DWine Insight

Google's New Favicon?

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Fri, 30 May 2008 12:07:00 +0000

Do you see what I see...has Google changed their favicon across all it's services? I generally user Google Suggest for all my daily searches. But intrigued by its new favicon, I tried various services...but seems like only Google Search and Google Suggest have theirs changed. I have no clue why, do you any?

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Test

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Fri, 23 May 2008 23:07:00 +0000

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Windows 7 Wallpapers

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Fri, 23 May 2008 19:00:00 +0000

Talking of Windows 7, I stumbled upon these neat slick wallpapers of same. The unofficial logo concepts and these wallpapers are created by Long Zheng of istartedseomthing and hosted at deviantART for public download. The download pack contains walls for most screen resolutions including widescreen. You can see a couple of them here...get tons of them here.

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Update On Windows 7

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Wed, 21 May 2008 20:24:00 +0000

Microsoft is mum about the much hyped Windows 7, but there are enough rumours flying around in circles. Windows 7 was formerly codenamed Blackcomb and then Vienna. As I could understand after reading through a few top-notched blogs, Windows 7 might end up just being a non-disruptive update to the groundwork laid by Vista! Readers please be advised that Windows 7 is not here until 2010, or at least till end of 2009. You can watch a video of Windows 7 (as claimed by the owner of the video) in one of my earlier posts.

an eye-catchy image of Windows 7 boot screen I found on the web

Current news about Windows 7

Milestone 1 (M1) is already made available to select partners. Microsoft's developer division is testing all teir builds against Windows 7
Windows 7 will likely feature a more modular approach, Windows Server 2008 like architecture that lets developers install selective features while leaving the unwanted untouched
Microsoft is looking for ways to tightly tie next-gen Windows Live Services with Windows 7, including ways to provide unique Live Experience for Windows 7 users.
M1 testers report a new version of Windows Media Center adn support fro multiple graphics cards

Read more interesting articles on Windows 7 here & here.

[via]

Instant Messenger Bots

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Wed, 21 May 2008 00:08:00 +0000

As a sequel to my earlier post on Google Talk's Language Bots, I found this interesting stuff on bots.

JBuddy Bot Builder is an integrated development environment (IDE) designed to make developing, testing and deploying interactive IM Bots and Text Messaging applications simple and easy. It is built on top of the JBuddy Bot Framework and JBuddy SDK with powerful public and enterprise IM capabilities and is cross-platform. This best of class solution is available as a FREE download and includes a FREE license to jump start your project.

JBuddy Bot Builder boasts of the following features:

IDE for rapid bot development, testing, and deployment cycles
WYSIWYG test chat windows for local online and offline testing
Cross Platform (Windows Vista, XP, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris, etc)
Built on top of the JBuddy Bot Framework 2.0
Leverages the IM capabilities of the JBuddy SDK 6.1
Free 3 concurrent chat session license perfect for prototypes and occassional use

My World Visitor Maps

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Mon, 19 May 2008 23:21:00 +0000

Only after a month of subscription to visitor maps, which are stabled at the footer of this page; I can see a lot of hits on my pages. Though I stand incomparable to Amit or Gina, not bad at all, I should say to myself. Most of the concentration is from the United States, Europe and India as you can see below for yourself, though there are finger number hits from the rest of the globe.

Below are the visitor locations on my blog in various formats. These were captured at 2200 hrs EST of May 18th.

Normal Map

Heat Map

Cluster Map

Day/Night Map

Learn International Languages in GTalk

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Mon, 19 May 2008 22:39:00 +0000

I didn't know till date that Google's instant messenger, Google Talk, more popular as GTalk, also helps to learn English language through its chat module.

Yup, you read it right. As of now, there are 10 language conversions available on GTalk. 9 of these conversions help converting a foreign language to English while 1 helps convert English to Chinese. If you already run GTalk, go ahead and test these language converters. Add these, what do you call these by the way...errrr...translators, language bots, transbots...sounds nice...add these 'transbots' to your buddy list and start chatting in foreign languages in no time...zip-zap-zoom!

ENGLISH to CHINESE - en2zh@bot.talk.google.com
ARGENTINA to ENGLISH - ar2en@bot.talk.google.com
GERMAN to ENGLISH - de2en@bot.talk.google.com
SPANISH to ENGLISH - es2en@bot.talk.google.com
FRENCH to ENGLISH - fr2en@bot.talk.google.com
ITALIAN to ENGLISH - it2en@bot.talk.google.com
JAPANESE to ENGLISH - ja2en@bot.talk.google.com
KOREAN to ENGLISH - ko2en@bot.talk.google.com
NETHERLANDS to ENGLISH - nl2en@bot.talk.google.com
RUSSIAN to ENGLISH - ru2en@bot.talk.google.com

Though I have not tested all, you can go ahead and comment back here. I might have missed some or posted something that might not be working. Also, you can try some other possible combinations like the following:

ENGLISH to ESPANOL - en2es@bot.talk.google.com
ENGLISH to FRENCH - en2fr@bot.talk.google.com
ENGLISH to ITALIAN - en2it@bot.talk.google.com
ENGLISH to JAPANESE - en2ja@bot.talk.google.com
ENGLISH to KOREAN - en2ko@bot.talk.google.com
ENGLISH to RUSSIAN - en2ru@bot.talk.google.com

OK...OK...I'll also tell you how to do it. Say you wish to learn Chinese. Add 'en2zh@bot.talk.google.com' to your buddy list. It goes green instantly showing that it is available for chat. Now type something, say 'How are you today?' The bot shall reply with an equivalent in Chinese. Nice, isn't it?

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Pssss....Google Checkout Hack

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Mon, 19 May 2008 02:14:00 +0000

Readers...wait a minute. I think I found a hack to the restriction levied by Google on its online payment processing service; Google Checkout. It just struck my little brain that this could be done. But let me check this myself before I throw light on my readers. Though it'll need spending a few bucks towards testing this hack, I'm willing to do it. I'm away trying to hack Google Checkout...will post my findings soon...Einstein at work ;)

Quick Response (QR) Code

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Sun, 18 May 2008 22:13:00 +0000

A Quick Response Code, or a QR Code as it is usually addressed, is a matrix code (or two-dimensional bar code) that allows its contents to be decoded at high speed. This is somewhat similar to the bar codes we come across in regular life. One can see these QR codes inside the packages of electronic items bought at your local store.

Wiki says "QR was initially derived for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing. Today, QR Codes are used in a much broader context spanning both commercial tracking applications as well as convenience-oriented applications aimed at mobile phone users. QR Codes storing addresses and URLs may appear in magazines, on signs, buses, business cards or just about any object that a user might need information about. A user having a camera phone equipped with the correct reader software can scan the image of the QR Code causing the phone's browser to launch and redirect to the programmed URL. This act of linking from physical world objects is known as a hardlink or physical world hyperlinks. A user can also generate and print one's own QR Code for others to scan and use by visiting one of several free QR Code generating sites."

Types of QR codes

Micro QR Code

Micro QR Code is a smaller version of the QR Code standard for applications with less ability to handle large scans. There are different forms of Micro QR Code as well. The highest of these can hold 35 characters.

Design QR

Design QR makes it possible to incorporate eye-catchy images of logos, characters, or photos into QR code, while calculating without losing any information of the code.

There are lots of application on the web that act as QR Readers. They allow users to scan the QR codes from mobile phones and get the response instantly. One of such applications is the KAYWA Reader that is available for download for free.

Below you can see the CR code for this blog's URL which when read through a QR Reader would display: http://dwineinsight.blogspot.com/. You can generate yours here.

This video from YouTube displays how to read a CR code on your mobile screen.

Your Password = Your Underwear

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Thu, 15 May 2008 02:06:00 +0000

Needs no more explanation...

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Windows 7

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Tue, 13 May 2008 23:47:00 +0000

Can this be real??? Though it looks pretty impressive, I'm not sure how well Microsoft can retain their market share by the time 7 is released. I strongly support Linux, it really has been refining shape in the past few years. Ubuntu, Linux for human beings, has already kissed en mass. And by the time 7 is out, Linux will already have many more flavors, probably more closer to the humans.

For a start about the much hyped Windows 7, here's a video I grabbed from YouTube.

My Name On The Moon...In Dwine Space

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:55:00 +0000

The Presurfer says "Names will be collected and placed onboard the LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) spacecraft for its historic mission bringing NASA back to the moon. You will also receive a certificate showcasing your support of the mission."

I got my name pinned to the list; and here's my certificate of participation. Get yours here.

NASA - DWiner - Upload a doc

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MAPTCHAs

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:20:00 +0000

Wikipedia describes a CAPTCHA as "a type of challenge-response test used in computing to determine that the response is not generated by a computer." It is a contrived acronym for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart", trademarked by Carnegie Mellon University. They are widely used everywhere on the web to avoid spamming.

Of lately, are these CAPTCHAs getting redefined, are they up for a face lift? Or have they already got it? If you've come across a CAPTCHA that needs you to make an effortless numerical adding up and supply the answer as the key, or answer a simple common sense question; you've just bumped into the fresh class of CAPTCHAs out there...the all new

MAPTCHAs

or Mathematical captchas. MAPTCHAs are based on the principle of ‘Security through obscurity’, a principle related to security engineering. This principle is defined as ‘A system relying on security through obscurity may have theoretical or actual security vulnerabilities, but its owners or designers believe that the flaws are not known, and that attackers are unlikely to find them.’ Functionality wise; they are positively superior to their previous generations. Today we might already have smart spam bots (you can say smart enough) running around the web that could read and interpret the conventional CAPTCHAs which are mere images that are slightly tricky to understand. But MAPTCHAs are simply too much for them. The user essentially needs to be HUMAN to execute a simple math calculation or to be able to respond to a simple question. I don't see any way in for spam bots, at least in the near future.

Now the question is: are MAPTCHAs intelligent enough to understand the user answer? Say, a MAPTCHA on a web form says 'what is 3 + 5?’ The user in reality needs to supply the sum of 3 and 5 to clear the MAPTCHA. So does the user punch in '8' or 'eight' or 'Eight' or 'EIGHT'? If the MAPTCHAs was designed to accept '8', that's fine. If it were designed to recognize the answer in alphabets, which one of these is right: eight, Eight, EIGHT or something else? I don't think MAPTCHAs are intelligent yet like Google's 'did you mean'. Also, there is absolutely no hint which one to answer. With the intervention of a pinch of common sense, we presume the answer is '8', because the question in context was '3 + 5' and not 'three + five'. Correct me if I'm wrong. Trust me, I've tried all four mishmashes but it wouldn't allow me through. Frustrated I simply closed the web page. I knew I was bad at math right from my school days but definitely not terrible. Any thoughts or answers on this?

Future of RSS

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Sun, 04 May 2008 16:36:00 +0000

And if RSS is the way to go...this is what the near future looks like. Might sound crazy, but you can't rule it out! See what I mean...

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How To Do Everything With YouTube

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Sat, 03 May 2008 08:07:00 +0000

Found this interesting ebook on Youtube at Scribd...

The document "How To Do Everything With YouTube" has been ripped off from this post as a result of a third-party notification regarding a copyright infringement. Regret the take-down.

RSS Explained...Again

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:06:00 +0000

I found this really simple & explanatory video illustrating about RSS (Really Simple Syndication). This comes as a sequel to my earlier post featured on RSS. On the occassion of World RSS Day, I'd like to lend my support in heightening RSS usage around the globe.

Wubi - Windows Ubuntu Installer

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:19:00 +0000

Wubi is a Ubuntu installer for Windows users that will bring you into the Linux world with a single click. Wubi allows you to install and uninstall Ubuntu as any other application. If you heard about Linux and Ubuntu, if you wanted to try them but you were afraid, Wubi is for you.

The goal of the project is to assist a Windows user unacquainted with Linux in trying Ubuntu without risking any loss of information due to disk formatting or partitioning. Wubi can also uninstall Ubuntu from within Windows.

It is not a virtual machine, but rather, it creates a stand-alone installation within a loopmounted device, aka disk image, like Topologilinux does. It is not a Linux distribution of its own, but rather an installer for Ubuntu.

Users interested in directly installing to a dedicated partition, like a standard Ubuntu install does, without needing a CD should use UNetbootin instead.

Wubi adds an entry to the Windows boot menu which allows you to run Linux. Ubuntu is installed within a file in the Windows file system (c:\wubi\disks\system.virtual.disk), as opposed to being installed within its own partition. This file is seen by Linux as a real hard disk.

A related project, Lubi, uses Linux as the host system instead of Windows. A version for the Mac OS as host, Mubi, "will eventually be supported."

Microsoft Surface Goes Public

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:39:00 +0000

Microsoft’s Surface, which was once considered to be an imaginary computer, has now turned into a sales pitching device at five AT&T stores across United States - two in New York, one each in Atlanta, San Francisco and San Antonio.

Techbuzz gives us a first report of its first ever appearance to the public. Techbuzz says "I just saw the Surface in action, and I have to admit that it looks pretty impressive. Gizmodo Editor, Benny Goldman tried doing some stress test by throwing 30 fingers on the table and all 30 were registering. This is awesome, one person can zoom on an object, while others are doing something else. Atleast this way, nobody needs to wait to for their turn to touch the table. Microsoft can be just as good as Apple (sometimes)."

Watch the video.

via techbuzz

How To Run Microsoft Virtual PC 2007

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 23:50:00 +0000

Microsoft Virtual PC allows you to use more than one operating system at once on a Windows PC. This is a great way to keep the computer's main operating system (the "host") safe. There are also many other uses.

Things You'll Need

A Computer
Windows XP or higher for the host operating system.
The operating system install disks (I personally don't like this option. If it were VMWare, then we'll only need to have disk space and not the disks).

Steps

Download Microsoft Virtual PC off Microsoft's website.
Install the program. Note: You must be running Windows XP or higher.
Once you start the program, it should ask you to make a virtual machine. If not, click the"New..." button.
Click the Create A Virtual Machine Button and click next.
Type a name for the machine (like, for example, the operating system you are going to install).
Click next.
Select the operating system you are going to install. (This sets up the the recommended specs for your virtual machine) If the operating system you are going to install is not there, click "Other".
Depending on the operating system you are using, you may want to adjust the amount of RAM it will use. Remember: Don't choose more RAM than your real computer has. The main operating system is still running too. For example, if you have 1 GB (1024 MB) of real RAM, you may want the virtual RAM to be 256 MB. And also, some older operating systems don't support RAM over 512 MB. So it's just a waste to have more than what that operating system supports.
Click "A New Virtual Hard Disk" and click next. Now you get to choose where to put the Virtual Hard Disk. Usually the default is fine. Also set the size of your hard drive in megabytes (1024 Megabytes = 1 Gigabyte).
Finish the wizard. You should see something new in the Virtual PC Console box. It should have your virtual PC.
Click on it and click "Start". You should see a bunch of lines of text, similar to the lines you see when you first start your computer.
Insert the install disk for your operating system.
Follow the directions on the install disk for your operating system. (If you get bored while
it's installing, and you can't move the mouse out of the windows, hold the right Alt key and drag it out of the operating system's box. The install will keep proceeding as normal). If done properly, the install should go smoothly. If it asks you to restart the computer, hold the right Alt key and press R. When the virtual system asks to restart, just restart the virtual system, not the real computer. The system should boot just as you were using it as a real computer.
Congratulations, you set up your first virtual system!

Tips

If the system seems sluggish and you are using a laptop, plug the laptop in. Many laptops reduce their processor speed to maximize battery life.
If you are installing Windows 95, the system will not always start properly. If this is the case, keep restarting the virtual PC until it starts (If you do not do anything with the computer while the computer is in the boot screen, it increases your success rate).
Virtual PC can can be used to check if a program works on a old version of Windows or just for nostalgic reason like to see what an old version of Windows was like.
Explore! You really can't mess up the main operating system. The host and the guest systems are totally separate from each other.
The 'emulation' Virtual PC uses does not emulate most processor technologies (certain operating systems like Linux may not run).

ClearType fonts in Ubuntu

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:39:00 +0000

Turning on ClearType mode if you’re using an LCD monitor helps a lot in improving readability. Ubuntu, by default, doesn’t have ClearType turned on. However, you could achieve really nice font smoothing by just choosing an option in the settings.

In order to turn text smoothing on in Ubuntu, do the following:

Go to System > Preferences > Appearance
Go to the Fonts tab
Under rendering, select Subpixel Smoothing (LCDs)

Click Close

via killertechtips

Email to IT Support: Upgrade from BoyFriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:26:00 +0000

Dear IT Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a
slow down in the overall performance, particularly in the flower, gifts
and jewellery applications that had operated flawlessly under boyfriend
5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 un-installed many other valuable programs,
such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, but installed
undesirable programs such as Formula One 5.0, NBA 3.0 and World Cup 2.0.

And now Conversation 8.0 no longer runs and House Cleaning 2.6
simply crashes the system. I’ve tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these
problems, but to no avail.

What can I do?

Signed,

Desperate Housewife

******************************************************

Dear Desperate Housewife,

First keep in mind: Boyfriend 5.0 is an entertainment package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system.

Try entering the command C:\ I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME and download
Tears 6.2 to install Guilt 3.0. If all works as designed, Husband 1.0
should then automatically run the applications Jewellery 2.0 and
Flowers 3.5.

But remember, overuse can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy
Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Late Night Kebab 6.1. Late Night Kebab
6.1 is a very bad program that will create FartingLoudly.wav files.

Whatever you do, DO NOT install Mother-in-Law 1.0 or reinstall
another Boyfriend program. These are not supported applications and
will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have a
limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might
consider additional software to improve memory and performance. I
personally recommend Hot Tasty Food 3.0 and Tongue Kisses 6.9.

Good Luck,

IT Support

TipBin: Tips @ your tips

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 10:24:00 +0000

Definitions of Tip on the web:

cause to tilt; "tip the screen upward"
mark with a tip; "tip the arrow with the small stone"
give a tip or gratuity to in return for a service, beyond the compensation agreed on; "Remember to tip the waiter"; "fee the steward"
topple: cause to topple or tumble by pushing
the extreme end of something; especially something pointed
tiptoe: walk on one's toes
gratuity: a relatively small amount of money given for services rendered (as by a waiter)
information related to a particular thing or process that could help the interested perform the task with ease or without any problem
an indication of potential opportunity; "he got a tip on the stock market"; "a good lead for a job"
tap: strike lightly; "He tapped me on the shoulder"
tip off: give insider information or advise to; "He tipped off the police about the terrorist plot"
point: a V shape; "the cannibal's teeth were filed to sharp points"
peak: the top point of a mountain or hill; "the view from the peak was magnificent"; "they clambered to the summit of Monadnock"
remove the tip from; "tip artichokes"

We'll talk about the definition in red. This definition relates to the tiny nuggets of information that can have surprisingly profound effects on our lives. They can make life easier and less frustrating; they can make our activities safer; they can make our work more efficient and they can help us save money too.

We always take tips from our granny but after the task is achieved, we seldom bother to archive it, or pass it to the needful. TipBin exactly does this task for us. TipBin is a huge collection of tips posted by users like us who'd like to educate the rest of us with this useful tips. These tips range over a variety of topics. A neat and clever tag cloud lets you easily browse thru the tips related to your topic of interest.

Conceived by Christian Cantrell, TipBin's mission is to:

Make as many tips as possible available to anyone who wants them at any time
Make information easy to find and share with each other
Make it easy to provide feedback on tips so you know which ones you can rely on

Check for the tips on a topic of your interest. Who knows, it could be the very same tip you got from your granny sometime back. Esle it could be a very useful tip that could save you a great deal of money and time. Before you could suggest the world with your tips, you need to register with TipBin.

H1B Application Procedure

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 12:10:00 +0000

In context to my earlier posts on US VISA Interview Appointment and VFS Global, I also felt the need to keep my readers informed with some (or rather complete) info on the complete application procedure. Excerpts from various sources and largely from VFS have helped me put together the information collectively at the tip of your mouse pointer. Please pen your suggestions if this document needs updations with some info that I might have missed.

H1B VISA Application Procedure - Upload a doc

Google: Blackle may not save energy

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 11:43:00 +0000

A new website, Blackle, aims to act as a starting point for eco-conscious web searchers. The site, which serves as a front end for Google searches, reverses the color schemes of search-result pages so users see light-colored text on a black background. It’s a trick that, allegedly, cuts the energy consumption of computer monitors. Blackle claimes it had saved more than 5,500 watt-hours of electricity since its debut in March. Blackle also has an Indian version too!

The Google cache version of the site’s “about” page, which carries some white screen space from Google atop the black page, explains that the site was inspired by a blog by Mark Ontkush claiming that if Google went all-black, it could save 750 megawatt-hours a year (a megawatt-hour is one million watt-hours). But as the blogger mentions, the savings are most likely to accrue from older CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitors, rather than the more-modern, more-compact, more-energy-efficient LCD (liquid crystal display) screens that have come to dominate the market (representing three quarters of all monitors world-wide as of last year).

On LCD displays, color may confer no benefit at all. Cadmus Group, which specializes in energy and environment, and does work for the government; quickly tested this behavior by loading Blackle, Google and the Web site of the New York Times (which is like Google, mostly white on-screen) on two monitors — one CRT, one LCD — and connecting a power meter to both. “We found that the color on screen mattered very little to the energy color consumption of the LCD monitor,” said David Korn of Cadmus. The changes were so slight as to be within the margin of error for the power meter. Tweaking brightness and contrast and settings had a bigger effect. The bulkier CRT screen did see savings with Blackle of between 5% and 20%. Mr. Korn emphasized that this was a quick test, not a rigorous study.

“Even if the energy savings are small, they are representative of the need for each of us to start taking small steps to save energy,” quoted Blackle’s Dr. Heap in an email. “My hope is that by setting Blackle as their home page people will be reminded of this need to save energy each time they go online.” Similar wording appears on Blackle’s “about” page.

Click To Play

Blackle is part of the Google Co-op program, which means it shares in ad revenue from searches. A Google spokesman said, “Google is not affiliated with Blackle and we do not have any additional comments to provide at this time.”

Google says "We applaud the spirit of the idea, but our own analysis as well as that of others shows that making the Google homepage black will not reduce energy consumption. To the contrary, on flat-panel monitors (already estimated to be 75% of the market), displaying black may actually increase energy usage. Detailed results from a new study confirm this."

source:the wall street journal

Gmail's collaborative video

noreply@blogger.com (DWiner) — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 07:31:00 +0000

The Gmail team came up with an idea to stitch together a bunch of video clips that all share one element: someone hands the Gmail M-velope in from the left of the screen, and hands it off to the right. All these videos had to include the Gmail's M-velope logo. Put them all together, and they form one long chain of hand-offs. The number of responses was impressive - more than 1,000 videos. Watch all of them here. Google selected some of the best videos, edited them and created a final video that showcases some of the most important values behind Gmail: creativity, collaboration and fun. Check the video here.