Microsoft to stop selling XP from monday!!

Bye Bye Win XP !!

Finally Microsoft has made a decision to stop selling its Windows XP version of Operating System from monday despite several protests from a large section of PC users who don't want to be forced into using XP's successor-> Vista(which is not much successful).

A group of vocal computer users who rallied around a "Save XP" petition posted on the industry news site InfoWorld had been clamoring for Microsoft to keep selling XP until its next operating system, Windows 7, is available. The software maker has said it expects to release Windows 7 sometime in 2009.

Microsoft said it would provide full technical support for six-year-old Windows XP through 2009, and limited support through 2014.

Ice-free North Pole !!

A leading ice scientist from USA has said that there are 50-50 chances this year to witness an ice-free North Pole.

The scientist said that the chances for a total meltdown at the pole are higher than ever because the layer of ice coating the sea is thinner than ever.

Pictures taken from a NASA satellite showed that the circle of ice surrounding the North Pole is "considerably getting thinner" than what scientists have seen during the five years !!

Scientists said , for the last couple of decades there has been a steady melt of Arctic sea ice — which covers only the ocean and which thins during summer and refreezes in winter. In recent years, it has gradually become thinner because more of it has been melting as the Earth's temperature rises.

Hope the situation doesn't get worse and make the polar ice a history..

Gates bids a teary adieu to Microsoft ..

Finally Gates bid a teary adieu to Microsoft . Gate's voice cracked when he mentioned Steve Ballmer , and all the "incredible people" at the company he founded, and you can hear the pride in his voice when he talked about how they changed the world. "You've made it so much fun for me, there won't be a day in my life that I'm not thinking about Microsoft and the great things it's doing. Thank you for making it the center of my life and so much fun."

Gates, who founded Microsoft at age 19, will now devote his time to philanthropic work.
Helping solve some of the world's health issues will now occupy Bill Gates's working hours as the IT icon retired from Microsoft on Friday. Two years ago Gates announced that he was leaving the software world to devote his time to the philanthropic organization he started with his wife in 2000. The group's work involves funding malaria and HIV research, among other causes. The task of running one of the most powerful companies now falls to CEO Steve Ballmer and chief software architect Ray Ozzie, among others. Gates will not completely exit Redmond, though.

He will continue serving as Microsoft chairman and dedicate one day a week to company business.

Now this guy mean real business !!

Play Tech prank with ur office buddies

Disappearing Desktop

A classic computer prank never goes out of style. The desktop image trick has been around for a bit, but rest assured: There are plenty of unsuspecting victims still to be found. Just head over to an unattended computer, minimize all the windows, and hit the Print Screen key. Paste the captured image into any graphic editing program — even Microsoft Paint will do — then save the file and set it as the desktop background. Then, all you have to do is hide the actual icons on the desktop — put them in a folder somewhere — and your victim will try endlessly to click the nonexistent icons, which are actually just part of the background image. For another variation, leave one program open when you capture the screen and watch as the person tries to click on it, type in it, and close it to no avail.

The Restart Remap

We start with one sure to throw off even the most advanced Windows user. Setup is simple and you need only a few seconds alone on someone’s computer. When you get a chance, sneak over and right-click your pal’s icon to Internet Explorer or some other commonly used program. Edit the properties and change the target to: “%windir%\system32\shutdown.exe -r -t 00″ Now, every time your buddy tries to run IE, his machine will mysteriously restart — and your laughter will instantly result.

The Wrath of Rotation

A simple but quick and always amusing prank is putting the screen rotation hotkeys to uses Microsoft never intended. Just run by a co-worker’s desk, reach over and hit Ctrl-Alt-up or down to rotate their monitor orientation. If you have some alone time, you can one-up it by also going into the Control Panel and setting their mouse to left-handed. They’ll spend 10 minutes with their head tilted sideways trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

Mousing Around

The laser mouse may have ended the era of mouse-ball stealing, but it opened up another option. Stick a few layered pieces of transparent tape on the bottom side of your friend’s mouse to really mess with its functionability.

A Pointer Pointer

Another great mouse prank awaits you in the Control Panel. Under the “Mouse” settings’ “Pointer” tab, change the default mouse pointer to the hourglass. Suddenly, the system is always busy working! What’s going on?

Mousing Around

Spend some more time in the “Mouse” settings and you’ll find more fun to be had. Try switching out a pal’s primary and secondary button functions for full confusion, or move the pointer speed to either extreme fast or extreme slow to give them some extreme frustration.

Source : Techcult

Microsoft Surface now in Las Vegas

Microsoft's touch-screen Surface computers have debuted in a Las Vegas casino bar giving Sin City partiers high-tech tools for flirting and concocting cocktails.

Harrah's Entertainment Inc. became the second business, behind telecom giant AT&T, to deploy Microsoft's computer technology which essentially turns table tops into touch-controlled computer displays.

Harrah's said it put six customized Surface computers in a bar at its Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.

Harrah's crafted its own software for the machines and equipped them with cameras so people can send pick-lines, drinks or both to bar-goers they are interested in connecting with in real life.

People continue to be excited about the endless possibilities of Surface technology and how it can transform everyday scenarios, including the social and entertainment space.

People can use the computers to play games, watch online videos, or take a virtual stroll along the renowned Las Vegas strip without leaving their seat at the "iBar," according to Harrah's.

This is the first time Surface computers, which Microsoft sells for approximately 10,000 dollars each, have been put to use in an entertainment venue. AT&T uses Surface in some of its retail stores.

Source : AFP

Road Runner world's fastest Computer ...

Scientists at the Los Alamos government weapons lab have built the world's fastest computer called the Road Runner. It is capable of sustaining 1,000 trillion operations per second.

This computer will be used to help maintain the America's nuclear weapons stock pile .
Roadrunner, also will be used to help solve global energy problems and open new windows of knowledge in basic research.

The Los Alamos National laboratory in New Mexico and IBM worked for six years to achieve the world record computer speed.

wonder why did they name it Road Runner !!!!

Toyota fuel cell Car

Toyota Motors has said it finally has developed a new zero-emission fuel-cell vehicle that has a longer cruising distance than previous models and can operate in freezing temperatures.

Many companies have been working to create a viable zero-emission car running on fuel cells, which produce electricity through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, leaving water as the only by-product.

Toyota engineers managed to control the amount of water produced inside the fuel-cell system, which previously interfered with electrical generation at low temperatures.

Honda's Eco-Friendly Vehicle >>>

The International Energy Agency estimated Friday that nearly a billion electric or fuel-cell vehicles may need to be put on the road as part of an "energy technology revolution" to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Hope these vehicles gain much popularity and reduce the Green House Effect