What Is Agile?
Agile methodology is an approach to project management, typically used in software development. It helps teams respond to the unpredictability of building software through incremental, iterative work cadences, known as sprints. But before discussing agile methodologies further, itÂ’s best to first turn to the methodology that inspired it: waterfall, or traditional sequential development.
Where Did Agile Come From?
In 1970, Dr. Winston Royce presented a paper entitled A "Managing the Development of Large Software Systems,A" which outlined his ideas on sequential development. In essence, his presentation asserted that a project could be developed much like an automobile on an assembly line, in which each piece is added in sequential phases. This means that every phase of the project must be completed before the next phase can begin. Thus, developers first gather all of a projectÂ’s requirements, then complete all of its architecture and design, then write all of the code, and so on. There is little, if any, communication between the specialized groups that complete each phase of work.
ItÂ’s easy to see how this development agile methodology is far from optimized. First of all, it assumes that every requirement of the project can be identified before any design or coding occurs. Put another way, do you think you could tell a team of developers everything that needed to be in a piece of software before it was up and running? Or would it be easier to describe your vision to the team if you could react to functional software? Many software developers have learned the answer to that question the hard way: At the end of a project, a team might have built the software it was asked to build, but, in the time it took to create, business realities have changed so dramatically that the product is irrelevant. In that scenario, a company has spent time and money to create software that no one wants. CouldnÂ’t it have been possible to ensure the end product would still be relevant before it was actually finished?
Why Agile?
Agile development methodology attempts to provide many opportunities to assess the direction of a project throughout the development lifecycle. This is achieved through regular cadences of work, known as sprints or iterations, at the end of which teams must present a shippable increment of work. Thus by focusing on the repetition of abbreviated work cycles as well as the functional product they yield, agile methodology could be described as “iterative” and “incremental.” In waterfall, development teams only have one chance to get each aspect of a project right. In an agile paradigm, every aspect of development — requirements, design, etc. — is continually revisited throughout the lifecycle. When a team stops and re-evaluates the direction of a project every two weeks, there’s always time to steer it in another direction.
The results of this “inspect-and-adapt” approach to development greatly reduce both development costs and time to market. Because teams can gather requirements at the same time they’re gathering requirements, the phenomenon known as “analysis paralysis” can’t really impede a team from making progress. And because a team’s work cycle is limited to two weeks, it gives stakeholders recurring opportunities to calibrate releases for success in the real world. In essence, it could be said that the agile development methodology helps companies build the right product. Instead of committing to market a piece of software that hasn’t even been written yet, agile empowers teams to optimize their release as it’s developed, to be as competitive as possible in the marketplace. In the end, a development agile methodology that preserves a product’s critical market relevance and ensures a team’s work doesn’t wind up on a shelf, never released, is an attractive option for stakeholders and developers alike.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Scientists to Develop World's Smallest High Performance Sensor
According to the scientists at the University of Southampton's School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) , they are working on creating the smallest high-performance and low-power sensor in the world. The sensor is made in silicon and it will be used in the fields of biosensing (the development of devices able to identify, record or transmit physiological information, especially information regarding the presence of chemical compounds) and environmental monitoring. Together with his colleagues, Pr. Hiroshi Mizuta is working on a 3-year project, which will allow the production of world's smallest sensors. The project is funded by the European FP-7 and it is entitled NEMSIC, which stands for nano electro mechanical system integrated circuits.
The Seventh Framework Programme for research and technological development (FP7) is the central tool of the European Union for funding research throughout the period between 2007 and 2013. FP7 supports RD activities that cover nearly all scientific fields.
Besides being the smallest in the world, the sensor will also feature high sensitivity and will consume very little power. Such advantages are going to be achieved through co-integration (on a universal silicon technology) of transistors with a single electron and nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS).
"Power consumption is a big issue at the moment as devices use current whether they are switched off and on. The single-electron transistor combined with the NEM device technology reduces power consumption at both ON and OFF states of the sensor. Stand-by power is reduced to zero by having a complete sleep with the NEM switch when it is off," said Pr. Mizuta.
The professor and his team will create a single-electron transistor, which will include a unique suspended silicon nanobridge. The work of the nanobridge will resemble the work of a very sensitive detector for organic and chemical molecules.
"This is the first time that anyone has combined these two nanotechnologies to develop a smart sensor. The traditional CMOS (Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) approach has many limitations so we needed to find a new approach," said Pr. Mizuta.
After the opening of the new ECS Mountbatten building, scientists will be able to get a new electron beam lithography machine. The latter will help in making sensing devices to the nanoscale. "This sensor will be the smallest and use less power than any other on the market. The fact that it will be at the nanoscale means that it will be able to detect either single-charge transfer and/or change in masses caused by a small amount of chemical and biological molecules electrically."
The Seventh Framework Programme for research and technological development (FP7) is the central tool of the European Union for funding research throughout the period between 2007 and 2013. FP7 supports RD activities that cover nearly all scientific fields.
Besides being the smallest in the world, the sensor will also feature high sensitivity and will consume very little power. Such advantages are going to be achieved through co-integration (on a universal silicon technology) of transistors with a single electron and nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS).
"Power consumption is a big issue at the moment as devices use current whether they are switched off and on. The single-electron transistor combined with the NEM device technology reduces power consumption at both ON and OFF states of the sensor. Stand-by power is reduced to zero by having a complete sleep with the NEM switch when it is off," said Pr. Mizuta.
The professor and his team will create a single-electron transistor, which will include a unique suspended silicon nanobridge. The work of the nanobridge will resemble the work of a very sensitive detector for organic and chemical molecules.
"This is the first time that anyone has combined these two nanotechnologies to develop a smart sensor. The traditional CMOS (Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) approach has many limitations so we needed to find a new approach," said Pr. Mizuta.
After the opening of the new ECS Mountbatten building, scientists will be able to get a new electron beam lithography machine. The latter will help in making sensing devices to the nanoscale. "This sensor will be the smallest and use less power than any other on the market. The fact that it will be at the nanoscale means that it will be able to detect either single-charge transfer and/or change in masses caused by a small amount of chemical and biological molecules electrically."
Latest Invention: Washing Machine That Doesn't Need Water
British company Xeros looks forward to conquer the American market with its latest invention, a new washing system able to save a lot of water using nylon beads. The beads tumble wash clothes using 90 percent less water than traditional washers.
In addition, the company's latest invention, which is currently in the development stage, requires less detergent. Xeros claims that there would be no need for tumble drying and if the homes in the United States would switch to the new system, the emissions of carbon dioxide would be considerably reduced. The result would be as though 5 million vehicles have been removed from the road. The company also says that the new washing machine will save 1.2 billion tons of water each year, which equals 17 million swimming pools.
The washing machines does its job using small nylon beads that eliminate stains off clothes and lock them into the molecular structure of the nylon. The beads can be used for hundreds of washes and afterwards they can be easily recycled. The technology behind the new washing machine is the result of a research carried out at the University of Leeds. It has been used in a concept washing machine by the Cambridge Consultants.
After carrying out tests for over three years, Xeros, a spinout from the University, managed to achieve an agreement with Kansas City-based GreenEarth Cleaning, which intends to market Xeros' latest invention across North American continent in 2010.
In addition, the company's latest invention, which is currently in the development stage, requires less detergent. Xeros claims that there would be no need for tumble drying and if the homes in the United States would switch to the new system, the emissions of carbon dioxide would be considerably reduced. The result would be as though 5 million vehicles have been removed from the road. The company also says that the new washing machine will save 1.2 billion tons of water each year, which equals 17 million swimming pools.
The washing machines does its job using small nylon beads that eliminate stains off clothes and lock them into the molecular structure of the nylon. The beads can be used for hundreds of washes and afterwards they can be easily recycled. The technology behind the new washing machine is the result of a research carried out at the University of Leeds. It has been used in a concept washing machine by the Cambridge Consultants.
After carrying out tests for over three years, Xeros, a spinout from the University, managed to achieve an agreement with Kansas City-based GreenEarth Cleaning, which intends to market Xeros' latest invention across North American continent in 2010.
The Most Dangerous Computer Viruses in History
Computer Virus......
have a relatively short history, but the damages caused by some of them pushed cyber-experts to opening a new chapter on computer viruses. Some viruses led to serious damages and affected a large number of companies, universities and even governments.
Here are some of the most dangerous computer viruses in history:
Jerusalem - 1987
This is one of the first MS-DOS viruses in history that caused enormous destructions, affecting many countries, universities and companies worldwide. On Friday 13, 1988 the computer virus managed to infect a number of institutions in Europe, America and the Middle East. The name was given to the virus after one of the first places that got "acquainted" with it - the Jerusalem University.
Along with a number of other computer viruses, including "Cascade", "Stoned" and "Vienna" the Jerusalem virus managed to infect thousands of computers and still remain unnoticed. Back then the anti-virus programs were not as advanced as they are today and a lot of users had little knowledge of the existence of computer viruses.
Morris (a.k.a. Internet Worm) - November 1988
This computer virus infected over 6,000 computer systems in the United States, including the famous NASA research Institute, which for some time remained completely paralyzed. Due to erratic code, the worm managed to send millions of copies of itself to different network computers, being able to entirely paralyze all network resources. The damages caused by the Morris computer virus were estimated at $96 millions.
To be able to spread, the computer virus used errors in such operating systems as Unix for VAX and Sun Microsystems. The virus could also pick user passwords.
Solar Sunrise - 1998
A decade later the situation didn't change, in fact it even got worse. Using a computer virus, hackers, in 1998, penetrated and took control of over 500 computer systems that belonged to the army, government and private sector of the United States. The whole situation was dubbed Solar Sunrise after the popular vulnerabilities in computers that run on the operating system called Sun Solaris. Initially it was believed that the attacks were planed by the operatives in Iraq. It was later revealed that the incidents represented the work of two American teenagers from California. After the attacks, the Defense Department took drastic actions to prevent future incidents of this kind.
Melissa - 1999
For the first time computers got acknowledged with Melissa computer virus on March 26, 1999, when the virus shut down the Internet mail system, which got blocked with e-mails infected by the worm. It is worth mentioning that at first Melissa was not meant to cause any harm, but after overloading the servers, it led to serious problems. For the first time it spread in the Usenet discussion group alt.sex. Melissa was hidden within a file called "List.DiC", which featured passwords that served as keys to unlocking 80 pornographic websites. The original form of the virus was sent through e-mail to different users.
Melissa computer virus was developed by David L. Smith in Aberdeen Township, New Jersey. Its name comes from a lap dancer that the programmer got acknowledged with while in Florida. After being caught, the creator of the virus was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison and ordered to pay a fine of $5,000. The arrest was made by a team of representatives from FBI, New Jersey State Police and Monmouth Internet.
Melissa had the ability to multiply on Microsoft Word 97 and Word 2000, as well as on Microsoft Excel 97, 2000 and 2003. In addition, the virus had the ability to mass-mail itself from Microsoft Outlook 97 and Outlook 98.
I Love You - May 2000
Using a similar method as the Melissa, the computer virus dubbed "I Love You" managed to infect millions of computers around the world overnight. Just like Melissa this computer virus sent passwords and usernames, which were stored on the attacked computers, back to the developer of the virus. After authorities traced the virus they found that a young Filipino student was behind the attack. The young man was released due to the fact that the Philippines did not have any law that would prevent hacking and spreading malware. This situation served as one of the premises for creating the European Union's global Cybercrime Treaty.
The Code Red worm - July 2001
This 21st century computer virus managed to penetrate tens of thousands of systems that ran Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 2000 server software. The damages caused by the Code Red computer virus were estimated at $2 billion. Core Red was developed to use the power of all computers it infected against the official website of the White House at a predetermined date. In collaboration with different virus hunters and tech firms, the White House managed to decipher the code of the Code Red virus and stop traffic as the malware started its attacks.
Nimda - 2001
Shortly after the September 11 tragedy this computer virus infected hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide. Nimda was considered to be one of the most complicated viruses, having 5 different methods of infecting computers systems and being able to duplicate itself.
Downadup - 2009
The latest and most dangerous virus is the "downadup" worm, which was also called "Conficker". The computer security company F-Secure stated that the computer virus has infected 3.5 million computers worldwide. This malicious program was able to spread using a patched Windows flaw. Downadup was so "successful" in spreading across the Web, because it used a flaw that Microsoft patched in October in order to distantly compromise computers that ran unpatched versions of Microsoft's operating system. But the greatest power of the worm is believed to be the ability of computers, infected with the worm, to download destructive code from a random drop point. F-Secure stated that three of the most affected countries were China, Brazil and Russia.
have a relatively short history, but the damages caused by some of them pushed cyber-experts to opening a new chapter on computer viruses. Some viruses led to serious damages and affected a large number of companies, universities and even governments.
Here are some of the most dangerous computer viruses in history:
Jerusalem - 1987
This is one of the first MS-DOS viruses in history that caused enormous destructions, affecting many countries, universities and companies worldwide. On Friday 13, 1988 the computer virus managed to infect a number of institutions in Europe, America and the Middle East. The name was given to the virus after one of the first places that got "acquainted" with it - the Jerusalem University.
Along with a number of other computer viruses, including "Cascade", "Stoned" and "Vienna" the Jerusalem virus managed to infect thousands of computers and still remain unnoticed. Back then the anti-virus programs were not as advanced as they are today and a lot of users had little knowledge of the existence of computer viruses.
Morris (a.k.a. Internet Worm) - November 1988
This computer virus infected over 6,000 computer systems in the United States, including the famous NASA research Institute, which for some time remained completely paralyzed. Due to erratic code, the worm managed to send millions of copies of itself to different network computers, being able to entirely paralyze all network resources. The damages caused by the Morris computer virus were estimated at $96 millions.
To be able to spread, the computer virus used errors in such operating systems as Unix for VAX and Sun Microsystems. The virus could also pick user passwords.
Solar Sunrise - 1998
A decade later the situation didn't change, in fact it even got worse. Using a computer virus, hackers, in 1998, penetrated and took control of over 500 computer systems that belonged to the army, government and private sector of the United States. The whole situation was dubbed Solar Sunrise after the popular vulnerabilities in computers that run on the operating system called Sun Solaris. Initially it was believed that the attacks were planed by the operatives in Iraq. It was later revealed that the incidents represented the work of two American teenagers from California. After the attacks, the Defense Department took drastic actions to prevent future incidents of this kind.
Melissa - 1999
For the first time computers got acknowledged with Melissa computer virus on March 26, 1999, when the virus shut down the Internet mail system, which got blocked with e-mails infected by the worm. It is worth mentioning that at first Melissa was not meant to cause any harm, but after overloading the servers, it led to serious problems. For the first time it spread in the Usenet discussion group alt.sex. Melissa was hidden within a file called "List.DiC", which featured passwords that served as keys to unlocking 80 pornographic websites. The original form of the virus was sent through e-mail to different users.
Melissa computer virus was developed by David L. Smith in Aberdeen Township, New Jersey. Its name comes from a lap dancer that the programmer got acknowledged with while in Florida. After being caught, the creator of the virus was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison and ordered to pay a fine of $5,000. The arrest was made by a team of representatives from FBI, New Jersey State Police and Monmouth Internet.
Melissa had the ability to multiply on Microsoft Word 97 and Word 2000, as well as on Microsoft Excel 97, 2000 and 2003. In addition, the virus had the ability to mass-mail itself from Microsoft Outlook 97 and Outlook 98.
I Love You - May 2000
Using a similar method as the Melissa, the computer virus dubbed "I Love You" managed to infect millions of computers around the world overnight. Just like Melissa this computer virus sent passwords and usernames, which were stored on the attacked computers, back to the developer of the virus. After authorities traced the virus they found that a young Filipino student was behind the attack. The young man was released due to the fact that the Philippines did not have any law that would prevent hacking and spreading malware. This situation served as one of the premises for creating the European Union's global Cybercrime Treaty.
The Code Red worm - July 2001
This 21st century computer virus managed to penetrate tens of thousands of systems that ran Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 2000 server software. The damages caused by the Code Red computer virus were estimated at $2 billion. Core Red was developed to use the power of all computers it infected against the official website of the White House at a predetermined date. In collaboration with different virus hunters and tech firms, the White House managed to decipher the code of the Code Red virus and stop traffic as the malware started its attacks.
Nimda - 2001
Shortly after the September 11 tragedy this computer virus infected hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide. Nimda was considered to be one of the most complicated viruses, having 5 different methods of infecting computers systems and being able to duplicate itself.
Downadup - 2009
The latest and most dangerous virus is the "downadup" worm, which was also called "Conficker". The computer security company F-Secure stated that the computer virus has infected 3.5 million computers worldwide. This malicious program was able to spread using a patched Windows flaw. Downadup was so "successful" in spreading across the Web, because it used a flaw that Microsoft patched in October in order to distantly compromise computers that ran unpatched versions of Microsoft's operating system. But the greatest power of the worm is believed to be the ability of computers, infected with the worm, to download destructive code from a random drop point. F-Secure stated that three of the most affected countries were China, Brazil and Russia.
Latest Invention: The Smallest Laser in the World Created by US Researchers
The latest invention of American researchers is the laser that claims to be the smallest in the world. They managed to develop the laser by squeezing light into a space that is even tinier than a protein molecule. Their latest invention could be a significant breakthrough in the field of optical technology, making one step closer to nanolasers, which can be used to investigate and manipulate DNA. In addition, the laser can lead to the creation of super-fast computers and improved telecommunications.
The team of researchers was led by Professor Xiang Zhang. He mentioned that the plasmon laser constricts light into a gap that is only 5nm wide. An important step was the ability to detain light in a small space for a specific period of time required for light to stabilize into a "coherent" laser state, having all of its waves synchronized.
It is worth mentioning that plasmons are in fact wave-like movements of excited electrons on the surfaces of different metals. By connecting light to these oscillations, scientists managed to compress it further than usually, reports The Telegraph. More information on lasers and latest inventions you can find here at www.IfoNIAC.com, please check the links at the bottom of the story.
Professor Zhang, from the University of California at Berkeley said: "Plasmon lasers represent an exciting class of coherent light sources capable of extremely small confinement. This work can bridge the worlds of electronics and optics at truly molecular length scales." Their latest invention was described in the online version of the journal Nature. The scientist who co-authored the research, Dr Thomas Zentgraf, from the University's Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centre, stated: "The advantages of optics over electronics are multifold. For example, devices will be more power efficient at the same time they offer increased speed or bandwidth."
Sunday, October 3, 2010
IBM acquired Blade Network Technologies
NEW YORK (AFP) - US computer giant IBM said Monday it has acquired Blade Network Technologies, a California company that makes data switches for computer servers.
Financial terms of the purchase of the privately held Santa Clara, California, company were not disclosed. IBM said that it expected the acquisition to close in the fourth quarter of the year.
Blade makes software and devices that route data to and from servers.
IBM said "Blade's proven, industry-tested switches and software are designed to improve systems performance for faster delivery of information, optimize virtual environments and lower energy use."
More than half of the Fortune 500 companies are among its customers in a variety of industries including automobiles, telecoms, education, government, health care, defense and finance, IBM said.
IBM said it has worked with Blade since 2002 and they have thousands of joint clients.
"Blade's switches will be brought closer to IBM systems and then pass information to the core networking layer, optimizing systems performance," IBM said.
IBM has carried out a series of acquisitions lately including the purchase of business analytics firm Netezza for 1.7 billion dollars last week.
Financial terms of the purchase of the privately held Santa Clara, California, company were not disclosed. IBM said that it expected the acquisition to close in the fourth quarter of the year.
Blade makes software and devices that route data to and from servers.
IBM said "Blade's proven, industry-tested switches and software are designed to improve systems performance for faster delivery of information, optimize virtual environments and lower energy use."
More than half of the Fortune 500 companies are among its customers in a variety of industries including automobiles, telecoms, education, government, health care, defense and finance, IBM said.
IBM said it has worked with Blade since 2002 and they have thousands of joint clients.
"Blade's switches will be brought closer to IBM systems and then pass information to the core networking layer, optimizing systems performance," IBM said.
IBM has carried out a series of acquisitions lately including the purchase of business analytics firm Netezza for 1.7 billion dollars last week.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Google Recently Launched New Mobile Phone Nexus One..
The New Android Phone has been launched by Google INC. - Nexus One
they Designed the touch screen phone in partnership with HTC, Taiwan. HTC is the first Android based Mobile Phone. For triggering the Media Speculation they are decided to give Nexus One to their Employees within next 3 Weeks. This is Google's first Attempt to the Customer Electronics Device. The Price for Nexus One will be $529.
Specifications:
Size and weight
Height
119mm
Width
59.8mm
Depth
11.5mm
Weight
130 grams w/battery
100g w/o battery
Power and battery
Removable 1400 mAH battery
Charges at 480mA from USB, at 980mA from supplied charger
Talk time
Up to 10 hours on 2G
Up to 7 hours on 3G
Standby time
Up to 290 hours on 2G Up to 250 hours on 3G
Internet use
Up to 5 hours on 3G
Up to 6.5 hours on Wi-Fi
Video playback
Up to 7 hours
Audio playback
Up to 20 hours
Camera & Flash
5 megapixels
Autofocus from 6cm to infinity
2X digital zoom
LED flash
User can include location of photos from phone’s AGPS receiver
Video captured at 720x480 pixels at 20 frames per second or higher, depending on lighting conditions
Cellular & Wireless
UMTS Band 1/4/8 (2100/AWS/900)
HSDPA 7.2Mbps
HSUPA 2Mbps
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
A2DP stereo Bluetooth
Capacity
512MB Flash
512MB RAM
4GB Micro SD Card (Expandable to 32 GB)
Processor
Qualcomm QSD 8250 1 GHz
Operating system
Android Mobile Technology Platform 2.1 (Eclair
Microsoft’s New TrueColor Technology Brings Color to Life
Microsoft Corp. today brightens your video calls with TrueColor Technology, a groundbreaking new image processing technology that provides superior color and brightness in even the worst lighting conditions. TrueColor Technology automatically adjusts the picture quality to provide a more colorful video whether out on the porch with bright sunshine in the morning or in the living room with low light in the evening. This technology will be available in three new webcams launching today, the LifeCam HD-5000, LifeCam HD-5001 and LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks. These LifeCams will also feature 720p HD sensors and Auto Focus technology at a value price. In addition, TrueColor will be available with the recently launched LifeCam Cinema through a software update.
LifeCam HD-5000
LifeCam HD-5000
Click for high-res version
“Color quality and brightness are critical aspects of video calls. Through our research we know that a large number of video calls are held in either low light conditions or uneven lighting, and these are challenging situations for any webcam and represent a common pain point for webcam users,” said Daniel Anguiano, product marketing manager for Microsoft Hardware. “Our engineers at Microsoft Hardware created TrueColor Technology to improve the video experience, combining software and firmware to help people look bright and natural in virtually any lighting situation.”
True Colors Shining Through
Microsoft’s new image processing technology analyzes the user’s environment and automatically adjusts the LifeCam settings to provide brighter and more colorful video. It does this through a carefully designed proprietary combination of software and firmware technology to deliver a great experience. To achieve these results, TrueColor Technology includes face tracking technology developed by Microsoft Research, which can detect a person’s face and help ensure it’s not overexposed or underexposed, so the video call picture looks great even in the most challenging lighting scenarios.
LifeCam HD-5000
Launching with Microsoft’s new TrueColor Technology, the LifeCam HD-5000 offers best-in-class video quality in most lighting scenarios and is the only webcam on the market to offer 720p HD widescreen video and Auto Focus for an estimated retail price under $50.1 The LifeCam HD-5000 also features a flexible attachment base that bends to fit on most surfaces, including on top of flat-screen monitors and notebook screens, or directly on the desk, so people can use it at home on the desktop or with their notebook while on the road.
Best Buy will launch an exclusive version of this product, called the LifeCam HD-5001, that includes all the same great features as the LifeCam HD-5000, but will have a custom design with a white faceplate.
LifeCam HD-5001
LifeCam HD-5001
Click for high-res version
LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks
Also launching today is the LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks, which includes TrueColor Technology, 720p HD widescreen video, Auto Focus and a design just for notebooks. The LifeCam HD-6000 features a 360-degree rotation view so people can point the webcam in any direction to share more with friends and family. With a compact design, short three-foot cord and carrying case, the LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks is the perfect webcam for sharing life on the go.
Pricing and Availability
The LifeCam HD-5000 and the LifeCam HD-5001 will be available later this month for the estimated retail price of $49.952 and the LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks will be available in May for the estimated retail price of $59.95.2 The LifeCam HD-5000 and LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks will be available for pre-sale on Amazon.com and Buy.com starting today. TrueColor Technology will be available via a software download for LifeCam Cinema, which is already broadly available at http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/downloads/default.mspx.
LifeCam HD-6000
LifeCam HD-6000
Click for high-res version.
Microsoft backs these products with a worldwide three-year limited hardware warranty. More information about these and other Microsoft Hardware products can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/hardware.
Forget Windows: Midori is coming
WINDOWS is a name that has ruled the whole computer world since its first launch in November 1985. Since then it is like a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
With many advanced versions of Windows available today such as Windows XP, Windows Vista, it is the most used operating system in the world. In 2010, Microsoft is going to launch WINDOWS 2007, but now here is time to experience a yet another technology of operating systems.
Yes, MICROSOFT is working on a new generation of operating systems called Cloud-Based Operating System and rumors are there that MIDORI will be their first such operating system, which will replace Windows fully from computer map.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE
MIDORI is an offshoot of Microsoft Research's Singularity operating system. In this the tools and libraries are completely managed code. MIDORI is designed to run directly on native hardware (x86, x64 and ARM), will be hosted on the Windows Hyper-V hypervisor, or even be hosted by a Windows process.
MIDORI can be also seen as MICROSOFT'S answer those competitors who are applying "Virtualization" as a mean to solving issues within contemporary computing.
The main idea behind MIDORI is to develop a lightweight portable OS which can be mated easily to lots of various applications.
IMPORTANCE OF MIDORI
For knowing the importance of MIDORI you have to think about, how an operating system is loaded on a computer. Actually operating system is loaded onto a hard disk physically located on that machine. In this way, the operating system is tied very tightly to that hardware. As Windows is dependent on hardware, it might face opposition from contemporary ways of working because people are extremely mobile in using different devices in order get diverse information.
Due to this trend installing different applications on a single computer may led to different compatibility issues whenever the machine require updating. The new operating system will solve these problems by the concept of Virtualizing. This will solve problems such as widespread security vulnerabilities, unexpected interactions among different applications, failures caused by errant extensions, plug-ins, and drivers and many more.
ERIC RUDDER, Senior Vice President, Technical Strategy
The importance of this project for MICROSOFT can be understood by the fact that company choose Eric Rudder , former head of Microsoft's server and tools business and a key member of Chairman Bill Gates' faction of the company, to handle it.
WHEN WILL IT BE LAUNCHED
Just Wait and See. Microsoft has not declared any such date about launching of MIDORI, but there are rumors that this project is in incubation phase.
Vulture - Unmanned Aircraft
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of United States is working to develop an unmanned aircraft that is able to stay in air for a period of 5 years at a time. It is one of the most recent inventions of world.
Officials of DARPA has revealed that this aircraft will be known as VULTURE due to its Persistent Pseudo-Satellite Capability . It means that this aircraft will be able to fly over a single area, communicating or performing analysis for years at a time.
Major Obstacles in Project:
Even this project looks appealing to many of you, but there are some serious problems or you can say obstacles in achieving this project.
1) First challenge in front of designers is to figure out some Way to Supply Power to this aircraft during long missions.
2) Another problem is that this aircraft will carry a 1000 pound (450 kg) payload in winds at an altitude of 60,000 to 90,000 feet.
3) Designers have also to sort out the problems regarding Deterioration of Materials during their long-time exposure to stratospheric flight.
In addition to this there may be many challenges during designing of this aircraft.
Daniel Newman: The Man Behind VULTURE
Daniel Newman is the Project Manger of this ambitious project of NASA. In his words: "We want to completely change the paradigm of how we think of aircraft. Aviation has a perfect record - we've never left one up there. We will attempt to break that record". It looks that its time to get out of the traditional "launch - recover - maintain - launch cycle of aircrafts."
Concept Behind Vulture:
Basically Aircrafts operates just like satellites, but the major difference is that these are not regulated by orbital mechanics. You can understand Vulture as a Pseudo-Satellite, which operates in the stratosphere and not in the low Earth orbit. This would provide a 65 dB upgrading in communications capability and will increase onboard sensor resolution.
Vulture
When Will it Become a Reality?
Well, right now NASA has not mentioned any time table when the aircraft will be ready. But for now NASA has worked on the probable design of Vulture (see picture).
Microsoft New Invention of bipolar battery technology
The Redmond Company of Microsoft has introduced a new technology for inserting of battery in an electronic item. The technology called as InstaLoad will be carried out by Microsoft. The battery maker Duracell has endorsed the system.
However, the technology will not change the way batteries are made. The only difference will come in the way a battery is inserted into any electronic item. A bit of change also may come in way the electronic products are manufactures. At the first instance, the technology may not sound useful, but its benefits are in the less perfect situations where it is not easier to change the battery and where speed is a concern.. It can be said that this latest invention from Microsoft is more for the convenience.
The company in a promotional document has said,” Battery installation is typically not a high driver of product tech support calls by itself, but it can be a factor for a bad customer experience and unspoken frustration with a product – leading to reduced customer loyalty,” Now Microsoft will make available the InstaLoad technology for licensing immediately and it will be royalty-free when used by persons with disability. The company says that the technology is useful in those devices where frequent change of battery is the need.
However, the technology will not change the way batteries are made. The only difference will come in the way a battery is inserted into any electronic item. A bit of change also may come in way the electronic products are manufactures. At the first instance, the technology may not sound useful, but its benefits are in the less perfect situations where it is not easier to change the battery and where speed is a concern.. It can be said that this latest invention from Microsoft is more for the convenience.
The company in a promotional document has said,” Battery installation is typically not a high driver of product tech support calls by itself, but it can be a factor for a bad customer experience and unspoken frustration with a product – leading to reduced customer loyalty,” Now Microsoft will make available the InstaLoad technology for licensing immediately and it will be royalty-free when used by persons with disability. The company says that the technology is useful in those devices where frequent change of battery is the need.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Encryption and Decryption Logic
// Encryption
Public Function Encryption(ByVal str As String) As String
Dim str1 As String
Dim ch As Char
str1 = Nothing
Dim key, code As Integer
key = 100
For i = 0 To str.Length - 1
ch = str(i)
code = (Asc(ch) + key)
If code >= 0 And code <= 255 Then
code = code + 32
str1 = str1 + ChrW(code)
End If
code = 0
Next i
Return str1
End Function
//Decryption
Public Function Decryption(ByVal str As String) As String
Dim str1 As String
Dim ch As Char
str1 = Nothing
Dim key, code As Integer
key = 100
For i = 0 To str.Length - 1
ch = str(i)
code = (Asc(ch) - key)
If code >= 0 And code <= 255 Then
code = code - 32
str1 = str1 + ChrW(code)
End If
Next i
Return str1
End Function
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