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Broken images in new WordPress blog posts in Windows
Been years since I fiddled a lot with IIS & Windows Server. But when you had to do it, you do get a thrill by dirtying your hands when debugging a problem in production and solving it. Today, it started for me when I upgraded the server I run #Wordpress from PHP7.4 to 8.0, new posts were not showing uploaded images. I was getting a 500.50 HTTP error. After hours of debugging which involved: Disabling and enabling every single plugin in WordPress, Enabling Debugging in PHP & IIS, Eliminate any file format issues with the ImageMagick CLI utilities that I use to resize the images and add my blog logo;…
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It is not your parents Windows anymore!
The below article was written for the IEEE Computer Society Region 10’s quarterly magazine, thanks to Mr H R Mohan for the invitation. Windows 11 What does a designer of children’s books and biscuit tins, or a psychology major got to do with Windows, the operating system from Microsoft? The two, Priya Chauhan and Dorothy Feng are from the team that designed the new, signature feature for Windows 11 – the widgets, available next to the start button widgets provide you with a quick glance to information you need to know and care about, without you opening individual apps. Unlike the infamous business metrics like KPI, Chauhan and Feng are…
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Light, Camera and Mic
The below article was written for the Professional Speakers Association of India’s ProSpeak magazine, thanks to Mr Narendra Brahmankar, Editor of PSAI NEWSLETTER for the invitation. The mantra for a successful virtual speaking session will be “Content, Camera and Microphone”. Your audience can hear and see you only as good as what your camera and microphone can capture. Based on my experience, here are a few tips. BASICS: Ensure there is enough lighting on your face. Unless you are facing a window and it is daytime you will require a (tube) light or a ring light facing you. Sit in a quiet space, ensure there is no visual clutter behind…
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After three months, I got my desktop PC back from service
Early last year I had got a new PC (AMD Ryzen 7 3800X) to run as my Plex Media Server on Windows Server 2019. During the pandemic, I had to turn it into my workstation running Windows 10, as my son had taken my other PC (Asus Zenbook laptop). For Plex Media Server, I assembled a new PC, an Intel Core i5 10400 with 16GB RAM & an ASUS Prime H410M motherboard. Unfortunately, as soon as I got my laptop back, the AMD Ryzen 7 PC broke down due to a power problem in my room, which I was not aware of at the time. Most that can go wrong…
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Software Algorithms are brought under the scrutiny in China
The Cyberspace Administration of China on August 27th, 2021 released the draft titled “Internet Information Service Algorithmic Recommendation Management Provisions” for public comment. It appears to be detailed and technically informed and not just non-technical laws. For example, see this one section: Article 7: Algorithmic recommendation service providers shall: fulfil their primary responsibility for algorithmic security, establish and complete management systems for user registration, information dissemination examination and verification, algorithmic mechanism examination and verification, security assessment and monitoring, security incident response and handling, data security protection and personal information protection, etc.; formulate and disclose algorithmic recommendation-related service norms; and allocate specialized personnel and technical support suited to the scale of…
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Apple Silicon iMac 24 Unboxing
Recently, I bought from Apple India’s website, an M1 Chip iMac 24 inches blue colour for my father-in-law. I looked for an all-in-one computer that will be easy for him to use, with no cumbersome wires or setup. His usage will be limited to video calls over Zoom & Microsoft Teams, so it was important the device had a bright display, HD camera, loudspeakers and a microphone that captures clear speech. Apple iMac fitted the requirement. The reason I spent a premium over a Windows All-in-One PC was that he regularly uses his iPad, had tried a friend’s MacBook a few times and felt comfortable with it; also, his office…
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Sony Bluetooth Headset WH CH510
I have been using for some months now, the NG Earsafe which are open-air Bluetooth headphones and Soundcore Life Note. Recently my son took the Soundcore from me, so I wanted to buy a new headset for me, this time I wanted an over the ear headset so that it is less damaging to my ears. I went with Sony WH-CH510 for INR 2999 (USD 40) from Flipkart. Disclosure: I write reviews about products that I have bought for my usage and paid in full. There were no sponsorship or advertisement, or commission of any sort involved in this post. It has been a day and I like the headphones;…
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Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite 2020
My mom wanted to watch YouTube on the Sony (non-smart) TV we have in our living room. This meant I had to buy a Google TV (used to be called Android TV) stick that connects to the TV’s HDMI Input. Right now, I have a Google Chromecast 2 connected to this TV, using which I can cast any content from an Android phone or Google apps from my iPhone or iPad. It doesn’t have a remote control, so my mom can’t go to say YouTube without having a smartphone. So I was considering my options. Last year, I had bought for my son, a Nokia Media Streamer device for…
