Copying files in C++

Long time no blogging ! :)

I wanted to copy the contents of one file to another file in C++ in my project and was looking for the most easiest and convenient way of doing it on the net. Finally zeroed in on the following way (found it on some other blog):

#include <fstream>

using namespace std;

int main()
{
    ifstream inFile("input.txt");
    ofstream outFile("output.txt");

    outFile << inFile.rdbuf();

    return 1;
}

Creating transparent images in GIMP

Transparent images are useful when you are not certain about the page/image background where you want to put your image which could be an object, a logo, a signature or even a watermark to copyright your photographs. By making the background of such images transparent, you essentially create a mask which could then be overlay-ed on any other image and only the non transparent object/text/logo will float on the output image. This post gives a step-by-step tutorial on creating such transparent images on GIMP(GNU Image Manipulation Program). I find GIMP easier to use than Photoshop or any other image editing software and best of all, its open source ! :) There is a lot you can do with GIMP, but for now, lets see how can you make transparent images.

• Open the image in GIMP from which you want to remove the background. The more uniform the background is, more easier it is to remove it.
• Add an alpha channel (transparent layer) to this image.
  
• Right Click on the image->Layer->Transparency->Add Alpha Channel

• With the fuzzy selector (Keyboard shortcut is Z), click on the background which you want to remove and based on the uniformity of the background, all or part of it is selected on clicking on it.

• Now the last step is to remove this selected background. Click on the menu (Edit->Clear) or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+K. If there are still some patches left in the background then repeat steps 3 and 4 on each of those patches separately till you succeed in removing the background completely.
  
• Your transparent image is ready. Save it as a PNG or a GIF which support image transparency.

Broadband at room

Finally, took airtel broadband connection at my room in Noida. The details are as follows:

Rs. 725 Plan
Unlimited surfing
Unlimited download
Zero rental for modem and landline
No installation charges
One time modem charge of Rs. 500
Flat rate of Re. 1 per call
Pulse is 1 call/3 min for any local landline, 1 call/minute elsewhere.

IIIT Hyderabad finds a much deserved recognition ..

Dataquest Ranks IIIT-H Top #5 in Placement, and Top #9 Overall (2007)

IIIT-H has been rated top #5, in campus placement, among all technology schools in the country, by DataQuest-IDC's annual survey - 2007. The University, which has never been placement focused, has been ranked ahead of IIT-K, IIT-D, IIT-M, BITS-Pilani, BHU-IT, and all other NITs and IIITs, in placement. Read Dataquest's latest edition (June 15).

Overall, IIIT-H has been ranked top #9, among all engineering colleges in India. For a University in its ninth year, being rated top 9 is truly an outstanding achievement, and a tribute to the IIIT-H's visionary founders, passionate management, and committed research faculty. Though top #9 is an achievement, the rank fails to reflect the University's actual standing. By any measure, IIIT-H stands second to none in the country, in computing, IT, and its applications, the only areas where we exist.

Broadband to go free in 2 yrs

Broadband to go free in 2 yrs
JOJI THOMAS PHILIP
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2007 02:00:26 AM]

NEW DELHI: The government proposes to offer all citizens of India free, high-speed broadband connectivity by 2009, through the state-owned telecom service providers BSNL and MTNL. While consumers would cheer, the move holds the potential to kill the telecom business as we know it.

You have heard of free municipal broadband — many cities in the US have drenched themselves in wireless broadband connectivity which is freely accessible to residents. The idea is to boost economic activity in general. The government of India plans to achieve free broadband connectivity at a speed of 2 MB per second across the country, with a similar goal. Senior government officials expect to be able to achieve this goal spending only a portion of the corpus of the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).

All telecom operators contribute 5% of their revenues every year to USOF. It is estimated that the unutilized sum from the USOF has touched Rs 9,194.12 crore by March, 2007-end.

The current technological trend is for voice calls also to shift to the internet, using voice over internet protocol (VOIP). The quality of VOIP calls, patchy to start off with, has been improving steadily over the years and by 2009, is likely to be as good as current analogue calls that establish a circuit between the calling and called parties. When that happens, revenue streams from calls would dry up and telecom companies would need to develop value-added applications to make money from the connectivity they provide for free or virtually free.

The department of telecom (DoT) will be taking a series of steps to make its plans for free broadband a reality. These include, using the USOF to set an extensive optic cable network across the country, opening up the long-distance sectors to further competition, allowing free and fair access to cable landing stations, permitting the resale of bandwidth, setting up web hosting facilities within the country and asking all internet service providers to connect to the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI).

With international bandwidth rates in India being between two-to-five times higher than the global standards, the DoT will also go all out to break the monopoly of existing national and international distance players in a bid to induce cut throat competition in this sector. “India has only a handful of NLD/ILD operators while small countries such as Singapore and Taiwan have over 30 and 60 long distance operators respectively.

GSM gizmo helps cops find stolen car

NEW DELHI: A chartered accountant's Mahindra Scorpio SUV stolen from outside his Munirka home in southwest Delhi late on Friday night, was recovered by a police team from Haryana just a day later — thanks to a state-of-the-art gizmo.
original article

The state-of-the-art gizmo mentioned above has been built by one of the KritiKal teams. Its Amsaki 9110, a unique wireless home/car security messaging device that gives instant alerts on your mobile phone the moment a security breach is detected. Designed to alert you wirelessly through SMS as soon as your burglar alarm system intercepts an intrusion.

It feels great to see something which was developed in our labs, now hitting the market. Though I am a little bit disappointed that our name, KritiKal, is nowhere mentioned in the entire newspaper article or even on the product website. Its only encouraging to be appreciated and known for the great work done by a company which is just 5 years old and soon growing and working hard to make a name for itself.