Welcome to my first ever book review, The three mistakes of my life by Chetan Bhagat(Rupa).

The characters are brilliant and very much alive. The book brings back the old appeal of 'Five point someone'. One book designed to leave all nerds and geeks feeling better. The build up to the climax is brilliant. The story weaves and blends in real facts convincingly.

In trademark Chetan Bhagat style, the climax is a bit tough to digest, but isn't that why we love Chetan Bhagat?? However, I felt that the climax was a big let down. It almost spoiled the fun of reading an otherwise brilliant book. If only Mr. Bhagat would conjure up some more earthly endings.........

But I guess it's all a justified part of Mr. Bhagat's objective of making India read. And well, to be India's most popular author, rather than the most admired one.

You doubt?? Go and watch a Sunny Deol movie.

Everyone says that, isn't it??

So it's no big deal if I say the same.

When I was a kid, my heart was an open book. I would say whatever I felt. So the world said, "Hey, come on, what is this sh** you are saying". They mocked me coz I said the unpleasant. It hated me because I would point out it's numerous flaws. I would praise myself whenever I felt like it. So, guess what, I became UNPOPULAR.

But I am no dumb head. So I found out what the world wanted from me. And I became that, I transformed myself into a non-temperamental, super-cool, self-depreciating slimeball. And whoa!! I am one of the POPULAR guys in college.

But now the world has a different problem! It says I am unemotional and heartless. Are you kidding man?

So what is it that the world wants from me??

Yep, that's what I said 5 minutes ago.

Placements have started and I'm yet to get a job, yes, I'm unemployed.

No, I'm not that big a duffer as you might be assuming, I haven't tried any company yet. But you know what, it hardly makes a difference.

But there is one positive to it. My frustration levels are increasing every day and if I manage to use that to motivate myself, I might actually end up doing something worthwhile in my final year.

I have one unfinished project and I need to start another as a final project, its irritating. And yes, the GUI for the search engine is yet to start, though the rest is done.

And if there is anyone waiting for my software, I apologize. Laziness has come in the way of the software getting uploaded, but I will do it very soon.

Long time since I last posted. Thanks to Feedjit, I found that most of my visitors visited my projects page which has no mention of my current favorite baby- The IC tester.

When I used to look at IC testers with their little LCD screens and heavy price tags, something in me told me that not everything was the way I wanted it to be.

Why?

Now all testers contain some microprocessor/microcontroller, LCD screen/7 segment display and all such stuff. I'm not doing anything out of the world, all that I plan to do is to use a processor and a display far better than possible in an IC tester. But won't that cost even more?

Thankfully no! Because my customer would already own it, since it would be a computer present in all hardware labs today.

Such a design would have other advantages as well. When I add support for new IC's, all that would be required is to upgrade an existing database, and it might prove to be as simple as downloading a file from a website and pasting it into a directory!

Here are the basics. The tester consists of an interface with a PC which can be used to switch between the various pins of an IC (to be tested). Now similar to an 8051 microcontroller, data is always written to the port latch for each pin and read directly from each pin. Initially, the data lines are switched between each of the pins and then data is written to the pins. Now the controls switches to the O/P pins and the voltage values available there are read into the PC. These values are matched with the values in the database and the IC can be tested.

Every pin can be configured as an O/P or I/P pin as per requirement and hence a wide array of logic IC's can be tested. Moreover analog voltage values can be applied and hence most analog IC's can also be tested.

Other than building the actual tester, I am currently working on the design to enable it to test sequential circuits as well. I'm keeping my fingers crossed as far as the pricing is concerned. If all goes well, it can be priced very competitively.