Valentine’s day is a lovely event where roses are sent from a secret admirer, gifts are exchanged between lovers and couples enjoy romantic candle-lit dinners. Apart from the traditional bouquet of roses and box of heart shaped chocolates, the couple’s gift is a great exchange that both can cherish and enjoy for as long as they’re together.

We define a couple’s gift as a set of two gifts that fit each other like a glove, symbolizing the perfect match. And just for the fun of it, we threw in a few personalized gifts that are just primed for Valentine’s Day. Here are 30 gifts for loving couples you can buy this Valentine’s day. Name your favorite!

Recommended Reading: 50 Exquisite Gifts For This Valentine’s Day (2011)

Blown Away By Love Personalized Mugs [$24.95]

We Belong Together Coffee Mugs [$27]

His And Her Key Holder [$34.95]

Key To My Heart Couple Necklace [$35]

The Smitten [$39.29]

BoldLoft “A Big Kiss” Couple Pillowcases [$36.00]

‘My Side Your Side’ Pillowcases [$40.19]

Tunes For 2 [$18]

2 Device Battery Charger [$89.99]

LEGO Heart Keychain & Necklace Set [$12]

Sterling Silver Heart Couple Rings [$100]

Etched Couple Wine Glasses [$30]

Mario Game Over Couple T-Shirts [$42.95]

Custom Together Since Couple T-Shirts [$40]

Complete My Heart Couple T-Shirts [$38]

I’m Hers He’s Mine Couple Hoodie [$84.95]

Disney Soulmate Couple T-Shirts [$48]

His & Hers Chromosome Towels [$18.99]

Swarovski Crystal IPhone Case [$69.99]

Bride & Groom Personalized iPhone 4 Case [$56]

iPhone 5 Clear Case with Mouse Couple Kissing [$17.99]

Two Person Packable Hammock [$69.99]

Two Person Folding Chair [$89.99]

Personalized Wooden Photo Cube [$24.95]

Snapdot Photo Holder [$12]

Stoneware Heart Plates [$60.79]

Nintendo Love Tester [$53.00]

Get Lucky Dice [$39.95]

Mr Right and Mrs Always Right Spoons [$24.95]

Mr. & Mrs. Personalized Apron Set [$45.90]

Mongo is an open source schemaless database system which is very different from the more popular MySQL. The most considerable differences are that MySQL is written using SQL queries, while MongoDB is focused on BSON (Binary JSON).

This means much of the functionality can be accessed directly through JavaScript notation.

But Mongo comes with its own shell interface for running commands directly onto your databases. Following this article and a few more to come, we will:

• Explore the steps towards getting your system (Windows and Mac) up and running with Mongo,
• How Mongo shell command works (coming soon)
• Setup MongoDB with PHP (coming soon)

Web developers will mostly enjoy Mongo if they are familiar with JSON. This JavaScript-based language focuses on Objects which contain key-value pairs.

It is a bit different than regular SQL tables containing rows/columns of data. But MongoDB is certainly an appealing database system and worth testing the waters.

Why Choose MongoDB?

There are a few other schemaless databases you could choose to try other than Mongo. Personally I have only heard great things about the project and it supports a wide range of Operating Systems (Windows, OSX, Linux). Also the core team is still active in pushing code releases in a timely manner.

On the MongoDB website I came across an article comparing MongoDB to CouchDB, which is currently owned by Apache. They both use JSON for storing data and can both power high-volume applications. This may be another scenario where personal opinion has the authority but I feel that Mongo offers more support and documentation for newcomers.

I think MongoDB is probably best used in a situation where you’re testing a new application and seeing how you could structure a database with free-form objects. SQL can be very limiting and I would consider a schemaless database to be even more useful when building mobile apps.

There is even an open source Objective-C Mongo library for iPhone developers and plenty of other resources for Android programmers using Java.

I would argue the reliability of MongoDB and the collective code bases available is one of the strongest reasons to learn this system. There are drivers for nearly any language including C/C++, Python, PHP, Ruby, Perl, .NET, even Node.js.

It’s a powerful solution for web developers who are tired of the limitations of using SQL and want to try something new.

Key Terminology

Before we get to installing and testing a Mongo database I’d like to explain a couple of terms which may be confusing later on.

MongoDB can still hold various databases of different names within one installation package, just like MySQL. But inside databases are collections, not tables.

A collection may be considered a table except there are no aligned columns. Each entry (row) can use varying dynamic schemas in key-value pairs.

Example:
Inside a collection of Users there may be one entry with First name & Last name. Then another entry with First, Last, and Middle name, along with e-mail address and date of birth. This is the flexible MongoDB system which makes these databases easy to work with.

Now each of these entries or rows inside a collection is called a document. They are not physical documents like .txt or .html, but document-based objects. They are basically JSON data blocks stored in memory-mapped files which behave as separate entries in your collections.

Example:
In our collection of Users we may have 500 total document objects for all 500 of our users. And as mentioned before, each document doesn’t need to match other documents with the same fields. The only requirement is a unique ID number which MongoDB will automatically add into each document object.

I can understand this terminology will be confusing at first. It makes a lot of sense once you see everything working in action. If you have a couple minutes try scanning through the Mongo online docs to clarify any fuzzy ideas.

And even if you don’t have the concept down 100% that’s okay! Many people use MySQL on a daily basis with the same vague understanding of how databases work.

Let’s now jump into everything and setup our instance of MongoDB.

Custom MongoDB Setup Process

I want to go over the process for both:

• Setting up MongoDB on Mac OS X, and
• Setting up MongoDB on Windows

I’ll be using the latest version of OSX Mountain Lion and Windows 7. After the Mongo install we’ll need to configure a local server with WAMP for Windows or MAMP on OS X.

Installing Mongo on Mac OS X

Getting MongoDB onto your Mac will be a lot easier than Windows. Through the Terminal we can run a few commands to pull down the latest version from MacPorts. The online documentation actually has a small tutorial for Mac OS X which features similar information.

To begin let’s check and update to the latest version of MacPorts. In Terminal enter the command:

sudo port selfupdate

You can alternatively add the debug flag for verbose output like so:

sudo port -d selfupdate

The process could take a few minutes to download and install everything.

After this update completes then we need to run just a single line in the Terminal. This will pull down the most recent MongoDB library files and store them with other system dependencies.

port install mongodb  

This process could easily take 10-15 minutes even with a quick Internet connection. The install requires a bit of time and could be quicker, but let it go until you get the flashing terminal command open.

Then you should be able to start the server by running:

mongod

It should end with the phrase “waiting for connections on port 27017“.

This means we have the database service up and running properly. You can test this by visiting http://localhost:28017/ in your web browser. MongoDB provides a small web interface to view more info about your databases and installation.

The last interesting bit here is to force mongod to open immediately when your computer starts. Hunter Ford has an excellent tutorial on his website which is the basis for my code here. By forcing the mongod process as a startup item you won’t need to keep the terminal window open for development.

First you need to download and move this document to: /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.mongo.mongod.plist.

Then in terminal create a small log file and a directory for the new system data:

sudo touch /var/log/mongodb.log  sudo mkdir /var/lib/mongodb

Finally run these following commands to setup the launcher. You can choose to restart your computer afterwards and see if Mongo works right on reboot.

sudo chown root:wheel /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.mongo.mongod.plist  sudo launchctl load /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.mongo.mongod.plist  sudo launchctl start org.mongo.mongod

Installing Mongo on Windows

I had a very difficult time getting MongoDB to install and run properly without using the Administrator account. This isn’t a requirement with the “Run as Administrator” option is always available.

But if you have the ability, just run this in command prompt and then restart your computer. You should notice the Administrator as a new login selection.

net user administrator /active:yes  

If you run into trouble, MongoDB has a great online install guide created specifically for Windows users. To get your copy, visit the downloads page and find your version of Windows. As of the writing this article, the latest stable release is MongoDB 2.2.0: here are the win32 and win64 direct downloads.

We are going to place all these files directly inside a directory C:\mongodb\. So once the download finishes, extract the zip and open the folders until you find /bin/ with a few other files. Select all these and cut/paste into our new C:\mongodb\ directory.

Now still inside this folder alongside \bin\ create a new folder named “log” which will store all the MongoDB system logs. We also need to create two external directories for data storage, C:\data\ and C:\data\db\.

This is the part where using a non-Administrator account may cause trouble. Open up the command prompt and run cd C:\mongodb\bin.

Then we are looking to start the mongod.exe in shell, but after running this you’ll notice the operation will freeze when listening for connections. Well it’s not actually frozen, we are running Mongo directly through the terminal.

This will get annoying to do every time, so let’s run a command configuring Mongo to start automatically as a Windows Service.

> echo logpath=C:\mongodb\log\mongo.log > C:\mongodb\mongod.cfg  

This first command will create a log file and configuration for the service. Not required, but good practice as a database administrator.

Now run these two lines of code in terminal to create the service and get it started.

> C:\mongodb\bin\mongod.exe --config C:\mongodb\mongod.cfg --install  > net start MongoDB  

If you get no errors then the process is all done!

Check if the service is active by opening the Run menu (Windows + R) and typing services.msc.

This brings up an active list of services and if you scroll down you should find Mongo DB with the status “active” and the startup type “automatic”.

As on the Mac install you can access the Mongo shell terminal right from the command prompt. Change directories to C:\mongodb\bin\ and type mongo, then hit Enter.

You should gain access right into the current MongoDB server. Now you can run Mongo shell commands to create databases, collections, store new data, or edit old data entries.

Run the following line to show all current databases on the server:

> show dbs  

Stay Tuned!

That’s all for now! I hope you get a good idea of what’s MongoDB and how to get it setup on your machine. In the next article, we will look into some basic shell commands for MongoDB.

There are many cloud storage services out there, one of which is Google Drive. We’ve pitted it against Dropbox and SkyDrive, another two crowd favorites and each cloud storage service have their strengths and limitations that would cater to a wide range of customer needs. But if you have decided on Google Drive, here are some handy tips to help you work better with them.

(Image Source: ddoss)

The good thing about Google Drive is that it’s linked to your Gmail account and of course, the 5 GB free storage space. It also supports basic document editing through web browsers. But we have found 15 more tips and tricks that to get more out of Google Drive.

Recommended Reading: How To Get The Most Out Of Google Drive

1. Attach Google Drive Files On Gmail

Because Google Drive is linked to your Google account, you can attach files stored in Google Drive directly to your Gmail.

Unlike traditional attachments where you first have to upload an attachment, attaching a file through Google Drive does not require you to re-upload the file. The filesize limit does not apply since a link is given for the email receiver to download.

2. Keyboard Shortcuts

Google Drive allows you to use keyboard shortcuts for navigation right in your web browser. Here are some of the keyboard shortcuts you can use.

Shortcuts	Descriptions
S	Star or unstar current highlighted item
X	Select or de-select current highlighted item
.	Share current highlighted item
J or K	Navigate to previous or next item in the list without selecting it
Up Arrow or Down Arrow	Select previous or next item in the list
Shift + Up Arrow or Down Arrow	Select multiple previous or next items
Shift + A	Select all items
Shift + N	De-select all items
Shift + T	Create a new text document
Shift + P	Create a new presentation
Shift + S	Create a new spreadsheat
Shift + D	Create a new drawing
Shift + F	Create a new folder
Ctrl + Alt + G	Opens Revision History in files

3. Easily Share Photos On Google+

Since your Google+ account is also linked to your Google Drive account, you can easily upload and share whatever pictures you have on your Google Drive onto Google+. All you have to do is select the From Google Drive option when adding a photo.

4. Use Forms To Collect Data

You can create forms to help you collect data, whatever information that has been input into the form will be automatically compiled into a Spreadsheet document.

You can create a new form by clicking on the Create button and selecting Form.

You have many options or ways to collect data. You can use textboxes, checkboxes, multiple choice, lists, scales and grids. Once you’ve created the form, you can easily share it with other people by providing a direct link to the form or sending it to their email.

Once the form is filled, the results will be automatically and conveniently compiled into a spreadsheet. Google Drive’s spreadsheet works similar to Microsoft Excel where you can calculate values and use mathematical formulas.

You can view it in a list as well for easier organization. To do this, click on View and then List.

You’ll then see a cleaner version of your collected data.

5. Save Images On Websites To Google Drive

If you want to instantly save images, documents, HTML5 audio and videos to your Google Drive, you can do so by installing the Save to Google Drive Chrome extension.

With the extension, whenever you right click on a link or image, you get the option to save the image or link directly to your Google Drive.

6. Edit Google Drive Images Online

Installing the Pixlr Editor on your Chrome web browser will enable you to edit photos on your Google Drive. Once you have Pixlr Editor, right click on any of your pictures and open it. Pixlr Editor comes with many basic tools Photoshop has and should be more than sufficient for basic editing needs.

7. Add Filters To Your Photos

Want to bring the Instagram feel to your Google Drive photos? You can with Pixlr Express. Pixlr Express only works on Google Chrome. Once installed, right-click on any photo in your Google Drive and open it with Pixlr Express. You can choose from many filters, borders, fonts and tilt shift effects.

8. Listen To Music Files

By default, you can only download music files from the Google Drive website. If you want to listen to those files, you can install Drive Music for your Google Chrome web browser. After installation, whenever you click on a music file, Drive Music will launch in a separate tab that has basic functions similar to a music player.

9. Edit Videos

By installing Pixorial Video to Google Chrome, you can watch your videos in Google Drive through the Pixorial Video library. From there, you can combine different video clips, trim them, and add titles, music and transitions to create a basic video.

10. Create, Edit and Save Mind Maps

MindMeister is a Google Chrome App lets you create mind maps right on your web browser. You can then save it in your Google Drive, allowing you to view and edit whenever you like.

11. Add Google Drive To Windows ‘Send To’ Menu

Isn’t it cumbersome to have to open Google Drive first before you can add items to it? Yeah, we thought so. To skip this step, download and install Google Drive into your desktop PC.

Once you have it installed, navigate to Users > [yourusername] > AppData > Roaming > Microsoft > Windows > SendTo.

Now use the Right Click on your mouse to drag Google Drive from the Favourites panel to the SendTo folder. When you let go of the Right Click, a menu will appear; click on Copy here.

Now whenever you want to move a file from your desktop directly to Google Drive, you can right click on the file, select Send to then Google Drive.

12. Pin Google Drive To File Explorer Jumplist

Pin the Google Drive folder to the file explorer jumplist for fast access to Google Drive.

To do this, all you have to do is drag the Google Drive folder to the file explorer icon on the taskbar. Once you’ve done that, you can easily navigate to the Google Drive Folder by right clicking on the file explorer icon and selecting Google Drive.

13. Use Revision History To Avoid Mistakes

If you’ve accidentally deleted a file on Google Drive, you can reclaim the file from the Bin within 30 days before it gets deleted for good. For individual files, you can view and choose to restore a revision you’ve made in the past.

All you have to do is open a file from the Google Drive website, and hit Ctrl + Alt + G where you can see a panel on the right of your screen showing the revisions you’ve made in the past.

14. Disable Automatic Deletion Of File Versions

By default, Google Drive allows you to restore 100 previous revisions of files. You can have an unlimited amount of revisions, at the sacrifice of your storage space. To disable automatic deletion, right-click on a file on the Google Drive website and select Manage revisions.

Another window will popup; select the file revisions you never want deleted. The list will be longer if you have more revisions synced to Google Drive.

15. Install Google Drive Apps For Google Chrome

Like the extensions we mentioned above? Well, there are a lot more apps for Google Chrome that work with Google Drive. Browse through the Google Drive apps collection to find something that may benefit you.