Monthly Archives: February 2009

An iTunes moment?

The growing popularity of electronic books could offer hope for newspapers
Things are suddenly hotting up in the rather obscure field of electronic books and their associated reading devices, the best known of which is Amazon’s Kindle. A new, sleeker version of the Kindle was unveiled on February 9th. Just days earlier, Google said it was making 1.5m free e-books available in a format suitable for smart-phones, such as Apple’s iPhone and handsets powered by Google’s Android software. Amazon said it was working to make e-books available on smart-phones as well as the Kindle. Plastic Logic, the maker of a forthcoming e-reader device, saesyid it had struck distribution deals with several magazines and newspapers. The iPhone, meanwhile, has quietly become the most widely used e-book reader: more people have downloaded e-book software (such as Stanza, eReader and Classics) for iPhones than have bought Kindles. Might e-books be approaching the moment of take-off, akin to Apple’s launch of the iTunes store in 2003, which created a new market for legal music downloads? Read rest
Source The Economist

Microsoft Dreamspark now for High School!

Microsoft launched the High School version of DreamSpark a while back. DreamSpark is all about enabling students; nothing more. Now you can download professional Microsoft developer, designer, and gaming software through DreamSpark at no charge. Infact I’ve been playing around with Visual Studio 2008 and XNA Game Studio 3.0 that I got with my DreamSpark DVD, and it’s good to use such MS product(s) that aren’t pirated, for once! 😛

So, to get started:

  • Talk to the high school administrator and find out if the school is a part of the program. I guess Mukesh Sir would’ve already registered DPS RKP. 🙂
  • If isn’t enrolled in DreamSpark, tell them about the program and ask them to come to this website and sign-up today!

Of course there is the standard DreamSpark. Microsoft professional-level developer and design tools for students at no charge.

Go ahead and check it out. Maybe someone could download them from the net and share it with everyone, and each of you can get your own license keys.

Have fun!

Rasagy Sharma
Microsoft Student Partner,
BITS Pilani Goa

Farewell Exun…

They say everything must come to an end. And with the end of my school life comes the nostalgia – the fond memories of the Exun lab. My most favourite haunt. Ever.

All those events – the ones we won, the ones we lost, and the ones we built from the scratch – had one thing in common.
We did it together.
Saying goodbye to all of you – who have made my last years at school the best ever – is a sad reality I must face.

Three farewell parties in the last two weeks for me.
Thank you guys – for the only one that left me feeling I wasn’t really going away.

Mukesh sir – I owe you for letting me be a part of the most rocking gang ever.
And for tolerating me ever since.

An Exun-ite forever,
G. Sid

Exun 2008-09 Farewell

Hey guys, I will firstly thank ALL of you, for making EXUN so special. The farewell was brilliantly organised and well co-ordinated. Hats off to Akriti, Arshiya, Rishabh, Tanay, Shubham, Pranav and Adidev ofcourse.

Lets face it, EXUN 2008 – 09, learnt to merge fun with work into a seamlessly productive machinery, which left me wishing I had been a part of it for a longer time.
I had my first and last EXUN symposium, and my first and last EXUN farewell this year, and from what I’ve heard, they haven’t been better. I thankfully avoided the EXUN coke( 😀 )and had the pleasure of seeing others drink it. 
Last and not the least I have hung the certificate in my room (ok haven’t yet but plan to) and hope to stay in touch with all of you.
We brought the ‘partayy’ to EXUN.
Special Regards to Mukesh Sir – the founder of EXUN
EXUN truly is Fun UN limited.
Stay in Touch all!
Billoo(AKA Samarth)