Categories
Web Web Development

Simpe CheckList for Choosing a Drupal Module

 

I have been working with the Drupal Content Management System for almost 2 years now. Here is a quick 5 minute small checklist of things that I look at before choosing a Drupal module for my Drupal Projects.

Here I'm assuming that you are a programmer or web developer who has some experience with Drupal. Ideally you have already decided which version of Drupal you will be working with. I usually prefer working with Drupal 7, unless client insists on working with Drupal 6. Drupal 5 and Drupal 8 is out of the question.

  1. Find out what the Client thinks they want!
  2. Then Find out what the Client REALLY wants! – This requires some skill and experience – more on that later
  3. Find out keywords
  4. Do a Keyword search on Drupal.org. (http://drupal.org/project/modules)
  5. Skim through the first 3 pages of the results.
  6. If you don't find the keywords that you have mind mind, go until the first 5 pages.
  7. Skim through the module pages and make a note of which ones might be useful. Prioritize if possible.
  8. The higher the number of Downloads and Reported installs, the better it is. I usually tend to ignore Downloads.
  9. Note the last update dates of the "Recommended releases". Anything more than 2 years old is something I tend to stay away from. I have noticed that some Development releases can still be used for production purposes(Just don't tell your clients that you're using Development releases.) Don't pick Development releases that are too recent. Use common sense.
  10. Always go for modules that have Maintenance status: "Actively maintained"
  11. Check out all dependencies and check for point 8 and 9 for each of the modules.
  12. MOST IMPORTANT: Once decided, test it out on development site. Do not EVER apply modules directly to production. Use common sense.
  13. Don't be afraid to change your mind and try something else.

This is of course a very rough guide. For any questions or comments, please comment below, or contact me via my contact page at Contact Kapil

or message me on twitter at Kapil's Twitter Page.

Categories
Entertainment Music

Made some Music

I was in the mood to listen to some sitar, but found none to be of my taste so arranged some loops. Check it out!
and Let me know what you think.

Categories
Science Technology

Red Bull Stratos – freefall from the edge of space

Okay, check this out: This is a mission to the edge of space that will try to surpass human limits that have existed for more than 50 years. Felix Baumgartner will undertake a stratospheric balloon flight to more than 120,000 feet / 36,576 meters and make a record-breaking freefall jump in the attempt to become the first man to break the speed of sound in freefall (an estimated 690 miles / 1,110 kilometers per hour), while delivering valuable data for medical and scientific advancement.

You can watch this live here!

Categories
Enlightenment Philosophy

Faith

Every once in a while I would get these sudden rush of insight. So fast it comes and so profound it is, that I can only feel it, realize it at a level that words cannot express, as a matter of fact sometimes these sudden rush of insights are not even at the level of thought, because even the mind cannot fully comprehend this message. It is at a level which seems higher than thought, and the mind can only speak in terms of thoughts. This message is beyond the object of this thing called mind. I know not what this is, but it IS and you can only realize it with something higher than yourself. Once in a while we all get these glimpses that put us in a state of peace, awe, amazement, serenity – there are many ways of explaining it and yet we cannot fully describe it because to describe it fully in the words given by the mind will take us out of the very essence of this state.

Today, just moments ago I had this sudden rush of insight. I would call it Faith. Faith is everything, Faith is the bond that carries you forward. It is the absolute Trust in your Self, the higher Self that is indeed the True YOU, it is there ever present, yet it is allusive because of the veil that covers the knowledge of this True Self. To describe what Faith is in simple terms of the mind: it would be the trust in yourself, the trust that what you truly believe within you is what is right and it is what must be done. One does not need books, spiritual leaders, and enlightened beings to show you the 'path'. To follow the path shown by someone else is to call yourself by someone else's name. True Guidance can only come from within. It is this Trust in your Self that is as close as you can get to what I mean by Faith.

Faith has no religious connotation, it is not attached to a particular dogma, or belief system. It is what it is. It is pure, untainted, unconditional. It is Love in it's purest form, unconditional. It is towards that higher Self that resides in you and that which is none other than the True Nature of you.

Categories
Enlightenment Philosophy Self Development

My Prayer

I pray for wisdom of a 100 year old, imagination of a 6 year old, curiosity of a 2 year old, energy of a 20 year old and audacity of a 17 year old!

I pray for steadfastness of a loyal married man, the power of unconditional love of a new mother, the equanimity of an enlightened monk, the passion of a first time lover and the universal connectedness of a prodigy.

I pray for the deep understanding of the just, the burning desire of a new soul searcher, the unwavering firmness of an incorruptible king, and the indestructible courage of a warrior of the highest order.

I pray for the peace that exists in the deepest trenches of oceans and in the furthest regions of the cosmos.

Categories
Enlightenment Philosophy Self Development

Perfect Moment

Perfect moments don’t come. The moment you act, know that that is the perfect moment in time for at that precise time you have taken yet another step to weave the beautiful tapestry of this thing you call Life.

Perfect moments don’t come, you bring it in by deciding to move forward and cut off all other possibilities, because ultimately no matter what, anything that happens in your Life is your decision.

Perfect moments don’t come, you keep hammering at it like it was a boulder again and again until you achieve a breakthrough.

Perfect moments don’t come, you keep chipping away slowly and relentlessly to create a masterpiece sculpture of this thing you call Life.

Perfect moments don’t come, not the way you imagine it would. Whatever that has happened is in itself a display of perfection for any event any other way would not make you you!

Categories
Philosophy Self Development

Hurdles

This morning I woke up with an epiphany. For quite some time I had been thinking about what makes the difference between doing what you love to do and doing something that you have to do. For some reason some things happen with such ease and with other things there always seem to be obstacles. The question as to why this happens had been bugging me for years, until today. It's my belief that any goal you have in life, whether it be as little as reaching on time for a date or for a meeting(I know this one usually makes it to the top of my list) or something big like making a million dollars in a year(note that no goal in truth is too big or too small, it's really dependent on how you perceive it and your decision makes it so, but that is a topic of discussion for another day), there are always hurdles of some form.

It's my belief that it's Life's way of testing whether what you are striving for is something that you really want. Today when I reflected at certain things that I achieved in my life, I realized that those things that I  really wanted were quite easy to get not because there were no hurdles. There always were hurdles but what made the difference was the intensity at which the desire to achieve that goal was burning inside of me. When you either really want something or you really enjoy doing something or are passionate about something, obstacles somehow simply weaken in intensity when coming face to face with this burning desire to achieve your goal.

 

Imagine running on a track and the finish line is your end goal. There are hurdles that you need to jump over. If you are not really compelled to achieving your goal then the hurdles can seem like mountains, but if you really want to achieve your goal these same hurdles seem like puny little puddles that you can simply jump over or even if they are like mountains you become this Super Mario with star power that simply blasts through those mountains(geeky gamer reference..haha.. come who doesn't love Super Mario?).

When we really want something, we jump over walls, go under, go around or just blast our way through them. So the next time you notice hurdles and they seem to tire you, ask yourself the question. Is the thing you're after something that you really want?

Categories
Business Philosophy

The 80/20 Rule

Today, I revisited the 80/20 rule. The first time I came across the concept of 80/20 was around 2 to 3 years ago. I was exiting a library when I noticed amongst a pile of other books, a blue book with 80/20 written on its cover with big white fonts. For some very odd reason it really caught my attention. I had not heard about the concept before. I could not take the book because it was still in the process of getting checked in, so I took a picture of it on my phone. Some days later I went and got the book. I skimmed through and it I was amazed at the simplicity of this rule. I don't know why it's there but it's there and I like simple things that work, even if it is an approximation.

At the time when I was first introduced to this principle I did notice things in my own business and in my life in general and I thought, "Oh this is pretty cool". I even remember talking about it with a few friends and business associates. After some time I forgot about it.

Today I downloaded The Philosopher's Notes Volume 1, which by the way is amazing I think. It is basically Cliff Notes or Coles Notes for the top 100 personal growth books. This in itself is 80/20 at it's best. I skimmed through a few books and all the big ideas are condensed into 6 pages, which is amazing! The first book or note I read was on The 80/20 principle.

The principle states, quite simply, that 20% of efforts lead to 80% of results. This is everywhere. Let me give you a few examples. According to the 80/20 principle, 80% of your income in business comes from 20% of your clients, 80% of your time gets spent on 20% of your tasks or the 20% of the people that you know. 20% of your products or services yields 80% of the profit. At the same time 80% of your cost also come from 20% of the total number of expenses, 80% of your time spent on debugging is spent on 20% of bugs, 80% of crimes are committed by 20% of the criminals, 20% of roads get 80% of the traffic and I could basically go on and on about this.

So what does this all imply? Assuming the 80/20 principle holds, to make more profit, be more effective and efficient and to be generally more happy in life, you should focus your energy on the top 20% of everything that yields 80% of the good stuff. Focus on the top 20% of your products, 20% of your clients, do the top 20% of the things that make you happy, spend more time with the top 20% of the people that give you more joy and happiness. Also you may want to fire the 20% of your clients that give you the 80% of the headaches, reduce or stop production on the 20% of the products and services that results in 80% of the waste, and etc…

Of course I'm not suggesting a mechanical trimming of the 20% of things and people that give you 80% of the trouble and solely focusing on the 20% that gives you the good stuff. I wish life was really that simple. You do need to study and make decisions on a case by case basis, but this 80/20 is a fast way to have a short cut analysis of business and life in general.

Take out your notebook(I mean the one with a screen and keyboard) and jot down 80/20s in your personal, business or work life.

Categories
Philosophy Self Development Uncategorized

I’m Never Retiring!

Today after dinner and watching a movie, I sat there on my sofa thinking what I should do. I was thinking what I should be doing. There are a couple of things I needed to get done, but didn't quite want to do it. I had this very uncomfortable feeling and I could not make out what it was until it suddenly hit me. I was BORED!

For the first time in a very long time, I was actually feeling bored, and I hated the feeling. Not being in a state where I was not doing something for a very long time had made me completely forget about what it was to be not doing something. Today I have decided that I will never be retiring. I never want to retire. Why should anyone want to retire?

I'll tell you why. Because there is so much in life that one can do. If anything, I think there isn't enough time to do everything that one really is capable of doing. Recently, everyday I see new possibilities of living life. There is simply so much to do. I think people grow into adults and they learn to limit their imagination. Kids are amazing; they are always doing something – playing with their toys, running around, well crying too, and eating, and maybe just sitting there, but even while sitting most of the time their playing imaginary and creative games.

I for one always want to be a kid and imagine the possibilities that life can bring. There is simply so much to do and words like boring, bored or boredom should just simply be removed from the dictionary.

Categories
Business Entertainment Marketting

Number One Way To Celebrate OSCAR NIGHT!

Number one way to celebrate Oscar Night is to Blog about it! Everyone has favourites. Will there be surprises this year? Will there be upsets? You never know!!

The best way to celebrate Oscar Night is to BLOG ABOUT IT!!!

Okinara Consulting Services is giving you a chance to blog about your favourite moments. They have a special on Oscar Themed blogs and just blogs in general.