Windows SkyDrive and Sync Storage

Now Microsoft has introduced an upgraded version of Live SkyDrive, a free online file storage service, that looks like a perfect choice at the moment for several reasons.

• You get 25 GB of free online storage space for your documents, photos, and all other files - the previous limit was 5 GB. Now you have 5GB sync storage and you can use it as a replacement to Dropbox and keep all your file in sync across your computers using Live Mesh.
• You have the option to download an entire folder on SkyDrive as a local zip file - huge time saver.
• You can upload files to SkyDrive through Windows Explorer itself through Gladinet - it's just like mapping a folder on the network drive.
• SkyDrive is like a social network for files. You can see files that your friends have shared on SkyDrive through your own Live Profile page (similar to Friend updates in Facebook).
• SkyDrive is Microsoft service and an integral part of their larger Windows Live strategy so you really don't have to worry about its future existence.
• Microsoft will soon offer an Online Office suite (like Google Docs) and it's a no brainer that documents uploaded to SkyDrive will be accessible from Online Office and vice-versa. Thus you indirectly get more storage space for documents.
• SkyDrive has no real competition. Google and Yahoo do not have a presence in the online file storage market while services like DropBox, Mozy, Box.net, etc. offer only limited space (couple of gigs.) to free users.

So, over all it’s the best cloud storage as of now, as good as Google Docs, Microsoft is trying his best to come back again in the battle on the clouds.

Setup Hot mail on your Android device

This solution article provided information on how to setup your Hotmail account on Android phones.

Account settings and their level of support will vary across Android phones. While the steps to configure push email with synced contacts and calendar will vary, we have found these steps to work across a number of phones:

1. Select “Email” client on phone.
2. Press menu and select “Add account”
3. Enter full Hotmail address: e.g. username@hotmail.com or username@live.com
4. Enter password
5. Select “Manual setup”
6. Select “Exchange” when prompted for “What type of account is this?”
7. Domain/Username, enter full Hotmail address: e.g. username@hotmail.com. (Note: if the device only says “Domain”, it should be left blank. If the device says “Username”, then enter the full Hotmail address. On some devices, the Domain/Username may be pre-populated incorrectly and should be erased.
8. Type in password. (may already be filled in)
9. Server name. Enter: m.hotmail.com for server name. (Note: this field may be pre-populated incorrectly depending on device).
10. Make sure box “Use secure connection (SSL)” is checked.
11. Select “Next”
12. Select desired account options for inbox checking frequency, number of days to synchronize, send email by default, notifications and contacts/calendar sync. Select “Next”
13. Depending on device you may be prompted for account color and account name (e.g. “Hotmail”)
14. Select “Next” and your Hotmail is set-up and ready to go!

If these steps aren’t working, you can always access Hotmail through your phones browser at www.hotmail.com

Google and Family Planning!– Interesting answer

The following question is reputedly one of many that Google may ask prospective job candidates:

Imagine a country in which every family continues to have children until they have a boy. If they have a girl, they have another child, and continue until they have a boy, then they stop. What is the proportion of boys to girls in the country? You should assume that there is an equal probability of having a boy or a girl.

The question has been discussed at length on the Internet and this site is one of many that provide an answer. The answer is correct (approximately the same number of boys and girls) but I doubt whether the way it is derived would help to get you a job with Google. There are numerous other similar posts, most of which give the correct answer, but all but a few miss what I believe is the point of the question. It is an example of misdirection; the question describes a strategy for ensuring that all families have exactly one boy and zero or more girls, but what it asks for is the overall distribution of boys and girls in the country as a whole. The way the question is stated leads you to believe that the strategy will affect the overall distribution - but does it? Anyone with some knowledge of probability should then realise that no strategy that involves stopping after a certain number of children can affect the overall proportion, because all births are independent events. In the population as a whole the probability that the next child, born anywhere in the country, will be a boy is 0.5, regardless of how many boys or girls have already been born, so the proportion will be 50:50. Of course the proportion will rarely be exactly equal because the gender of the children are random events, in fact they form a binomial distribution, but for large populations it will be very close to 50:50.

To many people this is counter intuitive - probably because the strategy clearly does affect the make up of every individual family. Consider another country where they adopt the strategy of stopping after having exactly two girls. The only family distribution you would find on both countries would be two girls and one boy (but in a different order); the overall distribution however would still be 50:50.

Finding Stack Direction for a Machine

How would you find out if a machine’s stack grows up or down in memory?

You need to call a function with one parameter, and create one more local variable, the parameters would be pushed on stack and also the local variables would be created on stack, hence, if your parameters address and locals address would give you the result.

Here is the code of subroutine for your reference.

void sub_routine(int a) { 
    int b;
    b = a;
    if(&b < &a) 
        printf("Stack Grows Downward!");
    else
        printf("Stack Grows Upward!");
}

int main() {
    sub_routine(10);
    return 0;
}

If Richard Feynman applied for a job at Microsoft

Interviewer: Now comes the part of the interview where we ask a question to test your creative thinking ability. Don't think too hard about it, just apply everyday common sense, and describe your reasoning process.

Here's the question: Why are manhole covers round?

Feynman: They're not. Some manhole covers are square. It's true that there are SOME round ones, but I've seen square ones, and rectangular ones.

Interviewer: But just considering the round ones, why are they round?

Feynman: If we are just considering the round ones, then they are round by definition. That statement is a tautology.

Interviewer: I mean, why are there round ones at all? Is there some particular value to having round ones?

Feynman: Yes. Round covers are used when the hole they are covering up is also round. It's simplest to cover a round hole with a round cover.

Interviewer: Can you think of a property of round covers that gives them an advantage over square ones?

Feynman: We have to look at what is under the cover to answer that question. The hole below the cover is round because a cylinder is the strongest shape against the compression of the earth around it. Also, the term "manhole" implies a passage big enough for a man, and a human being climbing down a ladder is roughly circular in cross-section. So a cylindrical pipe is the natural shape for manholes. The covers are simply the shape needed to cover up a cylinder.

Interviewer: Do you believe there is a safety issue? I mean, couldn't square covers fall into the hole and hurt someone?

Feynman: Not likely. Square covers are sometimes used on prefabricated vaults where the access passage is also square. The cover is larger than the passage, and sits on a ledge that supports it along the entire perimeter. The covers are usually made of solid metal and are very heavy. Let's assume a two-foot square opening and a ledge width of 1-1/2 inches. In order to get it to fall in, you would have to lift one side of the cover, then rotate it 30 degrees so that the cover would clear the ledge, and then tilt the cover up nearly 45 degrees from horizontal before the center of gravity would shift enough for it to fall in. Yes, it's possible, but very unlikely. The people authorized to open manhole covers could easily be trained to do it safely. Applying common engineering sense, the shape of a manhole cover is entirely determined by the shape of the opening it is intended to cover.

Interviewer (troubled): Excuse me a moment; I have to discuss something with my management team. (Leaves room.)

(Interviewer returns after 10 minutes)

Interviewer: We are going to recommend you for immediate hiring into the marketing department

Source: http://www.sellsbrothers.com/interview?content=question.htm