The Ultimate Quick CSS Guide

CSS – Cascading Style Sheets, the hidden heroes of the world wide web. These unsung heroes take a plain page of text and turn it into visually stimulating, aesthetically pleasing works of textual art. But what exactly is CSS and how do you use it? 

You needn't head off to Amazon or your local bookstore to drop $50 on a massive tome that will give you back problems. There's a very structured logic behind CSS and you can learn some of the basics in just a matter of minutes. While the scope of this guide will not give you magical powers over the layouts of your pages and allow you to make the most intricate and complex pages available today, it will certainly get you on your way.

The cascading part of the CSS is one of the most important. It means that instead of editing each and every page on your website manually to give them flair and style, you simply point them all to the style sheet and have them incorporate the styles. It has been one of the most important additions to HTML over recent years.

CSS Structure
First let's look at a very quick CSS section to get a feel for the structure of CSS and to see how it looks and what it means:

p
{
text-align:center;
color:black;
font-family:arial
}

 
CSS is made of 3 pieces a selector, in the example p for paragraph, the logical grouping on the HTML page. The second piece is property in the example text-align, color and font-family are all properties of the selector. The final piece is the value which is center, black and arial in the example. The standard format is Selector {property:value;} Each property must be paired with a value and closed with a semi colon. Each group of properties must be enclosed in curly brackets and the selector must be placed directly before the properties.

Every element on a web page can generally be styled in some way, whether it's where it shows up on the page, what color the text or the background is or what size. Here is a list of the most common and useful CSS elements that generally show up in every page of text:

Basic Concepts

Property Description
Grouping Multiple selectors separated by commas. Allows for assignment of properties to elements (selectors). H1, H2, H3, H5 { color: blue;}
Contextual selectors One or more selectors H1 B {text-decoration: underline;} Bold Header 1 will be underlined as well.
Class
(tag attribute)
A class selector is a name preceded by a period. Do not use the period when referencing the class. Called by using the class= attribute. Do not begin a class name with a number
.CSSguide {color: blue;}
class="CSSguide"
>This is blue.
ID
(tag attribute)
An ID selector is preceded by a hash mark (#), and is called using the ID= attribute. The hash mark does not appear in the value of ID. Works like the class selector except that the ID can be used only once in the document.
#Once {color: red;}
ID="Once"
>This can only be used once.
Comments
Anything between /* and */ will be a comment and have no effect on the page. Used to document changes etc. /* This is a comment. */
DIV and SPAN tags
A Div is a block where the content within can all be styled at once

Hello

SPAN is used for inline formatting inside of another styled element like a paragraph
This is blue in a regular paragraph
Shorthand
Many properties can accept a shorthand list of values. Values are read from the top clockwise.
Example:
DIV { padding: 5px 10px 5px 10px }
is the same as:
DIV { padding-top:5px; padding-right:10px;
padding-bottom:5px; padding-left:10px }

Background Properties

Property
Description
background
Sets any background properties in one selector.
background-attachment
Sets whether a background image is stationary or scrolls with the page.
background-color
Sets the background color of a selector. Accepts HTML color names and Hex Color code i.e. #ffffff
background-image
Sets the background image for a selector
background-position
Sets the starting position of a background image in pixels
background-repeat
Sets if a background image will repeat horizontally, vertically or not at all.
Border and Outline Properties
Property
Description
border
Sets all the border values in one property declaration
border-bottom
Sets all the bottom border values in one property declaration
border-bottom-color
Sets the color of the bottom border
border-bottom-style
Sets the style of the bottom border
border-bottom-width
Sets the width of the bottom border
border-color
Sets the color of the four borders
border-left
Sets all the left border values in one property declaration
border-left-color
Sets the color of the left border
border-left-style
Sets the style of the left border
border-left-width
Sets the width of the left border
border-right
Sets all the right border properties in one property declaration
border-right-color
Sets the color of the right border
border-right-style
Sets the style of the right border
border-right-width
Sets the width of the right border
border-style
Sets the style of the four borders
border-top
Sets all the top border properties in one property declaration
border-top-color
Sets the color of the top border
border-top-style
Sets the style of the top border
border-top-width
Sets the width of the top border
border-width
Sets the width of the four borders
outline
Sets all the outline properties in one property declaration
outline-color
Sets the color of an outline
outline-style
Sets the style of an outline
outline-width
Sets the width of an outline
Font Properties
Property
Description
font-family
Property to choose specific fonts from generic families: serif, sans-serif, monospace, cursive and fantasy. Selector {font-family: "Courier New”, serif;} Can be applied to any text Selector.
font-style
Selects between italic and normal. Selector {font-style: italic;}
font-variant
Choice of two values: small-caps and normal. Allows for special formatting, will probably expand eventually beyond just 2 choices. Selector {font-variant: small-caps;}
font-weight
Values are: bold, normal, lighter, bolder and numeric values 100-900. Selector {font-weight: 700;}
font-size
Sets the absolute size (pt, in, cm, px), relative size (em, ex), or percentage of normal size.
Can be size: xx-large, x-large, large, medium, small, x-small, xx-small, larger, smaller or numeric value. Selector {font-size: 200%;} Selector {font-size: 36pt;} Selector {font-size: x-large;}
font
Sets all font values in one property declaration. Best order of values is
font {font-style font-variant font-weight font-size/line-height font-family;}. Not all are necessary Selector {font: bold 16pt “Times New Roman”;}
Dimension Properties
Property
Description
height Sets the height of a selector
max-height Sets the maximum height of a selector
max-width Sets the maximum width of a selector
min-height Sets the minimum height of a selector
min-width Sets the minimum width of a selector
width Sets the width of a selector
List Properties
Property
Description
list-style Sets all the properties for a list in one property declaration
list-style-image Specifies an image as the list-item marker
list-style-position Specifies where to place the list-item marker
list-style-type Specifies the type of list-item marker
Margin Properties
Property
Description
margin Sets all the margin properties in one property declaration
margin-bottom Sets the bottom margin of a selector
margin-left Sets the left margin of a selector
margin-right Sets the right margin of a selector
margin-top Sets the top margin of a selector
Padding Properties
Property
Description
padding Sets all the padding properties in one property declaration
padding-bottom Sets the bottom padding of a selector
padding-left Sets the left padding of a selector
padding-right Sets the right padding of a selector
padding-top Sets the top padding of a selector
Positioning Properties
Property
Description
bottom Sets the bottom margin edge for a positioned selector
clear Whether a selector allows floating elements on the sides or not.
cursor Specifies the type of cursor to be displayed i.e. crosshair, help, wait
display Specifies the type of box a selector should generate
float Specifies whether or not a box should float
left Sets the left margin edge for a positioned box
overflow Specifies what happens if content overflows a selector's box
position Specifies the type of positioning for a selector
right Sets the right margin edge for a positioned box
top Sets the top margin edge for a positioned box
visibility Specifies whether or not a selector is visible
z-index Sets the stack order of a selector like layers above or below others.

For further information there are a great amount of resources online including those that were drawn upon for this article.

Turn Off Unnecessary Windows Services, Speed up PC

Windows is notorious for having useless features and CPU resource hogging programs/services enabled by default. Today’s post is about removing some of the useless services. Services are kind of like startup programs, they are usually not necessary, they slow down your computer, and they slow down the boot up process; however, some are useful so thats why I have made a list of ones to get rid of.0 To turn off services in windows you go to Start > Run > Type: 'services.msc' > Double Click on the service you want to alter and change the startup type to disabled or manual as directed in the list of unnecessary services below.

Unnecessary Windows Services
  • AdobeLM Service: Not all computers have this service, still it is useless, just disable it if you have it.
  • Alerter: Disable this one if you are not on a network because you don’t need to receive alerts.
  • Application Management: Set this to manual.
  • Automatic Updates: Disable it if you don’t require auto updating and patching of Windows.
  • ClipBook: Disable this if you are not on a network, since you don’t need to share anything.
  • Computer Browser: Disable this too if you are not on a network, as you don’t need to browse and monitor connected computers.
  • Cryptographic Services: Set this to manual if you are not sure you need it.
  • Distributed Transaction Service: Set this to manual.
  • DNS Client: Set this to manual if you are not on a network.
  • Error Reporting Service: Disable this useless service for reporting errors to Microsoft. After all, it doesn’t help you solve the problem.
  • Fast User Switching Compatibility: Disable it if you have only a single user on your computer, or if you do not use fast user switching feature much. That is, if you completely log-off and then allow other users to use your computer, then you do not need this. Note that this service is completely useless for low memory computers.
  • FTP Publishing: Disable this if you do not use FTP.
  • Help and Support: Set it to manual or turn it off if you do not use the help feature often.
  • HTTP SSL: Set it to manual.
  • Human Interface Device Access: Turn it off if you do not use hot-keys or remote systems on your computer; if you use them sometimes, it is better turn it to manual.
  • IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service: Set this to manual to save memory and time. Do not turn it to disabled if you have a CD writer or a DVD writer attached to your computer.
  • Indexing Service: Turn it off, it uses lots of CPU
  • InstallDriver Table Manager: Disable it.
  • IPSEC Services: Set this to manual.
  • Windows Messenger: Disable this if you are not on a network, it uses too much memory and it is a hog. Use Gaim instead.
  • MS Software Shadow Copy Provider: Set this to manual.
  • Net Logon: Disable if you are not on a network.
  • NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing: Disable this if you do not use Remote Desktop feature.
  • Network Provisioning Service: Disable this, it’s useless if you are not on a network.
  • NT LM Security Support Provider: Disable this, its useless too.
  • NVIDIA Display Driver Service: If you do not use the features of nVidia Desktop, this service must be disabled; it is a big hog of memory.
  • Office Source Engine: Disable it if you have a MS Office CD handy always, its helpful if your installation goes corrupt.
  • Portable Media Serial Number Service: Set it to manual if you connect portable media to your computer, otherwise disable it.
  • Print Spooler: Disable it if you don’t have a printer.
  • Protected Storage: Disable it if you don’t allow strangers to sit on your encrypted storage computer.
  • Remote Desktop Help Session Manager: Disable it if you don’t use Remote Desktop feature for help and support from Microsoft. You don’t get support from Microsoft usually anyways.
  • Remote Procedure Call Locator: Set it to manual.
  • Remote Registry: Serious security threat if turned on, disable it now!
  • Removable Storage: Disable it if you don’t use removable storage drives, else turn it manual.
  • Routing and Remote Access: Set it to manual.
  • Secondary Logon: Useless feature for most, disable it or turn it manual.
  • Security Accounts Manager: Disable it, it’s pretty useless, unless you use NTFS Encryption.
  • Security Center: Damn useless and irritating feature. Disable it as soon as you can!
  • Server: Set it to manual or disable it if you are not on network.
  • Smart Card: Disable it. Seriously who uses smart cards for their home computers?
  • SSDP Discovery Service: Disable it of not on network or don’t have UPnP devices on home networks.
  • TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper: Set it to manual if on network, otherwise disable it.
  • Telnet: Set it to manual if you use this feature, otherwise disable it, especially if you are home users.
  • Terminal Services: Since you aren’t using Remote Desktop etc… disable it for good.
  • Uninterrupted Power Supply: Disable it if you don’t have an UPS attached to the serial port of your computer.
  • Universal Plug and Play Device Host: Set it to manual.
  • User Privilege Service: Set it to manual.
  • Volume Shadow Copy: Disable it if you don’t backup using System Restore or Windows Backup. I recommend Ghost.
  • Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS): Disable this if you have another firewall such as Norton or Zone Alarm installed, otherwise let it remain ON for better security.
  • Windows Image Acquisition (WIA): If you don’t connect/use a camera/scanner with your computer, disable this service, else set it to manual.
  • Windows Media Connect: Disable this if you don’t use things such as an iPod etc… for your Windows Media Player.
  • Windows Media Connect (WMC) Helper: Disable this if you disabled the one above or if you don’t need help.
  • Windows Time: Disable if not on a synchronized network.
  • Wireless Zero Configuration: Disable if not on a wireless network.
  • WMI Performance Adapters: Disable it, useless service for basic usage.
  • Workstation: Disable if you aren’t on a network. Or simply, if you are a gamer, just shut this one.

List of Run Commands for Windows 7

I'm posting a list of Run Commands every PowerUser or Administrator should know in bold below. So if you know anymore new ones, Please Post them here hope this helps! 
 
Windows logo key + R

Administrative Tools

Administrative Tools = control admintools
Authorization Manager = azman.msc
Component Services = dcomcnfg
Certificate Manager = certmgr.msc
Direct X Troubleshooter = dxdiag
Display Languages = lpksetup
ODBC Data Source Administrator = odbcad32
File Signature Verification Tool = sigverif
Group Policy Editor = gpedit.msc
Add Hardware Wizard = hdwwiz.cpl
iSCSI Initiator = iscsicpl
Iexpress Wizard = iexpress
Local Security Settings = secpol.msc
Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool = msdt
Microsoft Management Console = mmc
Print management = printmanagement.msc
Printer User Interface = printui
Problems Steps Recorder = psr
People Near Me = p2phost
Registry Editor = regedit or regedt32
Resoure Monitor = resmon
System Configuration Utility = msconfig
Resultant Set of Policy = rsop.msc
SQL Server Client Configuration = cliconfg
Task Manager = taskmgr
Trusted Platform Module = tpm.msc
TPM Security Hardware = TpmInit
Windows Remote Assistance = msra
Windows Share Folder Creation Wizard = shrpubw
Windows Standalong Update Manager = wusa
Windows System Security Tool = syskey
Windows Script Host Settings = wscript
Windows Version = winver
Windows Firewall with Advanced Security = wf.msc
Windows Memory Diagnostic = MdSched
Windows Malicious Removal Tool = mrt

Computer Management

Computer Management = compmgmt.msc or CompMgmtLauncher
Task Scheduler = control schedtasks
Event Viewer = eventvwr.msc
Shared Folders/MMC = fsmgmt.msc
Local Users and Groups = lusrmgr.msc
Performance Monitor = perfmon.msc
Device Manager = devmgmt.msc
Disk Management = diskmgmt.msc
Services = services.msc
Windows Management Infrastructure = wmimgmt.msc

Conrtol Panel

Control Panel = control
Action Center= wscui.cpl
Autoplay = control.exe /name Microsoft.autoplay
Backup and Restore = sdclt
Create a System Repair disc = recdisc
BDE Administrator = bdeadmin.cpl
Color Management = colorcpl
Credential Manager = control.exe /name Microsoft.CredentialManager
Credential Manager Stored User Names and Passwords = credwiz
Date and Time Properties = timedate.cpl
Default Programs = control.exe /name Microsoft.DefaultPrograms
Set Program Access and Computer Defaults = control appwiz.cpl,,3 or ComputerDefaults
Devices and Printers = control printers
Devices and Printers Add a Device = DevicePairingWizard
Display = dpiscaling
Screen Resolution = desk.cpl
Display Color Calibration = dccw
Cleartype Text Tuner = cttune
Folders Options = control folders
Fonts = control fonts
Getting Started = GettingStarted
HomeGroup = control.exe /name Microsoft.HomeGroup
Indexing Options = control.exe /name Microsoft.IndexingOptions
Internet Properties = inetcpl.cpl
Keyboard = control keyboard
Location and Other Sensors = control.exe /name Microsoft.LocationandOtherSensors
Location Notifications = LocationNotifications
Mouse = control mouse or main.cpl
Network and Sharing Center = control.exe /name Microsoft.NetworkandSharingCenter
Network Connections = control netconnections or ncpa.cpl
Notification Area Icons = control.exe /name Microsoft.NotificationAreaIcons
Parental Controls = control.exe /name Microsoft.ParentalControls
Performance Information = control.exe /name Microsoft.PerformanceInformationandTools
Personalization = control desktop
Windows Color and Appearance = control color
Phone and Modem Options = telephon.cpl
Power Configuration = powercfg.cpl
Programs and Features = appwiz.cpl or control appwiz.cpl
Optional Features Manager = optionalfeatures or control appwiz.cpl,,2
Recovery = control.exe /name Microsoft.Recovery
Regional and Language = intl.cpl
RemoteApp = control.exe /name Microsoft.RemoteAppandDesktopConnections
Sound = mmsys.cpl
Volume Mixer = sndvol
System Properties = sysdm.cpl or Windows logo key + Pause/Break
SP ComputerName Tab = SystemPropertiesComputerName
SP Hardware Tab = SystemPropertiesHardware
SP Advanced Tab = SystemPropertiesAdvanced
SP Performance = SystemPropertiesPerformance
SP Data Execution Prevention = SystemPropertiesDataExecutionPrevention
SP Protection Tab = SystemPropertiesProtection
SP Remote Tab = SystemPropertiesRemote
Windows Activation = slui
Windows Activation Phone Numbers = slui 4
Taskbar and Start Menu = control.exe /name Microsoft.TaskbarandStartMenu
Troubleshooting = control.exe /name Microsoft.Troubleshooting
User Accounts = control.exe /name Microsoft.UserAccounts
User Account Control Settings = UserAccountControlSettings
User Accounts Windows 2000/domain version = netplwiz or control userpasswords2
Encryption File System = rekeywiz
Windows Anytime Upgrade = WindowsAnytimeUpgradeui
Windows Anytime Upgrade Results = WindowsAnytimeUpgradeResults
Windows CardSpace = control.exe /name Microsoft.cardspace
Windows Firewall = firewall.cpl
WindowsSideshow = control.exe /name Microsoft.WindowsSideshow
Windows Update App Manager = wuapp

Accessories

Calculator = calc
Command Prompt = cmd
Connect to a Network Projector = NetProj
Presentation Settings = PresentationSettings
Connect to a Projector = displayswitch or Windows logo key + P
Notepad = notepad
Microsoft Paint = mspaint.exe
Remote Desktop Connection = mstsc
Run = Windows logo key + R
Snipping Tool = snippingtool
Sound Recorder = soundrecorder
Sticky Note = StikyNot
Sync Center = mobsync
Windows Mobility Center (Only on Laptops) = mblctr or Windows logo key + X
Windows Explorer = explorer or Windows logo key + E
Wordpad = write
Ease of Access Center = utilman or Windows logo key + U
Magnifier = magnify
Narrator = Narrator
On Screen Keyboard = osk
Private Character Editor = eudcedit
Character Map = charmap
Ditilizer Calibration Tool = tabcal
Disk Cleanup Utility = cleanmgr
Defragment User Interface = dfrgui
Internet Explorer = iexplore
Rating System = ticrf
Internet Explorer (No Add-ons) = iexplore -extoff
Internet Explorer (No Home) = iexplore about:blank
Phone Dialer = dialer
Printer Migration = PrintBrmUi
System Information = msinfo32
System Restore = rstrui
Windows Easy Transfer = migwiz
Windows Media Player = wmplayer
Windows Media Player DVD Player = dvdplay
Windows Fax and Scan Cover Page Editor = fxscover
Windows Fax and Scan = wfs
Windows Image Acquisition = wiaacmgr
Windows PowerShell ISE = powershell_ise
Windows PowerShell = powershell
XPS Viewer = xpsrchvw

Open Documents folder = documents
Open Pictures folder = pictures
Open Music folder = music
Open Videos folder = videos
Open Downloads folder = downloads
Open Favorites folder = favorites
Open Recent folder = recent
Logs out of Windows = logoff
Locks User Account = Windows logo Key + L

So if you know anymore new ones, Please Post them here hope this helps!  :)


Apple unveils 'iCloud' storage, new operating system

Apple's Steve Jobs on Monday announced a new service called "iCloud," which lets Apple product owners store documents and music on the Internet instead of on their own computer hard drives or mobile phones.

iCloud expands on the trend of cloud computing, which refers to the idea that computer users are storing more of their information "in the cloud" of the Internet rather than on their own storage drives.




All of a person's Apple devices -- iPhone, iPads and Mac computers -- sync wirelessly with Apple's iCloud, giving users access to their documents, photos, apps, calendars and e-mails from any location, not just on a specific gadget. "We think this is going to be pretty big," said Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, who has been on medical leave since January. But the service does have some limits.

iCloud stores photos for up to 30 days, and mobile devices store the most recent 1,000 photos. Users can store only 5 gigabytes of documents, which is more than some competitors allow. And in order to sync music that wasn't purchased from Apple's iTunes store, users must pay Apple a fee of $25 per year. All iCloud services except that music add-on are free, Jobs said. "This is the first time we've seen this in the music industry," he said. Consumers can use the iTunes portion of iCloud now, but only if they have iOS version 4.3. The rest of the features will be available to everyone in the fall.

The service replaces an old Apple product called MobileMe, which cost $99 per year. Daily back-ups on iCloud happen automatically in the background when a device is connected to the Internet over Wi-Fi, the company said. Big tech players like Amazon and Google, as well as smaller companies like Dropbox, already operate cloud storage services with various features.

Amazon created a stir in March when it announced a cloud music player. Apple typically uses its Worldwide Developers Conference or WWDC, as the event is called in tech circles, to announce a new version on the popular iPhone. But not this year. "If the hardware is the brain ... of our products, the software is their soul. And today, we are going to talk about software," Jobs said before a packed audience, wearing his standard uniform of a black mock turtleneck and jeans.

Analysts expect a new iPhone in September.

If anyone was doubting that iOS and OS X are converging, the use of the trackpad for gestures should convince you. It's incredibly tablet-like. But I wonder how much getting used to it'll take?" Gizmodo wrote on its live blog of the event, which started at 1 p.m. ET. A new version of Apple's mobile operating system -- called iOS 5, which is due out in the fall -- introduces a system of alerts for iPhones and iPads. A "Notification Center" organizes alerts by app, and these alerts pop up at the top of the screen where they can be more easily ignored. Currently, these alerts show up in the center of the screen and interrupt users.

The mobile operating system also integrates with Twitter, allowing users to tweet photos from within the Camera and Maps apps. "We want to make it easier for all of our customers to use Twitter," Apple's Scott Forstall said at the event in San Francisco. A new built-in app called Reminders lets users create to-do lists, and an update to the iPhone and iPad e-mail system will let people create messages in bold or italics, as well as encrypt the messages they send from mobile devices.

The new mobile operating system will also debut a new app called iMessage. With it, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad users will be able to send text, photo and video messages to each other without having to pay the cell-carrier fees associated with texting.

Research in Motion has a similar feature called BlackBerry Messenger, which is quite popular among owners of those phones. App developers have been selling similar software for iOS and other platforms, and those will likely continue to be popular because they allow, say, an iPhone user to contact an Android phone. An update to the Camera app lets people take photos by pressing the volume-up button on the side of the iPad or iPhone.

The new Camera app also lets users edit photos on the fly, simulating features already available from many third-party app developers. iOS updates will be available for the first time "over the air," meaning users won't have to sync their devices with desktop computers to get new software. Users can also sync phones with iTunes over Wi-Fi.

Android Secret Codes

Android is going to be very popular now these days.Android market provides wide range of applications for fulfill all your needs.As a Android user all you need to know about Android OS. So here i m sharing with you some secret code. This code helps you to access some hidden option which are generally not given as default.Plz use this code carefully because if you are unaware of these advanced settings then it may be harmful for your phone.

*#*#7780#*#*   - This code is used for factory restore setting.This will remove google account setting and System and application data and settings.

*2767*3855#   -  This code is used for factory format, and will remove all files and settings including the internal memory storage. It will also reinstall the firmware.

*#*#4636#*#*   - This code show information about your phone and battery.

*#*#273283*255*663282*#*#*    - This code opens a File copy screen where you can backup your media files e.g. Images, Sound, Video and Voice memo.

*#*#197328640#*#*    -  This code can be used to enter into Service mode. You can run various tests and change settings in the service mode.

*#*#7594#*#*   -  This code enable your "End call / Power" button into direct poweroff button without asking for selecting any option(silent mode, aeroplane and poweroff).

*#*#8255#*#*  -  This code can be used to launch GTalk Service Monitor.

*#*#34971539#*#*    -  This code is used to get camera information.Plz avoid update camera firmware option.


WLAN, GPS and Bluetooth Test Codes:

*#*#232339#*#* OR *#*#526#*#* OR *#*#528#*#*   -  WLAN test (Use “Menu” button to start various tests).

*#*#232338#*#*    -  Shows WiFi MAC address.

*#*#1472365#*#*    -  GPS test.

*#*#1575#*#*    -  Another GPS test.

*#*#232331#*#*   -  Bluetooth test.

*#*#232337#*#    -  Shows Bluetooth device address.


Codes to launch various Factory Tests:

*#*#0842#*#*   - Device test (Vibration test and BackLight test)

*#*#0588#*#*    - Proximity sensor test

*#*#0*#*#*    -  LCD test

*#*#2664#*#*   -  Touch screen test

*#*#2663#*#*    -  Touch screen version

*#*#0283#*#*   -  Packet Loopback

*#*#0673#*#* OR *#*#0289#*#*    -  Melody test

*#*#3264#*#*    -  RAM version


Code for firmware version information.

 *#*#1111#*#*   -  FTA SW Version

*#*#2222#*#*   - FTA HW Version

*#*#44336#*#* - PDA, Phone, CSC, Build Time, Changelist number

*#*#4986*2650468#*#*   - PDA, Phone, H/W, RFCallDate

*#*#1234#*#*  - PDA and Phone
 
Keep Trying  :)

Learning time : CAPTCHA

We’re going to learn how how CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) works and how it minimizes automatic sign-up of forms. We will also be creating a simple CAPTCHA script in PHP to illustrate this.

Basically CAPTCHA works in the following manner:
  1. Create Random Value: Some random string is generated, random values are often hard to guess and predict.
  2. Generate an Image: Images are used as these are generally a lot harder to read for computers while being nice and readable to humans. This is also the most important step as simple text in images can be read (and CAPTCHA cracked) quite easily. To make it difficult for them, developers employ different techniques so that the text in the image becomes hard to read for computers. Some create zig-zag lines for background while others twist-and-turn individual characters in the image. Possibilities are many and new techniques are being developed all the time as crackers are always into finding ways to break them.
  3. Store it: The random string generated (which is also in the image) is stored for matching the user input. The easiest way to do so is to use the Session variables.
  4. Matching: After the above step, the CAPTCHA image is generated and shown on some form which we want to protect from being abused. The users fills in the form along with the CAPTCHA text and submits it. Now we have the following:
    • All submitted form data.
    • CAPTCHA string (from form), input by user.
    • CAPTCHA string (real one, generated by us), from session variable. Session variable is generally used as it can keep stored values across page requests. Here, we needed to preserve stored values from one page (form page) to another (action page-that receives form data).
  5. If both match, it’s okay otherwise not, in that case we can give the user a message that the CAPTCHA they had entered was wrong and their form could not be submitted. You could also ask them to verify it again.

CAPTCHA Generation and Matching

From the above image it’s quite clear that when someone requests the form page, the CAPTCHA text is generated and sent back to requesting user, but only in the form of an image. If the requester is a human he’d not have much difficulty reading the image and inputting the text when asked but if it’s a bot it might face difficulties guessing whats in the image. In the next step when we match the string generated and the one the user had input, we can restrict automated form submissions.

The following is the code that does this, it’ll just output the CAPTCHA image to the browser when the script is requested:

/********************************************************
* File:        captcha.php                             *
* Author:      Snehal Masne                            *
* Date:        12-Mar-2009                             *
* Description: This file can be embedded as image      *
*              to show CAPTCHA/                        *
********************************************************/

// The number of characters you
// want your CAPTCHA text to have
define('CAPTCHA_STRENGTH', 5);

/****************************
*        INITIALISE        *
****************************/
// Tell PHP we're going to use
// Session vars
session_start();

// Md5 to generate the random string
$random_str = md5(microtime());

// Trim required number of characters
$captcha_str = substr($random_str, 0, CAPTCHA_STRENGTH);

// Allocate new image
$width = (CAPTCHA_STRENGTH * 10)+10;
$height = 20;

$captcha_img =ImageCreate($width, $height);

// ALLOCATE COLORS
// Background color-black
$back_color = ImageColorAllocate($captcha_img, 0, 0, 0);

// Text color-white
$text_color = ImageColorAllocate($captcha_img, 255, 255, 255);

// Line color-red
$line_color = ImageColorAllocate($captcha_img, 255, 0, 0);

/****************************
*     DRAW BACKGROUND &    *
*           LINES          *
****************************/
// Fill background color
ImageFill($captcha_img, 0, 0, $back_color);

// Draw lines accross the x-axis
for($i = 0; $i < $width; $i += 5)
ImageLine($captcha_img, $i, 0, $i, 20, $line_color);

// Draw lines accross the y-axis
for($i = 0; $i < 20; $i += 5)
ImageLine($captcha_img, 0, $i, $width, $i , $line_color);

/****************************
*      DRAW AND OUTPUT     *
*          IMAGE           *
****************************/
// Draw the random string
ImageString($captcha_img, 5, 5, 2, $captcha_str, $text_color);

// Carry the data (KEY) through session
$_SESSION['key'] = $captcha_str;

// Send data type
header("Content-type: image/jpeg");

// Output image to browser
ImageJPEG($captcha_img);

// Free-Up resources
ImageDestroy($captcha_img);

How To Lock Your Computer With USB Drive

Tired of people starting your computer when you are not around and messing up custom settings? Wouldn’t it be cool if you could lock your computer by just removing your USB stick from it? I’ll show you how you can use your USB stick, Flash Drive or Pen Drive what ever you call it to lock your computer, among other things…


Boot Lock
 
This trick will allow you to use your USB to BOOT into Windows. If someone tries to start the computer without your USB stick, it will display boot errors. Before begin, you playing with the BIOS and boot files of your computer may result in you not being able to boot into your Windows partition; so continue at your own risk! 

Things you need: A 64MB or larger sized USB Stick, Windows Recovery Disk (just in case). Unhide hidden and protected files : Go to Tools > Options > View, check Show hidden files and un-check Hide protected system files.
  • From the drive where Windows is installed (normally C:\), copy the files boot.ini, ntdlr and NTDETECT.COM to your USB Stick.
  • Now, we need to go into your BIOS, so restart the computer and keep jabbing [F8] as soon as the computer starts.
  • Once in the BIOS, enable USB Drive as the first boot device. You might have to enable USB Legacy  Support on older BIOSes.
  • Restart your computer, if all goes well, you should be able to log into Windows. If not, then unplug the USB Stick, return to the BIOS and change the First Boot device to your hard disk drive and repeat the steps above.
  • Once you are logged into Windows, go to your Windows drive and rename boot.ini to boot.bak.
  • To check if you have setup everything correctly, eject your USB stick and reboot the computer. You should get error messages on the screen such as Invalid Boot.ini” or “Windows could not start”.

That's it !   :)

Google launches 'Swiffy' that Converts Flash to HTML5

Converting SWF files (the file format for Flash) to HTML 5 is now become possible with Swiffy.Googlelabs.com. 

Yes, Google's Swiffy makes Flash files HTML5 friendly, indirectly Google comes with Adobe Flash killer.. !

Using conversation tool, you will be able to reuse Flash content on devices which are not having Flash Player. You just need to upload SWF file to convert Flash Swf to HTML 5 video.


Swiffy.Googlelabs.com has been started in 2011. Swiffy is launched by Google Labs to convert Flash File to iPhone Friendly HTML5. Swiffy tool is like Adobe, called as WallyBy. The main difference between Swiffy and WallyBy is that Swiffy is web-based tool and code is made and compressed in a way which creates editing difficult, while Wallaby is a type of client which only works on Windows PC or Mac and the code is intended to be edited and reused. You can convert maximum 512 KB Flash files (.swf) into HTML 5 content.


How it works?


You don’t require registration to Convert Flash SWF to HTML5 Video at Google’s free online tool. To convert files into HTML5 Video, just upload flash file from your computer. Once you upload it, you can open flash files in any computer that does not contain flash player. You can also convert flash file into HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and SVG. Currently, the output of site only works on webkit-based browsers including Apple Safari and Google Chrome and Swiffy supports a division of ActionScript 2.0 and SWF 8. It works only with animation and content prepared using Flash 8.


Pros:

  • Convert Adobe Flash animation SWF Files into HTML5 easily
  • Open HTML 5 video on any computer which has no Flash Player

Cons:

  • Convert maximum 512 KB Flash files (.swf) into HTML 5 content

Swiffy vs. Wallaby


It should also be noted that Adobe launched a similar tool known as Wallaby in March. Like Swiffy, Wallaby converts Flash to HTML5, and again, mainly for the purpose of converting ads. Google explains the differences between the two programs in its FAQ:

Wallaby is an installable tool that converts .fla files, whereas Swiffy is a web-based tool that converts .swf files. Wallaby focuses on reusing parts of a Flash file in HTML, and thus produces code that can be edited by the developer, whereas Swiffy generates an efficient format that is not that easily editable.

For what's it's worth, Adobe says it's happy about Swiffy:

Adobe is pleased to see the Flash platform extended to devices which don't support the Flash player. The result is that anyone creating rich or interactive ads can continue to get all the authoring benefits of Flash Pro and have the flexibility to run the ad in the Flash Player or HTML depending on what's available on the system. Google and Adobe look forward to close collaboration around efforts like these.


Have you tried using Swiffy yet to convert any of your flash animations to HTML5?