Microsoft Surface

SURFACE
Now here's a Microsoft product you're bound to love-
Imagine you're at a restaurant table and you can't wait to see
the menu. Instead of waiting for the appearance of a waiter
who says, "Hi, I'm Tyler, I'll be your waiter for the evening.
Would you like to see the Menu ?" what if you were to touch
the table surface and see the Menu pop up in hi-res, full color ?
Touch the picture of the dishes/drinks you wish to order, place
your order and then sit back - your food is on its way.

click on this Softpedia.com image

Your dinner companion is late and you can't stand being seated
alone in this restaurant ? There's no need to be self-conscious,
because the table surface once again has goodies on display -
games and videos at your fingertips.

Yes, the coolest thing envisioned and kept under wraps so far
by Microsoft has finally.......surfaced !

"Surface is a horizontal display on a table-like form factor that
morphs from an ordinary table-top into a new, vibrant way to
bring connected entertainment and digital content to users,"
revealed Corporate Vice President Tom Gibbons at The Wall
Street Journal’s D: All Thing’s Digital conference in Carlsbad,
Calif. recently.

At $10,000 a pop currently, don't expect to be using this interface
in the near future unless you're a Corporate VIP or at an Expo like
the upcoming one at the Hotel Sheraton in New York City.
Your grandchildren on the other hand, will take this for granted
when they are as old as you are now....

Link to Softpedia.com article and images

ESP N' Me

Yesterday I was watching a creepy movie called
'The Ring Two' mainly because I like Naomi Watts' acting
(okay, her looks).


In it, she plays a mother who has to drown her young son in a
bathtub in order to exorcise the spirit that is possessing him -
the spirit of a young girl who was drowned in a bathtub due to
her mother's PPD (that's Post-Partum Depression to you).

This seemed to 'ring' -pun intended- a bell about a similar case
right where I live and set me racking my brains for the name of the
NASA mother who was involved. Just couldn't get her name*
until it unfortunately appeared before me in today's AP news

Quote from AP article :
'Texas has seen a disturbing number of child killings by mothers in
recent years. Andrea Yates* drowned her five children in the family's
Houston bathtub in 2001. In 2003, Deanna Laney beat her two young
sons to death with stones in East Texas, and Lisa Ann Diaz drowned
her daughters in a Plano bathtub. Dena Schlosser fatally severed her
10-month-old daughter's arms with a kitchen knife in 2004. All four of
those women were found innocent by reason of insanity. Yates initially
was convicted of capital murder, but that was overturned on appeal.'
Link

This seemed eerie to me, coming as it did less than twenty-four hours
after it was bothering me, but not too eerie. I keep having these strange
premonitions or bouts with ESP, which I intend to share with you from
time to time.

Here's one earlier ESP-ish example that starts :
'Checking TV listings for Turner Classic Movies for Nov. 13th I
noticed Mother India scheduled for 1:00 a.m.'....
Something made me want to read more about this movie and then
I figured out why: my father..........

EVOLUTION OF COMPUTER – TIMELINE

To all in Nerd Land :
another one from my Inbox....

The genesis of mechanical / digital computing can be traced
back to Blaise Pascal and GW Liebnitz.

Charles Babbage was the first to imagine a machine that
could process data. He designed first a different engine,
an analytical engine and an all purpose calculating machine.

Year 1904:
Discovery of thermionic valve.

Year 1938:
Konrad Zeus built the world's first binary digital computer,
the Z1.

Year 1941:
Zeus completed the first fully functional program-controlled
electromechanical digital computer, the Z3.

Year 1946:
The first glimpse of the ENIAC, a machine built by
John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert.

Year 1948:
Claude Shannon identified the bit as the fundamental unit
of data and the basic unit of computation.

Year 1951:
The UNIVAC I developed.

Year 1952:
John von Neumann's IAS computer became operational.

Year 1953:
IBM shipped its first electronic computer, the 701.

Year 1955:
The first fully transistorized computer, TRADIC.

Year 1956:
Experiments began for direct keyboard input on computers.
Doug Ross wrote a memo advocating direct access.
The era of magnetic disk storage dawned with IBM's
shipment of a 305 RAMAC
TX-0, the first general-purpose, programmable computer
built with transistors.

Year 1957:
FORTRAN enabled a computer to perform a repetitive task
from a single set of instructions by using loops.
Commercial compiler for it's UNIVAC.

Year 1958:
Dataphone, the first commercial modem.
COBOL designed for business use.
LISP made its debut as the first computer language designed
for writing artificial intelligence programs.

Year 1962:
SpaceWar!, considered the first interactive computer game.
Virtual memory emerged.

Year 1963:
ASCII developed.

Year 1964:
BASIC created.

Year 1965:
PDP-8, the first commercially successful minicomputer.

Year 1967:
LOGO as a computer language designed.

Year 1969:
The RS-232-C standard.

Year 1970:
The birth of ARPANET, the precursor to present internet.

Year 1971:
8-inch floppy diskette invented.
Ray Thomlinson sends first ever email.

Year 1972:
Intel's 8008 microprocessor made its debut.

Year 1973:
Ethernet method of network connection devised.

Year 1975:
Telenet: the first commercially packet-switching network
and civilian equivalent of ARPANET, was born.
Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Micro-Soft.
The first issue of BYTE magazine published.

Year 1976:
Steve Wozniak designed the Apple I, on a single-board
computer.
The Cray I - the first commercially successful vector processor.
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak from the Apple Computer
Company.
5 1/4" Flexible disk drive and diskette were introduced.

Year 1977:
Hashim Taylor born! It is the year's only invention! LOL!

Year 1978:
Epson announces the dot matrix printer.

Year 1979:
Emoticons bring life into otherwise boring computer newsgroups.

Year 1980:
The first hard disk drive for microcomputer.
The first optical data storage disk.
The first Winchester 5.25-inch hard disk drive announced.
Microsoft acquires SCP's DOS.

Year 1981:
Sony shipped the first 3 1/4" floppy disk and drive.
the MS-DOS released.

Year 1982:
Phillips created an erasable optical disk.
The first Cray XPM produced.
The first issue of PC Magazine printed.
Intel introduced the 6 MHz 80286 microprocessor.
Microsoft release MS-DOS 1.1 to IBM.
The first IBM PC clone, the MPC.
Compaq Portable PC introduced.
TCP/IP introduced and Internet's birth.

Year 1983:
Apple introduced its Lisa. The first personal computer with
a graphical User Interface.
Compaq introduced first PC clone that used the same
software as the IBM PC.
Lotus 1-2-3 v. 1.0 hit the market.
Iomega introduced the Bernoulli Box storage device.
SyQuest storage cartridge system launched.
Novell introduced the NetWare network OS.
Phillips and Sony develop the CD-ROM
Hewlett-Packard unveils microcomputer featuring optical
touchscreen.
Microsoft Windows and MS-Word 1.0 released.
Borland int. releases Turbo Pascal programming language.

Year 1984:
Apple Computer launched the Macintosh, the first successful
mouse-driven computer with GUI.
IBM release PC-AT with 286 chip and 16 bit bus and PC Jr.
Hewlett Packard introduced the LaserJet printer
The word "Cyberspace" used for the first time by
William Gibson.

Year 1985:
Aldus announced it's PageMaker program for desktop
publishing.
The C++ emerges as the dominant object-oriented
programming language.
The first general-interest CD-ROM product released
- Grolier encyclopedia.
The modern Internet gained support when NSF formed
the NSFNET.
CD-ROM drives are introduced for computer use.
NEC Home Electronics introduced the first multisync
monitor.
Microsoft shipped Windows 1.0.

Year 1986:
Apple designed HyperCard, a software tool for
development of in-house applications.
IBM introduced its PS/2 machine based on a new
architect called MicroChannel.
The first IBM to include Intel's 80386 chip, allowing the
use of a mouse with IBMs for the first time.
Microsoft released OS/2 1.0.

Year 1988:
NeXT computer - recognized as an important innovation.
PC-clone makers developed EISA
Robert Morris' worm flooded the ARPANET.

Year 1989:
Virtual Reality, a computer generated 3-D environment that
allows a user to interact with the realities developed.
Intel announced the 486 microprocessor.

Year 1990:
Microsoft shipped Windows 3.0.
The World Wide Web was born when Tim Berners-Lee,
a researcher at CERN, Geneva, developed HTML.
Apple unveils and ships the Macintosh Classic.

Year 1991:
Linus Torvalds develops Linux, in Finland.
The NSF allowed commercial use of the Internet for
the first time.
Intel introduced the PCI local-bus standard for personal
computer systems.
IBM introduced ThinkPad 700C laptop computer.

Year 1993:
Intel introduced Pentium processor.
Microsoft comes up with Windows NT OS.
Creative's Sound Blaster 16 Card hit the market.
Apple launched Newton MessagePad - personal
digital assistant.
The NCSA released Mosaic 1.0, first graphical
www web browser.
Netscape Navigator 1.0, a www browser, born.
Iomega launched its Zip drive and Zip disks.
150 countries connected via internet and 50 million
people got online.

Year 1995:
The NSF decommissioned the internet backbone,
leaving the internet a self supporting industry.
IBM announced PC-DOS 7.
Microsoft hits the world with Windows 95.
I (Hashim Taylor) celebrated my 18th Birthday :P

Year 1996:
Corel purchased WordPerfect, Quattro Pro and the
PerfectOffice application suite from Novell.
Microsoft released Windows NT 4.0
Microsoft unveils Windows CE operating system for
handheld PCs.
CD-ReWritable (CD-RW) is announced.

Year 1997:
AMD introduced K6 processor.

Year 1998:
Celeron processor shipped
Steve Jobs introduced the iMac.
Microsoft released Windows 98.
America Online buys Netscape Communications.
Motorola officially introduced the G4 processor.

Year 1999:
Cyrix released the MII processor - beats PIII
Apple introduced the G3 PowerBook and the iBook.
AMD released the Athlon processor.
Apple released the Power Mac G4 compter
(With Motorola G4)

Year 2000:
Microsoft unveils Windows 2000 OS and Windows ME.
BeOS v5 OS for PCs released.
Palm III c handheld computer released.
Microsoft launches the pocket PC that runs on Microsoft
Windows CE 3.0.
Corel released WordPerfect Office 2000 for Linux.
Apple releases MAC X DR 4.
Compaq introduced the iPAQ Pocket PC handheld
computer.
Intel announce Pentium 4.
Microsoft unveils it's C# (Called C Sharp) language.
Apple introduced the PowerMac G4 Cube.
AMD shipped 1.1 GHz Athlon processor.

Year 2001:
Intel announced hyper-threaded P4 capable of working
as two processor.
Napster closes down.

Year 2001 ONWARD...
We are all aware what happened after year 2001!
Soon I'll add the hot happenings of rest of the years.

The Bytes Measurement: a simple chart

Bytes
Kilobyte 1,024 Kilobytes
Megabyte 1,048,576 1,024 Megabytes
Gigabyte 1,073,741,824 1,048,576 1,024 Gigabytes
Terabyte 1,099,511,627,776 1,073,741,824 1,048,
576 1,024

(Thanks, Phil in Perth)

Unfortunate Domain Names

Warning !! Don't read this if you're humorless, easily offended
or overly sensitive !

Zuza Fun » 10 Worst Company Domains

1. A site called ‘Who Represents‘ where you can find the name
of the agent that represents a celebrity. Their domain name…
wait for it… is www.whorepresents.com

2. Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers
can exchange advice and views at www.expertsexchange.com

3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at
www.penisland.net

4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at www.therapistfinder.com

5. Then of course, there’s the Italian Power Generator company…
www.powergenitalia.com

6. And now, we have the Mole Station Native Nursery, based in
New South Wales: www.molestationnursery.com

7. If you’re looking for computer software, there’s always
www.ipanywhere.com

8. Welcome to the First Cumming Methodist Church. Their website
is www.cummingfirst.com

9. Then, of course, there’s these brainless art designers, and their
whacky website: www.speedofart.com

10. Want to holiday in Lake Tahoe? Try their brochure website at
www.gotahoe.com

More Zuza Fun :
Ever wondered what other people understand from HTML tags?
HTML tags in human language

What The Dickens !

Like many of the English-medium school-goers in India
I was privy to the wonderful world of Charles Dickens via
the unofficial 'required reading' subtly passed on to the
Anglo-Indian school system, which thrived gloriously in
the '50s and '60s. As Indians we were fully qualified to
relate to the hardships, misery and simple ways of life
that Dickens wrote of, since those living conditions were
visible to us everyday, everywhere. Coming out of church
dressed in their Sunday finest, churchgoers could walk out
of the exit gates and be faced with beggars, cripples, lepers,
vagabonds, ragamuffins, hucksters and livery drivers same as
in any of Dickens' novels. The same could be said for the
entrances to Mosques, movie theaters and restaurants - and
the same unfortunately may be said now, even though the local
authorities are trying to sweep the unfortunates under the rug
and out of sight. That's India, some things will never change.

It's a different world in the West, of course. A precious resource like
Food is flung across tables in Renaissance period re-enactments
like 'Medieval Times' and on MTV Game shows in the name of
'Entertainment'. Enough food to help dying children on many continents.

Now Entertainment takes a new turn to satisfy the jaded pleasure-
seeker, as reported in a recent Christian Science Monitor article :

Bemusement park: Where Dickens meets Disney |
csmonitor.com
Welcome to Dickens World, a theme park with a difference.
If you thought theme parks were all about thrilling roller coasterrides,
wolfing down hotdogs and cotton candy, and shaking
hands with overgrown mice and goofy dogs, you're in for a rude
awakening. Dickens World recreates the filth, squalor, and even
the unpleasant whiffs of Victorian London, the city in which
Charles Dickens lived and breathed, and wrote so memorably
about in "A Tale of Two Cities," "Great Expectations," and
"Oliver Twist." It's less a theme park, and more a "grime park."

Related : Great Forebodings

Technorati Tags: Dickens theme park

Onyomo : Indian Local Search Site

Check out a fledgling Local City Search site that's
'really cool' just like everything else in my
e-mail these days ;-)

--- olmkota(at)gmail.com wrote:

I am a Pooneite, and recently came across a site
with a lot of local info on Pune.

It is available at www.onyomo.com - I found it really cool -
though there weren't too many reviews.

Well, I did add a few reviews, and I guess a lot of other people
could add more reviews too..

So no we finally have something addressing needs of
us Puneites.

Cheers,

Shailesh

Blog Camp

From my Blogger mail, unedited...from a
journalist who works for CNN/IBN.
His blog last updated Sept. 2006

Hi
My name's Georeg Koshy and am a journo with CNN-IBN.
Plz could you mail me the contact info of any person
co-ordinating the blogger camp plz.....Would like to do a
story on teh same...besides being a part of the camp too.

Alternatively just mail me your contacts and will get in
touch with you....

Warm regards

George Koshy Plammoottil
Business Correspondent
Mumbai - CNN-IBN / CNBC TV18
(Mobile) +91 9819808042
(Direct) +91 22 4001 9564
(Newsroom) +91 22 4001 9555
(Fax) +91 22 24968240
www.ibnlive.com
___________________________________________________________
CNN-IBN, Empire Complex, 1st Floor, 414 Senapati Bapat Marg,
Lower Parel - Mumbai 400 013

Like I Said....

Once again I am happy that my showbiz instincts didn't fail me.
On April 26th I predicted here that 17-year-old Jordin Sparks
would win the title of this year's American Idol.
In an earlier season of the show I predicted Fantasia would win
after hearing her sing just once, and I was right. So what does this
prove ? Place your bets with me and you're safe ? I don't know.

Jordin Sparks crowned `American Idol' - Yahoo! News
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/tv_american_idol

DNAIndia.com : Bloggers get an 'unconference'

DNA India.com is one of the better online newspapers to

come out of India in my opinion, even surpassing the
once-venerable old lady that is The Times of India.

But unto each his own. If you are willing to deal with endless
pop-ups and animations that slow down the loading of pages
just so you can get your fill of Bollywood Gossip, by all means
stick with The Times. If, however you would like to get a bit
of a good, uninterrupted read on a variety of topics, try this
sample link to DNA India (Mumbai) that covers the upcoming
Blogcamp Pune :

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1098464

How Far We've Come

Dear Fred, Since the start of May, you have played a central role in crucial poverty-fighting legislation. You helped introduce The Education for All and the Global Child Survival Acts, sending nearly 200,000 letters to members of Congress, letting them know that their constituents support the legislation. Two relatively minor bills like these would normally be overshadowed by some of the larger bills currently going through Congress, but you gave them some serious momentum; the Global Child Survival Act alone already has 29 co-sponsors. Before your letters were even printed for delivery, we heard from congressional staff that our mobilization created palpable energy around the bills. The next step from here is to start raising public awareness on these bills. On Friday morning, we want your neighbors to open their local paper and read a letter to the editor from a ONE member about the opportunity America has to provide life-saving services to children and their mothers and to provide the means for every child to receive a primary education Please take a moment to send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper explaining the importance of these two bills and how they are having a real impact in the fight against poverty. A letter to the editor not only serves the purpose of spreading the word, it also acts as a second - much more public - letter to your members of Congress, who read their local papers to find out what constituents in their district and state are thinking about. Send a message to your community and your elected officials by writing a letter to the editor. Now that these bills have been introduced, it is not abnormal for them to take several months before they move through committee and to a vote by the full House and Senate. We'll be sure to keep you updated on future opportunities to help them along the way. Congratulations on all that you have achieved, and thank you for continuing to take action against extreme poverty and global AIDS. Thank you for your voice, Josh Peck, ONE.org

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