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Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7

noreply@blogger.com (mr.zatan safe) — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 04:08:00 +0000

Microsoft shows no signs of slowing down. After unveiling a major update to..Office Web Apps, today the software giant releases the stable version of Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7. The latest iteration of the popular browser debuted alongside Windows 8.1 in mid-October and like its predecessor it forgoes supporting older versions of the operating system.

And because Windows 8.1 is being offered as a free upgrade to Windows 8 users, and Microsoft expects everyone to take this step, Internet Explorer 11 is not officially available for the latter OS either. It is a Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 affair only, which speaks volumes of Microsoft's ongoing efforts to drastically reduce Windows XP's market share and push the two Internet Explorer 11-supported operating systems to the forefront.

Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 11 browser for Windows 7 personal computers

Microsoft announces that users will be automatically upgraded in the coming weeks. Those who are already using the Developer or Release Preview of Internet Explorer will be upgraded starting today. Now let's take a look at what's new.

In Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7, Microsoft has improved the performance of its browser, which is touted to be 30 percent faster for "real world websites" (presumably, compared to Internet Explorer 10 running on the same OS). Similarly, deployment is touted to be faster, with the browser including support for 25 new and improved modern Web standards.

Internet Explorer 11 also includes support for the "well-defined and commonly used features" of the ECMAScript 6 standard and the ECMAScript Internationalization API (for the first version at this point).

Speaking of standards, Microsoft says that: "The opportunities continue for HTML5 to make both websites and applications better. Those opportunities are exciting for everyone on the Web. Like IE11 on Windows 8.1, this release brings high performance HTML5 development to Windows 7".

THOR -The Dark World' review: It's thunderous fun

noreply@blogger.com (mr.zatan safe) — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 04:00:00 +0000

In the two years that have passed since he was banished to the desert of New Mexico, and the year-and-change since he helped defend Manhattan from space invaders, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has grown from a cocky, impulsive warrior prince to a man worthy of the trusty hammer he carries into battle. That’s great news for Asgard, the magical space kingdom from which he hails, but less-than-great news for Thor: The Dark World, the second solo outing for this blond-locked, muscle-ripped deity. Pigheaded arrogance, on full display in the first Thor film and last summer’s crossover bonanza The Avengers, is one of the qualities that gave Hemsworth’s hero a spark of real personality. Without it, he seems faintly duller—more square-jawed and noble, a superman as pious as he is formidable. There’s nothing like maturity to ruin a good rogue.

THOR -The Dark World' review: It's thunderous fun, outlandish

Like its predecessor, The Dark World leaps back and forth between Earth and Asgard, though the fish-out-of-water comedy that enlivened the original has gone missing. Actually, that’s not entirely true: This time, it’s love interest Jane (Natalie Portman) who’s humorously out of her element, but seeing her nervously meet the parents (Anthony Hopkins and Rene Russo) is less amusing than watching the Thunder God try to buy a horse at a pet store. How does a human end up walking the golden halls of Asgard? The answer involves vengeful elves, gravitational anomalies, inter-dimensional portals, and a vague, gaseous MacGuffin called the Aether. Most of these elements are introduced during another Hopkins-narrated prologue, this one skewing even closer to Lord Of The Rings territory. When not barking mythological exposition at one another, the characters are breathlessly exchanging pseudo-science that would make the late Gene Roddenberry proud.

But every step the series takes isn’t a backward one. In fact, as is the case with most good superhero sequels, The Dark World escapes the oppressive duty of franchise building, finally getting to play in the world its origin-story predecessor established. Replacing Kenneth Branagh in the director’s chair, TV-trained Alan Taylor (Game Of Thrones) adapts more gracefully to the Marvel house style; for once, the action is cleanly and coherently staged, and Taylor brings some of the gravity and grandeur of Westeros to this universe. (Without instituting a redesign, he’s somehow made Asgard seem less Emerald City-chintzy.) Filling in the cracks of the perfunctory narrative is a wealth of Whedonesque comedy, delivered by Thor’s returning, Earthbound cavalry: not just Jane, still flustered by her beefcake suitor, but also a quip-firing Darcy (Kat Dennings) and a ranting, pantsless Dr. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård). This being a Marvel movie, there’s also a surprise cameo, this time by a character who doesn’t actually appear in the film. Confused? Just wait for it.

But would it kill the makers of these splash-panel blockbusters to dream up a bad guy with a little menace, a little flavor? As if to match Thor’s increasingly flawless virtue, the heavy here is a bland force of ancient evil, determined to destroy the universe because… well, that’s what forces of ancient evil try to do. Consequently, the movie’s most valuable asset may be Tom Hiddleston, reprising the role of Thor’s jealous, treacherous brother, Loki. He’s the only person onscreen with truly complicated motives, and Hiddleston reveals new depths to the character once The Dark World, in its most fruitful development, forces this black sheep into an uneasy alliance with the favorite son. Forget the fairy-tale romance between Jane and her hammer-wielding hunk. The real emotional center of the Thor series is this sibling rivalry, more compelling than any climactic battle royale or winking teaser for the next chapter.

Marvel has done an extremely effective job over the past few years of grounding its movie universe in a recognizable reality. Tony Stark is an eccentric billionaire seemingly pulled from the latest headlines; Captain America is a well-intentioned hero that gets appropriated for wartime propaganda. The characters are all just one step away from our own world… and then there’s Thor.

Between his mythological underpinnings and almost magical powers, it’s no surprise that the Asgardian prince feels slightly out of step with the rest of the big-screen Avengers. There’s an inescapable comic book feel baked into him at the conceptual level, and while that has the potential to turn off new fans it also makes Thor a sort of bellwether character: if audiences can get behind Chris Hemsworth and a flying hammer, Marvel’s formula is right on target. In that regard Thor: The Dark World is a direct hit, an exercise in diligent execution that delivers exactly what fans of the first film will be looking for — though not much more....

Things pick up some time after the events in The Avengers, with Thor methodically restoring order to the Nine Realms at the behest of his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins, showing some restraint in a role that seems designed for scene-chewing). His brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) sits in the dungeons of Asgard for that whole trying-to-destroy-the-Earth thing, and while Thor should be in good spirits he’s restless, hung up on Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster.

It’s not until Jane just coincidentally happens to be infected by a long-lost weapon called the Aether that Thor returns to Earth to help. Soon after he discovers that the ancient enemies of Asgard, the Dark Elves, aren’t extinct as once thought, and Thor finds himself teaming up with Loki to prevent the Elves from — yes, you guessed it — destroying the entire universe.

It all sounds rather ridiculous, but it’s difficult to argue with a movie that works this hard to be entertaining. Thor may not come off as the most nuanced character in film history, but Hemsworth makes it work by bringing the full force of his charisma to the role. As the Dark Elf leader Malekith, Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who) goes full Nosferatu, though he ultimately doesn’t have much to do other than vow vengeance in a menacing voice. The standout, just like last time, is Tom Hiddleston.

As Loki, Hiddleston brings a humor and dark empathy that doesn’t just play off of Thor’s monolithic stoicism; it tempers it. Loki’s court-jester antics make it feel like he’s having more fun than anybody else in the room, and I found myself feeling the same way whenever he was on screen. When Hiddleston gets the chance to add some new layers to the character, he’s able to take advantage without overplaying the moment or descending into caricature. On the human side of the equation Kat Dennings and Stellan Skarsgård return as Jane’s intern and mentor, respectively, providing some real fun and charm as the comedic counterweights to Portman’s less-than-energetic performance.

Shepherded by longtime television director Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones, Mad Men), The Dark World swiftly moves from moment to moment, never spending time to dig too deep before moving on to the next crowd-pleasing beat. Is Eccleston’s demonic summoning too intense? Don’t worry, a gag will be along in mere moments. Is that scene with Odin too dialogue-heavy? There’s some epic destruction just around the corner. There’s something for everyone, and while there may not be a lot of personality it does all feel vaguely, safely Marvel. It prevents the film from having any sharp edges — there’s none of the angst or emotional turmoil that ran through Iron Man 3 — but that’s not what Thor: The Dark World is aiming for. It’s an escapist comic-book movie, without apology.

After the incredible success of The Avengers it almost felt like Marvel was under more pressure than ever before. President of production Kevin Feige had shown that the company could pull off the near-impossible by creating an interconnected cinematic universe spanning multiple franchises; the question was whether it could repeat the trick on the way to The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Two films into Marvel’s second wave, the company continues to prove it knows how to entertain audiences — and if the post-credits teaser in Thor: The Dark World is any indication, there’s going to be even more fun in the year ahead.

Review: New Kindle is strong challenge to iPad Air

noreply@blogger.com (mr.zatan safe) — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 03:50:00 +0000

Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9: On the heels of Apple Inc's new, lighter iPad Air, Amazon has come out with a full-size tablet that weighs even less yet sports a sharper display and a lower price tag.

Although Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 hasn't received as much attention as the iPad Air, it is emerging as the strongest challenger yet to Apple's device.

The new Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 shares many of the features found in a smaller version that came out Oct. 18.

A row of tablets at the top of the screen gives you quick access to Amazon services such as e-books, music, video and shopping. Recently used apps and content appear in the middle so you can return to them quickly. The bottom row has icons for frequently used apps such as email and the camera.

Need help? Just hit the "Mayday" button. You'll be connected within seconds to a live customer-service representative, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You see the representatives in a video box, but they can only hear you and see what's on your screen. They can also help guide you by placing orange markers on your screen or taking control of your device completely.

I found all the reps to be patient as they walked me through attempts to locate a missing book, play a podcast and download items from the Dropbox storage service. In one case, the representative called my cellphone as promised an hour later to follow up. We never found a solution on Dropbox, though - but more on that later.

The best part of the new Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is its price. Amazon.com Inc. begins shipping it on Thursday, starting at $379. That's cheaper than the new $399 iPad Mini, which has a display that measures 7.9 inches diagonally. The full-size Kindle Fire HDX has an 8.9-inch screen, just short of the iPad Air's 9.7 inches. Even cheaper is the 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX, which costs $229.

If you can afford a $499 tablet and aren't a heavy user of Amazon services, you might still consider the iPad Air.

On the heels of Apple's new, lighter iPad, Amazon has come out with a full-size tablet that weighs even less yet sports a sharper display and a lower price tag. Although Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 hasn't received as much attention as the iPad Air, it is emerging as the strongest challenger yet to Apple's device.

The new Kindle shares many of the features found in a smaller version that came out Oct. 18.

A row of tabs at the top of the screen gives you quick access to Amazon services such as e-books, music, video and shopping. Recently used apps and content appear in the middle so you can return to them quickly. The bottom row has icons for frequently used apps such as email and the camera.

Need help? Just hit the "Mayday" button. You'll be connected within seconds to a live customer-service representative, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You see the representatives in a video box, but they can only hear you and see what's on your screen. They can also help guide you by placing orange markers on your screen or taking control of your device completely.

I found all the reps to be patient as they walked me through attempts to locate a missing book, play a podcast and download items from the Dropbox storage service. In one case, the representative called my cellphone as promised an hour later to follow up. We never found a solution on Dropbox, though -- but more on that later.

The best part of the new Kindle is its price. Amazon.com Inc. begins shipping it Thursday, starting at $379. That's cheaper than the new $399 iPad Mini, which has a display that measures 7.9 inches diagonally. The full-size Kindle Fire HDX has an 8.9-inch screen, just short of the iPad Air's 9.7 inches. Even cheaper is the 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX, which costs $229.

If you can afford a $499 tablet and aren't a heavy user of Amazon services, you might still consider the iPad Air.

Yes, the Kindle is lighter, at about 0.83 pound, or 17 percent less than the Air. But I couldn't really tell the difference holding the two side by side.

And yes, the Kindle has a sharper screen, with a resolution of 339 pixels per inch compared with the iPad's 264 pixels per inch. But I couldn't really tell the difference watching the Pixar cartoon "Monsters University" side by side.

Where the Air shines is in the build. I find the Air more pleasant to hold because of its curved edges. The Kindle has a soft, rubber-like back, but it doesn't make up for the boxy edges. The Kindle promises more battery life -- at 12 hours, compared with 10 hours for the Air. But I found the two devices drained battery at roughly the same rate when watching Hulu streaming video.

In addition, the Air has access to a wide variety of apps available through Apple's app store. The Kindle uses a modified version of Android and can run a variety of Android apps -- but not all of them. In fact, the new Kindle doesn't run all the Android apps that are supposed to work with Kindles, including the app for Dropbox. Many of these apps need to be updated every time a new Kindle device comes out, whereas they simply work when new Android devices are out, just as iPad apps work on new iPads.

If you are drawn by the Kindle's price and don't mind the limited selection, though, the Kindle is a wonderful option. That's especially so if you're a frequent Amazon customer. The Kindle is tied to your Amazon account, making it easy to buy everything from audiobooks to vacuum cleaners with a click or two. You also get Amazon's recommendations for more things to buy, based on physical and digital purchases you've made on Amazon in the past.

With a $79-a-year Amazon Prime membership, you also get quick access to thousands of free movies and television episodes and the ability to borrow one e-book a month from a select list. You can download the free Prime video to watch wherever you are. On older Kindle Fires and other devices, you're limited to streaming, which requires a constant Internet connection.

Another exclusive Kindle feature is called X-Ray. When you're reading a book, you get information about characters and places from Wikipedia and other sources. When you're listening to music, you see lyrics for selected songs. When you're watching a movie or TV show, you get information on actors, character summaries and trivia. While watching "Monsters University," I particularly liked the callout to a pizza truck that appears in most Pixar movies. A little note pops up in the lower left corner.

I'll forgive the fact that it actually shows up during the wrong scene. I didn't get any supplemental material at all with the iPad.

Another thing I didn't get with the iPad is live help. I had trouble playing "Monsters University" on the iPad initially because I hadn't finished downloading it yet. I had to figure out on my own that I had to switch to a different app to do that. Both the iPad and the Kindle let you start watching as the download continues.

The new full-size Kindle is a great deal at $379. It might even make a nice gift for your tech-challenged friends and relatives, as they can call Mayday rather than you. The Kindle isn't as good as the iPad Air, but it's an excellent choice for its price.

2013 SEMA Show: Icon's Ultimate Thriftmaster Puts

noreply@blogger.com (mr.zatan safe) — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 03:41:00 +0000

2013 SEMA Show: Icon's Ultimate Thriftmaster Puts Emphasis on Ultimate

You’ll have to be thrifty to afford one of these, but any classic truck lover should appreciate it.

The latest creation from California boutique automaker Icon is the TR Series, a retro-modern take on the 1947-1953 Chevy 3100 pickup, the earliest versions of which were known as the Thriftmaster.

This new one uses fully-licensed reproduction steel bodywork mounted onto a custom Art Morrison chassis with rack and pinion steering, independent front suspension, a 9-inch rear axle and JRE coilover shocks.

Under the hood is a Chevrolet E-Rod 5.3-liter fuel-injected V8 crate engine that’s rated at 315 hp, but can also be fitted with a Magnusen supercharger that bumps it up to 435 hp. Both six-speed automatic or manual transmission are available to go with it.

The interior has a decidedly traditional look, but features the latest electronic equipment underneath, including Dakota Digital gauges, Kenwood navigation and audio, Bluetooth and WiFi. The seats and steering wheel are upholstered in bison leather, while the carpets come from the same supplier that Rolls-Royce uses.

The American ash and stainless steel bed floor may not encourage any heavy hauling, but they probably won’t have you ordering any spray-on bedliner, either.

Of course, while you can pick up an original Thriftmaster in nice shape for about $15,000, this 21st Century version is going to cost a fair bit more than that. Prices start at $230,000, and Icon will only be building about five of them a year.

ICON 4x4 founder Jonathan Ward is a busy man. PickupTrucks.com followers will remember Ward's custom creation, the Icon Dodge D200, that took a classic 1965 Dodge and turned it into a restored masterpiece. It definitely was one of our 2013 test-drive highlights.

This year he's bringing his latest creation, called the Ultimate Thriftmaster, to the Specialty Equipment Market Association this week in Las Vegas. Icon has a made a name for itself by taking classic trucks like the early Ford Bronco, old Toyota Land Cruisers and classic Jeeps and bringing them up to modern-day specifications — meaning modern frames, suspensions, electricals, engines and transmissions.

The Ultimate Thriftmaster takes the classic design of the 1947–1953 Chevrolet 3100 five-window pickup trucks but puts a custom-built Art Morrison chassis underneath with a GM 5.3-liter E-Rod small-block V-8 with a Magnuson supercharger that we're told makes almost 450 horsepower. Like Ward's other creations, there will be some wiggle room when it comes to ordering a vehicle. However, because Icon is planning to build a small number of these pickups, most will likely be loaded to the hilt. That means each will boast four-wheel discs, Alcantara headliners, bison-hide seats, a web-enabled Kenwood and Audison digital audio system, brushed nickel-plated trim with aircraft ceramic clear coat and tons of other impressive details.

The exterior (and interior) beauty of this truck is obvious. Ward is a detail guy, so you can bet every switch, handle and knob was scrutinized and second-guessed before it became part of the production vehicle. But the true beauty of the Thriftmaster is what it feels like when the tires are on the pavement and you are behind the wheel.

We got the chance to take a quick spin in the truck and were impressed with how settled and controlled the truck feels for a complete restoration. As you might imagine, with an engine producing well above 400 hp, the throttle response is quick and smile-inducing. With the wheel and tire combination that Icon used to project a lowered look, the vehicle does not have a lot of ground clearance, so in choppy pavement situations the coil springs did feel a little firm. We're guessing that's because Icon wants this truck, unlike last year's D200 model, to corner like it is small sports car. And it does. It is a real kick to have the downsized, thin-tubed steering wheel spin around as you take a corner. You almost wish for a necker knob so you can use your other arm to brace yourself against the door because your butt wants to slide across the oddly soft bison upholstery. Our test vehicle had ash wood slats in the 6.5-foot bed. Interestingly, for aesthetics, the fuel filler cap is in the bed of the truck.

As you might imagine, these vehicles are expensive. Icon plans to build only five to 10 of these vehicles. If different versions become popular, Icon says it will be able to accommodate much larger numbers. For now, the Icon Ultimate Thriftmaster will be priced between $230,000 and $250,000, depending on the set-up and buyers' special requests. The buyers most interested in these vehicles, we're told, don't have to worry about costs.

Is the Muslim Brotherhood a threat to US national security?

noreply@blogger.com (mr.zatan safe) — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 03:32:00 +0000

The Muslim Brotherhood, a hardline Egyptian Islamic group, is in a constant political battle with the military-backed government over control of Egypt.

It’s unclear what the future holds for the group, and the U.S. is concerned about the organization’s ties to radical Islam.

The Muslim Brotherhood is challenging the Egyptian government over a new law designed to regulate the number of protests. Muslim Brotherhood leaders see the law as a further crackdown directed mainly at them.

Fox News National Security Analyst KT McFarland asked author Tawfik Hamid about the Muslim Brotherhood’s radical ties.

Hamid is the senior fellow and chair of the study of Islamic Radicalism at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. He was also a former member of a terrorist Islamic organization Jemaah Islamiya with Ayman Al-Zawaherri, who became later second in command of Al Qaeda.

Hamid says the U.S. should not be fooled into thinking the organization is a moderate group.

“The Muslim Brotherhood works in four stages … preaching … share in power with ours … consolidate power … use violence to enforce Sharia [religious law of Islam],” said Hamid. “As long as they [Muslim Brotherhood] have not reached stage four many people, especially in the West, couldn’t recognize their threat … because [before then] they see them as a peaceful group.”

Hamid warned, “If you waited more for them [to spread their operations] you will start to see the reality.”

Hamid believes the Muslim Brotherhood is secretly supporting jihadist movements. “They don’t do the dirty work themselves … they can release the jihadists … they do not get engaged themselves in the terrorist acts.”

He cited Islamists in the African country of Mali, who were gaining strength in 2012, as an example of Morsi taking the side of the radicals.

“Morsi objected to the French intervention in Mali against the Jihadists … you can see that they give us a lot of lip service of how peaceful they are and they deceived many of us,” said Hamid.

Hamid, author of “Inside Jihad: Understanding and Confronting Radical Islam,” believes the Muslim Brotherhood was too confident when Morsi was elected. They thought their party would remain in power permanently going forward.

“This over confidence lead many of their leaders started to relax and start to talk to some of the people like Ayman Al-Zawaherri and others,” said Hamid. “When they [Muslim Brotherhood] got to power, the first election after Morsi came to power it was a referendum of the Constitution … you cannot imagine the level of deception, the abuse that happened to the ordinary people in order to change the results of the referendum for their benefit.”

Hamid says that Egyptian General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the country’s military were right in removing Morsi from power. “If he didn’t do so, Egypt would have … become another Taliban [haven] in this part of the world.”

The Associated Press reports:

The CIA considers Israel its No. 1 counterintelligence threat in the agency’s Near East Division, the group that oversees spying across the Middle East, according to current and former officials. Counterintelligence is the art of protecting national secrets from spies. This means the CIA believes that U.S. national secrets are safer from other Middle Eastern governments than from Israel.

Israel employs highly sophisticated, professional spy services that rival American agencies in technical capability and recruiting human sources. Unlike Iran or Syria, for example, Israel as a steadfast U.S. ally enjoys access to the highest levels of the U.S. government in military and intelligence circles.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to talk publicly about the sensitive intelligence and diplomatic issues between the two countries.

The AP continues to say that, contrary to political rhetoric, Israel is by no means America’s closest ally:

Israel is not America’s closest ally, at least when it comes to whom Washington trusts with the most sensitive national security information. That distinction belongs to a group of nations known informally as the “Five Eyes.” Under that umbrella, the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand agree to share intelligence and not to spy on one another. Often, U.S. intelligence officers work directly alongside counterparts from these countries to handle highly classified information not shared with anyone else.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has called the Associated Press article a “false report,” and the spokesman of Israel’s ambassador in Washington reportedly said: “[U.S. intelligence agencies] are our partners in confronting many mutual challenges. Any suggestion otherwise is baseless and contrary to the spirit and practice of the security cooperation between our two countries.”