Switch to Public DNS Servers – For faster & Safer Web experience!

SWITCH TO PUBLIC DNS SERVERS – For faster & safer Web experience

Before I begin to explain the topic, certain questions must be popping out of your mind. Let me answer them first.

Question : What’s this post is all about ?

Answer : This post will show you the method to free yourself from your ISP’s designated DNS Servers, and let you use the Public DNS servers available free of cost.

Question : WTF is this ‘DNS’ ? “I m not a technical person!”

Answer : The most basic task of DNS is to translate host-name such as www.facebook.com to IP address such as 67.215.65.132. In very simple terms, it can be compared to a phone book. DNS also has other important use such as email routing.

Question : How this will benefit me ?

Answer : Good question! It will help you by increasing your net surfing speed. Website load times will be reduced. Public DNS protects against many forms of attack, including malware, botnets and phishing. Thus it is more safe and reliable.

Question : How is this possible ?

Answer : These Public DNS service providers provide larger cache memory (your ISP's DNS server's cache memory is quite small to serve such large number of request arising every fraction of second) for faster processing and uses anycast algorithm to search for the nearest server to process your request. It also uses methods such as geo-tagging and typo correction for improving efficiency. As far as safety is concerned, these service providers runs various anti-phising and malware protection filters to supply you with more refined data.

I think you got enough basic information regarding the topic. If interested, then please continue reading, or else stay happy and hit the close button at the top right corner to end the drama.

Continuing with the topic, DNS is such an integral part of our Internet life working behind the scenes every time we connect to a website. In most situations, our Internet Service Provider specifies the DNS Server address that we key into the browser network settings or the router.

Fortunately or unfortunately, this can prove to be the weakest link in the entire workflow. For example, if the DNS server of your ISP is slow, the time it takes to resolve the web address adds up to the overall loading time of the website. This is where Public DNS servers is advantageous as it speeds up your internet connection and also handles some important issues of security and safety. Most importantly all these technological benefits comes totally free of cost.

I will show you the way to route your computer to those Public DNS servers in very easy steps.

Before that, here is a list of few free Public DNS servers you can use :

1) Google DNS Server IPs (http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/)

 8.8.8.8

 8.8.4.4

2) DNS Advantage Server IPs (http://www.dnsadvantage.com/)

 156.154.70.1

 156.154.71.1

3) OpenDNS Server IPs (http://www.opendns.com/)

 208.67.222.222

 208.67.220.220

4) Norton DNS Server IPs (http://nortondns.com/)

 198.153.192.1

 198.153.194.1

5) ScrubIT Server IPs (http://www.scrubit.com/)

 67.138.54.100

 207.225.209.66

Next, how to change or setup DNS server IP address ?

Most of us are using Windows based Operating System (OS), leaving few technocrats who uses platforms such as Linux, Sun Solaris, Free BSD etc. Therefore I will give you the procedure to setup DNS server IP in Microsoft Windows 7 / Vista / XP etc.

Your computer is connected to the internet via Router (Wireless/Wired). If you have more than one computer/laptop using the same internet connection, then you can change the router configuration to change the DNS server IP (This method is router specific and complex for non-technical people). Easiest way is to change the DNS server IP in your computer/laptop.

Step 1: Open the ‘START MENU’ and then go to ‘CONTROL PANEL’

Step 2 : This step is version specific:
Windows 7 : Click on ‘VIEW NETWORK STATUS AND TASKS’ under ‘NETWORK AND INTERNET’ settings.
Vista : Click on ‘VIEW NETWORK STATUS AND TASKS’ under ‘NETWORK AND INTERNET’ settings.
Windows XP : Switch the control panel to ‘Classic View’ (option at tab on left side). Click on ‘NETWORK CONNECTIONS’.

Step 3 : Follow the next steps as you get into the network settings.
Windows 7 : Click on your primary connection or Local Area Connection (You might have given a different name to it. e.g - BSNL Broadband etc) under 'Active Networks.'
Vista : Click on ‘VIEW STATUS’.
Windows XP : Choose your connection from the Network Connections window.

Step 4 : Click the Properties button. (Incase of Windows 7 & Vista, Windows need permission to continue. Select ‘CONTINUE’)

Step 5 : Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), then click the Properties button.

Step 6 : Then click the button ‘Use the following DNS server addresses’: and type in PUBLIC DNS server IP addresses in the Preferred DNS server and Alternate DNS server fields.

Step 7 : Last but not the least, you need to close everything and restart your system to apply the changes. That’s it. We are done!

Keep tweaking to bring out the best!

Written by Niloy Paul

© Copyright Reserved 2011

Updating default applications in Micromax Mobile Phones

HOW TO UPDATE THE DEFAULT APPLICATIONS IN MICROMAX MOBILE PHONES ?

It has been around 9 months since I brought a Micromax Q75 handset for myself. Mostly because I was searching for a phone with high features and low cost. Micromax was the best option for me. As an avid internet user my first target was to play with the applications provided, using my wi-fi connection. While it went fine but urged me to update them as they were out-dated. I faced the first problem. Most of the Micromax handsets doesnot allow updating the default applications (Opera Mini, Nimbuzz, Snaptu etc). What to do ???

Don't worry, its simple. Here is the tweaking method I found.

Requirements : Internet Connection, and WinRAR(Click here to download).

Aim : The Mobile's Operating Sytem scans the argument named 'MIDlet-Name' declared within the MANIFEST.MF file. If we can tweak this argument then default application can be updated.

Click on the picture to enlarge

Step 1: Go to the software vendor's website or any other mobile application downloading site and download the latest version of the application (DOWNLOAD THE SOFTWARE WITH  .jar  EXTENSION).

Opera Mini: http://www.opera.com/mobile/download/versions/

Nimbuzz: http://www.nimbuzz.com/en/mobile/pc/download

Snaptu: http://www.snaptu.com/download

Click on the picture to enlarge

Step 2: Right click on the downloaded file and open the file with WinRAR application.

Click on the picture to enlarge

Step 3: Once the file is opened, you will find a folder named 'META-INF' within it.

Click on the picture to enlarge

Step 4: Open the folder 'META-INF'. A file named 'MANIFEST.MF' will be present. Open the file using notepad. 

(This file stores the MIDlet information of the application. MIDlet stands for Mobile Information Device. It provides the information for interaction between the application and the environment in which it runs).

Click on the picture to enlarge

Step 5: Within the file you will find 'MIDlet-Name:xyz' (Here 'xyz' stands for the application name). Change the value of 'xyz' to any other value.

E.g: MIDlet-Name:Operamini (default)

       MIDlet-Name:Operalatest (Changed)

Then just save the file using Ctrl+S. After that you will be asked to update the archive. Select 'YES' and exit.

Step 6: Transfer the file to your phone via data-cable or Bluetooth and install the application normally. That's it. The latest application will be installed.

Keep updating and enjoy the journey....

Written by Niloy Paul

© Copyright Reserved 2011

A voyage to the Malabar Coast

A voyage to the Malabar Coast

Place – Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

Date – 9 to 12^th March 2011

                                                  The tour was organized with a basic motive to provide an industrial exposure to the future engineers. Somehow it turned out to be a pleasurable journey and not just a mere official tour. After lots of planning and preparation we finally settled in for going to the Techno Park, Trivandrum for our industrial visit.

9^th March, Bangalore (A warm sunny day) – Bags packed, foods ready, recharged ourselves and we were ready to take a leap into the world of fun. We all gathered at our College premises by 1.15noon. A beautiful white bus was eagerly waiting for us. After a while we had a short photo session with the Principal, and then boarded the vehicle with an ‘eclairs’(gifted by our college) in hand. The journey started with a huge round of applause that encircled us for the next half an hour. As the bus stepped into the highway, the HD LCD TV inside the bus flashed up with the movie ‘Band Baaja Baarat’. For the next few hours we enjoyed the movie while passing all sorts of comments on those naughty scenes that the film helds. Gradually while passing through the Bandipur Forest Reserve, the sky became dusky. We crossed the Karnataka-Kerala state border at 7.30pm. Thus entering Kerala – God’s own country. We had our dinner at a small restaurant(Roti-Gobi Manchurian) and then started rolling again through the dark jungle and hilly roads of the Western Ghat. I was listening to some pure forms of folk music until then, when our bus had its first flat tyre at around 11.30pm.

10^th March, Kerala – The journey continued as usual but it was time for the second interruption. Again the tyre punctured (1.30am). Somehow we managed the crisis and started travelling again. We passed Cochin early morning and reached the main city of Trivandrum at 11.30am(4hrs late). We checked into the Hotel Silver Sand and had a short refreshment break and lunch. Then we head off to Techno Park (40mins drive). Reaching there at 2pm, we were already late and had to cancel our first session. 

The second session began with Toonz Animation Studio (The first animation company in India) where we got an inside view of the animation industry (They prefer the word ‘Studio’ more than the word ‘Company’). The session was divided into two halves, a seminar(theory) and a studio tour(practical). The hell lot of information came on my way turned me on. It was all over by 4.10pm and we moved on to another wonderfully decorated auditorium for an interactive session with 

the Project Management Institute’s Kerala Chapter delegates. That was the most interesting stuff for me in the entire tour. It was a lifetime experience that we had inside that campus. It was 5.30 in the evening, and we rolled on to our entertainment segment. We went to our Tour Co-ordinator Miss.Sneha Philip’s Trivandrum residence for a short recreation and then directly to Azad Restaurent for our dinner. It was a hectic day indeed. I came back to my room jumped straight into the bed. I called it a night.

11^th March, Trivandrum (Hot and humid morning) – All set for sight-seeing tour inside the city. We left the hotel at 10am and went to a South Indian Restaurent for breakfast. Our first stop for sight-seeing was Trivandrum Zoological Garden. We did stopped there and watched those well acquainted creatures for the next 3hrs.It was lunch-time by then and we definitely had it in Punjabi style. Bon appetite. From there we took a straight drive to the famous Kovalam Beach, one of the most beautiful beach  of India. Naturally I was expecting to see lots of bikini babes but was utterly disappointed. Nevertheless I enjoyed the roaring waves and bathed for almost 3hrs while watching the sunset and inspite of the Tsunami warning issued by our Tour Co-ordinator. We returned back to our hotel by 8pm and a special dinner was awaiting for us at the roof-top of our hotel. As soon as I remembered the proverb “Stay hungry, stay foolish’’, I couldn’t fool myself. Ate out of my limits. We planned to leave for Bangalore by 3’o’clock in the morning. So instead of sleeping, we enjoyed the whole night through wild parties. This time I couldn’t call it a night.

12^th March – After having a half night fun, we left Trivandrum at the scheduled time, in total darkness. Returning was never easy for me, especially when you have to travel for 20hrs with an upset stomach and no latrine inside the bus. But I did it, and that’s just because I can’t afford to lose some lifetime memories. Afterall, “Nothing but memories remain…”.

Unforgettables :-

• One night at the lonely highway due to repeated tyre punctures.
• Ishfaq Sir's bhangra dance with Abhishek Kumar.
• An anonymous letter written to Ishfaq Sir, praising the beauty of his eyes.
• Sneha Ma'am's hip hop dance with Amar Kumar.
• The project management game played with PMI delegate.
• Ravi Ranjan's non stop commentry and gyaans.
• An elastic girder found on Ravi Bhusan's dinner plate.
• Sea bath at the Kovalam Beach.
• Last night party at the roof-top.

Courtesy :-

1. Miss. Sneha Philip, Lecturer (Tour Co-ordinator)
2. Mr.Ishfaq Yasheen, Lecturer (Tour Co-ordinator)
3. All my classmates.

Written by Niloy Paul

© Copyright Reserved 2011

Chalo Palai...

চলো পালাই

ব্যস্ততা ও বাস্তবতার এই জীবন,

সূখ ও স্বপ্ন কোনও এক অন্ধকার ফাঁদে ।

ভোরের কুয়াশা !! পায় না সে আলো !

সাদা হত্যার দায় স্বীকার করে কালো ।

 আবছা মায়াজালে ঢেকে যাচ্ছে শহর,

প্রতিদিন আমরা মরছি চাকার তলায় !

পিশে দিচ্ছে পেশাদারীত্বের প্লাবন,

টাকার আতঙ্কে ভূত বাবাজিরা পালায় ।

This is what we want !

This is what we take for grant !

Leaving home for thousand miles,

Forgetting our sweet smiles…

Everyone is walking alone,

While talking on their fucking phone !

No one knows, who stabbed them from behind !

Is it their self-pride, or this selfish mankind ??

 

ভোরের শিশিরে আজ ভেজাল ভাসে,

তার উপরেই morning walk এর দাপাদাপি...

উত্তাল জীবনের মাতাল নেশা,

তার সঙ্গেই চলে আমাদের অসভ্য লাফালাফি ।

সময়ের সঙ্গে আমাদের যুদ্ধ !

প্রতিটি নিঃশ্বাসও যেন আজ বদ্ধ !

ফুসফুস ভর্তি Pollution আর Nicotine,

সব কিছুই চলছে , তবে প্রায় প্রাণহীন ।

“This is what life is”, as we say,

Sex, Drug, Rock n Roll is the only way.

Money and time gambles with us,

We are busy building castles of clay !

Waking up with the sounds of horn,

Having lunch with fat-free pop-corn !

Its an example of life called ‘Next-gen’,

Scientifically we can say, we are frozen.

চলো সবাই, সব ভুলে পালাই,

স্বপ্নের হাইওয়ে দিয়ে ।

হঠ্যৎ কোথাও থমকে দাঁড়াই,

বৃষ্টি ভেজা মাটির গন্ধ পেয়ে ।

জীবন’তো আছে অল্প কিছুদিন,

হঠ্যৎ কোথাও সে থমকে দাঁড়াবে ।

এইসব ভেবে হয়তো একদিন মানুষ,

স্মৃতির বোঝা নিয়ে স্বপ্নের দেশে হারাবে ।

Written by Niloy Paul

© Copyright Reserved 2008