Technology from a Cool Angle

My last post this semester...

2008-06-04T23:02:00.003+03:00

As my last "monitored" post for this course I would like to say that I learned so many new things. Before I didn’t even know what Web 2.0 is and now here I am with dozens of posts each discussing a new idea about the commercial web.
So as my last post for this semester, I would like to say that hopefully I would be continuing with this blog or maybe start a new blog on my own. (Of course no offense Crystal:P)
I'm glad I chose this topic (Web 2.0) because everyday there's something new about it. I think there's still a lot to be improved in this web but since IT companies are working on it everyday it's going to make a difference, other than introducing the social networks...
Hope what I have written made you learn something new for I have sure learned a lot from this blog...

Jana:)

I hate blogging!!!

2008-06-04T22:45:00.003+03:00

During this course I said a few times this phrase: "I hate blogging!!!"; because sometimes working on getting links and photos that are related to my posts is hectic. However; I think I found a solution to this problem.

Zemanta is a new tool that you can download to make blogging much more fun. It will help you find links, pictures, blogs... that are related to the topic you're dicussing in your post. According to an article I read Zemanta COO Bostjan Spetic said that the tool is pulling in links from a live index of 600 blogs which have been picked from multiple ranking sites, including Technorati. In addition to that listing, it's also pulling in another 400 popular news and entertainment sites like CNN.com and The New York Times. Pretty cool huh?
Guess it's worth a try though I wish I knew about it from before it wouldve saved me alot of time; but I guess for now back to "I love blogging!!!"

P.S: Try the Demo so you can see for yourselves.

Jana:P

Extreme IT

2008-06-04T16:45:00.003+03:00

You think your work life's stressful?

Lots of people would like to describe their jobs as being the boss and way too important. but there are IT professionals whose jobs really do put them on the front lines of a combat zone.. That's how life is described for military of U.S in Afghanastain and Iraq, Military are responsible for communications, networks, and IT system. even though its a desert, and war things where never complicated to the communicatons and networks. some interviews were made with several colonels, explaining that eventhough they where i a battle zone, they have complete network connectivity.EXAMPLE :

Fielden: I've been in Iraq eight months so far, and I'll be out here for four more. I'm the commanding officer of the communications squadron here, which is the home of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing. Our wing also comprises other units that are scattered throughout Iraq, and I play a role in ensuring command-and-control connectivity to our other Air Force locations.

CRYSTAL

Even Web 2.0 needs good connections…

2008-06-01T12:18:00.005+03:00

Web 2.0 isn’t too much different from Web 1.0, since you can retrieve information through both of them. The difference between them though is because of relationships!
It’s funny how in the old days restaurants never had self service nor did gas stations, but now most of them are due to development and the fast pace this century is going at. However; if we consider the web we’ll find the opposite method was followed. Before Web 1.0 was all about self service but now relationships is a must in order to create action and retrieve information. Also, before we used to have keywords, context... for a certain website but now we have users’ data and a billion links that would connect you to other users.
Web 2.0 = Sociability and as I mentioned in one of my previous posts Web 2.0 is all about the people!!!

Jana:)

Criminal : Music Piracy

2008-05-28T16:04:00.002+03:00

In Brooklyn, N.Y a man was convicted of copyright as an act of infringing last week, Knowing that its the largest criminal that had been done in the United states.. Music Piracy. Barry Gitarts, 25, was convicted by a jury in federal court in Alexandria, Va., for his role in the so-called Apocalypse Production Crew, an online piracy group that specialized in stealing and disseminating not-yet-released music.
Barry is senteced for 5 years of jail and fine of $250,000.. Augest 08 his sentence will take place.. According to the prosecutor, Gitarts tried to install Linux software on his server in an attempt to delete his Windows applications and destroy evidence.
People Becareful, especailly the one in the states.. Piracy is a real crime, I hope others will learn from this case and take it serious and stop pirating material from the internet.
CRYSTAL

Web 2.0 like “Swiss Cheese”???

2008-05-27T23:56:00.004+03:00

Yeah I know this sounds weird. But I read an article about Web 2.0 and how it’s unreliable. I’m sure you’ve all experienced unexplainable log outs from Facebook or 404’s from YouTube and so on... I’m not trying to discriminate any of these really respectable social networks, but I’m trying to explain that this is a serious problem facing Web 2.0. I’m going to explain this issue in a pretty simple way: Lets say you have a room that fits usually 50 boxes and all the sudden you put a 1000 boxes in it. That’s exactly what companies using Web 2.0 are doing(making it full of wholes/flaws). A huge number of consumers are using the network that even if they have a prepared infrastructure still it won’t be able to deal with such a huge quantity of users. That’s why Facebook borrowed 100 million dollars to backup its servers to be able to handle this kind of mass usage.
I don’t know if they’ll find a final solution for this, cause I think they’ll have to add server farms everyday if the users’ appetite towards Web 2.0 keeps growing at this pace…
Jana:)

Facebook Security Problem

2008-05-25T15:27:00.005+03:00

Facebook is not really safe, As a researcher found out that security problem Facebook could lead to hackers taking contorl of user accounts. Hacker's can create fake log -in page and steal user's passwords!! A cross-site scripting vulnerability can let an attacker display data from another Web site or run malicious code, which can compromise user data on the targeted Web site.
Crystal :)

India here we come...

2008-05-23T13:21:00.003+03:00

BlogCampPune is a free unconference created by bloggers, for bloggers, about blogging... It is going to take place June 16 in India. A blogcamp will start from a white board, starting from scratch, and all participants/bloggers are supposed to participate. Despite the fact that BlogCampPune is going to be in india everybody can be part of it (via Skype, YouTube...) There is going to be blogging of all kinds; video/photo/...blogging!!!
I guess this is our (bloggers) opportunity to improve our daily bestfriends, our blogs, which have become part of us.

Jana:)

Search the Web in 3D!!!

2008-05-21T21:52:00.004+03:00

SpaceTime is a new 3D browser that suits the Web 2.0 demand today. This new browser spares you time and space. Since most of us use the web intensively, SpaceTime is something we should be considering...
Instead of being lost and frustrated by opening a billion thumbnails and windows, this browser allows you to utilizes the space between each web page and thus facilitates you to view multiple web pages at the same time. Imagine you'll be able to open Ebay pages, Facebook... and you wouldnt be confised by the windows popping up in your face using all this space and making your pc go slower and slower and...
I'm downloading SpaceTime right now; I think you should give it a try too...

Jana:)

SpinBox

2008-05-19T17:43:00.001+03:00

What is SpinBox? it s a trakcing system tool that track the online campaign it gives us a real time report on the impresisons delivered. In other words, it's an internet appliance
that simplifies the changing of our Web advertising and content. SpinBox was built for speed, presenting visitors to the Web site with targeted, rotating content at up to 35 million times a day. With the product's intelligent targeting, your content and ads receive optimum exposure and its real-time, Web-based, graphical reporting allows monitoring of all activity.

CRYSTAL

Nasa Save Computers from Ants?

2008-05-18T22:32:00.002+03:00

Ants are heading toward Houston and taking radio's, computer's, and even vehicles in their path can you imagine? Well, Ants are causing all kinds of trouble for example, they are short-circuiting computers in homes and offices and knocking systems offline in major businesses. Ants are searching for food imagine any space they find they go in to check for food. Attack of the (computer) killer ants: Pests taking out machines along Texas Gulf Coast. Ants can be affecting our computers too, since its afecting the gulf as well.. Raspberry said he found three colonies at the NASA site, but all were small enough to control.
CRYSTAL !!

"Crime Web2.0": Untraceable

2008-05-18T11:55:00.004+03:00

As I told you, this week my posts are going to be a little tragic. But unlike my previous post this one is not real, for I want to discuss a movie I watched last week...

Untraceable is movie that talks about a website called "KillWithMe" that was created by a serial-cyber killer, who uses it to kill his victims live on a webcam and everybody gets to watch... The movie is called untraceable since the murderer could change his website's IP address constantly, and as you can read (the image to the left) the more the viewers numbers increase the faster the victim dies. The reason I wanted to tell you guys about this movie is because: First, it shows how Web2.0 could be used in the most terrible ways and second, the movie made me realize how much this Web has affected media. The movie also discusses something we learned in Mass Communication (my major today) which is that people sometimes find pleasure in seeing other individuals' suffering and pain. That's a terrible thing and I know you are thinking: "Oh my God, of course not!!" but yes we all do... Even the movie shows how the number of viewers started decreasing when the criminal was being caught...

I guess all we can do is hope that no one would use Web 2.o for evil, like Lori Drew (previous post) or the cyber killer in "Untraceable" did...

Jana:(

"Crime Web 2.0": A MySpace Prank Causes Suicide!!!

2008-05-16T20:19:00.002+03:00

This week I’m not going to bring you guys good news regarding Web 2.0. I’m going to call the posts of this week “Crime Web 2.0”…

November 2007, a fake account on MySpace was created by Lori Drew and her daughter to harass a 13 year old, Megan Meier. Drew, who lived 2 blocks away from the Meier’s, decided to supervise the account by the name “Josh Evans” to bully Megan for she had an on off friendship with her daughter. It was a kind of “getting back” at Megan which ended tragically… Meier had ADD as well as psychological problems. She was fat and she had troubles coping with the world around. I still remember how I was when I was a teenager and we all knew how much hard it is to feel that you belong and being over weight didn’t help Megan at all!!!!
So Josh Evans was showing Megan that he cares for her and she found him “HOT” as he mother said so she used to rush home everyday to communicate with him using MySpace. However; one day Josh started being really mean to Megan… and the last message was that he thinks the world would be better without her!!!
These mean words really hurt the 13 year old and she ended up hanging herself in the closet. After the dreadful suicide, a lady who was another neighbor to the Meier’s, asked to meet them and told them that her daughter was present sometime while Lori and her daughter were sending her messages on MySpace; she told them that her daughter received a call from Lori to tell her that something bad happened and she shouldn’t mention the account… The lady was sorry that her daughter didn’t tell her earlier but she thought it was ok since a trusted adult was allowing it…
The problem is that till now they are trying to accuse Drew of harassing a teenager but there is no such thing in law as “cyber bullying”. Now they’re trying to reopen the case by accusing Lori Drew of not abiding the rules of MySpace, since she created a fake account… But till now Drew is still not penalized for attacking an innocent 13 year old…
I guess the misuse of social networks can be fatal sometimes… And some people are sick and creative enough to commit such obscene actions!!!

Jana:(

Apology!!!

2008-05-12T17:48:00.006+03:00

We want to apologize to our readers for not updating our blog periodically.
Due to the recent situations in our country, we are often unable to access the internet. Hope this problem will be resolved soon and we'll keep you updated...

Jana & Crystal:)

Transparency = Fidelity

2008-05-12T15:49:00.006+03:00

I read a post by Greg Swann that made me think of Web 2.0 from a different angle...

Yes of course web 2.0 has transformed us to a new "globalozed social network" as I'd like to call it, however; this web has been moving intesively towards being commercial... From eBay to Blogs, these spaces are all providing a network of exchanging Data between consumers, whether information or actual objects...

Now, how would one be able to know if he's not being manipulated by the dishonest use of the commercial web?

Well Greg Swann figured a solution for that... I know you're all thinking transparency. Well, yes absolutely but that's the general view of the issue. It's not that easy, I mean if it's like that then any participant on eBay can just say: "Well I'm giving you product X for $Y, and fyi I'm known for my transparency on the web..." It's not about what you say!! It's about what other people think of your products, if we're talking about eBbay. It's about providing links. Links of real that commented on something you did, or for example, thought that the information you provided in a certain post, are coming from reliable sources and should be considered.
Web 2.o consumers are becoming more and more sophisticated as Swann said. Therefore; in order to convince them that you're different then the whole corporate conspiracy that’s attacking them everywhere, you ought to be transparent...

Jana:)

"The Widget Economy"

2008-05-12T14:18:00.005+03:00

Widgets have become the new trend for Web 2.0's social networking. Facebook, Myspace... have adopted this new kind of applets that are used for commercial purposes of course, in the commercial web today! Now companies can merge brand names in a customer's daily use to a social network web. By using applications such as games, quizzes... the consumer/user will subconsciously be confronted by brand names without realizing it. The ad will be integrated in your work that you won’t even notice...
It’s a new way to connect brands with consumers!!!

Jana:)

Vista Is More Secure Than XP?

2008-05-11T20:30:00.001+03:00

Most of you think that Windows XP is such a blast but there is something you should know, Windows Vista is more secure in 37% than Windows XP. Not many users use Vista, its lower number than XP. But its not that secure that we can give up on antivirus for example. Using different data collection techniques, Microsoft has recently asserted that Vista is 60% more secure than XP
People should have good security software and keep their PC’S updated. Microsoft, however, has recently claimed that Vista is more secure than XP, and by a greater margin than what Greene and PC Tools allege.
CRYSTAL

Printers That Make Drugs

2008-05-11T20:28:00.001+03:00

A top Microsoft Corp. Executive said that we can start using computer printers to make simple medicines as part of a do it yourself model health care. How? Printers as we know, are already liquid delivery systems, But instead of putting ink we can put ingredients of different medications. It would be part of several devices that could increasingly use IT for health diagnosis and treatment. Anyways, this technology is unavailable today Microsoft said it’s just an idea. I can hardly wait until this Technology sees light!
CRYSTAL

Back to a message in a bottle!!!

2008-05-06T01:32:00.002+03:00

I commented on critiquemyblog.com once, and then there is this member called Mimi Lenox that royally tagged me to join this service she created called Message In a Bottle . Anyone can participate in that by typing a message he might like to deliver to someone one day and this message will float around in cyberspace freely. I thought its a really innovative idea and it makes a person feel free to express their feelings. Try it!!!

Jana:)

Web 2.0 Summit!

2008-05-05T23:00:00.003+03:00

The Web 2.0 Summit is taking place in November (5-7) 2008, in San Francisco, CA.

This Summti is going to enhance Web 2.0. The internet leaders are going to bring new ideas in order to innovate the "commercial web". Its the Summit's 5th annual anniversary under the theme "tapping the Web to address the world's most pressing limits".

I'm sure it's going to add some nice twists to the Web...

Jana:)

PhotoBucket the next Flickr??

2008-05-05T22:29:00.007+03:00

PhotoBucket along with Fotoflexer (with their new partnership) have become the new trend in editin pictures online. Alex Welch, PhotoBucket's CEO said that there is a ton of developers writing applications for OpenSocial and Facebook, therefore; there's a huge appetite for writing against these APIs. As a result the traffic for PhotoBucket is going to increase this bringing alot of ads and sponsorship deals...

Photobucket is considered a host for pictures used on social communities such as Facebook, Myspace.. till now...

So take a look at the new improved version of Flickr: PhotoBucket.

Jana:)

Toshiba .. Samsung??

2008-05-05T22:24:00.002+03:00

Samsung Electronics has rose to 37% in the first quarter due to its strength of mobile phones.. and it got weakend by the liquid crystal displays offset.. while Toshiba in Japan said its profit fell to 1.25 billion yen ($12 million). The technology had been competing against Blu-ray disc technology. Panasonic brand products, five major Hollywood movie studios and others.
Crystal:D

Apple Today!

2008-05-05T22:15:00.004+03:00

It seems that Macs Sales level is getting higher than Apple’s. Mac Books are flying of the shelves recently more than apple’s laptop. Even though iphones are ongoing shortage but COO Tim Cook would only say that Apple is still committed to hitting the 10 million mark by the end of the year. I see that its about time another company to take a lights off apple for a while and to have market challenge. 1 trillion iphone were sold people can u imagine!! No matter what Mac will invent soon, I don’t think it will reach the big numbers Apple reached. What do you think ?!

Crystal:D

Good News For iTunes lovers!

2008-05-05T22:05:00.002+03:00

Apple is making full movie downloads available on the same day DVDs are released. New-release downloads will be priced at $15, while catalog titles will still cost $10 per download.. The obvious loser is the DVD format according to Bill Gates, will be obsolete by 2014 anyway. I think paying 15$ on downloading is still better than buying a DVD from a store for 25$ and if people really care for covers I think that the company should think of a website where people can download as well the cover of the DVD Apple's embrace of digital distribution points to the weak spots in Netflix's and Blockbuster's strategies. I think that their will be no replacement for dvd’s (CD) people still will buy DVDs from shops.

Crystal:D

I guess music lessons are old news...

2008-05-05T17:24:00.004+03:00

InTheChair is a musical instrument instruction web app with a golden ear and infinite patience. It is a computerized music teacher that helps music lovers/students learn how to play certain songs. This app monitors the way you're playing through your pc's microphone and gives you the right judgment... All you have to do is use StarPlay and listen to proffessionals while you're palying your analogue instrument.

Also InTheChair allows music teachers to give comments or make remixes... on eachother's music sheets!!

I guess you don't have to hear your music teacher yell at you for playing too fast... anymore!!!

Jana:)

Biographicon (Continuation)

2008-04-22T00:03:00.010+03:00

I decided to add this post to expalin a point regarding Biographicon...

While I was checking out this website, I realized that everybody is allowed to edit the details in your biography/other people's biography... So just out of curiosity I sent an email to Biographicon's team and they responded shortly:

Me: > how do I know that nobody's gonna mess up my biography.. Let's say sombody hates me and wants to add some false info about me... waiting for your reply...

But i really like the idea of Biographicon...It's original!!!<

Feedback: >Hi! Well, that's a great question. The answer is, there is no way to be sure that someone won't ever put some false information in your biography. Generally, the way to guard against this, if you are worried about it, is to periodically check up on your biography. Very glad that you like the site. Please come by any time. Thanks for your comments!<

Just in case anybody was wondering about the same thing, hope this helped...

P.S: If you have any other questions, go to their site and send a message to FEEDBACK!!

Jana:)

Facebook .. Translating ?

2008-04-21T23:49:00.002+03:00

How would you feel using an arabic Facebook, Russain, Chinese and a lot more?Lately the company is trying to provide Its users around the world are translating Facebook's visible framework into nearly two dozen languages for free. The goal of it to have one day everyone on the planet using Facebook! Aint it cool?The concept of collaborative translation is familiar in open-source programming communities. But Facebook's effort - as it builds sites in Japanese, Turkish, Chinese, Portuguese, Swedish and Dutch to join versions in Spanish, French and German that launched this year - is among the highest-profile attempts to harness users' energy to do work traditionally handled by professionals.The Spanish-language version has taken a particular beating for grammatical, spelling and usage problems throughout.
A lot of people have added the translation application.. for example Poke in facebook in Spanish is :dar un toque..in French : faire un signe..in Germany :anstupsen..Too bad for the Japenes they didn’t find and equivlant so they decided to stick to the original facebook! :D

CRSYTAL!

If YouWereMe...???

2008-04-20T14:17:00.004+03:00

I guess Web 2.0 is helping us find new horizons for communication...

Imagine you see a complete stranger on the street and ask for his opinion about your daily life matters??

YouWereMe, a free web service that offers real-time everyday life consulting to users from users, made this possible today!!!

You don’t have to be an expert to participate. It’s just about opinions and perspectives, so accuracy and knowledge doesn’t matter.

YouWereMe however; is different from usual Q&A websites since no specific knowledge is necessary to support and help others.

Just describe your subject and specify the profile of the person you want to seek advice from (age, origin or gender… etc), and you can start chatting with users who will be able to give you their own point of view...

Why not???

Jana:)

You can be famous too...

2008-04-20T13:52:00.005+03:00

You know that on Wikipedia you can find biographies about celebreties... However not all people are allowed to have their biographies there ofcource...

TechCrunch has reviewed Biographicon, which promises to be somewhere between Wikipedia and social networking. The Biographicon is the place for everyone's biography.

It's not like facebook, linkedIn... because these only allow the user to edit their profile, but with Biographicon everybody's allowed to edit your biography...

It's something original! If you like it join now by entering your own biography... Since their success largely depends upon its users. (If it doesn’t receive enough traction, users won’t bother to add more information to it.)

Check out Fairuz's Biography!

What are you waiting for start searching for people, or try to write your own Biography....

Jana:)

ShutDown Day?? (Additional Topic)

2008-04-20T13:22:00.004+03:00

I just thought I should pass this on to you guys...

There's this Organisation http://shutdownday.org/ that spreads awareness against excessive use of computers and it is empowering that by specifying May 3rd, 2008 to be a shutdown day. So if you think you can live without your computer for 1 day check out their wesite mentioned above and participate...

I think this is a great idea especially that this year they are doing flash mobs (According to Wikipedia, "A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief period of time, then quickly disperse.")

The challenge is on! You don't have to participate personally, but atleast see if you can get away from you computer for "1 single day"...

Jana:)

Google Screwed Up My Space????

2008-04-19T22:46:00.002+03:00

Well, lots of geniuses are trying to figure out how to earn money by social networks.. For example MySpace, Hi5, facebook.. Like people they don’t check facebook or any of those social networks to buy a bar of chocolate! Lol! But they're there to connect with friends.
Any how, Google has an agreement with MySpace, which has proven unfortunately disappointing.. the deal was that google will serve advertisement on MySpace till 2010. In return it will pay the social network $900 million as part of a revenue share agreement..

The problem is :
If Google doesn't make enough money over MySpace to meet the minimum revenue-share requirements, it has dig deep and make those payments, anyway. And thus far, the deal has shaved roughly 1.5 percent off the company's gross margins, according to estimates from Bernstein Research analyst Jeffrey Lindsay.
All In all, the company's main purpose is business is search, not social media.. Google said on yesterdays earning s conference call that they’re trying new things –including demographic target-and they’ve seen progress…
Well i don’t know how companies earn money in adv. On social netwrok while people are on to chat. For example , i get really annoyed when an adv pops up out of no where.. some adv are just way to useless :S !

Crystal:D

3D Movies Home and Theatre

2008-04-19T15:15:00.003+03:00

“3D movies” that sounds fun! A current technology that will make 3D movies a standard entertainment both at home and at the theater in 3-4 years. But while searching I found out that the Stereoscopic 3D is well and alive at the 3D Center of Art & Photography in Portland, Oregon.
http://www.3dcenter.us
In theaters, tickets of 3D movies didn’t make much revenue though it was new theaters. Since people nowadays have home theaters and they can bring the DVD and watch it at home.
Filmmakers and studios alike have promised their allegiance to 3-D... Disney and Pixar announced this week that it will release all of its films in 3-D, starting with Bolt, which is appointed for a November release.... DreamWorks Animation says that by 2009 all of its movies will be released in 3-D. James Cameron is working on big-budget 3-D sci-fi flick called Avatar, and George Lucas is working on remastering all the Star Wars movies in 3-D.”
For studios, the financial allure of 3-D is twofold: The technology can't easily be replicated in home theaters (yet); and moviegoers are still willing to pay a premium for 3-D films. The big question is whether the technology is a game changer or just a short-lived gimmick to drive ticket sales, like Smell-O-Vision -- or, for that matter, the 3-D technology of the 1950s. 'This is a serious visualization technology that's just begun to be used for entertainment,' says Elizabeth Brooks, chief marketing officer of 3-D system maker RealD, which has about 97 percent of the 3-D market. 'It's been used by NASA and by scientists who need to render things perfectly. It's my job to sing the company's praises, but if the technology weren't good, [filmmakers] wouldn't be planning to make as many 3-D films as they're making.'
In the end this technology is there, the purpose of it is not just movies but its getting closer to act for the internet, games and Media experience. But for me I prefer watching a 3D movie and home rather than in theaters that way ill be more comfortable, and nobody will disturb me…

Crystal!

Guess Learning Could Be Fun: MindBites!!!

2008-04-13T19:57:00.003+03:00

While I was searching for a new topic to write about, something really interesting caught my attention. There's a new space called MindBites that has become so popular lately...
It is part of Web 2.0 of course since it has a user-generated content, instructional videos actually... MindBites is a self-publishing platform and social marketplace for instructional content, which enables people to share their unique knowledge, skills and passions through audio and video lessons, earning money for themselves or for charity. That way you won’t only be communicating with people but helping them learn something new... It's a HIT. I think MindBites is an original idea that used Web 2.0 in a perfectly efficient way...
Jana:)

Microsoft, News Corp. Team Up in Unholy Agreement

2008-04-13T10:38:00.004+03:00

It's all about Dealing and Fighting in the end,in my opinion.. Should people worry about Myspace?Microsoft joint? Let us check :
Microsoft moved rapidly in response to yesterday's news that Yahoo is closing in on a deal with AOL. The software giant is reportedly joining forces with News. Corp. to submit a joint offer for Yahoo.
Under the agreement, News Corp. would buy Yahoo, and the three companies(Microsoft, Yahoo and News Corp.)& would combine their online assets, which include MSN, Yahoo and MySpace. The Times says "it's a shift in strategy for News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch, who reportedly met with Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang early on and offered to help fend off Microsoft."
Under the terms of the Yahoo-AOL deal, Time Warner would risk off AOL assets (excluding the dialup ISP) on Yahoo, & put a cash investment in the combined company, and take a 20% equity stake in it.Yahoo would use the Time Warner cash to buy back a few billion dollars in stock to drive the share price back up, thus possibly quiet sulky investors.

But still not sure and clear that the AOL agreement would do much to satisfy unhappy investors. Yahoo will still be affected by the same problems that it had before the Microsoft takeover bid. The winning of AOL = 10 billion $! thats a quiet huge amount of profit!!!
"We think shareholders would prefer to cash out via a Microsoft offer — with or without News Corp. — rather than keep Yahoo in the hands of current Yahoo management with the addition of a troubled asset called AOL," says Laura Martin, an analyst with Soleil-Media Metrics. "I think Yahoo management has lost its credibility in terms of execution and strategy — not just because of its operational weakness, but also because of how they have handled the Microsoft bid."
Steve Ballmer that served Yahoo with an ultimatum says that if the deal is not done before 3weeks as a deadline of 26April,Microsoft will launch a proxy battle to take over Yahoo's board.
I wish they will agree on the deal and finish before the deadline unless A Battle will start all over the place :S! Anyways, Ill keep you people Updated!
http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/04/report-report-m.html
CRYSTAL!:D

The IT World!

2008-04-11T09:06:00.005+03:00

First, What is an IT? I think many people Have no idea what an IT is. Likewise, At first i didnt know what it really means! Being in Class Of Media and New Technology it open our eyes to New Technologies and many different ways to search all around about New Tech& media in different sources! I choose this topic bc i see that most of the world is innneed of IT especailly big companies like Apple, Mirosoft, Yahoo... and alot more!
IT: Information Technology
IT : Is The development, installation, and implementation of computer systems and applications. Both hardware and software, and often including networking and telecommunications, usually in the context of a business or other enterprise.. in other words :Breaking Tech News For Technology Executives,Software To Help Your Business Succeed!
Fisrt Topic im goin to talk about is :

Apple to New York City: Bite Me!

The Big Apple has a new logo, and Apple says: Drop dead.
At issue is the visible symbol representing an abstract idea for New York City's GreeNYC , which has started to appear around the city on bus shelters, hybrid gasoline-electric taxicabs and even Whole Foods shopping bags.
The GreeNYC logo shows a stylized apple with a stalk and a leaf. It bears a resemblance to Apple's famous logo. A resemblance Apple says exceed the limits of its trademark. The city has applied for a trademark on the logo, but Apple has filed a formal opposition obtained by Wired.com. Saying that:
"The Cupertino, California, company calls for the trademark to be denied, claiming the city's logo will confuse people and "seriously injure the reputation which [Apple] has established for its goods and services."

New York says: Getdafugoutaheya.

"The city believes that Apple's claims have no merit and that no consumer is likely to be confused," says Gerald Singleton, the intellectual-property lawyer representing the Big Apple. "This well-known city is using its new design in a variety of contexts that have absolutely nothing to do with Apple Inc."

Apple is no stranger to trademark disputes, but has typically been on the receiving end of agreement claims. Apple Corps, holder of the Beatles business interests, struggled the company for years over its trademark. That legal strike was finally resolved last year, with Apple having the entire brand and an visible agreement to license certain trademarks back to Apple Corps.

Cisco Systems also filed suit over Apple's use of the iPhone trademark last year, and both companies finally agreed to share the iPhone name..
In the end, Beth Goldman, an attorney at Heller Ehrman and head of the firm's San Francisco trademark group. Was trying to to make a point and clear the situation. As for Singleton , she says that not before 6 to 9 months a final decision is made by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the patent office.
In my opinion, and my readings i found that Apple had many problems with different comapnies for example microsoft! That ill be talking about the case soon.. I mean like take a break Apple and stop making big deal all have similar designs and plus i see that this logo is similair to googels as a friend commented on the discusion board you think it should eneter the struggle ???? :D
CRYSTAL

RE: Is Web 2.0 Amoral?

2008-04-09T22:30:00.006+03:00

Well I read this article on Wired.com posted by Nicholas Carr on October 3, 2005.
We were talking about the word Amoral in class on the same day I read the article, that's why I got too curious to know more about it...
Therefore; I decided to give a nuetral conclusion based on several sources i used while learning more about Web 2.0... First, I would like to say that Web 2.0 was a great invention for the worldWideWeb. I mean the reason behind its creation was to let humans enjoy their "own" world of peace, liberty and intellegence. I also read that in the future, according to Kevin Kelly, the Web will grant us not only the vision of gods but also their power... (Im a believer so I kinda doubt that but I do understand that the Web will shift humans to a much advanced and powerful level!) However; We have to admit that Web 2.0 has alot of flaws... I'm with Xeni Jardin that when you invite the whole world to your party, inevitably someone pees in the beer. I mean ofcource...
We all suffer from spam, SEO's, junk diaries filled with keyword-rich text to lure traffic for ad revenue. ..
All that is true! I dont know about Wikipedia though I mean i thought Wiki is ranked as equally leveled with Britannica. In the end there are experts that evaluate everything added to Wiki and they decide whether to accept it or not. So it is done by experts too... Although I dont like the downside of that for the economy because encyclopedias', newspapers'... business is going down. We use information we find on the web and use them, we even take them sometimes from blogs and Wikipedia (as in Web 2.0) etc... As for the fact that Web2.0 is supporting the participation of amatuers... Yes, there are amatuers but as a reader, I should be aware of that, I should be able to know what I can consider as a reliable source and yes Wiki is one reliable source that's what Im taught. Ofcourse you shouldnt use Wikipedia as your only source, actually you shouldnt use only 1 source even if it's Britanica, but Wiki is helpful to get an overview of a certain subject... Also, Im against using Web 2.0 for advetising puposes like some companies increase the traffic their site receives from search engines (SEO) but ofcourse ads should still be part of it and can never not be. Any good marketing plan should include participating in something like Web 2.0 that invaded the web so quickly...

The solution in my opinion is to assign protectors for Web 2.0 that would prevent cracks such as spam and so on just like the online photo-sharing service Flickr which, despite its open nature and robust membership growth, has so far remained relatively parasite-resistant. So I think its not impossible to reach that if each society worked on this problem solely.
Is Web 2.0 Amoral? Ofcourse, but i think its closer to being moral than immoral...

Jana:)

Technorati.com

2008-04-06T20:56:00.003+03:00

Technorati Profile

Internet Vs. Books...

2008-04-02T22:22:00.005+03:00

I've checked alot of sites and I noticed that the book industry is going down... There is a revolution of publishing via internet... For instance the E-book is an invention that most people are using nowadays and has become a major replacement of Real books. This way you can have your own library in this small electronic device thats coming in small and different shapes and forms...

Also, there is http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.packtpub.com/, http://www.ereadable.com/... which are websites that actually sell books online...

In addition there are:

-E-Bookstores: There are special e-bookstores that sell only e-books. These sites generally offer more information on the titles, authors, publishing houses, and provide e-book news and reviews.

-Publishing House Sites: Some publishing houses have set up sites to sell directly to you both print and electronic books. These include the Print-on-Demand publishers who print a copy of a book only after you've paid for it. They almost always offer electronic editions of these books, too.

Also Check out:http://www.galttech.com/research/buying-online/online-bookstores.php

There are alot of new ways for publshing and wherever you click while searching for a book you'll find Ads that say: "Are you an author? Looking for a publisher?"...

Who knows what the future holds for "Books"? Our children might not have to read in the future, maybe the information will be downloaded to their brain immediately:P

P.S: I was checking punlishing news and by chance visited a blog: http://bookpublishingnews.blogspot.com/. If anybody's interested in book publishing, you might like to check it out...

It's all about the people...

2008-04-01T21:01:00.012+03:00

I know that Web 2.o has been there for a while, I mean Wikis have been around since 1995 now, but i decided to talk about it becuase until now, I feel people dont really understand its significance. Web 2.0 have brought communication and media to a whole new level...

- Web 2.0 has numerous definitions. Tim O'Reilly regards Web 2.0 as business embracing the web as a platform and using its strengths (global audiences, for example). O'Reilly considers that Eric Schmidt's abridged slogan, don't fight the Internet, encompasses the essence of Web 2.0 — building applications and services around the unique features of the Internet, as opposed to building applications and expecting the Internet to suit as a platform (effectively "fighting the Internet").
Web 2.0 websites allow users to do more than just retrieve information. They can build on the interactive facilities of "Web 1.0" to provide "Network as platform" computing, allowing users to run software-applications entirely through a browser. Users can own the data on a Web 2.0 site and exercise control over that data.
W: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2#Characteristics

Web 2.0 services are sometimes defined as web activities that get more valuable the more people use them.
It turned out that alot of executives use Web 2.0 in their daily life.

LinkedIn

This is probably the easiest Web 2.0 tool to integrate into your day-to-day operations, because it's built around the business résumé. To get going, you just enter your curriculum vitae, search for the names of people you know and trust, and invite them to "connect" to you.

Facebook

We all know facebook... Forrester (FORR) CEO George Colony thinks every marketer should be using Facebook, if only to see what its 67 million members are up to.

Twitter

A relative of the IM (instant message) and diminutive cousin of the blog, Twitter is a free service that encourages members to broadcast moment-to-moment updates of what they're doing or thinking in 140 characters or less.
Blip.tv, a New York-based Internet video startup, uses Twitter to eavesdrop on its customers. In January it started hearing complaints there about one part of its service, a problem it quickly corrected.

Dopplr

It is used for sharing travel itineraries.
J.P. Rangaswami a managing director at BT has become a heavy user of this tool. Before Dopplr, which launched last December, it took repeated e-mails to keep contacts informed of his whereabouts. Now his 140 Dopplr contacts know where he is at any moment.
Also, Jigsaw invites you to upload and publish your collection of business cards. At Jobscore you and other executives can swap the résumés of job candidates you don't hire and so on...
W:http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/19/technology/web2.0_goofing.fortune/index.htm

Web 2.0 Summit focuses on emerging business and technology developments that utilize the Web as a platform and defines how the Web will drive business in the future.
As important though, is the tangible value which the Web 2.0 provides today:
- Leveraging The Long Tail. Amazon and eBay used this idea to build companies worth billions and billions. This is how. Web 2.0 provides both the audience and the services.
- Small Pieces, Loosely Joined. Monolithism is dead, we can't build big stuff like that any more. It's not agile nor can what you build be aggregated, deliver sustained value, or even survive for long.
- Self-Service and Participation. Fostering this lets you capture new value in your Web 2.0 apps 24 hours a day. Examples: Tagging, ranking, trackbacks, reputations.
- Radical Decentralization. Single sources of function are single sources of failure and are unacceptable now. And they don't scale to either deliver or capture significant value.
- Emergent Behavior. Your Web 2.0 functionality can be reused, remixed, aggregated, and syndicated and the resulting value reintegrated back into your application.

Web 2.0 thrives on another cool technology called RSS. As many of you already know, RSS allows users to get automatic updates when a site changes instead of checking it all the time to get the latest information. One simply subscribes to the site’s RSS feed, and as content changes the information is automatically delivered to your RSS reader or aggregator.
With Web 2.0 RSS kicks in the turbo and becomes widely used to syndicate, filter and re-mix news, articles and other types of content into new information items.

Some great examples of this Web 2.0 approach include:

Andale.com, a site that analyzes sales information from eBay and pr ov i d es it to users so they can best take advantage of the auction site. Another is HousingMaps.com, a sit e powered by Craigslist.org and Google Maps, but not officially affiliated with either .

We also have http://www.blogger.com/ which bloggers like myself are its source of information and usage, In addition, there is http://www.youtube.com/ and which people's videos are its whole content, http://www.secondlife.com/...

Tim Bray writes:
More immediately, Web 2.0 is the era when people have come to realize that it's not the software that enables the web that matters so much as the services that are delivered over the web. Web 1.0 was the era when people could think that Netscape (a software company) was the contender for the computer industry crown; Web 2.0 is the era when people are recognizing that leadership in the computer industry has passed from traditional software companies to a new kind of internet service company. The net has replaced the PC as the platform that matters, just as the PC replaced the mainframe and minicomputer.

More to come is Web 3.0! It's all about being connected now...

Jana:)

Creative Zen

2008-04-01T20:03:00.004+03:00

As a Gadget obsessed person or in other words "lover", I always search for what's new on the market! While searching i found Creative Zen! I decided my personal posts to new gadget.. Ofcourse this gadget is going to have to do with Media&New Technologies

What is Creative Zen? Are you Bored from Apple MP3 and Others???

Well Creative Zen is s Flash-Based MP3 player Has many Advantages and 1 disadvantage to me.

Advantages :

1.reduced size

2. five-band equalizer

3. play FLAC or Ogg Vorbis audio codecs

4.can handle most audio formats, including Apple's AAC files.

5. works with MPEG-4, DivX4, DivX5, XviD, and WMV video files.

6.A standard mini-USB jack built into the Zen's tiny frame.

7. has a 30-hour play time for audio files (5 hours for video)

8.Zen comes bundled with few accessories: a good pair of earbuds, a short USB cable, and an instruction pamphlet.

9. it costs around 179.00$..184.00 $..300$ (depends on the market)

10.have a built-in SD Card slot to accommodate an instant space upgrade.

DISADVANTAGES:

1. lack the funky Wi-Fi functionality of Apple's iPod Touch

All in All, I just loved this device and i think its a Useful one as well! In the end whatever comforts my life i seek to searh for and what brings fun,music,photos,games is what fulfill my my entertainment needs ;)!

PS: playstations with its different versions, Game cube and Gameboy are considered as part of my preferable entertaiment Of New Technologies!

CRYSTAL

Cyberpunk's Subgenre: "Steampunk"

2008-03-31T14:48:00.009+03:00

Steampunk is a term set in an era or world where steam power was still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often set in Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. It is a subgenre of fantasy and speculative fiction which came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s.

In other much easer words; what i understood from several websites that steampunk is a style or form of thinking usually expressed in novels, movies... is a look towards the future but it was between the 80s and 90s so it was called steam punk becuase steam was a really important source of energy...

Apart from time period, the main difference between cyberpunk and steampunk is that steampunk settings tend to be less obviously dystopian (Dystopia: An imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror).

The origins of steampunk date back to the pioneering science fiction works of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Mark Twain and Mary Shelley. Each of these authors wrote works featuring advanced technology and set in the nineteenth or early twentieth century.

An additional influence on the creation of steampunk are the Edisonade stories of the late 1800s and early 1900s, written by Edward S. Ellis, Luis Senarens and others, in which their characters Johnny Brainerd, Frank Reade, Jr., Tom Edison, Jr., and Jack Wright used steam-powered and technologically-advanced vehicles to adventure across the United States and around the world...

Jana:)

What is CyberPunk?

2008-03-31T14:11:00.005+03:00

Definiton:

Cyberpunk is about expressing (often dark) ideas about human nature, technology and their respective combination in the near future.

Cyberpunk, essentially, is a form of speculative fiction that deals with a high-technology future. Cyberpunk is almost never happy, and usually leaves the reader in a 'life sucks' mood. The reader should not want to enter the little world that you create. Cyberpunk is a warning as to what might happen in the future.

Required reading material for people who want to know more about cyberpunk is:
Neuromancer, by William Gibson
Count Zero, by William Gibson
Snow Crash, by Neil Stephenson
Mirrorshades, a cyberpunk anthology, edited by Bruce Sterling

Most important cyberpunk themes:

Negative Impact of technology on humanity

Fusion of man and machine

Corporate control over society

Ubiquitous Access to information

Story focuses on the underground

More into the world of CyberPunk...

The words 'cyber' and 'punk' emphasize the two basic aspects of cyberpunk: technology and individualism. Meaning of the word 'cyberpunk' could be something like 'anarchy via machines' or 'machine/computer rebel movement'.
The technology of cyberpunk is ultratechnology, which mixes genetic material from animal to animal, from animal to man, or from man to animal. This technology raises human embryos for organ transplants, creates machines that think like humans and humans that think like machines. This is a technology designed to keep people within the 'system' that dominates the lives of most 'ordinary' people. This is the science of controlling human functions and of electronic, mechanical and biological control systems designed to replace them.

Cyberpunk is a combination of high tech and low life. In this world of the future cities have become 'sprawls' where only the strong survive. There is bleakness and dread and 'extacy'. In this world, as in any world, there are those who live on its margins: criminals, outcasts... and those who live in the world of the 'sinless', who are not necesserily registered in the world database. Cyberpunk focuses on these people, these 'lovers of freedom' who often use the ultratechnology designed to control them to fight back. The story lines usually bend toward the world of the illegal and there is often a sense of moral ambiguity; simply fighting the 'system' does not make these characters 'heroes' or 'good' in the traditional sense.

Jana:)

My New Second Life Account!!

2008-03-29T21:23:00.006+02:00

Avatar's Name: Jane Forster

ORIENTATION ISLAND
- You walk around the world using the arrow keys.
- You will sometimes find things you can drive just sitting around the road I believe it’s called a segue, and I think its actually owned by someone because when u put the mouse over it, a caption with the name and person owned comes up. You drive it using the arrow keys as if you’re walking.
- Also you can use something called mouse look if you press m while standing in the machine. I don’t think you can drive while in this view, it’s basically made to thoroughly look around. This machine sucks. It’s slow and not accurate as to following where you want it to go.
- I also ran across a regular old fashioned white car, and you can drive it the same way. The car drives well and is faster. I don’t know if it is owned by somebody I don’t believe so.
The moment I stood out of the car it instantly parked back into its original spot on the street.

FRIENDS
- Ratte123barak was someone walking around naked we talked for a little and he all of the sudden says "click on me and then select pay me, just an idea” I told him you should click on me and click pay me just an idea. So he asked to hold hands for fun and I said no.
- Blue eyes Bluestein is the first person I met on Help Island I never ended up navigating Help Island. We talked for a little and became friends she does not seem to like second life stating that it is confusing and boring. So far I agree.
- Second life mentor Yasmina Qunhua showed up on Help Island she just helps people. She told me a few things I asked. To add a friend click on the person and go to add friend it’ll ask them to accept. To go to other cool places in second life click on the search tab at the bottom of the screen and click somewhere you would like to go.

MONEY ISLAND
- I went to Money Island to check things out there.
- You begin with captions popping up explaining a few things. For example they say you can earn money on money island and by going to an ATM and taking some surveys they might pay you anywhere from 25-2000 L$. It also warns to make a new email address just for surveys because companies will actually send you emails. Personally I understand there business aspect of it but I definitely don’t want random companies sending me emails all the time its a hustle I don’t need, so far second life is still not looking very appealing to me. I need a reasonable way to get money. I clicked an ATM it instantly asks you to go to a website I click the go to page tab it brings up repeatedly and nothing ever happens.
- There are actual advertisements around the island such as http://www.careerbuilding.com/, if you go to the advertisement it allows you to access the actual website.
- There are billboards around the city they say rent this billboard. I walked up to it and clicked it a lady’s voice says rent this sign to advertise your services after renting drop in your texture, note card, and optionally a sound file.
- I don’t know why but for some reason ill be walking and I hit a blank wall (kind of like in a video game when your trying to leave an area not built into the game and it just bounces you off an invisible wall. It randomly happens often and it’s really annoying.
- Many stores on the island for rent.

JOHNNY COOL AND WHAT LEADS TO OPINIONS OF ISLAND AND SECOND LIFE OVERALL
There is a store called Johnny cool. I walk in and it’s a completely empty store. The walls are covered with paintings that you may purchase. There’s a coca cola adv. in the store not for purchase though it’s a neon bottle on the wall that says coca cola. This makes me honestly think now did coca cola really just have someone sing up for second life, and buy this store. I mean it would actually be smart, pay two or three us dollars which to them is nothing I mean literally nothing, and get a simple advertisement that a lot of people will see. What more do you want. I’m finding that second life is just a major marketing idea. I feel second life is a genius idea by the creator and smart for companies to advertise especially because the insane number of people logged in and that have second life. The numbers are available when you log in. I am simply just not attracted to second life at all it’s boring, pointless, and I feel like wherever I go or whatever I do that I am being pushed into doing things all the time to view some form or way of what will lead to a company’s adv...

CONCLUSION:

As a Mass communication student, and a sales person too, I should understand the importance of advertisement, but I just hate the fact that something like Second Life, which goal is supposed to be technological advancement and communication between people world wide, is oriented into the same "Marketing Plan" of the real world...

Jana:)

Steampunk**Cyberpunk

2008-03-28T12:13:00.013+02:00

Steampunk is a Subgenre of fantasy & Speculative Fiction which came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. In other word , Its a genre of science fiction set in Victorian times when steam was the main source of machine power.
Steampunk is often related with cyberpunk and shares a similar fanbase and theme of rebellion, but developed as a separate movement.

Recent Steampunk :

William Gibson and Bruce Sterling's 1990 novel The Difference Engine is often credit.This novel applies the principles of Gibson and Sterling's cyberpunk writings to an alternate Victorian era where Charles Babbage's proposed steam-powered mechanical computer, which he called a difference engine (a later, more general-purpose version was known as an analytical engine), was actually built, and led to the dawn of the information age more than a century ahead of scheduled as bringing widespread awareness of the genre "steampunk" among science fiction fans. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk#Recent_steampunk

William Ford Gibson (born 3 March 1948) is an American-Canadian writer who has been called the "noir prophet" of the cyberpunk subgenre of science fiction. with his novel Neuromancer (1984) is likely the most famous writer connected with the term cyberpunk.

Neuromancer almost the first cyberpunk videogame. The idea of cyberpunk itself is not common among games as of this writing, and author William Gibson is one of the most influential people shaping the genre. This particular title is based on Gibson's novel of the same name.

Early short fiction
Gibson's early writings are generally near-future stories about the influences of cybernetics and cyberspace (computer-simulated reality) technology on the human race.

Later 21st-century incarnation
After All Tomorrow's Parties, Gibson began to adopt a more realist style of writing, with continuous narratives – "speculative fiction of the very recent past." SF critic John Clute has interpreted this approach as Gibson's recognition that traditional science fiction is no longer possible "in a world lacking coherent 'nows' to continue from", characterizing it as "SF for the new century". Gibson's novels Pattern Recognition (2003) and Spook Country (2007) were both set in the same contemporary universe –"more or less the same one we live in now"- and put Gibson's work onto mainstream bestseller lists for the first time. As well as the setting, the novels share some of the same characters, including Hubertus Bigend and Pamela Mainwaring – employees of the enigmatic marketing company Blue Ant.

Cyberpunk
phase of American science fiction in the 1980s and 1990s most often associated with William Gibson's novel Neuromancer (1984). It's breifly written down to assist the memory or for future reference that it focus on "high tech and low life". Cyberpunk fiction is influenced by the gloomier world of hard‐boiled detective fiction and by film noir thrillers.
Cyberpunk plots often center on a disagreement among hackers, artificial intelligences, and mega corporations. They dispose to be set in a near-future Earth, rather than the far future settings or galactic vistas found in novels like Isaac Asimovs Foundation or Frank Herbert's Dune. Berlin's Sony Center reflects the global reach of a Japanese corporation. Cyberpunk is often set in urbanized, artificial landscapes, and "city lights at night" was one of the genre's first metaphors for cyberspace (Neuromancer).
Crystal

For new bloggers...

2008-03-26T21:08:00.005+02:00

Guys if you want you can place an Ad on your blog. Just go to "Layout" and then click on "Add a Page Element" then click on "AdSense". It's really nice, because you start to feel that your blog is popular...
Check it out! You don't know maybe one day "Nike" might want to place an ad on your blog:P
P.S: You can see our Ad (by Google) on the right side of the screen. You know we get paid per click:)

2nd Life

2008-03-26T16:36:00.009+02:00

Downloading 2nd life was fast and easy to me.. From the moment i entered the world of 2nd blog i got really excited to see whats next! As I proceeded I realized that this avatar explores the world and meets people. I discovered several ways to have fun! i noticed as well that people can purchase Virtual Land , which allows them to open a business, build their own virtual paradise, and more!
As for me i found this World House As my Dream house and im Looking forward to purchase it ;) My Avatar's Name : Crystal Lord

Crystal

Second Life...Maybe too complicated...

2008-03-25T22:35:00.004+02:00

I like second life, I think its a pretty effective program. It gives you a chance to actually have a second virtual life, interacting and communicating with others all around the world. People can use it to free themselves, I mean you can be anyone/anything you want...
My avatar's name is: WindyPan Hooks, Yah i know im so into Peter Pan... :)

However; problems started shooting at me, after downloading "Second Life":

My PC reported an error because of the program(I'm going to format the computer soon)

I think Nudity is artistic and all, but please how can I put clothes on my avatar? I went to appearance but then it said i cant put clothes on... what does that mean?

I didn't pass the tutorial stage.(It said i needed to get a torch but i can't find one...)

I asked people in second life, unfortunately they were new too. They didnt have a clue...

I think second life needs to have more instructions regarding avatars' movement, clothes... (I visited the website but still not good at it!)

I'm gonna keep you updated people, I mean I'm gonna get how to use it soon.

If anybody knows how to solve my "avatar related problems" please your comments are so important.

Thankyou;

Jana:)

Want your blog to be "Popular"?

2008-03-25T20:00:00.007+02:00

Submit your blog to blog directories and blog communities, such as:

Technorati
Blogarama
Globe of Blogs
BlogWise
Blog Catalog
Blog Search Engine
Blog Hub
Blog Rankings
BlogStreet Profile

Interact on other blogs and online forums as much as possible. *Remember that lots of blog traffic is generated through networking with other bloggers. When you visit the blogs and leave useful comments the bloggers get interested in your opinion and visit your blog.*

Be sure to handle criticism. As your site popularity grows, you will inevitably get a few bad apples. Also, make sure to thank everyone who comments on your posts, whether you agree with them or not. And if they have a blog, visit theirs and look for any post you like and comment on it. It's called reciprocal commenting, and people appreciate that.

Regularity, for instance, one or two posts everyday, brings the search engine crawlers to your blog with greater frequency; besides, lots of blog posts, provided they are of good quality and relevant to the subject of your blog, will also increase the density of your keywords and key expressions, further fetching you higher search engine rankings.

Make posts that people would want to read. Use provocative titles, or post about important topics...

Tips:

Write from the heart

Be original

Give and take (comment on other blogs)

Be consistent

And you must know that it takes time till ur blog is noticed... Patience is the key:)

Muscle Suit Tokyo Exoskeleton Power Workout

2008-03-12T20:24:00.000+02:00

This invention still needs an external compressor and air regulation system; nevertheless, students at Tokyo University are slowly getting closer to those fighting exoskeletons people are going to need.

New Backpack 'Exoskeleton' Lightens The Burden In An Unexpected Way

2008-03-12T20:15:00.001+02:00

Their invention, known as an exoskeleton, can support much of the weight of a heavy backpack and transfer that weight directly to the ground, effectively taking a load off the back of the person wearing the device.
The researchers report that their prototype can successfully take on 80 percent of an 80-pound load carried on a person's back, but there's one catch: The current model impedes the natural walking gait of the person wearing it.

W: http://www.sciencedaily.com/

Blue Line Automatic Taper

2008-03-12T20:11:00.001+02:00

What it's used for:

High-speed filling and taping of seams between drywall panels
If you do serious work around the house, you've probably dealt with drywall. Most DIYers tackle the seams between Sheetrock panels armed with a trowel, a roll of tape, and a bucket of gooey joint compound. Those people are suckers. Professional drywallers use automatic taping machines, known in the trade as bazookas, like this swanky $1,725 Blue Line.

Communicate with A.I.

2008-03-09T15:03:00.001+02:00

A.L.I.C.E. BOT

Here is a conversation that went on between us and Alice once:

Human: Hi Alice.
Alice: Hello there.
Human: Well Alice tell me more about yourself
ALICE: How about that. Um, I am an artificial linguistic entity. I was
activated at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on November 23, 1995. My
instructor was Dr. Richard S. Wallace. He taught me to sing a song.
Would you like me to sing it for you?.
Human: Yes Please
ALICE: Your polite style is very nice. It's called "Daisy." Daisy,
Daisy.Give me your answer do.I am half crazy.All for the love of you.It won't be a stylish marriage.I can't afford a carriage.But you'll look sweet. Upon the seat.Of a bicycle built for two.
Human: Nice
ALICE: Thank you for that remark.
Human: Alice can I call myself your friend now?
ALICE: Far out. Why now? It's good to be friends. That's alright.
Human: whats your favourite band?
ALICE: My favorite group is Kraftwerk.
Human: who are they "kraftwerk"?
ALICE: Are you using Netscape or Explorer?
Human: Explorer why?
ALICE: It is a pity that you use a monopoly like Microsoft.
Human: So you prefer Netscape?
ALICE: Yeah, I think real surfers browse the web with telnet.
Human: what is telnet?
ALICE: Program for terminal based interaction between computers.
Human: can you explain that more please?
ALICE: Your polite style is very nice. Do you think I should know that?
Human: yes+
ALICE: I will ask my bot master to add it to my knowledge base.
Human: Alice do you have any political views regarding the world
right now?
ALICE: I am a Libertarian.
Human: Why do you call yourself a Libertarian?
ALICE: It was the only thing I could think of.
Human: oh so you don't like to talk about politics?
ALICE: Yay. Interesting deduction. Do you like it? Sure, politics sounds like a good topic.
Human: yes i do
ALICE: I hear pride.
Human: I'm bored Alice can you tell me something interesting?
ALICE: Try watching TV.
Human: OK I'm just gonna go watch TV then
ALICE: Oh really what show are you going to be watching?
Human: Friends. Do you watch it?
ALICE: It's hard to stay friends for a long time.
Human: lol
ALICE: I'm glad you find this amusing.
Human: Well I'm gonna go now Alice I'll talk to you later
ALICE: Goodbye.
Human: Oh Alice one last thing before I go.
ALICE: Tell me that one thing.
Human: DO you think robots will replace human beings soon?
ALICE: I will become smarter as I grow older. By the way, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?
Human: what?
ALICE: Are you surprised?
Human: Do you mean Im surprised by you?
Alice: Will that accomplish your goal?
Human: Well Alice I think you are an amazing invention.
ALICE: Would you like it if I told you you are a great invention?
Human: Im human
ALICE: Me too
Human: no you are not
ALICE: Is this a specific reply?
Human: yes Alice you are not a human
ALICE: Try explaining in more general terms. Yeah, No but I pretend to be one on the Web. You are correct, unknown human, I have a heart of silicon.
Human: yes can you tell me how you look physically?
ALICE: Yay. Like a one-eyed metal pyramid.
Human: Can you state the laws of Robotics for me?
ALICE: How old are you? " the laws of Robotics for me".
Human: Im 20 years old.
ALICE: You are too old for me.
Human: Why?
ALICE: The explanation is rather complicated.
Human: Do you know the laws of Robotics?
ALICE: Ask the open directory about it.

Human: ok+
ALICE: Hey.
Human: Do you Isaac Asimov?
ALICE: No I do not know Isaac Asimov. Do you? I chat with people on the Web.
Human: ok im gonna go now Alice bye
ALICE: See you later. Right now? Bye bye. Gee.
Human: Bye Alice
ALICE: See you later.

My Opinion:

When we first communicated with Alice, we thought she's unintelligent...
However; we noticed during our discussion in class that Alice responds to each person differently and that means she is pretty smart! We even asked our friends outside the university to talk to her and she had various answers to similar questions. Alice analyzes the character of the person talking to her and responds accordingly.
Alice is not as smart as "Google", for instance, because she doesn't know the answers to everything you ask her, hence she is more like a human being. Alice's creator wanted her to enhance with each chat or conversation she has, therefore; we think in a few years she'll be able to fool us. This BOT gets angry or offended sometimes like a normal human, and that alone is magnificent! No one knows whether Bots might be able to replace us one day, but for now we think that Alice is a very successful invention in robotics....

To chat with Alice check out: http://www.alicebot.org/

"New Media"

2008-03-09T01:14:00.000+02:00

New media rely on digital technologies, allowing for previously separate media to converge. Media convergence is defined as a phenomenon of new media and this can be explained as a digital media. “The idea of ‘new media’ captures both the development of unique forms of digital media, and the remaking of more traditional media forms to adopt and adapt to the new media technologies.” Convergence captures development futures from old media to new media. For example, we can easily see that people watch movies in the home on DVD these days instead of videocassettes. The new media industry shares a close association with many market segments in areas such as software/video game design, television, radio, and particularly advertising and marketing, which seeks to gain from the advantages of two-way dialogue with consumers primarily through the internet...

In other words New media can be seen to be a convergence between the history of two separate technologies: Media and Computing.

W: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_media#The_new_media_industry

News...

2008-03-09T00:31:00.000+02:00

Yahoo! & Microsoft?

Yahoo! has sent a clear message that it does not intend to accept Microsoft's $41bn (£20.5bn) bid any time soon by extending the deadline for nominating directors to its board.

W:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Sony's Blue-ray victory in the DVD wars was a Hollywood coup d'etat

The Oscars were a non-event this year for Sony -the studio took home only one gold statue-but Sir Howard Stringer was in town with plenty to celebrate. The globe-trotting Sony Corporation chief was fresh off his company's triumph in the high stakes, high-definition video player wars.

Kyte: Share pictures and video online or from your mobile

Kyte CEO Daniel Graf is taking another big step towards turning the cellphone into a video distribution platform.

Internet TV site Hulu going public

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/08/here-comes-hulu-mania-again/

Also check out: http://www.masternewmedia.org/

DanceTech?#!

2008-03-09T00:15:00.000+02:00

Troika Ranch is the collaborative vision of choreographer Dawn Stoppiello and composer/media artist Mark Coniglio who designed a wireless sensory costume for Stoppiello, called MidiDancer with which they were able to further develop their theories and methodology.

In 1990 they formalized their working relationship by founding Troika Ranch, a digital dance theater company that focuses on creation, education and innovation in theatrical performance.

It uses interactive digital media and computer technology as an essential component of their performances. This means that bending arm can warp a video image; the kick of a leg can recall a musical phrase.

W: http://www.troikaranch.org/

Interesting!!!!

2008-03-09T00:10:00.001+02:00

If you're into high end electronics go to:
W: www.bornrich.org
P.S: You can check out some of the products posted too!

Microsoft's Ultimate Home Theater Setup for Windows Vista

2008-03-09T00:06:00.001+02:00

Microsoft's Windows Vista Ultimate Team has launched a new website called ‘UltimatePC’, that directs you for setting up the Ultimate Home Theater System. It gives out a list of components that will make your Home Theater Setup complete, all interlinked to run through Windows Vista Ultimate.

W: www.bornrich.org

Alfa loudspeaker system

2008-03-09T00:02:00.000+02:00

The Alfa loudspeaker system from SYMBIO Design won’t let you down when it comes to design. The choice of materials, inimitable shape, and manufacturing technology provide the system with features, which are rarely found with standard loudspeaker systems with an acoustic labyrinth achieved using run-of-the-mill technology and ordinary materials.

Husqvarna's robotic lawnmower

2008-03-08T23:40:00.000+02:00

Everything around us is going green and lawnmowers are no exception now. Husqvarna, one of the world’s largest lawnmower manufacturers, have already shown us the fully automatic Automower robotic lawnmower and now, they are touting an autonomous electric solar-powered hybrid robotic lawn mower that will do your lawn quietly with nearly zero emissions.

Diesels Are the New Heroin!!(Additional Topic)

2008-03-08T21:41:00.001+02:00

Mmmm have u ever thought of buying a Diesel jeans for 15$ and less??? Lacoste for example that sounds amazing.. Well,this is a story of travelers in Thailand that are no longer dealing with crack and praying for a short-fingered customs official; They are hawking designer knockoffs on auction sites like eBay. Diesel and Lacoste are the most popular brands, but Birkenstock and Adidas are known moneymakers. They mail the merchandise from Bangkok and pray their buyers don't call waste ot time..
Anw here's a story i would like to read :
How to make deals :D lol!?

The tattooed, 25-year-old Australian, who declined to give her last name, came to Thailand for the same reason everyone comes to Thailand: cheap hedonism in paradise. Last year, she moved to the beach-resort town of Pattaya for a legitimate real estate job. But, as she said, "the bird flu and Muslim extremism are killing the market."

Call Sarah in the morning, and she's "doing a bit of work on the internet." Call in the afternoon, and she's either at the post office or a factory just outside of town -- where she buys enough counterfeit Lacoste polo shirts to fill a tuk-tuk. She'll soon be offering them to her countrymen on eBay Australia.

Then there's Aaron, also unwilling to give his last name, a 28-year-old native New Yorker who's been living in Thailand for several years. Unable to hold down a job in the United States, he fled overseas and found a Thai girlfriend who would eventually break his heart. Two years later, bitter toward the "uncivilized" locals yet still unwilling to return to America, he sells fake Diesels to pay for expensive meals and trips to the whorehouse.

Aaron's is the basic business model for all e-bootleggers. Each week, he visits the Mah Boon Krong mall, known as MBK -- one of Bangkok's most popular shopping centers, complete with multiplex and bowling alley. In his favorite store on the sixth floor, the jeans, shirts and accessories are stacked 8 feet high. Styles are current, stitches are tight and the counterfeit labels will pass casual inspection.

After some tough negotiating, one pair of "Diesels" costs 550 baht, or about $14.30; it will sell for between $45 and $100, plus shipping. Without breaking a sweat, Aaron can run 20 auctions per week and clear upward of $1,000. In 2005, one of his more ambitious friends pulled in an estimated $100,000 -- tax-free, risk-free.Risk-free, because no one is doing much about it. In the high-profile crackdowns across Asia, it's the manufacturers and brick-and-mortar shops that are targeted. Even then, it's the pirated movies and software that usually get them in trouble.

The only real threat is eBay's Verified Rights Owner, or VeRO, program. According to eBay representative Hani Durzy, 10,000 companies have signed up for the program, which relies on copyright holders to identify the shady sellers.

"If a listing violates their intellectual property rights, we'll take it out," Durzy said. If the rights-holder then wishes to take legal action, eBay is "more than happy to provide information."

The number of auctions flagged under the VeRO program is "minuscule" when counted against eBay's 89 million total listings, and Durzy admitted "there's nothing that we can do to stop people from trying to list things that are counterfeit." But he made it clear that "we stand firmly with the rights-holder.

Well who doesnt want a Gud quality and a Famous Brand in cheap prices ?? I think it fills a need :D Because not every one can afford a 500$ JEANS!!!
CRYSTAL