The Advisory Boar

By Abhijit Menon-Sen <>

Brother HL-2250DN and Linux

An inexpensive but featureful network printer that works well with Linux.

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Lenovo Thinkpad X120E (and Linux)

I've been on the lookout for a Lenovo Thinkpad X120E ever since I read Engadget's glowing review in early 2011. It was not available in Nehru Place for several months, and I'd almost forgotten about it when I happened to find it on Flipkart some weeks ago. I ordered one, and have been reasonably happy with it. Here are a few observations.

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Samsung SCX-3201G MFP and Linux

This inexpensive device is suitable for low-volume printing and scanning, despite some initial setup woes under CUPS on Linux.

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No longer as Swift

The 2011 Maruti Suzuki Swift ZXi looks the same, but feels very different from my old 2005 Swift VXi.

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Air2Web is avoidable

Air2Web customer care just ignored me when I wrote to them about a recurring problem.

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Virtual servers at E2E Networks

For a recent project, I needed to find reliable server hosting with good connectivity inside India. After doing some research, I decided to use E2E Networks, which offers reasonably-configured virtual servers at good prices, and has well-connected hosting facilities in Delhi and Mumbai.

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Exide warranty nightmare

Our UPS is hooked up to three Exide Powersafe EP65-12 SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) batteries. Normally, that gives us about six hours of backup time for my desktop, monitor, and a few assorted peripherals. It's not often that the mains power is off for so long (less than half a dozen times a year, I'd guess), but that capacity has proven invaluable in the past. For the last few months, however, the UPS has lasted for half an hour at most, even when the batteries were fully charged. Using a multimeter, I found that the voltage across one of the batteries fell rapidly to 10.5V just before the UPS died, while the other two remained above 12V. Since the batteries were still under warranty, I contacted the vendor to ask about having them replaced (which I have had to do in the past)

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“The Archaeology and Monumental Remains of Delhi”

I bought this book many years ago, when I first started photographing the monuments of mediaeval Delhi. I was familiar with the history of the period, but knew very little about its buildings, or about the way they were built, fell into ruins, and were later excavated. Much of what I know now, I learned from this book.

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Heat and the LG intelloair air conditioner

This air conditioner's compressor overheats too often in Delhi summers.

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Timberland “Chochorua Trail Hiker” Boots

The first hiking boots I bought served me well for ten years.

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