Fahad Inc.

Learn & Enjoy Arabic With ArabicPod

2008-05-05T15:09:00.000+04:00

Do you speak English and you want to learn Arabic the fun way? Then I would recommend to you ArabicPod. With ArabicPod, you can learn basic things like greetings, weather, and ordering food. ArabicPod is creative and attractive way to learn basic Arabic language by listening to conversations between Ehab Saleh (25 from Jordan) & Mohammed Moshaya (26 from Saudi Arabia). Ehab & Mohammed are also the creators and maintainers of ArabicPod. They are currently students at Brighton University (80 miles south London).

Early of 2007 Mohammad has started learning Chinese via podcast & found out that podcasting is a great method to learn languages. Mohammed & Ehab recorded their first podcast lesson in March 2007. You can watch their first lesson below ...

"Everyone who is interested in learning Arabic is our target, we found that people learn Arabic due to heritage where learners wants to learn their fathers language, others learn Arabic for business and work purposes, also people learn Arabic for religious reasons and some people say that they love the sound of the language and that’s why they want to learn it. We have learners from all over the word", said Ehab Saleh, co-creator of ArabicPod.

"We are looking forwards to seeing ArabicPod as a big company teaches Arabic for the entire word, the internet has no borders and we are hoping that this effort that is made totally by two Arabs in their 20s would reach high level and be a source for everyone wants to learn Arabic."

Read Also:
ArabicPod (Official Site)
How it all began (ArabicPod Blog)
ArabicPod Channel (YouTube)
ArabicPod - Learn Arabic Podcasts (Podcast Directory)
Arabic for Anyone (Arab News)

Extra Cellular Matrix Dust: To Grow Back A Severed Finger In 4 Weeks

2008-05-02T07:46:00.000+04:00

"I put my finger in," Lee Spievak says, pointing towards the propeller of a model airplane, "and that's when I sliced my finger off." It took the end right off, down to the bone, about half an inch. Today, Spievak, who is 69 years old, shows off his finger, and it's all there, tissue, nerves, nail, skin, even his finger print! It wasn't a transplant. Spievak re-grew his finger tip using a powder (Extra Cellular Matrix).

"I think that within ten years that we will have strategies that will re-grow the bones, and promote the growth of functional tissue around those bones ", said Dr Dr Stephen Badylak from the University of Pittsburgh. The process he has been pioneering over the last few years involves scraping the cells from the lining of a pig's bladder. The remaining tissue is then placed into acid, "cleaned" of all cells, and dried out. It can be turned into sheets, or a powder.

When the extra cellular matrix is put on a wound, scientists believe it stimulates cells in the tissue to grow rather than scar. If they can perfect the technique, it might mean one day they could repair not just a severed finger, but severely burnt skin, or even damaged organs.

Read Also:
The man who grew a finger (BBC News)
'Pixie' dust helps finger grow (BBC News)

Digitizing Line 4DigitalBooks: Turns & Scans Up To 3000 Pages/Hr

2008-04-26T18:29:00.000+04:00

Atiz BookDrive can scan 248 pages per hour in color and 500 per hour in black and white. Kirtas' APT BookScan 1200 can scan up to 1200 pages per hour. But both book scanners cannot compete with the world's fastest (and biggest) book scanner Digitizing Line 4DigitalBooks.

The Digitizing Line turns and scans 1500 to 3000 pages per hour. 4DigitalBooks ensures that only one page is turned at a time. This means that no page would be missed or would be scanned twice. The Digitizing Line is suitable for all types of books, magazines and newspapers for the business of professional scanning. According to their website, it is as easy to use as a photocopy machine.

There is no need to specify the size of the book prior to process it as the Digitizing Line has a set of sensors that measure all necessary dimensions of the book. After loading the book on the automatic book cradle, the Digitizing Line would automatically measure the book. There is no way for the operator to enter a wrong value or make a mistake that would damage either the book or the Digitizing Line.

Every time a page is picked up, the page detector checks if there is only one page. If more pages are stuck together, pages are released and the pick up process is repeated differently. The efficiency of the page detector is spectacular as it discriminates even if pages with radical thickness or porosity are stuck together. Turning pages without making sure that only one page has been turned at a time makes no sense to 4DigitalBooks. Imagine what would be to scan a book of 1000 pages and to get 999 files or less ?

During the process of turning pages, the page is pushed to the left by the right moving glass. The interface between the page and the glass is a special profile with an adequate soft shape. The fore edge of this profile presents a page-push air-blower that creates an air cushion between the page and the profile itself, that allows to gently push the page by air, without friction.

Read Also:
Digitizing Line (4DigitalBooks)
Digitizing Line DL 3000 Book Scanner Is Big And Fast (OhGizmo!)

Micro GPS Mail Logger: Track Delivery Inefficiencies

2008-04-26T08:46:00.001+04:00

The Mail Logger is a GPS Tracking Device specifically designed for tracking your mail. Simply mail it in an envelope and later review where your mail has been. The GPS Mail Logger records the global position of your mail throughout the delivery process. Once you receive your mail, plug in the GPS Mail Logger’s MicroSD card and find out where your mail has been in seconds. With time stamps and recorded downtime you can find out where your mail has been and if it was delayed or misrouted. With GPS you get your mail’s exact satellite location, how fast it was traveling, and even its altitude throughout the delivery process.

The customized time interval setting lets you choose how often you want the GPS Mail Logger to record your mail’s location. Choose to get updates every 2, 5, or 10 minutes, or select “Tilt Mode” that records when movement is detected.

Here are some of its features:

Tracks your mail with GPS location.
Records mail’s downtime to pinpoint inefficiencies and delays in the delivery process.
Customized time interval records mail’s movement as often as desired.
Battery lasts for up to 2 weeks on motion-activated, Tilt Mode, or 20 continuous hours with minute-by-minute updates.
Fits into an envelope at ¼ of an inch thin.
Integrates directly with Google Earth.
Use it to track mail anywhere in the world.
GPS Location information is stored onto a removable MicroSD card for later review.
Records location, speed, and altitude anywhere in the world for later review.

Hmmm, I can picture some people will misuse this gadget to track their spouses or teenage kids to find out where they "hang out". The Micro GPS Mail Logger is available for sale for (US $695.95) through BrickHouse Security.

Read Also:
Micro GPS Mail Logger (BrickHouse Security)
GPS Mail Logger Will Satisfy Your Curiosity, Empty Your Wallet (OhGizmo!)

Exhaust Air Jack: Lift Your Car In 30 Seconds

2008-04-25T06:16:00.000+04:00

I've always thought there should be an easier way to lift your car to change a flat tire. Now with the Exhaust Air Jack, you can lift your car without working out your muscles!

Lift your vehicle in 30 seconds without straining with an awkward, unstable jack. Simply fit the Air Jack's hose over your exhaust, position the airbag under the vehicle, and turn on your engine. The exhaust inflates the bag, lifting the vehicle to 17". A one-way valve keeps the bag inflated after the engine has been turned off. The durable Air Jack was originally designed for rugged off-road use and works in mud, snow, and uneven ground where a regular jack cannot. Has no negative effects on the engine. Comes in a handy carry case to fit easily in your trunk.

What would somebody say when he sees a "man" air lifting his car? He cannot handle a real Jack? ;)

The Exhaust Air Jack costs (US $129.95) and you can buy it from AJ Prindle.

Read Also:
Exhaust Air Jack (AJ Prindle Unique Useful Products)

The Real Homer, Super Mario, & Jessica Rabbit

2008-04-24T17:34:00.002+04:00

It is so amazing & scary at the same time to look at the "pictures" above! They really look like real pictures ... so real and almost believable.

The images were created by 28-years-old (Pixeloo) from the west coast of the United States. He refuses to tell his real name for some reason and he works daily with Photoshop CS2. It took (Pixeloo) about 6 hours to create the images of Mario and Homer.

Play the following YouTube video to see how Pixeloo created the real Jessica Rabbit (using Angelina Julie picture):

Read Also:
Home Simpson (Pixeloo)
Super Mario (Pixeloo)
Jessica Rabbit (Pixeloo)

Microsoft Reveals Live Mesh: Connecting Applications,People and Devices Online

2008-04-23T17:43:00.000+04:00

Microsoft has begun testing technology that brings together a person's pictures, documents and other data scattered across a growing number of machines with the goal of allowing people to access their information from anywhere and at any time.

Microsoft's "Live Mesh" program, which uses the Internet as a data hub, synchronizes files across computers, phones and other devices so a digital picture frame at home could show a picture minutes after it was taken by a cell phone.

Initially the program will be limited to 10,000 U.S. testers and computers running its Windows operating system, but Microsoft said it plans to extend Live Mesh over the next few months to mobile phones, computers from Apple Inc and other devices connected to the Internet.

The project is the brainchild of Ray Ozzie, who replaced Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as chief software architect, and underscores the company's carefully balanced online strategy, which aims to capitalize on the reach of the Internet without cannibalizing its cash cow software business.

Live Mesh embraces the industry trend toward "cloud computing" in which information is centrally stored on Web sites rather than on local devices, giving users easy access from any computer. Industry analysts said the product may signal a watershed moment within Microsoft to embrace a technology that the company viewed as a threat in the past.

The software will also let friends and colleagues collaborate and share documents more easily. For example, if a shared document is changed on a work computer, those changes will be instantly updated and available on any device or computer that the user has registered with Live Mesh.

Users will have 5GB of personal online storage and unlimited peer-to-peer data, for synchronising information between devices. Microsoft plans to release Live Mesh in a widely-available test, or "beta" version before the end of 2008.

Read Also:
Microsoft Live Mesh (Official Site)
Live Mesh Screenshots (Microsoft PressPass)
Introducing Live Mesh (Windows Live Dev Blog)
Microsoft links data on phones, PCs in "Live Mesh" (Reuters)
Microsoft unveils its web vision (BBC News)

Disguise Your USB Flash Drive With Sawed-Off USB Cable

2008-04-19T17:04:00.000+04:00

One aspect many people seem to forget about when thinking about securing their USB flash drives is Deception. In addition to securing your USB flash drive with passwords, encryption software, and fingerprint sensors ... you should first first disguise your USB drive. One cool way to do that is making it looks like a useless sawed-off USB cable.

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories shows you how to create your own sawed-off USB flash drive. Those guys make it look so easy. I might actually try it in my spare time (if I can find any).

Read Also:
How to make a Sawed-off USB Key (Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories)

ADNOC Self-Service Pumbs With Rewards (20 Fils Per Gallon)

2008-04-19T06:14:00.000+04:00

Today was my first day using self-service pumps at ADNOC petrol stations. I've been using ADNOC smartcard (Rahal) to fill my car for over a year now and I was wondering what benifit do I get over those who pay with cash or credit cards. Now motorists in Abu Dhabi, using self-service pumps at ADNOC will get rewards of 20 points worth 20 fils per gallon. It's about time! I know Kuwait has been using Self-Service pumps for over 10 years now.

Customers will have the option to redeem the points to purchase certain ADNOC products or services except petroleum or donate the money to charity, said a statement issued by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) on Monday.

The company officially launched the self-service on Monday (April 14), the first of its kind in the UAE. A few pumps in 15 petrol stations across Abu Dhabi provide the self service, in addition to the regular service. Self-service will have a positive impact in reducing the cost of petroleum by way of collecting rewards for every gallon purchased, said the company.

The points stored on customers' Rahal Smart cards (the prepaid and e-cash smart cards) can be redeemed with a minimum of 1000 points worth Dh10. But customers cannot redeem it to purchase petroleum products. They can later redeem to purchase other products from ADNOC Oasis, Lube Change, Car Wash and many other services and products offered by ADNOC service stations at the end of each month.

Customers will also have an option to donate the points accumulated to the Red Crescent society as a contribution by the company and its customers towards the charitable projects. Customers who wish to donate can make a request to the petrol station staff with their Rahal cards.

The Self-Service option will be applicable to 'EPLUS' 91 and Special 95 petroleum and Super 98, and exclude Green Diesel.

Rahal Smart Card, ADNOC Distribution's pre-paid smart card, worth minimum Dh 200 ,is available on all petrol stations. This new service is the most recent of many such initiatives ADNOC Distribution has launched for its clients and customers. Some of the recent products released include E-Plus, Green Diesel 500.

Read Also:
Abu Dhabi motorists using self-service pumps get incentive (Gulf News)
ADNOC's self-service gimmick running on empty (Kipp Report)

Super Genintary : 4-in-1 Atari 2600/NES/Genesis/Super NES Combo System

2008-04-16T18:00:00.000+04:00

I like the idea of combining multiple video game systems into one. One reason to save time switching from one system to another, and another reason is to save space and get rid of tedious wiring. Super Genintary is a combo system (4-in-1) game console that combines Atari 2600/NES/Genesis/Super NES in one cool looking machine! Super Genintary has been designed and assembled by Richard DaLuz.

The basic idea of how this thing is wired is actually pretty simple, yet extremely tedious in practice (according to Richard). The system select buttons are hooked up to one of those little A/V selector switch boxes you can pick up from gamestop, but it re-routs the voltage through the unused s-video connectors, as well as the A/V signals through the RCA ports. This can be done electronically but I liked the clunky mechanical feel of the switch box. Relocating the cartridge connectors was probably the most difficult part, what with the literally hundreds of solder connections that had to be made.

"Some people seem confused as to my intentions for the Super Genintari, why I did/didn't do certain things to it, et cetera. I'd like to take a moment to clear some of that up before things get out of hand", said Richard. "I'm well aware of emulators. In fact, I've probably been using them longer than most of you have had hair in your special places. That isn't the point. I built it for ME, for my own reasons. I do not intend to sell it. And honestly, I'd rather just help inform people on how to build one for themselves. That's where the fun is anyway and it's one of the main reasons I built it in the first place."

Watch the following YouTube video of Richard demonstrating how Super Genintary works ...

Read Also:
Super Genintari 4-in-1 Console Jams Nintendo, SEGA, and Atari (Gizmodo)
Super Genintari (Stupidfingers)

200,000 Books Written By A Computer

2008-04-14T23:15:00.000+04:00

Philip M. Parker, the chaired professor of management science at Insead (a business school with campuses in Fontainebleau, France, and Singapore), has developed computer algorithms that collect publicly available information on a subject — broad or obscure — and, aided by his 60 to 70 computers and six or seven programmers, he turns the results into books in a range of genres, many of them in the range of 150 pages and printed only when a customer buys one.

Among the books published under his name are:

“The Official Patient’s Sourcebook on Acne Rosacea” ($24.95 and 168 pages long)
“Stickler Syndrome: A Bibliography and Dictionary for Physicians, Patients and Genome Researchers” ($28.95 for 126 pages)
“The 2007-2012 Outlook for Tufted Washable Scatter Rugs, Bathmats and Sets That Measure 6-Feet by 9-Feet or Smaller in India” ($495 for 144 pages).

While the most popular of his books may sell hundreds of copies, he said, many have sales in the dozens, often to medical libraries collecting nearly everything he produces. He has extended his technique to crossword puzzles, rudimentary poetry and even to scripts for animated game shows.

While nothing announces that Mr. Parker’s books are computer generated, one reader, David Pascoe, seemed close to figuring it out himself, based on his comments to Amazon in 2004. Reviewing a guide to rosacea, a skin disorder, Mr. Pascoe, who is from Perth, Australia, complained: “The book is more of a template for ‘generic health researching’ than anything specific to rosacea. The information is of such a generic level that a sourcebook on the next medical topic is just a search and replace away.”

When told via e-mail that his suspicion was correct, Mr. Pascoe wrote back, “I guess it makes sense now as to why the book was so awful and frustrating.”Mr. Parker was willing to concede much of what Mr. Pascoe argued. “If you are good at the Internet, this book is useless,” he said, adding that Mr. Pascoe simply should not have bought it. But, Mr. Parker said, there are people who aren’t Internet savvy who have found these guides useful.

Mr. Parker described his motivation as providing content that the marketplace has otherwise neglected for lack of an audience. That can mean a relatively obscure language is involved, or a relatively obscure disease or a relatively obscure product.

Mr. Parker compares his methods to those of a traditional publisher, but with the computer simply performing some of the scut work. In an explanatory YouTube video, Mr. Parker shows a book being created. The computer is given an assignment — project the latent demand for antipsychotic drugs around the world, based on the sales figures in the United States.

“Using a little bit of artificial intelligence, a computer program has been created that mimics the thought process of someone who would be responsible for doing such a study,” Mr. Parker says. “But rather than taking many months to do the study. the computer accomplishes this in about 13 minutes.”

Lungless Frog Discovered In Indonesia

2008-04-11T23:28:00.000+04:00

A rare and primitive frog living in a remote Borneo stream has no lungs and apparently absorbs oxygen through its skin, researchers reported on Wednesday.

The aquatic frog has evolved backwards, re-acquiring a primordial trait, David Bickford of the National University of Singapore and colleagues reported.

Studying the frog could help shed light on how lungs evolved in the first place, they wrote in the journal Current Biology, adding that illegal gold mining in the area may threaten the unique species.

"The evolution of lunglessness in tetrapods (amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) is exceedingly rare, previously known only from amphibians -- two families of salamanders and a single species of caecilian (blindworm)," they wrote. "Here we report the first case of complete lunglessness in a frog, Barbourula kalimantanensis, from the Indonesian portion of Borneo."

The frog may be endangered because of mining activity, the researchers said.

Read Also:
Lungless frog discovered in Borneo (Reuters)

Toshiba to Introduce Light Bulbs With 12,000-Hour Life

2008-04-05T21:25:00.000+04:00

Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corp developed Neoball-Z Real Pride, a bulb shaped fluorescent lamp with a rated life extended to 12,000 hours.

The latest lamp has a rated life that is 1.2 times longer than that of the existing product (10,000 hours). Compared with an incandescent bulb, the rated life is approximately 12 times. The new lamp comes in three colors, warm white, day white and daylight. All types are a three band fluorescent lamp with high color rendering properties.

To extend the product life, the company increased the diameter of the electrode coils so that the amount of emitter applied to them may be increased. The company reportedly optimized the coils to prevent the dispersion of emitter, which occurs when the lamp is turned on. In order to contain larger coils, the diameter of fluorescent tube is increased from 8 to 9mm. This also stabilizes the voltage on lighting.

The luminous efficiency is usually deteriorated when the fluorescent tube diameter is increased. To compensate for the deterioration, the company increased the length of spiral fluorescent tube (discharge length) from 300 to 400mm. In this way, the new lamp ensures the luminous efficiency equivalent to that of the existing product.

Read Also:
Toshiba to Introduce Light Bulbs With 12,000-Hour Life (Tech-On!)

Windows 7 Coming Next Year?

2008-04-05T06:47:00.001+04:00

Microsoft has dropped two strong hints in the past two days that the next version of its Windows operating system will arrive in 2009, shaving up to a year off previous expectations. It could also be a signal that Microsoft intends to cut its losses with Windows Vista, which has been poorly received or shunned by customers, especially large companies.

Microsoft has long said it wants to release Windows 7 (formerly known as Windows Vienna) about three years after Vista, which was released to manufacturing in November 2006 but not officially launched until January 2007. Given Microsoft's recent track record - Vista arrived more than five years after XP -- most outsiders had pegged sometime in 2010 as a safe bet for Windows 7's arrival.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates answered a question at a business meeting in Miami about Windows Vista by saying "Sometime in the next year or so we will have a new version."

And during its announcement yesterday that it would extend the availability of Windows XP Home for low-cost laptops, Microsoft said it would retire the operating system only after June 30, 2010, or one year after the release of Windows 7, whichever comes later.

Read Also:
Will Microsoft deliver Windows 7 next year? (Computerworld)

Selfy The EasyBed: World's First Self-Making Bed

2008-04-04T09:43:00.001+04:00

Italian engineer Enrico Berruti admits it was personal laziness that first motivated him to come up with the idea of a bed that makes itself. Three years later, his first prototype is on show at the five-day International Exhibition of Inventions that started Wednesday in Geneva. The bed has a contraption at the sides with tubes on which one wraps the sides of the duvet linen. A button activates the tubes to smooth over the duvet linen, while straps at the side will tighten the sheet itself.

"To be honest, I am a little bit lazy so I thought of something to do the job (of making a bed) for me," he said.

The application could be practical for people with back problems who may not be able to bend, he said. Like many other inventors at the show, he is seeking a deal that would eventually lead to the commercialization of his project.

Read Also:
World's biggest inventions fair features self-making bed (USA Today)
Why making the bed and smoking a pipe may never be the same - Feature (The Earth Times)
Lazy man creates bed that makes itself (News.com.au)

Jeddah's Mile-High Tower: Twice As High As Burj Dubai!

2008-04-01T05:07:00.000+04:00

Plans for a mile-high tower in Saudi Arabia have been unveiled by billionaire Price Alwalid bin Talal.

At 5,250ft, the £5billion project, masterminded by two British engineering consultancies, will be twice as high as its nearest rivals, skyscrapers under construction in Dubai and Kuwait, and almost seven times as high as the Canary Wharf tower in London's Docklands.

It is being planned for a new city near the Red Sea port of Jeddah. Behind the scheme is 51-year-old Prince al-Walid bin Talal. The plan gives the Middle East a clear lead over Asian countries and the U.S., who have vied in the past to construct the world's tallest buildings. None of the other skyscrapers under construction, including New York's Freedom Tower on the World Trade Centre site, will exceed 2,296ft.

The prince's company, Riyadh-based Kingdom Holdings, has set up a joint venture with the London firms Hyder Consulting and Arup.

Experts say the technical challenges are enormous. Much of the lifting will be carried out by helicopters, which will also be used as commuter transport for builders. The tower will have to be capable of withstanding a wide range of temperatures, with its top baking in the desert sun by day but dropping to well below freezing at night. To resist the strong winds prevalent in the area and stop it swaying, giving its occupants a form of high-rise seasickness, it will be fitted with a giant computer-operated damper.

Two "mini-towers" - both taller than Canary Wharf - will be built on either side of the main tower. Linked to it by elevated walkways, they will anchor it and act as stabilizers. Until recently, the still-under-construction Dubai Tower was expected to be the world's tallest building.

Plans have changed several times to make it higher, but the final version is expected to be 2,300ft with 160 stories.

Read Also:
Mile-high tower: Saudi prince promises £5bn desert spire TWICE as tall as nearest rival being built (Daily Mail)
5250-Foot Tower Will Make Burj Dubai Look Like Pencil (Gizmodo)
Saudi Arabia’s Mile High Tower (Anorak)

Tata Buys Jaguar & Land Rover For $2.3 Billion

2008-03-29T00:08:00.001+04:00

India's Tata Motors Ltd announced a $2.3 billion deal on Wednesday to buy Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford Motor Co, a transaction that gives the Indian automaker a line-up ranging from the world's cheapest car to some of its more expensive.

For Tata, which plans to launch the ultra-cheap $2,500 Nano or "People's Car," the addition of the profitable Land Rover brand provides an edge against Indian rival Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, which had also pursued a deal with Ford.

The sale price is roughly 40 percent of what Ford paid for the two brands. Ford acquired Jaguar for $2.5 billion in 1989, but failed to turn the British nameplate into a higher-volume brand. Ford paid $2.75 billion for Land Rover in 2000.

Read Also:
Ford Sells Jaguar, Land Rover to Tata (AP)
Tata to buy Ford's Jaguar, Land Rover for $2.3 bln (Reuters)

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1: Promising New Features

2008-03-23T19:24:00.001+04:00

Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) Beta 1 for developers, released by Microsoft on March 6th, offers some fascinating new capabilities. For example, it introduces two new features called Activities and WebSlices that extend the capabilities of the browser by interacting with other Web sites and services.

There are also a variety of other changes, including some much-needed additions, such as a feature that will restore crashed browser sessions and tabs like Firefox does. You also have the option to import your favorites from existing installed browsers when you first install IE8.

IE8 now includes a Developer Tools feature, which includes tools for HTML, CSS, scripting and debugging. Microsoft claims that the browser includes better scripting performance, and support for HTML5. And in the final version, although not this one, Microsoft claims that IE8 will have full CSS 2.1 support.

A particularly nice new feature, and one that I hope makes it into the final version of IE8, is the small Emulate IE7 button near the top of the screen. If there are any compatibility issues between IE8 and a Web site -- with a new browser, you never know -- just click the button, and it will fool the site into thinking you're running IE7.

WebSlices is among the most important features of IE8. WebSlices are something like RSS feeds on steroids. As with an RSS feed, you subscribe to changing content that you find on a Web page. But WebSlices are graphically richer and interactive. In addition, they will alert you when content in a specific portion of a Web page changes -- for example, a stock price, or the current high price on an auction.

Activities feature gives extra power to the Internet Explorer right-click menu. Hover your mouse over an item or highlight it, right-click and a list of actions appears. These include viewing the highlighted term in a map, translating it, blogging it, defining it and so on.

IE8 introduces some smaller features that may not be earthshaking, but that can be useful like making it Easier-to-identify domains. For example, some URLs are so long and complex that it can be tough to immediately decipher which domain you're currently visiting. In IE8's Address bar, only the domain (for example, fahad.com) is black; everything else is gray. That way, you can see immediately where you are.

Read Also:
Internet Explorer 8 Beta (Microsoft Windows Products)
First look: Internet Explorer 8 beta (Computerworld)

Emirates Airlines First to Offer In-Flight Cellphone Calls

2008-03-22T07:21:00.000+04:00

Emirates Airlines has become the first commercial airline to allow passengers to make mobile phone calls during flights. Emirates said the first permitted mobile phone call was made on a flight between Dubai and Casablanca on Thursday March 20th. The aircraft, an Airbus A340, is fitted with a system which stops mobiles from interfering with a plane's electronics.

Emirates plans to extend the system to more aircraft and later this year add BlackBerry and other data services.

According to the airline, the mobile service will only be activated when the aircraft is at cruising altitude and the cabin crew will be able to monitor and control the use of the system. Passengers will be able to receive and send text messages, but the crew will be able to prevent voice calls at certain times, such as during night flights. Passengers will also be requested to keep their phones on "silent" mode, said the airline.

Emirates said it decided to introduce the use of mobile phones in its fleet after experiencing high demand for the phones already installed in aircraft seats. The airline had to obtain approval from international air safety organizations before adopting the system, which was developed by the AeroMobile company.

"We have gone to considerable lengths to ensure that all safety and regulatory issues have been fully addressed", said AeroMobile Chief Executive Bjorn-Taale Sandberg.

Read Also:
Mobile calls on Emirates flights (BBC News)

Washup: Washing Machine & Toilet Integrated

2008-03-22T06:53:00.000+04:00

I smiled when I first saw the above picture. I've always thought there should be a better way to benefit from used water coming out from washer machines.

"Washup" is a conceptual design by Sevin Coskun from Turkey integrating washing machine with toilet flush. It suggests a sustainable water consumption by storing the wasted water in toilette-flush tank and reuse it with flushing. Moreover, "Washup" brings a solution for the problem of location of washing machines in small bathrooms, overlapping washing machine usage space with toilette usage space.

"Washup" is fixed on wall upwards toilet, so that loading of clothes would be easier for the user without bending or crouching. A special interface including three semi-sphere control units & two flushing buttons is designed for a practical usage of the product. "Washup" is a green product offering solutions for the problems of standard washing machines.

Read Also:
WASHUP (Core 77)

Windows Vista SP1 : Out & Causing Problems

2008-03-21T16:11:00.000+04:00

"I'm losing my mind. I want the new SP. I followed instructions on checking updates...its not "there" and my updates are fully up to date. If I go to my "control panel", it doesn't appear that I've got SP1 running.....why can't I get this update? Help!", said COG93rd in his comment to Windows Vista Blog.

Just 3 days ago, Microsoft released the highly anticipated fixing package for Windows Vista (Windows Vista SP1). First of all, if you own Windows Vista and you have tried to get SP1 through Windows Update, then good luck with that! It didn't work for me and for many others all over the world. I would suggest you do it manually by getting it from Microsoft Download Center. It's about (434.5 MB) in size.

Here are some problems Adrian Kingsley-Hughes was able to extract from users' reactions and comments after trying to install SP1":

Users unable to download SP1.
Users finding the download really slow or unreliable.
Random crashes and lock-ups.
Total system wipeouts (not a common complaint).
Driver problems after install (and not just drivers known to have issues with SP1, but odd stuff such as nVIDIA drivers vanishing).
Post-install performance issues such as spiking CPU and sluggish response times.

Hey ... Do you know that Microsoft is going to Release Windows XP SP3 Next Week?

Read Also:
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Five Language Standalone (Microsoft Download Center)
Windows Vista SP1 Released to Windows Update (Windows Vista Blog)
Vista SP1 collateral damage not as bad as I had expected (ZD Net)
Vista SP1 downloaders bite back (The Register)
FAQ: How to get Vista SP1 (Computerworld)
Windows XP Service Pack 3 Overview (Whitepaper) (Microsoft Download Center)

FireFox Beta 4: Faster Browser & More Secure

2008-03-21T14:19:00.001+04:00

On March 10, Mozilla released its latest beta version of the widely anticipated Firefox 3. Firefox 3.0 is dramatically faster than its predecessor and rivals -- the result of hundreds of performance improvements designed to make the open-source browser the best at running complex Web 2.0 applications, Mozilla Corp.'s chief developer said last week.

"We've been working on performance for a long time," said Mike Schroepfer, Mozilla's vice president of engineering. "Each beta of Firefox 3.0 got better. Beta 1 was better than Firefox 2.0, Beta 2 was better than Beta 1, and so on. Some of the big architectural changes [we've made] had begun paying off. Now we're at the point where we can turn the knob to get it to perform well."

Users say it's twice as fast as Safari, three times faster than IE. I have downloaded (Firefox 3 Beta 4) myself today and I tested it and I found it surprisingly even faster than (Firefox 3 Beta 2) let alone the latest version of (Firefox 2.0). Still alot of the Add-ons are not working on Beta 4 but this fact did not stop me from switching to Beta 4 ...

Firefox 3.0 Beta 4 can be downloaded for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux in 36 languages from Mozilla's site. Firefox 3.0 is expected to be released June 2008.

Read Also:
Download Firefox 3.0 Beta 4 (Mozilla)
Mozilla speeds up Firefox (Computerworld)

$14.3 Million For Abu Dhabi Car Number Plate "1"

2008-02-16T22:03:00.002+04:00

Today, a man named Said Abdul Ghafour Khouri has agreed to pay AED 52.2 Million (US $14.3 Million) for Abu Dhabi license plate labeled "1" at an auction at the 7-star Emirates Palace Hotel here, making it the world's most expensive license plate.

The previous record was held by Abu Dhabi plate number 5, bought at auction for $6.8 million by stock broker Talal Khouri last year.

"From 1 to 10, these are the most expensive numbers," said Abdulla al Mannaie, managing director of Emirates Auctions. "Ten to 99 are the second category. On the other side, you look to numbers which is like 11, 22, 23 they are expensive because it carry [repeating digits].

Al Mannaie said vanity plates are good business -- an investment with more than a 20 percent annual return. Meanwhile, they're a status symbol on wheels.

Read Also:
$14.3M License Plate: Auction Sets World Record (ABC News)
Emirates Auction (Official Site)

All-in-One Chicken Nugget & Soda Cup

2008-02-07T22:08:00.000+04:00

Proving yet again that South Korea is light years ahead of everyone else in fast-food technology is The Col-Pop. The nation that brought the world the spiral-cut potato on a stick and hot-dog-stuffed pizza ushers in a new era of snack portability with this mashup of drink cup and food container that holds popcorn chicken up top and a cold drink in the bottom.

The Col-Pop is the brainchild of BBQ Chicken, a South Korea–based fried chicken chain that has recently set its sights on worldwide chicken domination (though at this time, it only has locations in New York, New Jersey, and North Carolina). From the looks of this container, on-the-go America will certainly eat it up. It's perfect for handy snacking while walking, driving, talking on the phone.

And the genius doesn't stop at popcorn chicken. In South Korea, sister company BHC Chicken also offers spaghetti, french fries, and fried mozzarella balls in Col-Pop containers. The Col-Pops we inspected come in two sizes: small (20 ounce cup) and large (32 ounce).

Read Also:
Snack to the Future: The Col-Pop, an All-in-One Chicken Nugget and Soda Cup (Serious Eats)

Microsoft Offers To Buy Yahoo For $44.6 Billion

2008-02-02T00:41:00.000+04:00

Image from ABC News

Microsoft made a bid to buy Yahoo for $44.6 billion, seeking to join forces against Google in what would be the biggest Internet deal since the Time Warner- AOL merger.

In its boldest-ever acquisition move, Microsoft sent a letter to Yahoo's board on Thursday night to offer $31 per share in cash and stock, a 62 percent premium over the Internet media company's Nasdaq closing stock price that day.

Yahoo would give Microsoft dominance in Web banner ads used by corporate brand advertisers. It also attracts more than 500 million people monthly to sites devoted to news, finance and sports, and Yahoo Mail is the No. 1 consumer e-mail service.

Yahoo said on Friday its board will evaluate the unsolicited offer. Its shares shot up 47.45 percent to $27.29, while Microsoft shares, which have a market capitalization of about $300 billion, fell 6.38 percent to $30.52.

Hmm ... (US $44.6 billion) is about (4.69 x UAE Federal Budget in 2008)!

Read Also:
Microsoft bids $44.6 billion to buy Yahoo (Reuters)
Microhoo? Purchase of Yahoo by Microsoft Could Challenge Google's Dominance (ABC News)
Cabinet holds meeting, approves 2008 budget (UAE Interact)