Today I had installed fiber optic internet – 100Mbps download and 10Mbps upload. I was eager to test the speed. I immediately run to speedtest.net which measured download at the rang of 93Mbps but the disappointing 1Mbps upload. Then I urged to check the speed on my wife's laptop. Her upload was about 11Mbps. Then I tested the speed with on my laptop (Dell XPS 15z) over the WiFi. On the WiFi the download was 20Mbps and the upload around 11Mbps. This was a really strange situation. Then I searched on google and found this article on Dell's forum describing the exact problem which I had - http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/p/19427881/20015112.aspx. The problem was that I had installed a program Expact Shield which I used to watch BBC iPlayer. Expact Shield installs a VPN which somehow tunnels and slows the upload speed (probably they get a copy of what I send). After you uninstall it the problem upload problem over the Ethernet disappeared.
How to – Dell XPS 15z – Battery Replacement
I have just seen on Dell's support site a how to for replacing a battery of Dell XPS 15z. The battery of this computer is embedded and the replacement requires opening the box. But the procedure is really straightforward. I have also searched a non-Dell place where one could buy a cheap replacement battery but unfortunately did not find any. The only I know is Dell and price tag is about $185 – which is pretty expensive.
By the way, there is one procedure which I follow to extend the battery life of my computer. When it is plugged, I disable battery charging from the power options – (down right next to the clock or Fn+F3). Based on my prior experience this approach extends the battery life to years unless the battery has some fabrication defect.
Backspace in Vim does not work
Soon I had a problem of the backspace key in vim. I am connecting to a remote machine through VNC. When I open Vim in Xterminal (xterm) and press the backspace key it prints ^? Instead of doing deleting the character before the cursor. I did waste few hours to find a fix and here it is:
set backspace=2if &term=="xterm" set t_kb=<CTRL+V><BS> fixdelendif
:fixdelIt did not work? Then, I don’t know how you can fix it.
Dell XPS 15z
I have just ordered the new and very elegant Dell XPS 15z and don't have patience to have it in my hands. This laptop seems to be quite powerful.
CPU: Intel Core i7-2620M 2.7 GHz
RAM: 8GB
HDD: 750GB 7200rpm
Screen: 15.6” 1920×1080 resolution HD
Video card: 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M
Battery: 8 cells
Weight: 2.5 kg (5.5 lb)
Price: 1399 Euros
All these power is in a stylish box less then 1” (2.5cm) thick and weights 2.5kg.
It’s competitor which comes behind it is Mac Book Pro 15. Although its less powerful characteristics, Mac Book Pro 15 is way overpriced and costs 2229 Euros (830 Euros more). But never mind, Apple worshipers like to be ripped off 
The unpacking and hands on post comes soon.
Hamachi Bug Is Causing DNS Problems
I have installed hamachi on my windows 7. When I change my network adapter, after a while my computer cannot resolve DNS addresses. For example, at home I use WiFi. I suspend my computer and go to the office. At work I connect to the wired Ethernet connection (i.e. change the network adapter) and after a while my system is unable to resolve DNS addresses.
Solution for this is either to reboot the computer or disable the hamachi adapter from Network Connections (Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network Connections).
C# application for IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad Temperature and Fan Sensors
I have soon implemented a C# application that reads and displays the temperature and fans sensors in IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad laptops. You can download it from http://www.feradz.com/resources/CpuTemperature-20110112.zip. It is free and open source (GPL v3.0).
Compatible with:
- ThinkPad A31
- ThinkPad R51
- ThinkPad T40
- ThinkPad T43, T43p
- ThinkPad T60
- ThinkPad T61
- ThinkPad T61p
- ThinkPad X31
- ThinkPad T400
- ThinkPad T400s
- ThinkPad T500
WebCam A4Tech Drivers (PK-35N, PK-635, PK-935)
I am uploading my old webcam's drivers so that I can find them easily when I need them and also those who lost their drivers:)
Hamachi Bug – DNS problem in windows
I have installed hamachi on my windows 7. When I change my network adapter, after a while my computer cannot resolve DNS addresses. For example, at home I use WiFi. I suspend my computer and go to the office. At work I connect to the wired Ethernet connection (i.e. change the network adapter) and after a while my system is unable to resolve DNS addresses.
Solution for this is either to reboot the computer or disable the hamachi adapter from Network Connections (Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network Connections).
Convert (Export) Excel Chart to EPS Using Adobe Postscript
You may need to export a nice chart from Excel to EPS so that you include it in your Latex project. Here is one way how you do it.
1. You need to install Adobe Universal PostScript Windows Driver Installer 1.0.6 (or newer). If you have Vista or Windows 7 or some newer version run the installer with compatibility for Windows XP SP3.
- To set the compatibility for the installer, right click the file and select "Properties". Then from the "Compatibility " tab select "Run this program in compatibility mode for:" and select "Windows XP (Service Pack 3)"
2. Open your Excel File.
3. Select your chart.
4. Select from the (File) menu print
5. Select the Adobe printer in my case this is "Generic PostScript Printer"
6. Ensure that "Select Chart" is the selected option in "Print what" area. If you did not selected the chart then this will option will not be selected. Go to Step 3.
7. Select print to file check box.
8. Go to Properties
9. In the properties dialog window select "Layout" tab then press "Advanced" button
10. In the Advanced properties dialog window, under the node "Postcript options:" select "Encapsulated Postscript (EPS)"
11. In the printer dialogue window, when you press "Print" you will be asked for the file name to be saved. You are not asked ensure that you have selected "Print to file" Step 7. Write the path and the file name something like "c:\chart.ps". If you don't include the full path I don't know where the file will be saved by default.
12. Use ps2eps to convert the saved PS format file into EPS format.