Ubuntu 11.10 desktop issues

I have been a dedicated user of Ubuntu 10.10 for over a year and half. Since I got a new laptop, my system admin recommended to use the latest version Ubuntu 11.10 as it would be more secure.

Unfortunately, the desktop seems to have changed. They have replaced the GNOME interface with UNITY.

Believe me, it's such a pain to use this interface and they have ensured that you won't download and install the GNOME desktop so easily.

Then someone told me that I need to download and install the gnome desktop from the Ubuntu software center. When I tried that it complained saying that the dependency gnome-core needed to be installed. When I tried to do that, it threw up an error:

gnome: Depends: gnome-core (= 1:3.0+1ubuntu1) but 1:3.0+1ubuntu1 is to be installed

That's when I completely lost it. I could not afford to spend my time on doing something which was totally useless. I gave up after reading more reviews on the web about this problem.

And I have to thank my stars, I noticed KDE was available during my login. I switched to try it out. Wow. I have not looked back today. It's just got everything I need and extremely user friendly.

The only other problem I faced was to configure a printer. I could not find the printer configuration utility from the menus. Googled a bit and did:

sudo system-config-printer

to configure my office network printer and voila I was done.

Thanks to KDE. I stayed back with Ubuntu. I almost went back to Windows 7.

Sunrise, sunset at Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari, the southern most tip of India our beloved motherland. Had been there during December 2009 as part of our trip to Tamil Nadu with family. It had been a pretty good trip starting from Bangalore -> Trichy -> Tanjore -> Piliyarpatti -> Rameshwaram -> Tiruchendur -> Kanyakumari -> Madurai -> Bangalore.

We reached Kanyakumari just post lunch and spent time hanging around the rocks waiting for beautiful sunset it's famous for.

When the time came, we were pretty disappointed as there was a mist over the sea waters and the sun god disappeared in a cloud of mist way above the sea waters.

And then we spent the evening without much ado and went to bed in the hope that the morning would give us a delightful sight of a big red sun coming out of the sea like an orange. But, no, that was not to happen. Again the mist played a spoil sport and watching a good sunrise at Kanyakumari remained only a dream.

On the way back to Bangalore from Madurai, once we reached Hosur, after a little nap during the ride in the afternoon, I opened my eyes to look out of the window of the car to see a big red sun setting in the horizon. Wow, I said and showed it off to the rest of the folks. The sunset was beautiful, but still disappointed that it was not in Kanyakumari. Will try again another time hopefully.

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Accommodation in Triplicane, Chennai

Triplicane (original name: Tiruvallikeni) is one of the busiest areas in Chennai. It's a hub for student and working bachelors as there is affordable accommodation, variety of food options available and relatively safe. It also has the famous Parthasarathy Temple which is huge and has various dieties in the same temple compound.

Anyway, the purpose of writing this post is to share information on some of the guest houses (also called Mansions for reasons best known to Chennai folks as they are no where near what is actually known as a Mansion in English. You have to see to believe :) chuckle).

Here are some Guest House addresses and contact details for those coming new into Chennai. It makes sense to stay in Triplicane as it is close to the railway station and is well connected to other parts of Chennai by public transport (buses and trains).

Please note most guest houses (mansions) charge only a 2 month advance unlike if you rent a house in Chennai where 10 months advance is demanded. They also generally do not charge for electricity and water unless specified. You get a TV and regular cleaning and maintenance.

Though I have personally lived in some of these guest houses, I would recommend you to visit these places and personally have a look at the rooms before agreeing to stay. They are all close to each other, so check them out and then decide which one to stay.

Sri Krishna Guest House:
a/c, non a/c luxury rooms with bathroom attached
Available on Monthly rent
New No.27 (Old No.11), Theetharappan Street, Triplicane, Chennai - 600 005
Ph: (044) 28483319 / 28486333

Bismi Stay Home:
a/c, non a/c rooms with attached bathroom
Available on Daily and Monthly rent
Old No.52, Big Street, Triplicane, Chennai - 600 005
Ph: (044) 28544388 / 28544422 / 28548900

Thayifa Guest House:
Non a/c rooms with bathroom attached
Available only on daily rent
No.73, Big street, Nr. Hindu Hr. Sec, School, Triplicane, Chennai - 600 005
Ph: (044) 28594043 / 28510648 / 28512525

King Palace Mansion:
Rooms available on daily and monthly rent
Old No.51, New No.103, Big Street, Nr. Hindu Hr. Sec. School, Triplicane, Chennai - 600 005
Ph: (044) 28520178 / 28512725

King's International:
a/c and non a/c rooms with attached bathrooms available. Clean and well maintained. Slightly expensive compared to other guest houses.
Old No.153, New No.86, Big Street, Nr. Hindu Hr. Sec. School, Triplicane, Chennai - 600 005
Ph: (044) 28584467 / 68 / 69

Malar Mansion:
Attached bathrooms. Daily and monthly lodging.
New No.6, Parthasarathi Naidu Lane (Off Bells Road)
(near Chepauk Cricket Stadium), Chepauk
Chennai - 600 005
Ph: (044) 28587674 / 28515028

Openoffice hangs after Redhat installation

Here I am again. Back to work after a long break of 3 months. I've just joined an open source integration company last week. But for the chaotic traffic I have to put up with in Bangalore, so called silicon valley of India, it feels good to back at work. Especially when you like the job you do. Open source has always been of interest to me for the last 5 years and this is definitely a good break. I hope to learn a lot of things which will add value to my entreprenuaral ambitions.

Well, to start with, I was given a HP laptop with a popular linux installation called UBUNTU. Trust me it's a fantastic operating system as an alternative to Microsoft's XP/Vista. It's very user friendly.

However, my manager insisted I get a Redhat Linux installation to help with some product testing (can't understand why I should test on my desktop when test servers are available). So, had to get Redhat Linux installed over UBUNTU. The engineer who did it, I believe did not restart the machine after the installation was done.

I brought the laptop back to my desk and was trying to configure a printer. Nope. It wouldn't allow. The application just hangs. Then I tried to open a couple of spreadsheets. Openoffice just hung there on the initial screen.

Then, one of my colleague recommended a reboot. Lo. The Microsoft magic works here as well. No wonder Microsoft is complaining about patent issues to the Linux community.

Well, that's it. If you are stuck starting Open office or any application for that matter, try this out. Reboot the machine and try starting again. In all probability it would work.

Have a good day.

Galibore Cauvery (a.k.a Kaveri) fishing and nature camp

If you are fed-up with the hustle-bustle of city life and just want to take time off for yourself (just alone or with family), Galibore Cauvery fishing and nature camp is highly recommended. The atmosphere is so serene, you would not want to leave the place.

If you have never heard of it, then, for your information Galibore cauvery fishing camp exists in the southern state of INDIA - Karnataka. It's approximately 95km (60 miles) from Bangalore (will be renamed as Bengaluru in future), the silicon valley of INDIA. It's about 3-1/2 hrs drive from Bangalore (the last 9kms from a place called Sangam is motorable but very rough).

Galibore is a heavenly nature resort on the banks of river Cauvery (Kaveri) situated far from the maddenning crowd, deep in the deciduous forests of Cauvery wildlife sanctuary. There is no habitation of any kind for miles around. The only sounds are the birdcalls and the whistling of the wind. In fact the name comes from a hillock nearby. Gali means wind, bore is hillock. The camp is covered with trees lining both sides of the river and mountains on both sides of the river. It's ideal for couples looking for a change of place and nature lovers looking for privacy.

Wildlife

Over 200 species of birds have been identified around the camp. Some of them include grey headed fishing eagle, tawny eagle, pied crested cuckoo, darter, etc. Mammals spotted around the camp include sambar, spotted deer, highly endangered grizzled giant squirrel, jackals, leopard and elephants. However, the main attraction in river Cauvery is the MAHSEER fish. Some people have caught MAHSEERS weighing over 100 pounds in this stretch of the river.

Activities

The highlight of the stay in the Galibore camp is the coracle ride in the calm waters of Cauvery. Do not miss a coracle ride in the evening between 6.15 - 7.00pm. The backdrop of the clear blue sky and the dusk add to the enchanting effect. The peace and tranquility you experience cannot be described in enough words.

Main activities in Galibore apart from coracle rides are hiking in the jungle, joy fishing or lazing under the green old trees lining the river bank. Galibore is also a very popular angling camp. Professional anglers visit the camp during the season. Anglers bring along their tackles and gear to catch the MAHSEER. But, remember, they have a 'catch and release' policy, where you have to let go the fish if you happen to get one. Ofcourse, you are allowed to photograph with it before you leave it.

And before I forget, Galibore is preferred by a lot of corporates for their offsite and outdoor training programmes. Some of the top companies in Bangalore come on a day trip and conduct their outbound learning and team building programmes here.

Season

It's during the months June to August, after the fresh monsoon rains, the river is swollen, the forest is rich, green and beautiful. This is the ideal time for bird watchers as many species of water birds flock here and it is a nesting time for woodland birds.

It's not too bad during the off-season either as we found out during our trip end of April this year. Check out our photos and decide for yourself. Only disappointment was that MAHSEERS dont venture here when the river recedes.

Summers are quite warm (mean hot). Make sure you carry a water bottle with you always. You can dehydrate pretty fast. And since the camp is covered by hills on both sides, you experience very little breeze. To catch a cool breeze, trek up one of the hillocks and you can also catch a glimpse of the landscape, forest and the long winding river.

Accommodation

With special emphasis on minimizing impact on the environment, Galibore has only tented cottages. These are eco-friendly and built on concrete platforms. They are very comfortable and come with attached modern bathrooms. Usage of electricity is to the bare minimum. Lanterns are provided which add to the rustic nature of the place.

Staff are very friendly. No outside food is allowed for cooking. The food provided by the camp is very delicious. We never expected such high standards in such a remote place. But the food was fantastic, the barbecue by the river side and the camp fire in the evening was very enjoyable. As additional information, liqour is allowed, but you have to bring the spirits yourself. However, beer is available for purchase. The food comes free but not the drinks.

Reaching Galibore

Get a good all weather vehicle because some of the stretches are very rough.

Start early from Bangalore (around 8am) . Head towards Kanakapura (about 55kms) on the Bangalore-Kanakapura highway. On reaching Kanakapura, look for signs towards SANGAM. If in doubt, ask the locals. 100 mts before you reach SANGAM, a 'Jungle Lodges' signpost will greet you. You have to turn right here. Make sure, on your way back you stop at SANGAM again to view the confluence (SANGAM) of rivers Arkavathi and Cauvery. After you turn right, there is a 9-10km gravelly road to Galibore. Prepare for a bone rattling drive from here. Well, I'm joking. It's not as bad as it sounds. We should be thankful to this stretch of the journey. This keeps a lot of not-so-serious tourists away and helps maintain the peace and tranquility of Galibore. Probably, that's the main intention of the authorities.

For rates and bookings, check out -
http://www.junglelodges.com/resort_overview.asp?resort=Galibore

Check out the pictures at -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8542567@N06/

Trust me, Galibore is unforgettable.

How to plan a holiday on a shoestring budget

Whether you are a student or a stressed out workaholic, take a break this summer and indulge yourself in some refreshing travel. Trust me, a change of place works wonders to your spirits. Going on holiday with friends and family is a great way to recharge yourself. If you are worried about the costs, here are some tips which can save you a great deal of money on your vacation.

By following a few simple guidelines and acting smart, a holiday with even the smallest budget is possible without compromising on the destination. The trick is to spend money on things that truly merit spending and cut down on unnecessary expenditure.

Use the following pointers to make the most of your holiday.

Go as a group

There are many advantages to travelling as a group.

• it is much safer when you travel in a group as opposed to one or two people
• it is economical when the numbers are more. Whether you stay in a guest house or hotel, eating food or using public transport, it is more affordable as a group
• in many places prices are artificially jacked to make the most of the season. By being in a group the per head cost can be brought down significantly.

Accomodation

It is not always necessary to stay in a five star hotel or spend excessively on accommodation. There are a lot of inexpensive options available - youth hostels, government guest houses which are cheap and viable. They may not be an ideal option, but if you are on a trip which is mostly outdoors, then it makes sense. After tiring day out, all you need is a place to rest your body. The room rates are cheap and are habitable. If you are a large group consider dormitories / youth hostels as charges are per bed and are pretty reasonable.

Youth hostels provide decent accommodation and have their own kitchen as well. So, you have an option to carry your own food and spend less on eating out.

Check out hostelbookers. They are great.


Public transport

Many tourist destinations usually have inadequate infrastructure when it come to transport. Visitors are left at the mercy of cab drivers. In some countries you could be taken for a ride and cabs can be very expensive. It's best to use public transport whenever possible. For example, in Goa (India), taxi charges are exorbitant. Comparatively, the government run shuttle service charges one-tenth of what a taxi will charge and ofcourse efficient.

Plan in advance

Last bust not the least, the most important tip of all, plan your holiday well in advance. You get good discounts when tickets and accommodation are booked well in advance. Especially if you want to travel during christmas, you may look at planning and booking your holiday atleast 6 months in advance to ensure a place at a relatively cheaper price than if you book at a later date.

If possible, try to visit the holiday destination in an off-peak season. You get cheaper prices, good deals and most of all more privacy with less crowd.

So, it is definitely possible to have a great holiday without spending a fortune. Important thing is to judge where you spend your money. Always explore your options and research well before you travel.

Have a wonderful holiday.