Who are the most popular bloggers? -- Voting Result

The voting result is out. The following table is the total number of vote by each candiate. Let's congratulate the winner and thank all of your colleague for providing so much good information over the semester!

Microsoft to buy Yahoo?

Forbes reports that Microsoft is negotiating to buy Yahoo. The deal could be worth $50 billion. What do you think? Do you think the combination of the two would be enough take on Google?

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http://www.dailytech.com/Microsoft+in+Talks+to+Buy+Yahoo+For+50+Billion+USD/article7162.htm

Computer slowing down?

This is a nifty utility that I've discovered lately. It's called CCleaner. It removes the clutter from your Windows based PC hard disk. Unused files, cookies, etc. I thought I kept a pretty clean hard drive, but it found over 5 MB of junk on there. It's very quick, too.
I probably wouldn't mess with the default settings. Did I mention it's free?

Surfpup

http://www.ccleaner.com/

IBM expanding to more locations and countries

Customers are increasingly demanding their technology providers to operate globally. IBM acts as a consultant to ISVs as they look to establish themstlelves in new markets. The vendor provides technical help, advice on the localization of their products, and how to get connected to local partners. IBM currently has 33 Innovation Centers around the world where partners can go to for such assistance, or they can connect with the centers virtually. IBM expects to launch an additional three centers later this year, mostly in Eastern Europe.

The Internet Is (Still) Broken

One of the suggested readings this semester in HTM 304 was from MIT Professor David D. Clark, originally published in three parts on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, December 19 through 21, 2005, in Technology Review, an MIT publication. In the series of articles, the author talks about how the Internet was created, how it has evolved, the inherent problems with it, and what the future holds for a system that has nearly one billion users. He should know, because he is an "Internet elder statesman and onetime chief protocol architect". His message is simple: the Internet is broken. Nearly a year and a half later, it is still broken.

Yes, I'll admit, the Internet is a modern marvel. It has allowed the sharing of text, photos, audio, and video around the globe. It has allowed electronic commerce to grow by leaps and bounds. No longer are we required to travel to a physical location to purchase goods or services. This enormous collection of new virtual locations will do just fine, thank you. The Internet has allowed important industries such as banking and financial services to host critical information and share data nearly anytime and anywhere. It has also transformed the way we receive news and information, and the way we entertain ourselves. But our reliance on this wonder of engineering, science, and technology has also created an electronic and telecommunications Achilles Heel in the modern societies that rely so heavily on it, in particular the United States.

Unfortunately, Mr. Clark sees the future of the Internet in its current state as limited at best, and he says that time is running out. The biggest problem according to Clark is its lack of inherent security and inability to absorb new technologies. Unless something is done soon to correct these deficiencies there may come a time when "the Internet stalls - and perhaps turns downward".

To read each of the three portions of the article in their entirety click on the links below:

Part 1: http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/16051/

Part 2: http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/16055/

Part 3: http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/16056/

Court rejects Vonage request for retrial

The supreme court has rejected Vonages' request for retrial and has asked them to work a on the existing appeal with verison. Vonage is a new phone company using Internet for cheaper phone services and is targeting large and medium-size businesses with its new V-Phone, a USB flash drive loaded with VoIP calling software. These phones cost half the cost of the larger companies such as Cingular and Verison but many people are tranfering their numbers or getting new lines at vonage. Although Vonage charges less for its services which comes with unlimited Internet and texting but there are still questions about its receptions in different states of the country. Vonage is currently facing a law suit by Verison but today the court has ruled Vonage may continue to sign up new customers while appealing a patent infringement loss to Verizon, a federal appeals court ruled the April 24th.

Google goes Wireless

Google has hired many top guns is the wireless industry to help shape the way the auction for the 10 billion in licesnces to provide wireless access will be caried out. They want to expand the competition in the market for high-speed Internet access. Google is working with earthlink in San Francisco and there are reports that its building its own wireless handset. Google may be bidding in the 700 mhz auction.

You can read the entire article at:
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2007/tc20070503_030284.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_businessweek+exclusives

A bad deal

Nvidia released the Geforce 8800 Ultra today. This new top-end graphics board costs $830. It's clocked a measly 6% faster than the 8800 GTX which costs 38% less.

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2979

For a good deal, Baskin Robbins is having .31 cent scoop night tonight, May 2, from 5-10 PM.

http://www.baskinrobbins.com/Promotion/31cent.aspx

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DirectX 10 on Windows XP?

DirectX is the set of Microsoft libraries that programmers use in order to create sound, graphics, animation, and more.

DirectX 10 is the latest version, and it's a Microsoft Vista Exclusive. So, let's say Microsoft decided to bring out Halo 3 for DirectX10 only. That means you wont' be able to play it on Windows XP, 2000, etc. It's one of the draws for getting Vista. Microsoft, of course, went on about how it was integrated with Vista, couldnt' be brought out for other operating systems, etc. Funny how a single, 19-year old programmer was able to port DirectX 10 for XP. It isn't finished, but you can download a prelease version now from here:

http://alkyproject.blogspot.com/

So now, what do you do if you're Microsoft? Do you think their lawyers are filing as I write? Should they allow this to happen? Offer the clever guy a job? What would you do?

My guess is their lawyers will write him a cease and desist letter. Even if his coding doesn't contain any Microsoft code, the ordinary guy just doesn't have the financial reserves to mount a legal defense against a giant like Microsoft.

Surfpup

For screenshots from some DirectX 10 games visit:

http://www.tweak3d.net/joomla/news/pc-gaming/directx-10-games

"Oscars of the Internet."

This is the 11th annual of the webby awards. You tube, ebay, and David Bowie were some of the winners in the in this years webby awards. The founders of You Tube got the award because they transformed the media landscape and reshaped everything from politics to pop culture, said the webby organizor. Ebay for won for "a cultural phenomenon" because it changes the way people connect, discover, and interact with eachother. The winners will be honored in a ceremony in New York june 5th.

Reading brain waves...

New technology has been created...

Now we can use our brain waves to play with toys..

There is a light saber that from Starwars can feel your brain waves to be lighten up.

Basically you wear the brain censor on your forehead, and then it get attached with the light saber.

But you have to concentrate to light up the saber. Now you really feel like you are in Starwars.

tech guys said they are creating more breain reading toys and vide games...

it is pretty scary to me..

I really am glad that I am not into game stuff much. I used to like tv games tho..

brain games are too much for me.

PEACEEEE

Do the Right Thing With Your References

This is an interesting article that tell you what and what not to do with your references. When applying for a job, its not just your resume and cover letter that needs your attention. Your references could problaby close the deal when getting a job.

To read the Do's and Don'ts click on the link below.
http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/jobseeker/tools/ept/careerArticlesPost.html?post=93

Apple still vulnernable

http://www.nytimes.com/cnet/CNET_2100-1002_3-6180679.html

Apple released a quick fix for QuickTime on Tuesday. The update is to fix a security flaw that was used to break in the MacBook Pro. Apple has a great way to try and find its flaws. It has a competition with a prize of $10,000 to try and hac-a-Mac. The winner of this competition found the flaw and Apple released the fix in just over a week. Apple is known for its lack of viruses and the walls to protect hackers. With the competition and the quick release of the fix, Apple should stay on top of the game ahead of Microsoft.

Old School is out

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/26/technology/26bike.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin

New generation is now incorporating video games for learning. Pre-schoolers now can ride a stationary bike while they avoid potholes to learn their ABCs. Where were all these cool toys when I was growing up? Kids these days have it so easy. I guess the new technology needs to be learned at a young age. I know we barely had computers when I went to high school. Now my daughter is doing computer presentations in fifth grade. Technology is definitely the future.

Software war

http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9714598-7.html

With all the things going on in the world, Microsoft still wants to run the world. Microsoft has Silverlight that is competing with Adobe. They are piling on the applications. The newest is geared to compete with Adobe Flash. "Microsoft is making the source code for the Dynamic Languages Runtime available under its Permissive License, which allows for commercial distribution and modifications to the code without having to pay royalties to Microsoft." Microsoft is really trying to take over the Internet application niche.

World's most powerful supercomputer = 1/2 mouse brain (almost)

I guess the blog site is still open.

According to the Top 500 list, the IBM Blue Gene/L is currently the world's fastest supercomputer
http://www.top500.org/lists/2006/11
Researchers recently ran a "cortical simulator" that was about as complex as 1/2 of a mouse brain. The simulation could only run for 10 seconds, and it was about 10x as slow as a real mouse brain.
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=7094

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Gamers go to laptops

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/05/01/dell.laptop/index.html

Gamers will be pleased that Dell is putting a laptop on the market that can support the requirements for hard core gamers. Usually gamers have a desk top tower to support all of the computer hardware needed to play sophisticated game. As technology is getting better for computer hardware, the components are getting smaller. The ability of Dell to put the required components in a laptop is a new wave of what the future might bring. I am not a gamer and don't know much of the requirements needed to support the new games that are being played. I do have some friends that spend way too much for a computer solely to play these types of games.

Blind Users

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/04/26/schroeder/index.html

Technology has gone blind, in a sense. New software is helping the blind use their computers more efficiently. The new capabilities of speech recognition software as well as read back software are aiding the blind using documents. There is also a brail note taker. This enables the user to input information by using a special keyboard. The new technology is helping the handicap be more efficient in the today's fast paced business world.

Slippery Phones

http://blogs.business2.com/apple/2007/04/apple_iphones_s.html

With all the new technology that has gone into the new apple iPhone, they couldn't make it not slip. The new iPhone runs for about $500 and has a laundry list of capabilities, but there seems to be a common complaint. The new material that the outside of the phone is made up off seems to be very slippery. Some critics say that the new material causes the phone to slip out of your hand and drop to the ground. The durability of the phone is yet to be seen. Maybe apple will have great success on selling replacement parts.

Online business

Online business is one of the most efficient way to use the Internet.

You can sell whatever you want unless the product are banned by law.

Online auction is one of the fastest and cheapest way to have your own store...

Here is what my friend is doing. Selling perfumes and agarwood chips all over the world.

There are a lot of sales to Japanese people in Japan.

http://stores.ebay.com/Agarscents-Bazaar_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZQ2d33QQftidZ2QQtZkm

If you are into them please let me know

thanks!

Fuel of the Future

The technology that is being developed to produce ethonal will be a huge part of our future.

"Allison, of Silverton, filled up his 1985 Volkswagon Golf for the first time last week on biodiesel, a fuel made from vegetable oil that is touted as an environmentally friendly way to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.In addition to Allison’s car, biodiesel has found its way into many more vehicles on Oregon roads this year.“In the state of Oregon, we used about 1 million gallons (of biodiesel) on roads last year,” said Tyson Keever, a managing partner for biodiesel distributor SeQuential Biofuels. “This year, we are scheduled to double, if not triple it.”Salem is adding fuel to this new trend.Two stations and a production facility opened in Salem this year, making the capital one of the most biofuel-friendly communities in Oregon.Biodiesel is any liquid biofuel suitable as a diesel-fuel substitute or diesel-fuel additive and it typically is made from oils such as soybeans, grapeseeds or sunflowers, according to the federal Department of Energy.“Until (this station opened), I was going up to Portland with four 5-gallon tanks and filling up every three to four weeks,” said Sydney Levin, while filling her 1985 Mercedes Wagon at Marc Nelson Oil Products in Salem. “Now I can just come here.”Marc Nelson Oil Products on Claxter Road NE opened the biodiesel fuel station in June, and the first Salem biodiesel cooperative, where members join to have access to the 275-gallon biodiesel tank, opened in August.SeQuential Biofuels and Pacific Biodiesel opened a joint refinery in South Salem to process used cooking oil for running diesel-fueled cars.“It is a little bit of a trend with the price of fuel going up and (biofuels) being environmentally friendly,” said Peter Nelson of Marc Nelson Oil Products. “There is a niche market for it.”Straight biodiesel can reduce particulate emissions — linked to asthma and other respiratory diseases — by 50 percent compared with regular diesel.Carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons also are reduced with the use of biodiesel, said Kevin Downing of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.Although actual tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide increase with biodiesel, petroleum products such as gasoline and diesel put more carbon into the atmosphere because they otherwise would be stored in the earth, Downing said.Marc Nelson Oil Products sells both 20 percent biodiesel and 99 percent biodiesel.Right now, it is only a small fraction of their total sales; in two months, MNOP sold about 12,000 gallons of biodiesel compared with 3 million gallons of other fuels in one month.Biodiesel in Oregon is also a small percentage of total diesel fuel. In 2003, 126 million gallons of diesel fuel was consumed in the state compared with less than one million gallons of biodiesel.But for those in the biodiesel business, the future looks bright. Diesel costs about $2.98 a gallon and biodiesel is about $3.25, so people are noticing the vegetable-based fuel more. And experts say that biodiesel lubricates engine parts, extending the life of vehicles."


"To study the potential effects of increased biofuel use, we evaluated six representative analyses of fuel ethanol. Studies that reported negative net energy incorrectly ignored coproducts and used some obsolete data. All studies indicated that current corn ethanol technologies are much less petroleum-intensive than gasoline but have greenhouse gas emissions similar to those of gasoline. However, many important environmental effects of biofuel production are poorly understood. New metrics that measure specific resource inputs are developed, but further research into environmental metrics is needed. Nonetheless, it is already clear that large-scale use of ethanol for fuel will almost certainly require cellulosic technology. "

http://www.hvwc.org/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=274

Pharming

A pharming scam is where a poison program introduced to the main website, which will automatically redirect you to a false front website to gain personal information. What makes this such a terrible scam is that most common users would not recognize the redirection to a false front website. There has been many articles addressing the pharming issue but yet it continues to happen all to frequently. Users must be aware of these scams and realize that any legitimate account would not ask for the same personal information that they already have.

The real China

DarwinSuzsoft is a CEO which has six offices in China, each with its own expertise and access to a different labor pool in that country. The office in Suzhou province, employs about 800 people and has access to 150,000 computer science graduates annually in Suzhou province . To get a glance of what china really is, the government recently completed a two-year project that built a million housing units. Darwin says "if the wage rate for a standard software developer in India is a fourth of what it is in the States, a Chinese developer gets about an eighth. So, if the U.S. rate is $100 per hour, it is $25 per hour in India and $11 per hour in China. For a Java developer in China, the hourly rate is $7 to $9. For BPO (business process outsourcing), where a minimal level of education is required and the job is basically data capture and data entry, the rate is $2 to $3 per hour. In IT software and services, Chinese companies are hoping to allay enterprise fears about IP (intellectual property) protection by bidding on complete IT solutions and services that include the software, the service. This way they can not only provide themselves with a larger revenue stream but they can ensure that parts of their business will remain viable in the event that other parts are found to be using unauthorized technology."

Google rejects Viacom's copyright claims

Google has rejected claims that it broke copyrght laws on its YouTube.com website. Viacom filed a Billion Dollar lawsuit agains google in March. After Google showed their plan to defend itself against these alligations they also requested a jury trial.
"By seeking to make carriers and hosting providers liable for Internet communications, Viacom's complaint threatens the way hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange information, news, entertainment, and political and artistic expression," Google said in its response.
Viacom has demanded that Google remove 100,000 clips from YouTube.

New US-Asia fiber optic cable under construction

The Asia-America Gateway will span 12,428-miles. It is designed to provide additional communication capabilities, so that in case an earthquake or other disaster takes down existing connections, there will still be this backup communication system in place. 17 companies involved and 500 million dollars.

Surfpup



Daily Tech

Microsoft Launches Xbox 360 Elite in U.S.

Microsoft Sunday launched it's latest retread of the Xbox 360 games console. The Xbox 360 Elite has a mammoth 120GB hard drive, and HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) connector for HD TV playback. This positions the Xbox closer to Sony's PlayStation 3, although that console is more expensive.

It is available in the U.S. for a recommended retail price of $480, the Xbox 360 Elite is not yet officially available in the U.K., although some offshore websites are shipping it to U.K. customers. In anticipation of demand in the U.S., many retailers are charging a premium.

How not to pack a laptop

How many people experienced to pack your laptop into checked baggage?
Well, I do not want to do that if it is possible.
I have found couple of things that we can do to protect our laptop.

1. Back up your data before you begin your trip, and make sure it's password protected at a minimum. Consider removing your laptop's hard drive and packing it (carefully) in your carry-on bag.
2. Pack the notebook in a shock-resistant case, such as an OtterBox, or buy a ruggedized notebook.
3. Put a TSA approved lock on your checked bag to reduce the chances that an unscrupulous baggage handler will steal your laptop.
Look into buying insurance for your laptop from the likes of Safeware
Consider using a service that tracks, locates, and recovers stolen laptops, such as LoJack for Laptops ($50 a year).

Is Metro Wi-Fi Faster Than Cellular?

Metro Wi-Fi networks in 14 North American cities and towns delivered twice the performance of even true 3G cellular data networks, according to tests conducted by Novarum, an independent consulting company. In Novarum's tests, metro Wi-Fi offered average speeds of 869 kilobits per second downstream. In comparison, true 3G networks ran at 300 kbps to 400 kbps downstream, while 2.5G networks offered only a fraction of that.

Mosquito Ringtone

Mosquito ringtone has been around for a while so I assume many people already know about this.
Mosquito Ringtone is a popular ringtone that was hijacked from a technology that was originally used to repel loitering teens from shops in the UK. Inventor Howard Stapleton developed the "Mosquito device" for Compound Security Systems. This device emits a modulated 17khz sound that proves to be a great annoyance to teenagers or anyone younger, but leaves most over twenty years of age unaffected. This is due to presbycusis, a normal loss of acute hearing that occurs with advancing age. Teen Buzz was developed using the same technology, but as a constant 17khz high frequency ringtone. It is primarily used in the classroom, allowing students to be alerted of incoming text messages on their mobile phones without the knowledge of their teachers.

Here it is! check this out and see if you can hear it!
http://www.freemosquitoringtones.org/

Twitter

What is Twitter???

Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send "updates" (text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) via SMS, instant message, the Twitter website, or an application such as Twitterrific. Twitter was founded in October 2006 by San Francisco start-up company Obvious Corp.
Twitter is for staying in touch and keeping up with friends no matter where you are or what you’re doing. For some friends you might want instant mobile updates—for others, you can just check the web. Invite your friends to Twitter and decide how connected you want you to be.

When you send in a mobile text (SMS), Twitter sends it out to your group of friends and posts it to your Twitter page. Your friends might not have phone alerts turned on so they may check your web page instead. Likewise, you receive your friends mobile updates on your phone.
Twitter is a free service. At some point we may introduce optional, for-pay features or services but basic usage will remain free. With phone alerts turned on, Twitter makes use of texting or SMS so check with your mobile provider to find out if this will cost you extra.

This is a new type of SNS and a lot of people are getting involved with Twitter in the world now.
Would you do it??
Well, you can at least kill your time!

Sony has intended to list Financial units

TOKYO (XFN-ASIA) - Sony Corp still intends to list its wholly-owned financial unit, Sony Financial Holdings Inc (SFH), but has yet to decide exactly how to go about it, Sony said.
'There is no change in Sony Corp's plan to make an initial public offering of SFH at an appropriate time during the fiscal year ending March 2008 or thereafter,' Sony said in a written statement.
'We would like to refrain from making any further comments.'
Sony's statement followed the appearance in the Nikkei newspaper of a report saying that the company plans to float at least 30 pct of SFH in the autumn here and so raise some 300 bln yen.
SFH is the holding company for Sony Life Insurance Co, Sony Assurance Inc and Sony Bank.

Phishing on Myspace

I have been using Myspace over two years now and I finally got phished by someone....
Someone was sending messages to my friends by using my name.
So, I had to change my password several times to not to get phished...
I thought about stop using MySpace.

Netflix video on demand sample

I tried saving the screenshot in every format I could think of, and they still come up blank as soon as I quit watching the movie. (No longer have DRM key.)
I finally ended up taking a screenshot with my digital camera. Not great, but I wanted you to be able to see the picture for yourself. It's a pretty dark scene, which my LCD monitor doesn't render particularly well.
You can click on the image to see a larger size of it.

Surfpup

Netflix's video on demand

I decided to try out Netflix's Watch Now Option that allows you to view a movie instantly through a streaming Internet download. I have to say I was pretty pleased. There was never a hiccup once during the entire 2 hour movie. You can pause at any time. The video quality was pretty good. The viewer allows you to scale the image to full-screen. I took a screenshot so that you can judge the quality yourself. I am running Windows XP at 1600 x 1200 resolution, and I have an Nvidia 7900GT which is doing the scaling using Nvidia's PureVideo. Your results may vary depending on your video card and Internet conncection speed.

Info on PureVideo http://www.nvidia.com/page/purevideo.html

Nvidia cards that support PureVideo http://www.nvidia.com/page/purevideo_support.html

ATI has cards with excellent scaling, too.

Surfpup

Update:
Oops, the screenshots are blank now. There must be some kind of digital rights management (DRM) that prevents you from taking snapshots of the movies. They are probably afraid that you could use software to snapshot the whole movie and keep a copy. :( I'm bummed. This is why we all need to vote with our dollars to not support anything with DRM.

Surfpup

Social security Number...

Most people have SSN in the U.S.

I just met my friend last week and he told me that his SSN was used by someone else to make four credit card in Wells Fargo bank.

He said that the personal information can be stollen by someone who knows how to get them.

I really do not know how to prevent this happen.

Anyone has any idea that we can prevent from this incident?

If I put all my information in my computer security soft isnt enough for it??

Should I get something else??

Computerized musicians

This article was really interesting to me. Christopher Raphael of Indiana University has created a computer program that analyzes waveforms emitted by musical instruments, identifies the notes, and can then play back harmonies to accompany it in real time.
At a recent demonstration, Raphael started playing an oboe quartet by Mozart, and 3 computer assistants chimed in with their own instruments. They matched his pace, even if he slowed down or sped up.
More sophisticated software being developed at Columbia University is learning to interpret polyphonic (multiple musicians) sound in real-time.
It also mentions software called AutoTune which is already on the market. Apparently it corrects "out of tune" vocals in real-time, and certain popstars are rumored to use it for their CD recordings and concerts.
The full story is here:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070430-the-riaas-worst-nightmare-computers-that-understand-music.html

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Metals that remember their shape

Engineers invented metals that can remember their shape after being dented. The atoms are packed into groups of different sizes. According to the engineers the metal does not matter, what matters is the grains in the micro structure and the size of the grouped atoms. The grains have to be brittle but not too bendy. After a disfiguring the atom grains let out energy that force other grains back to their original position. It be would be great if the metals are used in cars. It would mean no more expensive repairs on fenders.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,263401,00.html?sPage=fnc.technology/innovation

Xbox 360 Elite

http://www.earthtimes.org/newsimage/elite_premier_28047.jpg



MS just shot themselves on the foot.

Nintendo to boost production of the Wii

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070429/ap_on_hi_te/japan_nintendo;_ylt=ApYART9g4G1n5wYKlu5QqpAjtBAF

I think this is a bad move for Nintendo. They are currently winning the Console Wars and the demand is stable for them. To me, increasing the production of the Wii will kill them in the long run since there support of games isn't that too great compared to the Xbox 360.

NFL Draft

I never realized until now that I have been looking at blogs for a while. Once the NFL draft comes around I search the net looking at mock drafts and information on the players who may get drafted. Its a great way to find information about players and how the draft may pan out. Here are a couple of sites that I have been looking at for the;ast couple of years. Good luck to the chargers who were drafted this year.

www.footballsfuture.com
www.nfldraftcountdown.com

NFL Draft

I never realized until now that I have been looking at blogs for a while. Once the NFL draft comes around I search the net looking at mock drafts and information on the players who may get drafted. Its a great way to find information about players and how the draft may pan out. Here are a couple of sites that I have been looking at for the;ast couple of years. Good luck to the chargers who were drafted this year.

www.footballsfuture.com
www.nfldraftcountdown.com

A worldly Blackberry

The new Blackberry 8830 World Edition is compatible with both CDMA and GSM networks. This allows it voice capability in over 150 countries and data service in more than 60. Cost is $400, and you will be able to pick one up May 28th.

A bit pricey, but maybe very convenient for a world traveler.

Surfpup

http://www.dailytech.com/Sprint+and+Verizon+Offer+Worldwide+BlackBerry+Service/article7090.htm

HotEnough.org

I am sure it's possible to meet many nice people through online dating services, but this is rediculous! It's all smoke and mirrors...

"Since when do über hotties need a specialized online dating service? If evolutionary psychology and People magazine teach us anything, it’s this: When it comes to hooking up, the only thing the most attractive of the species need do is walk outside.
Hence the intrinsically flawed business model behind HotEnough.org, a matchmaking Web site exclusively for “fit, good-looking people.” Access to this database of desirability is granted to those ranked 8 or higher by HotEnough.org’s current members — those symmetrical few who themselves land on the high end of the Bo Derek periodic table. Only then are you allowed to pay $9.95 a month for the privilege of e-hitting on the site’s 1,000 or so members.
Strategy is the key to my success — honed from an embarrassing amount of years lurking on bulletin boards and social networking sites. As more people post their personals, online dating has gone from just trying to hook up to deeply layered game theory. Niche sites like HotEnough.org may seem like a tempting, time-saving filter — eliminating the risk of dating, or Heaven forbid, falling for, a genetic inferior. But like so many other things on the InterWeb, it’s an illusion.
HotEnough.org is going to fail, and not because it caters to a niche crowd. Hey, I read “The LongTail: Why the Future of Business is Selling More” by Chris Anderson (OK, I just read the Amazon review). This millennium, it’s all about serving niches. Certainly, there are plenty of successful specialized, online dating sites outside of the big catch-alls like eHarmony and Match.com, JDate, FarmersOnly.com, Gothic Match and Green Friends.
HotEnough.org is going to fail because Darwin says so. Any skin-deep beauty seeking love on the Internet is guaranteed damaged down to the bone. Yeah, yeah, they’re soooooooo busy, they “just don’t have time” to meet attractive equals offline. Guess what? Making movies is a major time suck, yet Johnny Depp sure didn’t meet Winona Rider, Kate Moss or Vanessa Paradis in cyberspace. Non-psychotic pretty people don’t seek peer validation from exclusive dating sites. They’re busy adopting third world orphans and designing clothing lines for H&M.
Meanwhile, for us above-average-to-ugly people, the Internet is a viable and respectable place to find love or something like it. It’s what Al Gore intended. Unlike those out-of-touch few who doubt the Internet’s ability to help you find a real world mate, I totally buy the empirical proof. Heck, I am the empirical proof. The Internet provided me with at least two decent relationships and countless ego-boosting flirtations. (Seeking peer validation is perfectly acceptable for us 7s and under.) "

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18313055/

Online Game Promotes Charity

A new online game is designed to promote the business side of charity. The name of the site is DoSomething.org and the site is designed to promote volunteerism. The JP Morgan Chase Foundation worked to develop this program and market it.

"The idea behind Karma Tycoon was to put a twist on popular video and computer games in which players try to maximize profit in order to amass wealth. "

Players who register at the site can pick the type of nonprofit they would like to administer, such as an animal shelter or a homeless shelter, and establish their virtual organization in one of 12 major U.S. cities. Finger, who led the project committee that created the game, said the early response has been very positive and there are plans in the works for a 2.0 that will expand the number of cities and the variety of organizations that participants can try their hand at managing.

"A New York-based nonprofit is hoping to strike a philanthropic spark with Karma Tycoon, a new online game that aims to entertain teens while also giving them an appreciation for the business side of charitable works.
The game is the creation of DoSomething.org, a not-for-profit that aims to inspire younger generations to embrace volunteerism, which worked with the JP Morgan Chase Foundation to develop it and get it to market.
Customization considered keyKarma Tycoon, which was officially launched with the ringing of the bell at the NASDAQ stock exchange on Dec. 21, empowers teens to get involved in philanthropic endeavors by giving them freedom to choose how they want to contribute, said Finger.
Kimberly Davis, president of the JP Morgan Chase Foundation, says that in addition to generating interest in charitable deeds, the game helps player become money-wise.
“The game sort of sneaks up on you, and I think that’s the way it has to become intuitive for kids,” she says. “They don’t realize that by playing this game that they are doing math and setting up budgets.”
Teaching these skills at an early age is especially important, she says, because “young people are using credit cards at higher rates than any other population we have ever seen in any other generation.”
Davis was a strong supporter of the venture from its inception and was able to wrangle resources from other departments – including the credit card and retail divisions – to perfect the product.
Teens tested game's ‘fun factor’Her 14-year-old son and his friends also joined in as well by testing Karma Tycoon’s “fun factor.”
Karma Tycoon also provided JP Morgan Chase with an avenue to enter the brave new world of “advergaming” by embedding the company’s products into the game. That means serves the dual purpose of investing in kids while also investing in the company’s future.
“This is one example of many where we will collaborate with an organization to bring change,” she says. “Social investing is core to the business strategy and the culture of JP Morgan Chase.”
Mayer, the teenage Karma Tycoon disciple, discovered the game through an ad in a teen magazine, saying she spotted the words “nonprofit organization” and thought, “this seems positive!”
The Carolina adolescent credits the game with getting her to think more about helping those in need.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17985948/

Thank God for technology! Thank God for the internet!

Ok. So for those of you that don't know, this weekend was the NFL draft. It was pretty intense because of the fact that a good friend of mine was sitting by the phone waiting for is call to be drafted. After two day of waiting and logging on to the internet, his name was never called. However, the good news is, he did great as a free agent. His talent did not go over looked!

Without NFL.com we would have been so confused. And because of nflscout.com we were able to see what the teams thought of him. The internet gave us hope. It is one of the fastest ways to spread information. Thank God for the Internet!

Congrats to Terry Richardson! He is now a Houston Texan!

There is a new chief in town!

Now that the top guy for Playstation has stepped down, The new top man has some BIG shoes to fill. Lets see what he comes up with! exciting!

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/apr2007/gb20070430_347031.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_top+stories

Woman Loses Career Over MySpace

Recently a woman persuing a degree in education to begin a career in teaching was denied her degree after the university found a photo of her drinking. The picture was posted by her on MySpace website and was given a degree in English instead. The woman is now sueing the university.

I remember when we discussed the idea of employers looking at MySpace pages and so forth to research perspective employees. And one of the questions was if you were an employer would you reseach your applicants and did you think it was right?

Look it does not matter if it's ethical or not. And until the courts decide these situations need to be regulated, anything you post on the Internet can be viewed by anyone at any time period! It's just common sense!

"MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - A woman denied a teaching degree on the eve of graduation because of a MySpace photo has sued the university.
Millersville University instead granted Stacy Snyder a degree in English last year after learning of her Web-published picture, which bore the caption “Drunken Pirate.”
“I dreamed about being a teacher for a long time,” said Snyder, 27, who now works as a nanny.
The photo, taken at a 2005 Halloween party, shows Snyder wearing a pirate hat while drinking from a plastic “Mr. Goodbar” cup. It was posted on her own MySpace site.
Although Snyder apologized, she learned the day before graduation that she would not be awarded an education degree or teaching certificate.
Jane S. Bray, dean of the School of Education, accused Snyder of promoting underage drinking, the suit states.
The federal lawsuit seeks at least $75,000 in damages. Millersville spokeswoman Janet Kacskos referred questions to a state System of Higher Education spokesman, who declined comment."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18372103/

Myspace in CHINA!!!!

I have one question... What took so long? Myspace finally going into the Chinese internet market is very important. Technology and the internet is on another level of advancement. The Chinese Market is a great way to make sure they stay successful.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/04/27/china.myspace.ap/index.html

Ipods are being banned in Classrooms.

Hey guys! How's it going? I just found an article on how Ipods are being band in classrooms. seems that students are using them to try to cheat during exams. Very interesting. Technology is taking over. And our creativity as students is getting more and more interesting.

Check it out!
http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/04/27/ipod.cheating.ap/index.html

Mind reading sensors provide a new interface

Technological advances allow brain wave-reading sensors to be implemented in a $20 headset. They have created a simple Darth Vader game. When the player concentates, the light saber glows. When attention wanders, the weapon goes dark. The sensors read brain wave activity related to concentration, relaxation, and anxiety, and it ranks them from 1 to 100. Such biofeedback games have the potential to boost mental focus, and could even be helpful for disorders such as: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism and mood disorders. More sophisticated headsets with 18 sensors have the potential to do even more.



Surfpup

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18358876/page/2/

Dirk the daring returns on Blu-Ray

Remember the first laserdisc-based arcade game called Dragon's Lair? Now it's making its retun on Blu-Ray disc. Unfortunately, it doesn't run quite right on the Sony PS3. Blu-Ray specifications for BD-Java have changed several times and are NOT the same as the specifications which were available for early Blu-Ray players. The BD-Java is used for picture-in-picture and special features, and although early players will still be able to playback the video, the special features may not be supported. All Blu-Ray players manufactured after October 31, 2007 will be required to support the updated specifications.

Picture courtesy IGN, http://dvd.ign.com/articles/784/784213p1.html

For more info on the Blu-Ray specifications change, http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=6702

Surfpup

Japanese phones

In Tokyo they just recently found a new way to make your phone motion censored. They will function just like a Wii controller. They can tilt the controller just like a steering wheel. Some other phones in Japan have introduced camera sensors. lets say if you are playing a boxing game, you throw a punch in front of the camera, and it will do it in the game. The only thing that isn't good about this new technology is that it is hard to stay focused on the screen with all that movement. All i know is that America needs to get with it!

Bad Myspace Pic

Stacy Snyder got denied of her teaching degree from Millersville University because of a picture she had posted on her myspace. They instead gave her an English degree. She had a picture of her from Halloween 2005 in a white pirate hat while drinking from a plastic Mr. Goodbar cup. It had a subtitle of "Drunken Pirate." The dean of the school says that her picture promotes under aged drinking. Snyder is suing the school for $75,000 dollars in damages. Be careful what you put on your "space."

Google Earth adds two new 3D layers

Google announced two new layers for the Google Earth mapping project. The first layer will allow you to explore architecture for the first time. Blueprints will be available in the second layer. The second layer has been developed with the help of The American Institute of Architects. AIA members will donate their time and expertise to enhance the quality of the product. Google is also improving their Maps feature. Now you can see photos of different locations, buildings, and things related to them. If you're looking for a restaurant you can look it up in Google Maps to check out pictures of the place and its dishes. If you are a business owner you can upload pictures of your business for others to see.


http://www.techspot.com/news/25062-google-earth-adds-two-new-3d-layers.html

Increased Wii Production

Recently Nintendo just realized that they did not properly foresee the demand for the Wii. Their net profit has gone through the roof. They said that they plan on selling 14 million Wii's by March 2008. It has sold 5.84 million for the five months it has been out. To show how bad the Wii is dominating the competition, the PS3 has only sold 1.84 million machines. As we can see that the Wii is taking over the gaming industry, and hopefully they will be able to keep up with the demand. They would not release the amount of Wiis they would be shipping out. They chose to do this, because the lack of supply makes it much more in demand.

New cheating device

Teachers are finally starting to learn about how cheaters think. Just recently at Mountain View High School they banned all kinds of media devices. They found kids hiding an ear bud and ipod telling them answers and formulas. You might be thinking that this is difficult to do, but i know for a fact that kids did it in my music class i took less than a year ago. We would get tested on music we were supposed to listen to in our own time. Kids would load up the songs into their ipod, and have all the information they needed to match the song with the answer. Cheating is growing to a whole new level, and it is up to teachers to keep their eyes open. Some teachers think that even if you do start banning things like ipods, the cheaters will just find another way to cheat.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/04/27/ipod.cheating.ap/index.html

Near Field communications

Near field communication is a technology that is on the verge of revolutionizing how people are able to transfer information and make fast and secure payments. The new technology was developed by Sony and Phillips (NFC Forum). In order to promote their product, they have created the NFC Forum. As the technology has progressed, many key cell phone companies, chip makers, and credit card companies have become involved. In order for this technology to be successful, all of these companies are to working together to ensure that the product will succeed. Some of the major companies that are part of the NFC Forum are Visa, MasterCard, Intel, Nokia, Samsung, Microsoft, and many more. I think this is a very interesting technology that may revolutionize how we purchase products.

www.nfc-forum.org

Become an Efficient CIO

The six tips for CIO’s to avoid wasting time:

Don’t be the budget police, make sure technology is used efficiently rather than cheaply.
Stop using enterprise architecture as a command and control tool.
Focus on value-add IT indicators to focus on business performance.
Use enterprise architecture and other mechanisms to ensure coherence.
Stop apologizing for past problems, and using governance committees to run things, build credibility through strong personal relationships.
Stop defining services in technical rather than business terms.

If CIO’s follow these ideas they will be more efficient and successful.

http://www.itworld.com/Man/070427timewasters/

Free Trials, foe or friend?

When I bought my first laptop computer it came with all this stuff, trial versions of software and software I think I need. The problem, I wasn’t really sure of all the options of what I needed and wanted. So when I became more familiar I was already using what I was given. My concern was with deleting any of this stuff that the manufacturer had put on my computer before I bought it, because I didn’t know how it would affect the other programs. The unfortunate part of it all is that memory and speed are affected. But if you think about it, it really is smart business. So, pick and choose what they give you and then add what you want. Delete what you don’t use for the health of the computer.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9017206&intsrc=hm_list

Google home pages, can you live without them?

On April 27 Google users were experiencing problems with their personalized home pages. People began blogging about how they were losing their data, and complaining that Google was taking too long to address the problem. I have a personalized Google home page and most of the things on it can be accessed through other avenues on the internet. I really think people are being a little over dramatic by blowing the issue out of proportion. I really doubt people lost a lot of productivity, by what, losing hangman?

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9018098&intsrc=hm_list

E-books, not a good idea.

I always wondered why authors didn’t post there writings online and allow people to download them for a cost. I always wanted to be able to download a work and read it off of my laptop. This new idea of e-books I do not think is that great though. I would not want to purchase an expensive hardware device only to then have to buy software that is the book, when the hardware is the size and weight of a book, but more expensive. I would rather just buy the book. If the e-books have no real advantage over actual books (cost or ease of use) then what is the point? Just like the article says, e-books are bound to fail.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9017934&pageNumber=2

Hight-tech lie detector?

Lie detector tests are not very dependable and some people know ways around them, even with cables hooked up to you trying to monitor changes in your blood pressure and respiration. I think part of the process is to get you nervous and asking intriguing questions. Now the department of defense is experiment new ways to measure changes in your face, muscles, or eyes. One way is to measure your face's heat. A monitor shows different glowing colors as you may answer correct or false anwers. Another way is to use lasers to detect muscle contraction in your face or neck. It can also be used to study the blood flow when aimed at an artery. The other option is to the eyes and see the movement and changes after the person answers questions. The best part of all these tests is that it requires no cables to be attached to the person and it looks at features a person cannot have control over.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,269076,00.html

You think antennas are outdated? Not really!

How ironic is it? People are spending thousands of dollars on their plasma TVs and then hooking them up to $50 antennas that are no different from what we used 50 years ago on our black and white TVs. People are doing this because local channels broadcast in HD over-the-air offer much better picture than signals sent by cable and satellite companies. People laugh at the thought of using antennas for TV signals; thinking it’s really outdated. Funny enough, now it is back!

Ohio University bans P2P

Ohio University has banned its students and employees from using P2P networking. What other organizations do you think will follow? The university claims that the P2P programs use up too much bandwidth and cause legal troubles. The CIO at Ohio university says that P2P programs consume a "disproportionate amount of resources both in bandwidth and human technical support." I believe they are more concerned with the legality of the matter. Students are already looking for ways to get around the ban. Students and employees will have their Internet access taken away upon their first offense. http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/31800/118/

Nokia, LG, Samsung and MasterCard to turn cell phone into wallet

Several companies are working together on a project that will allow consumers to pay for goods and services by swiping their phone like a credit card. The industry is moving toward a single approach instead of credit cards and cash. Making a purchase would be easy as waving your mobile phone over a wireless reader. Similar systems are already being used in Japan and Hong Kong. Security is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of a system like this. What if someone steals your phone? ...or your loose it? It may be very convenient in some circumstances...but if the purchase still requires an ID, what's the point?

What Quake might look like it if it were ray-traced in real time

Check out the detail in this screenshot! Quake 4: Raytraced shows what the game would look like with if it supported real-time ray tracing. Ray tracing used in Hollywood movies make take months to render, but massively multi-core CPUs may be able to deliver ray-tracing on the fly. The result will be graphics that are an order of magnitude better than what we have today. 5 quad-core machines running together were able to render Quake 4:Raytraced at about 20 frames per second.

The programmer who modified the Quake engine now works for Intel!

Surfpup

http://www.q4rt.de/

NASA maps the sun in 3D

NASA satellites have captured the first true 3D images of our sun. The 3d images of the sun's atmosphere will help scientists to better understand solar physics. They hope this new information will help them to be able to better predict solar storms. More pictures here:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stereo/news/stereo3D_press.html

Surfpup

Microsoft profits up 65%

Microsoft's 3rd quarter revenue rose by 32%. This is despite decreases in the Entertainment and Devices Division attributed to softer XBox 360 demand and the launch of the Zune. Apparently Office 2007 and Vista are pumping up the $$$.

Surfpup

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=7082

BlackBerry Outrage

Nearly 8 million Blackberry devices that are currently in service in the United States were down for 14 hours between a Tuesday evening and Wednesday moring. This is how much of an impact technology has on the world today. First of all the outage didn't even occur during business hours. It was the first topic of discussion during the White House Press Briefing on Wednesday morning because no emails could be sent or retieved. Once the Blackberry service was back up, the service devices were jammed with all of the delayed incoming messages. The Blackberry crisis was such an issue becuase the highest levels of business and government rely so heavily on this service. Huge apologies were heard all over the world of business and government affairs on Wednesday and even the NYSE and NASDAQ prices dropped. And this was not just a problem for the U.S. Canada and Europe actaully relied on emails for business years before we did.

NEW YORK - Most of it happened outside "work" hours, but the nature of mobile e-mail meant plenty of dismay as BlackBerry service went down across North America from Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning.
By the time the service sputtered back to life, jamming the handheld devices with a torrent of delayed messages, grumbles had been heard at the highest levels of business and government.
"The sound of BlackBerries being thrown against the desk was deafening for a while," said Garth Turner, a member of the Canadian Parliament known for his constant Internet blogging.
"Because it has become the de facto channel of communications around this place, it actually impacts on the government of Canada and the work of the whole House of Commons."
BlackBerry was also the first order of business at a White House Press briefing Wednesday morning.


"I apologize to a number of you who tried e-mailing over the last 14 hours," White House spokesman Tony Fratto told reporters.
"We're 14 hours into no BlackBerry, so you can imagine how things are," he said. "We've already started a 12-step group."
Research in Motion Ltd., the Canadian company that provides the devices and e-mail service, confirmed the outage Wednesday morning, but disclosed no details about the cause.
The outage cut off incoming and outgoing e-mail on BlackBerry devices regardless of which cellular company a user buys the service from, indicating the problem originated at RIM's network data center in Canada.
That facility serves as a hub for RIM's North American traffic, routing messages between the roughly 8 million BlackBerry devices now in use and the various sources of e-mail, from private corporate servers to Web-based accounts like Yahoo and AOL.
The outage reverberated on Wall Street, too. RIM's share price slid at Wednesday's open, but recovered and rallied — suggesting, perhaps, that a product that can provoke this much consternation holds an enviable position against emerging challenges from the likes of Microsoft Corp., Motorola Inc. and Nokia Corp.
The stock rose $3.10, or 2.4 percent, to close at $134.37 in Wednesday trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market despite falling as low as $128.80 in the opening minutes.
BlackBerry outages have been rare, although minor glitches occasionally cause delays in RIM's ability to deliver e-mail in real-time — perhaps the most important feature of the service for many users. The last two major disruptions appear to have occurred nearly two years ago, both in June 2005.
Nevertheless, even one outage is unbearable for some. While many people rely heavily on the device as a lifeline when they're away from their computers, even more have simply grown accustomed, occasionally obsessive, about being able to check their e-mail at night and on weekends.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18173239/

Use Your iPod As a Personal Trainer

This is pretty neat. Nike has set up their website so that you can download tunes that are great to work out to, but even better you can download audio that serves as a personal trainer while you work out. The voice can give you encouragement, but also tells you exactly what do as far as a cool down, warm-up, etc. Say you're a runner... the audio can tell you how long to increase your pace for and when to slow down. You just tell Nike what you want your workout to be. You can also incorporate subliminal messages into your music. If you enjoy working out it might be worth checking out.

"I decided to change that, by seeking the help of a downloadable expert. Opening iTunes, I clicked over to the Music Store’s Nike + iPod workouts section to browse the selection. The concept is simple: Overlay a bunch of tracks suited for working out with the encouraging voice of a real coach. I chose “Increase Your Speed 1,” coached by multiple-marathon champ Alberto Salazar. That I recognized none of the artists included in the $14.99 workout mix worried me, but I figured the selection must have a good amount of oomph if it had any hope of fulfilling its promise.
With a post-snowstorm temperature of about 25 degrees, I slipped on a knit cap, a few upper body layers, some glove-liners for my hands, and went with soccer shorts for the lower half because I don’t own any real running pants.
Some light-beat music started up as Alberto chimed in with a welcome. He laid out the course: ten minutes of warm up, followed by four intervals of increasingly faster sprints with rests in between, finishing with ten minutes to cool down. I was instantly turned off because I figured the ten minutes to warm up then ten more to cool down equaled twenty minutes of slower-paced running, which would yield a slower overall pace result. Then again, perhaps those four bursts would balance things out and I’d wind up with a respectably quicker pace in the end."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18075569/

Nasa testing robot surgeons

NASA is planning to test robots under water that may perform minor surgeries in space. The robots will be controlled by real surgeons through the Internet. If successful, the robots could be used to aid wounded soldiers, serve patients in developing worlds, and help sick astronauts in space. The robots could also be used to test student doctors. The most challenging part will be the delayed time of up to a second and also the gravity factor in space. I don't know if people would approve of a robot working on them. Maybe a robot assisting a doctor or a robot reviewing the surgery just performed might be more useful. I think sick patients in space will have to wait until they get back to earth to check in to a real hospital.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,267083,00.html?sPage=fnc.technology/innovation

New circuit chips could extend Moore's Law

The end of Moore's Law is expected to come to an end soon for memory chips. It gets harder to store and read data from smaller electron pools found in chips. Memory makers are spending big money to be the first to discover the newest technology. IBM has the lead as it has created a circuit as small as 20 nanometers, performs faster than flash memory, and uses less power. One of the challenges is whether it could be non-volatile, meaning can it retain the data after the power is off? I don't know how much smaller than 20 nanometers we can get but I believe technology will reach it's limit in the near future. How much more data storage, speed, and shrinking products do we need? It's probably more important for bigger organizations like NASA or maybe the military.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,260159,00.html?sPage=fnc.technology/innovation

iPod needs iTunes?

iTunes: Sill the Sweetest Song
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2005/tc20050616_5786_tc117.htm?
chan=search

The articles discusses the popularity of this amazing product the iPod that has been out for a few years and has destroyed all competitors in the MP3 market. One of the main reasons for iPod's success is the combination of iTunes. For a brief history iTunes is simply the software for managing music on the iPod and is also a store that customers can buy downloaded songs for $.99 a song. After the problems with Napster iTunes found away for making money after the big problems with "stealing" music. I know I probably just confused you because I went allover the place. (But its not english class)

Well one main reason of this article is saying that iPod is popular mainly based by its combo with iTunes. iTunes is very easy to use and i agree with the statement. With many MP3's out that are alot like iPod, iPod still dominates the market. But is iPod really only popular because of the iTunes?

One reader gives this answer "Article is really right. The real reason for the success for the iPod is iTunes. I would never have begun using iPod if it wasn't because of how easy it was to use iTunes. The browsing, organizing features are miles ahead of anything, especially Windows Media Centre. iTunes made music compilation easy, without which iPod would never have been successful. "

I did agree with the ease of using iTunes but to say it would never be successful? I disagree, there are many tech savvy people who can work a MP3 player. I am not one of them, but for that reason Apples made a great product.

BeNetSafe tracks kids' social networks

BeNetSafe.com is a program designed for parents to track their kids' online social networks, like myspace. Parents can monitor them and filter sites or put them completely off limit. This applies anywhere the kids log in from. The program gives you a weekly or monthly report if it found your kids information on any networking site. All you need is your kid's information like their name, date of birth, e-mail addresses, schools, phone number, and any other information social networks ask for. The program scans for dangerous words or unknown persons and reports them. It also gives you the URL to the kids home page. The price is $19.95 monthly or $79.95 yearly. It does not monitor e-mail or instant messaging.

More parents using text messaging

It seems like parents and kids prefer to communicate through text messaging. Parents can text to check in on their kids without making a phone call. Kids prefer it that way because they don't get embarrassed when their parents call and its more "hip." It also avoids starting up a long conversation. It's an easier way to communicate in case someone is at work or at school and need a quick, short answer. Phone companies now feature plans for unlimited text messaging. A lot of phones come with instant messaging applications.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,234282,00.html

$100 laptop

I found a very nice project.

'$100 laptop' to cost $175

It is called "$100 laptop" project, and it is planed to give inexpensive computers to schoolchildren in developing countries. It sounds very reasonable price.

The machine for now costs $175, and it will be able to run Windows in addition to its homegrown, open-source interface. I think it is very good deal.

I hope that the price of machine can be “$100” near future, yet it seems very hard. Maybe this project will be great for not only school children in developing countries, but also people who have never been interested in computers, such as old people or very young children, too.

Data Theft Targets Google Ads

Google recently pulled about 20 ads that were linked to data theft. These ads were stealing personal and banking information from those who were searching specific links such as the Better Business Bureau. Gee, what else is new? No one can or will ever be completely safe. There is always a chance that data theft could happen to any of us and the more time that passes the more vunerable we all become. Those who were targeted were Windows XP users who had not updated their security.

"They said the attack was unlikely to undermine Google's core business of selling lucrative advertising links, which made up the bulk of the Mountain View-based company's $3.08 billion in profit in 2006 and $1 billion in the first quarter of 2007 alone."

'We canceled the affected ads as soon as we were made aware of the problem," the company said in a statement. "Overall, Google is committed to ensuring the safety and security of our users and our advertisers. We actively work to detect and remove sites that serve malware to our users both in our ad network and in our search results.'

What is even more amazing to me is how they can catch these problems, isolate the source, and stop the problem before it gets out of hand. I guess if you had profits of over 1 billion in the first quarter you would definitely want to protect your consumers!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18348120/

PlayStation Architect Resigns

I thought this might interest some of you gamers. Sony's PlayStation architect Ken Kutaragi will resign on June 19. I imagine that he is a very rich man and decided to retire early. Ya think??


"Ken Kutaragi, known as the "father of the PlayStation," will retire as Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s chairman and group chief executive. "

Actually what I think is happening after reading the article, is that Sony will no longer be the leader in the "game" industry. They are struggling to compete with other companies and did not have the success with PlayStation 3 as they had hoped for. I am sure that Ken Kutaragi wants out before things get worse. You never want to retire when you are forced out, quit while you're ahead and you'll always be remembered as a superstar. I don't know anything about video games. I have only played Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros!

"Kutaragi's most recent brainchild, the PlayStation 3 console, came out in November but was marred by embarrassing production shortages and a $600 price tag that some Sony fans said was too steep. For the past several months, Sony has resorted to giving away free game titles and other marketing gimmicks to spur sales.
Sony has also struggled to expand beyond the young, male demographic of so-called "hardcore" gamers. Investors have been grumbling for several quarters that Sony has failed to attract women, young children and older gamers to its products, and its market share has shrunk as a result.
Problems related to Sony's limited demographic came into sharp focus late last year, when Nintendo Co. launched a rival game console, the Wii, for about $250. The device — which includes a diminutive, wrist-mounted controller and a console that's skimpy on realistic graphics — has become a surprise hit among girls, suburban mothers, senior citizens and other people who have never considered themselves gamers."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18335424/

2007 NFL Draft, Mock Drafts, Draft Blogs

Well, it's that time of year! The 2007 NFL Draft is on Saturday April 28th and Sunday April 29th. Days, weeks, and even months leading up to the draft lead to a lot of speculation as to which teams will select which players. Being a fan of the NFL since I was a BabY BaLLuH, I have been captivated by the NFL Draft. Now, I want to share that passion and excitement with all of you.

For those of you new to the Draft, the Draft is where all NFL teams take turns picking college football players that have decided to join the NFL. There are 7 rounds total and 255 total picks. This is where information technology has taken the anticipation of the Draft to a whole new level with all the Mock Drafts and Draft Blogs. Anyone can create a mock draft. Mock drafts are one person's opinion as to whom they think the teams will pick or should pick. The Draft blogs are blogs where people can voice their opinions about players, teams, and possible picks. The internet is flooded with NFL Mock Drafts and Draft Blogs this time of year. This is exactly why information technology is great. I can read other's thoughts and information while sharing my own thoughts with millions of people. Unfortunately, there are so many Mock Drafts and Draft Blogs that have so much information that it is impossible to go through all of them.

However, I believe technology has been the ONLY reason I and many other fanatics have been able to feed our hunger for the latest draft news, player evaluations, team needs, trade possibilities, and free agent signings. Without the Draft and Blog sites, I don't believe the NFL Draft would be as big a deal as it is, because the fans are the ones creating all the passion and excitement through the blessing of IT.


HTMBaLLuH
(With the 30th pick of the 2007 NFL Draft the San Diego Chargers select.......? Go Chargers!)

Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite Release

Microsoft is scheduled to release the Xbox 360 Elite on Sunday April 29, 2007.

The Xbox 360 Elite will cost $479 compared to the regular Xbox 360 which is $399. The Elite will have a black exterior instead of white. The hard drive will be bumped up to 120GB instead of 20GB. Also, the Elite will make it easier for you to hook up your Xbox to any HDTV with an HDMI output.

However, is the Xbox 360 Elite so much better than the regular Xbox 360 that people will want to go out and get it? If the HDMI connector and the beefed up hard drive is worth it to you, then you should get the Elite. But for all the people that already have the regular Xbox 360 it isn't worth it. Now, if the Wi-Fi adapter and the HD-DVD drive were included it would be a different story, but those need to be bought separately. The Xbox 360 Elite falls short of reaching the level of the PS3, as far as features are concerned.

For now, the Xbox 360 can rely on the massive selection of games to attract customers, because the Elite won't be worth it to the majority.


HTMBaLLuH
(the PS3 K.O.'s the 360 anyday!)

Issues with MacBook Batteries

On Friday, Apple released a statment saying that some batteries used in its MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks might have performance issues. Apple is trying to solve the situation by offering a software update that is designed to improve performance.

The battery software update checks to see if a battery needs to be updated. If the battery does need to be updated it will update it automatically. The battery software update applies to the following: MacBook, MacBook (Late 2006), MacBook Pro (15-inch), MacBook Pro (15-inch Glossy), MacBook Pro (15-inch Core 2 Duo), MacBook Pro (17-inch) and MacBook Pro (17-inch Core 2 Duo).

After, the software has been installed each battery inserted into the notebook will be updated automatically, if needed. If the MacBook owner continues to experience problems, Apple will replace the defective battery with a new battery for free, even if the warranty has expired. Apple promised to continue the battery update program for as long as needed.


HTMBaLLuH
(If you're a Mac with the ladeez....you need a MacBook!)

Most bizarre webcam

This has to be one of the most bizarre uses of webcam technology. If you are tired of watching the paint try, go to http://www.cheddarvision.tv/ and you can watch a hunk of cheese ripen. Yep, a live video. Over one million viewers (no joke) have made this block of cheese our newest Internet star.

Surfpup

Chienese pirate movies

The U.S. and the World Trade Organization are concerned that China is not doing enough to tackle piracy. A lot of times movies still shown in theatres can be found in China and other countries by street vendors. The price is usually over a dollar and the image quality isn't that great. Some vendors disguise movies in anticipated movie covers. In China vendors are packaging other movies in Spider Man 3 packages. They cash on highly anticipated movies. Recent raids in Hong Konk destroyed millions of pirated movies, music, and software. Stiffer penalties and more raids should slow down the business.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,268732,00.html

New Identity Fraud Laws

White House panel pushes new identity fraud laws
By Anne Broache, CNET News.com April 23, 2007
Retrieved from CNET Tech News
http://news.com.com/White+House+panel+pushes+new+identity+fraud+laws/2100-7348_3-6178441.html?tag=nefd.top

This article talks how a federal task force is urging congress to enact a variety of new laws designed to punish identity fraud. The task force is advocating a new national strategy which will rewrite existing criminal laws to penalizie use of malicious spyware and keyloggers, to expand mandatory minimum prison sentences for certain levels of electronic data theft, and to allow identity theft victims to receive monetary compensation not only for their direct financial losses, but also for the time they spent piecing their lives back together. Identity fraud has been against the law for hundreds of year, and there are numerous state and federal laws to punish identity fraud. However, the task force feels that more needs to be done. They want to set up a national Identity Theft Law Enforcement Center.

I think that identity fraud is a very important issue. Someone got hold my friends social security number and it caused her a lot of trouble. The person who took her social security number was never caught. So, someone else will always have my friend’s “identity;” she can never get it back. I hope that this new government effort to prevent identity theft will be successful.

High schools banning ipods

Students are finding new and creative ways to cheat. Writing answers to the bill of your hat and on to cheat sheets or your hand is old. Student are taking advantage of digital divices to record and playback answer and formulas. They use a tape recorder or microphone to speak, then they import those recordings onto an ipod. From there its easy to hide the earphone under their shirt and behind their ear or hide it in their sleeve and put their and on their ear. I remember students did that when I went to high school about 5 years ago. The same can be done with cell phones, but it's easier to ban ipods. Colleges shouldn't be too worried because students are espected to have more academic integrity.

And the winner is...the "iO Concept"!!!

Near Field Communication, or NFC, is a technology that used existing wireless technology such as Blue tooth and Wi-Fi. NFC technology is being used in a variety of ways. Currently there is a forum for those interested in developing this product. Here is a link to the NFC Forum.

In a recent newsletter, I read about a competition put on by the NFC. From what I understood, the competing teams were supposed to implement NFC technology into a certain product. The first place team, from the Netherlands, used NFC in the medical field. They used it for home nurses visiting patients. The home nurses visit the patient's home, scan an NFC enabled card, treat the patient, and re-scan their card.

The article said file transfers, medical information, and prescriptions would be updated instantaneously. This reduces the cost of administration personnel allowing for increased time between nurse and a patient. Click here to see the article that was emailed to me

The NFC forum posts potential uses for their technology. Near Field Communication has an unlimited number of uses. Keep an eye out as more advances in this technology take place.

Uncle Shanky.

Amazon.com and e-Bay

Amazon.com is expanding a program designed to allow independent sellers to use its network of distribution centers to store and ship their products.
I have heard that Amazon’s distribution system is incredible. Now, the article says that Amazon.com is opening the program to vendors who list their items elsewhere on the Web--on their own site, through Google, or even eBay.

Check it!

Sold on eBay, shipped by Amazon.com

I think that this system will help Amazon growing more and more, but it seems very controversial decision. Bezos is now doubling down on his company's gritty infrastructure, and he says “one day Amazon could do the dirty work of storing products and fulfilling online orders for many of the e-commerce companies on the Web.” Some of online retailers are unhappy with the new system, too.

However, competitions among online stores are always good for customers. A customer buys surplus books and sells them on Amazon and other sites. According to the article, “Since he signed up for Fulfillment by Amazon last September, he says that his sales have jumped more than 30 percent, and a third of the orders that come in are from members of Amazon Prime, the company's premium discount shipping program.”

Unlike some struggling online stores, now everybody can do e-commerce easily without having own distribution system. I am excited about the new system, but I feel a little anxious about that customers can not see and think about the system of the company (unlike Wal-mart or Costco), yet Amaszon.com is such a big company.

.tv

There are do many domain names of countries (.uk .au .jp .nz .cn .hk etc….)

What is the most valuable domain in the world???

Have you ever heard “Tuvalu Island”??
It is a very small and beautiful country, and its country code is ".tv"

American company .TV Corporation, called DotTV, agreed to pay Tuvalu about THREE TIMES the country's gross domestic product over the next decade.

This country makes $50 million a year in royalties from the ability to sell Internet names and electronic mail addresses ending in Tuvalu's country code, ".tv."


I think .tv is the most valuable domain name.



http://www.tuvaluislands.com/index.html

$26,000 Cell Phone Bill

Have you read the fine print in your cell phone contract? Wendy Nguyen's cell phone was unknowingly stolen before she left on an overseas trip. Despite the fact that she was able to prove to her carrier, Cingular, that she couldn't have possibly made the unauthorized calls, Cingular told her she was fully responsible for all the charges. Cingular suggested that maybe Wendy should file for bankruptcy if she couldn't pay her bill!

Surfpup


Woman gets $26,000 cell phone bill

Make of Playstation steps down.

And now, because everyone seems to want to be talking about. The maker of Playstation 3 resigns from Sony. And because the Nintendo Wii is doing a bit better than Playstation 3 at the moment, it is somewhat clear why the inventor of Sony Playstation wants to resign. The article explains it all.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/04/26/news/newsmakers/sony.reut/index.htm?postversion=2007042614

Internet 2 recent speed record of 9.08 Gbps - passé.

Seems that the Internet2 tops out at around 10 Gbps, so there isn't a log of wiggle room to top this. So, the same consortium of more than 200 universities is now planning Internet3, which will be able to operate at 100 Gbps (gigabits per second)!

Surfpup


Daily Tech

What do you mean Myspace Adoption search?

A couple is using myspace to search for a child to adopt. Wow! Myspace is taking over the world.
Just read the Article!
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/04/25/myspace.adoption.ap/index.html

Myspace and TV

So what do you think? Myspace and TV? They have been very involved in entertainment but what do you think about myspace creating a reality show? Im not too suprised but I still think that they are smart. Good way to make some more money. Please check this out!

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/V07c24E7emh5py/MySpace-and-Burnett-Politics-Is-About-to-Get-Real.xhtml

How about replacing a password with your own face!

Hey everyone, what do you think about using your face as a password? A company in Canada called BioScrypt had announced its new 3D DeskCam that is about 3 in. tall, half in. wide that functions both as a Webcam and security system. The camera uses infrared along with lens to scan your face in three dimensions to authenticate users accessing computers. The facial-recognition system has passed tests using identical twins and professional face molds. A person who has registered with a beard and had it shaved off doesn’t have to reregistered, but with someone who has plastic surgery needs to. This new camera will cost you about $350 and will be available sometime later this year.

Ever wonder about the difference.....

Between Blue Ray and HD DVD....

I stumbled upon this dilemma when deciding what player I should buy for my house.

Basically, Blue Ray is more expensive but can hold more data. One day this may lead to superior video quality but for now it is hard to differentiate between the two. If you do want a quick history lesson with today's differences in technology and supporters, here is a good article you should read.

http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/19/blu-ray-vs-hd-dvd-state-of-the-s-union-s-division/

Enjoy!

Digital Light Production Technology

DLP Technology

This is new hi-tech projection television improvement. I found this article to be very interesting because it is changing entertainment technology as we know it. This technology provides clearer and sharper images and eliminates glare and gives a wider peripheral view.

1. The semiconductor that changed everything.

At the heart of every DLP® projection system is an optical semiconductor known as the DLP® chip, which was invented by Dr. Larry Hornbeck of Texas Instruments in 1987.
The DLP® chip is probably the world's most sophisticated light switch. It contains a rectangular array of up to 2 million hinge-mounted microscopic mirrors; each of these micromirrors measures less than one-fifth the width of a human hair.
When a DLP® chip is coordinated with a digital video or graphic signal, a light source, and a projection lens, its mirrors can reflect a digital image onto a screen or other surface. The DLP® chip and the sophisticated electronics that surround it are what we call DLP® technology.


2. The grayscale image
A DLP® chip's micromirrors are mounted on tiny hinges that enable them to tilt either toward the light source in a DLP® projection system (ON) or away from it (OFF)-creating a light or dark pixel on the projection surface.
The bit-streamed image code entering the semiconductor directs each mirror to switch on and off up to several thousand times per second. When a mirror is switched on more frequently than off, it reflects a light gray pixel; a mirror that's switched off more frequently reflects a darker gray pixel.
In this way, the mirrors in a DLP® projection system can reflect pixels in up to 1,024 shades of gray to convert the video or graphic signal entering the DLP® chip into a highly detailed grayscale image.

3. Adding color
The white light generated by the lamp in a DLP® projection system passes through a color wheel as it travels to the surface of the DLP® chip. The color wheel filters the light into red, green, and blue, from which a single-chip DLP® projection system can create at least 16.7 million colors. And the 3-chip system found in DLP Cinema® projection systems is capable of producing no fewer than 35 trillion colors.
The on and off states of each micromirror are coordinated with these three basic building blocks of color. For example, a mirror responsible for projecting a purple pixel will only reflect red and blue light to the projection surface; our eyes then blend these rapidly alternating flashes to see the intended hue in a projected image.

4. Applications and configurations
1-CHIP DLP® PROJECTION SYSTEMTelevisions, home theater systems and business projectors using DLP® technology rely on a single chip configuration like the one described above.
3-CHIP DLP® PROJECTION SYSTEMDLP® technology-enabled projectors for vey high image quality or very high brightness applications such as cinema and large venue displays rely on a 3-chip configuration to produce stunning images, whether moving or still.

5 THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW YOUR CELL PHONE COULD DO.

I got this email from a friend. And this is actually good to know about your cell phone. It can save your life and your love ones.


There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

FIRST: EmergencyThe Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND: Have you locked your keys in the car?Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!"

THIRD: Hidden Battery PowerImagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.

FOURTH: How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 # A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

FIFTH: Free Directory Service for CellsCell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.
This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, so pass it on to your family and friends