Learn all the Facebook Chat Symbols

Learn all the Facebook Chat Symbols

Author cobster | 17.10.2009 | Category World Wide Web

Cool free Facebook smiley face pictures and keyboard text emoticons – keyboard Text face smiley. Smiley is the emoticon icon to express your happyness, sadness or whatever you feel. We’ve got free cool emoticons smiley icons here! You can use them on social networking sites like facebook or myspace in some chat, icq or msn. It’s like pictures of smiley faces just a bit more original. =) Type codes (smiley text) on your keyboard required or just quote these free msn emoticons to input text msn smileys. Surely it’s fantastic collection of social networking and Facebook chat smileys for im (internet messangers) and chats! Most of Facebook emoticons depicted here are easy to input on your keyboard. Though some use Unicode symbols or keyboard alt codes for symbols. Other characters can be found here: Facebook symbols.

Goto http://knopok.net/a/facebook-smileys

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WII’s Next Big hit for Nintendo? Super Mario Brothers.

Author cobster | 17.10.2009 | Category Video Games

It’s retro right down to the box art.

(Credit: Nintendo) This holiday season, amid an economy that’s still in the tank, game companies are stingier with their first-party release schedule. In fact, each of the Big Three (Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo) are only targeting one or two games for their systems before Christmas. Nintendo has one single title that’s prominent for the Nintendo Wii, and that’s New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

We got a chance to play one or two of the side-scrolling title’s multiplayer modes awhile back, but we didn’t know whether Mario’s home console return to 2D platforming would also feature a single-player mode that had as much going for it as old-school favorites like Super Mario World.

After last night’s playthrough and a discussion with Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto (translated via Nintendo of America’s Bill Trinen), the answer to that question is undoubtedly yes.

Mr. Miyamoto answered questions regarding his new game, in particular why it’s a 2D game when Super Mario Galaxy achieved such great success both critically and financially as a 3D Wii title.

According to Miyamoto, who participated in a reporter’s roundtable Thursday night in New York City, what makes a Mario game is being “simple to control and easy to understand.” The multiplayer modes of New Super Mario Bros. Wii include both four-player competitive Smash Bros.-inspired modes such as Coin Battle, as well as hop-in four-player co-op throughout the entire single-player story mode of the game.

“We wanted the game to appeal to and be accessible to as wide an audience as possible, and because we wanted to make it multiplayer, we felt that the original concept for Mario Bros. was the one best suited to multiplayer gameplay,” Miyamoto added. “Multiplayer platforming is much better suited to a 2-D environment versus a 3-D one.” He was referring specifically to same-room gaming as opposed to online gaming, raising a point that we’ve often thought about with the Wii–namely, other than Wii Sports, that there just aren’t a great number of multiplayer games for the console.

Miyamoto went on to explain how New Super Mario Bros. Wii and next year’s upcoming sequel to Super Mario Galaxy were simultaneously co-developed as two separate ways to look at the Mario experience on the Wii. One is a natural evolution of Mario’s recent 3D efforts, while New Super Mario Bros. is unabashedly retro, even down to its box design and cover art.

“The game stems from 8-bit Mario,” Miyamoto admitted, although he also claims the original Mario was always intended to be a two-player co-op experience. With the DS game New Super Mario Bros., Miyamoto said he “tried a balance of level difficulty that would still satisfy long time Mario fans,” but found the balance “hard to do.”

The new Mario game allows players to be as proactive or casual as they want, according to Miyamoto and Nintendo. They mean this quite literally: the game triggers a “Super Guide” option after the player dies eight times, which is a video showing exactly how to make it through the level. The player can jump in at any time, or even skip the level entirely. It’s a controversial idea to the hard-core, but Miyamoto stressed that it needn’t be used, and wouldn’t be a great idea in all games. “A lot of people buy strategy guides or go online–we incorporated it within the game itself,” Miyamoto explained, adding that the Super Guide “doesn’t show secret areas or how to get star coins.”

Amusing developer and tester-made “expert” videos were also shown that can also be unlocked by collecting hidden Star Coins, showing off how much extra can be applied to certain levels with a little extra hard-core effort.

It seems that Miyamoto’s greatest pride is in how this game enables a meeting between hard-core and casual players, and how same-room “living room” multiplayer, as opposed to online play, can be a source of old-fashioned fun. “The more advanced can carry novice gamers through levels,” Miyamoto said, and referred to his observations testing the game with focus groups. “What we noticed was when people played alone they had a very serious look on their face and they were working very hard trying to figure out their way through a level…but as soon as we had multiple people playing the game, their expressions changed dramatically, and all of a sudden they had smiles on their faces,” noting that “some of the people playing multiplayer can have a really good time without playing much of anything.”

While some might fault Nintendo for not making New Super Mario Bros. Wii into WiiWare DLC (for the record, Miyamoto claims he prefers things in boxes), the playtest afterwards confirmed that this game is exactly what an old-school Nintendo fan or a retro-obsessed Mario lover would want–it’s a full Mario game through and through. Strangely, it eschews many of the Wii’s prime features–it’s controlled exclusively using the nunchuck-less Wii-mote turned on its side, and doesn’t use Wii MotionPlus–but that could be an appeal for many Wii owners, not a hindrance. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it adds enough tributes and new wrinkles (like an ice flower power-up) to make it worth the visit. Come to think of it, New Super Mario Bros. Wii might be the only Nintendo Wii game besides Wii Sports to successfully blend hardcore gaming, casual appeal, and multiplayer into one package. If Wii owners agree with that sentiment, then Nintendo’s destined to be printing money once again this holiday.

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“Suicidal Astronaut Wanted” says Craiglist Ad

Author cobster | 17.10.2009 | Category Technology

Craigslist ad seeks

Just because there’s a recession, it doesn’t mean you can’t find your dream job. So allow me to direct your boundless ambition toward an ad on Craigslist’s Calgary site.

While many people scour Craigslist to see if Starbucks or Bed, Bath and Beyond might be seeking additions to their cheery teams, the poster of this ad is searching for an altogether more adventurous type, proudly announcing “Astronaut Needed (Northern Alberta).” Is that the cough of a million scoffs I hear? Perhaps. But this is truly an interesting opportunity, to say the least. Just look at the first, enticing sentence of the ad: “Astronaut needed for experimental flight to Titan.”

Perhaps you might be concerned that this ad was not, in fact, placed by NASA. Please, let me put your mind into horizontal mode. The advertiser assures all applicants that he has been “working on this project for near 40 years.” Indeed, the only reason he is seeking an Armstrong for his flight is that he himself seems to have weaker limbs now that the years have passed.

You might also be wondering what kind of craft will shuttle you into orbit. Well, again, I can be your Xanax. The advertiser declares that his secret craft is “the result of my professional experience and imagination while serving the U.S. military in advanced aeronautics as a scientist.” You see, this man is a veritable expert in his field. This spaceship enjoys “a revolutionary propulsion system and its fuselage is fabricated with the most advanced material.”

Surely, you can have no more concerns. Surely, you are ready to reply to this advertisement, beaming at the idea that you will soon be beamed into the great beyond. Well, in the interests of full disclosure, let me draw your attention to some of the finer details. In the advertiser’s own persuasive and humane words: “I am certain you will make it safely to Titan but there will not be enough fuel to get home. This is for someone unique that has always wanted to see the universe first-hand and has perhaps a terminal view on life here at home. Here’s your shot at romantic history.”

Yes, that’s right. You won’t be coming back. At all. Ever. So perhaps you might want to check what the nightlife is like on Titan. Because that might be the only way you could really create romantic history.

Should I have failed to deter you from applying for your life’s (and death’s) dream, do note that the job specs declare that you should be no taller than 5 feet 10 inches and “relatively slim.” One imagines that any appearances in a Ralph Lauren advertisement might enhance your chances of being chosen.

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Linux Foundation aims to boost membership with new perks

Author cobster | 15.10.2009 | Category Linux

In an effort to expand its ranks, the Linux Foundation has improved its selection of perks for members. New perks include hardware discounts and the availability of a lifetime e-mail forwarding account at the linux.com domain.

The LF was formed in 2007 when the Open Source Development Labs merged with the Free Standards Group. The organization is responsible for maintaining the Linux Standard Base (LSB) project and also employs Linux creator Linus Torvalds. The group has largely been funded by its corporate sponsors, which include many of the largest companies in the technology industry. Last year, the LF launched an individual membership program, inviting Linux enthusiasts to pay annual dues for various privileges.

Members receive a linux.com e-mail forwarding account and discounts on various conferences hosted by the foundation. The LF obtained the linux.com domain from SourceForge, Inc. earlier this year and has been transforming it into an information hub and social network for the Linux community. The e-mail addresses are not permanent, however, and could disappear if the user neglects to pay the annual dues.

In a bid to increase its membership, the foundation has added several new perks. One of the changes is that users can now pay a flat one-time fee to make the e-mail address permanent. Existing members can get the lifetime e-mail address for $150. New members can get a package of one-year membership and lifetime e-mail for $250. Regular annual dues are $99. Another significant new perk is hardware discounts from Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

I’ve been eyeing Dell’s new 537s with Ubuntu, so I decided to put the new Linux Foundation membership discount to the test. The discount is offered through Dell’s Employee Purchase Program (EPP). Ironically, I had serious difficulty finding the Linux-based computers through Dell’s EPP storefront (you can’t get the discount if you just aim your browser directly at dell.com/ubuntu). “Linux” isn’t included in the “Operating System” filter at the EPP portal (though, surprisingly, FreeDOS is). I eventually found the tiny “Open-Source PCs” link towards the bottom of the left-hand column. The discount from Dell is roughly 7 percent, but it’s a pretty nice deal because it stacks with other discounts and coupon codes.

Members also get discounts on O’Reilly and No Starch Press books, Linux Journal Subscriptions, and some ThinkGeek.com purchases. For Linux enthusiasts who regularly buy computer hardware and other discounted stuff, the $99 membership fee could pay for itself pretty quickly. The lifetime e-mail offering, on the other hand, doesn’t seem all that appealing. $150 is a lot to pay for a mere forwarding service.

As the economic downturn compels people to close their wallets, nonprofit organizations have been exploring ways to entice supporters to continue contributing financial resources. Some open source groups have come up with interesting solutions. The GNOME Foundation, for example, has a special Friends of GNOME program that allows contributors to “adopt” their favorite GNOME hacker by supplying a small monthly donation. The Participatory Culture Foundation, the organization behind the Miro media player, launched a program that allows donors to adopt a line of code. The LF membership program lacks the cuteness and novelty of those approaches, but it makes up for it by offering pretty solid perks.

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Microsoft giving away another 777 copies of Windows 7

Author cobster | 15.10.2009 | Category Windows

Microsoft Netherlands is giving away 777 copies of Windows 7 to people who live in the small town of Zevenhuizen, which literally translates to “Seven Houses.” They will be getting an English-language copy of Windows 7 Ultimate with a license code valid for one Windows PC. In fact, one of the requirements is that you must be in possession of a PC with Windows as the primary OS; those using mainly Mac OS or Linux can’t participate. Another requirement is that the PC gets a green light from the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. Microsoft employees and those under 18 years of age not included.

Zevenhuizen residents must opt in over at zevenhuizengaatover.nl. The site explains that there are four options to choose from for getting Windows 7: pick up a copy, bring the computer over to have it installed, have Microsoft come pick up the PC and bring it back with everything installed within 48 hours, or have Microsoft install it for them at home. Microsoft is also offering to back up files (but not software) and to install Windows Live programs as well as Microsoft Security Essentials. Users are on their own for reinstalling their other applications.

Signup on the actual website ends tomorrow, though signup in person is possible till Tuesday, October 20. Actual Windows 7 installs will take place from October 17, 2009 to October 23, 2009, meaning these residents have the option to get the operating system early; much like those who choose to buy PCs from small custom PC makers as of earlier this week.

Microsoft’s obsession with the number seven for Windows 7 marketing became obvious in September 2009 when it debuted a Windows 7 sweepstakes on Twitter over at @mswindows with the #WinWin7 hash tag. Their most recent giveaway was for tickets to Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show in LA.

Microsoft claims 200,000 people in the Netherlands have already tried the beta version of Windows 7, but now it’s time to promote the RTM version, and this is one of the ways to do it. Microsoft has already given away the RTM version of Windows 7 to its faithful testers, to event attendees, to launch party hosts, and so on. The software giant is going to keep at it for the next few months though, so if you still don’t have your free copy, don’t make any rash decisions to move to Zevenhuizen.

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Microsoft’s Bill Gates Supports Technology in Agriculture to Fight Hunger

Author cobster | 15.10.2009 | Category Windows

Farming has the power to lift up lives of the poor, says Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and co-chair of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is funding agricultural research for developing countries. Gates spoke this morning at The World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa.

“Helping the poorest small holder farmers to get food from field to market is the single most powerful lever to ending hunger and poverty,” Gates says.

But Gates fears that solutions to solving the world’s food crisis are being endangered by division. On the one side are groups who want to increase technological improvements in crop production, including biotechnology, and on the other side are those fighting for sustainability.

“They say you have to choose, but I believe it is a false choice,” Gates says. “I believe we can have both.”

The next green revolution must be guided by technology, Gates explains. “When productivity is high, people can farm on less land,” he says. “We have to develop more crops that can be grown in a drought. But we will never get there without a continuous and urgent science based approach.”

The Gates Foundation is collaborating both public and private partners around the world to support a wide range of crop production methods, including some transgenic approaches. Gates says he was inspired by the work by Dr. Norman Borlaug, father of the green revolution.

“We can be the generation that sees Dr. Borlaug’s dream fulfilled, a world free from hunger,” Gates says.

For more information on The Gates Foundation work on crop production, read the upcoming issues of Farm Journal magazine.

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IBM boosts ’09 guidance again even as sales slump

Author cobster | 15.10.2009 | Category Technology

SAN FRANCISCO — IBM Corp. has jacked up its profit guidance for the second time this year, a sign of the company’s confidence that it can uncork more profit from its business despite falling sales.

The company’s third-quarter results, reported after the market closed Thursday, show that corporations are still reluctant to spend on some kinds of technology. IBM’s sales fell 7 percent, and all its major divisions suffered declines.

But IBM keeps making more money — net income was up 14 percent — largely because it has been focusing on outsourcing and other services that save clients money and are more profitable for IBM than selling hardware. That has been the key element of IBM’s transformation from a hardware company on the brink of collapse in the 1990s to a one-stop technology shop that rivals are trying to emulate.

Nearly a fifth of the company’s revenue still comes from hardware, however, and IBM’s chief financial officer, Mark Loughridge, said in an interview that a significant help in the quarter came from market share gains in servers at the expense of Sun Microsystems Inc.

IBM has exploited uncertainty about Oracle Corp.’s proposed $7.4 billion takeover of Sun, the world’s No. 4 server maker, to steal customers. That deal still needs antitrust approval in Europe.

IBM says 2009 earnings should be at least $9.85 per share, ahead of analysts’ forecasts for $9.78 per share, according to Thomson Reuters. IBM had raised its guidance before, in July, to at least $9.70 per share.

Despite IBM’s optimistic forecast, some investors apparently expected an even greater increase. IBM shares fell 3.7 percent in extended trading after closing the regular session at $127.98, down 37 cents.

“A lot of us thought you might get even better than this,” said Peter Misek, an analyst with Canaccord Adams. “But these results are solid.”

The recession has made it hard to win new business. Corporations have coped with evaporating revenue by canceling or delaying big technology projects. Indeed, the value of services contracts that IBM signed in the quarter was $11.8 billion, a decline of 7 percent from the same period in 2008.

One sign of the lingering distress came this month in disappointing guidance from the Accenture consulting firm, an IBM competitor. It hesitated to predict the timing for a full recovery in business spending. Another technology bellwether, Intel Corp., has been talking up a recovery in personal computer sales, but warned this week corporate spending would likely remain weak until the new year.

In IBM’s third quarter, which ended Sept. 30, net income was $3.2 billion, or $2.40 per share, ahead of analysts’ expectation for $2.38 per share. In the same period last year, IBM’s profit was $2.8 billion, or $2.04 per share.

Sales were $23.6 billion, slightly better than the $23.4 billion expected by analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. Revenue would have been down 5 percent instead of 7 percent if it were not for currency fluctuations. A weak dollar means deals IBM does in other currencies translate into more greenbacks.

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Blockbuster OnDemand lands on TiVo

Author cobster | 14.10.2009 | Category Innovation

Broadband-connected TiVo DVR subscribers have access to Blockbuster’s long-awaited OnDemand rental service, TiVo announced on Tuesday.

The service is available to owners of TiVo Series2 and TiVo Series3 digital-video recorders (including the TiVo HD and TiVo HD XL).

According to the company, users will be able to stream films ranging from new releases to classics. Users will be charged $2.99 for classic hits and $3.99 for new releases. Blockbuster will be adding more films over the coming weeks, including “select HD titles.”

As part of the agreement, Blockbuster will also begin selling TiVo DVRs in “thousands” of participating Blockbuster stores around the United States.

Blockbuster OnDemand’s arrival on the TiVo (and TiVo’s arrival in Blockbuster stores, for that matter) has been a long time coming. The partnership was first announced in March.

Whether Blockbuster will enjoy success on the TiVo is up for debate. The company’s main competitor, Netflix, is already streaming films and television shows to TiVos for no additional fee beyond the company’s unlimited-plan charges. Amazon Video On Demand is also available to TiVo users, and like Blockbuster, it, too, allows them to purchase individual videos, rather than pay a monthly subscription fee.

TiVo owners can also access content from YouTube, as well as films through Jaman and CinemaNow’s Disney.

To access Blockbuster OnDemand, users will first need to create a Blockbuster account. Once complete, they can access Blockbuster OnDemand content from the TiVo’s video-on-demand menu.

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Critical Windows 7 holes fixed in record Patch Tuesday

Author cobster | 14.10.2009 | Category IT Security

Microsoft released a record number of 13 bulletins for 34 vulnerabilities on Patch Tuesday–and the first critical update for Windows 7–as well as fixes for zero-day flaws involving Server Message Block (SMB) and Internet Information Services (IIS).

The most severe of the three SMB flaws, which were first reported last month, could allow an attacker to take control of a computer remotely by sending a specially crafted SMB packet to a computer running the Server service. Exploit code for one of the SMB holes has been posted to the Web, Microsoft said.
Windows 7 is affected by two critical patches intended to mend vulnerabilities that could allow remote code execution if a malicious Web page were viewed, one part of a cumulative security update for Internet Explorer and the other in .Net Framework and Silverlight.
The official release date for Windows 7 is October 22, but the new operating system has been available to some large businesses with volume licenses since the summer. The code was finalized in July.

Other critical patches in the security bulletin for October fix a vulnerability in Windows Media Runtime that could be exploited if a user opened a malicious media file or received malicious streaming content from a Web site or application, and if a specially crafted ASF (Advanced Systems Format) file is played using Windows Media Player 6.4.

Among the critical updates: a cumulative security update of ActiveX Kill Bits that is being exploited and that affects ActiveX controls compiled using Active Template Library (ATL); and another patch resolving several vulnerabilities in ATL ActiveX Controls that could allow remote code execution if a user loaded a malicious component or control. ActiveX and ATLs were the subject of an emergency patch Microsoft released in July.

The final critical bulletin fixes a hole in Windows GDI+ (Graphics Device Interface) that could allow an attacker to take control of a computer if the user viewed a malicious image file using affected software or browsed a malicious Web page.

“Microsoft has repeatedly had to fix problems related to the Graphics Device Interface in Windows, and vulnerabilities in the component have been exploited broadly in the past. We can expect that security researchers will be looking to reverse-engineer today’s patches, which may very well lead to exploits being created,” said Dave Marcus, director of security research and communications at McAfee Labs
Nine of the vulnerabilities were previously disclosed, which meant that attackers had time to come up with so-called “zero-day” exploits before the patches were available, Marcus noted.

The most alarming vulnerability in the mix is the SMB flaw, which was introduced by the patch for a different vulnerability, according to Josh Phillips, virus researcher at Kaspersky Lab.

Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle, said the bug that is likely to have the biggest impact will be the critical one that affects Windows Media Runtime and involves a speech codec bug that has limited exploits in the wild. “This is a typical file-parsing issue and similar to vulnerabilities that have allowed attackers to create drive-by attacks that infect unsuspecting video viewers,” he said.

Meanwhile, the critical SMB vulnerability is relatively difficult to exploit given default firewall conditions, but the IIS bugs are easy to exploit, Storms added.

“The sheer volume of the bulletins and patches is extreme,” said Jason Miller, senior data team leader for Shavlik Technologies. “This is really going to affect administrators. It’s going to be very challenging because of the time and research that’s going to be needed” to patch systems.

Also released were five bulletins rated “important” to fix vulnerabilities in IIS, for which exploit code has been publicly released and for which there have been limited attacks, along with Windows CryptoAPI, Windows Indexing Service, Windows Kernel, and Local Security Authority Subsystem Service.

The update for Windows CryptoAPI relates to flaws in the way domain names are verified on the Internet, which could allow attackers to impersonate a site and steal information from unsuspecting Web surfers. The holes were revealed by researchers Dan Kaminsky and Moxie Marlinspike at Defcon in August.

Affected software includes Windows 7; Windows 2000; Windows XP; Windows Vista; Server 2003 and 2008; Office XP, 2003, and 2007; Microsoft Office System; SQL Server 2000 and 2005; Silverlight; Visual Studio .Net 2003; Visual Studio 2005 and 2008; Visual FoxPro 8.0 and 9.0; Microsoft Report Viewer 2005 and 2008; Forefront Client Security 1.0; and Office software including Visio, Project, Word Viewer, and Works.

The installation also removes the Win/FakeScanti Trojan, which displays fake malware warnings and then asks computer users to pay for fake antivirus software.

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Photos Of Barnes & Noble E-Reader Posted Online

Author cobster | 14.10.2009 | Category Gadgets

 
4:01 PM EDT Wed. Oct. 14, 2009 The online gadget site Gizmodo has posted photos and descriptions of what it says is the upcoming Barnes & Noble e-reader device, which seems to have a dual-screen configuration with a monochrome e-book reading screen and a color touch-sensitive LCD for browsing.
Gizmodo declined to publish the name of the device because it may change and because the existing name “is freaking terrible,” it wrote on its Web site. However, in one of the photos, the word “Athena” appears to be silk-screened on the upper right of the front bezel.

Barnes & Noble has been expected to launch such a device in the near future. Sources have said in the past that the device is expected to be produced by Plastic Logic.

The company, which is best known as a nationwide book seller, already makes an e-reader application available free of charge in order to encourage the downloading of both free and purchased e-books from its Web site. It also provides AT&T Wi-Fi service free of charge in its bookstores.

Gizmodo on its Web site posted several photos with descriptions of what it claims to be the Barnes & Noble e-reader device.

The photos show a device with two screens.

The main screen is a 6-inch, 800 x 600 pixel e-ink display similar to that of other devices such as the Amazon (NSDQ:AMZN) Kindle.

Under that screen is a separate smaller color LCD screen with touch function that can show color images of the book covers and allow browsing of the titles. Gizmodo said the LCD is 480 x 144 pixels and has a resolution of 150 dpi. That LCD screen also seems as if it can be configured as a QWERTY keyboard for searching. The LCD supposedly turns off when the user is reading the e-book, Gizmodo said.

There are two sets of page-turn buttons, one for front and one for back on each side of the reading screen. There also is what appears to be a “home” button marked “BN,” as well as a button with a drawing of a person that might be used for sharing books, although Gizmodo wrote that such a function may be cut.

Pricing for the supposed e-reader is not yet available, but Gizmodo said the price should be less than that of an Amazon Kindle, with Barnes & Noble making its money via e-book sales.

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