Robot conducted orchestra in Detroit

High tech met high art late Tuesday when a robot(ASIMO) conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.It was the first time ever that an orchestra was handed over completely to a robot and the machine got rave reviews.

Both the audience and performers burst into applause after Honda's ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility) robot led the symphony in a performance of "The Impossible Dream" ahead of a sold-out concert.

"It's exciting to see. The technology is mind boggling," said bass trombone player Randall Hawes, who has played with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for 22 years.

The symphony extended the invitation to ASIMO earlier this year after Honda donated one million dollars to establish The Power of Dreams Music Education Fund, which will support music education to underserved children around Detroit.

Honda has 25 ASIMO-type robots serving as ambassadors around the world and hopes to one day use the robots to help people confined to wheelchairs.

Hondaaaaaaaaaa !!!

Windows now to run on OLPC

Microsoft has agreed make its Windows operating system software available for the One Laptop Per Child(OLPC) Foundation's XO Laptop.

Microsoft previously was not a part of the project started by Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nicholas Negroponte to develop an inexpensive laptop computer for elementary school children in developing countries.

Microsoft said it plans to start trials of Windows on the low-cost laptop in key emerging markets as early as June.

Way to Go Microsoft ....

How to block web-sites in windows XP ..

Let me share a very simple tip in Win XP using which we can block a particular website from opening in our system.

Procedure :

-> Click the Start button and select Run. Type the following: c:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

->Windows might ask you which program should be used to open this application. Click on Wordpad.

->It will open up a new window on your screen showing some text information. At the end of the last line of the file, press the Enter key. Type 127.0.0.1 and the name of the website you want to block.

For example: 127.0.0.1 xyz.com

->Finally save this file. The websites that you have put in this list will not open up on your system.

*NOTE*

In case you want to open them, go back to the text file using the same commands and remove the names you have typed. Save the file.

MySpace wins $230 million in anti-spam judgment !!

In what is to believed as one of the largest anti-spam judgment ever social networking site MySpace has won a $230 million in damages from Sanford Wallace(Sanford Wallace is also called as "Spam King " or "Spamford") and Walter Rines.

MySpace said the pair sent more than 730,000 messages to MySpace members, many made to look like they were coming from trusted friends, giving them an air of legitimacy.

Though service provider MySpace wuold be having tough time collecting this award, it hopes the judgment would deters other spammers.

MySpace's Chief Security Officer said "Anybody who's been thinking about engaging in spam are going to say, `Wow, I better not go there' ".

HBO selling shows on Apple iTunes..

On Apple's


If the rumors are to be believed HBO cable network will now be selling its shows on Apple Inc's digital entertainment service with variable pricing.

The costs for the shows would be -- $2.99 for Episodes of Rome, The Sopranos pop and Deadwood. While The Wire and Sex and the City , Flight of the Conchords go with the iTunes "standard" pricing of $1.99.

The deal would be announced pretty soon.

Microsoft releases worldwide Telescope ..

Microsoft Corp. has launched its much awaited project Worldwide Telescope which was under research for many years.

WorldWide Telescope knits together images from the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray, Observatory Centre, Sloan Digital Sky Survey and few more.


Computer users can browse through the galaxy on their own or take guided tours of different outer-space destinations developed by astronomers and academics.

The site lets users choose from a number of different telescopes and switch between different light wavelengths.

Microsoft's Chairman Bill Gates said "The WorldWide Telescope is a powerful tool for science and education that makes it possible for everyone to explore the universe,"

Link : http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/

Social Networking sites now allow to share space..

Social Networking sites MySpace and Facebook which have been highly protective for its users till now have loosened their grip

These sites have made it easier for people to share their personal information (favorite pictures, information and other applications) with other web-sites on the Internet.

Both Facebook and MySpace say several weeks remain before their users' data becomes portable. The transition poses a risk for Facebook and MySpace because they are effectively tearing down the barriers that sequestered the personal profiles on their sites.

Myspace has also become so liberal that it is even ready to exchange information with its arch-rival Facebook. Experts believe that this move by Myspace gives more oppurtunity for the people to join.