EV-DO on ubuntu 9.04

Using an EV-DO internet connection on your ubuntu was never that hard, but then again, its boring repeating the same steps on every new installation of ubuntu(unless you have a script to automate it; i.e.). Usually you have to mount the USB modem(type usbfs, just in case you`r wondering) and manually create a symbolic link /dev/modem which points to /dev/USBtty0 so that wvdialconf recognizes your usb device as the modem to be used.
However, In Ubuntu 9.04 i was surprised that mounting and creation of the symbolic link had taken place automatically.
So, all i had to do was run :-
$ wvdialconf
This resulted in the creation of a wvdial.conf file in the /etc directory which could be edited and used for saving the username and password.
However connecting using ‘wvdial’ still caused a problem; it just would`nt connect. Figuring out the solution was`nt hard though – There was a line which read :-
Modem – /dev/USBSL0
All i had to do was change it to
Modem – /dev/USBttyS0

and whoallah! Connected to cyberspace!

But the speed sucks! And i have no clue WHY!
Wanna know how bad the speed was…?

I was on a brand new Vista using IE…. i had better browsing speeds there. No kidding!

CT or T?

what is it that gets you truly hooked onto a game?

is it the gameplay, or it the money you make, or the graphics or maybe it`s the thrill of playing it over a network.

i`ve played different kinds of racing games over LAN. maybe i sound primitive when i say this, but i started playing CounterStrike over LAN pretty recently. i did`nt like the game when i played it at first; it seemed like just another “running-`n-gunning” game. it took me about 3 months to actually figure out that i was wrong. in fact, i don`t think i`ve been “off-the-mark” by such a large margin my whole life. CS is a game based on not just your aim, but on strategies, team work and above all – practice.

and there are loads of great videos on the internet which show players at their best competing against each other; the most inspiring of them showing a 15 year old(15 yrs old when the video was taken i.e.) named J. Gilbert winning entire rounds all by himself… the video release`s named “n0thing but headhshots”. i don`t know if its put up on youtube though…

i`ve tried playing the original Counterstrike, the one that came after it(Condition Zero; my favorite), aand the one that came after it(Source; dint like it much). Sad thing is, almost all of the tech fest`s host the gaming contests with the original Counterstrike; so practicing on the second version of the game is pretty much useless.

Q. why i dislike the original counterstrike…?
A. the guns look like toys; those who use ‘maverick’ seem to have a HUGE advantage(hardly any recoil).

Q. why i hate CS source…?
A. gotta admit; the game`s more realistic(u get dizzy if you get flashed by a flashbang PLUS the bots present more of a challenge) but it has a LOT of awful features too. the guns sound bad and the sniper zoom is horrible!

well, if you have`nt played CS over LAN till now, then do it ASAP!!! its one game you just can`t afford to miss in a lifetime.

i won`t pretend to be an expert in the game, but a word of advice to newbies. if you wanna be the best around, work on more than just your “aim”. have a favorite weapon(better being an ace on one weapon than a jack in using all of `em), and a favorite pistol. working on knife rounds can help you find an appropriate mouse sensitivity.

ENJOY!!!

And oh, almost forgot. a few troubleshooting tips for those connecting to other computers via a wireless ad-hoc connection. make sure you have your firewall disabled PLUS if you have VMware installed, you have to disable the networks created by it(there should be two of `em).

star signs and fortune. telling..? EERIE!!!

i`ve never been much of a religious or a superstitious person; but the one thing which always gets me stumped, is my horoscope. most of the articles i`ve read about my star sign(libra) turned out to be true. i like to go around saying that i don`t believe in horoscopes, but the fact is, i find their accuracy quite… um … “eerie”.
surprisingly, a close friend of mine(who also happens to be a lot like me), has had similar experiences also feels the same way.

so, believe in horoscopes?

hackthissite.org

the first webpage based hacking site i`ve worked on; and certainly among the best. this one offers you sections which test your skills on a variety of levels like….

um… on second thought, i think its best that you check out the site for yourself, without me playing spoiler…

i`ve finished all of the basic and javascript missions, few realistic,extbasic and logic missions and fewer application missions. have`nt touched the stego or the Irc missions(oopsi! gotta set straight!!!)

the way i work…?

now that i think about it, most of my techie-know-how is`nt something that i`ve been spoon-fed with. i`ve had to work alone, mostly and work my way through all the doubts by reading and experimenting. also, im not that quick a learner, hence the low number of projects i`ve done.

the first time i came across a programming language, i simply was`nt interested. C++ seemed boring and of no practical use. that was back in 2006. i had a difficulty in constructing the simplest of loops or even printing out the fibonacci series. then, one fine day, i read about encryption and ciphers(maybe in a book; or was it a webpage? i really don`t remember where…).  i try to make a few basic encryption schemes by hand only to realize that making a code to automate it would be fun. so, i work my way through not just looping – but through most of the programming concepts like functions, file management and pointers, well before they were taught in class. `n this is XACTLY how i got hooked onto coding . after this i went on to graphics programming using c++; for no particular reason though.

Today, im familiar with java, C# and python. Again, the number of projects i`ve done using them are pretty low; i hope to set that right this year.

dress code… hmm…

well… my sense of style varies from time to time; depends on where i am and more importantly, my mood. i mostly go for tees and jeans as they are convenient(obviously); me sporting shirts is rare. i`m a “brand freak”, though not “brand-savvy”(there`s a tv ad which says ‘brand nahi to style nahi’ ; it simply makes me puke) …. i feel that people who go for brands just for the sake of it need remedial classes on uniqueness and personalizing. my favorite color`s blue followed by shades of white `n black(I LOVE GREY). green`s fine mostly; Denim jeans are among my favs……

excelmec 2k9

Managing to get a duty leave for friday, i leave for ekm that morning. Catch the bus as planned(which felt awkward; being the lazy bum i am, i usually never make it in time)…  reach the college by about 10 in the morning. roam around the college and ekm the entire day and take part in a linux guru contest. unfortunately, fail to make it through though. `n about the events held @ MEC, the contests were well organized but the scheduling could have been better. took part in the hack zone contest too; and the cleared the prelims with ease. the finals were a lot harder and i got stuck in the third level outta a total of four.

NO PROBLEMO!!! i`m clearing them next year; and that too – with ease. meanwhile gotta be on the lookout for more contests heading my way this year….

wanted to attend the FOSS meet on the sunday; but felt REAL lazy; `n decided to stay home..

movie mania…

well…. ill start byconfessing that im an absolute movie maniac… i watch a couple of movies everyday and i simply dont seem to get tired of them… im not genre or language biased; though i mostly prefer hollywood. go through the movie reviews and hope you find your time reading it, worth it.

an intro to the coolest linux distro EVER….

one fine day i decide to take my work a little bit more seriously; and i google “security distro`s”. i come across a slackware variant known as “backtrack”. on further reading i get to know that it`s currently rated #1 among security distro`s and that it was created from two pre-existing distro`s named “WHAX” and “Auditor”.

i did something which any guy my age would do.

i downloaded the live CD image of the distro; burned a CD and booted it up. i had no idea what was in store for me. it offered various boot options and  i chose to use the KDE 3.5 interface which it offered. on further snooping around, i found that the number of tools in backtrack3 topped 150.

it was overwhelming.

then i did something not many guys my age would be crazy enough to attempt alone.

i started working on the tools one-by-one. being just 19 years old and having only the very basic idea of networking and OS architecture; i set off. it was`nt easy as my foundations were weak; in most of the cases i just did not have one. the first tool i came across was netcat. now, i`ve decided to release tutorials on the tools i`ve mastered. they`re no shortcut. but they`ll help you on what exactly to learn; thus helping you use these tools in a faster and more efficient manner than i did(hopefully ). these tutorials assume you have a basic idea on networking and OS`s like linux and its variants.

the tutorials`ll be put up soon enough…

well… here goes…

hey,
being my first attempt at a blog; i don`t know how far i`ll go. i intend to reproduce a small part of my interests and passions over here; hope you find yourself something interesting to read and discuss about.

i`m named :-    Zubin

`n i`m bout :-    19 yrs old

`n i can code in :-     C,C++. also have limited experience with Java and C#.

u can contact me at :-     zubin.mithra@gmail.com

This is just a blog in the making. if u have any suggestions or need any help get me at my mail id.