WELCOME TO AHMEDV.COM

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Application planning, building, implementation and execution. Resource and budget management.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Marketing, Advertising, Logo and Graphic Design. Brand Identify and awareness.

ESL INSTRUCTION

I'm ESL/EFL certified with 3 years experience and also a TOEFL Administrator.

 

TECHNOLOGIES

Experience in PC, Mac, Unix and exposure Android and iOS. Open source development technologies, PHP, mySQL, Java.

BUSINESS ANALYSIS

Business consulting, process mapping and design, SDLC, application development and quality control.

HELLO, I AM AHMED VARACHIA


WELCOME TO MY LITTLE SPACE ON THE WWW ...

My name is Ahmed Varachia. I was born on March the 17th 1982 in Johannesburg, South Africa. My Motto - Dream > Direction > Dedication > Determination > Destination ...

  • RÉSUMÉ

    ALL ABOUT ME

    As you’ve probably noticed, I’m an IT geek. I have a BSc in Computer Science (IT). I’ve also completed a diploma in TEFL. Check-out my online CV here or download my latest creative CV here and my timeline here.

  • TECHNOLOGY

    WHAT I LIKE WORKING ON

    I’ve worked on a range of technologies, from Lotus Notes, Mainframe, Oracle to PHP (Web development). My vast exposure to different technologies has empowered me to adapt and evolve quickly. Currently I enjoy working on cloud and mobile application development.

  • TEACHING

    ESL

    I love teaching – its a new found passion for me since 2010. It’s an amazing profession and one of the most rewarding I’ve ever experienced. I’ve been teaching full-time/part-time since 2010 at Berlitz Al Ahsa. I’ve taught English to kids from ages 6 to an adult in his 60s – truly an amazing journey that has really defined my character.

  • HOBBIES

    DIY / PHOTOGRAPHY / CRAFTS

    As a human, I like to question everything. I like to understand how things work, why they are how they are, and how it affects what I do. I love working with my hands and converting my crazy ideas into art. From wooden art, painting, and general DIY around the home/office I love to play. Still a very junior photographer with a Nikon 3100 I’ve recently been clicking galore.

Skills // Senior Business Analyst with a passion for technology. With over 15 years experience in IT, and 4 years instructional experience (ESL). I have a creative mind comfortable with working with graphics and web technologies and the ability to adapt and learn quickly are my strengths.

  • 19 on Cochrane

  • Accenture

  • African Feather

  • AIA Vitality

  • Ambushed

  • AMC-Projects

  • Art on Grant

  • Autostyle

  • bakeityourself.co.za

  • Berlitz Al Ahsa

  • Charlie Electric

  • Chompalot

  • Dar al-Khibra

  • Discovery (Vitality)

  • Diyo Consulting

  • Edcon

  • EFL

  • Eqos Sourcing

  • Generali Vitality

  • Get Paid Ent

  • Goodes & Seedat Inc. Attorneys

  • Headquarters

  • Idarah Dawatul Haq

  • Ihsan Centre

  • KKM

  • KM-Motivation

  • KnowledgeTree (myKT)

  • Learn Deen

  • Legend Safaris

  • Limesurvey

  • Logo Design

  • Mainframe

  • Marketing

  • Muzayr

  • Online Testing – myQuiz

  • Oracle Financial

  • PhD Research Assistance

  • Process Management

  • Proper Tea Tymz

  • Rahmaniyyah

  • Refrimate

  • RIMAL – KSA

  • Scheduling Management System

  • Shaik’s Foods

  • SmartBoard

  • Social Booking Calendar

  • Social Media

  • Social Media

  • Speechperfect

  • Sumitomo Vitality

  • Team Building

  • Theba Realtors

  • Ticketing Support System

  • Vabro

  • Varachia Family

About this Blog // Welcome to my Blog - read about my interests and what's on my mind etc. I hope you find my educational bits helpful and useful. If you need any help post a comment or send me a message

  • HOMOPHONES

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: ESL, Saudi Arabia

    No Comments

    Homophones

    Got to love them if you’ve ever taught ESL .. found a cool image list on the net some time ago. Not my work and I can’t remember the authors blog – so full credit to anon.

    149 item(s) « of 5 »
  • COPY A FILE LIST AS TEXT FROM WINDOWS EXPLORER

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Uncategorized

    No Comments

    In Windows 7 and later, this will do the trick for you

    • Select the file/files.
    • Hold the shift key and then right-click on the selected file/files.
    • You will see Copy as Path. Click that.
    • Open a Notepad file and paste and you will be good to go.

    The menu item Copy as Path is not available in Windows XP.

    Reference: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1187479/copy-a-file-list-as-text-from-windows-explorer

  • ANDROID VERSIONS

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Android, Development, IT, Mobile

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    The development of the Android operating system was started in 2003 by Android, Inc. Later on, it was purchased by Google in 2005. The beta version of Android OS was released on November 5, 2007, while the software development kit (SDK) was released on November 12, 2007.

    The first Android mobile was publicly released with Android 1.0 of the T-Mobile G1 (aka HTC Dream) in October 2008.

    Google announced in August 2019 that they were ending the confectionery scheme, and they use numerical ordering for future Android versions.

    The first Android version which was released under the numerical order format was Android 10.

    Android versions, name, and API level

    Code nameVersion numbersAPI levelRelease date
    No codename1.01September 23, 2008
    No codename1.12February 9, 2009
    Cupcake1.53April 27, 2009
    Donut1.64September 15, 2009
    Eclair2.0 – 2.15 – 7October 26, 2009
    Froyo2.2 – 2.2.38May 20, 2010
    Gingerbread2.3 – 2.3.79 – 10December 6, 2010
    Honeycomb3.0 – 3.2.611 – 13February 22, 2011
    Ice Cream Sandwich4.0 – 4.0.414 – 15October 18, 2011
    Jelly Bean4.1 – 4.3.116 – 18July 9, 2012
    KitKat4.4 – 4.4.419 – 20October 31, 2013
    Lollipop5.0 – 5.1.121- 22November 12, 2014
    Marshmallow6.0 – 6.0.123October 5, 2015
    Nougat7.024August 22, 2016
    Nougat7.1.0 – 7.1.225October 4, 2016
    Oreo8.026August 21, 2017
    Oreo8.127December 5, 2017
    Pie9.028August 6, 2018
    Android 1010.029September 3, 2019

    Android Version 1.0 to 1.1: No codename

    Android officially publish its Android version 1.0 in September 2008. It is the initial version of Android operating system. It supports Web browser to show HTML and XHTML web pages, camera, access web email server (POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP). This version contains Google Calendar, Google Maps, Google Sync, Google Search, Google Talk, Instant messaging, Media player, Notifications appear in the status bar, wallpaper, YouTube video player, Alarm Clock, Calculator, Dialer, Pictures (Gallery), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support.

    Android version 1.5: Cupcake

    On April 27, 2009, the Android updated to 1.5 with the codename of the dessert item (Cupcake). It has Linux kernel 2.6.27. It supports third-party virtual keyboard, Video recording and playback in MPEG-4, Copy and paste feature, Animated screen translations, auto-rotation option, ability to upload a video to YouTube, upload photos to Picasa, check phone usage history.

    Android version 1.6: Donut

    On September 15, 2009, Android 1.6 was released with the name Donut. It contains numerous new features such as voice and text entry search, bookmark history, contacts, web, “speak” a string of text, faster camera access, user can select multiple photos for deletion, support text-to-speech engine, WVGA screen resolutions.

    Android version 2.0 to 2.1: Eclair

    On October 26, 2009, Android 2.0 was released, whose codename was Eclair. It was based on Linux kernel 2.6.29. It contains the several new features as expanded account sync, Microsoft Exchange email support, Bluetooth 2.1, ability to tap a Contact photo and select to call, SMS, ability to search all saved SMS, MMS messages, delete the oldest message automatically when the defined limit is reached, Minor API, bug fixes.

    Android version 2.2 to 2.2.3: Froyo

    On May 20, 2010, Android 2.2 (Froyo) was released based on Linux kernel 2.6.32. It contains several features as speed, memory, performance optimization. JIT compilation, Integration of Chrome’s V8, JavaScript engine into the Browser application, support Android Cloud to Device Messaging service, Adobe Flash support, security updates, and performance improvement.

    Android version 2.3 to 2.3.7: Gingerbread

    On December 6, 2010, the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) was released based on Linux kernel 2.6.35. It includes the following changes: support for extra-large screen size and resolutions, updated user interface design with increased simplicity and speed, enhanced copy/paste functionality, select a word by press-holding, support Near Field Communication (NFC), headphone virtualization, new Download Manager.

    It has improved bug fixes for Nexus S, voice or video chat using Google Talk, network performance for Nexus S 4G, Gmail application, battery efficiency, fixed a voice search bug, Google Wallet support for Nexus S 4G.

    Android version 3.0 to 3.2.6: Honeycomb

    On February 22, 2011, Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) was launched for the first tablet for Android-based on Linux kernel 2.6.36. It contains the features like “holographic” user interface for tablet, added system Bar, simplified multitasking tapping Recent Application in system Bar, redesign the keyboard making fast typing, quick access to camera exposure, hardware acceleration, support for multi-core processor, UI refinements, connectivity for USB accessories, support for joysticks and gamepads, high-performance Wi-Fi lock, improved hardware support, Google Books, fixed data connectivity issues when coming out of Airplane mode.

    Android version 4.0 to 4.0.4: Ice Cream Sandwich

    On October 19, 2011, Android 4.0.1 (Ice Cream Sandwich) was launched, which was based on Linux kernel 3.0.1. It was the last version of officially support Adobe System Flash player. It introduces the numerous new features: refinements to “Holo” interface with new Roboto font family, separation of widgets in a new tab, integrated screenshot capture, improved error correction on the keyboard, improved copy and paste functionality, build-in photo editor, fixed minor bugs, improvement to graphics, spell-checking, better camera performance.

    Android version 4.1 to 4.3.1: Jelly Bean

    On June 27, 2012, Google announced Android 4.1(Jelly Bean) in the Google I/O conference. It is based on Linux kernel 3.0.31. It updates to following features: smoother user interface, enhance accessibility, expandable notification, fixed bug on Nexus 7, one-finger gestures to expand/collapse notifications, lock screen improvement, multiple user accounts (tablets only), new clock application, Bluetooth low energy support, volume for incoming call, 4K resolution support, native emoji support, bug fixes for the Nexus 7 LTE.

    Android version 4.4 to 4.4.4: KitKat

    On September 3, 2013, Google announced Android 4.4 (KitKat). Initially, its code name was “Key Lime Pie”. Google started on Google’s Nexus 5 on October 31, 2013. The minimum required amount of RAM should available to Android is 340 MB. The other devices with less than 512 MB of RAM must report themselves as “low RAM” devices. It includes several new features as clock no longer display bold hours, wireless printing capability, WebViews are based on Chromium engine, sensor batching, built-in screen recording feature, better application compatibility, camera application loads Google+ Photo instead of Gallery.

    Android version 5.0 to 5.1.1: Lollipop

    Android 5.0 “Lollipop” was initially named “Android L” on June 25, 2014. It was officially introduced on November 12, 2014. Lollipop provides several features like redesigned user interface, support for 64-bit CPUs, support for print previews, material design, Project Volta for battery life improvement, multiple user accounts, audio input, and output through USB devices, join Wi-Fi networks, support for multiple SIM cards, device protection, high-definition voice calls, native Wi-Fi calling support.

    Android version 6.0 – 6.0.1: Marshmallow

    Android 6.0 “Marshmallow” was disclosed under the codename “Android M” on May 28, 2015, for Nexus 5 and Nexus 6 phones, Nexus 9 tablet.

    On October 5, 2015, Android lunches “Marshmallow” for all android devices. It contains the various new features as App Standby feature, introduce the Doze mode to save battery life, native fingerprint reader support, run-time permission requests, USB-C support, Unicode 7.0 & 8.0 emoji support.

    Android version 7.0 to 7.1.2: Nougat

    Android 7.0 “Nougat” was the major release for the Android operating system. Its initial codename was “Android N”. It was first released as a developer preview on March 9, 2016, with factory images for the Nexus device.

    On August 22, 2016, the final preview built was released with following features: file-based encryption, zoom in the screen, multi-window support, new Data Saver mode, JIT compiler makes 75 percent faster app installation, picture-in-picture support, support manager APIs, circular app icons support, send GIFs directly from the default keyboard, battery usage alerts.

    Android version 8.0 to 8.1: Oreo

    Android 8.0 “Oreo” was the 8th major release of the Android operating system. It was first released for developer preview on March 21, 2017. The final developer preview was released on July 24, 2017.

    On August 21, 2017, its stable version was released with several features: picture-in-picture support, support for Unicode 10.0 emoji (5.0), restructured settings, adoptive icons, notification channels, notification dots, 2 times faster boot time, Google Play Protect, Integrated printing support, Neural network API, shared memory API, Android Oreo Go Edition, autofill framework, automatic light, and dark themes.

    Android version 9.0: Pie

    Android 9.0 “Pie” was the ninth major version of the Android operating system. It was first announced and preview launched by Google on March 7, 2018. It was officially released on August 6, 2018. It has the following features: the clock has moved to the left of the notification bar, the “screenshot” button has been added, battery percentage always shown on display.

    Android version 10:

    Android 10 is the tenth extensive version of the Android operating system. Android 10 has developed under the codename “Android Q”. It was initially announced by Google on March 13, 2019 and its first beta version was released on same day and its second beta was released on April 3, 2019.

    The stable version of Android 10 was released on September 3, 2019. It contains features like new permissions to access location in the background, floating setting panel, support for an AV1 video codec, support for biometric authentication, support the WPA3 Wi-Fi security.

    Reference: https://www.javatpoint.com/android-versions

  • HOW TO MERGE OR COMBINE MULTIPLE FILES

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Uncategorized

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    How to merge or combine multiple files

    Updated: 11/13/2018 by Computer Hope

    If you would like to merge multiple Word, Excel or text files together, it can be done with relative ease and at no extra cost. Follow the steps below for the type of file you’re trying to merge.

    Tip: For many users, it is easier to copy and paste the contents of multiple files into a new file as a form of merging or combining files.

    Merging Microsoft Word documents

    To merge Word documents, you can merge those documents within Microsoft Word itself. To do this, open the first file in Microsoft Word, and follow the steps for your version of Word. The steps are different because of the changes between the file menu and the Office ribbon.

    Microsoft Word 2007 or later (ribbon)

    In the Word ribbon, click the Insert tab, click the down arrow next to Object, and select the Text from File option, as shown below.

    Word 2010 file merge

    Select the file you want to merge into the current document and click Insert. Once completed, the text and other information from the document will be merged into the current document. These steps can be completed as many times as you want if you want to merge multiple files.

    Tip: If there are multiple files you want to merge at the same time, you can select multiple files by holding down the Ctrl key and selecting each file you want to merge.

    Microsoft Word 2003 or earlier (file menu)

    In Word, click on Tools in the top menu and select the Compare and Merge Documents option, as shown below.

    Merge Microsoft Word document

    Find the document you want to merge. You have the option of merging the selected document into the currently open document or merging the two documents into a new document. To choose the merge option, click the arrow next to the Merge button and select the desired merge option. The files will then be merged.

    Compare and Merge files

    Tip: If there are multiple files you want to merge at once, you can select multiple files by holding down the Ctrl key and selecting each file you want to merge.

    Merging Microsoft Excel files

    To merge Microsoft Excel files together, it is best to save them as CSV files first. Open the Excel files and in the menu bar, click File, then Save As. In the Save as type drop-down list, select CSV (comma delimited) (*.csv) from the list.

    Do this for each Excel file you want to merge, then place all the CSV files in the same folder. For ease, place them in a folder in the root of the C: drive (e.g., c:\csvfiles).

    Open the Windows command prompt and navigate to the folder containing the CSV files. Type dir to view the files in the folder and ensure all the files are there.

    Type in the following command to merge all CSV files in the folder into a new CSV file titled “newfile.csv” (any name could be used).

    copy *.csv newfile.csv

    After the new file has been created, open the new CSV file in Microsoft Excel and save it as an Excel file.

    Merge a text (.txt) file in the Windows command line

    Place each of the text files you want to merge in the same folder. For ease, place them in a folder in the root of the C: drive (e.g., c:\textfiles) and make sure the folder only contains text files you want to merge.

    Tip: Before merging text files, you may want to make sure there is a blank line or at least one carriage return (pressing the Enter key) to help separate each file.

    Open the Windows command prompt and navigate to the folder containing the text files. Type dir to view the files in the folder and ensure all the files are there.

    Type in the following command to merge all TXT files in the current directory into the file named newfile.txt (any name could be used).

    copy *.txt newfile.txt

    Now you can open the text file and see everything merged together as one file.

    Merge a file in the Linux command line

    Linux users can merge two or more files into one file using the merge command or lines of files using the paste command.

    Merge PDF files

    PDF

    PDF documents can also be merged. You can use a full version of Adobe Acrobat to do this, but this program is a bit pricy (several hundred dollars).

    Another option is to find a free utility on the Internet to merge your PDF files. One of the better free utilities is PDF Split and Merge. It is an online tool that lets you merge two or more PDF files into one PDF file with a few clicks of your mouse button. You can also download and install a version of the Batch PDF Merger program, which costs about $30.

    There are other free utilities online that offer this service. However, if there is any confidential information contained in the PDF files, use caution when merging them online. It is recommended that you use a utility on your computer for these types of PDF file mergers, to ensure the confidential data is kept confidential.

    • MergePDF – Online utility to merge PDF files up to 30 MB.
    • PDFMerge – Another great free utility to merge PDF documents.
    • Sej-da – An additional utility to merge PDF files up to 50 MB.

    Credits: https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001376.htm#merge-text

  • EXCEL: EXPORT .CSV FILE WITH JAPANESE CHARACTER

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Development, IT, PC, Windows

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    To fully retain the characters while saving it on a CSV format and to somehow be able to import/re-use the data in the future.

    You can follow these steps.

    1. In Microsoft Excel, open the *.xlsx file.
    2. Select Menu | Save As.
    3. Enter any name for your file.
    4. Under “Save as type,” select Unicode Text.
    5. Click Save.
    6. Open your saved file in Microsoft Notepad.
    7. Replace all tab characters with commas (“,”).
    • Select a tab character (select and copy the space between two column headers)
    • Open the “Find and Replace” window (Press Ctrl+H) and replace all tab characters with comma .

    Replace Tabs with commas in Notepad

    1. Click Save As.
    2. Name the file, and change the Encoding: to UTF-8.
    3. Change the file extension from .txt to .csv.
    4. Click Save.
    5. Open the .csv file in Excel to view your data.

    Credit:

    https://stackoverflow.com/questions/24087432  /excel-xlsx-file-saving-as-csv-file-korean-and-japanese-cracking-badly

  • 7 INSANE INTERVIEW BRAIN TEASERS

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Careers

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    1. The “How Many [Things] Are There in [Location]?” Question

    On the slight chance that your brain doubles as Google:

    2. The “How Many [Things] Could Fit in [Container]?” Question

    File these under: “How and why would anyone ever know this?”

    3. The “Do Some Quick Math” Question

    In case your brain needed a really fast workout:

    4. The “Why Is [Common Item] [the Way Common Item Is]” Question

    These are also known as questions a four-year-old might ask that would also stump you:

    5. The “Explain [Concept] to a [Difficult-to-Explain-Concept Person]?” Question

    Otherwise known as, “explain your startup job to your grandmother at Thanksgiving” questions.

    6. The “Solve This Mystery” Question

    Oh, occasionally you’ll be asked to go detective and solve a mystery:

    • “A windowless room has three light bulbs. You are outside the room with three switches, each controlling one of the light bulbs. If you can only enter the room one time, how can you determine which switch controls which light bulb?” (source)

    Too easy? Here’s another:

    • “Four investment bankers need to cross a bridge at night to get to a meeting. They have only one flashlight and 17 minutes to get there. The bridge must be crossed with the flashlight and can only support two bankers at a time. The Analyst can cross in one minute, the Associate can cross in two minutes, the VP can cross in five minutes, and the MD takes 10 minutes to cross. How can they all make it to the meeting in time?” (source)

    7. The “How Would You Do Something Ridiculous” Question

    And this last category is all about putting your creativity (and I guess, sometimes violence?) to the test:

    Stumped on where to even begin? Fair enough. Muse writer Jeremy Schifeling has advice on actually solving these impossible brain teasers.

    Credits:

    https://www.themuse.com/advice/7-insane-brain-teasers-you-could-actually-encounter-in-an-interview 

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