EPIAC'S PLACE

Flock Social Browser Unveils Version 1.2.3

2008-07-04T05:48:19Z

Late yesterday, Flock’s Development Team announced the availability of a stability and security patch identified as version 1.2.3. According to Flock’s website, below are the changes made to previous version:

Incorporated Mozilla’s 2.0.0.15 patch for Mozilla Firefox.
Several fixes for a better Digg experience
Several fixes for sharing media with Yahoo! Mail.
A fix for the Media Magic bar and YouTube videos.
A character encoding fix for importing Favorites.
A fix for displaying the YouTube avatar.

As this is just before a long Holiday weekend in the United States, Flock will be updating the localized builds and turning on the automatic updates for all editions on Monday, July 7th.

If you’re a fanatic in having the latest release of your applications, please click here to download Flock 1.2.3.

Notice that at this moment, only the English version is available for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. Good Day!

Enjoying a Cup of Rich Hot Chocolate

2008-07-04T05:21:59Z

After viewing too much violence on the TV news or reading about negative stories in the newspapers, I thought it was time to read something positive which would clean all the trash received through the media.

This is a story about a group of people enjoying a cup of rich hot chocolate and the lessons learned from this innocent social activity. Here we go.

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired.

During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups—porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite—telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: “Notice that all the nice looking; expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. “

“While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you’re drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.”

“What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups. And then you began eyeing each others cups.”

“Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate we have. The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything they have.”

Yep, I’m afraid I’m one of those looking at the cup rather than the rich hot chocolate inside. I promise to do better next time. Good Day!

Opera Version 9.51 Is Available for Download

2008-07-03T19:39:49Z

The Opera Developing Team has announced the availability of Opera 9.51 early this morning. They have really worked hard to upgrade this search engine that could.

These are the latest security and stability changes made to Opera 9.51 according to Opera’s website:

User Interface

Fine-tuned the new Opera skin.
Improved drag/drop of tabs.
Fixed problems with search engines when upgrading from Opera 9.2x.
Fixed a stability issue when printing or when in print preview.
Added an option to toggle mouse flips in opera:config (User Prefs - Enable Mouse Flips).
Textarea inputs now clear when no-cache is set.
Saving of images is no longer recorded in transfers.

Mail/News

Feeds now show the first time when you subscribe.
Corrected a stability issue that could occur when clicking the drop-down to switch views.
Adjusted thread expanding in Mail when receiving new messages.
Corrected a problem where multiple views (access points) show for the same account.

Display and Scripting

Corrected a stability issue with User JS.
Style sheets now load when navigating in history.
window.close() now functions after invoking a context menu and when closing Opera Dragonfly.

Security

Fixed an issue where <canvas> functions could reveal data from random places in memory, as reported by Philip Taylor. See our advisory.
Fixed an issue that could be used to execute arbitrary code, as reported by Billy Rios. Details will be disclosed at a later date.
Security status is now correctly set when navigating from HTTP to HTTPS.
Corrected an issue related to OCSP and CRLs that would lower security.
Note: This will take effect with the weekly update, or when checking manually for an update (Help > Check for Updates).

Miscellaneous

Corrected a stability issue with Yahoo! Mail.
TinyMCE 2.1.x editor now works properly.
Printing of chat items has been improved.
Reconnection of the IRC client has been adjusted and improved.
Menus on deviantart.com now work properly.
Eliminated unwanted line breaks in rich text editors.

Windows-specific changes

Fixed a resource leak in the transfer window that could cause visual paint problems and other related problems.
Command line parameters must now be specified before any URLs on the command line.

If you’re interested in using this latest release, please click here. Good Day!

Joke: Twenty Years Ago

2008-07-03T11:05:43Z

A woman awakes during the night to find her husband was not in bed. She puts on her robe and goes downstairs to look for him. She finds him sitting at the kitchen table with a hot cup of coffee in front of him. He appears to be in deep thought, just staring blankly at the wall. She watches as he wipes a tear from his eye and takes a sip of his coffee.

“What’s the matter, dear?” she whispers as she steps into the room, “Why are you down here at this time of night?”

The husband looks up from his coffee, “I’m just remembering when we first met 20 years ago and started dating. You were only 16. Do you remember back then?” he asked solemnly.

The wife is almost reduced to tears herself, just thinking how caring and sensitive her husband is. “Yes, I do” she replies. The husband pauses.

The words were not coming easily. ”Do you remember when your father caught us in the back seat of my car?”

“Yes, I remember,” said the wife, lowering herself into a chair beside him.

The husband continues. “Do you remember when he shoved that shotgun in my face and said, “Either you marry my daughter, or I will send you to jail for 20 years?”

“I remember that, too” she replies softly.

He wipes another tear from his cheek and says….”I would have gotten out today.”

That’s it guys. Stretch your laughing muscles and have a great day. Adieu!

SeaMonkey Has Been Updated to Version 1.1.10

2008-07-02T19:39:56Z

SeaMonkey’s Development Team announced today that Version 1.1.10 is available for download. What’s new in this version? Take a look at all bugs fixed:

MFSA 2008-33 Crash and remote code execution in block reflow
MFSA 2008-32 Remote site run as local file via Windows URL shortcut
MFSA 2008-31 Peer-trusted certs can use alt names to spoof
MFSA 2008-30 File location URL in directory listings not escaped properly
MFSA 2008-29 Faulty .properties file results in uninitialized memory being used
MFSA 2008-28 Arbitrary socket connections with Java LiveConnect on Mac OS X
MFSA 2008-27 Arbitrary file upload via originalTarget and DOM Range
MFSA 2008-25 Arbitrary code execution in mozIJSSubScriptLoader.loadSubScript()
MFSA 2008-24 Chrome script loading from fastload file
MFSA 2008-23 Signed JAR tampering
MFSA 2008-22 XSS through JavaScript same-origin violation
MFSA 2008-21 Crashes with evidence of memory corruption (rv:1.8.1.15)
MFSA 2008-20 Crash in JavaScript garbage collector

It’s been a while since I last heard from SeaMonkey. I thought it had gone the way of the Dodo. Anyway, if this application suite is your cup of tea, you can go ahead and download this latest release by clicking here.

With these fixes, SeaMonkey stays at the same level of security as its sibling Mozilla Firefox 2, which is issuing updates for the same problems this week as well.

The SeaMonkey team urges users of older SeaMonkey versions, including the SeaMonkey 1.0.x series, which no longer receives security updates, to upgrade. Additionally, the team continues to strongly urge people still using the old Mozilla Suite or Netscape 4, 6 or 7 to upgrade to the new SeaMonkey 1.1.10 version. All of these older software packages suffer from a large and steadily increasing number of security vulnerabilities because they are no longer being maintained.

SeaMonkey 1.1.10 is a modern, drop-in replacement, providing the same familiar suite functionality with additional features and fully up to date security. Sayonara!

Joke: A Clever Old Guy

2008-07-02T11:11:55Z

When asked about his activities now that he’s retired, a clever old guy said:

“Well, I don’t have much of a chemical background but one of the things I enjoy the most is turning beer into urine!”

I’ll have to admit it’s not a bad activity for a newly retiree, now that gasoline prices are going through the roof. What da ya think?

Source: Bits & Pieces

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Top Browser Market Share For June 2008

2008-07-01T18:19:25Z

After the launch of Firefox 3 on June 17th, I just hardly wait until June was over so I could see how this new release had impacted its market share performance. As you know, I use Net Applications as my reliable source for this information.

According to Net Applications, these are the statistics for June 2008:

Top Browser Market Share for June 2008
(Expressed in Percentages)

Web Browsers	June	May	Difference
Internet Explorer	73.01	73.75	0.74
Firefox	19.03	18.41	0.62
Safari	6.31	6.25	0.06
Opera	0.73	0.71	0.02
Netscape	0.67	0.62	0.05
Others	0.25	0.26	0.01
Total	100	100	0

COMMENTS:

Even though Mozilla Firefox 3 was available during only thirteen days in June, it grabbed 19.03 percent of the market. This helped Mozilla increase its market share by 0.62 points. During July it is expected that Firefox could reach the 20 percent landmark, meaning that one out of every five web surfers would be using Firefox as their preferred Web browser.

Apple Safari was on slow motion in June. It only advanced 0.06 points. This was also true with Norwegian Opera who remained almost stagnant. However, we all know that the real party for Opera is in the mobile phone arena where it flies high above the rest of the pack.

It was a surprise that Netscape increased its market share by 0.05 points. I know this isn't much, but considering it's a dying species, I think it speaks highly of its loyal fans.

Now it's time to play the waiting game until August comes along and we can take a look at July statistics. Good Day!

Joke: Studying a Dead Cow

2008-07-01T11:00:58Z

First-year students at Texas A&M’s Vet School were receiving their first anatomy class, with a real dead cow. They all gathered around the surgery table with the body covered with a white sheet.

The professor started the class by telling them, “In Veterinary Medicine it is necessary to have two important qualities as a doctor: The first is that you not be disgusted by anything involving the animal body.”

For an example, the Professor pulled back the sheet, stuck his finger in the hind end of the dead cow, withdrew it and stuck it in his mouth. “Go ahead and do the same thing,” he told his students.

The students freaked out, hesitated for several minutes, but eventually took turns sticking a finger in the dead cow and sucking on it. When everyone finished, the Professor looked at them and said, “The second most important quality is observation. I stuck in my middle finger and sucked on my index finger."

"Now learn to pay attention. Life’s tough, it’s even tougher if you’re stupid.”

Source: Bits & Pieces

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Microsoft Windows XP is Almost Dead

2008-07-01T02:39:56Z

Today Microsoft Windows XP finally reached its cul-de sac. It’s no big secret that Microsoft decided to stop selling Windows XP today and focus its attention on Windows Vista. Windows XP, R.I.P.—at least for most buyers of new PCs.

Today Microsoft will stop selling copies of the operating system to retailers and computer manufacturers. There are exceptions: Until June 2010, manufacturers of limited and lower-cost computers can place Windows XP Home Edition on their systems, and small businesses that custom-build PCs will be able to install XP on computers through Jan. 31, 2009. Stores that carry XP can still sell it if they have it in stock.

“We’ve spent more than a year consulting with our customers and industry partners to ensure that we’re doing the right thing,” Microsoft said at its Web site, “The Future of Windows XP.”

“We understand that not everyone may agree with our decision—just as not everyone was happy to see Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows ME retire.”

Windows Vista is scheduled carry the baton until Windows 7 is launched sometime in January 2010. Vista, released early last year, has been scorned for several reasons. It runs better on newer computers with faster chips and more memory than on older or economy-scale PCs.

Many consumers and businesses are reluctant to spend more money to buy new PCs and the software and peripheral equipment needed to work with Vista. Also, all the drivers, or software programs, needed for Vista have not been available, something that is starting to change.

“It’s not a huge surprise that just over half the enterprises we surveyed don’t yet have Windows Vista deployment plans,” said Forrester Research in an April report. “Others are simply taking a wait-and-see approach.”

Businesses and individuals that buy a new PC with either Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate on it have the option of “downgrading” to Windows XP Professional through Jan. 31, 2009, according to Microsoft.

Microsoft, which last month released Service Pack 3 for Windows XP, with various operating system fixes, will continue to provide mainstream support for it through next April. Last week, Microsoft said it would provide full technical support for seven-year-old Windows XP through 2009, and limited support through 2014.

As of June, Windows XP, which was released in 2001, had 72 percent of the operating market share, with Vista at a little more than 15 percent, according to Net Applications.

I’m one of those making up the 72 percent market share. I’ve been using Windows XP for more than three years and feel no need to spend more of my hard-earned greenbacks to embrace Vista. Even with 140 million Vista copies sold, there are still extremely few programs that really harness the features of Vista.

Windows Vista has been nothing short of a disaster for Microsoft. It has been able to sell a reasonable number of copies, but only because Microsoft has essentially forced PC manufacturers to switch from pre-installing Windows XP to the new operating system instead. In terms of customer satisfaction, Vista has been a terrible product for Microsoft, and the sooner it is put out to pasture, the better.

Nope, I’ll keep on using my reliable Windows XP no matter what they say. Hasta la Vista baby!

Microsoft Windows XP officially terminates its reign today and heads for retirement.

Comparison Between Computer and Automotive Technologies

2008-06-30T06:55:37Z

Some people will insist that the growth of new computer technology has been spectacular compared with the evolution of the automotive technology. Others will disagree. It’s like the argument of the glass half empty or half full.

This post will address this issue with a “tongue-in-cheek attitude”. Here we go.

Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft and the chairman of GM, Rick Wagoner, were arguing over which company had the best technology.

Bill Gates boasts, “If cars grew in technology as fast as computers did, we would be driving V32 instead of V8, our cars would get 5,000 miles to the gallon and the top speed would be Mach seven.”

The chairman of GM thinks about it for a moment and replies, “Sure, but would you really want a car that crashes four times a day?”

Note:

Now, with a serious face, let me say that GM is experiencing a severe financial nightmare. When Rick Wagoner spoke with Fortune at the end of last year, he recognized he was worried about “headwinds” that would impact the automaker’s results in 2008.

What Wagoner had in mind were issues that affect the whole economy: oil prices, commodity and steel price inflation, the possibility of a recession. Those headwinds, which GM can do little about, are blowing just as hard or harder than Wagoner expected. Add the housing meltdown, subprime crisis and credit crunch and you’ve got a witch’s brew of malevolent ingredients that could stymie even the best prepared of chief executives.

As Bill Gates departs from Microsoft, he’s leaving behind a company under a bright sun and blue sky, compared to the stormy weather at GM. Arrivederci!

Cna Yuo Raed Tihs?

2008-06-29T21:49:03Z

This has been around for a while, but it’s interesting. The “rules” say the first and last letters should be correct, but that’s not necessarily so with three letter words. You can still read them OK too.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the l tteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

If you were able to read this post with no problems, that means you have a wonderful mind. Auf wiedersehen!

Source: Bits & Pieces

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Crude Oil Price Reaches New Record

2008-06-29T15:01:47Z

The energy crisis more and more resembles a nightmarishly Frank Kafka’s novel. In Panama, every 15 days we have to go through the anxiety of finding out what the new gasoline prices will be for the next two weeks. Government officials make all kinds of esoteric math calculations to reach what they call the “Parity Gasoline Prices”.

These are the gasoline prices for the next two weeks as posted by an Esso gasoline station a few blocks from my house:

95 Octane Gasoline: $4.51 per gallon
91 Octane Gasoline: $4.36 per gallon
Light Diesel Oil: $4.52 per gallon

It’s interesting to see that the price of light diesel is higher than either premium or regular gasoline. Diesel is used to fuel most industrial vehicles, trucks, trains and ships, and its increase is a large part of the reason food and consumer goods prices are rising, putting additional pressure on consumers already paying $4 and more for gas. Yes, reality is becoming more frightening than a Kafka novel.

Do we anticipate cheaper gas prices in the near future? I don’t think so. Oil futures climbed to a new record near $143 a barrel Friday as the dollar weakened against the euro, confirming expectations that the falling greenback, a major factor in crude’s stratospheric rise, will extend its decline and add to oil’s appeal.

Retail gas prices are likely to resume their own trek into record territory now that oil futures have broken out of the trading range where they had been for nearly 3 weeks.

Light, sweet crude for August delivery rose as high as $142.99 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange before pulling back sharply in a spate of late—day profit-taking to settle up 57 cents at a record $140.21. On Thursday, the contract shot past $140 and rose more than $5 to a new settlement record. The crude oil price forecast was $140.54 a barrel as of 10:26 a.m. this morning, up $0.33 - 0.23 percent.

The stock market’s recent black out is also sending investors in search of higher-yielding investments. On Thursday, the Dow Jones industrial average fell nearly 360 points, and in afternoon trading Friday was down more than 100 points.

World stocks fell to a three-month low as a fast deteriorating global inflation picture fanned concerns over the outlook for corporate profits, hastening the rush of investors’ funds into commodities.

“When money has nowhere to go, it is parked in commodities as it is one of the few investment instruments that actually rises the more money you pour into it,” said Oliver Jakob, an analyst at Petromatrix Gmbh, in Switzerland in a note.

With oil over $140 a barrel, traders are now expecting to see $145 and even $150, analysts say. OPEC President Chakib Khelil’s comments that prices could reach $170 a barrel in the coming months, also fueled the rally. “I forecast prices probably between $150 and $170 during this summer. That will perhaps ease towards the end of the year,” he told France 24 television.

With this scenario in mind, a bicycle or horse and buggy is becoming an attractive investment. Au revoir!

“Dude, gas is just one thirty-eight! Dude, we’re gonna love Europe!”

Joke: A Stupid Call Center Customer

2008-06-28T18:02:01Z

For about two years I worked in a call center in Panama as a Customer Service Provider (CSP). I can tell you it was the most difficult and stressful job I’ve ever had. I felt like a fish inside a fish bowl being permanently watched by a Quality Assurance (QA) agent. He/she was responsible for grading my customer satisfaction performance. If I didn’t get at least an 85 percent on a call, I ran the risk of being fired.

Customers were sometimes very difficult to deal with. They frequently seemed to have a chip on their shoulders. When they noticed a foreign accent, they would jump on you like a hungry tiger. I remember many times, biting my tongue, in an effort to keep my posture of a polite CSP. I don’t know why they always asked me if I was from India.

Anyway, this story is about how a Help Desk employee handled a call with a customer who was not too bright. At the end of the call he lost his temper and got fired. This is what happened. Relax, sip a cup of good Boquete coffee and enjoy. Here we go.

This has to be one of the funniest things in a long time. I think this guy should have been promoted, not fired. This is a true story from the WordPerfect Helpline, which was transcribed from a recording monitoring the Customer Care Department. Needless to say, the Help Desk employee was fired; however, he/she is currently suing the WordPerfect organization for “Termination without Cause”.

Actual dialog of a former WordPerfect Customer Support employee. (Now I know why they record these phone conversations!)

Operator: “Ridge Hall, computer assistance; may I help you?”
Caller: “Yes, well, I’m having trouble with WordPerfect.”
Operator: “What sort of trouble?”
Caller: “Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words went away.”
Operator: “Went away?”
Caller: “They disappeared.”
Operator: “Hmm. So what does your screen look like now?”
Caller: “Nothing.”
Operator: “Nothing?”
Caller: “It’s blank; it won’t accept anything when I type.”
Operator: “Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out?”
Caller: “How do I tell?”
Operator: “Can you see the ‘C: prompt’ on the screen?”
Caller: “What’s a sea-prompt?”
Operator: “Never mind, can you move your cursor around the screen?”
Caller: “There isn’t any cursor; I told you, it won’t accept anything I type.”
Operator: “Does your monitor have a power indicator?”
Caller: “What’s a monitor?”
Operator: “It’s the thing with the screen on it that looks like a TV. Does it have a little light that tells you when it’s on?”
Caller: “I don’t know.”
Operator: “Well, then look on the back of the monitor and find where the power cord goes into it. Can you see that?”
Caller: “Yes, I think so.”
Operator: “Great. Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if it’s plugged into the wall.”
Caller: “Yes, it is.”
Operator: “When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that there were two cables plugged into the back of it, not just one?”
Caller: “No.”
Operator: “Well, there are. I need you to look back there again and find the other cable.”
Caller: “Okay, here it is.”
Operator: “Follow it for me, and tell me if it’s plugged securely into the back of your computer.”
Caller: “I can’t reach.”
Operator “OK. Well, can you see if it is?”
Caller: “No.”
Operat or: “Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean way over?”
Caller: “Well, it’s not because I don’t have the right angle—it’s because it’s dark.”
Operator: “Dark?”
Caller: “Yes—the office light is off, and the only light I have is coming in from the window.”
Operator: “Well, turn on the office light then.”
Caller: “I can’t.”
Operator: “No? Why not?”
Caller: “Because there’s a power failure.”
Operator: “A power …. A power failure? Aha. Okay, we’ve got it licked now. Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff that your computer came in?”
Caller: “Well, yes, I keep them in the closet.”
Operator: “Good. Go get them, and unplug your system and pack it up just like it was when you got it. Then take it back to the store you bought it from.“
Caller: “Really? Is it that bad?”
Operator: “Yes, I’m afraid it is.”
Caller: “Well, all right then, I suppose. What do I tell them?”
Operator: “Tell them you’re too stupid to own a computer!”

That’s it guys. For this performance the Customer Service Provider lost his job. Would you have done anything different? Good Day!

Bill Gates Departs Microsoft With Misty Eyes

2008-06-28T11:42:27Z

Everybody knew this day would come, and when it did, it touched their hearts deep inside. Yesterday was the final full day job at Microsoft for Bill Gates.

On his last day at Microsoft as a full employee, Bill Gates went on stage to look-back with his longtime friend Steve Ballmer, and neither man could hold back tears as Ballmer handed Gates a large scrapbook as a farewell present.

Gates, who will remain Microsoft’s chairman on a part-time basis, said he would still take on Microsoft projects picked by Ballmer and two other executives who have assumed most of his day-to-day tasks, Craig Mundie and Ray Ozzie.

One of those will be Web search, where Microsoft lags far behind Google and Yahoo in market share. With an acquisition of Yahoo now again apparently off the table, Gates threw his weight Friday behind a strategy of assembling a team of smart people and combining Microsoft’s own breakthroughs with what competitors are already doing.

“Search is the place where people probably really think, will Microsoft ever do anything there? We’ll be the very best,” Gates said. “That is in full motion.”

When it came time for Ballmer to make his public farewell to Gates, he joked about the inevitable inadequacy of a thank-you gift, and presented him with a large scrapbook embossed with Gates’ signature. Then, the tears came.

“We’ve been given an enormous, enormous opportunity. And Bill gave us that opportunity,” Ballmer said, his face reddening. “I want to thank Bill for that.”

As the employees rose to their feet, Gates swiped at tears of his own.

Bill Gates will be remembered as a determined man with an ambitious dream of placing a computer on every desk in every home. He came close to that dream.

As of July 2007, it’s estimated that there are about 6.6 billion people in the world. Out of those 6.6 billion people, how many of them do you think are using a computer? According to Gartner, a research firm, the number of personal computers in use has passed the 1 billion mark which is pretty big. In other words, about 1/6th of the world’s population has a personal computer.

An analyst with Gartner says about 58 percent of those one billion computers are owned by people in “mature” markets—places like Japan, the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. What’s interesting though is that they’re expecting the next billion computers to come by 2014 and many of those computers will come from emerging markets.

To listen to Bill Gates’ farewell speech at Microsoft, please click here.

Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates address Microsoft’s employees during farewell event.

Amazon Kindle is Busy Courting Colleges

2008-06-27T20:12:38Z

Jeff Bezos is passionate when he talks about his favorite baby—the Kindle. He’s bending himself backwards in an effort to follow the steps of the Apple iPod in the publishing domain.

On the release day, the Kindle Store had more than 88,000 digital titles available for download, but that number has steadily increased.Amazon’s first offering of the Kindle sold out in five and a half hoursand the device remained out of stock until late April 2008.At launch, the device retailed for $399; Amazon subsequently lowered the price to $359.

A good idea to get a cheaper price is to check out eBay. I read that an eBay customer paid $329 at the auction site this week and used Microsoft’s Live Search cashback offer to get an additional 20-percent off. Total cost: $264. Not bad, but the price is still too steep to go mainstream.

Amazon is trying to get a firm grip for the Kindle by courting U.S. universities. Princeton University (Jeff Bezos' alma mater) has announced that it will start printing Kindle-edition textbooks this fall, according to a story in The Christian Science Monitor. Princeton follows Yale, Oxford and the UC Berkeley in creating textbooks for the Kindle. In the United States, there are about 2,500 four-year universities so Amazon still has a long way to go.

The Kindle should appeal to university students better than other demographics. These kids do so much reading and may be thankful for a device that can help save their back. Instead of towing 10 pounds of textbooks, the Kindle can hold about 200 titles and it weighs only 10 ounces.

Instead of having to thumb through pages, students can find text instantly with Kindle’s search feature. It also allows a user to highlight and make notes.

The Kindle also contains several free experimental features. These include a basic Web browser and NowNow, an online research service which can produce answers to simple research questions (customer support questions are not answered). Users can also play music from MP3 files in random order in the background.

At a price of approximately $150, I would easily snatch a Kindle. Unfortunately, they are only marketed in the United States and the price is not just right—yet. Sigh!

The Kindle is an electronic book launched in the United States by Amazon on November 2007.

British Princess Engaged in Irresponsible Behavior

2008-06-27T11:49:08Z

I wonder what happens to those people whose blood is blue instead of red like the rest of us mortals. The British royals just can't seem to behave properly and the Queen of England is getting a gray hair too many enduring the scandals surrounding the royal family.

This time Princess Eugenie of York is in the spotlight for irresponsible behavior. It was reported last Saturday, that she had been reprimanded by her exclusive school Marlborough College west of London, after being caught running around naked on college grounds under the midnight moonlight.

Princess Eugenie of York is the 18-year-old daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah Ferguson and sixth in the line of succession to the British Throne.

One pupil commented:

"It’s the talk of the college".

"The girls had been drinking, possibly in a local pub, and decided to let their hair down".

"It was a couple of weeks ago just before people started taking their A-levels and some find exams all a bit stressful. For some reason they stripped off and started prancing about".

"It was light-hearted and they were sort of frolicking like nymphs. But they got too noisy and staff discovered them".

"They had to quickly pick up their clothes and hot-foot it inside."

An insider said: "She and the others were told they had to go home and only return to take their exams. There were not enough staff on Saturdays and Sundays to supervise them, and they were told they couldn’t be trusted to behave."

A royal source said, "It was nothing more than high jinks at the end of term in May. A group of them were reprimanded and that's the end of the matter." The tabloid Sun newspaper reported that a college staff member woke to playful shrieks and found several young women dancing around sporting their birthday suits. It said there was no suggestion boys were present or that drugs were involved but claimed a pupil said the students had been drinking.

Princess Eugenie is studying art, history of art and English at the $46,000-a-year college.

Yep, there must be something with blue blood that provokes a strange behavior in some people. Good Day! :-)

Princess Eugenie of York (Eugenie Victoria Helena) is a member of the
British Royal Family and a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II.

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Apple's iPhone First Birthday

2008-06-26T19:27:59Z

Next Sunday it will be June 29th. Exactly one year ago, a new star was born in the technological celestial sphere. After the introduction of the iPhone, nothing was the same again in the mobile phone domain. This one-of-a-kind gadget started a revolution at a scale never seen before. It was named Time magazine’s Invention of the Year in 2007. When we study the evolution of mobile communication, it will be divided in two parts; before and after the launch of the iPhone.

In only one year, the iPhone has had a clear impact on the way smartphones and mobile software in general are now designed, and has raised consumer interest—especially in the U.S.—in the concept of truly mobile access to the Internet. But Apple has struggled to find the right price for the iPhone, manage its supply chain, and limit the ability of hackers to get total control over the iPhone.

As a result, Apple has realized that it will have to embrace the business model used by the rest of the mobile phone industry, and has made significant changes to the way iPhones will be sold in the second year of their existence.

At 6:00 p.m. sharp on June 29, 2007, hundreds of people jammed San Francisco’s Stockton Street just outside the Apple store as they awaited entry to buy an iPhone—or just look at one. Apple closed its stores at 2:00 p.m. local time to prepare for the 6:00 p.m. iPhone launch, while hundreds of customers lined up at stores nationwide. At its height, the line stretched almost completely around the block, and some people started lining up early in the week for the Friday launch.

Let’s flash back at the first year of the iPhone. Apple sold 6 million iPhones from a year ago this weekend up until around the middle of May, when it depleted its inventory of the older generation model ahead of the debut of the iPhone 3G on July 11. The company said it “underestimated” demand for the older model when it made its purchasing decisions for 2008, meaning that Apple will not have sold a single iPhone during the last six weeks of its first year.

Some analysts expect Apple to sell at least 7.5 million iPhones over the remainder of the year, hitting its 10 million goal for 2008. Apple sold 270,000 iPhones in the first 30 hours on launch weekend.The original iPhone is now available in five other countries: Ireland, the UK, France, Germany, and Austria.

At Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Jobs introduced the long-awaited next-generation iPhone. New features include a faster 3G Internet connection, GPS, new applications, and a low-end price of $199.

The faster connection had been expected for a long time, but many were surprised by the lower price tag, which is the result of subsidies from AT&T. Apple and AT&T changed the business model for the iPhone with the launch of the 3G model. This moves Apple more toward a traditional smartphone model with lower prices subsidized by the carrier, who then requires a two-year wireless contract. AT&T will also require iPhone 3G buyers to activate their devices in-store, rather than at home.

On July 11, 2008, Apple will release the iPhone 3G in twenty-one countries, including the original six. Forty-nine more are expected to follow in the months afterwards. In the United States, purchasing the new phone will require signing a two year provider contract with AT&T.

In one year we’ve seen the birth of a star and its spectacular evolution. Next year will be even better as the iPhone will be marketed in almost every corner of the globe. Happy Birthday iPhone.

Source: iPhone celebrates a year - Photo Gallery

Steve Jobs unveils the revolutionary iPhone on June 29, 2007.

A Bunch of Questions Looking for Answers

2008-06-26T11:10:27Z

Below are eighteen thought-provoking questions looking for answers. In case you have the correct answer, would you share them with us?

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?
Why women can’t put on mascara with their mouth closed?
Why don’t you ever see the headline “Psychic Wins Lottery”?
Why is “abbreviated” such a long word?
Why is it that doctors call what they do “practice“?
Why is it that to stop Windows 98, you have to click on “Start”?
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dish washing liquid made with real lemons?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why isn’t there mouse-flavored cat food?
When dog food is new and improved tasting, who tests it?
Why didn’t Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?
You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don’t they make the whole plane out of that stuff?
Why don’t sheep shrink when it rains?
Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
If “con” is the opposite of “pro”, is Congress the opposite of progress?
If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

I hope these questions will help you start using all your brain cells. Its like going to a brain gym. Good Day!

Source: Bits & Pieces

Avant Browser Upgraded to Version 11.6 Build 20

2008-06-25T18:58:50Z

Avant browser Development Team has announced the availability of Version 11.6 Build 20 of its quick and popular web browser.

According to Avant’s web site, these are the latest modifications made to the application:

Fixed the Taskbar button missing bug after restoring Avant from “Minimize to system tray”.
Fixed the bug that kept “frmTrailBG” from hiding itself.
Screened the inline keywords auto-complete feature in search bar.

Avant Browser is a popular freeware web browser from a Chinese programmer named Anderson Che, which unites the Trident layout engine built into Windows (see Internet Explorer shell) with an interface intended to be more feature-rich, flexible and ergonomic than Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE).

It runs on Windows 98 and above, including Windows Vista. In order to run Avant you must first install Internet Explorer version 6 or 7. As of May 31, 2008, total downloads reached 20,893,636. Not bad, isn’t it? Avant Browser is currently available in 41 languages.

If you’re a loyal follower of this agile Web browser and wish to download this latest release, please click here.

Joke: Communication Problem

2008-06-25T10:24:49Z

A blonde teenager, wanting to earn some extra money for the summer, decided to hire herself out as a "handy-woman" and started canvassing a nearby well-to-do neighborhood.

She went to the front door of the first house, and asked the owner if he had any odd jobs for her to do.

“Well, I guess I could use somebody to paint my porch,” he said, “How much will you charge me?”

Delighted, the girl quickly responded, “How about $50?”

The man agreed and told her that the paint brushes and everything she would need was in the garage.

The man’s wife, hearing the conversation said to her husband, “Does she realize that our porch goes ALL the way around the house?”

He responded, “She’ll find that out shortly.”

The wife replied, “You’re right. I guess I’m starting to believe all those dumb blonde jokes we’ve been getting by e-mail lately.”

Later that day, the young blonde came to the door to collect her money.

“You’re finished already?” the startled husband asked.

“Yes,” the blonde replied, “and I even had paint left over, so I gave it two coats.”

Impressed, the man reached into his pocket for the $50.00 and handed it to her along with a ten dollar tip.

“And by the way”, the blonde added matter-of-factly, “it’s not a Porche, it’s a Lexus."

Source: Bits & Pieces

A good sense of humor is a critical health factor.

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The 90th Birthday of Nelson Mandela

2008-06-24T11:14:57Z

After being in prison for 26 years, Nelson Mandela has become a respected world leader on human rights and social issues.

Following his release from prison on February 11, 1990, his switch to a policy of reconciliation and negotiation helped lead the transition to multi-racial democracy in South Africa. Since the end of apartheid, he has been widely praised, even by former opponents. Mandela has received more than 100 awards over four decades, most notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

Mandela has frequently credited Mahatma Gandhi for being a major source of inspiration in his life, both for the philosophy of non-violence and for facing adversity with dignity.

Mandela turns 90 on July 18th. and will start to celebrate his birthday with a concert in London. Yesterday he arrived at Heathrow Airport in London to attend an outdoor concert in his honor in Hyde Park on Friday. Performers include Queen, Annie Lennox, Leona Lewis and the Soweto Gospel Choir. Troubled diva Amy Winehouse is also scheduled to sing, if her doctors allow it. She was taken to a hospital last week after fainting at home.

Mandela also is due to meet prominent supporters, including Prime Minister Gordon Brown, former U.S. President Bill Clinton and talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

Friday’s concert coincides with the 20th anniversary of London’s Free Mandela concert, held to demand he be freed from prison.

Mandela was released in 1990 after 26 years (1964-1990) behind bars, and was elected South Africa’s first black president in 1994.

Some people say one person can not make a difference. I’m afraid I have to disagree. Persons like Nelson Mandela, Mohandas Gandhi, John Paul II and Mother Teresa of Calcutta—to name a few—proved that one person can make a difference, and in the process, change the world.

Nelson Mandela, the first black President of South Africa.

Quick Stats on a Barrel of Crude Oil

2008-06-23T12:03:39Z

Ever since the gallon of gasoline started its flight to outer space, I've become paranoid about crude oil and its by-products. Every morning after washing my teeth and taking a shower, I dash over to my computer to find out the latest price of a barrel of crude oil. If I see a future increase, I know I will soon be bitten in my pocket. Ouch!

This morning I found out the price for a barrel of crude oil is $136.36, up $1.00 or 0.74 percent. I already feel the pinch in my right pocket. That's the pocket where I keep my cash to buy gasoline.

I am also curious to know what is obtained from a barrel of crude oil. I was surprised to find out the wide variety of consumer products that originate from one barrel of crude oil. This is what I found out, in case you're also a novice detective on the subject:

One barrel of crude oil contains 42 gallons.
About 46 percent of each barrel of crude oil is refined into automobile gasoline.
In the US and Canada an average of 3 gallons of crude oil are consumed per person each day.
The US imports about 50% of its required crude oil and about 50% of that amount comes from OPEC countries.

**YIELDS OF ONE BARREL OF CRUDE OIL**
Product	Refined Gallons per Barrel
Gasoline	19.3
Distillate Fuel Oil (Inc. Home Heating and Diesel Fuel)	9.83
Kerosene Type Jet Fuel	4.24
Residual Fuel Oil	2.10
Petroleum Coke	2.10
Liquified Refinery Gases	1.89
Still Gas	1.81
Asphalt and Road Oil	1.13
Petrochemical Feed Supplies	0.97
Lubricants	0.46
Kerosene	0.21
Waxes	0.04
Aviation Fuel	0.04
Other Products	0.34
Processing Gain	2.47

Source: EIA March 2004 Data

While I went to the gasoline station to buy some milk for breakfast early this morning, I noticed the posted prices for gasoline and light diesel. These are the pocket-killer prices per gallon:

91 Octane Gasoline: $4.29
95 Octane Gasoline: $4.44
Light Diesel Oil: $4.43

Now you know why I'm paranoid about crude oil and its by-products. Good Day!

Joke: The Topless Blonde

2008-06-23T05:27:07Z

Two bored casino dealers are waiting at the crap table. A very attractive blonde woman from South Alabama arrived and bet twenty-thousand dollars on a single roll of the dice.

She said, “I hope you don’t mind, but I feel much luckier when I play topless.”
With that, she stripped to the waist; rolled the dice; and yelled, “Come on, baby….Southern Girl needs new clothes!”

As the dice came to a stop, she jumped up-and-down….and squealed… “YES! YES! I WON! I WON!”

She hugged each of the dealer, picked up her many chips and her clothes, and quickly departed.

The dealers stared at each other dumbfounded. Finally, one of them asked, “What did she roll?”

The other answered, “ I don’t know.. I thought you were watching the dice.”

Moral :

Not all Southerners are stupid.
Not all blondes are dumb.
But all men…..are men.

Source: Bits & Pieces

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Avant Browser Upgraded to Version 11.6 Build 19

2008-06-22T19:14:05Z

The Avant Development Team has announced that version 11.6 build 19 is available for download. According to Avant’s website, these are the latest additions to this release:

Moved the urls.dat file to the folder where USB version is installed.
Fixed the bug that Avant can’t restore the original window size from the minimized status when you open up a link out of it.

If you’re happy with the basic structure of Internet Explorer, but want to beef up your browsing experience, Avant Browser is the ideal free upgrade. Its impressive range of fun and practical features makes surfing the web simpler, speedier and safer than ever.

If you’re a frequent user of Avant Browser and wish to have its latest release, please click here to download it.

The Fragile Physical Appearance of Steve Jobs

2008-06-22T06:51:18Z

Since Steve Jobs’ keynote address at the San Francisco Moscone venue on June 9, 2008, there has been a lot of speculation on the Internet regarding his health. During the WWDC keynote address, he looked “dangerously thin” as one attendee commented. Other words that I’ve read about his appearance are: emaciated, bony, gaunt and haggard. All of them describe the health condition of a sick man or extremely worked-out person. The photograph below certainly shows that.

After the event was over, one interviewer noted: “His handshake was moderate, his hands felt bony and I was taken aback by his extremely narrow face, slight build, and noticeable shoulder bones through his shirt. Those aren’t my impressions looking back in time through the prism of speculation since. That’s what I thought then; that these weren’t the features of a guy who’d been working out, or on a diet. They seemed far more severe. Sickly.”

In response to a question about his health, an Apple spokeswoman said Jobs was hit with a “common bug” in recent weeks but he still felt it was important to participate in the Apple conference. The spokeswoman said he’s now on the mend with the aid of antibiotics. Rumor has it he’s under a strict vegetarian diet personally supervised by his wife Laurene.

As most people probably know, Jobs was diagnosed with a form of pancreatic cancer in October 2003 and was operated on in July 2004—after reportedly not seeking treatment for more than nine months, while he explored other alternatives to surgery.

Jobs hid his battle with cancer for full nine months before informing shareholders and anyone else outside his most intimate of inner circles until the surgery, and had to schedule time away from the office for the surgical operation. Jobs took a leave from his duties at Apple that August in order to recuperate but returned to work the following month.

Although pancreatic cancer is one of the worst forms of the disease, however, Jobs had a rarer form known as a neuroendocrine tumour, which can often be cured through surgery. The major surgical operation is known as the Whipple procedure. That said, many cancers recur even after treatment, especially if they have metastasized (that is, spread to other organs such as the liver or kidney). Of course, there’s no way of knowing.

According to studies, 80 to 90 percent of patients who survive the surgery live at least ten years. Which means that barring some unfortunate complication, Jobs will probably be announcing products at keynotes through 2014.

Steve Jobs is the public face and the alter ego of Apple and we can only begin to wonder if Apple, in general, is strong enough to survive the loss of its charismatic leader. Jobs is widely considered nearly irreplaceable at Apple, where he has been the architect of a dramatic resurgence in the company’s fortunes over the past decade.

Investors and Apple loyalists pay particular attention to the chief executive’s appearance because they consider him to be irreplaceable to the company he rescued from the doldrums a little over ten years ago.

The last time Apple provided an update on Jobs’ health was nearly two years ago when similar concerns began to mount following his appearance at the 2006 Apple developers conference. At the time, the company’s VP of worldwide corporate communications Katie Cotton downplayed the concerns, saying Jobs’s health was “robust.”

Last year, financial publication Barron’s suggested that Jobs may be worth more to Apple than any other chief executive in the world, estimating that Apple’s market cap would instantly bleed $20 billion in value should he abruptly be forced to abandon his leadership role at the company. Fortunately for Apple, no replacement is needed.

Regardless of the apparent bright future for Steve Jobs, I’m sure in the obscure corridors of Silicon Valley and Wall Street, there are some who are currently asking, “Who’s the anointed Prince or Princess waiting to take over the Apple Throne from King Steve?”

Steve Jobs at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 9th.