Tips for speeding up your Joomla website

So your Joomla website, the front page, especially has slowed down. Dont worry. I am sure there are many who are in the same boat where the website response time has exceeded 10 seconds, which is the upper tolerable limit for website response times.

1. Template Optimization

One of the most common problems that is seen with Joomla - there exist literally thousands of templates made specifically for Joomla, and most of them look quite nice, but most have some severe performance issues. The problem is that some of the templates out there use upwards of 70 separate images to display the page. Each image generates a new request and has to be downloaded. The problem is compounded when the images are not as small, and when they are not optimized. The following site will help you determine what template optimizations need to be done. Make sure to run your site through it after ever major change to measure the performance of the website -
http://www.websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/index.html

2. Enable Joomla Cache
You can enable caching from your Joomla admin area > Site > Global Configuration > System.

At the right side of the System page, under Cache Settings, next to Cache you should select Yes. Then click Save at the top right menu to enable caching for your Joomla

3. Disable all unwanted statistics counters.
Use GoogleAnalytics to track users. Avoid going in for 3rd party counters that are indicated as free but can slow done your site as they are basically small programs to collect more data from your website.

4. Remove modules, components that are no longer used.
Remove even if they are in “not published” state. If you look through the Joomla Extension directory, you’ll find a component to do everything you could want. The problem is that some of these components are REALLY inefficient and end up slowing your site down dramatically.

5. Enable GZip compression for HTML

The gZIP compression of your files improves the performance of your website and highly decreases its loading time. For complex websites it is highly recommended to enable it.

For example, in Joomla you can turn on the gZIP compression from Global Configuration > Server > gZIP Page Compression set to ON.

You can test whether the compression is working by using this useful tool - http://www.gidnetwork.com/tools/gzip-test.php

6. Check the number of images, objects on your website.

This is a useful website that provides insight into the number of images, objects on your site. Too many images, objects, bigger page sizes can slow down your site.
http://www.joomlaspan.com/webtools/website-speed-test-tool.php

7. Optimize MySQL tables from the backend.

1. Login to your Joomla’s mySQL database via phpMyAdmin
2. Display the tables and then scroll down to the session table.
3. Check the check box next to the table (session table or any tables having overhead values) and select the Optimize option from the drop down select list.

‘Good People’ are entering politics

It was very encouraging to see some ‘Good people’ (as I would like to call) coming into politics. It was telecast in a couple of news channels earlier today about a handful of people in corporates and other walks of life entering politics. They are people who, like most of us, are fed up with criminalization of politics, corruption, manipulative politics, votebank politics, lack of politicians with integrity, incompetent politicians etc. They are also people who are NOT just sitting and cursing them, but have decided to get into the system and correct it.

We all know, its a dirty and messy world out there in politics. But these guys have taken the bold step and have shown what is called as “Be the change that you want to see”. There is a ray of hope for many people that the political landscape in India will change for the better over the next 1 to 2 decades with more and more competent and educated people entering politics.

A day will definitely come when the political system will become a lot more accountable, there will be more visibility into whats happening and better citizen participation. A day will come when candidates are selected based on their past achievements, and a system where there is no place for people with criminal records or intent. That day will definitely come………
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Easy,fast,economical way to create a website

Its amazing how easy it is these days to put up a new website and it can come quite cheap also.

We all know that you can even put up your own blog or a website for free on many shared websites like geocities.com, blogger.com (from Google) etc. But this post specifically focuses on what it takes to have a dedicated website with a name and suffix (For e.g .com, .in, .org) of your choice, which is of course not possible with shared sites.

Lets look at step-by-step procedure for creating your own website-
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Jai Ho! Gandhigiri by Vijay Mallya

Vijay Mallya brought home Bapu’s memorablia.

There are some people who make a difference in their own way without making too much noise about it. Bapu’s items going on auction was a much publicized thing by the media. Hats off to Mallya! He pays money from his own pocket (1.8 million $) to get Bapu’s items and will then hand it over to the Government. Well, there are thousands of Indian industrialists/businessmen who are on the top of list of richest men in the world. But there is only one who has taken a step like this. This shows a lot of things about Mallya – his patriotism, his pride in the heritage of India, generosity and quick decision making as he had to act before someone else would buy these precious ones.

Jai ho! Vijay Mallya. You have seized an opportunity to show patriotism in your own way. And for the second time around.

Does car pooling really work

This is a question that has come up in my mind many times now. I have been listening to a campaign being promoted in one of the radio stations, called Radio One 94.3FM, about doing car pooling to help reduce traffic congestion in Bangalore. I certainly identify with the issue and would like to contribute in some way.

The more I think of my contribution, the realization dawns on me that it is going to be very difficult for me to car pool. The reason is that I have a hectic schedule everyday that includes conference calls starting at 08:30pm. It so happens that my work at office extends till about 7 or 7:15pm and I leave for home so I can reach just in time to start my conference calls. With car pooling, the challenge would be to manage these timings with my car pool partner. I wouldn’t want to get delayed for my important conference calls because my car pool partner didn’t make it in time.

The other thought is that it would be easy if you have a car pool group with folks within your own company. Yes, may be. But that could be difficult if you work in a small company like mine which has about 50 employees; because you are less likely to find a good number of people in and around the same place that you stay.

Having said all this, have I given up completely on car pooling? The answer is - NO. I hope to give it a try sometime. I would love to hear from people who have successfully car pooled and I am sure they must have managed some of the issues that I highlighted above.

Note: This is the website that promotes, talks about carpooling in Bangalore

Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharshi Ashram - A Spiritual Getaway

Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharshi Ashram is situated at the foothills of the famous Arunachala temple in Tiruvannamalai, which is in the Tamil Nadu state of India. For those people, who seek peace and solitude, there is no other place better than this.

The story of Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharshi is very inspiring. As a child, he was a devout disciple of Lord Shiva. When he was twelve years of age, he was at his uncle’s house in Madurai when he experienced a death-like feeling. That’s when he attained enlightenment. He realised that the soul is deathless. He lost interest in the worldly affairs and always immersed himself in meditating upon God. He meditated for years in the caves of Skanda Ashram and Virupaksha.

There are many books on Sri Ramana Maharshi. The ‘Who am I’ and ‘The Mountain path’ series are quite popular. It makes one think deep within and question one self.  Self enquiry coupled with will and determination to know God will definately help a person in the spiritual path.

The ashram itself gives you a sense of a serene feeling. You need to be standing there to feel the vibrations that emanate from that place. The temple has a Shiva linga and behind the Shiva linga a statue of Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharshi.

Following video gives the life history of Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharshi.
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Montessori School Advantages

These days, the most challenging task any parent may face is admitting their child to a school. The options are plenty. There are so many schools every nook and corner of a city. It becomes a daunting task for the parents to figure out which is the best school for their child. All the schools have impressive brochures. They have a list of items like, dance, music, fine arts, swimming, yoga & so on apart from academics.

One method which is gaining popularity is the Montessori method of teaching. So, what exactly is this Montessori system? And why should one opt for a Montessori school? From my understanding and observation of this system, I have tried to put forward certain points below.

Advantages of a Montessori school-

1. Montessori schools are gaining popularity, but there are many people who do not really understand what the method is all about. Montessori method of teaching is purely based on what they term as ‘learning using Materials’. The children learn the concepts using the materials specifically designed to teach little children of age groups over 2.5 years. If your child were to learn, for example, 2*2=4 ,he or she would actually be using material like ‘beads’ to arrive at the answer, rather than trying to memorize in the regular way. In my opinion, Montessori method of teaching helps your child in having a solid foundation in understanding things better. It helps in improving the child’s analytical skills, as he or she is learning things practically rather than theoretically.

2. The other big advantage of the method is that the childern are made to sit in a mixed age group. This way they learn to share, care and help one another. The older ones help the younger ones with their ‘work’.

3. Also, a montessori child never feels the burden of going to school. Literally too, they are not burdened since they do not carry any books to school. Their daily worksheets/ books are left in the school.

4. The montessori schools also do not give too many homeworks. For the 1st 3 years of montessori (2.5yrs-6yrs) they do not have homework at all. In the 1st std., they have homework only on weekends and mid term holidays.

5. The other important aspect of a montessori school is that the childern are let to flourish naturally without imposing too many conditions and restrictions on them. The Montessori system ensures that the child gets the basic freedom but in the process also inculcates some amount of discipline. They learn this by taking their own material , putting it back in its place correctly after the work is done, cleaning the place around and so on.

Everything looks so cool in a montessori school that some parents may wonder whether the childern are really learning something or not. As a matter of fact, the montessori kids learn much more than what a regular kid would have learnt at that age. My daughter aged 6 years comes up with some amazing things like ‘you know what an echinoderm means’? I would need to hurry to the computer to check on the internet to figure out what it means, but she tells me the meaning effortlessly. I can also see that she has understood her concepts well.

Tips on identifying a good montessori school -

Before admitting your child to any montessori school, however, its important for the parents to understand whether its a genuine one or not. There are many schools that claim that they employ the montessori method of teaching where as few others claim that they have the best of montessori and regular teaching methods. If you ask me you should either go for a purely montessori school or if you are not convinced about a montessori school, go for a purely regular school. Never send your kid to a school where they claim to employ the best of both worlds.
To identify a good montessori school, check out the material they use and also check if they have the certification from Indian Montessori Center (IMC). Check with parents of kids who are already going there and only then decide to put your child in it. Of the good montessori schools in Bangalore, I can recommend the following -

1. Akshara Montessori school of learning, Ulsoor - Its excellent. I see the results in my child and am more than satisfied. The principal , Mrs. Sophie Shivshankar is doing a great job.

2. Shishugruha montessori, New Thippasandra.

3. Prerana Montessori, Indiranagar. (I have heard about this from a friend)

4. Jnana Sweekar montessori school , Kanakapura road - This is a very new school. Started only last year. What is impressive about this school is that the chairman is ex-chief justice of India, Mr. Venkatachalaiah, who is known for his work on reviving Indian values and morals. In the present world with so many negative influences and negative things happening, it’s better to put your child in a positive environment, I believe. Another important aspect of this school is that they have Maths lab for older kids where the children learn maths using some equipment designed on the lines of the Montessori equipment.

Disadvantages of a Montessori school-

There are couple of common disadvantages of a Montessori school which I have heard from many parents.

1. The Montessori kids do not write well, in the sense, they are slow in writing.  I believe this can be handled by the parents, who should try to make their kids practise writing at home.

2. If put in a regular school, the Montessori kids have difficulty in adjusting. This is obvious because the environment is so different from a Montessori school, its more like a culture shock for them. But kids being kids, get adjusted after the initial hiccups.

Finally before concluding, I would like to say that a child needs to blossom naturally, only then their creativity will come to the fore and they will become the thinking, sensitive individuals of tomorrow. We as parents should try to give them the environment which will bring to the fore these aspects. After all, a positive child will grow up to be a positive individual who will bring about goodness and well-being to the society.

Recommended reading:

Found two good references on mothering.com for Montessori method of teaching. Take a look -

Description of Montessori
What to look for in a Montessori classroom

Attack on Sri Lanka team in Pakistan. Is anyone surprised?

I am not at all surprised that an attack has happened on the Sri Lanka cricket team in Pakistan. Looks like everyone unfortunately has been in a denial mode when it comes to Sports teams getting attacked by terrorists. What better way to grab headlines for the extremists?

If it were not to be for the Bus driver’s presence of mind, God Forbid; we may have had a much worse situation as opposed to a few injuries that the cricketers suffered. It would have been a catastrophe with far reaching repercussions that would have shaken the world.

Anyway, here are some videos of what happened out there -

Video showing the terrorists
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SRK - Juhi’s hit songs

Sharukh Khan and Juhi Chawla made a very good onscreen pair. Even if they did not have blockbuster hits together, they looked good together. I have compiled a list of few good songs from their movies which are among the best songs of 90’s.

1. The first one is the title song of Yes Boss. The song ‘Ek din aap yun’ is a pleasure to listen. Very well sung by Kumar Sanu and Alka Yagnik.

2. Another song from Yes Boss, ‘Main koyi aisa geet gavoon’. Its a visual treat.
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Golden Songs - Phir aaj Mujhe tumko and Ek tera Saath

Music is such an essential part of our life. It brings a smile on our faces whenever we are low and down.The music I enjoy the most is the old lilting hindi movie songs. The songs of the yester years are still so mesmerising. From the ‘Suhaani raat dhal chuki..’ to ‘Yeh raat bheegi bheegi..’. From ‘Tu is tarah se meri zindagi..’ to ‘Tujhse naraaz nahin zindagi’. The music and the melody is un-paralleled.

Great music is something which will last forever. This quality is there in the old songs only. Singers such as Kishore Kumar, Mohd Rafi, Lata and Asha Bhosle have touched so many people with their beautiful voices. India always had abundant talent. If only there was a way to search such talent in that era, we would have probably seen more kishores, rafis and so on.

But now things are so different. Due to the invasion of reality shows, and other mechanisms, best singers are picked from all over the country. Singers are abundant now and with such stiff competition, its difficult for them to sustain a lasting impression on people’s mind. A singer who has become popular this year may not be heard the next year. There are plenty of opportunities and only the lucky and really lucky ones will continue to be heard. Of the current crop, Sonu Nigam, Shaan , and Shreya Ghoshal are good. Also the singers A.R.Rahman uses in his songs are good. But its so hard to keep track of any of the new singers’ names. There are so many of them.

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