Top must have iPhone and iPad free apps for 2013

Everyone from age 2 and up knows what is an iPhone and iPad. There are tons of paid and unpaid apps in the App Store. This article list the apps for Apple but I am sure that the almost all the apps are available at the GooglePlay Store.

1. Evernote: Awesome app with limited free space. Once you create a new note or update an existing note, it syncs across. Very clean and highly productive app. Other similar application are One note from Microsoft.

2. Google Maps: Wonderful point-to-point direction tool. This is very updated and user friendly. Other similar apps are Apple Maps (which is built-in), MapQuest . Other navigation apps Waze and Trapster brings add on feature.

3. YouTube: There are tons of streaming video website. YouTube still rules because of the clean look and popularity. Other notable apps are VEVO HD, Crackle.

4. Flixster: Why I like it? Because I love movies. The app is supported by the celebrated movie ratings website - Rotten Tomatoes. This app gives information about current releases, reviews, upcoming movie information, nearest movie location (you have to turn on Location Services), DVDs releases. Other comparable apps are IMDb,  Apple's Trailers.

5. Shazam: If you love music, you will love this app. Imagine you are at a dance club and listen to DJ and want to know what song it is and the artist. This is the app for you. This app helps you to track the song you are listening and instantly take you to iTunes Store or Amazon or GooglePlay to purchase it if you are interested.

5. Facebook/ Twitter/ Pinterest/ Path/ Instagram/ LinkedIn: I am clubbing all the social networking app together. Today you are hesitant to say hello to a person walking by but always open to poke someone on these social media platforms. There is nothing to rank about these apps, it is each of your preference, ease of use and privacy policies. Just a caution that: Anything you tag or do a page like will soon be an advertisement on your homepage.

6. iBooks: Apple is still lacking with the number of books online with Amazon but I love the simplicity of iBooks. Other well-known apps include Kindle, Audible, GoodReads.

7. Pandora/ iHeartRadio: These are the darling apps of the housewives, long working days of husbands, teenage kids.

8. Yelp: This app is a huge aid for travelers. In this mini google, you can find events, popular restaurants, comedy club almost everything with rating. Other similar apps are AroundMe.

9. MyFitnessPal: This app are for those who want to track of their food intake. For a healthy living the amount and the type of food you have plays a significant role. It inspires you to a better living.

10. Score: This prime app is favorite among men. Whenever your wife have to take you with her for a shopping or hold on the home television, you got no better option than Score. Other similar apps include ESPN, CBS SPORTS. If you like NBA there is NBA GameTime app, NFL Mobile for NFL, Yahoo Sports, NHL.

11. Walmart/Target/Amazon/Dick's: These department store apps are great to check for an item in stock, near by location, working hours, reviews and ratings.

12. Walgreen/CVS: Another chain store apps for our needs - Pharmacy. You never know when you need an Advil or DayQuil. These apps would give availability info, location, store hours.

13. Find iPhone: This app is very helpful to track where your phone is. You can track is on web as well as on other Apple Products like iPad.

14. Banking Apps: Similar to social network apps, I am clubbing all the finance apps like Chase, American Express, Wells Fargo and so on. Now a days, multiple banks are offering mobile deposits, mobile receipts and many other features.
 

Oracle RMAN 11g: SQL queries against Catalog Database for backup info

With this blog I am sharing the queries that I use in my environment to gather details about database backup, backup sets. The queries can be executed on the target as well as catalog databases but there are difference in view name.

If you do not use a catalog database(which I highly recommend) and all information are storied in control file, you can use the SQL for target database to find the information. Note: Make sure the DB is in mount state.

For a newbie, 

Target: It is usually the PROD database or the database of which we need to take backup of.

Catalog: This is normal Oracle database where the backup metadata are stored. If you are not using catalog database, the same information can be storied in the Target's controlfile

In target, you can connect as sys as sysdba to run the SQL. In the Catalog Database, connect using the catalog schema.

Query the details for a single archive log:


Target :

select r.sequence#,r.set_stamp,p.handle,p.tag,p.start_time,p.completion_time,r.first_change#,r.next_change#
from V$BACKUP_PIECE p, V$BACKUP_REDOLOG r
where r.set_stamp = p.set_stamp
and r.set_count = p.set_count
and r.sequence# = 743399;

Here the archive log # that I am checking is 743399.

Catalog DB:

select r.sequence#,r.set_stamp,p.handle,p.tag,p.start_time,p.completion_time,r.first_change#,r.next_change#
from RC_BACKUP_PIECE p, RC_BACKUP_REDOLOG r
where r.set_stamp = p.set_stamp
and r.set_count = p.set_count
and r.sequence# = 743399;

Find last archive log backed up:

Target:

select r.sequence#,r.set_stamp,p.handle,p.tag,p.start_time,p.completion_time,r.first_change#,r.next_change#
from V$BACKUP_PIECE p, V$BACKUP_REDOLOG r
where r.set_stamp = p.set_stamp
and r.set_count = p.set_count
order by sequence# desc;

Catalog DB:

select r.sequence#,r.set_stamp,p.handle,p.tag,p.start_time,p.completion_time,r.first_change#,r.next_change#
from RC_BACKUP_PIECE p, RC_BACKUP_REDOLOG r
where r.set_stamp = p.set_stamp
and r.set_count = p.set_count
order by sequence# desc;

Backup Job Details:

Target:

select session_key,input_type,status, to_char(start_time,'yyyy-mm-dd hh24:mi') start_time,to_char(end_time,'yyyy-mm-dd hh24:mi') end_time,output_bytes_display,time_taken_display
from V$RMAN_BACKUP_JOB_DETAILS
order by session_key desc;

Catalog DB:

select session_key,input_type,status, to_char(start_time,'yyyy-mm-dd hh24:mi') start_time,to_char(end_time,'yyyy-mm-dd hh24:mi') end_time,output_bytes_display,time_taken_display
from RC_RMAN_BACKUP_JOB_DETAILS
order by session_key desc;

You can get all these information by standard RMAN commands like LIST, REPORT. All the commands have been tested in Oracle 11g (11.2.0.3).

Apple in the decline: Déjà vu

Apple Inc. isn't the Steve Job's Apple anymore. Ever since Tim Cook took the drivers seat for Apple Inc., many changes were made in the organization with respect to logistics, leadership, design and other areas.  Many key employees had left or jumbled around with responsibilities. New process are in place but what about innovation ? There is a steady decline. Personally I feel Apple senior management are acting to keep up the share prices and interests of the investors. This is the same mistake many leaders do who takeover a creative genius.

Apple did made bigger screen iPhone which is great. Now there are rumors about cheaper iPhone, Macbook production to be moved to U.S, new colors to iPhone. Did anyone notice how cluttered iTunes are? This isnt innovation. Apple is making effort to be in profit not by understanding the customer but for the interest of the share holders. Building cheaper iPhone is one example for that. I do see the vision for Apple to enter the emerging markets in Asia and South America. But this also takes up innovative brains from building new things rather same thing in different and cheaper hardware. Are these employees doing what they love?

Apple is forgetting the basics of what makes it distinct - Simplicity. The iTunes software is so complex and so hard to use. Before the current release, any human from 8 year old to 80 year old could easily navigate around the application. The new release did bring more information to the page but lost the harmony. Honestly ever since the new upgrade I have bought less stuff on iTunes. I hardly even open iTunes on my macbook.

More colors to iPhone would be an enhancement to launch but it isn't a feature. This reminds me of General Motors and Apple before Steve Jobs returned in 1997. General Motors had so many subsidiary companies that it affected the quality and standards. Apple too had so many Macbook and Mac configurations that customers got confused which product will suit their needs. More line of products in the same category would simply turn the people away.

Macbook production to U.S is good promise for bringing jobs to the country. It does will bring smile to heart of government and people to see 'Designed and Made in USA'. The big cons here are the price. The price of the Macbook would go up that fewer people would feel comfortable owning it. Where will it lead to? Loss. Loss of market share, Loss of revenue, operating income and so on.

I want to go back to earlier question, Where is the Innovation ? People loved Apple Inc for the fascinating products not because of the color, where it was made. Stop doing trash and focus on blending art and technology. Do what you love - creativity and simplicity. We don't want Apple to organize 5 events every year rather steal the show with 1 event with amazing product.

Oracle: Restricting TNS Connections to Database

I have been in a scenario recently where APPS account got locked during the cloning process as soon as I started the Oracle database TNS Listener.

Reason: Passwords are different in Prod and Test instance. Before I could run autoconfig (which requires Listener) to be up, another application from Oracle Fusion Middleware was trying to connect to the newly refreshed test instance.

In situations like this, you can  restrict the access to DB by changing the sqlnet.ora file in $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin. Add the following entries:


tcp.validnode_checking = yes
tcp.invited_nodes = (testdb, testccm, your_desktop_IP)

Now restart the listener. Once the autoconfig is executed on database node the SQLNET.ora will be overwritten. You need to bounce the listener again to take off the restrictions made.

Reinvent Yourself

We grow up every minute, every dat, every year. We learn new things, repeat some things, get more wiser.  Everyone loves to look ahead and move forward. It is also vital to take lessons from our life and reinvent yourself. New goals, resolutions can be made any minute any second. You don't have to wait for the new season, your birthday, new year to do that. There are lot of ways to get motivated and inspired. The basics are the same across. Dedication, Determination brings Motivation. You drive your life. You always have a choice.

To an employee, Do want you love. To be more specific love your work and not your company. This is what gets you motivated to strive the failures. For those aspiring to be a CEO or be a top surgeon have small dreams that a person who is jobless and believes he can change the world. A service that pushes to a better life is always remembered than a person who holds a big office.

Example: Steve Jobs was kicked out of Apple by the new CEO. Since he loved what he did that he started up NEXT and Pixar. The list includes Michael Jordan, The Beatles, Albert Eistein, Jerry Seinfeld, J K Rowling.
 

I begin here with a short note, new thoughts to follow.