Jul 04
So i got a 419 scam email from a live.co.uk address and being a good citizen 
, i decide to report it so that the email account shuts off. On searching through the internet i find that abuse has to be reported to abuse@passport dot com , anyway my email is bounced back.
Reporting-MTA: dns;blu0-omc3-s18.blu0.hotmail.com
Received-From-MTA: dns;BLU126-W37
Arrival-Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2008 22:14:58 -0700
Final-Recipient: rfc822;abuse@passport.com
Action: failed
Status: 5.5.0
Diagnostic-Code: smtp;554 Transaction Failed (1022769381:189:-2147467259)
Microsoft is just helping these scammers if they abuse reporting tools are rejecting emails.I wonder how many people will be scammed just because Microsoft chose not to act responsibly.
Jul 02
Ah well , you helped Firefox set a new world record, not get a certificate to show for it too. Realising that fans would probably want to show off their feat spread Firefox is allowing people to generate certificates.
Here is what they look like :
Get your own certificate from : Spread Firefox
The funny part is i used IE to generate that certificate just to check it.
Also this has been a great marketing exercise, lets hope Microsoft realises this and their next Windows Update is also documented.
Dec 08
When you buy Microsoft hardware for twice the money of other products, you expect it to be good. So after my sound card blacked out and my USB sound card to flipped off, i needed a new one. Fairly fed up of the cheap Chinese ones, i opted to spend some money for a good one. So i zeroed in on this Microsoft beauty, the Lifechat LX-3000, the perfect replacement for your Sound Card. And Microsoft didnt disappoint me.
The thing looks like its from a future movie or something, i mean unlike other headphones, it manages to look slick and modern, yet not bulky. I also have Philips Headphones, which are bulky and dont look this cool. And also the Lifechat series includes integration with Windows Live Messengers which is another useful feature.
Within hours of using it, i got compliments from my relatives abroad that the voice quality on this set is much better. If you want to know, my earlier mic was of creative which is also an uber cool company, but it seems that Microsoft has overtook them in terms of voice quality while recording. I wont be surprised if the software included has a noise cancelling algorithm, as when i record i cant hear any background noises, just my voice, nothing else ! No Hum, no air noise, nothing.
The sound quality while hearing songs is also greatly improved. I would say that my computer is giving sound quality much better than that of an Ipod (isnt it supposed to anyway ?). The sound is pure pleasure, again no hums, or noise. Only the sound you play.
Verdict :
Rating: 
We deducted .5 for the cost, otherwise its a perfect piece of hardware.
Pros ::
- Super Voice Quality
- Super Playback Quality
- Uber cool Looks
- Volume and Mute control panel thingy on the wire itself.
- Long Wire provided and USB interface
Cons ::
- The pricing is a little on the higher side. Around Rs. 1500 for it is slightly expensive compared to the USB sound cards available in the market.
Jun 01
Yes that’s true folks, Windows Live Writer , currently in Beta makes writing blog entries much easier and simpler. The writing of a blog entry actually becomes more enjoyable and less tedious. Windows Live Writer as the name suggests is a product of Microsoft. It has lots on inbuilt features and offers support of in post tagging, image insertion, category marking, Map insertion etc.
One place where it lags though is the Blogger Beta Images department, if is not able to offer image hosting for blogger beta, which is a serious flaw actually, but I guess its got more to do with Google than Microsoft. The new version also features an in-built spell checker which thank god is 100 times better than Firefox’s inbuilt spell checker.
May 23
When Microsoft ventures into something, you know its going to be the best and the biggest. So this Graphing calculator was no different.
The Graphing calculator is just a small part of Microsoft Student’s Math tools and is made by the Educational Products Division of Microsoft (My favourite division for reasons you will never know )
Continue reading »
May 15
Microsoft has launched its file hosting service called Windows Live Folders. It offers 250 MB of free storage space on the MSN servers. The maximum file size is fixed at 50 MB. Not only can you host your files for free, you can also limit access to them to your friends and family. All they need is a Windows Live Account for accessing the files.
The display is uncluttered and minimalist. You are allowed to organize your files into folders. Each folder can have a certain share level which is indicated by the (huge) icon next to the folder name.
Continue reading »
Mar 30
Microsoft unveiled the Deepfish mobile browser for smartphones. The browser is based on the Seadragon technology, which was a company acquired by Microsoft. The software displays the webpages like they would be displayed on your desktop. The beauty lies in the zooming and panning features of the software.It also optimises bandwidth ,i believe that this must be like the bandwidth optimisation of Opera Mini.
Currently the browser is in testing mode and is available by invitation only. Lets hope this great software is released to the public soon.
The Windows Live Team working on deepfish was quoted as
“With the Deepfish technology, we capture the full layout of the page and deliver it to the mobile device, resulting in an experience similar to that on the desktop. Deepfish provides users with a full ‘as-designed’ view of virtually any Web site on their mobile device and looks as you would expect it to on your desktop, allowing much more of the Web to be easily viewed on a mobile device than is possible today. The interface lets users zoom in and out on the parts of a Web page that interest them in an intuitive way, making it easy to use these large-screen formatted pages on a mobile device. On current mobile browsers, it can typically take up to a minute or more for a Web page to render, however the Deepfish architecture only loads the user-specified portion of the page, providing much quicker page-load times, as detailed information is only retrieved as needed or in the background.”
 System Requirements of Deepfish
- Device: Windows Mobile Smart Phone or Pocket PC.
- Operating System: Windows Mobile 5.0+
- Internet connection: Required.
- For Desktop setup: NET Framework 2.0, ActiveSync 4.0+ or Windows Mobile Device Center(WMDC) for Vista.
- Minimum Device Memory: 64MB Program Memory. Deepfish supports external storage when available.
Nov 23
As we all know Microsoft’s response to the Ipod is here , the Zune , we talk about things which might make it or break it.
Positives
- Ability to send photos, and music files from Zune-to-Zune via WiFi. Photo files may be shared without restrictions. For restrictions on Music Sharing , see negative below.
- Firmware upgrades are possible.
Wallpapers may be set in the Zune Player.
- Fm Radio (Ipods lack inbuilt radio) , song name might be displayed if the radio station supports it.
- The Zune will play standard podcast files, which are usually available in unprotected MP3 or AAC format. However, the Zune software lacks full podcast support, such as a directory and automatic downloading via RSS feeds. A Zune team member has stated that in the future “We’ll ship podcasting, and we’ll call it “Podcasting” when we do.”
- The player software will automatically convert audio and video in a format not supported by the Zune into a format that is. (e.g. a video with a resolution of 720×540 will be converted to a resolution of 320×240 if necessary).
- You can tell other people having Zunes near you, what you are listening.
Negatives
- Zune Sharing - Its easy to make a Zune to Zune song transfer , perhaps too easy , thats why every time a song is transferred Zune to Zune it gets limited to a three day or three play restriction , which ever comes first. Plus a play is counted if a song is played for 1 minute or half the song (whichever is shorter). Even if the song is recorded , non-copyrighted , this restriction applies.
- Crippled Wifi - The Wifi only allows a Zune to connect to another Zune , not a computer or a Wifi Hotspot.
- No hard Drive - The Zune also cant be used as an external hard-drive unlike an Ipod.
The following comes pre-loaded in a Zune
Audio tracks
- Band of Horses, “Wicked Gil” (Sub Pop)
- Bitter:Sweet, “The Mating Game” (Quango Music Group)
- CSS, “Alala (Microsoft edit)” (Sub Pop)
- Darkel, “At The End of The Sky (edit)” (Astralwerks)
- Every Move A Picture, “Signs of Life” (V2 Records)
- Small Sins, “Stay” (Astralwerks)
- The Adored, “Tell Me Tell Me” (V2 Records)
- The Rakes, “Open Book” (V2 Records)
- The Thermals, “A Pillar Of Salt” (Sub Pop)
Music videos
- 30 Seconds to Mars, “The Kill” (Virgin Records)
- BT, “1.618” (DTS Entertainment)
- Chad VanGaalen, “Red Hot Drops” (Sub Pop)
- Coldcut featuring Roots Manuva, “True Skool” (Ninja Tune)
- CSS, “Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death From Above” (Sub Pop)
- Fruit Bats, “Live: The Wind That Blew My Heart Away” (Sub Pop)
- Grandaddy, “Elevate Myself” (V2 Records)
- Hot Chip, “Over and Over” (Astralwerks)
- Kraak & Smaak featuring Dez., “Keep Me Home” (Quango Music Group)
- Kinski, “Live: The Snowy Parts of Scandinavia” (Sub Pop)
- Paul Oakenfold featuring Brittany Murphy, “Faster Kill Pussycat” (Perfecto Records)
- Serena-Maneesh, “Drain Cosmetics” (Playlouderecordings)
Short films
- 5boro: “A New York Skateboarding Minute” (Skateboarding)
- Radical Films: “Kranked — Progression” (Mountain Biking)
- TGRTV The North Face (Skiing/Snowboarding)
The verdict is left to you
