Search engine Blinkx is to launch a 1MB downloadable search tool that won’t hobble your apps while seeking out content likely to be of interest.

Blinkx founder says the Pico approach "reverses the process of search" and "simplifies it by bringing content to you".

Pico works by identifying the main topic and then shows similar items, categorised by media type and accessible via icons at the top of the current web page [Smart Folders].

Pico's context-sensitive technology will automatically retrieve news stories, Wikipedia entries, TV and video, blogs and podcasts related to the item on the web you’re currently viewing.


Source: pcadvisor
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Octavo give access to many famous and historical technology books by making available for viewing online.

"...an extraordinary opportunity for history to be resurrected from rare book rooms and then made available to a wide audience"
– Steven Foster, Herbalgram
August, 2004

"Octavo’s efforts have given rise to a new form of book. In the past, there has been the book itself and the information it contains. Octavo editions provide the visual image of the artifact, the information (text) in fully searchable form, and scholarly annotations that extend well beyond the narrow possibilities of the footnote. It is, perhaps, the kindest, gentlest form of annotation, one that provides a new kind of discovery in texts that have traditionally been beyond the means of most of us."
– Webb C. Howell, Fine Books and Collections
September/October, 2004

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The System z9 Integrated Information Processor (zIIP) is a specialty engine that will run eligible database workloads and is designed to help free-up general computing capacity and lower software costs for select workloads such as business intelligence (BI), ERP and CRM on the mainframe.

The zIIP will be priced at $125,000 in the United States, consistent with the zAAP and IFL engines.

The new system represents a three-year, $1.2-billion development effort encompassing 5,000 IBM engineers, software developers and security experts from around the world.

Source: IBM
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Watch these amazing collection of Google Logos created by Fark members here. Above is some of the samples.
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Ma.Gnolia has just launched beta testing for their new social bookmarking service.

Find and save your favorite website bookmarks with Ma.gnolia.com so you can get them from any computer, any time. And that’s only the start.

In Ma.gnolia you’ll join a welcoming community of people and interest groups, all of them showing you what they’ve found on the web. If you’ve never tried social bookmarking before, you’re at the the right place to start.

Joining Ma.gnolia is free, and so quick you’ll see what all the hype is about in just moments.

Still not sure? Read on to learn more.
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Apple today announced that 1 billion songs have been downloaded from the Apple iTunes Music Store.

The person who downloaded the billionth song from the iTunes Music Store won a new 20-inch iMac, 10 60GB iPods, and a $10,000 iTunes Music Card to jumpstart their digital music collection.

iTunes hit the 500 million download mark last July, and needed only seven additional months to double those sales.
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A UK Trading Standards officer contacted the Mozilla Foundation to report catching a business selling copies of Firefox. The organization confiscated the CDs with the intent to prosecute said business.

When informed that such distribution was authorized, the officer first expressed disbelief that Free Software could be sold then said 'If Mozilla permit the sale of copied versions of its software, it makes it virtually impossible for us to enforce UK anti-piracy legislation'.

It demonstrates how the free software model disrupts the old proprietary way of doing things, where copying was theft and you were guilty until proven innocent.

Source: timesonline
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Philips has developed a video watermarking solution for digital cinema, CineFence, which is able to embed every played-out movie in a cinema with a unique code.

By marking each video or audio file that is to be distributed with a unique code, CineFence makes it possible for content owners to identify the leak after a pirated copy of their copyrighted content has been detected on the Internet.

CineFence embeds watermarks with information about date, time and place into the picture and soundtracks of movies, allowing moviemakers to trace camcorder-captured copies back to the cinema in which the illegal copying took place

The watermarks are imperceptible to viewers.

The forensic watermarks embedded in the picture and sound by CineFence remain detectable even when camcorder recordings are compressed into formats such as VCD, DivX, and MPEG4.

Source: Forensic tracking movie CineFence
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Sony PlayStation 3 launch has been the subject of heavy speculation as expectations are high for the gaming console, which will feature Blu-ray Disc, Cell processors and 'RSX' graphics.

Sony PS3 Launch Date
Sony website still shows the PS release date as spring 2006 but a Merrill Lynch report suggests that the PS3 launch date in the United States could be late 2006 or early 2007.

However, Sony has officially denied reports that the PS3 could be delayed by several months, reiterating that the console will launch this spring.

Sony PS3 Price
Merrill Lynch predicts the cost of expensive and difficult-to-manufacture PS3 could initially approach $900 per unit. [Cell processor ~$200, Blu-ray components ~$300] Sony might consider delaying the release until it can reduce manufacturing costs further in 2007.

The PS3 cost could fall down to $320 three years from launch.

Sources: ML Report on PS3 Sony PS3 Launch MarketWatch Reuters
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Encryption features in Microsoft Corp.'s upcoming operating system release, Windows Vista, could pose tricky challenges for criminal investigators, a Cambridge University professor told British lawmakers earlier this week.

The new OS has very strong security features including the ability to encrypt an entire hard drive.

Source Computerworld Article
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CoComment is a Blog Comment tracking service, it is open for everyone. Now no Cocomment Invite code is necessary.

Why should you use CoComment service ?

1. Keep a track of comments that you have posted on other weblogs.

2. Track interesting weblog conversations even without posting a comment

3. coComment will notify you whenever something's been added to a blog-based conversation you're participating in or following.

CoComment supports most of the popular weblog platforms like TypePad, MSN Space, MySpace, Xanga, Blogger, WordPress, Flickr and more.
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Skype is encrypted according to their website using the AES standard:
Taken from the Skype Privacy FAQ

Is Skype secure?

Yes. When you call another Skype user your call is encrypted with strong encryption algorithms ensuring you privacy. In some cases your Skype communication may be routed via other users in the peer-to-peer network. Skype encryption protects you from potential eavesdropping from malicious users.

Why are Skype calls encrypted?

Skype is encrypted end-to-end because it uses the public Internet to transport your voice calls and text messages and sometimes these calls are routed through other peers. Skype encryption ensures that no other party can eavesdrop on your call or read your instant messages.

What type of encryption is used?

Skype uses AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) – also known as Rijndael – which is also used by U.S. Government organizations to protect sensitive, information. Skype uses 256-bit encryption, which has a total of 1.1 x 1077 possible keys, in order to actively encrypt the data in each Skype call or instant message. Skype uses 1024 bit RSA to negotiate symmetric AES keys. User public keys are certified by the Skype server at login using 1536 or 2048
Yes. When you call -bit RSA certificates.

However, this is creating an interesting debate in the US about surveillance of these type of internet based calls. Since they are so strongly encrypted, they can pose a significant challenge for law enforcement authorities to attempt to monitor.

Read more at ARS-Technica
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Google's ruling trio - Sergey Brin, Eric Schmidt and Larry Page - were interviewed by Time Magazine -

Here is what they need to say:
TIME: How much do people use Google to look for porn?
Larry Page - It's a small, single-digit percentage.

Time: Is there a grand strategy for Google? It seems as if you're diving into almost everything.
Eric Schmidt: We try very hard to look like we're out of control. But in fact the company is very measured. And that's part of our secret.

Time: Is this job still fun?
Sergey Brin: We've lost the sense of intimacy. Once you go from 10 people to 100, you already don't know who everyone is.

Read the Google-TIME interview - In Search Of The Real Google | Meet The Google Guys

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Users in China are not likely to see your website or blog if the content carries any of these 236 sensitive keyword phrases (related to politics, current affairs or obscenities).

The Washington Post obtained this banned keyword list from a Chinese blog service provider to flag offensive material.

Depending on the site, chinese internet filters will replace the offending words with asterisks or block the entire message (URL). See the list of blocked keywords here.
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De Tijd, a Belgian newspaper, will soon be available for reading on a paper thin screen the size of a newspaper page. The black and white ink-on-paper look also gives an appearance similar to newspaper. (see screenshot)

Readers will be able to write comments and scribble on the paper by using a special marker. Interactive advertising will also be featured.

The A4-sized e-paper device has been given to 200 test subscribers. They will be able to download a customized version of the digital newspaper from hot spots or an ADSL connection. Updates will be provided throughout the day. Reader Specification.
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Apple forced OSx86 Project website to close shutters for carrying information on how to run OSX on (non-Apple) Intel PCs.The site was also the first to uncover Apple's hidden verse within OS X that asked hackers not to steal the operating system.

Today, the OS X fan website returned with a vengeance. They removed links that violated DMCA as per Apple. Those links have been removed and we're back.


The forum received lot of media coverage in the past two days and are certainly enjoying the soaring traffic levels.

The project founder remarks that OSx86 was not founded to be a "watercooler for hackers" as CNet posited.

Hackers came (as we knew they would) but as long as they accepted the rules, they were welcomed as well.

This site intends only to provide a forum for those interested in running OS X on Intel hardware.
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First, Microsoft is downplaying the drag-and-drop flaw in IE 5.01, 5.5, and 6.0 and will not patch the bug, but instead will wait to fix it until it releases Windows XP SP3 in late 2007. more.

Second, a problem in Windows Media Player's parsing of .bmp image files can give an attacker complete control of a user PC. Security experts feel that it's just a matter of days before someone comes up with an exploit to spread spyware. more...

Third, Microsoft has reported a problem with patch number MS06-007 that requires some users to take additional steps to ensure it installs properly. more...

Update: Researchers have already published two exploits targeting the Windows Media Player bug. The onus is on Microsoft now. more..

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The picture of the dog near the Google Logo represents Chinese New Year - 2006 is Lunar Year of the Dog according to Chinese customs. The Chinese New Year's day for 2006 was on January 29, 2006.

The calendar google subdomain is live now though it shows the main Google search page for the moment. I noticed this while seeing one of my website referral.

Even before the launch of Google Talk and Google Base, their subdomains went live few days before the actual launch. The same can be anticipated with GCalendar since the Google calendar subdomain is now live.

Now that GMail AntiVirus Scanner is already available, we can expect GMail to move quickly out of the beta once the GCal (Google Calendar) application is available.

Google is contemplating the release of web-based calendar, which would perform much like a personal date book or organizer. The source for these rumors seems to be increased Googlebot activity to a site featuring a web calendar.










The wishlist for the coming Google calendar includes integration with email clients, search capabilities, invites, and other scheduling aids, syncs with hand-held devices and mobile phones, does resource scheduling, sends reminders and alerts, provides web feeds, supports vCal and uses Ajax or the modern, slick DHTML.


Check now it is live
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Microsoft released a new critical patch for the Windows Meta File vulnerability in Internet Explorer. This security update replaces the previous WMF patch.

WMF Image Parsing Memory Corruption Vulnerability

When Internet Explorer displays a Web page that contains a specially crafted WMF image, Windows system memory may be corrupted in such a way that an attacker could execute arbitrary code and cause a denial of service (crash). Download Microsoft WMF Patch
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