Technology Basement

Facebook - the CIA conspiracy

2010-01-01T22:05:00.002+05:00

Facebook has 20 million users worldwide, is worth billions of dollars and, if internet sources are to be believed, was started by the CIA.
The social networking phenomenon started as a way of American college students to keep in touch. It is rapidly catching up with MySpace, and has left others like Bebo in its wake.
But there is a dark side to the success story that's been spreading across the blogosphere. A complex but riveting Big Brother-type conspiracy theory which links Facebook to the CIA and the US Department of Defence.
The CIA is, though, using a Facebook group to recruit staff for its very sexy sounding National Clandestine Service.
Checking out the job ads
does require a Facebook login, so if you haven't joined the site - or are worried that CIA spooks will start following you home from work -check them out on the agency's own site.
The story starts once Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had launched, after the dorm room drama that's led to the current court case.
Facebook's first round of venture capital funding ($US500,000) came from former Paypal CEO Peter Thiel. Author of anti-multicultural tome 'The Diversity Myth', he is also on the board of radical conservative group VanguardPAC.
The second round of funding into Facebook ($US12.7 million) came from venture capital firm Accel Partners. Its manager James Breyer was formerly chairman of the National Venture Capital Association, and served on the board with Gilman Louie, CEO of In-Q-Tel, a venture capital firm established by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1999. One of the company's key areas of expertise are in "data mining technologies".
Breyer also served on the board of R&D firm BBN Technologies, which was one of those companies responsible for the rise of the internet.
Dr Anita Jones joined the firm, which included Gilman Louie. She had also served on the In-Q-Tel's board, and had been director of Defence Research and Engineering for the US Department of Defense.

She was also an adviser to the Secretary of Defence and overseeing the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is responsible for high-tech, high-end development.
It was when a journalist lifted the lid on the DARPA's
Information Awareness Office that the public began to show concern at its information mining projects.
Wikipedia's IAO page says: "the IAO has the stated mission to gather as much information as possible about everyone, in a centralised location, for easy perusal by the United States government, including (though not limited to) internet activity, credit card purchase histories, airline ticket purchases, car rentals, medical records, educational transcripts, driver's licenses, utility bills, tax returns, and any other available data.".
Not surprisingly, the backlash from civil libertarians led to a Congressional investigation into DARPA's activity, the Information Awareness Office lost its funding.
Now the internet conspiracy theorists are citing Facebook as the IAO's new mask.
Parts of the IAO's technology round-up included 'human network analysis and behaviour model building engines', which Facebook's massive volume of neatly-targeted data gathering allows for.
Facebook's own Terms of use state: "by posting Member Content to any part of the Web site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license to use, copy, perform, display, reformat, translate, excerpt and distribute such information and content and to prepare derivative works of, or incorpoate into other works, such information and content, and to grant and authorise sublicenses of the foregoing.
And in its equally interesting privacy policy: "Facebook may also collect information about you from other sources, such as newspapers, blogs, instant messaging services, and other users of the Facebook service through the operation of the service (eg. photo tags) in order to provide you with more useful information and a more personalised experience. By using Facebook, you are consenting to have your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States."
Is the CIA really providing the impetus and the funding behind the monster growth of this year's biggest dot com success story? Maybe only the men with the nice suits and ear pieces can answer that.

Source: Nzherald.co

Microsoft delivers massive Patch Tuesday, fixes 34 flaws

2009-12-23T19:31:00.002+05:00

Microsoft today delivered a record 13 security updates that patched 34 vulnerabilities in every version of Windows, including the not-yet-for-sale Windows 7, as well as in Internet Explorer (IE), Office, SQL Server and other parts of its software portfolio.

The 34 flaws were also a record number for Microsoft, the most holes patched in one sitting since Microsoft switched to a regular monthly update schedule six years ago. The closest competitor was December 2008, when the company quashed 28 bugs.

"To anyone following Apple, this isn't a big surprise," said Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle Network Security, referring to Microsoft's operating system rival, which typically issues security updates that include scores of fixes. "But this is certainly an unprecedented month for Microsoft."

Microsoft ranked 8 of the 13 updates and 21 of the 34 vulnerabilities as "critical," the top rating in its four-step scoring system. The remainder of the bulletins were judged "important," the next threat level down, while nine of the flaws were also pegged important, and the final 4 were tagged as "moderate."

Among today's patches were several for zero-day vulnerabilities -- bugs for which exploit code had already gone public. One of the zero-day vulnerabilities was undisclosed until today.

Microsoft patched three vulnerabilities in SMB (Server Message Block) 2, a Microsoft-made network file- and print-sharing protocol that ships with Windows; two bugs in the FTP server that's included with older editions of its Internet Information Services (IIS) Web server; and two in the Windows Media Runtime. The flaws in SMB 2 and IIS had been public knowledge since early September, but the Windows Media vulnerabilities included one that Microsoft said was already in the wild, but had not leaked to the usual public sources, such as security mailing lists.

For that reason, Storms urged everyone to deploy the MS09-051 update, which patches the Windows Media bugs, as soon as possible. "At first glance, [MS09-]051 should be patched immediately," he said. "What's interesting today is that we're learning it's in the wild. More important, it can be exploited in drive-by attack situations, just be getting people to go to a [malicious] Web site."

Early last month, Microsoft revealed the SMB 2 vulnerability, but although attack code went public, security researchers have not seen any actual attacks. The flaw affects Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 and preview releases of Windows 7, but not the final edition slated for retail release next week.

The FTP flaw, on the other hand, was disclosed by Microsoft Sept. 1, when the company confirmed that its security team was investigating attack code that hit the street on the last day of August.

Microsoft also fixed a slew of flaws today that go back to a programming error in one of its code "libraries," Active Template Library (ATL). The company had acknowledged the error last summer. Today's patches quashed three ATL-related bugs in Office and set "kill bits" to disable four or more Microsoft-made ActiveX controls for Windows Live Mail, the MSN Photo upload tool, and various Office document viewers used by Internet Explorer (IE) to display spreadsheets, charts and databases on the Web.

"And we have the token IE patches today, too," noted Storms, talking about MS09-054, which plugs four holes, all critical, in Microsoft's browser. Included in the four, said Storms, was one apparently accidently disclosed at the Black Hat security conference several months ago.

As part of today's record update, Microsoft also patched eight vulnerabilities in GDI+, (Graphics Device Interface), a component that debuted in Windows XP and is a core part of Windows Vista and Windows 7, as well as the server-side operating systems, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008.

Hackers could exploit the GDI+ bugs by sending specially-crafted image files in a variety of formats -- including BMP, PNG, TIFF and WMF -- to a user via e-mail, or by convincing users to visit sites that contain malicious image files. By triggering the vulnerabilities, attackers could then follow up with additional malware to hijack a system or steal data.

Storms, however, discounted exploits of the GDI+ vulnerabilities. The audio codec bugs [in MS09-051] will be so much easier to exploit," he reasoned.

"I would put the two items in the public domain, MS09-050 [the SMB 2 flaws] and MS09-053 [the FTP bug in IIS] at the top of the list," said Storms. "And then MS09-051 and the IE updates, the latter because those kind of client-side bugs get a lot of attention from attackers."

This month's security updates can be downloaded and installed via the Microsoft Update and Windows Update services, as well as through Windows Server Update Services.

Via Computerworld

15 Task Manager tips for a faster PC Fix poor performance and crashes in Windows 7 and Vista

2009-12-14T17:36:00.005+05:00

At first glance Task Manager looks like nothing more than a geeky way to tell you what you already know, the names of the programs running on your PC.

Explore out favourite Task Manager tricks, though, and you'll find all kinds of options for monitoring your system, detecting and resolving problems, especially in its most modern Windows Vista/Windows 7 incarnation. Here's what you need to know.

1. Browse your processes

Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to launch Task Manager. By default the first thing you'll see is the Applications tab, but this is misleadingly named and of little much use as it just lists top-level windows. If you want to see what's actually running on your PC then click the Processes tab, click "Show processes from all users", and scroll down the list. If you don't know what a process is then right-click it and select Properties to get more information, such as the folder where it's stored, which will usually offer additional clues.

2. Troubleshoot startup problems

Windows Media Player is known to crash from time to time (you may have noticed this). Occasionally it'll crash without having any visible window, though, so you won't see there's a problem. Then, when you come to restart the program, nothing will happen because it's blocked by the crashed copy in RAM.

If you find Windows Media Player won't launch, then, fire up Task Manager, click the Processes tab and look for a WMPlayer.exe process. If you find one, and there's no window, then it's probably crashed. Right-click it in Task Manager, select End Process, and once it's shut down you should be able to start Media Player as normal.

Much the same problem can happen with other applications, so if something won't start, or is just misbehaving, then it's always a good idea to look for previous instances of the program. Don't use the "End Process" on anything unless you're 110% sure that it's safe to do so, though - terminating something system-critical can lock up or crash your PC immediately.

3. View memory use

It's often interesting to see which programs are using all your RAM. To find out, click the Processes tab, then click View > Select Columns, and ensure Memory - Working Set and Memory - Private Working Set are checked. You'll now see two estimates for your processes use of RAM.

The first, "Memory - Working Set" shows you how much physical memory is currently being taken up by each process. Some of this RAM may be shared by other processes, though (shared DLLS, for instance) so this figure tends to overestimate memory use.

The second, "Memory - Private Working Set" shows you how much physical memory this process alone is using (that is, it can't shared with anyone else). It will almost certainly consume additional RAM, though, so this figure tends to underestimate memory use. It's a little more reliable than the Working Set alone, but really you need to see both.

Now click the "Memory (Private Working Set)" column header so the largest figures are at the top. You'll immediately get a good feel for where your RAM is going, and which programs (if any) you need to close or tweak to get some of it back.

RAM HOGS: Find out which programs are hogging your RAM in seconds

4. Identify RAM-hogging services

Your list of processes should contain many called svchost.exe (if not, then you've not clicked "Show processes from all users"). This is the service host, a process that's used to run several Windows services. But what if this turns out to be grabbing large amounts of RAM? Which services might be to blame?

To find out more, right-click a particular svchost.exe and select Go To Services. Task Manager will open the Services tab and all the services managed by this particular instance of svchost.exe will be highlighted. Task Manager has no way to tell you how much each RAM each of the services are consuming individually, unfortunately, but this does at least greatly reduce your options. (And a hint: in most Windows Vista installations, ReadyBoost is by far the greatest resource-hogging service.)

5. Diagnose disk thrashing

Ever wondered exactly why your hard drive's been thrashing for ages, even though there's no-one at the PC? Click the Task Manager Processes tab, then click View > Select Columns, and check I/O Read Bytes and I/O Write Bytes. Click OK.

The new columns will show you the total amount of data read or written by a process, which applies to network activity as well as your hard drive. The busiest processes will have the largest figures, and if a process is active now then its totals will tick up as you watch.

6. Spot resource leaks

Sometimes processes grab more and more Windows resources, without ever quite getting around to releasing them. 32-bit Windows in particular has only a limited supply, and if this goes on for too long then your PC will become unreliable, then eventually lock up or crash.

Task Manager can help you spot a resource leak, though. Click the Processes tab, then click View > Select Columns, check Handles, User Objects and GDI Objects, and click OK. Now check these occasionally, along with the memory figures we mentioned earlier. Some of these may rise dramatically, on occasions - an antivirus tool will use many more handles when scanning, for instance, as they're used when accessing files - but if a particular resource figure is high, keeps rising, and never falls back to its starting point, then you may have a problem.

7. Stop a runaway process

If a particular process has gone rogue, using all your CPU time and reducing everything else to a crawl, then Task Manager may be able to help.

First, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc and wait for Task Manager to appear. If your runaway process is completely tying up the CPU then this can take a while, but if you don't want to reboot (you've an application with unsaved data, say) then be patient. We'd give it at least 10 or 15 minutes.

When Task Manager appears, look for the process consuming all your CPU time (click Processes, then click View > Select Columns and check CPU if that column isn't displayed). If you want to kill the process completely, then you could right-click it, select End Process and it'll die (most of the time).

This doesn't always work out as you expect, though. If the process is system-critical, maybe a Windows component, then terminating it may crash your system immediately (and it always introduces a risk of system instability). If you've data you need to save elsewhere then it may be better to try and slow down the rogue process, reduce its grab on your resources, so you can use other programs again and close everything down properly. Fortunately Task Manager can help here, too.

Right-click your CPU-hogging process, select Set Priority > Low, and Windows should immediately give more CPU time to just about everything else on your PC. The program will still be running, it just shouldn't interfere with other apps to the same degree, and they should be accessible again.

If there are still problems, right-click the process and select Set Affinity. This option lets you decide which CPU cores a process can use. If you clear one of these then that core will become available to other applications, which should significantly improve their performance.

8. Understand CPU utilisation

Occasionally your PC will seem slow, as though something is using all your CPU time, but the regular CPU column won't display an obvious candidate. So what's going on?

Launch Task Manager, and click the Performance tab to see a graph of your CPU Usage History: it's pretty, but there's more to it than that. Click View and select Show Kernel Times (so it's checked). What you'll now see is two graph lines: one green, representing total CPU utilisation, and one red, representing the time consumed by the kernel.

When the green peaks are high, red peaks low then the culprit is a user mode process, probably just a regular application. But if the red peaks are consistently high then that shows your CPU time is being grabbed by something in the kernel, probably a driver, but perhaps also a Windows component, maybe even some deeply embedded malware.

FIND THE CULPRIT: Is a buggy driver grabbing too much CPU time? The Performance graph can offer useful clues

9. Create a dump file

If a program has locked up then you may able to use the Windows Debugging Tools to find out why.

Launch Task Manager first, click the Processes tab, right-click the hung process and select Create Dump File. When the process file has been written then Task Manager will give you its name and location.

Then launch the debugger WinDbg, and click File > Open Crash Dump File. Entering the analyze -hang command may tell you more about why a program has locked up, and if not then you can always use other debugger commands to tell you more about the process, its use of RAM, and so on (see the debugger documentation for details).

10. Control your services

If you need to stop or start a Windows service then you could launch the Services applet (services.msc). But why bother? In Windows Vista or 7 it's much quicker to do it from Task Manager. Just click the Services tab, right-click the service you need, and choose the Start or Stop option.

Be careful, though - stopping a critical Windows service can result in your PC locking up immediately (and tinkering with some third-party services is almost as serious). Don't try this unless you know exactly what you're doing.

11. Restart Explorer

Have the taskbar and desktop disappeared for no apparent reason? Explorer has probably crashed: press Ctrl+Shift+Esc and press the Processes tab to check for yourself. If Explorer.exe isn't listed then click File > New Task, type Explorer.exe and click OK to restart it.

Or, if Explorer won't start, your system is generally trashed and you'd like to reboot gracefully, then enter the command shutdown -r and your system should restart.

12. Discover system information

Launching Task Manager and clicking the Performance tab will reveal the total amount of RAM installed in your PC (check the Total in the Physical Memory box).

And the Up Time figure in the System Box tells you how long it's been since you last restarted Windows. The longer this is, the more likely that resource leaks or other issues will begin to cause problems. If your PC's been running for several days, and you're noticing odd behaviour, then consider rebooting - it just might help.

13. Monitor network utilisation

Click the Task Manager Networking tab and you'll see a graph that tracks your current network use over time. This can be useful if you've a network-hogging process that fires on a regular basis, for instance, as you should see a spike on the chart.

Click Options > Tab Always Active if you want Task Manager to keep collecting network usage data, even when the tab isn't displayed. Click View > Update Speed > Low to reduce the sampling time, which allows you to squeeze more minutes of activity onto a single screen. And click View > Network Adapter History to choose exactly what you'd like to graph: the bytes sent, received, or their total.

14. Talk to network users

If you're working on a networked PC then you may want to warn anyone browsing your system that you're about to reboot, close a process or do something else potentially dodgy. Click the Users tab to see who else is connected to your PC right now. By default you'll only see their user name - click Options > Show Full Account Name to see their network PC name, too. Then right-click a user and select Send Message to issue a warning, or Disconnect to kick them off immediately.

15. Use something better

Learning the Task Manager basics is important, as they'll let you diagnose problems on just about any PC. But the tool can only take you so far, and for really in-depth information and control over your applications you'll want to use something better. Process Explorer is the best known alternative and an excellent tool, but Process Hacker is also worth a look - if anything, it's even more powerful.

PRO TOOL: Process Hacker provides great control over everything running on your PC

Via:Techradar

Supplies Of Windows 7 Family Pack Start Running Short

2009-12-08T17:58:00.002+05:00

When Microsoft earlier confirmed the Windows 7 Family Pack pricing, it made the comment that the Family Pack would be available "while supplies last." In the U.S, at least, those supplies are running out fast.

The Windows 7 Family Pack is a 3-PC installation package of Windows 7 Home Premium. As confirmed by WindowsITPro, the $149 three-pack is already sold out in many place. For example, look at Amazon.com and you'll see only third-party resellers are selling it, and those have pricing $100 more more above the $149 MSRP (it's called supply-and-demand).

Even with those prices, the three-pack pricing is slightly below buying three of the Windows 7 Home Premium Update packages (at $119.99 MSRP).

Despite popular demand and competition, Microsoft has never had a family pack option that's been more than a promotion, as here. Meanwhile, Apple has consistently offered a family pack for Mac OS Xsince 2002. That version covers a more generous five computers.

Via: WindowsITPro

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 PROPER-SKIDROW Full Donwload

2009-12-05T22:00:00.003+05:00

RELEASE DATE : 10-11-2009 PROTECTION : Steamworks
GAME TYPE : Shooter DISKS : 2 DVD

note

The Skid Rowdies are looking new blood to fill up the ranks.
We're a professional team of dedicated sceners with big mark
under sceners. We believe on the ground idealism of the root
of the real old school scene. We do all this for fun and
nothing else. We don't earn anything on our hobby, as we do
this for the competition and the heart of what got the scene
started in the mid eighties.

If you think you got something to offer, then don't hold back
on contacting us as soon as possible.

twice the fun / double the trouble

Proper Notes:

Razor 1911's version is still having Steam intact. Why they
choose to keep Steam intact on the release is a good question
to us.

Here you have a PROPER cracked release, with no need to have
Steam installed at all and no strange install measures

On with the game release information:

Fight for survival and shoot your way to mission success as
the acclaimed Call of Duty franchise makes its triumphant
return. Exploding with the realism and intensity that have
become the hallmarks of this gripping series, you'll lay waste
to your enemies as hails of gunfire erupt. Move out for
intense action and make sure you're prepared to answer the
Call of Duty.

This harrowing sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
thrusts you once more into the haze of battle. Arm yourself
with sophisticated tools of destruction and get ready to stare
death in the face as you enter a raging conflict. Experience
the rigors of battle and struggle against long odds to seize
victory. The awesome power of war comes alive in all its grit
and glory in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Sequel to the renowned Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Feel the incredible power of war explode to life all around
you

Experience the dangers of battle as you fight to ensure the
success of every mission

Unleash the firepower of a devastating array of weaponry

Face off against deadly enemies in awesomely realistic battles

1. Unpack release
2. Mount image or burn it
3. Install
4. Copy the content from the SKIDROW directory on DVD2 to your
installation directory and overwrite
5. Play the game

Download Links
http://rapidshare.com/files/316602388/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part01.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316695251/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part02.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316692742/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part03.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316692761/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part04.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316692836/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part05.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316692859/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part06.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316695319/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part07.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316692713/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part08.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316692712/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part09.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316694718/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part10.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316692519/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part11.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316693558/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part12.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316693638/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part13.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316693572/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part14.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316693604/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part15.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316693715/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part16.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316693932/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part17.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316693839/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part18.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316696874/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part19.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316602335/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part20.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316602407/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part21.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316602367/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part22.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316602371/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part23.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316602398/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part24.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316602646/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part25.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603276/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part26.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603385/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part27.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603537/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part28.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603419/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part29.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603430/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part30.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603421/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part31.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603482/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part32.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603594/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part33.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603639/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part34.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603730/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part35.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604298/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part36.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604341/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part37.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604381/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part38.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604503/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part39.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604377/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part40.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604483/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part41.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604505/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part42.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604485/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part43.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604590/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part44.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604698/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part45.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605260/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part46.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605240/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part47.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605424/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part48.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605341/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part49.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605467/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part50.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605645/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part51.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605526/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part52.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605494/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part53.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605702/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part54.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605590/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part55.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316606186/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part56.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316606224/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part57.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316606330/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part58.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316606389/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part59.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605970/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part60.rar

Samsung Go Gets $100 Cheaper With Times Reader 2.0 Subscription

2009-11-27T17:33:00.005+05:00

Samsung's Go netbook has already made its debut in America courtesy of AT&T, but it looks like the machine is coming to some hands in yet another fashion. The New York Times has sparked up an interested partnership, bringing an offer to prospective subscribers that involves a handsome discount on the Go in exchange for signing up for the Times for a year.

Put simply, consumers can receive $100 off of the purchase of a Samsung Go netbook if they order a one-year subscription to Times Reader 2.0. Times Reader 2.0 is an Adobe AIR-based software application that feeds users with up-to-the-minute news around the clock, but of course you'll need to have your PC up and running in order to read it--no actual papers are involved here.

The deal still isn't great for those not already interested in signing up the the Times for the first time, as the subscription costs just under $180 and the discount on the netbook is just $100. It's also only available for new subscribers, and it runs through March 2010.

Key features of Times Reader 2.0:
Parallels printed news with columns of high-quality text, combined with the dynamic flexibility of the Web, including search, links and up-to-the minute headlines.
Downloads the Latest News section every five minutes from NYTimes.com. Users can customize how often the Latest News is updated.
Online/offline reading capabilities, allowing readers to sync content via internet connection and then read 7 days worth of content offline.
Integrates interactive version of The New York Times premium crossword puzzle.
The Samsung Go, weighing just 2.8 lbs., is a portable powerhouse that can easily be stored in a briefcase or travel bag. The Go’s Jet Black color and slim, soft texture design with rounded edges makes a statement and stands out from the crowd, designed by acclaimed designer Naoto Fukasawa. The pebble-style keyboard makes typing comfortable with larger than average spacing. The brilliant LED-backlit, borderless glass display is scratch resistant and provides users with photo-like image quality, greater viewing angles and better text legibility, reducing eye strain and boosting productivity.
Equipped with a standard 4-cell battery, users can stay connected for up to 4 hours on a single battery charge and the built-in Intel Atom processor delivers the power and performance needed for full Internet capabilities anytime, anywhere.

Via: Business Wire
Share

FIFA 10 Download Full

2009-11-15T17:52:00.004+05:00

Quote
Play professional soccer your way in EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer 10. From the pressure. Refinements to the shooting system and tweaks to the ball physics create a wider, more realistic variety of shots that enhance the exhilaration of scoring. With over 50 improvements, FIFA 10's new Manager Mode is as close as you can get to running a team without actually being named to the job moment you step onto the pitch, FIFA 10 challenges you to think and react like a real player. EA SPORTS FIFA 10 gives layers new levels of control to experience the beautiful game like never before. This is a soccer game in which players can select a soccer team from across national and international leagues and clubs, compete in a variety of gameplay modes(e.g., single matches and tournament-style), and improve skills through practice shootouts. Wider dribble touches and new collision sharing allow for a less predictable yet extended fight for possession, resulting in more realistic battles between the dribbler and his defender. Improved Urgency AI logic, with over 50 new movement cycles, delivers more responsive positioning so your players stay focused on the ball and move at a speed appropriate to the action. Players better analyze space resulting in pinpoint passes that give their receivers more options and time to outrun defensive

Install Notes

1. Extract RARs
2. Mount or burn image
3. Install
4. Copy the files from the Razor1911 dir to your installation dir overwriting
the existing one
5. Run the game using FIFA10.exe
6. Have fun!

Download Now

http://rapidshare.com/files/307176628/Fifa.10.part01.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306958146/Fifa.10.part02.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306995482/Fifa.10.part03.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306912461/Fifa.10.part04.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306932729/Fifa.10.part05.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306912353/Fifa.10.part06.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306925749/Fifa.10.part07.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306903141/Fifa.10.part08.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306999384/Fifa.10.part09.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307172227/Fifa.10.part10.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307171303/Fifa.10.part11.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307175299/Fifa.10.part12.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307178930/Fifa.10.part13.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307008861/Fifa.10.part14.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306911648/Fifa.10.part15.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307176861/Fifa.10.part16.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307177612/Fifa.10.part17.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307015892/Fifa.10.part18.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307172108/Fifa.10.part19.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307174519/Fifa.10.part20.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307003879/Fifa.10.part21.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307176553/Fifa.10.part22.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307043865/Fifa.10.part23.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307180332/Fifa.10.part24.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306911530/Fifa.10.part25.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307178819/Fifa.10.part26.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307169901/Fifa.10.part27.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306933980/Fifa.10.part28.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307043785/Fifa.10.part29.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307181148/Fifa.10.part30.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307011284/Fifa.10.part31.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306961425/Fifa.10.part32.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306964831/Fifa.10.part33.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306999258/Fifa.10.part34.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307005524/Fifa.10.part35.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307019030/Fifa.10.part36.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306988574/Fifa.10.part37.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306962480/Fifa.10.part38.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306962205/Fifa.10.part39.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306961626/Fifa.10.part40.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307176587/Fifa.10.part41.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307004128/Fifa.10.part42.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307175170/Fifa.10.part43.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306990907/Fifa.10.part44.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307179550/Fifa.10.part45.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306987221/Fifa.10.part46.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307009636/Fifa.10.part47.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306914521/Fifa.10.part48.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307018882/Fifa.10.part49.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307043934/Fifa.10.part50.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307020070/Fifa.10.part51.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307173488/Fifa.10.part52.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307016435/Fifa.10.part53.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307169552/Fifa.10.part54.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307179945/Fifa.10.part55.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306958690/Fifa.10.part56.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/306954063/Fifa.10.part57.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307179178/Fifa.10.part58.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307176972/Fifa.10.part59.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/307000093/Fifa.10.part60.rar

Lovers of G-Phone

2008-10-23T17:01:00.005+06:00

The video is copied from Cnet News

Google Phone

2008-10-23T16:46:00.001+06:00

Google Phone Concepts

2008-10-23T16:13:00.004+06:00

The iPhone has surely disappointed a lot of people out there but there is a new gadget, yet to come, which will definitely overpower the iPhone market and it is none other than the great Google Phone. The Google Phone is a 3rd generation gadget being designed by Google to bring the Google-Life to phones and mobiles.

Google Phone vs iPhone

There are rumors that the new Google Phone will simply out throw iPhone out of the gadget industry but of course nothing can be said so surely till its out in the market. Before its release, iPhone was said to have remarkable features but the gadget has turned out to be a disappointment for most of the Apple fans. Here are some Google Phone Concept Designs for you that will help you judge if the Google Phone will be powerful enough to dominate the iPhone market.

Though the concept design by Dog Orgod is simply out of this world but its too ideal to be the real Google Phone.

Vista SP2 and Windows 7 by the End of June 2009

2008-10-20T12:57:00.001+06:00

The evolution of the Windows client, involving both Windows Vista (now with Service Pack 1) and Windows 7, appears to be closer than Microsoft is ready to acknowledge officially. Of course, Windows XP, even with Service Pack 3, is the past, with the exception of customers abandoning Windows Vista by exercising their downgrade rights. Windows Vista, even with SP1, is a present that makes the future seem to not get here fast enough. And Vista SP2 along with Windows 7 and Windows Cloud (Strata) are the future. But at the same time, both Vista SP2 and Windows 7 are nothing more than the evolution of Vista, to a lesser, and respectively a larger degree.

Come the end of October 2008, and the start of November, Microsoft will deliver a rather consistent taste of where it is heading with Windows, not only Windows 7, but also Windows 7 Server and Windows Strata (the label continues to be unconfirmed by the company). Events such as the Professional Developer Conference 2008, Windows Hardware Conference 2008 and TechEd EMEA will be focused on Windows 7 and Windows Cloud, although less on Windows Vista.

While at TechEd Brasil, at the start of this week, Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer indicated that the company planned to unveil a range of new products by July 2009. Microsoft's CEO mentioned that, by the end of June 2009, the software giant would offer "client operating system releases." Microsoft is, of course, already cooking Windows Vista SP2 and Windows 7.

Ballmer stated that "Microsoft technologies: Windows, Windows Server, .NET, Visual Studio, Silverlight, SharePoint, Office (...) over the course of the 12 month period that ends June of next year, [are] just a subset of all of the exciting new innovations Microsoft will bring to market: client operating system releases, information management tools, security, gaming products and systems. The range of new technologies in some senses is growing and growing quickly." (emphasis added)

Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2)

Microsoft released Windows Vista RTM at the end of January 2007, not counting the business launch of the operating system in November 2006. Vista SP1 was released to manufacturing on February 4, 2008 concomitantly with Windows Server 2008, but was only made available for download starting March 18. Now the Redmond company has already moved onward to Service Pack 2.

In fact Vista SP2 invites to the Beta program have already started to be sent out, according to Neowin. It is not Windows Vista SP2 that Microsoft is cooking, but also Windows Server 2008 SP2, Beta invites for which have also been sent out. Microsoft has yet to confirm anything officially, but the first Beta bits for Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 are reportedly going to testers in just four weeks.

Still, while Service Pack 1 was the catalyst that took Vista RTM out of coma, making the operating system worthy of a long forgotten and discarded Wow label, SP2 is bound to be nothing more than a standard service pack release. At best, SP2 will take Vista forward just as much as SP1.

The equation is rather simple for Microsoft. The company will end up with a repeat of the Windows XP SP2 – Windows Vista scenario in which both operating systems are available at the same time on the market, although this situation would involve Vista SP2 and Windows 7 RTM. The last thing that Microsoft needs is to evolve Vista with SP2 sufficiently enough that it will be capable to rival Windows 7. In this context, the answer is rather simple. The Redmond giant needs to keep Vista at a relative stand-still even with SP2, and focus all innovation on Windows 7.

Windows 7, or Windows 6.1, or Windows Vista R2, or Windows Vista but "a lot better"

The seventh major version of Windows, but only according to Microsoft's math, comes with no differentiation between the codename and the brand. However, Windows 7 will, for the sake of perpetuating the existing level of Vista software compatibility, be in fact Windows 6.1. At the same time, according to Ballmer, Windows 7 will be Vista, but “a lot better.” This makes Windows 7 an excellent candidate for the Windows Vista R2 label, just as Windows 7 Server is in fact Windows Server 2008 R2. Still, the early feedback on the Windows 7 moniker indicates that the management of the Windows 7 project made the right choice.

"There you have it, Windows 7 now has a name. It’s called – Windows 7,” revealed Steve Clayton, Microsoft's UK Partner Group CTO. “To be honest I was quite surprised but also pretty pleased. The naming decision as Mike Nash says is about simplicity. It’ll certainly save us from all having to unlearn the name we’ve all had for it to date. I expect this naming decision will be debated to death on all the usual sites, but me, I’m just happy we settled on a name. Now let’s get to the PDC and get the bits!"

"Win7 to officially be called . . . Win7" said Robert Hensing, Microsoft security software engineer. "I actually for once - LOVE that we are keeping the name of the OS simple and leaving it at Win7. I will admit – I was somewhat disappointed when XP's name was announced internally (internally it was known as Whistler) and I was downright horrified when we decided to call Longhorn "Vista" (my friends call it "Veesta"). Longhorn sounds cool . . . manly . . . Vista is pretty much the exact opposite in my mind . . . it sounds serene and 'pretty'."

"Steve Ballmer was at Gartner's Symposium/ITxpo conference today, talking about a number of issues. The big question was about Vista deployments and what should companies do. He answered by saying that the adoption rate for Vista, is two times that of where XP was after the same period," stated Neil Hutson, Microsoft evangelist. "Then in Jedi style, Neil MacDonald from Gartner said that 61% of respondents are thinking of skipping Vista. To that, Ballmer said that Microsoft would be ready for that outcome, but if he was the audience, he would not wait. I think that this is a good call. Vista SP1 is really stable and the big question is whether companies are going to wait for the first SP of Windows 7 before they deploy? That will leave them with a lot of very outdated machines and OS software that will take them a lot longer to replace."

Windows Cloud – To Strata or not to Strata?

At PDC2008 Microsoft plans to unveil the first Beta of Windows Cloud, which could be labeled Windows Strata, although the company has yet to confirm this aspect. Windows Strata goes beyond the Windows client and server operating systems, and is a new platform tailored to the Redmond giant's Software plus Services business model.

"We have our Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles in a couple of weeks, we're going to roll out new technologies and a new platform for this software plus services world. The new platform has a lot of work to do. First, it requires a new platform in the cloud. In the Microsoft kind of way of thinking every new major trend requires a new version of our operating system. So, we did Windows, then we did Windows Server, then we did Windows CE and Mobile. And you'll see us bring Windows technologies in a new form to the cloud," Ballmer explained.

Microsoft is essentially looking to keep up with the changes associated with the development paradigm. But what the company is doing is transition the Windows style of development to the cloud and make it available in the browser. Silverlight, .NET, Windows Presentation Foundation and Visual Studio will all contribute to enabling developers to built web-based solutions running on Microsoft's new Internet platform. In this regard, the software giant is working to ensure that services will "be available as a system construct in Windows Server, in Windows desktop and in Windows in the cloud," Ballmer stated, adding that "with this evolution to a new world of distributed computing, we Microsoft will introduce a new cloud platform, some new cloud services around Web 2.0, some advances to our development tools and development runtimes, as well as tools and technologies that really support new business models."

NVIDIA Planning New AMD-Supporting Chipset

2008-10-17T21:49:00.000+06:00

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!

NVIDIA is planning MCP72 chipset successor
Earlier this year, a number of rumors indicated that the Santa Clara, California-based NVIDIA was expected to announce that it would quit its chipset business as it intended to concentrate on its upcoming graphics card lineup. The rumors were dismissed by the company quite rapidly, but kept on going for some time, after that. However, it now appears that some new (leaked) details indicate that NVIDIA is planning some new AMD-supporting chipsets that are set to debut sometime in the first quarter of 2009.

Now, according to a recent article on expreview, the upcoming chipset, which is said to be dubbed MCP82, will replace the manufacturer's current MCP72 model. The new chipset will support the current AM2 and AM2+ sockets, but it will also deliver support for the next AM3-enabled processors, which will feature DDR3 support.

Aside from that, the new NVIDIA chipset is built to support DirectX 10 and Hybrid SLI and provide 7.1-channel Audio, PureVideo HD video and HDMI, DVI and VGA outputs. It comes with an HT3 FSB, it has 6 SATA ports with RAID 0, 1, 0+1 and 5 support, Gigabit Ethernet and up to 12 USB ports.

According to expreview, there are going to be two versions of said chipset, differing in terms of PCI Express specifications and SLI support. The first version is going to allow 3-way SLI configurations with 1 PCI Express X16 and two PCI Express X8, while the second one is going to deliver 2-way SLI support with two PCI Express X8.

Currently, these are the only available details and it appears users should be expecting the new boards sometime in Q1 2009, as they are set to enter production stage in January. The news confirms that not only that NVIDIA isn't going to exit the chipset market, but it is also planning to release new products to support upcoming technologies.

Try A New Free Photoshop Version From Adobe - Adobe Photoshop Express

2008-03-27T22:13:00.000+05:00

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
Digital images are a very common term for most of the Internet users. There are many free online services providing tools for image storage, presentation and editing (processing). Adobe Systems Incorporated has released Adobe Photoshop Express, a Rich Internet Application that allows you to edit,
publish and share your photos in image galleries for free. Adobe Photoshop Express is made with the help of Flex, the Adobe framework for creating Rich Internet Applications.

After a quick process of registration, you will be able to upload photos and organize them in albums (you will get 2 GB of storage space for your photos for free). The photos could be sent through email and edited online. You should not think that the online photo editor is a web version of Adobe Photoshop desktop application.

As compared with the desktop version, Adobe Photoshop Express image editor has only a few features, but they are enough to enhance your photos online. The set of tools provided to tweak your photos allows you to remove red-eye, auto correct images, perform various tuning actions (highlight, sharpen, white balance, focus) and apply effects (filters). You can also return to the original image any time by reverting all of image processing actions.

The images can be shared in various ways. Adobe Photoshop Express provides you the possibility to upload or download photos from other social networking websites like Facebook. The photos are displayed by default in image albums that could be linked in other social networking websites or blogs.

To be able to use Adobe Photoshop Express, you will need Flash player version 9. You can test the free Adobe Photoshop Express Rich Internet Application performance by going to the Adobe website.

Yahoo No Longer the Ugly Duckling, Gets Facelift - The Yahoo logo gets centered

2008-03-25T22:41:00.000+05:00

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
Every time one of the Internet giants comes with a redesign of their official page, the entire world is talking about it. This is exactly what’s happening right now as the Sunnyvale
super giant Yahoo has just rolled out a fresh facelift of its homepage. In fact, the entire redesign is actually a logo modification because the Yahoo folks have finally decided to center the company logo appearing on the official website.

And this after approximately 2 years since the last webpage change as the Yahoo homepage ‘suffered’ the last modification in May 2006, according to Philipp Lenssen from Google Blogoscoped.

Now, let’s see what’s new. As mentioned, the Yahoo logo is now centered and is placed above the search box and the search options. The left part of the website, the column that allows you to navigate among the Yahoo services, is now better organized and provides better browsing for all the users. The Yahoo logo is now placed in the center of the screen and I must admit it’s the first thing seen by a visitor once the website gets fully loaded.

The new Yahoo/the old Google
Have a look at that picture near this paragraph. In the upper part of the picture, there’s the search function of the new Yahoo: the logo placed above the search options and, then, the search box. Then, we have the old Google, the search function that was displayed on the official website of the search engine. As you can see, they are almost the same with a single difference: for Google, the search buttons are placed under the search box, while Yahoo placed them near the search box.

I’m not trying to insinuate that Yahoo has stolen Google’s design, but maybe the Sunnyvale folks are trying to use one of the Google’s secrets that attracted millions and millions of searchers every day.

Vista: the Gender Challenged OS, After the Longhorn Sex Change - Wow-less, and more...

2008-03-22T23:31:00.001+05:00

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
Windows Vista is a Microsoft gender-challenged operating system, after it has survived the Longhorn sex change. Just bear with me, it will all make sense in the end, I promise. The short story on Windows Vista is bound not to produce any Wow reactions. At least not in the range Microsoft was aiming for with the $500-million Wow campaign for its latest Windows client. Released to business users in November 2006 and to consumers in January 2007, Vista went over the 100 million sold licenses milestone
as of the end of the past year, according to Microsoft Chairman, Bill Gates. And yes, this actually means that Vista underperformed, as Microsoft initially estimated that it would push double the number of licenses Windows XP sold.

But at the same time, there is a more subtle alternative perspective over Vista and its evolution. And this is where the gender-challenged aspect comes into play. Just take Vista and try to place it among all the other Windows platforms which preceded it in the history of Microsoft. I know you're thinking it, so I'm going to come out and say it straight. Vista is simply... gender challenged, and a tad feminine... A little too much for its own good! And in this context, quite incapable of fully satisfying the needs of Windows users, accustomed to a different approach to the technology of the Windows platforms and the Microsoft building process.

Windows Yin (Feminine) and Windows Yang (Masculine)

Is it a question of yin vs. yang? Of feminine vs. masculine? Even when Windows is concerned? Well, we do have Windows-boys on one side and a couple of Windows-girls on the other. Look, all you have to do is go back to the beginning of Windows. Not all the way to the early stages, but Windows 3.1x would do for a starting point, as anything before that are examples of prepubescent Windows.

Windows 3.1x (the young buck) - Signaling the maturity stage of the Windows platform, was code-named Janus, after a god in the Roman mythology. If I tell you that Janus is associated with both beginnings and endings, then you might get an idea of why I choose this version in order to begin. Released in 1992, Windows 3.1x was nothing short of spectacular, and the users that had been struggling around in DOS finally had a graphical user interface and a memory manager at their disposal. Windows 3.1x is the boy that grew up to be Windows 95.

Windows 95 (all grown up and ready for the world) – Codenamed Chicago, Windows 95 was a young Windows man, setting the roots for the modern graphical user interface available in XP and Vista. It was still lingering between 16-bit and 32-bit, still relying heavily on DOS. But at the same time, Windows 95 was nothing short of a success story for Microsoft, and a success not only for the Redmond company, but also in terms of all the operating systems ever produced.

Windows 98 (still a little rugged, but with great potential for domestication) - Codenamed Memphis, Windows 98 was simply a better man than Windows 95 ever could have been. And Second Edition ensured that Windows 98 survived well after the release of Windows XP. Dropped in 1998, with SE available the next year, in 1999, Windows 98 claimed consistent resources including at least 486DX-2/66 MHz processors and a recommended 24MB of RAM. But it also delivered.

Windows 2000 (if it had been an actual man, it would have been quite a catch for the ladies) – Windows 2000 had no codename, but it was initially labeled as Windows NT 5.0. look to Windows 2000 as the perfect Windows man. Even as early as 2000, this version of Windows was capable of addressing no less than 4 GB of RAM. The quality of this Windows release is exemplified by the fact that it has managed to survive even after Windows Vista.

Windows XP (the Alpha male) – Windows XP (codename Whistler), together with Windows XP SP2 (codename Springboard) need no introduction. XP is the apex of Windows masculinity. It has not only survived well into Vista's first year on the market, but it is also not giving up any of its territory without a bitter fight. As far as Windows is concerned, Windows XP is the Alpha male!

Windows Server 2003 (made not to be pretty) – this is a different breed of Windows man, a working specimen, designed for heavy server workloads. Released in 2003, Windows Server 2003 was by no means easy on the eyes, but this was not its purpose in the first place. It was designed as an upgrade from Windows 2000 and, in this respect, it delivered.

And Now the Windows Girls

In the enumeration above you have undoubtedly identified at least one missing item. Windows ME, or Windows Millennium Edition, has a reputation which precedes it. A pit stop between Windows 98 and Windows XP, Windows ME is without a doubt the absolute worse, piss-poor Windows version to this day. Buggy, instable and unreliable do not even begin to describe the disappointment that was Windows ME. Suffice it to say that this Windows girl failed to live for very long, and that XP knoked it out completely just a year after ME's launch.

And we come down to the inevitable Windows Vista. In a long line of strong and powerful Windows men under the Windows NT umbrella, including Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista is a dissonant presence. It not only proved to be Wow-less, but it also lacks the "juice" to take on Windows XP. This is why there are users perceiving Vista as ME2 and a transitional operating system.

The Longhorn Castration

And it's all because the Longhorn castration. The truth of the matter is that Vista started along as one of the guys, under the codename Longhorn, and designed to be an intermediate release between Whistler and Blackcomb. Longhorn was it was promised to Windows users, and not Windows Vista. But on August 27, 2004, Microsoft introduced the Longhorn Reset, which diverged away from Windows XP and went with the Windows Server 2003 codebase.

The Redmond company also cut Longhorn Castle, the Windows File System (WinFS), Location Awareness, the Next-Generation Secure Computing Base technology and additional features and capabilities from the initial Longhorn project, performing a veritable castration. On July 22, 2005, Microsoft unveiled Windows Vista with the first beta coming out on August 3, 2005. But Vista, because of its Windows Server 2003 legacy fails to be one of the girls. It is simply an emasculated Windows version, gender challenged, that still needs to find its way.

Strapping on the Service Pack and the Next Windows Man

On March 18, Microsoft released the gold version of Windows Vista SP1 to the general public. Strapping on SP1 means for Vista regaining some testosterone, to compensate for the estrogen generated with the Longhorn castration. At the same time, the synchronization with Windows Server 2008, and getting back in the Windows NT line of men is nothing but food news for the latest Windows client.

Still, users have already got a taste of the next Windows version. Windows 7, with Steven Sinofsky, Senior Vice President, Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group, at the lead needs to turn out a real Windows man. More than Windows 2000 and Windows XP SP2 combined.

Fake Google Email Attempts to Steal Your Money - Extra-care is recommended

2008-03-22T23:21:00.001+05:00

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
We all know that Google, the Mountain View super search giant, communicates with its users by phone or by email every time users have to be informed about important matters. And if the emails’ subject concerns AdWords, Google’s money machine, the message is bound to be important and has to be read as soon as possible. Some Internet users have received recently a "Google" notification asking them to "update their billing information". Hmm, quite weird I would say, Google has never contacted me before in order to request such a thing.

The phishing email

Let’s have a closer look at the email message: it is titled "Please Update Your Billing Information" and seems to be sent by adwords-noreply[at]google[dot]com. The text message reads: "Dear Google AdWords Customer! In order to update your billing information, please sign in to your AdWords account at https://adwords.google.com, and update your billing information." The end of the email, "Sincerely, The Google AdWords Team ," could make you swear that the message came from Google.

The real / The fake page

OK, and now the juicy info. As you can see in the adjacent pictures, the links are supposed to get you to the Google AdWords page. There’s even the https URI scheme meant to represent a secure HTTP connection. However, moving the mouse over the link (without clicking it!), shows the real link in the status bar of your browser/email client: http://adwords.google.com.*****.cn/select/Login/. That’s right, it’s a fake domain hosted in China. Classic, I would say but let’s see some other details.

Clicking on it gets you to a fake Google AdWords website that looks similar to the genuine one. In case you’re one of those naïve folks out there and you simply avoid looking in the address bar, you may be tempted to enter your AdWords information. As you can see by yourself, the address bar reveals the real URL of the website, other than the genuine Google one.

The real / The fake page

Getting back to the https syntax, the website doesn’t really reveal any security measure. Moreover, the real link of the fake website actually contains the http syntax so it’s obvious that leaving the page without entering your information would be a smart choice. But let’s see how this page is different of the genuine Google website. Clicking anywhere on the Google AdWords website brings you the https URI scheme, informing you that you’re 100 percent safe while browsing it. Have a look at the adjacent pictures.

The email claims it was sent by a Google official. However, analyzing the email’s headers proves that the phisher wasn’t too focused on hiding his identity. Beside other information, we got his IP which reveals the fact that the phisher has sent the fake emails from Amsterdam. However, we can’t know for sure if the sender was an infected computer, part of a botnet, or the actual scammer.

I guess it’s obvious that this is just a phishing scheme and a pretty smart one considering the fact that it attempts to trick you by using several genuine-like elements such as the links included in the email address or the message text which may lure you in disclosing your credentials. However, it uses the same classic and old-fashioned phishing techniques like the fake URL and fake website similar to a genuine one.

Firefox already provides protection against the website

So, next time you receive a suspicious website asking for your credentials, do not disclose them unless you check twice that revealing the information keeps you on the safe side; don’t forget to check the links in the status bar BEFORE you click on them; install any security software that may help you in identifying phishing websites; look for the https syntax in the address bar of your browser; contact the service provider just after you notice you’ve been tricked.

While I was writing this article, the Firefox guys have already added protection for the phishing website so every time a Mozilla user visits the page, he’ll get informed that it’s not a genuine one. We’re still waiting to see similar action from Internet Explorer. Hopefully, the page gets shut down as soon as possible.

Google Revamps Homepage - In Japan

2008-03-21T09:56:00.001+05:00

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
Japan found out yesterday that their defaulted Google homepage looked like nothing they had ever seen before. The clean white background was tainted by
some tabs that weren’t there the previous night, but overall the feedback the team responsible for the change received was ranging from "good" to "hell yeah!," or at least that’s what it must have been, I can’t really read Japanese.

The post on the Official Google Japan blog, although translated here, is pretty much unreadable. Nevertheless, as you can see in the screenshot on the left, the additions blend in nicely with everything else, and all the services that have been included in the tabs are a whole lot easier to access than in the traditional manner.

The four new tabs are named (approximately) "Featured," including Gmail, YouTube, News, Maps and Transit, "Various search," that hosts links to Image Search, Blog Search, Books and Google Desktop, "Useful tool," with Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Reader and Google Toolbar and, finally, "More enjoyable," and YouTube once again, Picasa, Blogger and Google Earth.

By the looks of it, this revamp will prove to be rather successful, and I dare say that it would be welcomed in other Western markets, because it grants instant access to the Google slew of services. Right now, until the Mountain View based company manages to link all the accounts in the mega-project dubbed Google Accounts, it’s a tad more difficult to pull such operability through.

"Our fundamental strategy is to take ideas from Japan and apply them to other markets," Emmanuel Sauquet of Google told Business Week, in regards to his company’s mobile strategy. Will this also affect the other policies and strategies as well, like changing the default homepage for everybody? Gosh, I hope so, the Japan page looks almost too good to be true!

Microsoft Touts the Superiority of Dynamics AX 4.0 over Oracle 11.0.3 - In terms of cost savings

2008-03-21T09:51:00.000+05:00

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
Microsoft has applauded the superiority of its own Dynamics AX 4.0 over Oracle 11.0.3 in terms of the cost reduction it will provide to customers. It were in fact major cost savings that have prompted supply chain integrator PACCESS to opt for Dynamics AX 4.0, Microsoft's enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution is less expensive to maintain and more capable of satisfying the PACCESS' needs, the Redmond company
argued, in comparison with Oracle 11.0.3.

"We tried to add five users, but we would have had to pay Oracle $365,000 because of a license-model change," said Nina Palludan, vice president of IT for PACCESS. "The five-year total cost of ownership for Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 was more than $1 million less than Oracle’s, even though we already owned the Oracle software. Actually rebuying the Oracle e-business suite would have cost less than upgrading our current licenses."

The expensive upgrades to its Oracle system turned PACCESS toward Microsoft. The Redmond company pointed out that Dynamics AX 4.0 was not only highly scalable and adaptable, but also less costly. And in this context one of the aspects which contributed to cutting down costs was the fact that Dynamics AX 4.0 uses the same graphical user interface as the Office System, which helped cut down training costs for employees.

"Global companies are finding ways to simultaneously save money and advance their processes with the capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics AX," said Michael Park, corporate vice president for Microsoft’s U.S. Dynamics business. "Companies that seek new business management systems are looking for solutions that are simpler to use, less costly to own and easier to scale than their existing solutions. Around the world, companies are finding these benefits in Microsoft Dynamics AX, an ERP solution designed for growing businesses."

Antigua Welcomes IP Piracy - Only a matter of time

2008-03-21T09:49:00.000+05:00

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
A rather strange decision of the World Trade Commission was awarded last December to Antigua, should its negotiations with the United States fail. The problem in question is that of the US rules, more or less blocking foreign gambling sites. Even Europe is going at the regulations,
as many sites based there (bwin among others) have encountered the same ban and are threatening to ask for a WTC ruling of their own.

Antigua, based on the Commission’s decision, has made it clear that it will no doubt give free reign to intellectual property piracy should Americans not be allowed to access its very lucrative online gambling businesses. Come to think of it, The Pirate Bay could very well profit from this situations and simply relocate there, if need be.

Right now, the ball is in the United States’ court, as a battle will be waged between the Motion Pictures Association of America will not likely stand and watch as their work gets pirated without being able to do something and those who came up with the banning rules. And if the MPAA isn’t enough, Microsoft will most likely back up their claims, as the software company would also have a lot to lose if things go south, and not only for the winter.

Talk about an Island Paradise, that’s exactly what Antigua is going to turn into if the US rules won’t bend. Like I mentioned earlier, Europe is pretty interested in the results of this ‘tough negotiation’ as well, so all the pressure should start wearing down the rules into something closer to pointers and guidelines.

Peer to peer BitComet sharing users should wait for the decision biting their nails, because chances are that it will be a new booming start to what is already a very wide network. Keep your fingers crossed, both gamblers and file sharers!

SanDisk Goes for Apple's Neck...Sort Of - Announces a new digital music distribution scheme

2008-03-21T09:47:00.000+05:00

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
Apple's iTunes service represents probably the best-known method of music distribution, next to the CD and DVD, of course. However, it would seem that the people over at SanDisk are seriously considering a whole new approach to this concept, as they've announced that the company will promote DRM-free music from more than 50 new and emerging artists on a microSD card. This U.S.-based program is the first of its kind to use microSD cards, and helps launch the new 8GB Sansa Fuze MP3 player.

According to the company's statement, the "Sansa Sessions" microSD card is comprised of a collection of rock, pop, and hip hop songs, music videos, and photos from more than 30 labels, featuring artists like All Time Low, Ladytron, Magnet, Nada Surf, Of Montreal and The Coup.

"The Sansa Sessions microSD card is an innovative medium for music distribution, and great exposure for our artists," said Matt Lunsford, co-president, Polyvinyl Record Co., which represents Of Montreal and other artists featured on the card. "This promotion benefits all involved, aligning the interests of the musician, label and consumer. We look forward to doing more together."

"We’re excited to be working with labels and artists to create a new ecosystem for music," said Daniel Schreiber, general manager and senior vice president for SanDisk’s Sansa audio/video product line. "The Sansa Sessions music card gives customers a simple way to enjoy, manage, and discover new music. This is just the beginning of our efforts to bring consumers a simplified and highly enjoyable music experience."

As mentioned earlier, this new offering is directly related to the launch of SanDisk's Fuze media player, as US customers will have the opportunity to redeem a promotional offer inside their box to receive the exclusive Sansa Sessions music sampler on a pre-loaded microSD card.

Of course, it's rather difficult to expect that this particular approach to music distribution will actually affect in any way iTunes' business model. However, it might represent a challenge for CDs and DVDs, especially since the manufacturing prices for microSD cards have seriously dropped over the past few years.

Google SafeSearch Showing XXX Picture - Or it did, at least

2008-03-21T09:45:00.000+05:00

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
The all-knowing and all-algorithm writing Google has failed utterly in what it has been bragging to do so well: keeping children from having access to pornographic material. Their SafeSearch option missed a very explicit photo of a woman’s vagina, and, as beautiful as it might be or not, there was no reason for it to show on top of the web search results, where the Google Universal Search returns are shown.

The image was there no matter what filter was checked in the Preferences page, even the one that was supposed to block both explicit text and explicit pictures wouldn’t change anything. The query I’m talking about is "hot celebrities," but unfortunately I wasn’t able to capture a screenshot of the results, I was too busy changing the filters back and forth. In the meanwhile, Google either dropped the image from its index or just modified its algorithm for the better, but you can still see their goof-up on The Blog Bryn blog, here.

This comes just after Google responded to the founder of the world’s biggest pornographic movie producer that by its filters and every other action it does, the children are being kept away from the explicit material. I guess they were wrong, and if memory serves me right, I can remember two other cases when the Mountain View based company was involved in similar scandals. The images back then were on Google News, and related to a story entitled "Employee of the Month": Big-box banality. In that situation, the image was removed and even now there’s no picture attached to the article on the Seattle Times’ online edition.

Feel free to try the query that caused the trouble, you will now find that instead of the vagina photo, there’s one of Michelle Anderson, that’s much more… viewable, to say the least.

Yahoo! Video Considers XXX Clips to be “Health and Beauty” Material - YouTube flashback?

2008-03-21T09:42:00.000+05:00

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
Never ever, in the history of Internet videos, has a user-generated video hosting site been avoided by those who wanted to share their triple X rated clips with the world. The rules are already classic and have been around ever since man climbed down from trees and discovered
the power of marketing: the first to come is the first to be served. Abiding by them, the latest video site to surface is the latest one to have been ‘given’ the not safe for work (NSFW in short) clips. Drumrolls, please… it’s Yahoo! Videos to have the dubious honor!

The filter problems that YouTube experienced when it first opened its doors – its servers, actually – have come back to bite Yahoo! in the rear, just because it is young and inexperienced. Two clips are now hosted on the Sunnyvale based company’s video sharing service, and have received all the attention: one is of Jenna Jameson, a woman, a star that needs no further introduction, and the second is equally provocative and enticing, but the protagonists are not as well known.

The clips seem to have been around for quite a while, judging by their number of views (above 6,000 as I write this), and are viewable by accessing the "Health and Beauty" tab in the Category view of the video sharing site. The screenshot shows that they’re not difficult to get to, kudos to them for making top page. Others can be found via the related videos section, but I decided to single out just the two based on the above argument.

As one user commented on Valleywag, there’s a new XXX video site to browse when at work, and it’s got the Yahoo! logo up and visible, so there’s a perfectly good excuse for those caught watching. Just hit the button and scroll up to where the Y! is placed and there’s no need to worry.

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) RTM Available for Download - Both 32-bit and 64-bit are up for grabs

2008-03-19T11:45:00.001+05:00

The wait is over. Windows Vista Service Pack 1 RTM is now available for download. Both the 32-bit and the 64-bit editions of the service pack are up for grabs. Microsoft confirmed the information leaked by Amazon.com at the end of the past week that Vista SP1 was going to be made available on March 18, 2008. And the Redmond company met the initially announced delivery schedule which pointed to mid-March ever since February 4, 2008 when the service pack was released to manufacturing. At this point in time x86 and x64 Windows Vista SP1 are both
up for grabs either as standalone packages or through Windows Update.

"Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) is an update to Windows Vista that addresses feedback from our customers. In addition to previously released updates, SP1 will contain changes focused on addressing specific reliability, performance, and compatibility issues; supporting new types of hardware; and adding support for several emerging standards," reads a fragment of the Vista SP1 description.

Windows6.0-KB936330-X86-wave0.exe and the Windows6.0-KB936330-X64-wave0.exe downloads weigh in at 434.5 MB and respectivelly 726.5 MB, being tailored to integrate with both 32-bit and 64-bit Vista operating systems. As Microsoft revealed following RTM, only a select few languages are supported in the March release. The standalone version of Vista SP1 can be integrated exclusively with copies of Vista RTM with these language versions: English (US), French, German, Japanese, or Spanish (Traditional).

"Today, you can now download Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update. For those of you eager to receive the benefits of Windows Vista SP1 - you can now do so! We've seen quite a bit of questions in our comments so we want to communicate as much as possible surrounding Windows Vista SP1 and today's release to Windows Update as we can," stated Nick White, Windows Vista Product Manager. "Those of you who find that SP1 isn't offered over Windows Update even after updating all your drivers, but would still like to download it can access our "standalone installer" from the Microsoft Download Center."

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Five Language Standalone for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the operating system is available for download from softpedia Click HERE.

The Oracle of Delphi: Apollo Talks - The spiritual center of ancient Greece

2008-03-19T11:41:00.000+05:00

Placed in the center of Greece, north of the Gulf of Corinth, the sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi represented, for centuries, the most sought and famous oracle of the ancient world. The spiritual influence and the magic connotations the oracle caused in the mind of the people made the city located at the base of the Parnassos Mountain to be considered an "omphalos" (center of the world) of the antiquity.

The Greek mythology says that Zeus released two eagles to fly into the heights from the both ends of the Universe. The meeting place of the eagles, over the rocks called Phadriade (the
Shinning Ones), Rose and Hot, on the Parnassus Mountain, was considered the central point of the world.

Even if the oracle is often associated to Apollo’s name, the sanctuary of Delphi was recorded to be raised over the ruins of a temple of the goddess Geea, Mother of the Earth, place that had been defended by a snake called Python. Apollo, Zeus’ son, killed the snake with his arrows, ensuring his dominance over the region. The transfer of power from Geea to Apollo symbolizes the triumph of the patriarchal conception, brought by the Dorian tribes (pre-Greeks), who replaced the matriarchal organization, specific to the early Mediterranean pre-Indo-European society.

Apollo’s sanctuary imposed gradually in the religious life of the antiquity, and therefore, during the 8th century BC, it turned into the most influent and prestigious spiritual center of the ancient Greece.

Between 595-586 BC, during the so-called "Sacred War", the region of Delphi was part of a federation of 12 tribes from northeastern Greece, administered by the Amphictyonic League. In 595 BC, the league intervened, helped by Athens and Sicyon, to defend Delphi against the ambitious plans of the rival city of Chrisso that wanted to have the absolute control of the area.

To commemorate the victory, the league instituted the first Pythic Games, similar to the Olympic Games, organized every four years, and comprising athletic and musical probes. The name of the games came from the name of the priestess of the oracle, Pythia. Over a millennium, until the 4th century AD, people from whole Greece and other areas came to Delphi to ask the oracle about businesses, marriages, land cultivating or journeys. Amongst the most famous visits to the oracle are those of Jason, the leader of the Argonaut trip into the Black Sea, in the search for the Golden Wool, or that of Cressus, the king of Lydia, before the war with the Persians.

Pythia, the priestess, must have been a village woman, aged over 50, who had an immaculate life. The priestess and the petitioners had to purify into the waters of the Castalla Spring at the base of the Parnassus Mountain, and then, to see if the god was in the mood for talking through the mouth of Pythia, a white goat was splashed with cold water. If the animal trembled with all its body, it was a good sign and the question was addressed to the oracle.

After that, the priestess continued with the petitioners into the inner sanctuary, passing in front of Dionysus’ tomb, to drink from the holly water of Cassotis Spring. With the head backwards, mounted on a bronze tripod and chewing laurel leaves, Pythia would enter in trance and transmit Apollo’s answer through unarticulated sounds, decoded by the priests.

At the beginning of the first century BC, the oracle entered into a decline. The last documentary mentioned answer was in 362 AD, when Roman emperor Julian the Apostate sent messengers to consult Pythia, who pronounced her last oracle: "Go and tell the king that the good times are gone, that Apollo does not have a shelter, nor laurel to pronounce his oracles and the water of the talky spring has gone dry." The oracle was closed in 381 AD, when emperor Theodosius forbade the pagan cults. In time, the sanctuary turned into a field of ruins.

In 1892, the Greek government allowed a French team to excavate the site of the oracle. The village of Castri, built during medieval times over the temple of Delphi, was moved stone by stone, against the will of its inhabitants. 19 centuries of debris were removed. Today, the ruins of the temple are also accompanied by a well preserved amphitheater and a stadium in the upper part, where Pythic Games took place.

BenQ Releases Ethereal, Classy 24-Inch LCD Display - it's so thin that you can almost see through it

2008-03-17T23:05:00.000+05:00

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
BenQ has just introduced its new V2400W premium LCD display, touted as the world's slimmest 24-inch monitor. Unlike TV displays, computer LCD monitors have hardly been part of the quest for
ultra-thinness. However, the BenQ V2400W can easily be labeled as "anorexic", given the fact that it's 24 percent thinner than any other existing monitors on the market.

The 24-incher from BenQ is here to set a trend on the computer monitor market by merging exquisite style with state-of-the-art technology, that qualified it for the iF Design Award, an internationally-recognized distinction. The monitor's design has been inspired by the B-2 stealth bomber, and its manufacturers used a new plastic injection technique that not only curves the back of the display, but also allowed BenQ designers to make it one of the thinnest monitors on the market.

According to the monitors' technical specifications, the display measures 6 centimeters at its thickest point, and only 2.28 centimeters at its thinnest. The monitor is a fine blend between asymmetry and aerodynamics and is a preview of the company's new Kinergy Design, that shifts its focus from utility to art.

Anyway, the computer's specifications don't quite live up to its ethereal design. The LCD display offers a dynamic contrast ratio of 4,000:1, new RHCM injection process, full 1080p HD support, 2-ms gray-to-gray response time, touch control panel and a wide variety of connectors, such as HDMI, DVI and VGA ports. However, the monitor lacks HDCP support for the DVI connector, and does not shine when it comes to brightness, panel resolution and backlighting.

The ethereal LCD monitor from BenQ will be available at the end of this month on the Asian market, but it will be also introduced on the North America and Europe markets in April. There is no word on pricing yet.