IBM offers a 'Microsoft-free' desktop

IBM wants corporate customers to cut the cord with Microsoft.

The tech pioneer is launching a Linux-based collection of virtual-desktop applications that run on a server without the need for desktop hardware--or Microsoft software, according to a report on Wednesday evening by The Wall Street Journal. The Linux-based software package, which is available now, runs on a back-office server and is accessible to customers on thin clients, the paper reported.
The Virtual Linux Desktop ranges in price from $59 to $289 per user, depending on level of software and service desired, according to the report. IBM estimates that the software package could save corporate customers up to $800 per user, when compared with the cost of maintaining Microsoft's Vista operating system, Office suite, and collaboration tools, the newspaper said.
IBM is counting on the prevalent economic pressures to help make its "Microsoft-free" suite more appealing.
"Deploying your technology this way is going to save you something more than 50 percent of your total costs," Jeff Smith, IBM's vice president for open source and Linux, told the Journal. "As customers face an increasingly challenging economic situation, they're looking at everything they're spending money on."
Cost aside, however, corporate customers may not be ready to embrace an environment where their data is stored centrally instead of locally.

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If you wanna save money, this is the way to go! Im not sure exactly what i think of this so if anyone wants to share their thoughts, be my guest. =D

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10113197-92.html?tag=TOCmoreStories.0

SitOrSquat

SitOrSquat is a handy service that helps you find the nearest public bathroom. Unlike MizPee, which has been doing this since October of last year, SitOrSquat has gotten its act together enough to put out two great apps for iPhones and Blackberry phones. The key benefit of these being the inclusion of GPS, which narrows down where you are with just one click. If you're in a hurry--which is inevitable when using a service like this, this feature is immensely helpful.
In addition to its GPS locating, the mobile application lets you take photos of the facilities from your phone's camera, which go into a central library others can eyeball before they go. You can also add new locations right from your device, which will get pushed up live to the service's network of bathrooms.
SitOrSquat throws in all the bells and whistles you'd expect for a bathroom-rating social network. Registered users can rate each location on a five-star scale. This meta-rating gets translated into a recommendation of whether your should sit or squat, with the latter being undesirable.
One thing that's missing from the mobile app, and present on the actual site is information on whether or not the bathroom has any sort of prerequisites to get in, such as a purchase or a key. It's also missing the hours of operation, something which can be helpful if you're trying to use the application at night or on the weekends when a business might be closed. Mizpee has both of these features, and they can be total deal breakers in your hunt for porcelain.
If you're an iPhone user you can pick up the app here (iTunes warning). BlackBerry users have the option to either download the app or run it as a WAP version over the air.

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Well, if you're in a hurry or in an unknown area, and you have an "emergency", this can come in pretty handy. =D

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10114835-2.html?tag=mncol

NASA Writes Mars a Rain Check

NASA's latest Mars rover -- a six-wheeled, laser-slinging space truck the size of an SUV -- has been plagued by engineering problems, causing delays and ballooning costs. The agency announced Thursday that it will have to postpone next year's scheduled launch to 2011, the next point at which Mars and Earth are close enough together to send out a probe. This change will come with a price tag of $400 million U.S. dollars!

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Seems like a waste of time and a waste of money also because they're already over the budget on this project and they're adding $400 million dollars to it like its nothing. Would it really be better if they send it in 2011 than 2009? =D


See the whole story here:
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/NASA-Writes-Mars-a-Rain-Check-65387.html

Director Stitches 45,000 Photographs Into a Music Video

Good video doesn't always need a great video camera. A still camera, imagination and a lot of hours can also get you there.
Cesar Kuriyama, a New York animator and lighting technical director, has directed a visually arresting music video using an interesting technique.
Eschewing a video camera, he took 45,000 photographs with a Nikon D200 DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera and stitched them together to create the illusion of video.
The music video was created for the band Fat City Reprise and premiered at their homecoming concert in Philadelphia.
Kuriyama says he directed the talent in the video to move as best they could in slow-motion while he had his director of photography Tommy Agriodimas shoot JPG bursts with the Nikon D200.
The duo were able to get about 60 images per burst at about four pictures per second. "Obviously we did many takes for each shot," says Kuriyama. "Eventually one good take of them moving in slow motion would look great."
After that the team re-worked the frames in post-production to move closer to 24 frames per second.
Including the time for conceptualizing and creating the story board, it took Kuriyama about 14 months to the video. He worked on it after-work hours every day.
The whole video cost just about $3000 to make, says Kuriyama, "plus the endless personal hours."
The video also features an animated stuffed animal designed and created by a friend. Kuriyama rigged it with blue sticks coming out of its arms and legs and wore a black suit to hide him. Post-production tricks helped firm the illusion.
Much of the editing for the video, says Kuriyama, was done on his MacBook Pro in Final Cut Pro. He managed the photographs in iPhoto and did the effects in Eyeon Fusion.
Kuriyama's efforts is an interesting way to circumvent the challenge that photographers face when it comes to creating high quality videos at low cost.
Compact digital cameras, which have had video-recording capabilities for years, offer disappointing image quality. High-end video and movie cameras are bulky and can be very expensive.
But the $2700 21-megapixel Canon 5D Mark II capable of 1080p HD video and the $1300 12-megapixel Nikon D90, which can record 720p HD video could change the game.
The two cameras deliver very high quality video and still images and could help photographers move to a single camera for their needs.


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This would be fun and all, if you had good and fun friends working with you but this process looks time consuming. i would like to do this, but only for a limited time, not 14 whole months on one video. =D

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/12/along-with-his.html

Film Maker Plans to Install Camera in his Eye Socket

Rob Spence looks you straight in the eye when he talks. So it's a little unnerving to imagine that soon one of his hazel-green eyes will have a tiny wireless video camera in it that records your every move.
The eye he's considering replacing is not a working one -- it's a prosthetic eye he's worn for several years. Spence, a 36-year-old Canadian filmmaker, is not content with having one blind eye. He wants a wireless video camera inside his prosthetic, giving him the ability to make movies wherever he is, all the time, just by looking around.
"If you lose your eye and have a hole in your head, then why not stick a camera in there?" he asks.
Spence, who calls himself the "eyeborg guy," will not be restoring his vision. The camera won't connect to his brain. What it will do is allow him to be a bionic man where technology fuses with the human body to become inseparable. In effect, he will become a "little brother," someone who's watching and recording every move of those in his field of vision.

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i wouldnt be comfortable if someone was filming me just by looking at me. It would be creepy even though it looks really cool and all. But just because i dont want to be filmed doesnt mean i dont want to film, hehe, i wouldnt mind having a camera in my eye, but only for a temporary time though and without pain too. Doesnt his eye hurt? =D

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/12/eye-spy-filmmak.html

SMILE like a MONKEY!! =D

HairTry

Baldness is serious business--to the tune of millions of dollars every year spent on surgeries, special sprays, and hair pieces. Aderans, the Japanese equivalent of Hair Club for Men has a neat service called HairTry that lets you upload a picture of your head to try on various hairstyles without having to leave your couch.
It takes a 2D photo you've uploaded and processes it for 3D, adding facial gestures and eyeballs that follow your mouse around as you navigate the site. The 3D effect is far more believable than a still image, and even gives you a little back and forth sway that shows off the sides. If you've used Gizmoz or BigStage this is very similar. However outside of those two, and virtual make-up site Taaz (coverage), this is one of the only services I've seen apply the technology to a business.
In addition to hair, the site offers a small selection of eyeglasses, which has been done elsewhere, but is a nice touch considering they've already got your face ready to work with.
The site is entirely in Japanese and runs in Adobe Flash, so you can't use Google Translate on it. In light of that, I've made a quick tutorial of how to upload your head, pick hairstyles, and export it into an amazing image file you can use on your social network of choice:

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I like the part where his head moves side to side, it looks all swavy and flowy and AWEsome! I better go tell ********** about this! Ill go try this just for fun, i hope they have girl hair. I want to try male hair on myslef too. Guess i'll go waste an hour of my life on this. =D

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10109675-2.html?tag=mncol

Four Wives

Once upon a time. There was a rich merchant who had four (4) wives.
He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.
He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.
He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.
Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.
One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be!" Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?"
"No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word.
The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart.
The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?"
"No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.
He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.
Then a voice called out: "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition.
Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!"
Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives. The 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when we die.
Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.
The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.
The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material wealth and sensual pleasure.
Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament.

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Yes, Yes, an important lesson indeed, i will Inshaallah try to implicate on it. (i sound smart right?) =D

http://www.ezsoftech.com/stories/mis25.asp

A Lesson from Disabled People

Once, a visitor was being shown around a leper colony in India. The colony was built to provide a shelter for those people who were poor and had various physical disabilities. At noon a gong (a metal disk that produces a sound when hit with a hammer) sounded to gather the inhabitants for the midday meal. People came from all parts of the compound to the dining hall. Suddenly, everyone started laughing at seeing two young men, one riding on the other's back, pretending to be a horse and a rider. They were having lots of fun. As the visitor watched, he was told that the man who carried his friend was blind, and the man being carried was lame (who couldn't walk). The one who couldn't see used his feet; the one who couldn't walk used his eyes. Together they helped each other and reached their destination.
Let us use each other's strengths to make up for the weaknesses of others. Our strength is in unity, not in division.

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This is an important lesson in itself but it also teaches us not to be jealous of people but rather be happy for them because you can make them use their abilities for the better . If we all fill in each others gaps, we will Inshaallah have a well structured Ummah and Islam will prevail!

And please please please dont backbite about people, especially disabled people bacause then you will inshaallah feel guilty and you will be punished, instead try to help them with what you have.

http://www.islamcan.com/cgi-bin/increaseiman/htmlfiles/static/108112810950542.shtml

FUNNNN FACTSSS !~_ (V2)

1. The average chocolate bar has 8 insects' legs in it

2. Shakespeare invented the word "assassination" and "bump."

3. You share your birthday with at least 9 million other people in the world

4. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.

5. If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.

6. The Pentagon, in Arlington, Virginia, has twice as many bathrooms as is necessary.

7. Donald Duck comics were once banned in Finland because he doesn't wear trousers.

8. More people are killed by donkeys annually than are killed in plane crashes.

9. The name of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with.

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MY THINKIES!!

1. Doesnt matter, its a matter of life and death and i dont mind eating insect legs to live. =]

2. He invented it but i AM it! (yeah, idk what that means either =D)

3. Well i haven't even met one, teartear :(

4. Then i guess ive used about ...i dont know, never mind. =]

5. That would've been a great way of spending more than half of my life. =p

6. Another example of wasting stuff, which is haraam in Islam. I thought this was a recycling country.

7. Why don't they ban humans for not wearing trousers? or do they????

8. B-But donkeys are so innocent and stu-- below average intelligence level, how can they kill people?

9. I never noticed that, that makes me feel like a donkey, i mean being below average intelligence level.

+D=D+D

http://archive.ely.anglican.org/education/funnyfacts.htm

Streetview !

Google has revamped its popular Maps tool with a new interface that puts the emphasis on its Street View tool.
A new set of controls — looking very much like those you’ll find in Google Earth — highlights a new “Pegman” icon at the top of the zoom controls. Whenever Street View is available the pegman icon will turn orange. Dragging the icon onto the map then triggers the familiar blue lines of Street View and dropping the pegman icon onto the map will cause Street View to fill the map window.
Once Street View takes over, you can navigate using the Street View arrows or via a small thumbnail map that resides in the lower right corner of the map. There’s also a split pane view that shows Street View just above the regular map view.
Another very nice, and easy to overlook feature: zooming down past the lowest level of detail will automatically switch to Street View.
Although the changes are very slick, recognizing all the new options available isn’t immediately obvious. To help you out, Google has put together this goofy little video which shows the new features in action:


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This is sooo cool, i mean AWEsome!! i know im overreacting but i cant wait to search my street up and have that feeling where you know stuff and feel proud that you do. Plus, with this feature, itll be easier to locate places by visualizing them. KEEP IT UP GOOGLE! :D


http://www.webmonkey.com/blog/
categories: Software and Tools

Verizon Employees Snoop on Obama's Cellphone Records

An unspecified number of Verizon Wireless employees snooped into President-elect Barack Obama’s personal cellphone records, the company announced Friday.
Verizon immediately suspended all employees who accessed the records and will take “appropriate disciplinary action” against employees found to have looked at them without authorization.
Obama had a simple flip phone, not a smartphone, meaning the interlopers found only records of phone calls and text messages. The account has been inactive for several months, the company said.
“We apologize to President-elect Obama and will work to keep the trust our customers place in us every day,” Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam said in a press release.
Obama already had his passport files snooped into by federal contractors, while an Ohio agency director was suspended Thursday for allowing state employees to search databases for information on Joe the Plumber, the Ohioan who became famous after confronting Obama about his tax policies.
Neither the Obama campaign nor a Verizon Wireless spokesman immediately responded to requests for comment.

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Even though that was a horrible thing to do, it sounds like it was fun, haha, sorry.

but, what if i did it? would i get sin? would it be haraam?

This is an illegal thing to do right? So are they going to jail? so many questions.... right? =]


http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/11/verizon-employe.html

Murder-For-Hire Plot Unfolds In Text Messages

When Tonia Mullins decided to hire a hit man to kidnap and murder her lover's wife, she didn't scour the local underworld dives or run an ad in Soldier of Fortune. She texted.
"Don't care who as long as they can in no way be traced 2 me or u guys through someone else," the 32-year-old Oklahoma woman texted a would-be intermediary. "Price is going 2 be the big factor here. What r we lookin at?"
Seven to nine years, it turns out. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Federal officials say Mullins conspired in September with 26-year-old Michael Andrew Crawford -- an Army soldier deployed to South Korea -- to have Crawford's wife killed. Crawford and Mullins planned to use Jacinda Crawford's $250,000 life insurance policy to buy a nice house and move in together, according to prosecutors.
Unsure where to start, Mullins sought the advice of a friend, Robin Berry, first asking about what kind of poison could be used to kill the victim without leaving a toxicology trail, then taking Berry up on her offer to hire a professional to handle the whole messy job. The negotiations took place primarily over text messages from Mullins' T-Mobile cell phone, leaving a clear -- if lexicographically challenging -- trail of electronic evidence for the cops, according to court records (.pdf).
"Okay lmao if they took her are they suppose to give her back? LOl," Berry texted, on September 3.
"F*** no… only if there is no air can she return … worth 250k,"Mullins replied.

Tonia Mullins
Mullins allegedly consulted with Crawford over Skype, hashing out how much they should pay to have his wife killed
After an informant tipped off the local police, Berry agreed to cooperate in setting up a sting against her friend. On September 9, Mullins confessed to Berry that she didn't really have money to pay for a hit, and Berry replied that the button man she'd found might be flexible. "Well maybe I can het friend n trade something he owes me big favors anyway," Berry texted.
"If I can do ne thang let me know. Robin I swear I will give the $ when it comes n ... that is n no way a problem ... as long as accident I."
Three days later, Berry introduced Mullins, and Crawford's aunt, Regina Hercules, to an undercover agent with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, who was posing as the hired gun. Mullins gave the fake hit man a promissory note for $5,000, and a bag of jewelry as collateral. She was then arrested -- with the English language the only murder victim.
This month, Mullins and Hercules pleaded guilty to conspiracy and use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire. Crawford was indicted (.pdf) last week for conspiracy.
Telephone abuse is also on the blotter in Alabama, where Nicholas Shaun Bunch is charged (.pdf) with identity theft and "pretexting" for allegedly making a social engineering call to T-Mobile in March 2007, posing as a subscriber to obtain confidential phone records.
It's the second federal case for Bunch, who was charged earlier this year with making a bomb threat and thousands of harassing and obscene phone calls to online fashion retailer Redcats in late 2007. According to an FBI affidavit (.pdf) filed in the case, Bunch used the Caller ID spoofing site Spoofcard to cover his tracks, but was turned in by his mother, who worried that he was headed for more serious trouble after getting involved with telephone chat lines, and what the affidavit calls "cybergangs."
Another alleged telephone-terrorist faces a new charge (.pdf) in Louisiana of unauthorized possession of "access devices" -- typically stolen credit cards or long distance calling codes. As with Bunch, this is Daniel Travis Phillips' second crack at federal justice. An indictment (.pdf) in April claims the Missouri man phoned eight different women in Louisiana in January and February, making death threats while demanding the women perform sex acts on themselves. "If you do not do what I tell you to, I will put a gun in your mouth," he allegedly told one victim on January 31st.
Phillips initially pleaded not-guilty in that case, but he's scheduled for a change-of-plea hearing in Lake Charles on Monday morning.

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Another example of the evil lurking around in this world. Why cant people just be NICE? Is it that hard? Cant they try? If they were "nice", they wouldnt be in trouble like this lady is in. Plus, my fellow classmates who dont have a cell phone, this is another reason why your parents would not want you to get a cell phone. sorry guys. =] TEXT SAFELY!



http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/11/fed-blotter-mur.html

Eye Flicker Explains 'Enigma' Optical Illusion :)

(click on the picture above to see the whole thing if you cannot see it.)

Rapid, unconscious eye movements explain a famous optical illusion in which a still image appears to move.
When the eye movements, called microsaccades, were suppressed, test subjects reported that the Enigma illusion — an illustration that seems to flicker and turn — remained stationary.
Scientists don't yet understand exactly how microsaccades contribute to vision, but they seem to help us perceive peripheral details while fixated on an object. (To experience this yourself, focus on the dot in the image at right. The fixation will reduce your microsaccades and cause the surrounding circle to fade.)
"Our subjective experience is that sometimes our eyes move, and sometimes they don't. But they're moving all the time," said Susana Martinez-Conde, a visual neuroscientist at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.
Martinez-Conde's findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, do more than explain a neat trick. They also suggest an answer to an optical controversy: whether motion in static images originates in our eyes or our brains.
The eyes have it.
"If we can prove that microsaccades are involved, this rules out the hypothesis that the illusion comes solely from the visual cortex. It may be involved, but the illusion starts with the eye," she said.
Martinez-Conde still doesn't know exactly how microsaccades create the false perception of motion. She suspects that each slightly differing peripheral image either displaces or is superimposed over the previous image, resulting in movement.
Further research is needed on the causes, she said, but her findings may be immediately insightful: Microsaccade disorders may underlie some vision disorders.
"Individuals could produce too many microsaccades, or not enough," said Martinez-Conde. "But they're not typically studied in eye exams."

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This is sooo cool but it makes you wonder at the same time how our eyes do that or how the picture does that. I didnt think the circle would fade away, but when i focused on the red dot, it actually disappeared. I would like to make an opyical illusion one day (one that would work). Br.Raheel, do you have a mentor person at IBM who knows how to do this?

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/11/eye-flicker-exp.html

Do YOU know what Cloud Computing is?????

Cloud computing is a computing paradigm in which tasks are assigned to a combination of connections, software and services accessed over a network. This network of servers and connections is collectively known as "the cloud." Computing at the scale of the cloud allows users to access supercomputer-level power. Using a thin client or other access point, like an iPhone, BlackBerry or laptop, users can reach into the cloud for resources as they need them. For this reason, cloud computing has also been described as "on-demand computing."
This vast processing power is made possible though distributed, large-scale cluster computing, often in concert with server virtualization software, like Xen, and parallel processing. Cloud computing can be contrasted with the traditional desktop computing model, where the resources of a single desktop computer are used to complete tasks, and an expansion of the client/server model. To paraphrase Sun Microsystems' famous adage, in cloud computing the network becomes the supercomputer.
Cloud computing is often used to sort through enormous amounts of data. In fact, Google has an initial edge in cloud computing precisely because of its need to produce instant, accurate results for millions of incoming search inquries every day, parsing through the terabytes of Internet data cached on its servers. Google's approach has been to design and manufacture hundreds of thousands of its own servers from commodity components, connecting relatively inexpensive processors in parallel to create an immensely powerful, scalable system. Google Apps, Maps and Gmail are all based in the cloud. Other companies have already created Web-based operating systems that collect online applications into Flash-based graphic user interfaces (GUIs), often using a look and feel intentionally quite similar to Windows. Hundreds of organizations are already offering free Web services in the cloud

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In other words, cloud computing is when you can access the web and your work from anywhere, even the Grand Canyon i guess. Even with this technological talksie stuff and info, i still like the idea that cloud computing means computing in the sky. THAT WOULD BE SOOO AWEsome!! maybe i can fly too [sorry, thats off topic. :)]

http://searchenterprisedesktop.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid192_gci1287881,00.html

What is Windows 7?

OFFICIAL STUFF:

It's the next version of Windows for PCs, and it's the result of working hand-in-hand with our partners and with people who use Windows in the real world every day. We're paying particular attention to the things they're telling us are important to them and will make their PCs work the way they want them to—things like enhanced reliability, responsiveness, and faster boot and shut-down. We're also trying to make their everyday tasks easier, like connecting and syncing devices, browsing the web, and managing a home network.
Of course, we're also working on new capabilities, so people will be able to do things with Windows 7 that were difficult (or perhaps impossible) to do with PCs before. Finally, we're working hard to ensure that Windows 7 will run on any PC and work with any program that works today with Windows Vista, so upgrading from Windows Vista will be easy.


WIKI STUFF:

Windows 7 (formerly codenamed Blackcomb and Vienna) is the next release of Microsoft Windows, an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, Tablet PCs, and media center PCs.[1]
Microsoft stated in 2007 that it is planning Windows 7 development for a three-year time frame starting after the release of its predecessor, Windows Vista, but that the final release date will be determined by product quality.[2]
Unlike its predecessor, Windows 7 is intended to be an incremental upgrade with the goal of being fully compatible with existing device drivers, applications and hardware.[3] Presentations given by the company in 2008 have focused on multi-touch support, a redesigned Windows Shell with a new taskbar, a home networking system called HomeGroup,[4] and performance improvements. Some applications that have been included with prior releases of Microsoft Windows, most notably Windows Mail, Windows Movie Maker and Windows Photo Gallery, are no longer included with the operating system; they are instead offered separately as part of the Windows Live Essentials suite

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/ (official)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7 (WIKI)
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Well, in my opinion, Windows 7 is an upgraded version of VISTA and maybe even XP. Windows 7 is going to have or will try to have all the bugs fixed that were in their previous products and add a little something extra too so buying it will we worthwhile. I just hope it will be AWEsome and everyone can have fun with it =)

Although there are many universities in the Middle East, reports about research in that region of the world seem to be quite sparse. So I was thrilled to learn that a popular science website for the Middle East went live last month.

"The Arabic website, called the Arab Agency for Science News, will collect stories from around the Arab region through an extensive network of reporters," said Mohammed Yahia, in an article for SciDev. "Its main aim will be to communicate research news to the public."
According to Yahia, it is the first of its kind.
If that is the case, students who only speak Arabic must find it very hard to stay informed.
So far, most of the articles on AASN seem to be about commerce and technology, rather than science. One article describes Google gears and another spells out a code of ethics for engineers. The website has an environment and climate section, but it does not seem to contain any stories about those topics.

Since the Middle East has a tremendous influence upon our environment, and enough wealth to make countless scientific breakthroughs, the people there deserve a better source of information.

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"Better source of information" and better treatment in my opinion..=D

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/

Mulla Nasruddin And The Speech

Once, the people of the city invited Mulla Nasruddin to deliver a speech. When he got on the pulpit (Minbar), he found the audience was not very enthusiastic, so he asked: "Do you know what I am going to say?" The audience replied "NO", so he announced: "I have no desire to speak to people who don't even know what I will be talking about" and he left.

The people felt embarrassed and called him back again the next day. This time when he asked the same question, the people replied "YES", So Mulla Nasruddin said, "Well, since you already know what I am going to say, I won't waste any more of your time" and he left.

Now the people were really perplexed. They decided to try one more time and once again invited the Mulla to speak the following week. Once again he asked the same question - "Do you know what I am going to say?" Now the people were prepared and so half of them answered "YES" while the other half replied "NO". So Mulla Nasruddin said: "The half who know what I am going to say, tell it to the other half" and he left!

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Do you know what would make him recite the speech???? O_O

Golden Telephone

An American decided to write a book about famous Mosques around the world. So he bought a plane ticket and took a trip to China.

On his first day he was inside a Mosque taking photographs when he noticed a golden telephone mounted on the wall with a sign that read "$10,000 per call".

The American, being intrigued, asked a priest who was strolling by what the telephone was used for. The priest replied that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 you could talk to Allah. The American thanked the priest and went along his way.

Next stop was in Japan. There, at a very large Mosque, he saw the same golden telephone with the same sign under it. He wondered if this was the same kind of telephone he had seen in China and he asked a nearby Holy man what its purpose was. He told him that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 he could talk to Allah. "O.K., thank you," said the American.

He then traveled to India, Sri Lanka, Russia, Turkey, Israel, France, Germany,. In every Mosque he saw the same golden telephone with the same "$10,000 per call" sign under it.

The American, upon leaving Vermont decided to travel to Pakistan to see if Pakistanis had the same phone. He arrived in Pakistan, and again, in the first Mosque he entered, there was the same golden telephone, but this time the sign under it read "One Rupee per call."

The American was surprised so he asked the priest about the sign. "Imam, I have traveled all over World and I have seen this same golden telephone in many Mosques. I am told that it is a direct line to Heaven, but everywhere the price was $10,000 per call."

"Why is it so cheap here?"

The priest smiled and answered, "You are in Pakistan now, son - it is a local call".

===============================================
Hmmmmmm.... I get the story but i kinda get and not get the ending.... is the heaven in pakistan?? Any help would be nice...=D

American Way Of Journalism !

A man is taking a walk in Central park in New York. Suddenly he sees a little girl being attacked by a pit bull dog. He runs over and starts fighting with the dog. He succeeds in killing the dog and saving the girl's life. A policeman who was watching the scene walks over and says: "You are a hero," tomorrow you can read it in all the newspapers: "Brave New Yorker saves the life of little girl." The man says: "But I am not a New Yorker!" "Oh, then it will say in newspapers in the morning: Brave American saves life of little girl" - the policeman answers. "But I am not an American!" - says the man. "Oh, what are you then?" The man says: "I am a Saudi!" Then next day the newspapers say: "Islamic extremist kills innocent American dog."
===========================================

Even though I've lived here most of my knowing life and even though i feel American, it makes me not be a part of America when i hear of all the negativity Americans have towards Muslims. (but fear not, there are still people who love us, Muslims and Non-Muslims) I just wish everyone would be treated equally and fairly. Inshaallah =D

DO YOU LAUGH TOO MUCH??? -.-

An old woman came to our Holy Prophet Muhammed (saw) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) that I will enter Paradise." Holy Prophet Muhammed (saw) said jokingly, "O Mother of so-and-so, no old women will enter Paradise." The old woman went away crying, after hearing from Holy Prophet Muhammed (saw). Then Holy Prophet Muhammed (saw) sent one of his companions to tell her that, she will enter Paradise by becoming a young lady, because the Paradise is for only young people.

Holy Prophet Muhammed (saw) said: "Do not laugh too much, for laughing too much deadens the heart." At another place, Holy Prophet Muhammed (saw) said: "If you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much."

Imam Jafar as Sadiq (AS) said: Avoid incorrect jokes and humors, as it is the cause of enmity and grudge. Also Imam Jafar as Sadiq (AS) said: The believers laughter should be only a smile. At another place Imam Jafar as Sadiq (AS) said: Beware of joking, because it causes rancor and drives into malice. Joking is the lesser revilement.
=============================================

I thought laughing was healthy for you so i try to laugh as much as i can ( even when things arent funny ), but upon reading this, i will try to cry more now... inshaallah... =D, i mean D=

IBM LOTUS SYMPHONY !

IBM® Lotus® Symphony™ is a richly-featured set of productivity tools that are intuitive and easy to use and provided at no charge. There are three applications that make up Lotus Symphony: Lotus Symphony Documents, Lotus Symphony Spreadsheets, Lotus Symphony Presentations.

Lotus Symphony puts you in charge – take control over spiraling upgrade costs, ensure access to documents well into the future with new standard file formats (ODF), get more from your current investments with support for Microsoft Windows and Office file types.

Users can enjoy the easy-to-use interface and online community for templates, tips and support.

Businesses can control software acquisition and upgrade costs, provide ability to compatibility with Microsoft Office file formats, protect future access to documents with support for ODF and support a global workforce with Lotus Symphony's native language support for over 23 languages.

Developers can extend their applications with the power of Lotus Symphony through support for plug-ins and, when the Lotus Symphony editors inside Lotus Notes are used, rich composite applications.

Lotus Notes users can create, edit, and share documents, spreadsheets, and presentations with the integrated version of Lotus Symphony which is built into the Lotus Notes client user interface.

=================================================================================

Well, above is the official, informative info about Symphony. From my point of view, instead of Powerpoint, Excel, and Word form Microsoft, IBM's Symphony has IBM LOTUS SYMPHONY Presentations, Spreadsheets, and Documents and the price for it is down to the floor ( ITS FREE ) instead of Microsoft's hefty price that not everyone can afford. Basically, its almost the same stuff for different prices with different names..=D



Click Here if you want IBM LOTUS SYMPHONY...

SOURCE:
http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/home.nsf/products

Apple Struggling with iPhone in India =p

There is a huge market for mobile phones in India, but according to the locals, Apple's iPhone hasn't even made a dent.

That's the conclusion of a long story published by LiveMint.com analyzing the first few months of Apple's foray into India with the iPhone 3G. Analysts estimate that just 11,000 iPhones have been sold in India since Apple launched in that country in September, which is probably equivalent to a week's worth of sales at the downtown San Francisco Apple store.

It doesn't seem that Apple ever thought it would make a huge splash in India, allocating just 50,000 iPhones to that market, according to the article. Of the 120 million mobile phones sold in India each year, around 6 million are of the smartphone variety, and Nokia owns the market with between 60 percent and 70 percent market share.

Several reasons are given for the tepid debut of the iPhone in India: price, promotion, and distribution. The authors note that India's mobile market doesn't follow the carrier subsidy model used in most places around the world, and as a result the iPhone is being sold for far more than some had expected after the $199 (9,500 rupees) worldwide price was announced. Still, that doesn't seem to have been the primary reason for the slow sales, since competing phones are priced about the same as the 30,000-rupee 8GB iPhone, although some think that customers thought they would get the cheaper price and were disappointed that it didn't apply to them.

The real reason seems to be that Apple and its carrier partners (Bharti Airtel and Vodafone) didn't promote the iPhone as aggressively as was done in other countries. And distribution in India is a convoluted process involving several different retailers that employ multiple strategies to reach the many different types of customers that are found in India, according to the article.

The article is worth a read for anyone wondering how one of the world's fastest-growing countries looks at the mobile phone market. Considering Apple has yet to make a splash in India, hasn't officially launched in China, and is going to easily surpass its goal of shipping 10 million iPhones worldwide this year, the company would seem to have a lot of room for growth in those two countries next year.
===================================================================================

What about Pakistan? :\


http://tech.yahoo.com/news/cnet/20081113/tc_cnet/83011357931009653437

A Brother Like That- =D

Shuaib received an automobile from his brother as a Eid present. On Eid day when Shuaib came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. "Is this your car, Uncle?" he asked. Shuaib nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Eid." The boy was astounded.

"You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you nothing? Boy, I wish..." He hesitated. Of course Shuaib knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Shuaib all the way down to his heels. "I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that." Shuaib looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?" "Oh yes, I'd love that."

After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes aglow, said, "Uncle, would you mind driving in front of my house?" Shuaib smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Shuaib was wrong again. "Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked. He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Shuaib heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.

"There she is, uncle, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Eid and it didn't cost him a penny. And some day I'm gonna give you one just like it...then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Shop windows that I've been trying to tell you about."

Shuaib got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride. That Eid, Shuaib learned what the RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) meant when he had said: "love for your brother what you love for yourself".

=====================================================================================

This story makes me realize all the horrible things ive done to my brother, i just wish i couldve been like that to my brother for 100 percent of the time, not only when i felt like it. I hope everyone can try to make their siblings this special to them and Inshaallah we all will succeed, but only if we try.....

s.m. =D

HTC Touch Pro (Sprint)

Back at CTIA Fall 2008, Sprint announced that it would offer the HTC Touch Pro smartphone with an expected ship date of October 19. Well, with the date drawing close, I thought I'd check in with Sprint to see about getting a review unit; plus, I wanted to dispel a nasty rumor I had been hearing about a delayed launch. Friends, it's no rumor. The Touch Pro will not be available on the 19, but now we're looking to see the Windows Mobile 6.1 device around the end of October/early November. Here is the statement from my Sprint contact:
"Sprint expects to slightly delay launch of the Touch Pro by HTC to ensure we have adequate inventory in all channels before making the device commercially available. Customers can expect the device to become available in select national retailers by the end of the month and then in all Sprint sales channels including online at www.sprint.com and Sprint Stores by early November."
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I have a feeling people are willing to wait for the Touch Pro ... as long as it's not delayed again (*cough, cough, BlackBerry Bold, cough, cough.*)

IS THIS RIGHT??

Sorry, i had to take this video out, but if you want to watch it so you can be disgusted at the horrible things being done to make muslims look bad, well go ahead

HELP!!!

Okay, I'm officially ready to pull my hair out! My blogger settings have gone all freaky now. The layout tab is gone and so is the page elements option, in its place there's a template tab, and if you try to put a different code in the HTML, it wont work,.... I've searched the help site and all, but whoever has this problem doesn't have any real solution to it............. and some of the other features are messed up too. If anyone could help, it would be appreciated. THANKS =D

Funny Video

Hey Guys, see the japanese person trying to speak english, i saw part of it and It's SOOOOOOO FUNNY!! haha!!
well, go ahead and laugh up a good time! =D

ToneThis!

ToneThis

ToneThis is a freeware application that you can use to create audio and video ringtones, wallpapers and sometimes even games. You can pick a format and then browse for your media. You can crop images or pick off selections from your audio ar video and then send it via SMS or email to yourself or anyone else. ToneThis 3.6 includes a new toolbar for Firefox that gives you avid ringtone-collectors an easy way to scout and save new media. But with this toolbar comes big bug problems. Like, sending YouTube videos to your phone from the toolbar may not work if YouTube updates their protocol before ToneThis can adjust. The toolbar also takes up a little too much browser space. There are also some other minor bug problems but this is a great deal you're getting considering this is a freeware! Notice that i put FREE!!!

Dolcourt, Jessica (2008,October 18). ToneThis still makes ringtones, wallpaper ridiculously easy. Retrieved October 21, 2008, from The Download Blog Web site: http://www.download.com/8301-2007_4-10066096-12.html?tag=smallCarouselArea.1

how do you make it so the citation has the right format?

FUNNNN FACTSSS!~__

China has more English speakers than the United States. (thats sad)
Polar bears are left-handed (heyyy afia)
Starfish haven't got brains ( this comments too mean)
Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite. (?)
Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated. (wierd)
The average human eats 8 spiders in their lifetime at night. (ewwww, you people are gross!)

BLOGGING POLICY!

BLOGGING POLICY!

-I will not backbite, gossip, or slander about anyone at all.

-I will not disclose personal information or pictures.

-Don't claim other's works as yours; remember to credit.

-Our Islamic values should have a positive effect on everyone rather than a negative effect.

-I will think twice before I post whatever I have in mind--I don't want to be embarrassed about
it later.

-Make your blog presentable.

-Do not post vain comments.

-Respect the privacy of others.

-My blogging activity will encourage sharing of knowledge and sharing of information.

-Act mature.

Sehar's Blog

This is my first blog. read it.