Issue with latest versions of Flash and Opera on Linux.
It has been several months since I made the complete switch to Linux from Windows XP. In general, I've been quite happy with my decision to switch and the distribution I went with (OpenSUSE 10.3). And, things have been going on well. Recently, I installed the latest version of Adobe Flash Player (version 9.0.115.0). Even though it worked fine on Firefox, I was not able to view any flash based websites on Opera(v 9.24). I tried updating Opera to the latest available stable release v9.25 and it still wouldn't work.
I searched the forums and found out that I was not the only one having this issue. Having found no answers at SuseForums, I went to Opera Forums looking for a solution.
And, thanks to the guys at Opera forums, I finally found the solution:
Note that Flash 9.0.115 for Linux is not compatible with Opera 9.24 or earlier, if you run Linux and don't have the latest test build of Opera 9.50 then don't install the update.
So, I installed the latest preview release Opera 9.5 Beta1 and Flash is working again.
September 03, 2007 Monday
Got my H-1B Visa Stamped at Chennai.
I had already made an appointment to go to the American Consulate to get H-1B visa stamped on my passport before I left for vacation. The appointment was on Aug 30, 2007 at 1 PM & I reached there by 12:30 PM. I was hoping there won't be much wait but unfortunately, there was a long line. After 30-45 minutes delay, I was taken to the room where they had the counters with the Visa Interviewers. Even though I had a close call the last time when I went to get my visa stamped, I was rather cool and not nervous.
But soon, as I got close to the counters, I noticed that the white female with glasses in one of the counters was rejecting visas for every person who goes to her counter. At the time I was there, atleast 8 of those who went to her counter got their visas rejected. I felt especially bad for 1 of the girls who had gone to get her H-4 dependant visa stamped. I'm not sure what was wrong, but she was told to go back and get more documents and come back on a different day. The girl pleaded with the interviewer saying that she already has the flight tickets and was expecting to leave soon. The interviewer was reluctant and told her she still has time and that she can come back the next day. I hope she got her visa successfully, the next day.
All of this started to bring back nightmarish memories from my previous Visa experience. Still, I was confident that I had all the required documents. Also, since Lexmark - a well-known company is sponsoring my H-1B, I was quite sure that there won't be any complications. But, you'll never know. As I got closer and closer to the counters, I was getting more and more nervous that I might end up in that counter with all the rejects. But luckily, I was asked to go to the next counter where there was a guy of Indian origin. Everyone in front of me on that line, got their visas approved. So, I started to breathe a little bit freely again.
After some more wait, my turn came. I went to the counter and wished the guy. He asked me only 3 questions.
How long have you been working with Lexmark?
Can I see your Pay-stubs?
What is your base pay per year?
I answered these questions and handed over the required documentation and he told me that my visa is approved and the passport will be sent by courier. Phew, I'm glad all of this is behind me now.
Side-Note: For the record, I did NOT take my Bank-Statement with me. I was told by my friends to have it in hand. But, since it was not in the list of "required-documents", and I did not have a big "balance amount", I did not take it. At the time I was in the line, I don't think any of the H-1B candidates were asked for their bank-statement. I noticed that some were asked for the pay-stubs and some were asked for the W-2 Tax forms that shows the income. So, if you are a H-1B candidate and are going to Chennai consulate, then I think it is OK to not have the bank-statement. However, I recommend you to take it with you since nothing bad can come of it. Also, as my friend Bharath pointed out, I guess the reason why they ask for bank-statement from H-1B candidates is not to see if we have sufficient funds to support ourselves, but to verify that we are really being paid by the sponsoring company. So, I think the balance in the account doesn't really matter.
August 26, 2007 Sunday
Video: Eddy Izzard's encore on computers.
I found this video on YouTube this morning. In this video, Eddy, a British comedian, nicely summarizes how I sometimes feel about gadgets. I thought it was quite funny. I didn't know he started as a stand-up comedian. I watched a couple more stand-up videos of him on YouTube and they were quite funny too.
August 22, 2007 Wednesday
Not a good start.
Flight from Cincinnati to New York city has been delayed for an hour. Still, I have enough time to board my connecting flight to Dubai.
August 22, 2007 Wednesday
Vacation to India & Lexmark's new line of Wireless-Printers
After almost 3 and half years, I'm finally going back to India on a month long vacation (Aug 22, 2007 - Sep 23, 2007). It has been a busy couple of weeks shopping, finishing up some code at work, preparing documents required for H-1B visa stamping etc. I think I'm done with all the preparations now. I am a little worried about my luggages though. I hope they reach home safe. They survived a bad beating the last time I visited India. I don't know if they have enough "oomph" to survive another trip. Anyway, I'll know soon enough.
I am planning to take some pics during my day long journey to India using my trusty mobile phone and post it here in my blog. I've never tried this before. So, I'm not really sure if it'll work. But, I guess I'll give it a try.
On a totally unrelated note, Lexmark announced a whole new line of Ink-jet printers and All-In-Ones yesterday. I am very much excited about the announcement. I'm very proud to say that Lexmark is now the producer of some of the most affordable wireless printers in the world. I've worked on each and every one of them and I believe they have the feature set and performance that are going to make these printers big hits with our customers. For instance, consider Lexmark X6570. For just $150, you get a All-in-One (Copy, Scan, Print, Fax, Memory card printing and Pictbridge) machine with 2-sided printing and wireless printing & scanning. On top of this, you also get a Lexmark Protection Guarantee with next business day replacement. And, being a Lexmark machine, you'll also get the same Lexmark performance that 75% of world's banks, retailers & pharmacies rely on to meet their everyday printing needs.
Disclosure: I'm an employee of Lexmark International.
