Monday, October 27, 2008

Chandrayaan-I left all cheerful but Byalalu villagers high and dry

BANGALORE: The launch of India's maiden moon mission Chandrayaan-I from Sriharikota recently cheered all across India, except the residents of Bya

lalu and Chandrappa Circle villages near Bangalore where Deep Space Network is tracking the Chandrayaan - 1 satellite with the help of two large antennae.

Villagers here lament that the state government acquired their land at a very low rate for the project a few years ago. But today they feel cheated in comparison to those who can currently sell off their land at many times higher than that prices.

"I sold my two-and-a-half acres of land for Rs. 450,000 three years ago, now I feel cheated, as the land price has increased to more than Rs 60,00,000 per acre. The money I received then has been spent on marriages of my daughters, clearing the pending loan and such other reasons," said Muniyappa, a villager.

Villager had sold off their land three years ago at a price which is 1/12th of the prevailing prices for the same piece of land. The land prices have broken roof. It is evident from the fact that the land available at Rs. 400,000 per acre only three years ago is today between Rs. 30,00,000 to 60,00,000 (three to six million rupees).


"We were told that we could get lots of money and we thought the money would help us to improve living standard. But now we know that those who did not sell their land at that point of time are many times richer than us," said Byregowda, a villager.

Villagers, who didn't have to sell off their piece of land for the government's requirements for the project, can today sell off their land at sky-rocketed prices.

Though a petition asking for higher rates for the land was filed in the Karnataka High Court two-and-a-half years ago, it is yet to be admitted.

According to officials, a survey was conducted over 12 places and decided on the saucer-shaped Byalalu since it offers security from the electro-magnetic and radio waves besides from the sounds and lights of Bangalore.

It was found the best location to contain electromagnetic noise that can interfere with signals from deep space.

Microsoft Unveils Windows Azure 'Cloud' OS

Microsoft on Monday unveiled Azure, a software and services platform that's a key part of a strategy that sees the company lessening its emphasis on desktop software and shifting more resources to Web-based offerings that can match Google's growing portfolio of online products.

At its heart, Azure is designed to allow developers to create so-called cloud-based computing architectures that run off of centralized servers that are operated and maintained by Microsoft.

More Windows Insights

White Papers

  • Microsoft Training Guide
  • User's Guide to Office 2007: No Need To Wait Deploy It Now
"We have introduced a game-changing set of technologies that will bring new opportunities to Web developers and business developers alike," said Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's chief software architect. Ozzie spoke Monday at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles.

Azure encompasses a range of new and existing Microsoft technologies, including SQL Services, .Net Services, and Live Services. At its core is a version of the Windows operating system specifically designed for hosted, or cloud, environments.

Windows Azure, according to Microsoft, is "a cloud services operating system" that's the foundation for Azure's development and hosting environment. The OS is fully integrated with the Visual Studio development toolset.

An increasing number of organizations are eyeing hosted software in order to reduce complexity and cut administrative costs. Washington, D.C., for instance, recently moved its business applications to Google's online Google Apps platform. Microsoft needs to get in on the action. Sales of its earthbound Windows Vista OS increased just 2% in the most recent quarter.

The concern with cloud environments, however, is that access to key systems can be lost if the service goes down. Earlier this month, some users of Google's hosted Gmail service were unable to access e-mail for more than 24 hours.

To guarantee Azure's uptime, Microsoft is employing what it calls the Windows Azure Fabric Controller technology. Azure Fabric is designed to balance workloads across servers, manage resources, and reroute work instantaneously if a server goes down, according to Microsoft.

Azure also is designed to integrate with in-house systems, giving businesses the option of moving some applications to the cloud while keeping others -- those containing sensitive personal data, for instance -- within their four walls. Azure "gives our customers the power of choice to deploy applications in cloud-based Internet services or through on-premises servers, or to combine them in any way that makes the most sense," said Ozzie.

Azure is built to support a range of software standards, including SOAP, REST, and XML, that work with both Microsoft and non-Microsoft technologies. It's also compatible with third-party development languages, including Eclipse, Ruby, PHP, and Python.

Microsoft is set to launch what it calls a Community Technology Preview of Azure, during which members of its professional developers' organization will receive access to various components, including Windows Azure, SQL Data Services, Live Services, and .Net Services, to preview and test.

Microsoft did not release pricing details for the Azure services.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

7 Must Knows For Windows Vista Newbies

Not all computer users are tech savvy and attuned to blogs, forum discussions, and reviews of the great new expectation of 2006 the Windows Vista Release. For everyday computer user things like administrator control or enhanced security has little or no meaning. All he or she looks for is a computer that works smoothly, allows them to enjoy the World Wide Web and simple functions like email, photos, and perhaps online shopping.

According to those in the know Windows Vista is all set to open many doors of delight.

1. According to Bill Gates, Microsoft is planning to allow DirectTV subscribers to “move shows from their set top boxes to Windows PCs, or even the Xbox 360 or other mobile devices. This is to be a part of the “Plays for Sure” plan.

2. Vista is all set to have a swanky new Messenger which will steal minds and hearts of users and function smoothly too.

3. Music played on a PC will reach new levels with the swanky new Windows Media Player 11 which is being launched with Windows Vista. This will sort, file, and mix and match music according to the likes of the user. You can view the music according to say genre or even type.

4. The Windows Vista Media Center will allow uninterrupted viewing of high definition digital cable.

5. Vista is designed with futuristic photo editing tools that will change the way photos are viewed or stored or shared. Every Vista user will have enhanced features and will be able to edit and print studio quality photographs. Photos can be sorted by date, keywords, or any other individual system.

6. That Vista graphics will be state of art is well known but inbuilt in Vista is Flip 3D a tool that will allow users to shift among multiple open windows and a side bar that will run in the corner continuously.

7. Vista users will be able to use a new slideshow to mix video images and still photos.

As far as gaming is concerned Vista reaches for new heights with enhanced graphics, 3D effects, and real to life projections. Gaming will take on new dimensions with the launch of Windows Vista.

Vista is being promoted by Microsoft as the ultimate OS, what the release will bring will be known only when the actual system is released towards the end of 2006. Fairly advanced Vista users will have to tweak their hardware systems or purchase a new dream machine. The Windows Vista according to promos is all set to bring “clarity to the world” and open new vistas in computing. The program addresses needs at all levels personal and professional and the system is such that it can be tweaked to suit individual needs.

The keys for Vista according to an FAQ constructed by http://www.winsupersite.com/faq/vista.asp are connected, clear, and confident, stating that Windows Vista will take you to new levels of connectivity, give you the user clarity in the interface and the ways in which you organize your work, and ensure that you are confident always that your privacy and data is protected at all times.

Vista is all set to conquer new vistas in computing


How To Partition A Hard Drive In Vista

Have you move your OS to Vista ? If yes, I'm sure you want to know how to make new partition in Vista. For your info,in Vista new partition is called "volume".

OK let's get started. First go to Start Menu > Run and type in "diskmgmt.msc" and press Enter. It is actually a shortcut to open Disk Management Utility.

Then to create space for new volume(partition), right-click on existing volume and select "Shrink Volume" to resize the volume. Note that you can only shrink the volume that using NTFS format.

After that new dialog box will appear, asking you to enter a new size of your volume. Make sure to see total volume before shrinking process.

After "Shrinking" process done, right-click on "Unallocated" space and choose New Simple Volume.
Just follow the wizard in order to create and format your new volume. Then you're done !!

Do You Know Vista Bug Can Corrupt Your iPod

Are your computer is installed Vista OS? And are your iPod connected to it? Then your iPod could be in danger.
Do not simply use "Safely Remove Hardware" feature or disconnect the iPod using Windows Explorer.

Why ? That's because Vista OS has a bug that can corrupt your iPod if you're using that function. Microsoft didn't state what kind of problems will that bug bring to your iPod, they just say that, IF you're affected by the bug, you'll have to use iTunes to restore all the music on your iPod.

How To Fix My Vista ?
Microsoft has released the patch for the problem. You can now download the patch here:-
Vista Patch for iPod