Pacific Floor Cores to Explain Large Earthquakes

In a bid to understand why the tectonic plates around the Pacific Ocean are causing such massive earthquakes, experts have recently collected new core samples from the ocean floor. They hope that analyzing these sediments will give them a clearer picture of what's going on.

The samples collected from the eastern Pacific cover about 1,500 meters (almost 1 mile), which gives them an ample resolution and span. Some experts believe they hold the key to explaining massive tremors such as the Tohoku Earthquake.

The natural disaster struck the northeastern coasts of Japan on March 11, causing widespread damage and loss of life, as well as one of the most severe nuclear accidents the world has ever known.

As such, defending against tremors is beginning to emerge as a top public safety priority, but geologists still don't know how to predict the unpredictable. The goal of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Costa Rica Seismogenesis Project (CRISP) Expedition is to help them in this regard.

Extracted off the coast of Costa Rica, the samples should theoretically cover about 2 million years of tectonic activity alongside this highly-active tectonic boundary. The scientific drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution was in charge of the harvesting operations.

“It's critical to understand how subduction zone earthquakes and tsunamis originate – especially in light of recent events in Japan. The results of this expedition will also help us learn more about our own such zone off the Pacific Northwest,” scientist Rodey Batiza explains.

She holds an appointment with the Division of Ocean Sciences (DOS) at the US National Science Foundation. The NSF partially supported the expedition, and funds the IODP in the long-run.

“We know that there are different factors that contribute to seismic activity – these include rock type and composition, temperature differences and how water moves within the Earth's crust, but what we don't fully understand is how these factors interact with one another and if one may be more important than another in leading up to different magnitudes of earthquakes,” adds Paola Vannucchi.

She was the co-chief scientist of the new expedition, alongside scientist Kohtaro Ujiie from the University of Tsukuba in Japan. Vannuchi is based at the University of Florence in Italy.

Geologists say that the new work could prove extremely useful, considering that as much as 8 in 10 earthquakes above magnitude 8 occur alongside subduction zones. These are areas where two tectonic plates meet, with one of them sinking beneath the other.

The subduction zone off Costa Rice is roughly the same as 50 percent of the world's other subduction zones, so the data extracted here should have wide applicability, the researchers conclude.

View the original article here

Microsoft Project Professional 2010 SP1 (Trial)

Microsoft Project Professional 2010 offers a powerful, visually enhanced way to effectively manage a wide range of projects and programs. From meeting crucial deadlines, to selecting the right resources and empowering your teams, Project Professional 2010 delivers new and intuitive experiences to simply plan, manage and collaborate with individuals, teams and the enterprise.

Microsoft Project Professional 2010 gives you powerful, visually enhanced ways to successfully manage and deliver a wide range of projects. Easier and more intuitive, Project Professional 2010 provides flexible choices to simplify planning, collaboration and resource management.

Add more capabilities with Microsoft Project Server 2010 to deliver the right project and portfolio management (PPM) solutions for individuals, teams and the enterprise. As part of the Microsoft Enterprise Project Management (EPM) 2010 Solution, Project Professional 2010 offers flexibility and choice by providing tailored work management solutions for individuals, teams and the enterprise.

Poised for the ascent, Microsoft Project 2010 offers flexibility and choice for individuals, teams and the enterprise to effectively manage all types of work — from simple tasks to complex projects and programs. Project 2010 delivers innovative new capabilities:
- From a simple and intuitive user experience — plan, schedule and successfully complete important work
- Enhance productivity using a sophisticated yet easy-to-use tool with built in reporting and powerful collaboration capabilities
- Select the right projects, optimize scarce resources and manage costs with unified product and portfolio management
- Built on Microsoft SharePoint 2010, choose a flexible and powerful work management solution that integrates, extends, and scales for the enterprise

NOTE:
In order to test the aplication you must apply for a trial key

Microsoft Project Server 2010 Beta - Virtual Machine

This download comes as a pre-configured Virtual Machine and enables you evaluate Microsoft Project Server 2010 Beta.

Project Server 2010 Beta ensures organizations select and deliver the right projects, while gaining greater visibility and control of resources leading to improved productivity and better business performance.

Participate in the Microsoft Project Server 2010 Beta and be the first to see how the innovative new capabilities can help organizations to:
- Capture all types of work in a centralized demand management repository
- Select the right project portfolios and maximize resource utilization
- Build and conveniently update project schedules online
- Create powerful dashboards and project reports

By adding Microsoft Project Professional 2010 Beta, enjoy powerful, visually enhanced ways to successfully manage and deliver a wide range of projects. Easier and more intuitive, Project Professional 2010 provides flexible choices to simplify planning, collaboration and resource management.

System Requirements
Supported Operating Systems: Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V is required to use this virtual machine
In addition to the system requirements for Windows Server 2008 as described in the release notes, a 64-bit system with hardware-assisted virtualization enabled and data execution prevention (DEP) is required.
It is also recommended to ensure that you have a clean install of x64 edition of Windows Server 2008 to be able to use the Hyper-V technology.

Here are some key features of "Microsoft Project Professional 2010":

Better, more productive experiences:
· New task-based graphical menus with familiar and essential functions make it easy to create and manage projects. Combining the ease of a tool like Microsoft Excel with the powerful Project scheduling engine, Project Professional 2010 puts you in control.

Easier to see and share:
· With a completely new and visually enhanced timeline view, you'll have a clearer view of tasks, milestones and phases. Expanded color palettes and text effects help you make every timeline visually effective to see and share important dates and deliverables.

Resource managing at-a-glance:
· See the right mix of people and resources — simply drag and drop to effectively plan tasks for your entire team and project. Quickly solve problems by identifying unscheduled or unassigned tasks and be visually alerted to potential problems.

Connect and collaborate:
· Connect your teams with Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 synchronization so team members can easily update task status. Add Microsoft Project Server 2010 and get the capabilities of end-to-end project and portfolio management.

Requirements:

· Computer and processor: 700 MHz processor or higher.
· Memory: 512 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher.
· Hard disk: 1.5 gigabyte (GB); a portion of this disk space will be freed after installation if the original download package is removed from the hard drive.
· Display: 1024x768 or higher resolution monitor.

Limitations:

· 60 days trial

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

Better experiences:
· The Ribbon makes finding and using your favorite tools simpler with new graphical menus and a familiar experience so you can create and manage projects easily. In the new Microsoft Office Backstage TM view – save, share, print and publish your projects with just one click.

Simply more productive:
· Like other Microsoft Office applications, save time and effort with familiar and essential functions like text wrapping, filtering, auto-complete, scroll and zoom and more. Insert new columns on the fly – data types are readily identified so you can quickly organize and analyze details effectively.

Flexible and powerful:
· Bringing together the flexibility and ease of a tool like Microsoft Excel 2010 with the power of the Project Professional 2010 scheduling engine, user-controlled scheduling puts you in control.

Easier to see and share:
· With a completely new and visually enhanced timeline view, you’ll have a clearer view of tasks, milestones, and phases. New...

View the original article here

Satellites Can Aid with Detecting Avalanches

In a demonstration carried out recently, the European Space Agency (ESA) demonstrated that it is possible to use satellites to monitor for avalanches occurring in remote, mountain areas, especially at high and very high latitudes.

Norway is a very good example of such a place. Much of its national territory is extremely remote, and difficult to access by any means. Weather is also impeding monitoring efforts, and so authorities need a new way of keeping track on roads and other critical infrastructure.

With the ESA demonstration, it may become possible to delegate these responsibilities to satellites in Earth's orbit. With this capability, Norwegian authorities would know as soon as an avalanche is produced, and a road is blocked.

By intervening quickly, the country could reduce its economic losses, that are now caused by backed-up traffic and cargo transport in remote areas that have been covered in snow. The main beneficiary of the monitoring system would be the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA).

Working through its Earth Observation Data User Element program, the European space agency carried out a pilot study called Innovators II–AvalRS in order to assess whether orbital monitoring is possible.

By using very high-resolution optical satellite imagery with datasets including digital terrain models, a large number of avalanches were immediately found. This proof-of-concept study can therefore be considered a success, which means that this avenue may be explored by other countries as well.

The use of state-of-the-art pattern recognition methods is however absolutely necessary to conducting such observations. The texture of the avalanche deposits and the topographic features of the avalanche are the two main factors these techniques look for.

Some of the challenges that remain to be solved include giving satellites the ability to distinguish between shadows and rocks. Classifying areas that are in shadow is also difficult at this point.

“If these remaining challenges can be overcome, this new method will give us a unique opportunity to validate the occurrence of avalanches,” NPRA expert Heidi Bjordal explains.

At this point, it is still unknown whether ESA will conduct such monitoring when the system is validated, if it will be using existing satellites, or if it will launch new capabilities to cover this need.

View the original article here

All Office 2010 SP1, SharePoint 2010 SP1 and Office Server 2010 SP1 Download Packages

It might not be a problem to get the 32-bit (x86) and the 64-bit (x64) flavors of Office 2010 Service Pack 1, but what about all the SP1 packages for the entire Office 2010 System and related offerings?

Fortunately enough, customers can take advantage of an online hub designed to streamline access to such resources as Office 2010 SP1, SharePoint 2010 and Office Server 2010 SP1 as much as possible. I’m talking about the “Update Center for Microsoft Office, Office Servers, and Related Products” available via this link.

According to the software giant, the Office Update Center is designed to cover a range of solutions including Office, Forms Server, Groove Server, PerformancePoint Server, Project Portfolio Server, Project Server, Search Server, SharePoint Server, SharePoint Foundation, Windows SharePoint Services, and FAST Search Server for SharePoint.

Customers running the Office 2010 suites, but also Project 2010, Visio 2010, Office 2010 servers, Office Web Apps, Search Server 2010, SharePoint 2010 Products, and FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint can take advantage of the Update Center in order to easily grab the latest service pack upgrades, the latest updates, cumulative updates as well as guidance from the company.

As far as the evolution of Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 is concerned, the best resources on the site are KB 2510690 and KB 2510766.

The two knowledge base articles are set up to provide users with the download links for all Office 2010 SP1 packages and all SharePoint 2010 and Office Server 2010 SP1 packages, respectively.

I’d dare to say that together with the Office Update Center, the KB articles are invaluable resources for customers looking to manually download and deploy Office 2010 SP1, SharePoint 2010 and Office Server 2010 SP1.

Download links:

Microsoft Office 2010 Service Pack 1

Microsoft Office 2010 Language Pack Service Pack 1 (here and here)

Microsoft Office Language Interface Pack 2010 Service Pack 1 (here and here)

Microsoft SharePoint Designer 2010 Service Pack 1

Microsoft Project 2010 Service Pack 1

Microsoft Visio 2010 Service Pack 1

Microsoft Visio 2010 Viewer Service Pack 1

Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer Service Pack 1

Microsoft Office 2010 Proofing Tools Kit Service Pack 1 (here and here)

Microsoft Office 2010 Filter Pack Service Pack 1

Microsoft Access 2010 Runtime Service Pack 1

Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Service Pack 1

Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 Client Object Model Redistributable Service Pack 1 (here and here)

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Service Pack 1

Microsoft SharePoint and Project Server 2010 Service Pack 1

Microsoft Office Web Apps Service Pack 1

Microsoft Search Server 2010 Service Pack 1

Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint Service Pack 1

Microsoft Groove Server 2010 Service Pack 1

Microsoft 2010 Server Language Pack Service Pack 1

Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 Service Pack 1

Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 Language Pack Service Pack 1

Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Indexing Connector for Documentum Service Pack 1 

View the original article here

Incident Brings Space Junk Back into the Spotlight

The crew evacuation that was ordered aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on June 28 brings the issue of space junk back into the spotlight. The need to act to solve this issue is constantly growing.

Space debris, or space junk, are a collection of materials and components that belong to past mission to space. Every single rocket launch leaves at least some junk behind as it flies through Earth's orbit.

Entire rocket stages can be found among the debris, as well as smaller components such as screws, bolts, pieces of hull, foam and so on. The smaller pieces are made by chips of paint and other objects.

Over the years, vast amounts of junk have clogged Earth's orbits, and it's currently becoming a challenge to ensure that spacecraft being launched to destinations around the planet and beyond will make it to their respective destinations.

The ISS is particularly vulnerable to the threat, seeing how it now holds a permanent crew of six astronauts. During an emergency yesterday, all members of Expedition 28 had to jump aboard their Soyuz space capsules, and prepare for immediate return to Earth.

The object that caused all the commotion did not strike the station itself, but passed well within the pizza box-shaped enclosure that is designated as the orbital facility's safe zone, Space reports.

Space debris that can cause no danger to the station cannot be tracked using ground radars. But the impactor that threatened to hit the space lab was about 4 inches (10 centimeters) in diameter, which is extremely large.

Given the speed at which it was traveling, it would have easily passed right through the station, causing it to lose pressure, and to vent atmosphere in space. Life support systems would have been unable to cope with the strain, and would have failed.

“We tracked the object after it came past station. [It] came within 335 meters of space station on best estimate,” NASA Space Operations chief Bill Gerstenmaier said in a news briefing on June 28, adding that space debris can travel as fast as 17,500 miles per hour (28,163 kilometers per hour).

Experts are now urging authorities to allot the necessary fund for researching possible ways of removing these fast-moving objects from our planet's orbit. A cleaner orbit would make for considerably safer space travel, they add.

View the original article here

Microsoft Visio Viewer 2010 SP1 (Freeware)

The Visio 2010 Viewer allows anyone to view Visio drawings and diagrams (created with Visio 5.0, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2007, or 2010) inside their Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.0 or later Web browser.

Visio users can freely distribute Visio drawings and diagrams to team members, partners, customers, or others, even if the recipients do not have Visio installed on their computers. Internet Explorer also allows for printing, although this is limited to the portion of the drawing displayed.

The Visio 2010  Viewer enables users to discover the advantages of using Visio drawings, charts, and illustrations in a Web-based environment. The Visio 2010 Viewer is particularly useful for teams that need to collaborate from different locations.

Viewing Visio drawings is as simple as double-clicking the drawing (files with the .VSD, .VSS, .VST, .VDX, .VSX, or .VTX extension) in Windows File Explorer. Internet Explorer will open, and the Visio 2010 (Beta) Viewer will render the drawing in the browser window. You can then pan and zoom in the drawing window by using toolbar buttons, keyboard shortcuts, or menu items in the right-click menu.

Also, you can see properties on any shape by opening the Properties and Settings dialog box and then selecting a shape. Some rendering and display settings are available in the Display Settings tab of the Properties and Settings dialog box. Additionally, drawing-layer visibility and colors can be set in the Layer Settings tab, and annotation visibility and colors can be set in the Markup Settings tab.

Note:
Windows XP or later operating system is required for Ink support. Objects created with the Ink tool in Visio will not display on Windows 2000.

The Visio 2007 Viewer will allow users to view Visio drawings and diagrams (created with Visio 5.0, 2000, 2002, 2003 or 2007) inside their Internet Explorer version 5.0 or newer Web browser.

Visio users can freely distribute Visio drawings and diagrams to team members, partners, customers, or others, even if the recipients do not have Visio installed on their computers. Internet Explorer also allows for printing, although this is limited to the portion of the drawing displayed.

The Visio 2007 Viewer enables users to discover the advantages of using Visio drawings, charts, and illustrations in a Web-based environment. The Visio 2007 Viewer is particularly useful for teams that need to collaborate from different locations.

Viewing Visio drawings is as simple as double-clicking the drawing (files with the .VSD, .VSS, .VST, .VDX, .VSX, or .VTX extension) in Windows File Explorer. Internet Explorer will open, and the Visio 2007 Viewer will render the drawing in the browser window.

You can then pan and zoom in the drawing window by using toolbar buttons, keyboard shortcuts, or menu items in the right-click menu. Also, you can see properties on any shape by opening the Properties and Settings dialog box and then selecting a shape.

Some rendering and display settings are available in the Display Settings tab of the Properties and Settings dialog box. Additionally, drawing-layer visibility and colors can be set in the Layer Settings tab, and annotation visibility and colors can be set in the Markup Settings tab.

Microsoft Office Visio Viewer 2007 Service Pack 1 delivers important customer-requested stability and performance improvements, while incorporating further enhancements to user security. This service pack also includes all of the updates released for Office Visio Viewer 2007 prior to December of 2007.

Notes
· Both Visio Binary (.VSD) and XML (.VDX) files are supported.
· The Visio 2007 Viewer is implemented as an ActiveX control that loads and renders Visio drawings inside Internet Explorer.
· Windows XP or later operating system is required for Ink support. Objects created with the Ink tool in Visio will not display on Windows 2000.

Requirements:

· Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) 5.0 or later

View the original article here

USBDeview 1.90 (Freeware)

USBDeview is a small utility that lists all USB devices that are currently connected to your computer, as well as all USB devices that you previously used.

For each USB device, exteneded information is displayed: Device name/description, device type, serial number (for mass storage devices), the date/time that device was added, VendorID, ProductID, and more...

USBDeview also allows you to uninstall USB devices that you previously used, and disconnect USB devices that are currently connected to your computer.
You can also use USBDeview on a remote computer, as long as you login to that computer with admin user.

USBDeview doesn't require any installation process or additional DLL files. Just copy the executable file (USBDeview.exe) to any folder you like, and run it. The main window of USBDeview will display all USB devices installed on your computer.
You can select one or more items, and then disconnect (unplug) them, uninstall them, or just save the information into text/xml/html file.

USBDeview Columns Description:
? Device Name: Specifies the device name. For some device, this column may display meaningless name, like "USB Device". If the device name is meaningless, try to look at the Description column.
? Device Description: The description of the device.
? Device Type: The device type, according to USB class code.
? Connected: Specifies whether the device is currently connected to your computer. If the device is connected, you can use the 'Disconnect Selected Devices' option (F9) to disconnect the device.
? Safe To Unplug: Specifies whether it's safe to unplug the device from the USB plug without disconnecting it first. If the value of this column is true, and you want to unplug this device, you must first disconnect this device by using the 'Disconnect Selected Devices' option (F9) of USBDeview utility, or by using the 'Unplug or Eject Hardware' utility of Windows operating system.
? Drive Letter: Specifies the drive letter of the USB device. This column is only relevant to USB flash memory devices and to USB CD/DVD drives. Be aware that USBDeview cannot detect drive letters of USB hard-disks.
? Serial Number: Specifies the serial number of the device. This column is only relevant to mass storage devices (flash memory devices, CD/DVD drives, and USB hard-disks).
? Created Date: Specifies the date/time that the device was installed. In most cases, this date/time value represents the time that you first plugged the device to the USB port. However, be aware that in some circumstances this value may be wrong.
? Last Plug/Unplug Date: Specifies the last time that you plugged/unplugged the device. This date value is lost when you restart the computer.
? VendorID/ProductID: Specifies the VendorID and ProductID of the device.
? USB Class/Subclass/Protocol: Specifies the Class/Subclass/Protocol of the device according to USB specifications.
? Hub/Port: Specifies the hub number and port number that the device was plugged into. This value is empty for mass storage devices.

Connecting To Remote Computer
The following command-line options allows you to connect to remote computers. You must login to the remote computer with admin user in order to use these options
? /remote
Allows you to connect a single remote computer.
For Example:
USBDeview.exe /remote MyComp
? /remotefile
Allows you to connect multiple computers, and view all their USB activity in one window. The computers list file should be a simple Ascii text file with computer names separated by colon, semicolon, space, tab characters or CRLF.
For Example:
USBDeview.exe /remotefile "c:tempcomp.txt"

Stop/Disconnect Command-Line Options
? /stop {/showmsg} {RemoteComputer}
Stop/disconnect a USB device by specifying its name or description.
You don't have to specify the whole name or description. You can also specify only a part of the name or description string, and USBDeview will identify it. For example, If the device name is 'Kingston DataTraveler 2.0', you can simply put 'kingston' or 'DataTraveler' in the device name parameter, and USBDeview will disconnect the right device.
If you want that a message/balloon will be displayed after the device is disconnected, add the '/showmsg' parameter. (Windows 2000 displays a message-box, Windows XP displays a balloon)
If you want to disconnect a device in a remote computer, specify the remote computer name, with prefix. You must login to the remote computer with admin rights in order to do that.
Examples:
USBDeview.exe /stop /showmsg "DVD RW"
USBDeview.exe /stop "DataTraveler"
USBDeview.exe /stop comp01 "SanDisk Cruzer"
? /stop_by_serial {/showmsg} {RemoteComputer}
Similar to /stop command, but instead of specifying a device name, you should specify the serial number of the device. Works only with mass storage devices.
Examples:
USBDeview.exe /stop_by_serial ea051261
USBDeview.exe /stop_by_serial /showmsg 876534513
? /stop_by_drive {/showmsg} {RemoteComputer}
Stop/disconnect a USB device by specifying its drive letter. Works only with USB flash drives and CD/DVD devices.
Examples:
USBDeview.exe /stop_by_drive g:
USBDeview.exe /stop_by_drive /showmsg f:
USBDeview.exe /stop_by_drive /showmsg comp02 t:
? /stop_all {/showmsg} {RemoteComputer}
Stop/disconnect all USB devices currently connected to your computer.

Save Command-Line Options
/stext - Save the list of all USB devices into a regular text file.
/stab - Save the list of all USB devices into a tab-delimited text file.
/stabular - Save the list of all USB devices into a tabular text file.
/shtml - Save the list of all USB devices into HTML file (Horizontal).
/sverhtml - Save the list of all USB devices into HTML file (Vertical).
/sxml - Save the list of all USB devices to XML file.

Limitations:

· For all devices except 'Mass Storage' Devices: If you plug a device to one USB port, and then you plug the same device to another USB port, a new record of the same device will be created for each USB port that you plug. So if you see multiple lines for exactly the same device, it means that you plugged it to different USB ports. The USB ports that you plugged are specified in 'Hub/Port' column. However, for 'Mass Storage' device, only one record is created for each device, even if you plug it to different USB port.
· When a USB device is added/removed on your local computer, UDBDeview utility automatically updates the list of USB devices. But... If you UDBDeview is connected to a remote computer, the list won't refresh automatically when a device is added or removed. You must refresh it manually, by pressing F5 key.

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

· Improved the detection of the 'Last Plug/Unplug Date' value.

View the original article here

Fresh Android Royalties for Microsoft from Velocity Micro, New Deals in the Works

Microsoft is on a roll this week, having just announced the inking of the second patent licensing agreement in just a few days, this time around with Velocity Micro.

Softpedia users might remember that on June 27th, 2011, the Redmond company revealed an intellectual property deal with General Dynamics Itronix, which also focused on Google’s Android platform. Velocity Micro is another illustrative example of a manufacturer confirming that Android packs innovations invented and patented by Microsoft.

“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Velocity Micro, Inc., to address and secure IP rights for its Android-based Cruz tablet devices,” stated Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of Intellectual Property and Licensing at Microsoft.

I just asked a Microsoft representative for details related to the IP licensing deal with Velocity Micro, but she declined to comment further noting that the terms are confidential.

Still, the Redmond company made it abundantly clear that it’s being compensated by Velocity Micro for the use of Android in its devices, including its Cruz Tablet.

“By entering into this agreement with Microsoft, Velocity Micro, Inc., will be able to better meet the needs of our customers with the introduction of exciting new Cruz tablets having increased performance and functionality,” added Randy Copeland, CEO of Velocity Micro.

As far as Microsoft position related to other manufacturers embracing Google’s Android operating system for their devices, the message is clear.

“As you know you, it is important for manufacturers to understand that if they build and commercialize Android-based devices they must clear the needed IP rights through a patent license agreement,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Softpedia.

Just as it was the case with Linux, Microsoft is pointing out that Google Android-based devices infringe a number of its patents. The software giant owning a luxuriant patent portfolio and is not shy of stressing that there are IP problems associated with Android, which, at least as far as it’s concerned, can be resolved through its industry-wide patent licensing program for Android device manufacturers.

By the Looks of it, General Dynamics Itronix and Velocity Micro are just the first in a long line of manufacturers that will jump on Microsoft Android patent licensing bandwagon.

“We are currently in conversations with a number of Android device manufacturers. Last year, we announced a patent agreement with HTC covering its Android-based smartphones, and earlier this week we announced a signed patent agreement with General Dynamics Itronix and now today we’ve announced a signed patent agreement with Velocity Micro, Inc.,” the Microsoft spokesperson added.

View the original article here

Verizon Puts Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE on Pre-Order

Mobile phone carrier Verizon Wireless has just added to its offering a new Android-based device, namely the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet PC, which comes with support for the 4G LTE network the operator fired up in December last year.

Two versions of the tablet PC were made available for pre-order today, namely a 16GB and 32GB flavor, priced at $629.99 and $729.99, respectively.

Both these devices can be purchased with the signing of contract agreements with the wireless carrier, priced at $529.99 for the 16GB model, and at $629.99 for the 32GB flavor.

Those who will go for a contract agreement with the device will have four different options at their disposal, including one at $20 per month, with 1GB of data included, a $35 monthly option for 3GB of data, $50 for 5GB of data, and $80 for 10GB.

Verizon users who would like to learn more on what Verizon has to offer for them related to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 should head to the carrier's website here for the 16GB model and here for the 32GB variant.

The Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 tablet PC is touted as the lighter tablet PC in the world, and also as the thinnest one, measuring 10.1" (H) x 6.90" (W) x 0.34" (D) and weighing in at only 20.1 ounces.

The device comes with a large 10.1-inch 1280x800 WXGA TFT touchscreen display and runs under Google's Android 3.1 Honeycomb operating system

The tablet PC sports an Nvidia Tegra2 Dual Core 1GHz Processor inside, complemented by 1GB of RAM and 16GB or 32GB of ROM.

Samsung also packed it with a 3.0MP rear - facing camera with auto focus, flash and HD video recording capabilities, as well as with a 2.0MP front - facing camera for video calling.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is capable of providing users with great multimedia capabilities, and also offers them great Internet browsing features, as well as support for a wide range of applications that can be downloaded from the Android Market.

“Samsung’s new GALAXY Tab 10.1 introduces new heights in the tablet arena. Not only is it the thinnest and lightest large screen mobile tablet, it is also full - featured, boasting lightning fast 4GLTE connectivity, full multimedia entertainment, customized user interface, as well as a full portfolio of accessories to enhance your tablet experience,” Verizon notes.

View the original article here

Google+ Hangouts, Group Video Chat with Built-in YouTube

One of the most interesting products part of the initial Google+ roll-out is Hangouts, essentially a group video chat app. It's not exactly original, Skype and others have been offering the functionality, but it does have some key selling points and the experience along with its simplicity make it a real competitor in the space. "Today’s online communication tools (like instant messaging and video-calling) don’t understand this subtlety: They’re annoying, for starters. You can ping everyone that’s 'available,' but you’re bound to interrupt someone’s plans," Google wrote.

"They’re also really awkward. When someone doesn't respond, you don't know if they’re just not there, or just not interested," it added.

"With Google+ we wanted to make on-screen gatherings fun, fluid and serendipitous, so we created Hangouts. By combining the casual meetup with live multi-person video, Hangouts lets you stop by when you're free, and spend time with your Circles," it explained.

Key to the appeal of Hangouts is its simplicity. Users can indicate that they feel like chatting, or hanging out, and others from the circles they choose that are free can join in.

Up to ten people can join the same conversation. Just one person at a time takes the center stage, the app switches automatically to the person which should be in focus.

The same central screen can be used for watching a YouTube video for example, while everyone else can comment on it. There is also a text chat option available, for private talks.

Google+ Hangouts doesn't use Flash, it's an HTML5 app, but it requires Google's communications plugin, the same one used for video chat in Gmail. This is why the emerging, open real-time communications standard for the web is very important for Google.

Hangouts looks like the most fun and the simplest group video chat app to date and is probably the stand-out product out of the Google+ bunch unveiled today.

View the original article here

Civilization V Gets Huge Patch

The turn-based strategy title Civilization V has gotten a new patch from the developers at Firaxis, one which again addresses quite a few issues and aims to make the game the best it can be for as many players as possible. The patch will be automatically delivered via Steam when a player starts a session of Civilization V and, despite complaints from some fans, Firaxis seems not to be interested in creating a system to roll back game patches.

The developers say that save games are compatible with the new patch for the game and that they have made adjustments to the way the game is paced which might result in a sudden drop in the happiness level for those who are loading a save game started before the new patch was released.

Several small changes have been made to the User Interface, especially the aircraft elements and the way progress for Great Persons is shown but the meat of the update is in the Diplomacy and the Artificial Intelligence areas.

The computer has been persuaded to be more inclined to backstab the player and his civilization, although the moves will not be random and will be announced through diplomatic interaction, and the A.I. also has better memory about how the player interacted with it.

The game has also received a large number of balance changes, most of them based on the feedback from the player community.

There are also additions designed to make modding Civilization V easier.

A number of players on the official forums are saying that the patch makes the Firaxis turn-based strategy feel like a new experience while others are saying that the changes are increasing the difficulty artificially without making the computer play smarter.

The full patch notes are available on Steam and the official forum is a good place to talk about the patch.

View the original article here

Kate Gosselin Disciplines Her Kids, Still Hates Messes – Video

Though she went for a long time without making an appearance in the press, Kate Gosselin is again getting people talking after footage to be aired on the upcoming episode of “Kate Plus 8” has emerged, showing her ruling over her 8 kids with an iron fist.

It’s no longer a secret that Kate can be – and is – very strict with her eight children, but it seems that this tendency in her has only gotten worse since she is a single parent, after the divorce from Jon.

The reality star has always reasoned in front of the camera by saying that she believed only

discipline and very strict rules could allow anyone to raise 8 unruly kids.

Clearly, she still lives by the same belief, as the video below will confirm.

Shot as Kate and her children are baking cookies to take to the dialysis center where she once worked as a nurse, the footage leaves no place for doubt as to how Kate likes her house: squeaky clean.

“If it turns into a mess you’re instantly done. I’m not into messes and you know that,” she tells her children before they set out to bake the treats, which she describes as “rays of sunshine.”

Clearly, by the look on her face, she’s not joking about it either.

“If you spill sugar you will get down and pick up every granule and you know I mean that. The only excuse for messes is carelessness,” she adds.

When one of the children tries to correct her by saying that carelessness is when you make a mess when you don’t care, she rebuffs him by saying that carelessness is the cause of messes, period.

When asked whether she really hates messes that much, Kate looks into the camera and deadpans: “Is it fair to say the sky is blue on a sunny day?”

Check out the video below. 

View the original article here

New Research Finds Optimal Fiber Optics Connections 10,000 Faster

Finding the best and fastest fiber optic cable route is a process that, at times, can take days, but a team of researchers from the North Carolina State University came up with a way to speed things up by 10,000 times.

Phone calls, website visits and any other sort of online access relies on data being sent in the form of wavelength of light through a network of fiber optics cables.

Often, said data passes through rings meant to ensure that the information reaches its intended destination properly.

It is with said rings that the actual speed of transmission is determined, since they have to be designed in such a way as to always determine the most optimal optical cable route.

Unfortunately, the process of building the rings can take days, since current techniques of finding said optimal solutions aren't very speedy and involve data crossing many miles of cabling before determining the best option.

Things are made even more complicated by the fact that ring connections have to be modified constantly, in response to increasing traffic and changing user patterns.

Fortunately, some researchers from the North Carolina State University developed a technique that can make the process 10,000 faster.

“Problems that used to take days to solve can now be solved in just a few seconds,” said Dr. George Rouskas, computer science professor at NC State.

“This will significantly shorten the cycle of feedback and re-design for existing rings. It also means that the ring design work can be done using fewer computer resources, which makes it less expensive. This should allow network providers to be more responsive to user demands than ever before.”

The model creates a large graph of all paths in a ring and the points of overlap, which it then breaks down into smaller units composed of paths that don't overlap, meaning that they can use the same light wavelength.

View the original article here

Pink Seagate GoFlex Ultra-Portable HDD Ready

Seagate has made many a hard disk drive over the years and, in tune with its latest acquisitions, is going to keep doing so, keeping horizons broad by developing such things as bright pink devices. Seagate might not be the leader of the HDD market anymore, but it definitely is the close second to Western Digital.

After WD bought Hitachi, it became clear that there wasn't anything Seagate could do to regain the lead any time soon, even after buying Samsung's HDD division.

Either way, Seagate products are going to keep surfacing, so it is not such a shock to learn of a new GoFlex Series member.

On the flip side, the color scheme choice for this newcomer might not be the first thing people would consider in a regular day.

Basically, the outfit created the so-called GoFlex Ultra-portable external hard disk drive, one colored bright pink.

With a capacity of 500 GB, it will be able to carry many multi-gigabyte files, be they movies, archives or anything else.

Also, it is outfitted with the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface standard, so that users need not test their own patience waiting for anything larger than an MP3 song to be copied onto it.

For those that want a reminder, the newest iteration of the Universal Serial Bus technology has a theoretical maximum throughput of 5 Gbps, ten times as much as USB 2.0.

All in all, the newcomer is identical to the other Go Flex Ultra-portable drives in every respect except the color, so the price of $109 is to be expected. All in all, the tag should be approachable knowing the capacity, performance and uniqueness.

After all, those that want something a bit more advanced can just look at the GoFlex Satellite, which, among other things, is capable of communicating with a host system without the need for cables.

View the original article here

Mac OS X 10.6.8 Causes Trouble for Xserve Users

Users on the Apple Support Communities forum are reporting that Apple’s newest incremental update to Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6.8) is directly at fault for a higher-than-average CPU load on Xserve computers.

Discontinued earlier this year, the Xserve was Apple’s line of rack-mountable dedicated line of server computers.

So, one may say it is no surprise that users are starting to report issues with maintenance updates to Snow Leopard precisely after the last version that fully supported Xserves.

However, for a company like Apple, that’s unacceptable.

One affected user is telling AppleInsider that the problem lies in the hardware monitoring daemon.

Identified as 'hwmond' in the Mac OS X Activity Monitor, the component “takes up around 95% CPU after the update," this person wrote in an e-mail.

"I have personally installed the update on two xserves and both now suffer from the issue," he said.

“hwmond is causing up to 70% cpu load after every reboot on several xserves i manage caused by the update to 10.6.8,” a user writes at Apple Support Communities, with many users echoing his post.

"So it must be a bug in how hardware monitoring is communicating with the sensors in xserve that is giving it fits," another user wrote on Apple's forums, "or is this Apple's way of making us try and get rid of our xserves, haha," he joked.

Another growing thread on Apple Support Communities, titled “Problems with 10.6.8,” talks about a broader set of issues experienced by users of the Client version of Snow Leopard.

One user in particular claims to have reached Apple Support on the phone who allegedly told him there were, indeed, some issues with OS X 10.6.8.

If indeed true, Apple may soon release a patch to address what appears to be a broader set of issues with the latest maintenance release of Snow Leopard.

View the original article here

PRTG Network Monitor 8.4.2.2356/2357 (Freeware)

PRTG Network Monitor is a handy and professional network montoring utility. The software's features include: up/downtime monitoring, traffic and usage monitoring, packet sniffing, in-depth analysis and concise reporting. A user-friendly web-based interface allows users to quickly configure the network devices and sensors they wish to monitor.

All common methods for network usage data acquisition are supported: SNMP and WMI, Packet Sniffing, and NetFlow. PRTG Network Monitor includes more than 30 sensor types for all common network services (e.g. PING, HTTP, SMTP, POP3, FTP, etc.), allowing users to monitor networks for speed and failures. As soon as an outage occurs, alerts are sent via email, SMS, pager messages and other means.

Request times and downtimes are recorded in an internal database, making it easy to compile performance, downtime and SLA reports.

Note: The Commercial Editions are required if you want to monitor more than ten sensors for a time interval other than minimum one minute.

Here are some key features of "PRTG Network Monitor":

Installation & Usability:
· Automatic Network discovery
· Preconfigured device templates with recommended sets of sensors for various devices
· Highly interactive and customizable Interface for optimized usability
· Configuration is arranged in a tree-like hierarchy with inheritance of settings

Architecture & Performance:
· Modern, powerful software engine
· Scales up to several 10,000 sensors for one installation
· Allows load distribution using remote probes for CPU-intense monitoring like e.g. packet sniffing

Network Monitoring Features:
· Bandwidth monitoring using SNMP, NetFlow and Packet Sniffing
· More than 35 sensor types for comprehensive monitoring of small, medium and large networks incl. WMI, PING, HTTP, SNMP, SMTP, POP3, FTP?
· "Smart" sensors that e.g. automatically discover quad-core CPUs and and monitor them individually as well as the total CPU load
· Various means of alerting and notifications (email, SMS, pager message, HTTP request, syslog, etc.)
· For more and detailed features please check our knowledge base

User Interface:
· The integrated Webserver supports SSL security, multiple logins, user groups and an HTTP-based API for interfacing with other applications
· Monitoring results are viewable in various perspectives
· User can create "Maps" which bring together monitoring status, graphs and tables in customizable layouts and with customizable backgrounds like network charts

Requirements:

· 64 MB RAM (128 MB and more recommended)
· 20 MB disk space for installation
· between 25kb and 300kb disk space per sensor per day for the monitoring data database
· TCP/IP Network Connection

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

· Bugfix: [Maps] Fixed a problem with too many probes in map editor
· Bugfix: [Settings] Master dependency setting was reset incorrectly under specific and rare circumstances
· Bugfix: [Admin Tools] “Send Logs to Paessler” button in admin tools did not work
· Bugfix: [Reporting] Incorrect averages in high/low reports
· Bugfix: [Sensors] Folder sensor does not count subfolders as files anymore when recurse is off

View the original article here

ASP Documentation Tool 8.2.5 (Demo)

ASP Documentation Tool creates comprehensive technical documentation for ASP 2.0 and 3.0 web applications written in VBScript or JScript.

ASP Documentation is a tool designed to document ASP projects, but not only - it will also document SQL Server 7.0,2000,2005 or Microsoft Access databases associated with the applications, as well as associated Visual Basic 6.0 COM objects that may be used in the web application.

Reports are created in HTML [sample], Microsoft's HTML Help [sample] and text [sample] formats. Color coded, syntax highlighted copies of the ASP, SQL and VB code are included with the reports.

The compiled HTML Help reports include fully searchable source code, making the ASP Documentation Tool an invaluable utility in understanding your (or someone else's!) ASP web applications.

Here are some key features of "ASP Documentation Tool":

· ASP file parser extracts content from ASP 2.0 or 3.0 files written in VBScript or JScript.
· Supports more than one input folder, which is useful if your include files are in a separate folder to the main ASP files.
· Optionally supports server-side includes in the format or .
· Can be scheduled to automatically update project documentation by making use of the Windows AT command or the Task Scheduler.
· Supports external JavaScript files (i.e. those with .js file extensions).
· Log file creation shows a summary of the ASP Documentation Tool's actions.
· Graphical user interface makes it easy to configure the documentation options required to successfully document a web application's ASP pages and its associated Visual Basic 6.0 Component Object Model objects and SQL Server 7, 2000, 2005 and Microsoft Access databases.
· The ASP Documentation Tool and its associated files are installed using a standard Windows installer.

Limitations:

· Only the first 150 lines of ASP source code are shown for each file.
· No application source code is available.
· The text output option does not work.
· Annoying pop-up window on ASP/SQL stored procedure source code pages.
· This version can only be used for evaluation purposes.

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

· Improved documentation of SQL Server stored procedure parameters

View the original article here

Beyonce Talks Babies, Turning 30 with Piers Morgan

Ever since she married Jay-Z – and perhaps some time before that – Beyonce has been on what is known as the celebrity baby / pregnancy watch. Cue to the paparazzi again, because she’s just admitted to Piers Morgan she wants to have a child when she’s 30.

The singer is now 29 and is counting down the days to her 30th birthday, which means she’s probably thinking about nursery and other baby-related stuff right now.

Sitting down with Morgan to talk about her latest album, “4” and what it’s like to be one of the most successful and critically acclaimed female singers ever, Beyonce also dropped the baby bomb, as the video below will confirm.

“I always said I’d have a baby at 30. I’m 29,” she tells the CNN host, as he’s trying to work up the courage to ask her about baby plans she and Jay-Z may have.

Nevertheless, there’s a catch. “But I also said I was going to retire at 30. I’m not retiring,” Beyonce says with a mischievous laugh.

Pressed for details, the singer offers only a vague, non-committal answer. “Only God knows,” she says.

Before that, though, Beyonce showed how she felt about turning 30: contrary to how many other women feel about the dreaded turning point in their life, the singer is actually thrilled about it.

“I feel like 30 is the ideal age, because you’re mature enough to know who you are and have your boundaries and your standards and not be afraid or too polite, but young enough to be a young woman,” she says.

Turning 30 is the precise moment when she becomes a woman, she says.

“I’m so looking forward to it,” she adds. The expression on her face doesn’t allow anyone to doubt the sincerity of her words.

Check out the video below to hear Beyonce talk about baby plans and the ever-present issue of age in showbiz. Her album “4” arrives in stores today. 

View the original article here

Mike Tyson Renews Wedding Vows in Surprise Vegas Ceremony

Mike Tyson and wife Lakiha Spicer surprised family and friends in Las Vegas with a wedding ceremony that saw them renew their vows, 2 years after they were married. The ceremony was followed by a party.

The two were initially married – also in Vegas – ten days after Mike’s 4-year-old daughter died in hospital from injuries sustained in a freak home accident.

They told no one about it beforehand. Because of this, the couple didn’t invite anyone to the ceremony and it was not followed by a party.

Mike and Lakiha certainly made it up to relatives and friends the other day, surprising them with the wedding ceremony, TMZ reports.

“Tyson and his wife Lakiha invited hundreds of friends to a joint birthday party they threw for each other at the M Resort, but the b-day party was merely a cover for a secret vow renewal,” the e-zine writes.

After they made sure all the guests had arrived to the party, the two went AWOL for a short while, only to appear in front of everybody from behind a curtain – in full wedding apparel.

“With the crowd completely surprised, the couple proceeded to renew their vows in a traditional Muslim ceremony,” TMZ says.

“We’re told the two decided to do the big ‘wedding’ party this time around because they skipped out on a celebration when they were secretly married at a small Vegas chapel back in 2009,” the publication further notes.

It also says that guests had a wonderful time. They were offered a choice of chicken entree or steak, and danced the night away to the music played by a live band.

Lakiha is Mike’s third wife and, from what he’s saying, his last one. Speaking with Oprah last year, the former boxing champ said he was “destitute and broke” and definitely undeserving of having such a wonderful family, but, undoubtedly, also the happiest man on earth.

View the original article here

TELUS Puts HTC Status on Coming Soon Page

Canadian mobile phone carrier TELUS is getting ready for the launch of a new Android-based mobile phone on the market, namely the HTC Status, which is none other than the HTC ChaCha Facebook phone that went official in February this year.

Previously, the handset was rumored to arrive on shelves at AT&T in the US under the name of HTC Status, but it seems that other wireless carriers will also receive it under the same name.

TELUS has already put the handset on its website with the said coming soon tag attached to it, but did not offer info on when it would become available for purchase, nor on the price tag it might feature.

The HTC Status (ChaCha) is one of the two devices that HTC unveiled to the world with dedicated Facebook buttons, which provide users with fast access to various features that connect with the social networking site.

The button was designed to offer users the possibility to easily share photos, videos or links with their friends or family on Facebook, or to easily update statuses on the social media destination.

Here's what the wireless carrier notes on the matter:

Share instantly from almost anywhere on your phone with the Facebook share button
- Update your status from your home screen.
- Share what you’re listening to, including the album art, right from the music player.
- Capture and upload a photo instantly while in camera mode.
- Press and hold the Facebook share button to check-in places.
- Post what you’re reading while browsing online
Connect and respond instantly with the Facebook Chat widget
Create a Wi-Fi hotspot to share web access with multiple devices
Video chat with friends and family
Access videos and games on the web with Adobe Flash

The mobile phone comes with a smaller touchscreen display on the front, complemented by a QWERTY keyboard, and with an 800MHz application processor inside.

It also offers 3G connectivity, WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities, microSD memory card slot for expanding the available storage space, and a 5-megapixel photo snapper on the back, with support for HD video recording.

Powered by Google's Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system, with the HTC Sense UI on top, the new device also offers support for various mobile services, and for applications and games available through Google's official app storefront, the Android Market.

Those interested in learning more on the HTC Status should head over to TELUS' website here. (via)

View the original article here

AFP-Lookup Professional 2.7.2 (Trial)

AFP-Lookup Professional is an software tool designed for the analysis of AFPDS data streams. To the professional document developer, this program offers support-developing AFP-documents, no matter which software is being used. Furthermore, AFP-Lookup Professional is able to offer a valuable help for people that either work with AFP doing administration or use it for different purposes.

First task of AFP- Lookup is to give a complete outlook concerning AFP-structure and its contents. Doing this in a professional way, does not only mean to concentrate on single localized code pages or single AFP- objects; this program therefore offers support for all AFP- objects that have been specified by IBM, it is also able to analyze files with 70 code pages already installed - in each language desired.

Take AFP-Lookup Professional for a test drive to fully assess its capabilities!

Here are some key features of "AFP-Lookup Professional":

· Support of all AFP-data and AFP-objects, of those that are up-to-date and those that are meanwhile retired or exist in coexistence
· 70 single byte code pages for all important languages
· Presentation of all NOP-records and indices
· Analysis of AFP-files with more MB in size
· Several AFP-files can be analyzed at the same time
· Multilingual user interface (English, German and French at present)
· Search functions within the data to be analyzed
· Saving of the analysis results for archival, comparison or printout
· Numerous viewing options for individual presentation
· Integrated AFP viewer for preview if each analyzed page
· Presentment of the selected structured field in a hex window

Requirements:

· 5 MB of free hard disc space are required.
· A minimum of 64 MB of available main memory
· A processor speed of 500 MHz or higher.

Limitations:

· 15 days trial

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

· Update: Codepage fixes
· Update: Hex view of structured fields with BDW/RDW fixed
· Update: Updated viewer module
· Update: Smaller bug fixes in all areas

View the original article here

Shia LaBeouf Admits He Slept with Megan Fox

For many months back in 2009, reports had it that co-stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox were more than just friends, despite how much they tried to downplay rumors of a romance. In a brand new interview with Details, Shia confirms that the story was, in fact, true.

As we also reported at the time, while shooting for “Transformers,” Megan went through a series of breakups and reconciliations with her current husband, Brian Austin Green.

In between them, she also had an affair with Shia – and Shia is the one to confirm it in the Details interview.

“Look, you’re on the set for six months, with someone who’s rooting to be attracted to you, and you’re rooting to be attracted to them,” he says, when asked directly if he and Megan ever slept together.

“I never understood the separation of work and life in that situation. But the time I spent with Megan was our own thing, and I think you can see the chemistry onscreen,” the actor adds.

In fact, their good onscreen chemistry was the first thing that got people talking about a possible romance going on when the cameras were not rolling.

The two never owned up to the affair below.

Nevertheless, Shia wouldn’t say if Megan cheated on Green with him, or if she was not with him at the time the affair took place.

“When I inquire about Fox’s status at the time with her longtime boyfriend, Brian Austin Green, LaBeouf replies, ‘I don’t know, man. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know...’ – repeating the phrase exactly 12 times with various intonations, as if trying to get it just right,” Details rights.

He doesn’t get it right, but he does come to a conclusion. “It was what it was,” he says, signaling he’s no longer willing to talk about the affair.

Megan Fox is yet to comment on Shia’s revelation. For the full Details interview, please refer here. 

View the original article here

TiltShift Generator 1.0 Review

Tiltshift is an application that tries to mimic the results of a special camera lens which produces some kind of artistic photographs in which the subject seem to be, in most cases, little toys or just stuff in a really small diorama.

Before we start explaining the installation process of this application and what is required for it to work, we need to detail a little more this concept of tilt-shift photography and how it came to be. This small lesson is needed in order for users to understand the fun side of photography that is somewhat underprivileged and underused.

Although the principle (which will be explained shortly) is known to professionals more or less from the beginning of the photography, the mass production and distribution of lenses capable of producing this effect has started in the 1960s, when Nikon first introduced a lens that was capable of tilt. A few years later Canon came up with a lens that could do tilting and shifting.

In laymen terms, tilt is the (small) rotation of lens relative to the image plane and shift is the movement of the lens, relative to the horizontal plane. The tilt function uses the Scheimpflug principle, which sounds more complicated than it is.

According to Wikipedia, "Scheimpflug principle is a geometric rule that describes the orientation of the plane of focus of an optical system (such as a camera) when the lens plane is not parallel to the image plane”. Sounds simple enough, right? On the other hand, the shifting part is used to change the apparent positions in space of the subject without having to move the camera. It you haven't run yet, we'll now get to the fun part.

Installation

The Tiltshift Generator application uses Adobe AIR, therefore users need to have it installed. One of the great advantages of this type of software is that it stays really small and can be integrated, if one wishes so, right into a website, with the author permission.

It was originally built for the iPhone, but the developer considered that other platforms can use this little and powerful software, and decided to go with the AIR format, insuring that it will run on anything that can also run Adobe AIR.

Usage

The role of Tiltshift Generator is simple: to replace really expensive camera lenses, at least in a modest sense, and to give ordinary users the possibility to use this type of effect in their photographs.

The software can do two main types of tiltshifting, one being more used than the other one. The most common one and probably the one that provides the best results is the Linear method, although the application starts off implicitly on Radial.

Like the name implies, Linear means that the effect is produced between two parallel lines. In the case of Radial, the effect is produced inside of a circle.

As it can be easily observed in the images below, the Linear tiltshifting producess a lot more beautiful results because it appears to integrate more naturally in a normal photograph. To obtain the best results possible, users will need an image where the subject and its immediate surroundings are not in the same relative plane.

The Radial method can also be used to enhance some images that were not well framed or if some unwanted detail is present on the edges or in almost other part of the photograph, for that matter.

The distance between the two parallel lines used in Linear mode and the radius of the circles from the Radial mode are both adjustable, but they vary with the resolution of the picture. If the image is too big (bigger than 1600 px), then users will not be able to adjust the distance and radius beyond a certain point. This problem can be resolved by reducing the resolution of the image in question.

The tiltshift effect is not obtained only through applying a simple command as it's closely tied to a series of other parameters that need to be changed in order to obtain a proper result. These parameters are the same, no matter if users are on Radial or Linear modes. All are important and there are very few times when one of those values remain untouched.

The parameters are color controls, like Saturation, Contrast, Brightness and Vignetting. Most important are Saturation, which modifies the quantity of color and its intensity in a picture, and Vignetting, which darkens the corners and sides of the photographs.

Ultimately there's no perfect recipe for transforming an image. It boils down to common sense and artistic touch. Some photographs will need almost no intervention and others will require even more image editing apps.

The Bad

Tiltshift Generator is a simple software. It would need a lot more features in order to be a real contender, although to be fair there isn't much competition out there.

The Good

First of all, it's free. For Apple fans it costs 0.99 cents, but for everyone else is completely free. Given the fact that it produces quality results, just being available at all it's a huge plus.

Conclusion

Tiltshift Generator is a lot of fun and it continues to amaze, no matter if you are a beginner or a professional. Nonetheless, camera lenses will offer superior quality and the overall result will always be better when is back-up by hardware. If you don't want to throw a ton of money on a dedicated tilt-shift lens, then this software is just the thing to make your friends wonder how did you get “that” picture.

View the original article here

McAfee to Police .XXX Domain Space

ICM Registry, the company that will begin selling .xxx domains later this year, has signed an agreement with McAfee to scan all websites in the controversial domain space for malware and vulnerabilities on a daily basis.

The Register reports that the deal is valued at around $8 million, but that isn't much to pay for a feature that might further increase the number of registrations. It's estimated that ICM is standing to earn over $200 million a year from domain sales as it is.

For its money the registry will get McAfee's SECURE service for the entire domain space. The service normally costs $360 a year per four IPs and includes daily security scans and a trust mark that sites can display on their shopping carts.

Adult websites have long been touted by antivirus companies as a security risk and presented as a regular source of malware infections. By offering this service, ICM probably hopes that webmasters will adopt the new TLD in order to escape the stigma.

But the registry is also facing problems. During the ten-year struggle to get the gTLD approved, numerous adult industry players expressed their disapproval of the domain extension.

For one, it will force them to buy .xxx versions of their current domain names in order to avoid abuse. Then, there are many who claim that an increased adoption of this TLD will allow network administrators to more easily block websites in bulk.

Nevertheless, if this deal pays off for ICM and brings value to its business, there is a good chance that other registries will sign up for similar services. Starting with 2013, companies will be able to operate dot-anything registries, which means an explosion of new TLDs.

Already established registries, especially those running country-code TLDs might also opt for this kind of services in order to decrease the level of abuse in their domain name spaces.

View the original article here

LulzSec-Affiliated Hacker Released on Bail

Ryan Cleary, the 19-year-old hacker accused of participating in attacks executed by LulzSec and Anonymous, has been released on bail under strict conditions.

The teenager was arrested last week by the Metropolitan Police at his mother's house in Wickford, Essex, and charged with four offenses under the Computer Misuse Act and one under the Criminal Law Act.

Prosecutors claim that the young hacker is responsible for building a botnet and using it to attack the websites of the UK Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

During a hearing at the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday, Cleary's lawyer revealed that the teenager was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome while in custody and that he is suffering from agoraphobia.

On Monday, prosecutors were unsuccessful to appeal Cleary's bail in London's Southwark Crown Court and the hacker was released.

As part of his bail agreement, the teenager must observe a curfew between 9 am and 7 pm, he must not leave the house without his mother, and is banned from using any device that can connect to the Internet. He is also electronically tagged.

While in custody Clearly was interrogated about cyber attacks executed by LulzSec and Anonymous. The FBI, which also investigates the two groups, has sent agents to assist.

Following the hacker's arrest, LulzSec publicly announced that he is not a member and is only loosely affiliated with the group. However, the teenager is believed to be a long-time Anonymous supporter.

LulzSec has since dissolved back into Anonymous, prompting observers to speculate that the hacking outfit's members were uncomfortable with the heat. Cleary is the second British hacker after Gary McKinnon to be diagnosed with Asperger's.

View the original article here

Julie Benz Is Engaged

Actress Julie Benz is getting married. Over the weekend, longtime boyfriend Rich Orosco popped the big question and she said yes. This will be Julie’s second trip down the aisle, but a wedding date has not yet been set.

Julie and Orosco have been dating for a long time, so perhaps the proposal shouldn’t have surprised her that much. Yet it did, she says in a statement to People magazine.

Rich popped the question at the home they share in Los Angeles, and made sure he took care of every detail to make the event more special than it would have been if he did nothing at all.

“Orosco, 38, popped the question with a customized Kwiat cushion-cut diamond and platinum engagement ring – complete with a diamond frame and milgrain edge band – on Sunday in the backyard of the home they share in Los Angeles,” People reports.

Asked about the proposal, Julie could only say that “It was absolutely perfect,” from the moment he asked the question to when she saw the nice engagement party he had secretly planned for afterwards.

“Nearly 60 of their closest friends and family – and a Mariachi band! – helped them celebrate their engagement at a Mexican-style surprise party Orosco planned,” People writes.

Clearly, Julie couldn’t have dreamed of a more beautiful proposal.

“The proposal was simple and beautiful – and then I was shocked by the pop-up surprise Mexican fiesta engagement party,” the actress says for the same publication.

“What girl doesn’t want to be serenaded by a Mariachi band surrounded by close friends and family?” she asks.

Julie Benz is coming off a very successful and well received stint on Showtime’s hit series “Dexter,” on which, until season 4, she played Dexter’s love interest and later wife, Rita.

The season 4 finale ended with her violent death, and Dexter’s discovery of her body, in what has been named the bloodiest death ever shown on TV.

Some fans still can’t come to terms that her character was killed off. 

View the original article here

Ericsson Demonstrates LTE Advanced, 10 Times Faster than 4G Speeds

It seems that the higher data transfer speeds of the LTE are not enough anymore, as Ericsson has just demoed the LTE Advanced technology, the next step of the 4G standard.

Amazing, to say the least, but during the demonstration, which was held in Kista, Sweden, Ericsson managed to attain speeds more than 10 times faster than those currently experienced by LTE customers in the country.

According to Ericsson, the system is based on commercial hardware and was operating on a test frequency provided by the PTS.

LTE Advanced is capable of further enhancing the speed and capacity of the LTE standard and is expected to become commercially available in 2013. In addition, the technology is compliant with the 3GPP Release 10 global standard.

“Sweden is in the forefront when it comes to usage of mobile broadband. Sweden was both early with licensing of harmonized spectrum in the 2.6GHz and 800MHz bands, and the first country in the world where LTE was commercially deployed. The demonstration today indicates that mobile broadband technologies continue to evolve rapidly,” said Mr. Urban Landmark, head of Spectrum Department of Swedish regulator PTS.

During the demonstration, Ericsson used its own multi-mode, multi-standard radio base station, RBS 6000.

Furthermore, the live traffic was streamed between the RBS and a moving van from which network performance could be monitored.

In the demonstration, 60MHz of aggregated bandwidth was used, compared to the 20MHz maximum that is currently possible using LTE.

“The next step of LTE enhances the current service offering, performance and data speed even further. It provides operators with the opportunity to capitalize further on their existing infrastructure,” says Ulf Ewaldsson, vice president and head of Product Area Radio, Ericsson.

Once LTE Advanced services are commercially available, end-users will be able to retrieve and send information much faster, even when the network is congested.

View the original article here

Aston Martin Launches iPhone App - Experience

Aston Martin, the exclusive sports car brand with a rich heritage recognized around the world, has released its second iPhone app, this time providing quite the 'experience' for driving fans.

According to the developers, the Aston Martin Experience app stays true to the car maker’s “distinctively fusing the latest technology, time-honoured craftsmanship and graceful styling to produce a range of critically acclaimed performance sports cars that have elevated Aston Martin to a position as one of the world’s coolest brands.”

“From the moment you launch the app the opportunity to feel the full Aston Martin Experience begins,” reads the description.

So what exactly does the Aston Martin Experience do that makes it so wonderful?

Well, it starts with what it’s supposed to start - Ignition. Users experience the distinctive Aston Martin start-up exhaust note upon launching the app.

The next feature in line is the Accelerator, which lets you rev your Aston Martin of choice by using your phone. The app features the V8 & V12 Vantage, DB9, DBS, Rapide and even One-77.

However, the element most reviewers seem to be crazy about is the Top Roads feature.

Aston Martin says you can “discover some of the best driving roads, complete with route information and checkpoint to share the experience,” using this feature.

The City Guide (Hg2, A Hedonist's Guide) highlights 40 of the world’s coolest cities where you can find the best bars, restaurants, hotels with GPS and checkpoints.

There’s another so-called flagship feature of the Aston Martin Experience app - the Speedometer.

It features a launch mode, which allows you to measure speed via GPS with a faithful reproduction of the Aston Martin in car dial showing speeds in mph and km/h.

Telemetry uses the accelerometers and gyroscope to display the G Force placed on the vehicle with a 0-60 timer, while the on-board camera puts an augmented overlay of key driving data on your iPhone’s screen.

Aston Martin Experience supports Retina displays and multi channel audio recordings.

You don’t need an Aston to use it and its features can be used even when at home.

The software is available from the App Store in the Utilities category where it sells for six bucks.

Download Aston Martin Experience for iOS

View the original article here

Yahoo Mail's 'Unsubscriber' Gets Rid of Unwanted Email Subscriptions

Unwanted email is a growing problem. Most big email providers do a fairly good job at keeping out the spam, but there is still a lot of junk email hitting our inboxes every day, from forums, newsletters and all sorts of sites we may have used once, but can't even remember when and why. Most serious websites offer a way for users to unsubscribe to the newsletters or regular emails if they no longer want them.

Many times though, finding out how to unsubscribe can be a real hassle. And sometimes, sites don't offer any way of getting out.

There have been some initiatives to fix this, in an automated way, for example, users would simply select an option in their email client and they are automatically unsubscribed. But these solutions have been slow to develop.

Fortunately, the new Yahoo Mail has one solution that may actually work, the rather self-explanatory Unsubscriber app.

"Unsubscribing from unwanted email is now as easy as moving a message to a folder, with the new Unsubscriber app from OtherInbox," Yahoo wrote.

"To use Unsubscriber, simply click on the Unsubscriber app in the lower left hand side of your Yahoo Mail. Then click to 'Create my Unsubscribe Folder' and an unsubscribe folder will automatically appear in your folder list," it added.

"From there, just drag unwanted emails into that folder and OtherInbox will work to unsubscribe you from those email lists. Even if you can’t be safely unsubscribed, the emails will continue to automatically be moved into the unsubscribe folder so you never have to see those emails again," Yahoo explained.

The app is fairly straight forward and smart, if not overtly original. It tries through various ways to unsubscribe users from the mailing list, so that they'll stop receiving unwanted email.

But if this fails, the app simply moves future emails from the same sender to the dedicated folder and marks them as read, effectively filtering them out of the inbox.

View the original article here

HTC EVO 3D Confirmed for South Africa, to Be Announced in Q3

While Europeans and North-Americans revel in news about the latest HTC devices that will soon be available on the market, Android fans around the globe can only hope that these devices will reach their markets afterwards.

Although the HTC EVO 3D has just been confirmed for a July release in Europe, the phone is already available for purchase in United States via Sprint.

However, we've just been tipped that the phone will make its way on South-African shores some time at the end of Q3.

The EVO 3D was confirmed for South Africa via Twitter, by one of the official distributors for HTC products in the region: “The HTC EVO 3D will be available in South Africa towards the end of Q3. Retail price has not been confirmed yet.”

Those looking for a 3D mobile device should know that the HTC EVO 3D was unveiled at the CTIA Wireless 2011 and is the first HTC mobile phone to support 3D content.

After several delays, the HTC EVO 3D has finally made it to the market this weekend through Sprint and comes equipped with a large 4.3-inch 3D S-LCD capacitive multi-touch screen with 16 million colors support and 540 x 960 pixels resolution.

Powered by Google's latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread platform, the EVO 3D features the highly-acclaimed HTC Sense v3.0 user-friendly interface for a complete 3D experience.

Touted as one of the most powerful Android smartphones manufactured by HTC, along with the Sensation, the EVO 3D embeds a dual-core Qualcomm processor clocked at 1.2 GHz speed, which is complemented by an Adreno 220 GPU (graphics processing unit).

In addition, the phone packs 1 GB of internal memory, 1 GB RAM, as well as microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB).

The EVO 3D sports an average dual 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and dual-LED flash, as well as a secondary 1.3-megapixel camera for video calls.

View the original article here

Charlie Sheen’s Star Is Fading Fast, His Career Is Dead, Says Report

As reports are spreading online that Charlie Sheen will officially receive the kiss of death on “Two and a Half Men” in the form of an accident in which he drives his car off a cliff, many are starting to wonder whether there’s still any salvaging his career from fading into oblivion and, ultimately, poverty.

PopEater, for one, seems to believe that Sheen’s star began to fade when he started badmouthing CBS, Warner Bros. and series creator Chuck Lorre, because it was then that he alienated all other networks and possible future employers by showing how unprofessional he was.

This happened all the while interest in Sheen’s person reached never before seen heights: he was suddenly the one celebrity everybody talked about, albeit for the wrong reasons.

He was doing interviews, commanding the attention of millions and intriguing just as many people with his odd, nonsensical statements and declarations of war.

Now, several months later, he seems to have reached a dead end: he hardly makes headlines these days and, when he does, it’s because of the show he’s no longer on and from which he’s about to be killed off very soon.

His tour was more of a failed experiment than a hit event, supported only by people’s curiosity: after all, you don’t get to see a trainwreck on stage every single day of your life, the aforementioned report says.

“From waving Samurai swords on rooftops to making arguably one of the most important contributions to the urban dictionary in 2011 (Winning!), Charlie Sheen was on the tip of everyone’s tongues for months as he battled his ex-wives, the media, and (most likely) the voices in his head,” PopEater writes.

Despite the unprecedented media attention he was showered with at the time, not much came out of it – meaning, not much that could count as a good source of revenue.

Granted, Sheen landed a few endorsement deals, but they paled to the $2+ million he made for each single episode of “Two and a Half Men.” His career is at an impasse.

“But what now for the actor who seems to have run out of quippy one-liners and the full attention of his fellow glassy-eyed pretend pundits?” PopEater asks.

“If we don Sheen’s warlock hat for a moment and look into our crystal ball we see a series of ‘wacky uncle’ sitcom guest spots or a Viagra-like endorsement deal but anything more doesn’t seem to be in the cards for the man who represents just that,” the e-zine says.

Right now, word has it Sheen is in talks for a new sitcom, just like “Men” only raunchier. Industry insiders, however, believe no sane network boss would take such a huge risk as hiring him is right now. 

View the original article here

DROID Charge Only $129.99 at Wirefly

US mobile phone users interested in the purchase of a new handset on the airwaves of Verizon Wireless can now consider the acquisition of DROID Charge by Samsung at an affordable price via Wirefly.

Upon the signing of a two-year contract agreement with Verizon Wireless, users will be able to purchase the handset for only $129.99, down from the $669.99 price tag the device would feature when bought free of contract.

DROID Charge was the second mobile phone that Verizon Wireless launched on the market with support for its 4G LTE network.

The handset can deliver not only support for the advanced speeds the carrier's 4G network has to offer, but also impressive performance capabilities, and a great overall mobile experience.

The DROID Charge is powered by a 1GHz Hummingbird application processor, and sports a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen display.

In addition to LTE connectivity, the handset comes with support for the wireless carrier's CDMA network, as well as for WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, and with built-in GPS receiver.

On the back, the handset sports an 8-megapixel photo snapper with support for 720p HD video recording, and there is also a front-facing camera for video calling.

“Share your videos and pictures via DLNA - wirelessly share your media with other DLNA-compatible devices like televisions and computers,” the retailer notes.

“You can even upload your videos and pictures to Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace immediately! Connect up to 10 WiFi-enabled devices to the internet with Verizon's Mobile Hotspot - Free from Verizon Wireless until July 6, 2011.”

With DROID Charge, users also enjoy Google Maps Navigation, Google Search, YouTube, Gmail, Gtalk and other services more, as well as access to the Android Market, so that users can download the thousands of applications available for download there.

Those who would like to purchase the DROID Charge from Wirefly should head to the retailer's website here.

View the original article here

ASRock Uses PCI Express 3.0 Slots in Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3

The PCI Express 2.0 interface is common nowadays, but ASRock left the norm when it used the next generation of this interface on its new LGA 1155 motherboard for Intel Sandy Bridge and, eventually, Ivy Bridge CPUs. Ever since the Ivy Bridge platform became a looming certainty, new Intel-based motherboards have either been offering support for it or not.

It turns out that ASRock has been working on one of the former that might also turn into the latter, later on.

Either way, whether it supports the upcoming generation of CPUs is not the main thing to be concerned about when looking at the Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3, as it is called.

Instead, one should take note of the fact that the PCI Express 3.0 interface is supported by two of the slots built into it.

For those that want an update, the PCI Express 3.0 interface can provide a bandwidth about twice as large as the maximum of the PCI Express 2.0. In numbers, this means 1 GB/s per lane instead of just 500 MB/s.

Considering that the latter rate is nothing to scoff at, this is a significant design choice on ASRock's part, especially since it took a PLX PEX8608 bridge chip and some tweaks to make it work, since native support for the technology does not exist yet.

As for everything else, the mainboard comes with a PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot (Quad-SLI or -way CrossFire is supported), the LuciLogix Virtu technology and four DDR3 slots.

What's more, six SATA 6.0 Gbps ports are present, alongside ten SATA 3.0 Gbps ones, dual Gigabit Ethernet, 7.1 channel audio, eSATA, dual HDMI, USB 3.0 (four ports) and the Intel Smart Response technology.

Finally, the un-priced platform boasts a Fatal1ty USB Mouse Port (polling rate adjustment from 125 Hz to 1000 Hz) and 18-phase PWM, plus a debug LED.

View the original article here

Vinux 3.2 Is Based on Ubuntu 11.04

Vinux 3.2 has been released. The latest version of the Linux distro aimed at the visually impaired is based on the most recent Ubuntu 11.04. It also comes with recent versions of Orca, Speech-Dispatcher and the other specialized tools.

"I am happy to announce the release of Vinux 3.2 based on Ubuntu 11.04. This is a cutting edge release featuring the latest versions of Orca (3.1.2-xdesktop) and Speech-Dispatcher (0.8~2784+13~maverick1) from the daily build repos," Tony Sales announced.

Vinux 3.2 decided to stick to the classic Gnome 2 desktop, instead of the custom-built Unity for Ubuntu. However, while Gnome 2 is the default, users can also switch to Unity if they want the latest desktop innovations and their computers can handle it.

"This release includes the Pico TTS voices in addition to Espeak, the Epiphany Internet Browser and built-in keybindings to quickly organize multiple windows with x-tile. It also features some new packages including Orca-Teacher, Talking Clock and CDBurn," The announcement also said.

A new usability feature is a system bell notification when the boot process reaches the Isolinux screen. This enables users to select between the available boot options. There is a new option which forces the entire operating system to run in the system's memory.

Vinux 3.2 also comes with a number of command line tools which aid with accessibility even without a graphical desktop. The CD edition includes: sox gpm screen, splitvt, figlet, cmatrix, txt2html, html2text, pdf2svg, pstotext, units mc, trash-cli, vrms, dict, sc, htop, linuxinfo, w3m, elinks-lite, urlview, finch, axel, calcurse, tdl.

Vinux 3.2 is available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions as a CD ISO and a larger DVD-size image. For most users, the CD version should be enough, but, due to size constraints, doesn't include the LibreOffice suite. The DVD version comes with LibreOffice as well as proprietary multimedia codecs to get everything working out of the box.

Vinux 3.2 is available for download here on Softpedia.

View the original article here

MacBooks Start at $829 on Apple Deals Today

Those looking to buy themselves a new Mac and save a few bucks can visit the Apple online store’s Special Deals section for a couple of attractive offers on portable Macs, as well as discounts on desktop systems.

The offers start with an $829 entry-level MacBook Air launched in October 2010.

Discounted by $170, it features a 1.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, an 11.6-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 2 gigs of memory, 64GB flash storage, NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics, and a built-in FaceTime camera.

Next up is a refurbished MacBook - the unibody version of the plastic-encased notebook - clocked at 2.4GHz (Intel Core 2 Duo) and featuring a 13-inch display for $849 (save $150).

The white MacBook, once Apple’s most popular Mac, comes with 2GB (2 x 1GB) of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM, a 250GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm hard drive, the 8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW), NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory, and built-in iSight.

For those looking to buy a cheap Mac OS-based server solution, the choice on a refurbished Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server couldn’t be easier.

It saves the buyer $150 for the following benefits: 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo; 4GB memory; dual 500GB Serial ATA hard disk drives; HDMI port with support for up to 1920-by-1200 resolution; NVIDIA GeForce 320M with 256MB memory. The mini comes pre loaded with Snow Leopard Server.

Another discounted desktop Mac, this time consumer oriented, is the refurbished iMac 21.5-inch with a 3.06GHz Intel Core i3 processor.

Originally released July 2010, the all-in-one Mac boasts 21.5-inches of LED-backlit glossy widescreen display goodness, 4GB memory, a 500GB hard drive, the ever-present 8x SuperDrive, and ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics with 256MB memory. The iMac also comes with a built-in iSight camera.

Visit Apple here to pick up on these offers, and others like them.

About Apple refurbished products
Apple Certified Refurbished Products are pre-owned products that undergo Apple's stringent refurbishment process, prior to being offered for sale. They are returned under Apple's Return and Refund Policies.

While only some units are brought back because of technical issues, all of them undergo the company's rigorous quality-refurbishment process.

Service and support include 90 days of telephone support and a one-year warranty. You have the option of purchasing an AppleCare Protection Plan for your refurb, while shipping is free in the US.

View the original article here

Tumblr Error Reveals Daily Page Views Really 400 Million

Tumblr is the hottest thing in blogging for years. Granted, it's not a traditional, full-blown blogging platform, but its simplicity and focus on social interactivity have paid off, Tumblr's latest stats are truly impressive.

About a month ago, Tumblr reported that it was seeing about 250 million daily page views. That was a huge number, completely overtaking competitors and indicating strong growth in the last year. Turns out though, the number was way off. Due to an error in how Tumblr measured the page views, the number actually under-reported activity. In fact, Tumblr is now topping 400 million page views every day, and is averaging about 8.4 billion monthly page views.

"Last week we noticed a growing discrepancy between our Google Analytics and Quantcast numbers. It turns out that we broke our Quantcast tracking code a few weeks ago and were no longer reporting any impressions past page one of the Dashboard. We fixed it and quickly saw the Quantcast data jump up to near symmetry with GA," Tumblr cofounder and CEO David Karp told TechCrunch.

And all of this activity is evident in the growing number of blogs hosted by Tumblr as well, there are now about 22 million of them, less than 19 million a bit over a month ago.

Interestingly enough, at the time, we reported that Tumblr was just about to catch up to WordPress.com which hosted slightly over 20 million blogs. WordPress.com is growing as well, of course, but Tumblr is growing faster.

There's no way to know if it managed to overtake it just yet, WordPress has now switched to counting the total number of blogs that uses the software, including self-hosted ones.

WordPress says there are 48.5 million WordPress-powered blogs out there, half of which are on WordPress.com, so if Tumblr hasn't passed it already, it's going to do it within a month.

View the original article here