Microsoft regarding the stealth update

More information from Microsoft on stealth update by ZDNet's Adrian Kingsley-Hughes -- Just to keep you all in the loop, I've just received the following information from Microsoft regarding the stealth update.

Libra free software library

http://www.getlibra.com/files/slideshow/screen1s.jpg


Libra is a beautiful library software to manage your Books, Music, Movies and Games. You can track items you have lent out, or tag them with meaningful terms to organize them effectively. Libra can import your items from other applications, or scan them from either your webcam or any barcode scanner (including CueCat). Once you have built your collection, you can print out beautiful catalog pages of all your items.

http://www.getlibra.com/

Invalid PostTemplate solution to blogger's error

"Invalid Post template bX-t0ou3g
Your post template contains invalid html. This typically means
tags. You can get rid of this error by either removing the
post template altogether or by editing it on Settings->Formatting-
>Post Template. Describe what you were doing when you got this error.
Provide the following error code and additional information.
bX-t0ou3g
Additional information "

SOLUTION:

1- Sig in into your blogger account
2- Select Settings
3- Select Formatting
4- Go inside POST TEMPLATE and highlight all test, then COPY and PASTE the information into NOTEPAD and then save file as Bloggercode.txt or whatever.
5- Go back to DASHBOARD and click on New Post, there you have it! no more errors

How to Disable AOL Debug errors

How To Disable AOL Debug Error Popups

–Open Internet Explorer 6 or Internet Explorer 7
–Press ALT+T
–Click Internet Options
–Click Advanced TAB
–Checkmark Disable Script Debugging (Internet Explorer)
–Checkmark Disable Script Debugging (Other)
–Click OK
–Close Internet Explorer
–Restart Aim 6.0 or Aim 6.1

Can't add new post to Blogger part 2

TEMPORARY SOLUTION STEP BY STEP on Mac OS X:

1- Download blogger.wdgt.zip and install it on Mac OSX, which I found
on http://knownissues.blogspot.com/

Scroll down and look for the topic here:

Update, 6/6: Version 1.0.1 of the widget has been released and works with the new Blogger. Download it. — latest update on Wednesday, June 06, 2007
DOWNLOAD:
http://dl.google.com/macwidgets/Blogger.wdgt.zip

Labels: api, fixed, macintosh, posting


3-Login to your account via Firefox or Safari web browser
2-To access your new installed widget, just click on middle apple button mouse, this will bring the widget on windows view or simply press F12 to bring in the dashboard into view.
3-Login as you normally would through the widget, begin to type your message, then when you are ready you can either publish post or save as draft.
4- from here you can view it in your web browser.

HINT: TO CLOSE AND OPEN WIDGET:

To Close it:
Hold down the option key and keeping moving the mouse pointer around near the upper-left corner of a widget until the circle-X close button appears in that corner just outside the widget's window. It'll be easier finding that "hot zone" to activate the close button after you discover it the first time.
To Open it:
1-Press F12 or click center mouse button, then look at right bottom corner for plus sign, click on it and select appropiate menus options.

Can't add new posting on blogger-part 1

The posting menu of Blogger.com is giving me an error even in Safari or Firefox. This is just started a few days ago and cleaning the cache won't solve the problem or even making sure that java permissions are in place. It is definitely a big bug!
I don't seem to have the same problem on Windows Xp Professional running in my HP athlon. Only on Imac Intel.
======================================
I'm getting the following error every time I try to add a new post in Blogger:

"We're sorry, but we were unable to complete your request.

When reporting this error to Blogger Support or on the Blogger Help Group, please:

* Describe what you were doing when you got this error.
* Provide the following error code and additional information.

bX-mzm63b

Additional information
blogID:XXXXXXX
host: www.blogger.com
uri: /post-create.g

This information will help us to track down your specific problem and fix it! We apologize for the inconvenience."

http://help.blogger.com/bin/static.py?page=start.cs

REASON I"M DOING PART 1 is because is text is too long Widget Menu dissapear of the screen view :(

Special article on anti-spyware programs

This is a great link to learn more about authentic versus bogus antispyware programs.

http://spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm#special

Feeling Nostalgia for Old DOS ?

Free Dos offers the great opportunity to enjoy again the good old DOS games.

"FreeDOS is a free DOS-compatible operating system for IBM-PC compatible systems. FreeDOS is made of up many different, separate programs that act as "packages" to the overall FreeDOS Project.

These days, there are three main uses of FreeDOS:

1. To run classic DOS games (like Doom, MAME, etc.)
2. To run business software that only supports DOS
3. To support an embedded DOS system, such as a computerized cash register or till"

The Package comes bundled with the following:

1. base - Essential DOS utilities which reproduce the functionality of MS-DOS
2. compress - Free file compression and decompression utilities (7zip, arj, bzip2, cabextract, gzip, tar, zoo ...)
3. driver - Free drivers for network cards and usb
4. edit - A collection of editors (emacs, vim, pg, setedit, ospedit)
5. games - A good choice of free DOS games - Doom, Solitare, BumpNJump, nethack, tetris...
6. gui - Gem Desktop (Very nice)
7. lang - Free compilers and assemblers (Pascal,C,Basic,assembler,Fortran, debuggers,make tool...)
8. media - Free multimedia applications (cdrtools, ogg vorbis, mpxplay,lame ...)
9. net - Networking programs (wget, VNC, SSH client, lynx, arachne, mail client, wattcp - a free TCP/IP stack for DOS).
10. util - Free file, directory and other utilities (fprot anti virus, locate, head, du, cal, dos32ax, tail, tee, 4dos, uptime ...)

For more information regarding installation in Linux Systems read:

http://linuxhelp.blogspot.com/2006/09/concise-guide-to-installing-and-using.html

For those fond of retro-games check this out:

http://www.dosgamesarchive.com/

AT&T Reduces Broadband Price for Some Customers

AT&T Reduces Broadband Price for Some Customers

ASSOCIATED PRESS
June 19, 2007; Page B5

NEW YORK -- AT&T Inc. has started offering a broadband Internet service for $10 a month, cheaper than any of its advertised plans.

The DSL, or digital subscriber line, plan introduced Saturday is part of the concessions made by AT&T to the Federal Communications Commission to get its $86 billion acquisition of BellSouth Corp. approved last December.

The $10 offer is available to customers in the 22-state AT&T service region, which includes former BellSouth areas, who have never had AT&T or BellSouth broadband, spokesman Michael Coe said. Local-phone service and a one-year contract are required; the modem is free of charge.

The plan wasn't mentioned in a Friday news release about AT&T's DSL plans and is slightly hidden on the AT&T Web site. A page describing DSL options doesn't mention it, but clicking a link for "Term contract plans" reveals it. It is also presented to customers who go into the application process, Mr. Coe said.

The service provides download speeds of up to 768 kilobits per second and upload speeds of up to 128 kbps, matching the speeds of the cheapest advertised AT&T plan, which costs $19.95 per month in the nine-state former BellSouth area and $14.99 in the 13 states covered by AT&T before the acquisition.

BellSouth generally had higher prices for DSL before it was acquired, and the price difference persists, though AT&T did cut the price of the cheapest advertised plan in the Southeast region by $5 from $24.95 on Saturday.

The agreement with the FCC required the company to offer the plan for at least two and a half years. Mr. Coe said he couldn't comment on future advertising plans for the offer.

The introduction of the plan was earlier reported by The Tennessean in Nashville.

The Entry-Level Dilemma

I highly recommend this book:

"The Entry-Level Dilemma by Mattew Moran

One of the most frustrating elements of breaking into a career in technology is that initial job. This chapter identifies the quandary facing the entry-level professional.

This chapter analyzes the "need experience to get experience" dilemma that those who are new to the field often encounter. More importantly, however, this chapter discusses methods you can use to break past this barrier.

For many technology graduates, the past few years have been frustrating ones, because they have tried desperately to enter a seemingly shrinking job market. They had bought into the "get a certification—get a job" promise fostered by the marketing of many training programs. These graduates had been excited that their school had placement services to assist them in entering the growing and lucrative field of information technology (IT).

Unfortunately, although some technology graduates might have found their dream job as promised, many discovered a different reality.

Having followed the promised path, these eager students have discovered that many colleges have also struggled with placement. Although the schools have programs to help with résumé, and they work diligently to link graduates with employers, the fact remains that a tighter job market and a more skeptical employer pool have made job placement a nearly impossible task.

Adding to a tighter market is the fact that more experienced technology professionals have been forced to take a cut in pay and position. This has increased the competition for entry-level positions. Sometimes new graduates are competing with senior-level technologists for the same job.

Part of the fault of unsuccessful job placement lies squarely on the shoulders of the job seeker. Unrealistic expectations have many believing that a certification or degree qualifies them for positions that require hands-on knowledge.

I know of individuals who received their MCSE certification after attending several months of class. They passed the test, did some lab work, and got into the job market. Many of them expected to be hired as network engineers with salaries of $60,000 to $80,000. Their logic was that they were, as the certification implied, "certified engineers." As they perused want ads, lesser jobs, such as those of help desk or IT clerical support, were undesirable to them.

This attitude contributed to the current wave of "certification cynicism" that many employers have adopted. Employers hired the "certified engineers" only to discover that many could not complete the most basic and mundane tasks effectively.

A correction has taken place in the corporate world. Companies are no longer willing to provide pay and opportunity to an unproven commodity—the entry-level technology professional. Many new technologists are unwilling to give up the idealistic dream of instantaneous job satisfaction and a high salary. Unfortunately, this is also leading some to listen to the doomsayers moaning about the lack of opportunity in IT. Talent that would do well in the IT industry is leaving to find opportunity elsewhere.

If you are in that group—ready to leave your hopes of IT success and find greener pastures—wait!

I understand that you are frustrated and disenchanted, but I ask that you seriously consider the corrective behavior described in the section that follows. In it, I believe you will find a rekindled hope that comes with understanding the reality of the situation.
Correcting Perception

The first battle in overcoming frustration in not finding the "job you deserve" is to correct the perception of the new technologist. As discussed earlier, IT will remain a great career choice. However, it is no different from many other good careers. You must make a degree of sacrifice to reach the heights of professional success.

A perspective that places emphasis on long-term career goals and month-to-month personal growth is critical. You must understand where you want to be in the coming months and years. You must also set about creating the short-term plans to achieve that longer-term success.

I'm not necessarily advocating a start-at-the-bottom mentality. I don't perceive that each person's path, even with similar goals, will be the same. I advocate more of a start-where-you-can mentality.

If a company is willing to hire you as a full-fledged network engineer based entirely on your schooling, more power to you. However, beware of overselling yourself without first developing the aptitude that is required. Taking a job where the expectations greatly exceed your production capacity can be just as professionally damaging as it is to take a job that never makes use of, or stretches, the talents you have. In fact, I would say the former is more damaging.

It is more difficult—both mentally and from a perception standpoint—to move down the corporate ladder. It does not look good on a r?um , and more importantly, it can damage your confidence.

IT is an industry that provides ample opportunity to learn new and challenging skills. However, substantial failure early in a career can create a professional timidity that stops you from taking the necessary chances to take on the challenges that come your way.

The perception that you need when breaking into IT is one that seeks opportunity over position. If you have been trained as a network engineer but you find an opportunity to take a position in a clerical capacity, consider what opportunities that job might offer.

Some of the factors to consider in whether to take this slight shift in employment are as follows:

*

Does the company have an effective training program?
*

Is it possible to find mentors in the field you want to enter?
*

Is the company growing?
*

Does the opportunity exist to greatly expand your professional network of contacts?

Remember: You can safely make this consideration because the job itself is not your career. You have the freedom and ability to move within the company or to a new company when needed.

The most important factor is that you are moving toward a career goal. You might not get the title or job you want right out of school. If you can master those skills at your current position, while simultaneously building your network of contacts that lead to your dream position, you should be satisfied. You must build your career piece by piece. It won't happen all at once."

Microsoft didn’t invent the personal computer

"Microsoft didn’t invent the personal computer and they didn’t invent the first PC operating system. They didn’t even invent the first MS-DOS (they bought and re-branded 86-DOS from Seattle Computer Products.) Nor were they the first to use a “window-like” GUI (Xerox PARC was). What Microsoft did (and still does to this day) is innovate — take what they’ve got, and improve upon it in unique ways! This is the key to their success"

see completed article here:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=5427&tag=nl.e539

Web Browser won't load images- (Explorer or firefox)

On a yahoo newsgroup web site I tried to view some pictures or images and Firefox Web Browser version 2.0 or Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer 7.0 failed to download the jpeg images. As soon as I disabled Zone Alarm Pro firewall the problem was solved.

The firewall was blocking access to those images and I did not know why.

To solve the problem I just opened Zone Alarm Pro console and clicked on PRIVACY then on site LISTING menu I selected MSN.com and allowed PRIVATE HEADER. When I reloaded the page on both web browsers then the images were visible.

Windows Vista DVD: Who Are Those People In That Picture?

Windows Vista DVD: Who Are Those People In That Picture?

Windows Vista Virtual Easter Egg:

Kwisatz has discovered a picture of three guys on the Windows Vista DVD cover. Who are they? What's the purpose? Does Bill Gates know about it?

I guess it's just a prank, but by whom?

He has taken the photos with a Nikon 5700 (click on images to enlarge):
He also says there are three more holographic pictures on the cover, but he hasn't been able to figure out what's depicted in them.

Do you have a Vista DVD and a microscope?

Head over to the Kwisatz site (spanish language) for more photos.

Update: Paul McNamara over at NetworkWorld sent a mail to the Microsoft PR agency to ask about their identity. The PR agency: "No comment".

Update: I see some people are suggesting the hologram could be an anti-piracy measure. But, then again, the pictures are on the cover, not on the DVD itself.

.

Labels: entertainment, informatics, picture, technology

In Linux is difficult and almost an undaunting task the configuration of a wireless network. But the good news is that a direct connection to a DSL AT & T modem works like a champ using a distro such as Ubuntu or Red Hat. Other than that: Linux is faster than Windows and more flexible and intuitive. If you are too attached still to windows and wants something that looks similar to Linux try Lindows now called Linspire, but bear in mind that this bistro is not free.

The Linux support forums are outstanding and best of all free of charge And by the way you don't spend too much time in linux seeking for viruses and spyware.


[b]Multitasking makes it possible for a single user to run multiple applications at the same time.[/b]

Linux reminds me a lot of the old 0S/2 and Amiga Preemptive multitasking/time-sharing capabilities. With Windows in the other hand for example and with the slow loading of an application such as MS word it seems like it takes "forever" to show up. In Unix/ Linux this is the opposite, with hardly any waiting period.

To explain it better: Linux/Unix operating system is designed as preemptive multitasking giving better results as far as system responsiveness and scalability. Although in many of the official "status quo" definitions Windows falls into this also preemptive multitasking category and MS techies would affirm cathegorally that I'm wrong by me saying otherwise or that Windows' approach is based more on the concept of cooperative multitasking (a process which explicitly yield to other processes) instead. But based in the actual Windows XP poor performance and -in this context- I still think Windows behaves more like a cooperative multitasking system and it is not in essence a true multitasking operating system, because Windows is really multi-threading and not multitasking. And my conclusion is based on what I have seen and not by what Microsoft claims to be. I do not think Windows is truly multi-tasking, but appears to be imitating multitasking based on its kernel, just like appears to imitate Apple superior operating system since MS released Windows 95 is been trying constantly to be number one. MS is disappointing users and this has been proven recently with the hurdles and flaws exhibited by its latest incarnation of Windows Vista.

Please, don't believe what I say and just give Apple a chance and for now you could even try Linux for free. As a matter of fact Mac OS architecture is derived from Unix. :)

If you don't have enough money for a Laptop give consideration to a Desktop. I think Mac-Mini is a good option for beginners. http://www.apple.com/macmini/

Dr-DOS

This story appeared on Network World at
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2002/1216drdos.html

Start-up revives once-vaunted DR-DOS

By Deni Connor, Network World, 12/16/02

LINDON, UTAH - A start-up is looking to dust off and buff up DR-DOS, a largely dormant operating system that still attracts a hardcore following but is best-known for a colorful past that some see checkered with missed opportunity.

DeviceLogics, a company co-founded last month by Bryan Sparks, former CEO and founder of Linux vendors' Lineo (now Embedix) and Caldera Systems (now SCO Group), has bought DR-DOS, which once competed against Microsoft's MS-DOS.

DeviceLogics purchased DR-DOS from Lineo, where it underwent minor functional development during the past few years. The start-up will develop a compact operating system - for kiosks, automated teller machines, point-of-sale devices, handheld computers and desktop PCs running legacy DOS applications. Observers say the operating system, which is expected to ship in the first quarter of next year, could be more efficient and less expensive than Windows XP Embedded, Windows CE or Linux.
Interest level high

"There are still a lot of people running DR-DOS on single PCs," says Troy Tribe, vice president of sales and marketing at DeviceLogics. "We are going to revise DR-DOS for the desktop, as well as provide a kiosk, embedded, point-of-sale and a handheld version. People are now having to do that work on their own."

Digital Research developed DR-DOS, a 32-bit operating system, in 1987 as a fully compatible alternative to MS-DOS for 80286- and 80386-based PCs. It succeeded creator Gary Kildall's Control Program for Microcomputers (CP/M). The most popular legend told is that Kildall, the CEO of Intergalactic Digital Research (later shortened to Digital Research), was piloting his plane the day IBM approached the company about licensing CP/M for its first microcomputer - instead, IBM signed Microsoft's MS-DOS.

In 1991, Novell acquired Digital Research, DR-DOS and CP/M, with plans to compete against MS-DOS in the DOS market. When Novell CEO Ray Noorda failed to capitalize on the plan to take over the DOS market, Novell sold DR-DOS to Caldera in 1996. Caldera, which Sparks founded with Noorda's assistance, then sued Microsoft for lost sales and unfair competition and settled out of court for an unspecified amount.
Simple development

Analysts say embedded DOS is important in that the development environment is simplified because the code is compact and the devices that use it often do not require a keyboard, mouse or more-complicated Windows-like display.

"It would probably be much smaller [than XP Embedded], take less machine resources, and because it is inherently simpler, some tasks would run faster," says Dan Kuznetsky, research director at IDC. "DOS runs very well in a small system by today's standards."
Challenges ahead

However, Kuznetsky says getting an embedded operating system such as DR-DOS accepted would not be without challenges.

"It would not necessarily have the same security or development tools that are up to today's standards; that would be a challenge," he says.

DeviceLogics says it will introduce a software developer kit in the first half of next year.

Users within IT organizations have mixed opinions about using DOS.

"We do have DOS applications running on legacy dedicated hardware that's sitting on real-time control systems, which simulate the hardware they are controlling," says Peter DaSilva, consulting engineer at ABB, a power and automation technology company in Houston. "We don't have any anticipation of upgrading them - ever."

Others say having a command-line operating system available such as DOS is still the most direct way to troubleshoot a system.

"DOS is still the best way to run recovery programs, low-level disk utilities, removal of computer viruses, the flashing of the system BIOS and diagnostics," says Jeff Johnson, an IT consultant in Boca Raton, Fla.

Johnson says that if DeviceLogics added features to DR-DOS that eliminated the need for commonly used utilities such as 4DOS and the Quarterdeck Expanded Memory Manager, while maintaining a small conventional memory footprint and compatibility, it would increase the chances of use by end users, PC hobbyists and developers.

DR-DOS will compete against a variety of other DOS implementations, including DataLight's ROM-DOS, Paragon Software's PTS DOS 2000 Pro and IBM's PC DOS for Embedded Devices. In addition, an open source version of FreeDOS is available.

Click to see:
PROFILE: DEVICELOGICS
Location: Salt Lake City
Founded: November 2002
Product name: DR-DOS
Product type: Embedded operating system
Ship date: First quarter 2003
Founders: Bryan Sparks, CEO; Troy Tribe, vice president of sales and marketing; Bryce Burns, vice president of operations.
Funding: Self-funded
Fast fact: Sparks’ Caldera started the first of two antitrust trials against Microsoft.


All contents copyright 1995-2007 Network World, Inc. http://www.networkworld.com


There is an open source of Dr DOS

at http://www.drdosprojects.de/index.cgi/news.htm

FlyakiteOSX

Wishing the coolest operating system on earth? Do you dream about having a look alike Apple operating system in your windows XP 2003 without loosing Windows?

Here is the answer:

http://osx.portraitofakite.com/

Boot Camp 1.2 supports Windows Vista

March 28, 2007
Boot Camp 1.2 supports Windows Vista

So much for that silly story going around last week that Leopard, the next version of the Mac OS X, was going to be delayed until October so its Boot Camp feature -- which lets Intel-based Macs dual-boot with Windows -- could support Windows Vista.

Apple has just released Boot Camp 1.2 -- and it supports Vista now.

Don't everyone rush to the servers at once . . .

Here's what's new in 1.2:

* Support for Windows Vista (32-bit)
* Updated drivers, including but not limited to trackpad, AppleTime (synch), audio, graphics, modem, iSight camera
* Support the Apple Remote (works with iTunes and Windows Media Player)
* A Windows system tray icon for easy access to Boot Camp information and actions
* Improved keyboard support for Korean, Chinese, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Russian, and French Canadian
* Improved Windows driver installation experience
* Updated documentation and Boot Camp on-line help in Windows
* Apple Software Update (for Windows XP and Vista)

Apple TV = hacked

Apple TV = hacked by ZDNet's Jason D. O'Grady -- The first day after Apple TV began shipping a bunch of sharp-as-a-tack coder types hacked Apple's new set top box to shreds.

The first day after Apple TV began shipping a bunch of sharp-as-a-tack coder types hacked Apple's new set top box to shreds:

Non-Apple TV owners can enjoy the out of box experience by viewing the opening video which one crafty person ripped from the hard drive and posted in all of it's 720p glory. You can also download the Quartz Composer Screen Saver and the Now Playing Screen. And if you're truly hard-core you can download the entire Apple TV OS, and (conceivably) install it on another Mac.

But this is just scratching the Apple TV surface.

True hackers will want to immediately take it apart (photos) and upgrade the wimpy 40GB HDD to 80 or 120GB - it's a standard 2.5-inch notebook mechanism (another HDD upgrade tutorial is here).

If you really want to hack it to the next level you can play Xvid movies on Apple TV, but it ain't pretty and involves removing the HDD (covered above) and un-breaking SSH (using Perian and DropBear) so you can access the Apple TV remotely.

If that's too much hassle for you there's a solution to automatically convert Xvid, Divx, WMV files to Apple TV format, and then import them into iTunes with a convenient Automator workflow.

You can even turn a Mac mini into an Apple TV or an Apple TV into a Web server (by installing Apache).

Keep up with even more Apple TV hacks at AppleTVHacks.net.

Travel back in Time

You Can't Travel Back in Time, Scientists Say

Sara Goudarzi
LiveScience Staff Writer
Fri Mar 9, 8:10 AM ET

The urge to hug a departed loved one again or prevent atrocities are among the compelling reasons that keep the notion of time travel alive in the minds of many.

While the idea makes for great fiction, some scientists now say traveling to the past is impossible.

There are a handful of scenarios that theorists have suggested for how one might travel to the past, said Brian Greene, author of the bestseller, “The Elegant Universe” and a physicist at Columbia University.“And almost all of them, if you look at them closely, brush up right at the edge of physics as we understand it. Most of us think that almost all of them can be ruled out.”
Vote for Your Favorite Time Travel Tale

The fourth dimension

In physics, time is described as a dimension much like length, width, and height. When you travel from your house to the grocery store, you’re traveling through a direction in space, making headway in all the spatial dimensions—length, width and height. But you’re also traveling forward in time, the fourth dimension.

“Space and time are tangled together in a sort of a four-dimensional fabric called space-time,” said Charles Liu, an astrophysicist with the City University of New York, College of Staten Island and co-author of the book “One Universe: At Home In The Cosmos.”

Space-time, Liu explains, can be thought of as a piece of spandex with four dimensions. “When something that has mass—you and I, an object, a planet, or any star—sits in that piece of four-dimensional spandex, it causes it to create a dimple,” he said. “That dimple is a manifestation of space-time bending to accommodate this mass.”

The bending of space-time causes objects to move on a curved path and that curvature of space is what we know as gravity.

Mathematically one can go backwards or forwards in the three spatial dimensions. But time doesn’t share this multi-directional freedom.

“In this four-dimensional space-time, you’re only able to move forward in time,” Liu told LiveScience.
Video: Can You Time Travel?

Tunneling to the past

A handful of proposals exist for time travel. The most developed of these approaches involves a wormhole—a hypothetical tunnel connecting two regions of space-time. The regions bridged could be two completely different universes or two parts of one universe. Matter can travel through either mouth of the wormhole to reach a destination on the other side.

“Wormholes are the future, wormholes are the past,” said Michio Kaku, author of “Hyperspace” and “Parallel Worlds” and a physicist at the City University of New York. “But we have to be very careful. The gasoline necessary to energize a time machine is far beyond anything that we can assemble with today’s technology.”

To punch a hole into the fabric of space-time, Kaku explained, would require the energy of a star or negative energy, an exotic entity with an energy of less than nothing.

Greene, an expert on string theory—which views matter in a minimum of 10 dimensions and tries to bridge the gap between particle physics and nature's fundamental forces, questioned this scenario.

“Many people who study the subject doubt that that approach has any chance of working,” Greene said in an interview . “But the basic idea if you’re very, very optimistic is that if you fiddle with the wormhole openings, you can make it not only a shortcut from a point in space to another point in space, but a shortcut from one moment in time to another moment in time.”
Video: How to Time Travel!

Cosmic strings

Another popular theory for potential time travelers involves something called cosmic strings—narrow tubes of energy stretched across the entire length of the ever-expanding universe. These skinny regions, leftover from the early cosmos, are predicted to contain huge amounts of mass and therefore could warp the space-time around them.

Cosmic strings are either infinite or they’re in loops, with no ends, said J. Richard Gott, author of “Time Travel in Einstein's Universe” and an astrophysicist at Princeton University. “So they are either like spaghetti or SpaghettiO’s.”

The approach of two such strings parallel to each other, said Gott, will bend space-time so vigorously and in such a particular configuration that might make time travel possible, in theory.

“This is a project that a super civilization might attempt,” Gott told LiveScience. “It’s far beyond what we can do. We’re a civilization that’s not even controlling the energy resources of our planet.”

Impossible, for now

Mathematically, you can certainly say something is traveling to the past, Liu said. “But it is not possible for you and me to travel backward in time,” he said.

However, some scientists believe that traveling to the past is, in fact, theoretically possible, though impractical.

Maybe if there were a theory of everything, one could solve all of Einstein’s equations through a wormhole, and see whether time travel is really possible, Kaku said. “But that would require a technology far more advanced than anything we can muster," he said. "Don’t expect any young inventor to announce tomorrow in a press release that he or she has invented a time machine in their basement.”

For now, the only definitive part of travel in the fourth dimension is that we’re stepping further into the future with each passing moment. So for those hoping to see Earth a million years from now, scientists have good news.

“If you want to know what the Earth is like one million years from now, I’ll tell you how to do that,” said Greene, a consultant for “Déjà Vu,” a recent movie that dealt with time travel. “Build a spaceship. Go near the speed of light for a length of time—that I could calculate. Come back to Earth, and when you step out of your ship you will have aged perhaps one year while the Earth would have aged one million years. You would have traveled to Earth’s future.”

More about Time Travel
Vote for Your Favorite Time Travel Tale Video: Is Time Travel Possible? Video: How to Time Travel!

Related News
Black Hole Puts Dent In Space-time Getting There: Research Warps into Hyperdrive Earth Warps Space-Time, Too Original Story: You Can't Travel Back in Time, Scientists Say

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Vista's pretty, but it's a shameless Mac OS X imitator

Posted on Mon, Jan. 29, 2007
Vista's pretty, but it's a shameless Mac OS X imitator

JULIO OJEDA-ZAPATA

I praise Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system, and I also curse it.

Vista certainly is pretty. PC users long used to the dowdy Windows XP will do a double take at Vista's translucent images and groovy 3D effects. Vista also is crammed with powerful, useful new features, like lightning-fast file searching, photo organizing and movie-DVD burning.

But after waiting five years — as in half a decade — for this thing, I think I should get something revolutionary, a PC operating system so astonishing it makes the competition look laughably primitive. The almighty Microsoft made this, right? So Vista — being released to consumers Tuesday — has to be jaw-droppingly superior, right?

Well, it's not. Vista hardly rocked my world during weeks of testing. It's a fine Windows upgrade, but it's also a shameless rip-off (and not quite the equal) of another major operating system, Apple Computer's Mac OS X.

That begs the question: Why not just use OS X?

Those upgrading from XP likely will have to get a new computer anyway because Vista doesn't work properly on most older PCs. (See my recent column, "Take your time buying that new computer," for details on this.) So, instead of purchasing a Windows PC, they could — and typically should — get an Apple Macintosh computer running OS X.

Apple is about to release an OS X upgrade, nicknamed "Leopard," that will make Vista look archaic in some ways. But Vista does retain the upper hand in certain respects. Here's how the operating systems compare in essential categories:

Appearance. Vista looks amazing. Its windows cast subtle shadows and sport translucent borders, for instance.

But OS X has had eye candy like this for years. Oh, Microsoft throws in a few enhancements. Users can adjust the border translucency, for instance. But Vista is still only an OS X clone — and a slightly inferior-looking one, at that.

Finding stuff. With so many documents, pictures, video clips, e-mails and the like on today's computers, search is an essential feature. Thank goodness Vista is vastly superior to its XP predecessor in this way. Click the Start button and type your search queries into the window that appears just above. Presto! Your results appear in seconds.

Hmm, does this sound familiar, OS X users? That's right, the Spotlight search engine does the same thing.

Vista helps you keep track of stuff in other ways. If you start getting confused by all the windows that are open on the desktop, click Windows-Tab. Ta-da! Windows tilt slightly and group themselves together in an easy-to-skim Flip 3-D arrangement. That's handy but hardly new. The Exposé feature in OS X does pretty much the same thing.

You also can create intelligent Search Folders that automatically fill with data based on criteria you set. Cool, just like the Smart Folders in OS X.

More secure. Windows XP is notorious for its gaping security holes, which Microsoft has scrambled to plug in Vista. Whether it has succeeded remains to be seen — hordes of cybervillains will do their darnedest to compromise this version of the market-dominant Windows, as well.

Vista's safeguards do seem impressive, though. You can't install anything on a Vista PC without clicking through confirmation windows, for instance. Seem reasonable? Sure it does — OS X has boasted this feature for years.

Wid(gad)gets. So-called "widgets" or "gadgets" are everywhere. The miniapplications show weather forecasts, track packages and much, much more. And everyone from the Yahoo and Google search engines and the Opera browser maker to the TypePad and WordPress blogging services offer their own variations.

So do Windows Vista and OS X. Microsoft's gadgets could be called rip-offs of Apple's widgets. But, to be fair, OS X widgets are rip-offs of Konfabulator, a pioneering widget technology now part of Yahoo and dubbed Yahoo Widgets.

A boob tube. By now, you'd surely assume that I'd recommend avoiding Windows PCs like the plague. Far from it. Budget permitting, I'd own both a Mac and a Vista PC — the latter largely because of its "Media Center" capabilities.

These allow PCs with integrated TV tuners to work as TiVo-like digital-video recorders once connected to cable-TV feeds. I've used a Dell desktop PC with Vista for weeks to record "Heroes," "Jericho," "Smallville" and "Battlestar Galactica," and I'm thrilled at how well this works. While Media Center isn't new (XP versions have been available for years), it has been improved and polished in Vista.

Nothing on the Mac quite compares. You can't get Macs with integrated TV tuners, and TiVo-style features are available only via add-on hardware and software that are inferior to Vista's elegant, built-in Media Center features.

But beware: Microsoft's close ties with entertainment companies are painfully evident in some ways. You won't be allowed to burn certain Media Center recordings (such as PBS' "Prime Suspect") onto blank DVD discs, for instance.

Bonusware. Microsoft has bundled an assortment of useful programs with Vista, which means you won't have as urgent a need to invest in additional software.

Windows Photo Gallery has nice tagging and rating features, for instance. Windows DVD Maker (a companion to the old, scarcely improved Windows Movie Maker) is handy for burning family videos onto blank discs that are playable in any home DVD player.

But these programs are no match for what is available on any new Mac. Every Apple machine has iLife, a suite of interlocking programs for editing video, burning DVDs, organizing photos, composing music and even creating slick Web sites. These make Vista's offerings look insanely inadequate. New PCs do often include extra programs from third parties for enhanced capabilities, but a software hodgepodge doesn't have iLife's tight integration.

Vista also bundles in Windows Calendar, Mail and Contacts, which are rough equivalents of iCal, Apple Mail and Address Book on Macs.

What's next? Apple this spring will release OS X version 10.5 with advanced features that will leapfrog the just-released Vista.

While the new Windows has rudimentary data-backup capabilities, for instance, Leopard will include something called Time Machine that will transparently replicate data on a backup drive and allow for point-and-click retrieval of existing files (and even old versions of those files).

It's also important to note that Apple has offered OS X upgrades at roughly yearly intervals during the half-decade that Microsoft has labored on Vista. Apple is an innovation engine; Microsoft, not so much.

Bottom line. Get a Mac with OS X unless your home-computer needs are Windows-specific, or if the fine Media Center is a must for you. You likely won't regret a Vista-PC purchase, but I'm betting you'll enjoy a Mac much more.

Julio Ojeda-Zapata covers consumer technology. Reach him at jojeda@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5467. Get more personal tech at yourtechweblog.com and twincities.com.

MORE INFORMATION

• Windows Vista www.microsoft.com/windowsvista

• Apple Mac OS X www.apple.com/macosx




© 2007 St. Paul Pioneer Press and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.