Monthly Archives: October 2008

MTV releases ALL its music videos online

In a move that might be aimed to take on YouTube (or maybe not) MTV has started MTV MUSIC, a service that supposedly provides all the music videos that MTV has (or ever had since its beginning) online and that too for FREE. New videos are being added daily, so even if your favourite videos aren’t there yet, they probably soon will be.

The service is rumoured to be available only in the US, but so far, all the videos I’ve tried to view have worked for me.

The videos can be embedded on your site, and they’ve also released a developer’s API 😀

Microsoft introduces Windows Azure

Microsoft recently introduced Windows Azure (October 27 is the precise date), its operating system based on cloud computing. The OS serves as the underlying foundation of the Azure Services Platform to help developers build apps that span from the cloud to the data center, to PCs, the Web, and phones. Cloud-based developer capabilities are combined with storage, computational, and network infrastructure services, which are hosted on servers within Microsoft’s global data center network.

Find out more at: http://www.microsoft.com/azure/windowsazure.mspx

Sounds like Teen Buzz

I recently came to know of this fascinating idea “Teen Buzz”

Teen Buzz is a ring tone optimized at 17.4 kHz which can only be heard by people less than 25 years of age because the ability to hear high frequencies deteriorates in humans with age. It is quite popular among teens in the United Kingdom who use it in schools so as to prevent disciplinary actions that would normally be imposed if a mobile phone user was caught using their phones during school hours.

You can hear the tone here

Jack Kilby Science and Technology Quiz 2008

The Jack Kilby Science and Technology Quiz 2008 organized by Texas Instruments was held on the 18th of October, a Saturday. 4 teams from our school participated and there were a total of approximately 260 teams participating from numerous schools, in the Air Force Auditorium, Subroto Park. One team from our school qualified for the regional finals and also became the regional winners. The team consisted of:
  • Aditya Grover – X-H
  • Vishesh Kumar – X-H

They have now been selected to participate in the National Finals to be held on the 16th of November, in Bangalore.

[Update: This might seem like we’re bragging but we couldn’t help sharing this image, uploaded on TI’s site 🙂 ]
Also, thanks a lot for the encouragements, folks. We will surely try to win the nationals too!:D

1-800-41-999-999

Just a small Google product alert:

Google’s started a phone search which provides information ranging from movie timmings to local buisness information. It’s a pilot service which is available only in Delhi and Hyderabad.
It proves to be very handy when you are on the go and can be reached with any phone number(i.e. mobile or landline).
a combination of advanced speech recognition technology and local experts(so,no worries about the accent) is being employed to deliver the information to the customers in an effecient and quick manner.
Also,once you find the information you’re looking for, you can:

  • Get the information sent to you for free via SMS
  • Have the information read to you

P.S.

It may not be available at all times and may not work all users

In English, Hindi and Telugu(for the moment)

Toll free number

Flock 2.0 : The Inside Story

An Amazing Experience. I only tried Flock 2 Beta 3 cause I wanted to use the (unofficial) portable version from here or directly download the version I have from here. Btw , proper portable versions of the final release have also been made.

It is an amazingly functional interface where you have an in-built blog editor, and a really capable sidebar that can mark your presence on just about every networking site you may have heard of as being used by many. When you open the browser, an inevitable “My World Page” opens up in which the left column is covered by diggs, etc which are shown on your set preferences, the middle column is ur updates followed on twitter, FB, etc. The rightmost, I believe is for youtube and videos, cause right now it tells me, learn HowToFlock on YouTube. No number of Add-ons in Firefox, under those known by me can also match all those capabilities of Flock. And if you know me, you would know that it counts. ;D Lastly, you can trust it cause in essence, its yet another browser based on the fx3 architecture. Have a try. You ought to like it.

Flock 2.0 is Out


Flock
, the social web browser’s second version is out and, I quote, “ready to rock!” Flock is about a browser that makes it more convenient for social networking as “It’s all about you!”. It has also, supposedly, “finally” incorporated Mysapce in its sidebar.
I am yet to use it for the first time.
TechCrunch says, the philosophy of Flock is entirely opposite to that of chrome, where although the browsers design (the address bar etc.) is thin enough, its colours are meant to attract, and not be minimalistic. I am currently downloading it so I yet don’t know what to expect. Let’s hope for the best…
P.S.: I swear, this time, I won’t write anything bad about it even if I do find it so.

New Macbooks coming soon


First things first. Come October 14, 10 am PST and the new MacBook will be out. But wait, is it a new Macbook?  Now here is where things go a lil nutty. According to engadget, Apple has secretly created an entirely new manufacturing process. Apparently, Apple has created a brand-new process to sculpt casings for products out of aircraft-grade aluminum, using a system that carves the pieces out of a single block of metal using “3D lasers” and water-jet cutting. The new technique will supposedly allow for seamless components which require no bending or folding, won’t use screws to join together, are ultra-light but also “super strong,” and will enable the company to rapidly prototype and produce new designs. This is a rumor but rumors on engadget have been coming true time and again.


Coming over to the invite (the picture) it was quite surprising. Apple has been known to be all cryptic and mystic in their invites. Never before have they simply pointed out what new products they plan to unveil.
So why this Invite? Well IMHO, the sheer reason for that is Apple’s falling stock prices (taking in mind everybody in Wall Street is taking a beating these days). Prices have gone down by almost $85 in the past 3 months. 

Well lets wait and watch what ol Jobs has in store (pun intended) for us.

UPDATE: Guys, the puzzle fits perfectly. I’ve been reading some insider news and I’m quite sure these are Apple’s steps towards creating a manufacturing process which would free them of the chains that bind them to Chinese/Taiwanese manufacturers like Foxconn. Does the acquisition of PA Semi ring a bell?