Get the Best out of Google Calender

I'll get straight to the point: WHY YOU SHOULD USE GOOGLE CALENDER,

1. It synchronises autometically with your smartphone.
2. You get to share it with your friends.
3. Wide range of functionalities FOR FREE. And when i say a wide range, I mean it.
4. Find out a suitable time for an event where you all can participate.

HOW TO SHARE YOUR GOOGLE CALENDER:

Step 1:

Go to http://www.google.com/calendar/
Login with your google account

By the side you name you will find a drop down list.
from the list, select, "Share this calender"



Step 2:

Make you calender Public.
Check the box where it says, "Hide details"

If you wish to share your calender with specific people and allow them to do more, you could do that too. Just enter your friends email ID and choose the appropiate permission settings for that friends.


Step 3:

Update and explore your calender. Try google labs. They have some mind blowing added features for your calender.

Merge your friends calender with yours. Now you don't have to call and find out a time slot for a hangout.

Surviving Bioinformatics

Last week I finished my Chemistry homework. My topic was on the relationship of cloud computing and bioinformatics. Both of the subject are relatively new and interesting. I got a lot of information out there in the internet. So just to contribute back to the community, here is my paper.

Possibilities of Cloud Computing in Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics:

Bioinformatics is basically the application of computer science and information technology in the field of Biology, Medical Science and disease research. Bioinformatics mainly deals in devising algorithms, computing models, storing and structuring research results, modeling and simulating different cellular models etc. Bioinformatics also relates to inventing new computing systems. Neural computing system is such theoretical computing model in which the circuits of the computer resemble the synaptic connections those are found in human brain. Hence, increasing the computing power of a machine exponentially.

Cloud Computing:

Cloud computing is the use of parallel computing over the Internet. It is a system in which a task requiring huge processing power, is distribute evenly to a number of computers or server and processed simultaneously. This significantly reduces the time required for the processing.2

The difference between cloud computing and traditional grid computing is that, cloud computing is treated as a utility service. The concept of cloud computing is similar to that of buying electricity from the national grid instead of having to set up a small power station at home. Cloud computing offers same services and utility that a client could ask from his own data center. Only difference is, he does not need to setup a data center in order to use one. The 'service' can be accessed from anywhere, any time, from any device (computer, laptop, iPads or Mobile phones). 17

Importance of bioinformatics:

As mentioned before, bioinformatics is simply the application of information technology in the field of biology and medical science. Currently, “protein folding” is a common term. It mainly discusses the possible ways a protein may organise itself or in short the way it will ‘fold’.

Protein are known to be the ‘workhorse’ of biology. they are found in every cell of out body and they control all the functions in our body. Proteins are basically long chains of amino acid that can combine practically in infinite number of ways to form a protein. for each protein there is a definitive function and structure. structure of the protein means the particular way amino acids combine with each other.  based on the combinations of amino acid the function of proteins are determined. now proteins perform various functions inside our body. some protein deliver energy to our muscles, other carry sensory signals to our brain etc. the folding of protein is a defined process (which we do not have a clear perception on!).

Now if for some reason, a protein folding goes wrong, we fall victim to various diseases. diseases such as Alzheimer, cancer, AIDS are because of misfolding of proteins. since we do not know exactly how these ‘misfolding’ happens, we are not yet able to find a cure to such diseases. if we could figure out the exact process, cancer would vanish from Earth.

Clearly, the computational speed of machines are much more than that of a human. so we have define an algorithm to do the work for us. this is where bioinformatics come in. bioinformatics studies the way we could use technology much more effectively to find solutions to our problem. bioinformatics deploy various techniques, algorithms and computational system to speed up the calculation process. this is why bioinformatics is so important.14

The connection between bioinformatics and cloud computing:

the permutation algorithms take a long time to produce outputs in an average computer. that is why such calculations are performed on powerful computers such as a medium size server.

Latest researches in the field of medicine, biology, chemistry has a huge demands for powerful computational system. Computer system are required to perform complex calculation and simulation in order to obtain result. Most of the universities facilitating such research have their own server system to perform complex calculations. These servers, despite of having very high number of core (processors), sometimes fall behind schedule while researchers anxiously awaits their turn to use the common parallel processing system of the university. Few of the cases, the processing power of these servers are insufficient. In such cases, the necessity of having additional computing power arises.


Not in all the cases, additional computing power can be managed for a project. It may because of limited space or fund. In such cases necessity of a third party vendor is felt. This third party offers their computing system in form of cloud computing.

Necessity of Cloud Computing in Bioinformatics:

Technology has helped us to progress in every field of our life. It has eased our banking system, workplace, education and every other field we can think of. In the complex field of biology, medicine and medical science, the application of computer technology becomes absolute necessity. Here are few reason why cloud computing can become the prime need for bioinformatics. some of the benefits are given below,



Large Database:

Cloud computing system could offer a smart system to store, review, share and revise existing data on various research. It can make the data accessible from any corner of the world. Thus enabling the researchers to know the necessary data for their research. It will also keep away researchers from doing  a research which has already been done.

Collaboration:

Cloud computing offers an interesting platform for collaborated projects, enabling researchers overseas to contribute and indulge in discussions in real time.

Security:

Security and privacy for the data stored in cloud system has been hot topic since the appearance of cloud computing. thanks to various contributors, Data stored in cloud servers now have devised a system which makes the cloud highly secured place to store the data. 4

normally, to provide security to any data, the data itself is encrypted. only the with The encryption key the data can be decrypted and used at a later time. Without the encryption key, the data is out of any danger.5

However, when the data was stored in the cloud the key had to be saved some where. the concept of cloud computing tells that even the key has to stored in the cloud, not on client’s machine to ensure the portability that the cloud promises. But, storing the key on the cloud itself, side by side with the data remained a security threat.

Now the problem has been solved. the solution involves splitting up the key into two separate key. A system which is already in use in vaults, found in large banks to safe guard the money inside. One key resides in the cloud and the other with the client. when the data needs to be accessed, both of the keys are needed. However, the key residing in the server is itself encrypted, which can only be decrypted by the other key residing with the main client. as a result, the data stored in the cloud are now safest as they can be.


No initial funding and maintenance cost:

In order for an organisation to set up a data centre, enormous amount of fund is required  to invest in the setup of the data centre. The step involves acquiring space, building the required infrastructure and last but not the least, setting up the equipments. then a team of technicians are required to have the data centre running. In total it requires enormous amount of funding to keep things get started and running.

Cloud computing services, such as Amazon EC2 offers various organisations, the same service for fixed fee. 18

So, in short run cloud computing can prove to be a lot cheaper and efficient.1


Efficiency:

Private data centers, such as the servers of a university, are accessible to only a fixed group of people. Those who are able and interested to use the existing infrastructure of parallel computing, have to apply and go through a system and wait for their turn. This period of latency may be from a few days to a month of two. To sum it up, number of people have to waste their valuable time.


The other way around is also true. There may be a period when no one needs the service of parallel computing. The computing system has to remain idle. but the cost of maintenance don’t go away, the cooling system and the technicians have to be on their toes.

So we see, private grid networks are not always efficient.

Public grid networks, Cloud Computing in this case, has few advantage. Since the service is offered to a large group of people, the machine itself doesn’t remain idle for long. Hence the maintenance cost is justified. Again, such system have advanced load management system, so that people waiting to have their data processed, do not have to wait for long. Overall, cloud computing offers maximum efficiency.

Elasticity:

On servers, there are some occasional spikes. For number of reason the number of user may increase without a warning. Cloud system has the best load management system. on demand it can reallocate more resources to the demanding task and still able to finish it in due time. That is to say, under stress, it behaves like an elastic and adapt to the situation.

Reliability:

Cloud system are the most effective and reliable system around. Clients are not responsible for the maintenance and upgrade of cloud system. the company offering the service manages all. Which also means, the user do not need to bother about going through the complex process of upgrading various background system.

Drawback:

Although application of cloud computing in the field of bioinformatics may seem a fantastic idea, the technology itself is in its infant state and has minor flaws. They are,

Internet dependency:

Cloud services are greatly dependant on Internet service. Literally, the service resides on the Internet. Any failure in Internet connection will result in failure of cloud service.

Short run Benefits:

Cloud computing is relatively a new topic in the computing world. It has been creating buzz since 2006. It is a system that promotes the concept, “software as a service”. However, all the economical statistics suggests that, cloud services are only beneficial and economic for a short period of time. It is not feasible for a short period of time.
security:

Security of cloud system has been a hot topic of debate for technology experts. They are not content with the internal architecture of the cloud system. Many research has been made and there have been some shocking revelation, how cloud systems can be cracked.
Fortunately, most of the cyber attacks were launched equally powerful grid system. In real world, it is not very likely to face such large scale attacks. Not to mentions, countless projects and researches are in motion to make the cloud system more reliable and safe.

Conclusion:

Cloud computing hols a lot of promise in the domain of emerging computing technology. currently, only business organizations are using the benefits of the new system. bioinformatics is an important branch of science. we need this branch to evolve for our own benefit. since evolution of bioinformatics is directly dependant of computing power, it can certainly benefit of the cloud system. Although there are some minor concerns relating to the new technology, hopefully,such problems will be solved in the coming future. cloud computing has its own set of advantage and disadvantages. if we can figure out the optimum configuration for it, than the field of bioinformatics will be greatly benefited.

References:

1. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2105/11/259
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae_DKNwK_ms
3. http://cloudcomplete.blogspot.com/2012/01/day-12-pain-points-of-cloud-computing.html
4. http://www.utdallas.edu/~mxk055100/courses/cloud11f_files/what-is-new-in-cloud-security.pdf
5. http://www.pcworld.com/article/238503/is_cloudbased_backup_safe.html
6. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/102611-security-cloud-252406.html
7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE_OfVUUlaU
8. http://www.informationweek.com/news/cloud-computing/229202319
9. http://biostar.stackexchange.com/questions/132/experiences-with-cloud-computing-in-bioinformatics
10. http://folding.typepad.com/news/2012/03/fah-simulations-lead-to-a-new-therapeutic-candidate-for-alzheimers-disease.html
11. http://www.physorg.com/news168791338.html
12. http://www.compukiss.com/articles/gamers-can-now-help-fight-disease-2.html
13. http://www.slideshare.net/maikelm/disadvantages-of-cloud-computing
14. http://folding.stanford.edu/#
15. http://videos.howstuffworks.com/science-channel/28661-exploring-time-protein-folding-video.htm
16. http://fold.it/portal/info/science
17. http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/cloud_computing
18. http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/

One....Two.....Thre......Damn! I lost count

I always like to walk home on a windy, warm and tension free evening. Tonight was such an evening. I had disastrous morning. May be it was the first time in my life when I submitted a blank paper at the end of a quiz. Anyway, with some self motivation I was back on track quickly, since I had two more to go. (The outcome was similar if you are wondering).

So there I was, walking in my own rhythm, towards my home. I gotta tell you, I really enjoyed the weather. But that's not what made my day. i got to meet the prime minister! ........ Well, sort of.

Whenever I walk back home I take the shortest route and the shortest route involves the road between parliament and residence of the prime minister. I have used this road countless time, but none of the time I came across the convoy carrying the minister.

Out of the blue, whistles began to sound. The traffic was cut of the dark street got showered with flashy lights. Before I knew it, two patrol bikes already circled the main section of the road. COOL! and then came the surprise.









I was stopped by a policeman and instructed me not to move until the convoy passed away. WTF!









Anyway I was eager to see the convoy. There was one.....two......three.....F........ I can't remember the exact number of SUV guarding the prime minister (there was an ambulance too. don't know what for). What's more funny, the second jeep from the front was flashing lights across the dark street. Were they expecting a shooter aiming for the prime minister sitting inside an armored car?

When I finally got my right to walk by the street, I nearly stumbled myself as I was watching those four 'parade soldier' standing in front of the gate and two soldiers in front of the gate with the other four with SMG. The metal gate itself is designed in two layers, standing 5 meters apart (Probably designed to stop car bombing). No wonder the government can't responsibility for what happens in the bedroom!



I think I just got trolled by the pm.

Surviving Paid Softwares

When I was about eleven years old, my father bought me my first computer. It was a Pentium II processor, running Windows 98. All I did with my computer is play Roadrash Demo Version  all day long. Computer weren't very common on those days. In some case even crippled to today's iPad. Still, the computer cost Tk. 70,000; a staggering amount. Today however, with the same amount of money, you can buy total 4 Desktop PC of better processing power. Still, with that enormous amount of computing power, your activities are mainly limited to simple word processing and games. The point I'm trying to make is, enventough, through technological advancement, we are able to buy hardwares at cheap rate, we cannot unleash its power fully because we simply do not have the ability to buy all the softwares. As a result we spend hours searching, downloading and installing pirated softwares, hoping we will get our work done in time.

As computer becomes an everyday household item, software firms started developing application which make out life far more easier. At the begging some of those softwares were free, but now you have to pay for everyone of the softwares you use on Windows or Mac. Softwares now-a-days come with anti-theft protection so that you cannot keep using it once your trial period is over. We are so dependent on technology now, we do not have any other way than to pay for the handy applications we use everywhere.

Fortunately for us, one man saw this coming and he had started a revolution in Computer software development industry long before even the Windows Operating System came into existence. Richard Stallman, the man behind the free software movement, had foreseen the future of software developement and founded the GNU project.

Whether you are an Engineering student or a Business student, you have to use a computer for your studies. You need to search the internet or run a simulation program to synthesize your project outcomes. Just imagine what would have happened if you had to pay money to do all your regular work like sending email or even updating your Facebook status. Believe it or not, in every essential computing platform now uses open source alternative for efficient and reliable outputs. If you still don't believe me than ask yourself, which browser do you use everyday to browse the net. If you use anything other than IE, you are using an open source software.

The most successful open source software project is undoubtedly Ubuntu. Actually it is an operating system. You might be familiar with Windows 98 or XP. Well, they are operating system on which the other software run on. The philosophy behind Ubuntu (founded by Mark Shuttleworth) is to build a community based operating system which continuously make efforts to make life even simpler. When you are using Ubuntu and other open source alternative softwares, not once you have to bothered about your serial key or getting a timely update of your copy of software. Softwares are stacked into several packages, so when you are an Electrical Engineer and willing to give open source a try, you simply select a package or set of packages to installed and the softwares will be ready and waiting for you. You do not have to tolerate the pain of sitting in front of your computer for long hours while the softwares install. If you feel that the open source softwares programmers are doing a great job, you can  take five minutes and donate a little money. They will leave you a thank you note but they will never nag you to buy a software upgrade that costs even more than the original price of the software.

If you use pirated softwares like most other person in Bangladesh, you very well know the hassle  of getting a simple thing done. Even if you are going to install a media player to listen to songs you need to go through series of strict process. First you need to get a cracked version of the software you intend to use. Second, you need to know the exact steps you need to do to get the software installed. Finally, after 7 -8 steps you might have got the software installed. Furthermore, you will have to deal with malicious computer viruses as you have downloaded illigal copy of a software.

If you are wondering how open source softwares can help, here are few bullet points why you should switch to an open source platform sometime in future,

1. Majority of the open source software comes free of cost and those who do have a price tag on them are really cheap compared to their rivals.

2. Each piece of software is designed, developed, maintained, patched, updated by numerous community members, ensuring your security and satisfaction.

3. Open source softwares do not carry virus with them. Even you manage a deadly virus from some place else, the virus will be dead itself!

4. If you do not like a part of a software or want to enhance it, you are free to do so and distribute it as long as you remain grateful to the original programmers.


I would like to finish this long post with one big example to why you should support open source. Wikipedia.org currently ranks as the 6th most viewed website in the world. It is the greatest and the largest store house of knowledge and its for everyone for free. The concept of this site is a branch of Open Source movement.

So support Open Source, because freedom matters.

care giver village

for those of you who are interested in humanitarian works, check this one out.
caregivervillage.com
facebook.com/caregivervillage
twitter.com/cgvillage
http://www.caregivervillage.com/social-media
 


P.S. I do not represent/belong/own/participate/employee/hired by caregivervillage.

A Heart of Stone

Its the night of 'Qadr'.............well according to the accepted opinion at least. As usual I've been to the Mosque 'n as usual the Imam prayed for the betterment and forgiveness of the Muslim community. Nope, nothing was unusual. People crying, chanting, praying (and in some cases shouting) around me was nothing out of World, been experiencing such events since my childhood. The only thing different was my heart (scientifically speaking, ''My Mentality, Feelings, Psychology etc etc).



I've been brought up in an isolated and controlled environment (Sorry folks, been reading chemistry recently. Can't help it). So, I've been extremely religious, if not pious and a well behaved boy (people say so). In every religious occasion, I took preparation in advance to observe it in appropriate manner. I prayed even after mid-night. Tonight however, I witnessed a different Maisun (for the note, that's my name). I was untouched, unmoved and unaffected by all the emotions around me. Recently I've found myself reluctant to religious practices. Believe it or not, I was always the one to sit in the second row (I never considered myself worthy of the first row and besides, a 'picci' among several 'murubbis' wouldn't look good). Such change is surprising, even for me! Gradually I'm losing my faith in religion and particularly 'People'. That can't be good. I better not go into details but I'm quite sure that I'm becoming evil. I'm becoming something which I'm not, a machine.



So what are the causes? Have I become evil and heartless because I've experienced too much hardship? No, that can't be it. Although I've experienced many aspects of life doesn't mean I've seen it all. I'm pretty sure I've yet to experience real world. Besides, there are a lot of people out there who have survived a far worse cases and still they are OK, I'm sure of it. So is it my internal clash of 'Emotion' and 'Logic'? There are some actions which you need to take, displaying selfless act, under the influence of emotion, simply because you are human. Again, there are some actions which you need to take, being selfish, simply because you need to survive. Recently, I've become obsessed with surviving. I've doing things which I never did before. Is it the changing world or have I been dazzled by the luxury of other people around me or because of the transition from 'Do nothing boy' to 'Do it all boy' or simply because I'm lost. Don't know the answer yet.

On the way to become an Engineer.

First i would like to apologize to those people who accidentally stumble upon my blog in hope to find some useful tips on surviving. i write this blog to have a web document of my own life which could be shared with a people like you. although i must admit I've plan to publish a collection of "Bear grylls" stuff.

On with the worthless documentation....

today was my first day at college as an undergraduate student. I've got to note down today's event before i forget. i planned to start at 0630 hrs but i was running a little late. so i picked the faster mode of transportation, auto-rickshaw. surprisingly it took me only 15 minutes from Mohammadpur to Mohakhali. then i waited til 0800 hrs to find out that my class will be held in another building. my class was at 0800 hrs, i (we) waited till 0900 hrs to find out that the schedule has already been changed. i headed to dco office for the notice. confirming the change of schedule i headed back to my home. then i had to go back again to attend ENG 091. all went well. I'm tired. that's all for now.