Innoarena - A Catalyst for Innovative Minds

T-Mobile Dumps Google in Europe for Yahoo

2008-02-13T22:17:00.000+05:30

T-Mobile announced Tuesday that it will soon begin using Yahoo as its preferred mobile search provider in Europe, ending the operator's existing relationship with Google for mobile search.
The move was seen by many as a minor coup for Yahoo, which is competing with Google and Microsoft to win the loyalty of a growing number of mobile Internet users. Others noted that mobile search is in its infancy and said the field is still wide-open.
When T-Mobile signed its original deal with Google, it made headlines as one of the earliest partnerships between a mobile operator and a search provider.
"Well done Yahoo, for knocking Google off the Web n Walk home page," wrote John Delaney, an analyst for Ovum, commenting on the announcement. Web n Walk is T-Mobile's mobile Internet offering.
Beginning in March, T-Mobile customers in 11 European countries will see Yahoo's mobile oneSearch by default on their phones. OneSearch is designed to make it easy for mobile users to get relevant search results and navigate through different categories within search results.
The companies plan to offer other Yahoo services to T-Mobile customers, including Flickr, Messenger, Mail, Weather and Finance. Yahoo now counts 29 operators around the world as oneSearch customers.
The deal appears to mark a strategy change at T-Mobile. When the operator launched Web n Walk, the service was designed to mimic the Web by minimizing T-Mobile branded services and prominently offering Google, Delaney said. Since then it has evolved to add more T-Mobile services. It's not clear yet which strategy end-users prefer. "The risk is that T-Mobile will discover that its users really preferred it when T-Mobile gave them access to the Web, and then got out of their way," Delaney said.
While the T-Mobile/Yahoo deal is a blow to Google, the search giant had a significant mobile win of its own this week. Nokia announced on Tuesday that it will add Google search, in addition to its own search offering, on select phones. Nokia plans to extend the offering to more phones in the future.
Nokia has begun offering an increasing number of services, such as location-based maps and social-networking services, which could compete with offerings from operators. "Nokia is walking a bit of a fine line because they're definitely moving into what some consider carrier territory," said Mike Wolf, an analyst at ABI Research.
So far, the market for branded search services on mobile phones, like those from Yahoo and Google, is still wide-open, he said. The search providers are increasingly interested in mobile because there is strong growth in mobile Internet usage, he said. The iPhone is contributing to that, as a device that aims to make the mobile Internet as similar as possible to the PC-based Internet.
Services from Yahoo and Google also compete with those that are branded by the operator. Companies like Medio specialize in offering technology to operators for branded search services. Operators in the U.S. have been more likely to use the self-branded option rather than partner with one of the online brands. AT&T, however, is one notable exception -- it uses Yahoo's oneSearch.
Success in the mobile Internet is important enough that Wolf believes that Yahoo's track record in the mobile market was a factor in Microsoft's decision to try to buy the search provider. "Mobile is probably at least a consideration in the acquisition attempt," he said.

The iPhone KILLER by LG "VOYAGER"

2007-10-05T11:19:00.000+05:30

It's been intense lately, enough to give a hardware guru whiplash; everybody has been calling nearly every new object a potential iPhone killer. One of these days someone's going to release a land-line phone with a web browser, and for some reason, someone's going to stand up and call it an iPhone killer. It's bizarre.

Regardless, today is one of the first times that a company executive, not a fan boy, has actually stood up and claimed that its latest phone is going to "kill the iPhone." The company in reference? Verizon. The phone? Its latest offering from LG, the Voyager VX 10000.
"We think it'll be the best phone… this year. It will kill the iPhone," Verizon Wireless Chief Marketing Officer Mike Lanman told Reuters while discussing the LG Voyager. The latest phone's features include a front touch screen, as well as the ability to open up similar to an enV to reveal yet another screen, and a full QWERTY keyboard. It's packed with Verizon's usual gamut of serives like V Cast Mobile TV, V Cast Music, and has the ability to play .mp3, .wma, and unprotected .aac files.

In some respects, it does "one-up" the iPhone. For example, it's on Verizon's high-speed wireless broadband network as opposed to the iPhone, which runs on AT&T's rather slow EDGE network. The iPhone recently gained on-board iTunes, but a WiFi connection is required; the Voyager can download music at acceptable speeds whenever it has access to Verizon's high-speed network. It doesn't appear that the Voyager supports WiFi like the iPhone does, though.
The Voyager also offers a microSD memory slot which can be fitted with up to 8GB of storage—again, another feature the iPhone doesn't have. Other features include Bluetooth support, picture, text, and video messaging, as well as a 2.0 mega pixel camera and stereo speakers.
The front touch display offers a 240x320 resolution screen, while the inside non-touch display offers a 320x240 resolution, according to phoneArena.

Although the phrase is so cliché is gives me shudders, I'm forced to wonder if it won't hurt the iPhone just a bit. I think it might draw the attention of current Verizon subscribers that may be on the edge about switching to AT&T just to grab the iPhone. Verizon told Reuters that the pricing of the Voyager would "range from under $100 to about $400." It will launch sometime in late November.

Microsoft in fresh push to take on iPod

2007-10-03T12:04:00.000+05:30

Microsoft on Tuesday (3rd october 2007) took the wraps off its second attempt to make a dent in Apple’s dominant position in the digital music business, a year after its first salvo fell far short of offering a serious challenge to the iPod.

At the same time, Bill Gates, chairman, sought to forestall any doubts about Microsoft’s willingness to keep taking losses in its pursuit of Apple, as he promised there would be more future generations of Zune, the software company’s digital music technology.
“We’re very committed to this,” Mr Gates said, adding that the Zune player had a central role in a 10-year plan to build a digital entertainment business. “There’s a long way to go to achieve the full vision.”

Microsoft said it had sold about 1.2m of its first-generation Zune players, which was launched last November. That compares with the more than 100m iPods in the six years the Apple player has been on the market.

“We’ve been down this path before, people said we were crazy to take on Sony,” said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s entertainment and devices division. He added that the company believed that the latest version of Zune would establish it as the clear number-two to Apple by the end of its current financial year, which ends next June.

For the second generation of the Zune, scheduled to go on sale in North America in mid-November, Microsoft said it would offer two new players based on flash memory to accompany a hard-drive player with a bigger 80 gigabytes of memory. That echoed Apple’s segmentation of the portable music market with its iPod nano.

In its second attempt to establish a big market for Zune, Microsoft doubled down on its earlier bet that the best way to make headway against Apple lies in building a social experience around its music players, for instance by letting users share music with each other.
The company said it had relaxed restrictions in the first generation of players, which had limited the ability of users to share songs with each other wirelessly and proved unpopular with customers.

It said it would launch a test version of a new social networking service linked to the Zune, which would encourage users to sample each others’ music, potentially generating sales at a redesigned online store.

While the first Zune players – rushed to market in just six months last year – were designed and made by Toshiba, the second version has been designed from the ground up by Microsoft and will be made by Flextronics.

Zapak-Multiplayer Online CricketGame

2007-01-02T22:21:00.000+05:30

Zapak-Multiplayer Online CricketGame

Zapak Digital Entertainment Ltd., a Reliance ADA Group venture, has launched India's first full-feature online multiplayer cricket game. The multiplayer option allows players to play the game no matter where the two of them are. Kapil Dev launched this game, in presence of Navjyot Singh Sidhu.

Beginning with the toss and weather conditions, the game gives the player the liberty to try all possible strokes and bowling styles by the book. It also allows for innovative shots, new field settings, risk of facing the risk of a no ball, benefit of overthrows and even run outs.

Announcing the launch of this game, Rajesh Sawhney, president, Reliance Entertainment, said, "Now, given the fact that Cricket is not just a passion but a religion in India, it presented us with a huge opportunity. We have launched the world's first full-feature online multiplayer cricket game."

Players can start playing the game immediately by visiting Zapak.com as it does not require any installation of programmes, hence no CDs, no requirements for memory space on the computer.

Let's Play

Personalized Heart Monitoring using Smart Phones - Version 1.0

2006-12-29T13:29:00.000+05:30

Personalized Heart Monitoring using Smart Phones - Version 1.0

Introduction :
The estimated direct and indirect cost of cardiovascular diseases in the United States alone is $393.5 billion for 2005.Statistics indicate that approximately $4 billion of unnecessary medical costs are spent each year on the assessment of non-cardiac cases in hospital emergency departments.To reduce these costs and the anxiety of people with known cardiovascular problems a portable monitoring system that monitors the heart and notifies the person or external party in case of abnormalities has been proposed. The monitoring system is meant for patients that have a known cardiovascular disease and need to be monitored around the clock.

Traditional heart monitoring :

Its solutions exist for many years such as the Holter device which records the patient'sECG for 24 to 48 hours and is then analysed afterwards by the cardiologist. The patient can ‘wear’ the device and go home and resume his/her normal activities. The main drawback of these solutions is when a major incident occurs during the monitoring phase which is recorded but no immediate action is taken to help the user.There are two solutions to these problems.They are :
Solution 1 : We can use smart phones (or PDAs) equipped with biosensors that record the heart signals and transmit them to a health care center or hospital for analysis. Such solutions can store the signals locally , directly on the smart phone or using wireless technologies (e.g. GPRS).

Solution 2 : Another innovative solution to this problem aims at building platforms for real-time remote health monitoring. These solutions use (wearable) wireless sensors to monitor patient’s vital signs (e.g. ECG, oximeter, blood pressure). The European project Myheart (http://www.hitech-projects.com/euprojects/myheart/ ) develops such a platform and focuses on heart patients. Myheart aims at designing intelligent biomedical clothes for monitoring, diagnosing and treatment.

The platform developed by this group collects the bio data and send it to a care-center or a hospital for processing and analysis. None of these solutions process the ECG data locally on the smart phone, and the ECG signals need to be continuously transferred to a health center if the patient needs to be monitored 24/7. This can be costly when GPRS is used for transmitting the data. To deal with this issue several research projects consider processing the ECG data on a local device. Example projects are Amon, Epimedic and Molec.

Objective :

To investigate and develop an application whereby a heart patient is monitored using various types of sensors (ECG, accelerometer, Oxygen). The sensor information is collected and transferred wirelessly to a smart phone. Our solution analyses the ECG on the local device. One distinction of our solution compared to the others is that we can personalise the monitoring and we have mechanisms in place to locate the user in case of emergency whether the patient is indoors or outdoors. We detect life threatening arrhythmias and give the patient general information about their health when they are not in a dangerous situation. We can also store extra information for further use by the health providers.

Conclusion :

This article has given an overview of how using smartphones can we personally monitor an heart.So,if you liked this article and if you are interested to know more on this sensational topic,post your comments and the next version of the article(version 2.0) will be posted which will contain the architecture and the prototype of the system.

Reference :Research paper published by Valerie gay.
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Magnetic Brain Simulator

2006-12-26T00:47:00.000+05:30

Magnetic Brain Simulator

OpenStim is a community that aims to develop a magnetic brain stimulator which you can build and use in your own home.

The technique is known as 'transcranial magnetic stimulation' or TMS.
In essence, TMS is a powerful computer controlled electromagnet that sends focused magnetic pulses into the brain.

The magnetic field induces a current in the neurons, which then become stimulated as a result.

This can be used to alter the brain in specific ways, either activating or deactivating certain areas of the cortex.

This is often used for neuroscience research. For example, if you suspect that a certain brain area is involved during a certain task, you can alter the function of the brain area and see if participants perform the task any differently.

Existing research has used this technique and has shown that stimulating certain areas improves mood or, in some instances, cognitive performance.

The OpenStim project states their aims as:

1. Create a community that designs the core technology for a safe, highly functional, inexpensive, efficacious noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulator (TMS) device for stimulating the central nervous system.

2. Facilitate experimentation and exchange of ideas, on the topic of modulation of brain function in a variety of people and contexts, so that we can learn more about the neural circuits mediating our subjective experiences, and improve mental functions (aka hacking your brain).

Although they aim to build a "safe" device, I can't actually see anything on their site which specifies exactly what they define as safe.

In the research, TMS most commonly refers to specifically designed high powered electromagnets that pump out about 1-1.5 Tesla of field strength in millisecond bursts.

This is very powerful, although because of the thickness of the skull and the need to use only the most focused part of the magnetic field, it is only enough to reliably discharge a few centimetres square of neurons just below the skull.

However, a significant danger is that with enough pulses, a seizure is triggered.

Most of the protocols in the TMS literature and research centres are designed to avoid this. When these limits are adhered to, TMS is very safe and no long-lasting effects have been found.

However, even if you make sure you keep within the accepted 'safe limits' for TMS stimulation, with home-built kit you are less likely to be sure that your equipment is genuinely doing what it is supposed to.

In other words, builder beware! Your brain is fragile, so make sure you know the risks before altering it in anyway.

More : OpenStim project

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Future of Science and Technology - AI

2006-12-25T23:54:00.000+05:30

Future of Science and Technology - AI

The UK government has commissioned two separate 'horizon scanning' reports looking into how society, science and technology will develop in the next 50 years.

The US think tank, Institute for the Future, and UK research company, Ipsos MORI, each produced a collection of papers making predictions in particular areas.

Two predicted trends jumped out at me after a quick browse through the two reports. First, computers and technology will get increasingly intelligent in themselves, second, so will people thanks to other technologies designed to help us keep up.

According to the papers, artificial intelligence beyond the human will revolutionise the way humans make decisions and plans and take action on them, allow more sophisticated and stable global trade, and be used to better plan and manage social relations.

Future humans will be able to keep up with the flood of complex information thanks to new kinds of drug "that alter or support brain function", and widespread modification of the human body, including stronger muscles and skin that functions as a display.

But do we need a new kind of human to keep tabs on artificial intelligence? Experts run all kinds of things today, and manage to explain their activities to people without similar knowledge. Perhaps we can give future AI the same capabilities.

Or are some things beyond the basic human body and mind? We could instead make intelligent systems that simply ask what we humans want, and do what's necessary. I think I'd feel a little uncomfortable about that though - maybe we'll need some super humans to watch our AI angels after all.

More Info : Delta Scan Sigma Scan

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First Internet-Connected GPS Device at CES

2006-12-17T13:43:00.000+05:30

First Internet-Connected GPS Device at CES

Dash will be showing a very interesting device at the coming 2007 International CES in Las Vegas - the first Internet-connected GPS device. As its connected live to the rest of the world, the first GPS device with two-way connectivity, Dash Express has a rich set of real-time features to help consumers make smart decisions behind the wheel.

For example, get you where you want to go in the fastest time possible using information generated from other Dash devices in the company's driver network. You can select from three routes for any destination based on accurate travel time forecasts from the network. It also enable you to find virtually anything -- people, places, products and services -- using Internet-enabled local search, send addresses from any computer right to your dashboard and make sure you always have the most up-to-date maps and software.

Dash will be available in California in spring 2007, and will be available nationally in fall 2007.

Dash Navigation connects people to the information that empowers them in their cars. The company is located in Mountain View, Calif. and is funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Sequoia Capital, and Skymoon Ventures. Dash Express will be available in California in spring 2007, and will be available nationally in fall 2007. For more information, visit Dash Navigation at ( www.dash.net )

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Tip of Mac OS X

2006-12-10T21:01:00.000+05:30

One-Click Trick to Moving the Dock

Today we focus on Mac OS X..While working in a program like Final Cut Pro or iMovie, which takes up every vertical inch of the screen, and when you go
to adjust something near the bottom, the Dock keeps popping up.

Oh sure, you could move the Dock to where it's anchored on the left or right side of the screen, but that just feels weird. But what if you could move it temporarily to the left or right, and then get it back to the bottom when you close Final Cut Pro, in just one click?

So the excellent way to do that:

" Hold the shift key, click directly on the Dock's divider line
(on the far right side of the Dock), and drag the Dock to the
left or right side of your screen. Bam! It moves over to the side.

Then, once you quit Final Cut Pro, just shift-click on that divider line and slam it back to the bottom (okay, drag it back to the bottom). "

A draggable Dock - is that cool or what!

Wibree Will Replace Bluetooth ? !

2006-12-09T19:59:00.000+05:30

Wibree Will Replace Bluetooth ? !

We all love Bluetooth, given that, among other things, it powers our lovely cordless headsets and nicely syncs our Treos with our laptops. But just as we were snuggling into a long-term relationship with this fantastic short-range technology, Nokia has to come out with a new wireless connectivity standard called Wibree (no, not WiBro).

Nokia claims that Wibree maintains a data rate of 1Mbps (not as good as Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, which tops out at 2.1Mbps) at a range of up to 30 feet (yes, Class 1 Bluetooth can go up to 100 meters), operates in the 2.4 GHz band, but says that it's "10 times more energy efficient than Bluetooth," according to Bob Iannucci, head of Nokia Research Center.

Nokia also said that it's working with Broadcom, CSR, Epson, Nordic Semicondutor and other companies to further develop the standard so that Wibree products can be released by the second quarter of 2007. It seems like Nokia is gambling pretty hard on this Wibree standard, given that the industry and consumers have invested tons of cash in Bluetooth-friendly products already and will no doubt be reluctant to get a whole new set of Wibree-friendly devices. That said, Reuters reports that "Nokia expects devices currently connected by Bluetooth will get a dual Bluetooth-Wibree chip, while devices that are currently not connected will use a Wibree-only chip." That smells like a huckster's gambit to us -- for all this hoopla about efficient power usage, that extra radio will no doubt draw additional power, which will certainly undermine some of Nokia's claims.

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Is god a Super Computer?!

2006-12-08T10:49:00.000+05:30

God Is the Machine

IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS 0. AND THEN THERE WAS 1. A MIND-BENDING MEDITATION ON THE TRANSCENDENT POWER OF DIGITAL COMPUTATION.

At todays rates of compression, you could download the entire 3 billion digits of your DNA onto about four CDs. That 3-gigabyte genome sequence represents the prime coding information of a human body - your life as numbers. Biology, that pulsating mass of plant and animal flesh, is conceived by science today as an information process. As computers keep shrinking, we can imagine our complex bodies being numerically condensed to the size of two tiny cells. These micro-memory devices are called the egg and sperm. They are packed with information.

That life might be information, as biologists propose, is far more intuitive than the corresponding idea that hard matter is information as well. When we bang a knee against a table leg, it sure doesn't feel like we knocked into information. But that's the idea many physicists are formulating.

The spooky nature of material things is not new. Once science examined matter below the level of fleeting quarks and muons, it knew the world was incorporeal. What could be less substantial than a realm built out of waves of quantum probabilities? And what could be weirder? Digital physics is both. It suggests that those strange and insubstantial quantum wavicles, along with everything else in the universe, are themselves made of nothing but 1s and 0s. The physical world itself is digital.

The scientist John Archibald Wheeler (coiner of the term black hole) was onto this in the 1980s. He claimed that, fundamentally, atoms are made up of of bits of information. As he put it in a 1989 lecture, Its are from bits. He elaborated: Every it - every particle, every field of force, even the space-time continuum itself - derives its function, its meaning, its very existence entirely from binary choices, bits. What we call reality arises in the last analysis from the posing of yes-no questions.

To get a sense of the challenge of describing physics as a software program, picture three atoms: two hydrogen and one oxygen. Put on the magic glasses of digital physics and watch as the three atoms bind together to form a water molecule. As they merge, each seems to be calculating the optimal angle and distance at which to attach itself to the others. The oxygen atom uses yes-no decisions to evaluate all possible courses toward the hydrogen atom, then usually selects the optimal 104.45 degrees by moving toward the other hydrogen at that very angle. Every chemical bond is thus calculated.

If this sounds like a simulation of physics, then you understand perfectly, because in a world made up of bits, physics is exactly the same as a simulation of physics. There is no difference in kind, just in degree of exactness. In the movie The Matrix, simulations are so good you can't tell if you're in one. In a universe run on bits, everything is a simulation.

An ultimate simulation needs an ultimate computer, and the new science of digitalism says that the universe itself is the ultimate computer - actually the only computer. Further, it says, all the computation of the human world, especially our puny little PCs, merely piggybacks on cycles of the great computer. Weaving together the esoteric teachings of quantum physics with the latest theories in computer science, pioneering digital thinkers are outlining a way of understanding all of physics as a form of computation.

From this perspective, computation seems almost a theological process. It takes as its fodder the primeval choice between yes or no, the fundamental state of 1 or 0. After stripping away all externalities, all material embellishments, what remains is the purest state of existence: here/not here. Am/not am. In the Old Testament, when Moses asks the Creator, Who are you? the being says, in effect, Am. One bit. One almighty bit. Yes. One. Exist. It is the simplest statement possible.

All creation, from this perch, is made from this irreducible foundation. Every mountain, every star, the smallest salamander or woodland tick, each thought in our mind, each flight of a ball is but a web of elemental yes/nos woven together. If the theory of digital physics holds up, movement (f = ma), energy (E=MC2), gravity, dark matter, and antimatter can all be explained by elaborate programs of 1/0 decisions. Bits can be seen as a digital version of the atoms of classical Greece: the tiniest constituent of existence. But these new digital atoms are the basis not only of matter, as the Greeks thought, but of energy, motion, mind, and life.

From this perspective, computation, which juggles and manipulates these primal bits, is a silent reckoning that uses a small amount of energy to rearrange symbols. And its result is a signal that makes a difference - a difference that can be felt as a bruised knee. The input of computation is energy and information; the output is order, structure, extropy.

Our awakening to the true power of computation rests on two suspicions. The first is that computation can describe all things. To date, computer scientists have been able to encapsulate every logical argument, scientific equation, and literary work that we know about into the basic notation of computation. Now, with the advent of digital signal processing, we can capture video, music, and art in the same form. Even emotion is not immune. Researchers Cynthia Breazeal at MIT and Charles Guerin and Albert Mehrabian in Quebec have built Kismet and EMIR (Emotional Model for Intelligent Response), two systems that exhibit primitive feelings.

The second supposition is that all things can compute. We have begun to see that almost any kind of material can serve as a computer. Human brains, which are mostly water, compute fairly well. (The first calculators were clerical workers figuring mathematical tables by hand.) So can sticks and strings. In 1975, as an undergraduate student, engineer Danny Hillis constructed a digital computer out of skinny Tinkertoys. In 2000, Hillis designed a digital computer made of only steel and tungsten that is indirectly powered by human muscle. This slow-moving device turns a clock intended to tick for 10,000 years. He hasnt made a computer with pipes and pumps, but, he says, he could. Recently, scientists have used both quantum particles and minute strands of DNA to perform computations.

The way the things are shaping up, its just the matter of time before we realize who we are and realize everything is made of of 0s and 1s coded by the almighty GOD!

Proof that we are living in a simulated world!

2006-12-06T10:05:00.000+05:30

The Simulation Argument:

Why the Probability that You Are Living in a Matrix is Quite High

The Matrix got many otherwise not-so-philosophical minds ruminating on the nature of reality. But the scenario depicted in the movie is ridiculous: human brains being kept in tanks by intelligent machines just to produce power.

There is, however, a related scenario that is more plausible and a serious line of reasoning that leads from the possibility of this scenario to a striking conclusion about the world we live in. I call this the simulation argument. Perhaps its most startling lesson is that there is a significant probability that you are living in computer simulation. I mean this literally: if the simulation hypothesis is true, you exist in a virtual reality simulated in a computer built by some advanced civilisation. Your brain, too, is merely a part of that simulation. What grounds could we have for taking this hypothesis seriously? Before getting to the gist of the simulation argument, let us consider some of its preliminaries. One of these is the assumption of substrate independence. This is the idea that conscious minds could in principle be implemented not only on carbon-based biological neurons (such as those inside your head) but also on some other computational substrate such as silicon-based processors.

Of course, the computers we have today are not powerful enough to run the computational processes that take place in your brain. Even if they were, we wouldnt know how to program them to do it. But ultimately, what allows you to have conscious experiences is not the fact that your brain is made of squishy, biological matter but rather that it implements a certain computational architecture. This assumption is quite widely (although not universally) accepted among cognitive scientists and philosophers of mind. For the purposes of this article, we shall take it for granted.

Given substrate independence, it is in principle possible to implement a human mind on a sufficiently fast computer. Doing so would require very powerful hardware that we do not yet have. It would also require advanced programming abilities, or sophisticated ways of making a very detailed scan of a human brain that could then be uploaded to the computer. Although we will not be able to do this in the near future, the difficulty appears to be merely technical. There is no known physical law or material constraint that would prevent a sufficiently technologically advanced civilisation from implementing human minds in computers.

Our second preliminary is that we can estimate, at least roughly, how much computing power it would take to implement a human mind along with a virtual reality that would seem completely realistic for it to interact with. Furthermore, we can establish lower bounds on how powerful the computers of an advanced civilisation could be. Technological futurists have already produced designs for physically possible computers that could be built using advanced molecular manufacturing technology. The upshot of such an analysis is that a technologically mature civilisation that has developed at least those technologies that we already know are physically possible, would be able to build computers powerful enough to run an astronomical number of human-like minds, even if only a tiny fraction of their resources was used for that purpose.
If you are such a simulated mind, there might be no direct observational way for you to tell; the virtual reality that you would be living in would look and feel perfectly real. But all that this shows, so far, is that you could never be completely sure that you are not living in a simulation. This result is only moderately interesting. You could still regard the simulation hypothesis as too improbable to be taken seriously.

Now we get to the core of the simulation argument. This does not purport to demonstrate that you are in a simulation. Instead, it shows that we should accept as true at least one of the following three propositions:

(1) The chances that a species at our current level of development can avoid going extinct before becoming technologically mature is negligibly small

(2) Almost no technologically mature civilisations are interested in running computer simulations of minds like ours

(3) You are almost certainly in a simulation.

Each of these three propositions may be prima facie implausible; yet, if the simulation argument is correct, at least one is true (it does not tell us which).

While the full simulation argument employs some probability theory and formalism, the gist of it can be understood in intuitive terms. Suppose that proposition (1) is false. Then a significant fraction of all species at our level of development eventually becomes technologically mature. Suppose, further, that (2) is false, too. Then some significant fraction of these species that have become technologically mature will use some portion of their computational resources to run computer simulations of minds like ours. But, as we saw earlier, the number of simulated minds that any such technologically mature civilisation could run is astronomically huge.

Therefore, if both (1) and (2) are false, there will be an astronomically huge number of simulated minds like ours. If we work out the numbers, we find that there would be vastly many more such simulated minds than there would be non-simulated minds running on organic brains. In other words, almost all minds like yours, having the kinds of experiences that you have, would be simulated rather than biological. Therefore, by a very weak principle of indifference, you would have to think that you are probably one of these simulated minds rather than one of the exceptional ones that are running on biological neurons.

So if you think that (1) and (2) are both false, you should accept (3). It is not coherent to reject all three propositions. In reality, we do not have much specific information to tell us which of the three propositions might be true. In this situation, it might be reasonable to distribute our credence roughly evenly between the three possibilities, giving each of them a substantial probability.

Let us consider the options in a little more detail. Possibility (1) is relatively straightforward. For example, maybe there is some highly dangerous technology that every sufficiently advanced civilization develops, and which then destroys them. Let us hope that this is not the case.
Possibility (2) requires that there is a strong convergence among all sufficiently advanced civilisations: almost none of them is interested in running computer simulations of minds like ours, and almost none of them contains any relatively wealthy individuals who are interested in doing that and are free to act on their desires. One can imagine various reasons that may lead some civilisations to forgo running simulations, but for (2) to obtain, virtually all civilisations would have to do that. If this were true, it would constitute an interesting constraint on the future evolution of advanced intelligent life.

The third possibility is the philosophically most intriguing. If (3) is correct, you are almost certainly now living in computer simulation that was created by some advanced civilisation. What kind of empirical implications would this have? How should it change the way you live your life?

Your first reaction might think that if (3) is true, then all bets are off, and that one would go crazy if one seriously thought that one was living in a simulation.

To reason thus would be an error. Even if we were in a simulation, the best way to predict what would happen next in our simulation is still the ordinary methods- extrapolation of past trends, scientific modelling, common sense and so on. To a first approximation, if you thought you were in a simulation, you should get on with your life in much the same way as if you were convinced that you are living a non-simulated life at the bottom level of reality.

The simulation hypothesis, however, may have some subtle effects on rational everyday behaviour. To the extent that you think that you understand the motives of the simulators, you can use that understanding to predict what will happen in the simulated world they created. If you think that there is a chance that the simulator of this world happens to be, say, a true-to-faith descendant of some contemporary Christian fundamentalist, you might conjecture that he or she has set up the simulation in such a way that the simulated beings will be rewarded or punished according to Christian moral criteria. An afterlife would, of course, be a real possibility for a simulated creature (who could either be continued in a different simulation after her death or even be uploaded into the simulators universe and perhaps be provided with an artificial body there). Your fate in that afterlife could be made to depend on how you behaved in your present simulated incarnation. Other possible reasons for running simulations include the artistic, scientific or recreational. In the absence of grounds for expecting one kind of simulation rather than another, however, we have to fall back on the ordinary empirical methods for getting about in the world.

If we are in a simulation, is it possible that we could know that for certain? If the simulators dont want us to find out, we probably never will. But if they choose to reveal themselves, they could certainly do so. Maybe a window informing you of the fact would pop up in front of you, or maybe they would upload you into their world. Another event that would let us conclude with a very high degree of confidence that we are in a simulation is if we ever reach the point where we are about to switch on our own simulations. If we start running simulations, that would be very strong evidence against (1) and (2). That would leave us with only (3).

Small Is Big : The Coming Nanotechnology Revolution

2006-12-06T09:30:00.000+05:30

Nanotechnology in Todayz World

Nanotechnology is a science in its infancy, but that doesnt mean it hasn’t been put to use. What exactly has been accomplished in nanotechnology so far? In general, all of today’s practical nanotechnologies are those using nano-size particles of various materials, or nanometer-size features on integrated circuits (ICs), rather than the complex molecular machines that engineers first envisioned. These current nanotechnologies are still made by top down methods (like those used in conventional chemistry and IC manufacturing), rather than the largely unproven bottom up techniques predicted by nanotechnology’s boosters.

Many current nanotechnologies, for example, consist of the ever-shrinking transistors, interconnecting wires, and other features on digital ICs. As of 2005, some integrated circuits now have transistors that measure about 50 nanometers across-well inside the accepted size-based definition of nanotechnology. But chips are still made using advanced versions of the lithographic processes developed in the 1950s, which layer on materials and then carve away at them to form the electronic circuits. They are not, in other words, constructed molecule-by-molecule from the bottom up. However, chip manufacturers point out that when working with extremely small circuit elements, the behavior of electrons changes, so entirely new principles are at work. Also, there is at least one new chip with a somewhat different claim to being nanotechnological. This is IBM’s Millipede memory chip, which draws its inspiration directly from the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). Electronics manufacturers can also point to the latest generation of high-density computer hard drives, which have extremely thin coatings of just a few atoms thickness applied to the surface of the disc by a process called chemical vapor deposition.

While such nanochips are beginning to appear in greater numbers, most of us more often encounter applications of nanotechnological materials that are made in bulk form and added to other products. By far the best known of these are the controversial nanotechnology trousers introduced by The Gap and Eddie Bauer stores in 2005. These were simply ordinary cotton pants, treated with nanoparticles of a new, stain-resistant chemical that attached itself to the cotton molecules.

Carbon nanotubes, which can now be made in large quantities at relatively low cost by companies like Hyperion Catalysis International Inc., are being incorporated into a wide range of other products. Because the fibers conduct electricity very well, Hyperion was able to mix them into plastic compounds, which auto makers can then mold into parts that conduct electricity. This is useful for preventing static electricity charges from building up on parts such as plastic fuel system components, where the static can eventually damage them or, in some cases, cause a spark. Nanotubes mixed into plastics are very strong and light, and have been used to make car body components, tennis rackets, and other items. They have also been used to improve battery performance, and may some day be used in other technologies that traditionally used ordinary carbon or metals to conduct charges. Infineon Technologies in Germany, for example, has demonstrated the use of the tubes to connect components on microchips. In 2002 they showed how nanotubes could be used to replace ordinary metal wires allowing them to carry more current but taking up less space. That would result in computer chips that can pack more circuits into less space; one of the longstanding goals of chip designers.

One very useful new material is the semiconductor quantum dot. While not used in electronic circuits, quantum dots are nonetheless made from the same silicon used in computer chips. These tiny bits of material are coming into widespread use in experimental biology and, in a limited way, in medical diagnosis. The dots can be coated with certain chemicals, which are specially formulated so that they bind themselves to particular things-such as RNA, cell walls, or other types of molecules found in cells. One interesting application of this technology is its use in analyzing DNA material taken from the body. These DNA scanners, first introduced commercially by Matsushita Corporation, combine integrated circuit technology and quantum dots to analyze genetic material much more rapidly than was possible before, and may lead to more rapid assessment of diseases. A second use of coated quantum dots is injecting them into the body, where they circulate until they come in contact with whatever type of cell their coating is designed to attach itself to. Then when a powerful infrared light source is shone on the body, it penetrates the flesh, illuminates the massed quantum dots, and the reflections can be detected to provide a live picture of an organ, muscle, cancerous growth, or other internal part without the need for surgery. Unfortunately, not all of these quantum dots are suitable for injection into a living
human body, and some are even poisonous, but bioengineers are working around
that problem.

Even with these real-world applications, the current uses of nanotechnology (other than nano-size particles of various materials) remain very limited. In fact, several once-promising nanotechnology based systems introduced commercially in the 1990s did not meet with success, such as the nanotube-based Field Emission Displays proposed as competitors to other flat-panel information displays. However, researchers are rapidly making progress toward what some think of as true nanotechnologies self-assembling, molecule size machines to perform all sorts of tasks (including manufacturing the nano-size materials made by other methods today). The nanotechnological future, we are told, is right around the corner.

GeForce 8800 details

2006-12-03T22:43:00.000+05:30

NVIDIA has announced when and where it will hold the launch of its highly anticipated G80 graphics processor which is known as the GeForce 8800 GTX and GeForce 8800 GTS. The GeForce LAN 3 event will be held in the Bay Area of California on the 7th and 8th of November, and approximately 600 people will be privileged to see the GeForce 8800 being unveiled before the rest of the world sets its eyes on it. The GeForce 8800 graphics boards will cram in an amazing 700 million transistors and include a brand new Anti-Aliasing mode.

It can run at speeds of up to 1.5GHz, featuring a 384-bit memory which is definitely a step ahead in the right direction. The GeForce 8800 will also come with 768MB of DDR4 RAM at very high clock speeds, and we're talking about more RAM than what most notebooks and PCs come with. The GeForce 8800 GTX and 8800 GTS is expected to retail for $649 and a notch below $500 respectively. Expect DirectX 10 support to come with these new cards which will set the trend for Windows Vista-powered computers.

Prove Ur Talent in Web Rockstars

2006-12-01T16:51:00.000+05:30

Microsoft believes in fostering a community
where creativity is unleashed to realize one’s potential.
Web Rockstars, thecontest for both,Web Designers and Developers,
is yet another testimony to that promise.

Just submit your work as per the contest guidelines
and you could be on your way to Redmond to attend the annual festival
by Microsoft Research - TechFest 2007!

This contest is for:

1. Web Developers
2. Designers

If you are not a professional Web Developer, or Designer and feel you have the potential to participate in the contest and meet the contest deliverables within the framework of the outlined criteria, you are encouraged to participate

More Info : Webrockstars

1 in 5 parents say kids online too much

2006-11-30T13:10:00.000+05:30

NEW YORK (AP) -- One in five American parents believe their kids are spending too much time on the Internet, though most say the online activities have not affected grades either way, a new survey indicates.
In a study to be released Wednesday by the University of Southern California, 21 percent of adult Internet users with children believe the kids are online too long, compared with 11 percent in 2000. Still, that is less than the 49 percent who complain their kids watch too much TV.
About 80 percent of the children say the Internet is important for schoolwork, although three-quarters of the parents say grades have not gone up or down since they got Internet access.
Forty-seven percent of the adults say they have withheld Internet use as a form of punishment. Banning television is still more popular, reported by 57 percent of adults surveyed.
The study, meanwhile, found that although only 27 percent of cell phone owners use them for text messaging, photo transmitting and other non-voice functions, the figure grows to 54 percent among those 18-24 and 45 percent among those under 18.
The study has been conducted most years since 2000. Over that time, researchers have seen Internet use grow to 78 percent, from 67 percent. Access at home increased to 68 percent, from 47 percent.
In one of the few surveys to look at why people are offline, the study found the lack of a working computer most often to blame. Of the 22 percent of Americans who do not currently use the Internet, more than a quarter are former users who dropped out.
"Almost nobody drops out out of dissatisfaction," said Jeffrey Cole, director of USC's Center for the Digital Future. "The reason most people drop off is they change jobs or their computer breaks."
But more than half the former users have no intention of returning online, the most ever. Overall, 60 percent of non-users have no plans to go online within the next year.
Cole said the numbers raise the prospect of a permanent subclass of non-users.
"Internet penetration has largely plateaued," he said.
Americans 66 and over remain the most disconnected, with only 38 percent online. For all other age groups, at least 74 percent are online, with penetration hitting 99 percent for those 18 and under, likely because most U.S. schools now have some form of Internet access.
On average, users spend 14 hours a week online, compared with 9.4 hours in 2000.
Thirty-seven percent of home Internet users still have dial-up accounts, compared with 26 percent for high-speed cable modems and 24 percent for DSL. Eleven percent of Internet users go online through mobile devices -- not necessarily exclusively -- averaging two hours a week.
The study revealed little change in the effect on television. Thirty-six percent of home Internet users say they have spent less time watching TV since they started using the Internet, roughly the same as the 33 percent who said that in a 2001 survey.
Cole said the increased use of high-speed connections has a lot to do with that.
When people were on dial-up, they were accessing the Internet 20 or 30 minutes at a time -- "generally time not spent watching television," Cole said. "Broadband changed all that. They are on 30, 40, 50 times a day for two or three minutes at a time. It's not a big bucket of time displacing television."
People may be paying less attention to television commercials, though, fitting in online use during program breaks, he said.
That said, 41 percent of veteran users -- those online for more than nine years -- say they have spent less time watching television, compared with only 23 percent among those who have joined the Internet within the year.
The study found nearly a quarter of online users -- especially newcomers to the Internet -- say they spend less time reading.
The telephone survey of 2,269 U.S. households was conducted in English and Spanish from February to April and included follow-up interviews with respondents to his previous studies. The study has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points

source :www.cnn.com

Apache Packed with Solaris 10

2006-11-27T15:31:00.000+05:30

Apache packed with Solaris 10 :

This tip for the Solaris user who wants to configure Apache in Solaris Operating System.

Apache 1.3.x is in /usr/apache; Apache 2.0.x is in /usr/apache2. Configuration files are in /etc/apache

For a standard configuration all you have to do :

1- rename the apache config file "httpd.conf-example" to "httpd.conf ":

#cd /etc/apache
# mv httpd.conf-example httpd.conf

2- run apache :

# /usr/apache/bin/apachectl start

3- test apache :

open your browser

http://localhost or http://127.0.0.1

4- for other IP adress , you have to open your httpd.conf

#cd /etc/apache
#vi httpd.conf

then modify the default adress 127.0.0.1 using your x.x.x.x Ip adress or your host name ( for valid dns )in " Server Name" line:

ServerName x.x.x.x

Troubleshoot:

httpd.conf not found:

Check out you install everything, or just core Solaris?
do a
pkginfo | grep -i apache

there should be all, or some of these packages:
SUNWaclg Apache Common Logging
SUNWapch2d Apache Web Server V2 Documentation
SUNWapch2r Apache Web Server V2 (root)
SUNWapch2u Apache Web Server V2 (usr)
SUNWapchd Apache Web Server Documentation
SUNWapchr Apache Web Server (root)
system SUNWapchu Apache Web Server (usr)

If all the packages are installed, you should find the config files under /etc/apache
Apache will start at boot, if you have /etc/apache/httpd.conf

More : Apache Solaris 10

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Teach your children how to surf for credible sources on the Internet

2006-11-23T10:42:00.000+05:30

Top 10 Web sites for students

If you want to a see a blank look on a student's face, ask him about the Dewey Decimal library classification system. For better or for worse, the Internet often becomes an alternative to a library's card catalogs. But how can you trust what you read on the Web?Learning where to go and how to appropriately use information that is on the Internet can be challenging to both parents and students. The following is a look at some of the most comprehensive and reliable educational Web sites a student can bookmark and use to research school projects and homework assignments.

MSN Encarta The free MSN Encarta site features more than 4,500 articles pooled from Microsoft Encarta, the award-winning electronic reference library, and comes with dictionaries, maps, fast facts, interactive quizzes, handy homework tools, and more.

Refdesk Since 1995, Refdesk.com, which stands for "reference desk," has served as a one-click springboard to many of the Web's top dictionaries, encyclopedias, calculators, atlases, news headlines, and search engines. The site also includes a handy "homework helper" section that provides help in all subjects to students in every grade.

HowStuffWorks Ever wanted to know why earthquakes happen? How CD burners work? What the sun is made of? These questions, and a large amount of others related to computers/electronics, automobiles, science, entertainment, and people, are all answered at this award-winning Web site. Simply type a query into the search window or peruse the topics by category. Extras include free newsletters, surveys, and printable versions of all answers.

Canada's SchoolNet Established by the Canadian government, SchoolNet provides English or French links to other educational sites and learning resources. The "@SchoolNet Today" section serves as a handy news source covering the latest educational material, information, Web sites, projects, and contests.

Download.com Consider Download.com the ultimate file repository that links to literally tens of thousands of downloadable free or shareware programs. This includes utilities for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux, Internet tools, desktop dictionaries and language translators, Pocket PC and Palm applications, and of course, computer games. Visitors can search by typing in a keyword or by perusing the many sections.

Novelguide.com The Web's answer to those black- and yellow-striped Cliff Notes is Novelguide.com, a reliable and free source for literary analysis of classic and contemporary books such as Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn and Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Notes from the Underground. The site offers character profiles, metaphor and theme analysis, and author biographies.

Math.com This site provides help in a number of mathematics-related subjects, including basic grade-school math, calculus, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and statistics. Practice exercises are automatically graded, plus this free site also features a glossary, calculators, homework tips, math games, and lesson plans for teachers.

FreeTranslation Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Perfect for language studies, this handy Web site automatically converts text from one language into another, such as English to Simplified Chinese or French to English. Simply type and paste up to 10,000 characters (about 1,800 words) into the search window and then select the desired language. Alternatively, you can cut and paste a Web URL to convert the entire site.

Shakespeare Online This Web site can be filed in the "where was this when I was a kid?" category. On the aptly named Shakespeare Online site, visitors can read every play or poem from the world's most celebrated writer and, more importantly, make some sense of his works with free analysis, Old English language translations, and famous quotes.

Science Made Simple Science classes—including the ubiquitous science project—aren't as easy for some to grasp as for others. At Science Made Simple, kids of all ages can get detailed answers to many of science's questions, read current news articles related to science, get ideas on school projects, and take advantage of unit conversion tables. Users can also find out if their school's textbooks pass the test

Adding streaming Flash audio to a Web site

2006-11-23T10:15:00.000+05:30

An organization recently asked me to add audio to its Web site. The primary purpose of the Web site was to inform the organization's members about new developments. My client specifically wanted to add voice recordings of organization leaders talking to members about recent news. They were already using blog software to post news items in text format, but they wanted to add audio to give it a more personal touch. The audio would also benefit members who were more fluent in spoken English than in the written language.

The client needed to keep costs low, while allowing for daily updates; so part of the challenge was to find a self-service solution that would allow the client to handle most of the routine updates after we worked out the basic system. The same things that made this solution simple enough for the client to use would also make it fast and easy for a Web builder to implement.

Selecting a sound format

The first task was to select an appropriate file format for the audio files. We were looking for a format that met the following criteria:

A cross-platform solution that works with media players, which most site visitors would already have available. The client wanted to avoid requiring the visitor to download player software. If a player is necessary, it must be free and easy to obtain and install.

Any programs that are needed to prepare and post the audio files must be low-cost and easy to use.

The time from voice recording to Web publication must be as short as possible in order to facilitate the frequent updates.

The visitor should be able to hear a two-minute audio clip without undue delay—even on a dial-up connection. This means that we were looking for a streaming audio format with efficient compression. (In this case, streaming means the ability of a player to begin playback from a buffer without waiting for the entire file to download. We're not talking about pushing a full-time audio stream like that of Internet radio.)

The format shouldn't require any special server facilities. It needs to run on a standard HTTP server without installing special software or enabling extra ports.

I considered several possibilities. The WAV format enjoys almost universal playback support, but the file size is too large. I rejected the Real and QuickTime formats because the availability of respective players isn't high enough (at only about 40 to 50 percent of users each). The MP3 file format offers good quality along with good compression, but only a few media players can stream MP3 files directly. Windows Media Player 9 supports MP3 streaming, but the player isn't available on Macs, and there are problems getting it to install and run properly on many older Windows machines.

I finally settled on the SWF file format because the Macromedia Flash Player has the highest installed base of all the media players. (Macromedia claims that the Flash Player is installed on 98 percent of all computers. That number is probably exaggerated, but even conservative estimates put the number at more than 90 percent.) It's a cross-platform solution with very modest hardware requirements, and it's probably the easiest of the media players to download and install if a visitor needs a new or updated copy.

You can embed audio files (including MP3s) in a Flash movie, and all but the oldest versions of Flash Player support streaming. Versions 6 and 7 of Flash Player support their own audio compression that is even more efficient than MP3, but I opted not to use that feature in order to retain compatibility with older versions of the player. I also wanted to minimize the chances that visitors might need to upgrade their installed players in order to listen to the audio.

Selecting the tools

One of the biggest potential drawbacks to working with Flash movies is that Macromedia Flash is expensive software that requires a substantial learning curve. It's a great tool for professional Web builders, but it's not practical for most clients to use. However, there are several third-party programs that are also capable of producing SWF files, and while they may not have the power of the full Flash program, they can provide an easy and cost-effective way to perform certain limited tasks.

In this case, I looked at two small utility programs designed especially for embedding audio into a Flash movie. One was Boomer from Crazy Ivan Productions, and the other was MP3 Sound Stream. Both utilities do their job with point-and-click ease. I went with MP3 Sound Stream because it's a little simpler to create a Web page with control buttons, along with the movie containing the audio clip.

In addition to the utility for producing SWF files with embedded sounds, I needed the following:

A digital audio recorder: My client records the voice clip with a handheld digital recorder that produces WAV files, but you could also record the original audio directly onto a computer using a microphone and the built-in Windows or Mac sound recorder.

An audio editor to clean up the recorded audio: Audacity is one of several good options for an audio editor. Depending on your audio source, you may not even need a separate audio editor. In fact, my client ultimately decided to forgo editing and simply re-record the sound bite until they got a good take.

A way to post the audio files to the Web server: Since my client was already using the Movable Type blog software to maintain the news area of the site, we used Movable Type's file upload to post the audio files. For other situations, you might need an FTP utility for this purpose.

Establishing the workflow

With the pieces in place, all that remains is to give the client instructions on how to create an audio clip and post it to the Web site. Here's an abbreviated version of the instructions that outline the basic workflow:

Record the audio clip and save it on your computer as a WAV or MP3 file. If necessary, edit the audio file.

Open MP3 Sound Stream and select the audio file. Confirm that the desired options are set, and then click Go. MP3 Sound Stream creates three files: a Flash movie with the embedded audio, another Flash movie with playback control buttons, and an HTML file to hold those controls.

Log into Movable Type and select the blog where you'll post the audio.

Use Movable Type's Upload File feature to copy each of the Flash movie files to the server.

Use Movable Type's Upload File feature to copy the HTML file to the server and also create a new blog entry containing a link to that file.

Edit and publish the blog entry.

Optimize Web applications with reduced page size

2006-11-23T09:51:00.000+05:30

In my recent projects, I have noticed a lot of bloated Web pages. This usually isn't a problem with Intranet-based sites, but when you release a page to the world via the Internet, performance can be a major issue - after all, most users are not viewing Web sites via high-speed connections. This week, I examine ways to optimize Web applications.

Common problems and possible optimization solutions

The amount of time it takes for a Web page to load is just one of the common complaints from Web users, but it is the most visible. A common problem with Web developers is assuming their platform matches an application's target user group. Rarely do users possess the same computer power or the Internet connection speed, so developers should be minimalists.

In addition to page size affecting download time, it can also affect Web server resources like disk space and bandwidth resources. There are many ways to reduce the size of a Web page. A good rule of thumb is including only what is necessary and keeping image and script size as small as possible.

A common measuring stick for optimizing Web pages is keeping them in the 30-40K range in size. So, what can you trim from a page? The following list provides a sampling of possible options:

Use CSS. This provides a clean way to streamline page design and load times. After all, using HTML tables adds characters to the page. The CSS must be loaded, so minimize its size as well.
Use external files for both CSS and JavaScript. This promotes reuse across multiple pages as well as centralized maintenance. In addition, the files are cached after the initial request/load.
Avoid lengthy Web pages. You can use multiple (smaller) pages to increase response time and reduce file size.

Use special effects sparingly and only when necessary.

The amount of time often required for Java applets, Flash animations, and such to load are often too much for users to handle.

Avoid frames.

This is a good rule of thumb since the browser has to request and download the number of frames plus one since the main frameset is requested once and then each frame is requested.

Be thoughtful about image size.

A common guideline for image size is 12K, but you should factor this into complete page size.

Avoid or reduce server roundtrips.

You can accomplish this by taking advantage of AJAX-based solutions.

Locating problems

Dealing with the previously covered list of possible Web site/page issues can be tedious, but there are freely available Web-based tools to assist with locating possible issues. The following two sites offer examples of available tools:

WebSiteOptimization.com
Webpositionadvisor.com

These tools process Web pages (via URL) and determine total size of the page along with the objects and images used and so forth. This information is useful for determining where you should focus your attention to improve your site.

Here is a portion of a report generated by the Web Page Analyzer tool available on WebSiteOptimization.com. The report is lengthy, so only the Analysis and Recommendations section is shown:

TOTAL_HTML - Congratulations, the total number of HTML files on this page (including the main HTML file) is 1 which most browsers can multithread. Minimizing HTTP requests is key for web site optimization.

TOTAL_OBJECTS - Warning! The total number of objects on this page is 16 - consider reducing this to a more reasonable number. Combine, refine, and optimize your external objects. Replace graphic rollovers with CSS rollovers to speed display and minimize HTTP requests.

TOTAL_IMAGES - Caution. You have a moderate amount of images on this page (10 ). Consider using fewer images on the site or try reusing the same image in multiple pages to take advantage of caching.

TOTAL_CSS - Caution. The total number of external CSS files on this page is 4 , consider reducing this to a more reasonable number. Combine, refine, and optimize your external CSS files. Ideally you should have one (or even embed CSS for high-traffic pages) on your pages.

TOTAL_SIZE - Congratulations, the total size of this page is 20067 bytes. This page should load in less than eight seconds on a 56Kbps connection - or 4.80 seconds. But there's always room for improvement.

TOTAL_SCRIPT - Congratulations, the total number of external script files on this page is 1 . External scripts are less reliably cached than CSS files so consider combining scripts into one, or even embedding them into high-traffic pages.

HTML_SIZE - Congratulations, the total size of this HTML file is 9441 bytes, which less than 20K. Assuming that you specify the HEIGHT and WIDTH of your images, this size allows your page to display content in well under 8 seconds, the average time users are willing to wait for a page to display without feedback.

IMAGES_SIZE - Congratulations, the total size of all your images is 2732 bytes, which is less than 15K. Ideally each image should be less than 1160 bytes, to easily fit into one TCP-IP packet.

SCRIPT_SIZE - Congratulations, the total size of all your external scripts is 2374 bytes, which is less than 4080 bytes. This will fit into three higher-speed TCP-IP packets.

CSS_SIZE - Caution. The total size of your external CSS is 5520 bytes, which is above 4080 bytes and less than 8K. For external files, try to keep them less than 1160 bytes to fit within one higher-speed TCP-IP packet (or an approximate multiple thereof). Consider optimizing your CSS and eliminating features to reduce this to a more reasonable size.

MULTIM_SIZE - Congratulations, the total size of all your external multimedia files is 0 bytes, which is less than 4K.

As you can see from the sample, it provides details on the total size of the page along with the size for each type of item included. A key aspect of a generated report is an evaluation message (congratulations, caution, or warning). Most of the results for the sample page are acceptable with words of warning and/or caution regarding image and object usage on the page. It is advisable to reduce the number of objects/images—this will reduce overall page size and reduce download time.

Conclusion

The response time of a Web page is critical to an application being fully utilized since users will quickly navigate to another site when/if load times are unacceptable. A key aspect affecting a page's load time is its size. There are many considerations for limiting Web page size, including (but not limited to) using smaller image sizes, CSS, and external CSS/JavaScript resources. A thorough analysis of Web pages either manually or via tools can provide clues to streamlining application pages.

Rip apart the Nintendo Wii

2006-11-22T23:37:00.000+05:30

This is the last of the 'next generation' videogame platforms to be released, and it redefines the way videogames are played. Using three-axis motion signal-processing technology, the Wii is a truly interactive gaming experience, where [game] controller movements simulate actions on the screen.

The Nintendo Wii is the first SI has seen of the 90-nanometer IBM processor code-named Broadway. The device was designed solely for Nintendo using IBM's Power architecture. The processor features silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology, which improves processing power and reduces energy consumption by 20 percent.

Nintendo has used both 1T-SRAM and eDRAM technology. It remains to be seen if the NEC/MoSys-co-designed 90-nm embedded DRAM will provide enough power to compete with the game play offered by Microsoft and Sony.

SI is currently analyzing some of the components inside the Nintendo console, including the IBM Broadway processor; ATI Hollywood graphics processor; Broadcom BCM2042 wireless sensor with Bluetooth functionality, Broadcom BCM4318 Wi-Fi transceiver; Qimonda HYB18HS1232 GDDR3 graphics RAM; Samsung K9F4G08U0A 65-nm, 4-Gbit NAND flash; and Elpida S1616AGTA 16-Mbit SDRAM.

How to Backup or Copy DVD To CD Disks

2006-11-18T15:36:00.000+05:30

DI Reader Sai Konduru is looking for a workaround to convert a 2 hour DVD into a single CD-R. I call this a workaround since a DVD holds roughly six times more data than a standard CD. So there's no direct utility like Nero to burn a dvd to cd.

However, it is definitely possible to squeeze the contents of a DVD to a CD or to your hard disk in a variety of audio/video formats.

The process involves two steps - first you rip the DVD which essentially means that your software reads (or decodes) the VOB data files on the DVD and stores them on your hard disk. The next step involves encoding or copying back this data back to a CD by compressing it using codecs like MPEG, DivX, etc.

Here are some of the most popular DVD copying programs that are available for free and one of them can even handle the copy protection lock built inside some DVD titles:

DVDx is an opensource tool for converting DVD to AVI, VCD, SVCD, DivX or WMV in one step (including multiplexing, splitting). Simply select the VIDEO_TS folder from the DVD drive and then select the output folder to save the MPG or the AVI files. The MPEG file can later be burned to a VCD using Nero Burning ROM. [read instructions]

Eazy VCD is another free DVD Backup utility that can rip a dvd movie and output it to a CD or as a MPEG files on your hard disk. It creates a bin/cue image of the DVD which can be later burned to a CD-R disk. Support both VCD (MPEG-1) and SVCD (MPEG-2) formats.

While using Nero to burn the CD, make sure you burn as "DISK-AT-ONCE (DAO)" and not "TRACK-AT-ONCE (TAO)" setting.

Simple DivX is another useful DVD ripping software that can help you convert a DVD into DivX or XviD formats using a ssimple wizard-driven approach. Simply select the DVD folder that contains the VOB files and then choose the output destination where the finished movie in DivX format would be stored.

The process can take hours so start it before going to bed the SimpleDivX will shut down the computer on completion.

Here's another tutorial with screenshots on ripping DVDs using a freeware utility called DVD Shrink.

Smartripper is another freeware but forbidden software that can be used to create a copy of a DVD on a hard drive. The program supports three copy modes: Movie (copy the movie only), Files (copy selected files only) and Backup (copy whole disk).

This is a good option if you plan to create an Audio CD from your DVD. Select the AC3 audio stream in the stream processing tab and you're ready to go. [read detailed instructions] Smartripper is able to bypass a few DVD copy protections while creating a clone on your hard disk.

While the above mentioned DVD ripping software will help you convert your DVDs into CDs, the video and sound quality won't be at par with the DVD experience.

If you are planning to split a software DVD (like Windows Vista installer) into multiple CDs, these tricks may not work as the installer is programmed to read files in sequence from a single disk.