presentation, and structure, as well as fixing problems that could prevent search engine indexing programs from fully spidering a site. Other, more noticeable efforts may include adding unique content to a site, ensuring that content is easily indexed by search engine robots, and making the site more appealing to users. Another class of techniques, known as black hat SEO or spamdexing, use methods such as link farms and keyword stuffing that tend to harm search engine user experience. Search engines look for sites that employ these techniques and may remove them from their indexes.

The initialism "SEO" can also refer to "search engine optimizers", a term adopted by an industry of consultants who carry out optimization projects on behalf of clients, and by employees who perform SEO services in-house. Search engine optimizers may offer SEO as a stand-alone service or as a part of a broader marketing campaign. Because effective SEO may require changes to the HTML source code of a site, SEO tactics may be incorporated into web site development and design. The term "search engine friendly" may be used to describe web site designs, menus, content management systems and shopping carts that are easy to optimize.

Friendship Day History

2007-08-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

Friendship Day History

There is not much literature on Friendship Day history as we celebrate today. However, there are numerous folktales and several instance in mythological legends that shows that friends and friendship have been valued since the beginning of civilized world. As an intrinsically social creature, men love to make friends to further this process of socialization.

History of Friendship Day in US

Considering the valuable role friends play in our life it was deemed to fit to have a day dedicated to friends and friendship. The United States Congress, in 1935, proclaimed first Sunday of August as the National Friendship Day. Since then, celebration of National Friendship Day became an annual event. The noble idea of honoring the beautiful relationship of friendship caught on with the people and soon Friendship Day became a hugely popular festival.

Following the popularity and success of Friendship Day in US, several other countries adopted the tradition of dedicating a day to friends. Today, Friendship Day is enthusiastically celebrated by several countries across the world including India.

In 1997, the United Nations named Winnie - the Pooh as the world's Ambassador of Friendship.

Importance of Friendship in Bible
The Bible, the primary text of the western civilization, reflects upon friendship as the bond that forms the foundation to human faith, trust and companionship. Following verses from the bible aptly portray the importance of friends:

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Importance of Friendship in Mahabharata
In the famous Hindu epic ‘Mahabharata’, Lord Krishna demonstrates the many colors of friendship - affection, romance, brotherhood, protection, guidance, intimacy and even teasing. Friendship is all about these and much more.