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Sunday, February 28, 2010

Google develops prototype mirror for solar energy

Google has developed a prototype for a new mirror technology that could cut by half the cost of building a solar thermal plant, the company's green energy czar said on Friday.
Bill Weihl said that if development and testing go well, he could see the product being ready in one to three years.
"Things have progressed," Weihl said in an interview. "We have an internal prototype."

Bill Weihl, Google's green-energy czar.
(Credit: Google)
Google has been looking at unusual materials for the mirror's reflective surface and the substrate on which the mirror is mounted.
In solar thermal technology, the sun's energy is used to heat a substance that produces steam to run a turbine. Mirrors focus the sun's rays on the heated substance.
The Internet search engine company, which has been investing in companies and doing research of its own to produce affordable renewable energy, wants to cut the cost of making heliostats, the fields of mirrors that track the sun.
"There is a decent chance that in a small number of years, we could have a 2-X reduction in cost," he said.
Global companies are increasingly investing in green technology as the world grapples with global warming and governments strive to implement regulations that could limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Google has invested in two solar thermal companies, eSolar and BrightSource, with which it has discussed the new mirror technology, Weihl said.
He said the technology was not at a stage where it could be tested externally, but he added that both eSolar and BrightSource were interested in it.
"If it works, it would absolutely be something they would use," he said

Intel to introduce faster Atom chip Monday

Intel plans to release a faster version of its "Pine Trail" Atom processor for Netbooks on Monday, bringing a little extra performance to this popular segment of the laptop market.


Major PC makers are expected to announce--over the coming weeks and months--new products or product refreshes with the new processor, the N470, which will be identical to the current 1.66GHz N450 but get bumped to a speed of 1.83GHz, according to a source familiar with the announcement.
Every little speed increase helps, as Atom processors, compared to their mainstream chip cousins, have always been performance-constrained. Intel uses a different chip architecture for its Atom processors that delivers better power consumption efficiency but lower performance, compared to mainstream Core 2 and Core i series mobile processors. And Atom processors used in Netbooks--small laptops typically priced lower than $350--are almost always single-core, compared to the faster dual-core processors used in mainstream laptops.
Intel's latest Pine Trail Atom processor, introduced late last year, squeezes the graphics function--previously on a separate chip--into the central processing unit.
In related news, Intel is on track to deliver a new "Moorestown" Atom chip targeted at high-end smartphones and mobile Internet devices probably by midyear. Intel, however, has put its Atom-based manufacturing relationship with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) on hold, as first reported by The New York Times.
One source familiar with the tie-up between the two chip-manufacturing giants said there has not been a lot of customer demand for chips--which were expected to go into handheld devices--jointly produced by TSMC and Intel. And finding the right mix of product, engineering, and intellectual property has been a challenge for the pair.

Microsoft takes off gloves against Google

Microsoft left little doubt Friday that it was one of the companies leading the charge against Google worldwide.
In a blog post entitled "Competition Authorities and Search," Microsoft Vice President and Deputy General Counsel Dave Heiner said part of the motivation for Microsoft and Yahoo's search deal was "we are concerned about Google business practices that tend to lock in publishers and advertisers and make it harder for Microsoft to gain search volume." The post comes at the end of a week in which European authorities asked Google to explain its search algorithms after complaints from competitors--one of which is owned by Microsoft.

"Microsoft would obviously be among the first to say that leading firms should not be punished for their success," Heiner wrote in one of Microsoft's strongest public statements regarding Google to date. "Our concerns relate only to Google practices that tend to lock in business partners and content (like Google Books) and exclude competitors, thereby undermining competition more broadly."
A Google representative declined to comment on Microsoft's post.
For all the obsession about Google's supposedly deteriorating relationship with Apple, make no mistake: the two most diametrically opposed companies in the tech industry are Microsoft and Google. The two titans are increasingly locked in a struggle to define the next generation of computing.
Microsoft, of course, has two franchises to defend against Google's moves into operating system and office productivity software, as well as the broader philosophy that the Web--rather than the desktop--is the platform of the future. And for all Google's financial might, it remains mostly a one-trick pony with the vast majority of its resources financed by its search dominance: exactly where Microsoft is aiming with Bing and the Yahoo partnership.
It's personal, too. "Novell, when current Google CEO Eric Schmidt was at the helm, was never hesitant about complaining to regulators about Microsoft," Heiner wrote. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Schmidt are said to despise one another; according to court documents, Ballmer pledged to "f***ing kill Google" after learning of Google's plan to hire a key Microsoft engineer in 2005.
Google has definitely been in the sights of governments around the world over the last several years, although the European Commission's decision to look into its search practices represents a new step. The U.S. Department of Justice was prepared to block a Google-Yahoo search partnership designed to fend off Microsoft in 2008, and has objected to Google's settlement with publishers and authors that is also opposed by the Open Book Alliance: a Microsoft-backed organization.
Competitors have fueled much of this scrutiny, which is how antitrust regulation has begun for decades. As Heiner noted above, Microsoft faced a litany of complaints from competitors that ultimately led to government prosecution, and similar complaints have prompted government action against AT&T and IBM in the past.
"Of course, as we have always said, it is vitally important that competition law authorities also listen to and assess the views of customers, business partners and everyone else affected by a dominant player's business practices. Ultimately what's important is not who is complaining, but whether or not the challenged practices are anticompetitive," Heiner wrote.
As part of Microsoft's meetings with the DOJ over its recently approved search deal with Yahoo, it acknowledged that the conversation turned to Google on several occasions. It's no secret that Microsoft has advanced arguments against Google in the past through a variety of consulting firms and lobbyists, but has very rarely fired such direct and public shots against the company.
"Both search and online advertising are increasingly controlled by a single firm, Google," Heiner wrote. "That can be a problem because Google's business is helped along by significant network effects (just like the PC operating system business). Search engine algorithms 'learn' by observing how users interact with search results. Google's algorithms learn less common search terms better than others because many more people are conducting searches on these terms on Google."
Google has in the past rejected this argument--the company's chief economist Hal Varian went so far as to call it "bogus" last August--in saying that smaller competitors who want to improve their search algorithms can conduct wider testing on the samples they already have. Still, it seems this is a key part of Microsoft's push against Google, arguing that its sheer scale discourages competitors from believing they can match Google's mass of data.
Both Google and Microsoft are at turning points in their history as this debate grows louder. Microsoft's shot will not be the last.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Tombraider Underworld

















I have been playing this game tomb-raider underworld for some time and i liked it very much. I got the game cause it had very good reviews everywhere and after playing it i have to say i am not disappointed at all. The graphics are stunning and the game itself is very interesting. It packs hours of gameplay and replay for sure. I know the game has been out for some time... but if you are out on the market for a good mystery and adventure game then look no further than this.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

New Windows software turns one PC into many

Microsoft announced Wednesday that it is ready with Windows MultiPoint Server 2010, a product that lets schools run a classroom full of systems using just a single computer.
Based on Windows Server 2008 R2, Multipoint allows up to 10 different set-ups, each with their own keyboard, mouse, and monitor to run from a single server.

Windows Multipoint Server allows a multiple students to work off a single PC, each running their own applications and using their own keyboard, mouse and display.
(Credit: Microsoft)
"We heard clearly from our customers in education that to help fulfill the amazing promise of technology in the classroom, they needed access to affordable computing that was easy to manage and use," Microsoft vice president Anthony Salcito said in a statement.
Microsoft had said in November that it was working on the product.
NComputing, which already offers a similar approach using both Linux and standard versions of Windows, said it will incorporate MultiPoint Server across its product lineup.
Hewlett-Packard, ThinGlobal, Tritton and Wyse also plan to build products based on the software.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Malware crashed systems during Windows security updates

Windows systems that crashed during the latest Microsoft security update Last week did so because they were infected with a rootkit program that made changes to the operating system kernel, Microsoft said late on Wednesday.

"The restarts are the result of modifications the Alureon rootkit makes to Windows Kernel binaries, which places these systems in an unstable state," Mike Reavey, director of the Microsoft Security Response Center, wrote in a Blog post. "In every investigated incident, we have not found quality issues with security update MS10-015."

The patch addresses a vulnerability in the 32-bit Windows kernel that could allow elevation of privilege that was disclosed last month.

The Win32/Alureon family of malware can modify DNS settings, hijack searches, and fraudulently click on ads, Microsoft said in a post on its Malware Protection Center Blog. Last year, versions appeared that infect the miniport driver associated with the hard disk of the operating system, the post says.

Microsoft will not offer the patch through Automatic Update for 32-bit Windows systems until a solution is available, but 64-bit versions will be offered.

Anyone believed to have been affected by the Alureon rootkit can visit https://consumersecuritysupport.microsoft.com. Those in the United States can contact Customer Service and Support at no charge using the PC Safety hotline at 1-866-727-2338 (PCSAFETY). Those outside the United States can find local contact numbers at http://support.microsoft.com/international.

Customers who choose not to install the update can implement the workaround or install the update manually as outlined in the MS10-015 bulletin.

"A malware compromise of this type is serious, and if customers cannot confirm removal of the Alureon rootkit using their chosen anti-virus/anti-malware software, the most secure recommendation is for the owner of the system to back up important files and completely restore the system from a cleanly formatted disk," Microsoft said.

For instructions on how to back up your files in Windows, visit this page. For instructions on how to reinstall Windows, visit this page. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help/install-reinstall-uninstall

Chinese Hacker Behind Google Attack Found

U.S. authorities have tracked down the hacker who wrote the code behind the attacks on Google last month.The man is a freelance security consultant with ties to the Chinese government and military. The Chinese government had access to his work, although the man stated he "would rather not have uniformed guys looking over his shoulder, but there is no way anyone of his skill level can get away…

The unidentified programmer had posted pieces of the exploit to a hacking forum, and Chinese officials had "special access" to his work, the financial times reported on Sunday. The programmer did not launch the attack, the report said, citing an anonymous researcher working for the U.S. government.

Last week, The New York Times reported that researchers had traced the attacks to computers at Shanghai Jiaotong University and Lanxiang Vocational School, which has ties to the Chinese military. However, officials at the schools have denied those claims.

Google announced on January 12 that its network had been compromised and e-mail accounts belonging to human rights activists in China had been targeted. As a result, Google said it would stop censoring search results in China and possibly leave the Chinese market altogether. The Chinese government subsequently denied any involvement in the attacks.

Microsoft issued a patch for the IE hole a week after acknowledging the vulnerability, and after exploit code for the hole had been released in the wild.


Daily Gospel

I found this great website to start your day in Prayer with the Lord in the morning its called Daily Gospel and it does exactly as it says. I found it very useful you guys can take a look at it www.dailygospel.org ...

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Be proud to be a Indian and fight for the Country


India has some tough times ahead of it. And we Indians have to be ready to do our part for protecting our country. For the past 5 years the pakistani terrorists are attacking our country and they have taken open responsibility for it. The latest being the Pune Blasts. We Indians need to be united and must have a strong foothold against this. We all need to do anything and everything to help our country in these times. In case you come across any suspicious activity, any suspicious movement or have any information to tell to the Anti-Terror Squad, please take a note of the new ALL INDIA TOLL-FREE Terror Help-line "1090". Your city's Police or Anti-Terror squad will take action as quickly as possible.
And as we are the future of India we need to keep or heads clear of this divide and rule that these anti- Indian powers are trying to do. lets try to get into the Army or Police or do IAS and do what ever we can to save our nation. Even if we end up being a normal citizen let us be a citizen of integrity and do our best to save our India.

Toyota Fortuner





























As you guys know that the Toyota fortuner is now available in India. I had the luck to drive this monster and really liked it. here is what i felt about the Car. Looks wise i like this car more than the latest Ford Endeavour because this one is more muscular and is more modern. The car is tall and is as you expect heavy but it is not that bad in terms of handling. The part where I have a little complain though is in the braking. Maybe its the weight of the car that is doing this don't know for sure though. That being said this is still the best among its class and it gives surprising mileage in my tests i got around 10-11 in city roads which is great for a car this big. I just loved this car so I had to put it on my Blog. as usual. i need you guys Comments.

Sherlock Holmes


I watched the Movie Sherlock Holmes and really loved it the movie has a good overall value. The acting of Robert Downey Jr in the movie is as usual Great and the character of sherlock Holmes itself is shown in total reality. One of my favorite books is Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and in this movie they have shown the true nature of Sherlock with a little exaggeration in the fighting skills to enhance the movie experience. I would suggest its a must watch Movie. What did you guys think about the Movie tell me ??

Friday, February 19, 2010

Microsoft surface spoof

Microsoft Surface is one of the visions it has for the future and i like it too and i am a fan of the technology but they are showing the wrong benefits of it in the add... and i found a spoof Video on the net that shows the wrong side of the add... enjoy it and share :)

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Save our Tigers


If we don't act now we will loose our Tigers
Join the Moment
go to http://www.saveourtigers.com
and support this good cause.
every little bit helps
so spread the word with your friends
because there are just 1411 Tigers left

My Nokia E62




Introduction- Ok today i am writing a blog about one of my most favorite thing in the whole world. Its my phone the Nokia E62. Ya i know its a little old but i just love this thing cause it has never given me any problems.

to start with now this phone might be a little big for all of you who are fond of using a small micro phone, but this phone is not made for those people. This is made for the person who is serious about work and has a lot of work online and has to edit docs and work on the go. Even though i have used many other phones including windows phones this one still is my favorite.

To start with this thing has an amazing battery life. 6 hrs of talktime and around 3days of standby time. And i have tested this baby to the max. Even with all messengers on 24x7 and a few hours of call I still get more than 24 hours from it. Which is great.

Form-factor and build quality- Well as i said before this is not the smallest phone in the world but its not the biggest either. Its nice and slim so it fits very comfortably in the palm of my hand. And the material of the outer casing is some kind of metal which is light and strong. it feels grip y to hold and will not slip out of your hand. Some people say that the paint goes fade or something but i have been using this phone for the past 2-3 years but nothing like that happened yet. I have dropped this phone numerous times but it has not shown any problems. Not even turning off when falling or hang ups. So i will say this is a very rigid phone and one who can take a lot of punishment and i think it is one of the most rigid phones i have.

The phone - As you know this is a phone from the nokia e series which is designed for the hardcore business professional. And this phone never disappoints. The primary objective of this phone is to handle work related things and stay online. The later priority is given to entertainment and fun although this phone does well in that grounds too. So keep that in mind when you want to buy a e series. Check if you fall into this category of user.

The Qwerty pad- This phone has a great qwerty pads i have ever used. It is well spaced and every easy to use. It has just enough space and button size that you can use for writing smoothly without feeling cramped at all. I have spent hours typing on this and it is not at all tiring on the fingers. It has great feedback so you will be sure if u pressed a key and it is very responsive so you will see the thing even if you press gently. It is so comfortable that i am typing this entire thing on the phone.

Office and online work- This is what this phone is made up of and i am sure it will not disappoint in this topic. First lets start with the office programs. The word is great and you can even do editing on this so no matter if you want to touch up a document or just view it or create a document from nothing it always is up for the job. I am creating this review in word from scratch. Then one more thing is sheet or excel. Its very user friendly and behaves just like our excel on pc. It can even understand complex formulas so all your needs are fulfilled. I use this to keep financial data and is always helpful. Then comes presentation editor which is also full featured. Now the online content. Well the inbuilt browser is great and is able to show full web including flash and java. If you have a lot of applications open though then it will sometimes show low memory on really huge pages. If that happens then you can always switch to the wap browser or any other alternate browser. The net experience is fast ans satisfying. If you like to stay online 24x7 like me then all you have to do is configure the inbuilt Im client or use any 3rd party ones like talkonaut. And you will be online in reach always. There is nokias mail for exchange which is great way to get emails on your phone and is always fast. It has online maps and navigation which is able to find your location without a gps and is very accurate.

Media- The phones screen is outstanding and is very large and great for viewing videos and if you install divx player and put avi files in it OMG its so clear and fun. I have put a lot of movies and videos in the phone in a 8gb card and it is always fun to watch them when you are travelling here and there. The default ear-buds just throw them away and get a new better quality one and then use it t listen to music. It is fun and is very satisfying. The default music player is very good and very easy to use it auto updates and so you don’t need to update every-time you have a new song in the phone. You can even put album arts on the phone and it will display it. so it is fun to use the media options. The phone has real player inbuilt and it is gr8 to play 3gp and rm and other formats and also do a little online video streaming.

Extra software's I use - as you kno this is a s60 3rd edition device and there is a world of free and paid software's available for installing in it. some of the software's I use to enhance the mobile experience are Voyager home screen its great to get wether updates and rss feeds and acts as a alternate home screen. It’s a paid software. Talkonaut is another one which I use to stay on my googletalk msn and aim at the same time. Online 24x7. Xplore is a great file explorer and is very useful. It’s a paid software. Opera mini is a great alternate browser. I also use skyfire to watch videos and do advanced Browsing. Kaspersky mobile is the best antivirus and I use it. its paid but totallly worth the safety it gives. Also use a paid software called mobilehelp to manage contacts. Smartget is a downloader I use for downloading.

Hope you liked this post and I always like to hear your valuable comments

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

What this Blog is about

Hi all my readers. I am starting this blog to Write down all the thoughts about the world. and to tell you about my world its mainly filled with gadgets and technology. So thats mainly what you will find here on the blog. New gadgets and new computer stuff and what i think about them. Oh and hope you liked the Crash Override Image I created. The movie Hackers is one of my favorite and My friends call me Crash Override so thought i will use it on My Blog. Please do leave your comments and responses. I always like hearing people.