Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 BETA (CPP).

For those who would like to try it out, the SP2 "Beta" is already a live download from MS TechNet.

TechNet wrote ...
Windows Server 2008/Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) Beta is an update to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. It provides customer and partner feedback driven fixes into a single service pack, minimizing deployment and testing complexity. In addition to all previously released updates, SP2 will contain changes focused on addressing reliability and performance issues, supporting new types of hardware, and adding support for several emerging standards.

Get it via Windows Update.

Or Five Language SP2 Standalone:

ISO

x86 (intel and windows 32-bit)

x64 (Intel and Windows 64-bit)

IA64 (AMD and Windows 64-bit)

The TechNet page:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dd262148.aspx?ITPID=fr2189s

Again, please be guided, this is still "Beta". Cheers to all! 8)

Transform Windows Vista into Windows VXP — the hybrid

Way back the years of "Longhorn" and up to today when Vista is the current windows version, I will never forget those applications or tweaks to make your windows XP look and feel like Longhorn/Vista.

There are a lot of Vista-haters out there. We can't blame them, we are all entitled to our own preferences and opinions.

Anyways, this tweak or workaround is the other way around.... making Vista look and feel like XP.

An excerpt from the article:

In this edition of the Windows Vista Report, I’m going to show those of you who hate Vista, but are stuck with it, how to convert Windows Vista into Windows XP by stripping out as many of Vista’s components as possible thereby making the OS both look and operate more like XP. We can even come up with a fancy name for the transformed OS. Let’s call it Windows VXP!

Most of the tweaks stated in the said TechRepublic article I have done previously in all our Vista machines. However, I will try the whole bunch as soon as I get my hands on a Vista machine.

Oh by the way, here is the article:
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=819

Cheers! 8)

Silicon Power eSATA/USB SSD

Press Release:
http://www.silicon-power.com/news/new_view.php?no=20081203001&start=0&currlang=utf8

(Taipei, Taiwan) This is not a normal USB flash drive. Silicon Power has released the availability of its pioneering product: eSATA/USB SSD (eSATA; External Serial ATA), a high-capacity handy SSD in worldwide markets. The eSATA/USB SSD features eSATA and Mini USB dual interface, hot plug and play and four-channel high performance technology. The eSATA connection has a read speed of 92 MB/s and a write speed of 48MB/s, which is 8 times the write speed of the normal USB. The eSATA/USB SSD is available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities that are ideal for those wanting high-speed data transfer, high-capacity and portability.

The eSATA connector provides external data transfer at speeds up to 3Gbps, which is higher than USB 2.0 interface with 480MB/s. It is very convenient for large volume of data transfer at a short time. The bottom of the eSATA/USB SSD is a Mini USB connector offering a read speed of 33MB/s and a write speed of 25MB/s.

eSATA/USB SSD vs. USB Pen Drive

Speed \ Device	eSATA connection	Mini USB connection	Normal USB Pen Drive
Read (MB)/s	92.2MB/s	33.9MB/s	15MB/s
Write (MB)/s	48.9MB/s	25.6MB/s	6MB/s

OCZ CrossOver USB 2.0 Flash Drive

Official Page:
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/flash_drives/ocz_crossover_usb_2_0_flash_drive

The CrossOver USB 2.0 Flash drive is the latest line of flash media that also doubles as a microSD™ and microSDHC™ card adapter. For the on-the-go student, gamer, or professional, the OCZ CrossOver flash drive eliminates the need for card readers and transfers your important multimedia files to and from your computer, phone, and camera.

The integrated card reader is compatible with the latest microSD and microSDHC media cards. This convenient feature enables you to expand the CrossOver’s 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB onboard storage capacity, as well as view and transfer your files from your microSD device. Combining a durable aluminum design and discrete card reader, the sleek and versatile CrossOver features excellent instant plug-and-play and ingenious capability to store and transfer via high-speed USB and microSD.

All OCZ CrossOver flash drives come backed with a 2 year warranty for unparalleled peace of mind, upholding the OCZ commitment to quality.

Nokia N97

ECS Black Series X58B-A Motherboard

The Top-of-the-range Black Series X58B-A “Nehalem” Motherboard with LGA1366 socket support for Intel's all-new “Core-i7” processors, which has a QPI bus speed of 6.4GT/sec; as well as 6x Tri-channel DDR3 DIMM slots which support up to 24GB of DDR3 memory. The 2x16 PCI Express 2.0 slots bring together for the first time the dual graphics technologies of ATI CrossFire and Nvidia SLI officially on one motherboard. Its onboard 6x SATA II ports equipped with Intel Matrix Technology and RAID 0, 0+1, & 5 compatibility plus the 2x E-SATA connectors offer plenty of storage capabilities. The rear port has a unique clear-CMOS button for convenience as well as a single IEEE 1394 port and 6x USB ports. The MOSFETS and chipsets are cooled by the highly specialised ECS QoolTech II cooling system and Solid State Capacitors are found throughout the board which add both durability and longevity. In addition the X58B-A features Dual GigaLAN and Realtek 8CH HD Audio and OC tweaking is available through the M.I.B Overclocking utility essential for enthusiasts.This brings your choices of ultimate high-end motherboards down to one.

Official Page.

Web Promo (you can win the X58B-A).

Nerd Herd Wallpaper.

Source: http://chucktv.net/

Note: Click on the images to enlarge, then right-click and save as.

1024x768 (Typical)


1280x800 (Wide Screen)

ASUS Motherboards Now Supports AMD AM3 Processors to Provide Focus on Future Proofing

Source: http://www.asus.com/news_show.aspx?id=13405

Taipei, Taiwan, November 12, 2008 – ASUS, worldwide leader of motherboard production, has once again kept up with leading trends and technologies with the announcement to release a wide range of high-performance motherboards that will take advantage of the most high-end and upcoming AMD AM3 CPUs. This new generation of AMD CPUs will encompass the 45nm infrastructure; and will be equipped with C1E halt states for advanced power savings. The most distinguishing feature of the AM3 CPUs is the fact that they will support DDR3 RAM. In order to meet user demands for top-of-the-line CPUs that deliver advanced performance, the ASUS M3/M2 Series motherboards will offer the most completed product lines to fully support the upcoming AM3 CPUs.

AM3 CPU Ready Motherboards

The list below shows the ASUS motherboards that are currently AM3 CPU-ready. For users who have already purchased the M3 or M2 Series motherboards, a simple BIOS update is all that is needed to support future AM3 CPUs. The following list will be continuously updated and more AM3 CPU-ready ASUS motherboards are expected to be announced soon.

Patriot Extreme Performance Xporter Magnum USB Drive

The Patriot Extreme Performance Xporter Magnum USB drive is the perfect solution to transport your important data wherever you go. Optimized for fast transfer rates, the Magnum offers an ultra-fast 210x read speed; the fastest in the market. Magnum also boasts Microsoft’s ® certification, Certified for Windows Vista™. The certification guarantees maximum compatibility, including Vista’s™ Readyboost® feature. With the Patriot Exporter Magnum USB drive, users can transport their data with ease.

Official Page:
http://www.patriotmemory.com/products/detailp.jsp?prodline=4&catid=8&prodgroupid=64&id=769&type=11

PDF Download:
http://www.patriotmemory.com/products/specs/64GB%20Magnum%20USB.pdf

WING UV Blue Case Fan

The WING UV Blue case fans are premium quality, UV reactive, ultra- quiet, dust and water proof cooling fans for gaming enthusiasts.This series features a unique bearing with patented design, winglet fans blades and low starting voltage. Only the highest quality materials have been used to manufacture this state-of-the-art cooling fan. Control the fan RPM speed according to your desire using the supplied voltage regulator. To add to the silence fan mounts replace traditional screws and are made of high quality, ultra-soft silicone which stop vibrations from the fan motor from traveling into your PC case.

Specs (PDF)

Official Website: http://www.gelidsolutions.com/

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Batman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics "team-up" series The Brave and the Bold. Like the comic series, it features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain, but unlike the current comic, the cartoon focuses on Batman working with the different heroes. The series debuted on November 14, 2008 at 8:00pm (eastern), on Cartoon Network.

IMDB Entry:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1213218/

Wikipedia Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/index.html?curid=16757649

Hardware 2.0 “Best Kit List” for Oct/Nov 08

http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=2643&tag=nl.e539

Sun Studio Express 11/08 Now Available

The latest Sun Studio Express release with updated features and enhancements is now available for download. Sun Studio Software delivers a high-performance, optimizing C/C++/Fortran developer toolchain for Solaris, OpenSolaris, and Linux OSs, including support for multicore x86- and SPARC-based systems. The toolchain includes parallelizing compilers, code-level and memory debuggers, and performance and thread analysis tools. With a NetBeans-based IDE developing parallel applications for the mutlicore era has never been easier!

Supported on OpenSolaris 2008.05 and available on Solaris 10 and Linux (RHEL 5/SuSe 10/Ubuntu 8.04/CentOS 5.1), Sun Studio Express 11/08 features:

• Full OpenMP 3.0 compiler support
• Enhanced performance Analysis of MPI applications
• Updated IDE based on NetBeans 6.5
• Remote development and debugging capabilities
• New stand-alone lightweight GUI debugger, dbxtool
• Improved performance for Intel x86, AMD x86, UltraSPARC and SPARC64-based systems

Download a free unrestricted copy today!

Register your Sun Studio product and receive access to the following content:

• Sample chapter from the book Solaris Application Programming by Darryl Gove titled, "Correctness and Debug"
• Guide to selecting the best compiler options
• Booklet on using Sun Studio to develop parallel applications

For more information on this latest release of Sun Studio Express join Ikroop Dhillon, Product Marketing Manager for Sun Studio and Vijay Tatkar,Senior Engineering Manager in the Developer Tools Organization, both with Sun Microsystems, as they discuss the feature highlights of Sun Studio Express 11/08.

Listen to the podcast

AMD’s Extreme Makeover: What the new roadmaps reveal

The ZDNet Article:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/processors/?p=208&tag=nl.e539

LaMB (Animax)

Official Website: http://www.animax-lamb.com/

Synopsis:

The inhabitants of a harsh dessert planet called Cerra have perfected a system of imprisonment without walls. Called "Lamination", this system of virtual slavery ensures that those convicted of serious crimes remain productive, if not free, members of society. Prisoners are hence called LaMBs.

The system has made both jails and death penalty unnecessary in a world where human ingenuity, creativity, and labor continue to be precious commodities that cannot be replaced by robots or any form of "artificial intelligence". The system has sparked off philosophical debate among the citizens of Cerra on whether lamination is ethical...

CTL 2go Tablet - Intel Classmate Netvertible

The article:
http://blog.laptopmag.com/an-exclusive-look-at-the-ctl-2go-tablet-or-intel-classmate-netvertible

Related stuff:
http://blog.laptopmag.com/intel-unveils-tablet-style-classmate

Legend of the Seeker

Legend of the Seeker is a live-action weekly television series based on The Sword of Truth novels by Terry Goodkind. Distributed in domestic syndication by Disney-ABC Domestic Television, ABC Studios is producing the series, which is its first foray into broadcast syndication, with Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, Joshua Donen, Ned Nalle and Kenneth Biller serving as executive producers. The show premiered on November 1, 2008.

The series follows the epic journey of a young woods guide named Richard Cypher (played by Craig Horner), a mysterious woman named Kahlan Amnell (played by Bridget Regan), and a wizard Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander (played by Bruce Spence) to stop vengeful wizard Darken Rahl (played by Craig Parker) from unleashing an ancient and terrifying power.

Mini Trailer:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1859671176?bctid=1883561139

Official Website: http://www.legendoftheseeker.com/

Wikipedia Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_of_the_Seeker

IMDB Entry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844653/

The ATI Radeon HD 4830

The official ATI Radeon HD 4830 page and the press release.

This is a nice article from HardwareZone on the new ATI Radeon HD 4830 (RV770LE) GPU.

Read the full article: Plugging the Performance Gap...

... Before we embark on our benchmarking however, let us introduce this new Radeon HD 4830 GPU, codenamed RV770LE. First and foremost, if you guessed that it is a close derivative of the HD 4850 and HD 4870, you're right on the mark. In fact, it is really a stripped down HD 4850 with fewer stream processors and lower core and memory clock speeds....

Then the follow-up article, wherein techPowerUp (maker of GPU-Z), discovered the Stream Processor Mix-up - 560 vs. 640 SPs.

... Briefly, what happened was that while updating GPU-Z to include support for the new HD 4830, the good people at techPowerUp! noticed that some of the cards they have in hand had 560 stream processors instead of the advertised 640...

The respose from AMD:

.... AMD has identified that, in addition to reference samples of the ATI Radeon HD 4830 boards sent to media with a pre-production BIOS potentially impacting the card's performance, a very limited number of ATI Radeon HD 4830 boards were released to market with the same pre-production BIOS. This is in no way hardware related, and an updated BIOS fully resolves the performance limitation...

And lastly, the said 560 to 640 SP BIOS fix.

Crusoe (TV Series)

Crusoe is a NBC adventure drama, based on the legendary novel by Daniel Defoe, and is the tale of Robinson Crusoe. A young man leaves his true love to embark on an adventure — only to end up shipwrecked on a remote tropical island for 28 years, completely detached from the life he once knew. His desire to return to his wife and his strong and unlikely friendship with Friday are the only things that keep him sane. While stranded, Crusoe encounters enemies and braves the elements. The two hour series premiere aired on October 17, 2008 at 8pm, on NBC and Citytv in Canada and will air regularly on Fridays for 13 episodes.

Official Page: http://www.nbc.com/Crusoe/

Wikipedia Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusoe_(TV_series)

IMDB Entry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1117552/

Life on Mars (TV series)

Life on Mars is an American television series aired by ABC and co-produced by Kudos Film & Television, 20th Century Fox Television and ABC Studios, about a New York City homicide detective who suddenly finds himself inexplicably transported from 2008 to 1973. The series was adapted from the British series of the same name shown by the BBC.

The series debuted October 9, 2008 on ABC. It will also air on Global in Canada.

Official Page: http://abc.go.com/primetime/lifeonmars/index?pn=index

Wikipedia Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_on_Mars_(U.S._TV_series)

IMDB Entry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0787490/

Eleventh Hour (TV series)

Eleventh Hour is an American science-based drama television series, which is based on the 2006 British series of the same name. The CBS series premiered on Thursday October 9, 2008 at 10 pm (EST). The series is a joint venture between Jerry Bruckheimer Television, Granada Television International and Warner Bros. Television. Dr. Jacob Hood (Rufus Sewell), is a brilliant biophysicist and Special Science Advisor to the FBI who is brought in to investigate scientific crimes. Hood is the government's last line of defense, and it is his mission to keep scientific advances out of the hands of those with nefarious intentions. Special Agent Rachel Young (Marley Shelton), of the FBI's executive protection detail, is assigned to protect Hood.

Official Page: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/eleventh_hour/

Wikipedia Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleventh_Hour_(U.S._TV_series)

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1118697/

Sanctuary (TV series)

Sanctuary is a Canadian fantasy television series. It originally premiered as a series of webisodes distributed over the Internet. The success of these webisodes led SCI FI to pick up the series for a more traditional television-based 13-episode season.

Sanctuary stars Canadian actress Amanda Tapping as Dr. Helen Magnus, an English doctor specializing in xenobiology and cryptozoology who seeks to help so-called 'monsters' by running the titular 'Sanctuary for All'. She recruits Dr. Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne), a forensic psychiatrist, to assist her in reaching people and gaining their trust so they can be helped. Other Sanctuary staff include Henry Foss (Ryan Robbins), a weapons designer & computer expert; and Ashley Magnus (Emilie Ullerup), Helen's daughter and self-proclaimed monster hunter.

The series premiered on October 3, 2008 on The Movie Network and Movie Central in Canada and SCI FI in the U.S.

The Official Page: http://sanctuaryforall.com/index.php

Wikipedia Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctuary_(web_series)

IMDB Entry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0965394/

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (TV series)

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an American 3D CGI animated television series created by Lucasfilm Animation, Lucasfilm Animation Singapore and CGCG Inc.[3] The series debuted on Cartoon Network on October 3, 2008.[2] It is set in the fictional Star Wars galaxy, during the same time period as the 2003 Star Wars: Clone Wars series. Each episode will have a running time of 22 minutes, to fill a half-hour timeslot.

Official Page: http://www.starwars.com/theclonewars/

Wikipedia Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clone_Wars_3D

IMDB Entry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458290/

ASUS Limited Edition Gold-Aureate Axe Square CPU Cooler

As posted in the Asus Website.

Taipei, Taiwan, October 27, 2008 – ASUS, producer of top-notch thermal products, has today released the latest flagship model in the ASUS AMAzing series—the Axe Square. Decorated with a dazzling gold-aureate color that complements the uniquely axe-shaped design, this high performance cooler exudes the ultimate in aesthetic appeal; and comes in a limited edition luxury packaging. Furthermore, the Axe Square is also able to deliver enhanced cooling that support exceptional overclocking performances of up to 180W—all the while still retaining extremely low acoustic levels through the automatic PWM function.

Ultimate Cooling with 5500cm2 Heat Dissipation Area:
The Axe Square features a 120mm LED fan, five copper C-shaped heatpipes, a mirror-polished base and a large-scale heat dissipation surface area of up to 5500cm2 to facilitate highly efficient heat transfers in order to provide enthusiasts worldwide with the ultimate cooling experience.

Ultra Silent at 16 dBA and Power Savings:
Equipped with the PWM function, the Axe Square is able to adjust the fan speed according to the CPU’s temperature—providing users with the optimal operating environment at a mere 16 dBA; as well as helping to conserve energy and delivering CPU stability.

Amazing Gold-Aureate Design with Luxury Packing:
The new Axe Square is the latest model in the limited AMAzing series, and takes centerstage with its stunning gold-aureate color; which juxtaposes with the black nickel-plated surfaces of unique axe-shaped design for the ultimate in aesthetic appeal. Moreover, this stunning Axe Square comes in an extremely luxurious packaging with a limited-run identification card that ensures the fine quality of the AMAzing Series.

ASUS Triton 81 CPU Cooler Supports Latest Intel LGA 1366 Chipsets

As posted in the Asus Website.

Taipei, Taiwan, October 28, 2008 – With the advancement of computational and processor power comes a worry that each user has to face—overheating. To combat this problem, ASUS has launched the new ASUS Triton 81—the latest member of the Triton family of highly effective thermal solutions. Capable of supporting powerful Quad-Core™ processors as well as the latest Intel® Core™ i7 processor (LGA 1366), it is equipped with an exclusive 4-way airflow heatsink design and dual-fan technology for highly efficient CPU cooling; while a diamond-blue LED provides aesthetic appeal for DIY and overclocking enthusiasts.

Unimpeded 4-way Airflow Design for Impressive Overclocking:

The Triton 81 utilizes an exclusive 4-way airflow heatsink design to create an unobstructed passage of air circulation; and together with 4 U-shaped copper heatpipes for the most efficient heat transference, delivers ultimate cooling performance for a myriad of processor intensive applications and modifications.

Dual-Fan Technology for Maximum Airflow:

Equipped with a diamond-blue LED with dual 90mm fans, the Triton 81 provides an effective channel of airflow to the system, delivering vital thermal protection for stable operations. Despite its powerful performance, the Triton 81 is a relatively silent yet effective performance component—running at a mere 18 dBA with its built-in PWM function, which automatically adjusts fan speeds according to the CPU’s temperature for an optimal operating environment.

Up-to-date Application:

To keep up with both current and future gaming and processor technologies, the Triton 81 is also able to support multiple applications—and with support for the latest Intel® Core™ i7 processor (LGA 1366), DIY and gaming enthusiasts the world over will be able to easily utilize it to help push the potential of their computers faster than ever before.

A first look at Windows 7’s pre-beta PDC release

I got this in my inbox today. This is a short but nice article on the pre-beta release of Windows 7 at the Microsoft PDC, LA.

The whole article.

... This loaner machine certainly doesn’t feel like it’s running pre-beta code. It’s wicked fast and eerily quiet thanks to a solid state drive. In a very long day’s worth of use it has yet to crash or display any of the flaky behavior you might expect from a beta...

The screenshots.

Samsung INNOV8.

The whole review:
http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/articles/view.php?cid=24&id=2718

Foxconn Green Series G45MG Motherboard.

The Foxconn Green Series G45MG motherboard includes the integrated Intel X4500HD graphics core and support for the latest Intel Core2 Quad and Core2 Duo processors up to 95W power rating and up to 1600(o.c)/1333MHz FSB. Up to 8GB of Dual Channel DDR3 1333MHz memory can be installed, bringing improved memory performance to business and mainstream home computers.

Source: http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/news/view.php?id=11867&cid=4

AMD will split off its manufacturing operations with ATIC.

AMD said Tuesday that it will split off its manufacturing operations in a deal with the Advanced Technology Investment Company of Abu Dhabi. AMD will also receive a capital infusion from Mubadala Development Company, which will wind up owning more than 19 percent of Intel’s smaller rival...

The Foundry Company, which will be led by Doug Grose, senior vice president at AMD, will start out making chips based on AMD’s designs. AMD will own 44.4 percent of the Foundry Company with Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) owning the rest. The deal is quite a feat of financial engineering, but a good move overall...

The whole ZDNet article:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=10328&tag=nl.e539

Valkyria Chronicles

Official Pages:
English - http://www.sega.com/valkyria/us/index.html
Japanese - http://valkyria.jp/

Wikipedia Entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valkyrie_of_the_Battlefield

The Mentalist

The Mentalist is a police drama TV series which debuted on September 23, 2008 on CBS.

Official Page: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/the_mentalist/

IMDB Entry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1196946/

THE MENTALIST stars Golden Globe Award nominee Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, an independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who has a remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his razor sharp skills of observation. Within the Bureau, Jane is notorious for his blatant lack of protocol and his semi-celebrity past as a psychic medium, whose paranormal abilities he now admits he feigned. Jane's role in cracking a series of tough high-profile cases is greatly valued by his fellow agents. However, no-nonsense Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon openly resists having Jane in her unit and alternates between reluctantly acknowledging Jane's usefulness and blasting him for his theatrics, narcissism and dangerous lack of boundaries. Lisbon's team includes agents Kimball Cho, Wayne Rigsby and rookie member Grace Van Pelt, who all think Jane's a loose cannon but admire his charm and knack for clearing cases.

Chuck Season 2 (NBC).

Yes folks, Chuck goes season 2!

Official Page: http://www.nbc.com/Chuck/

IMDB Entry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0934814/

Chuck is an Emmy Award winning action-comedy television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working in the CIA; the message embeds the only remaining copy of the world's greatest spy secrets into Chuck's brain...

First impressions of ASP.NET’s MVC framework

ASP.NET development’s presentation layer has traditionally been difficult; simply put, it isn’t simple. The event model, for example, can confound even the most experienced developers. For someone transitioning to ASP.NET from a system such as PHP or HTML, the idea of coding to respond to a button click instead of a form posting can be odd. And, of course, the View State has always had major drawbacks.

To address these issues, Microsoft has been working on an alternative for Web Forms called the MVC framework...

The complete article: [link]

True Blood

True Blood is an American television drama series created by Alan Ball, based on the Sookie Stackhouse book series by Charlaine Harris. The show is broadcast on the premium cable network HBO in the United States. It premiered on September 7, 2008.

Thanks to a Japanese scientist's invention of synthetic blood, vampires have progressed from legendary monsters to fellow citizens overnight. And while humans have been safely removed from the menu, many remain apprehensive about these creatures "coming out of the coffin." Religious leaders and government officials around the world have chosen their sides, but in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps, the jury is still out.

Local waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), however, knows how it feels to be an outcast. "Cursed" with the ability to listen in on people's thoughts, she's also open-minded about the integration of vampires — particularly when it comes to Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a handsome 173-year-old living up the road. But as Sookie is drawn into a series of mysteries surrounding Bill's arrival in Bon Temps, that tolerance will be put to the test...

Official Page: http://www.hbo.com/trueblood/

IMDB Entry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844441/

Merlin

Merlin is a new TV series from BBC UK which started to air September 20, 2008. It is based around the Arthurian legends of the mythical wizard Merlin and his relationship with Prince Arthur.

Official Page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/merlin/

IMDB Entry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1199099/

Intel® Desktop Board DG45FC (mini-ITX)

The official page [Link]

SilentPC Review [Link]

Built in the mini-ITX form factor, Intel® Desktop Board DG45FC is a small but powerful desktop board with integrated HDMI display output and hardware accelerated decode during high-definition playback. With support of Intel® Core™2 Duo processors and up to 1333 FSB, you can expect a lot from this tiny desktop board!

Intel Desktop Board DG45FC supports Dolby Home Theater* and is Microsoft Windows Vista* Premium WHQL certified.

ECS X48T-A Motherboard

The official page [Link]

The Tom's Hardware review [Link]

EFix Dongle - transform your PC into a Mac!

The Gizmodo article: 

http://gizmodo.com/5049756/review-efix-dongle-perfectly-transforms-pc-to-mac

The EFix official website: http://efi-x.com

Knight Rider

Official Page: http://www.nbc.com/Knight_Rider/

The new Knight Rider TV series started to air Sept. 24, 2008. 

See my old blogpost on the Knight Rider Pilot Movie: 

http://ocxt.multiply.com/tag/knight%20rider

Project 10-to-the-100

Project 10¹⁰⁰ is a call for ideas to change the world by helping as many people as possible.

http://www.project10tothe100.com/

Portable DNA Detector

Take a good look at this device. We might see it soon in CSI. It is a Portable DNA Detector. 

--

The whole article here: http://www.technologyreview.com/Biotech/21415/

Excerpt:

A new portable DNA analyzer performs real-time analysis of blood samples left at the scene of a crime. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, developed the device, which packs microfluidics, electronics, optics, and chemical detection technology into a single briefcase-sized unit... 

Evaluate Windows HPC Server 2008

NEW YORK — Sept. 22, 2008 — Microsoft Corp. today announced it has released to manufacturing its newest server — Windows HPC Server 2008, giving Wall Street firms an easy-to-deploy, cost-effective and scalable high-performance computing (HPC) solution. Today’s event kicks off a series of global launch activities in the coming weeks to support the new product.

Windows HPC Server 2008, the successor to Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003, is based on Windows Server 2008 and is designed to do the following:

•	Improve productivity of systems administration and cluster interoperability by dramatically simplifying the overall deployment, administration and management over the entire system lifetime while ensuring interoperability with existing systems infrastructure.
•	Rapid HPC application development through integration with Visual Studio 2008, which provides a comprehensive parallel programming environment. In addition to supporting standard interfaces such as OpenMP, multiprocessor interconnect (MPI) and Web services, Window HPC Server 2008 also supports third-party numerical library providers, performance optimizers, compilers and debugging toolkits.
•	Seamlessly scale from workstation to cluster by allowing end users to harness the power of distributed computing through a familiar Windows-based desktop environment without requiring specialized skills or training.

The official website: http://www.microsoft.com/hpc/en/us/default.aspx

Download the 180-day evaluation software here: 

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/cc835241.aspx

FREE Encrypted USB Flash Drive.

I just want to share this. About 4 weeks ago, I played this online game: 

http://www.lumensiontheoffice.com/

All that's needed is to identify the 10 Security Risks then fill-out the web form. This morning, I got this FREE AES 256-bit Encrypted USB 1GB Flash Drive from Lumension Security. 

When plugged, It appeared just like any Thumb/Removable Drive. 

Only containing this application. I believe the said application would have been automatically launched upon inserting the flash drive, but I had Autoplay turned-off in my Windows installation.

Launching the said application, an explorer-type window will appear, prompting for the default password (you can change it anytime). 

Only then you will see the contents of the encrypted flash drive.

Feel free to play the game while it's still there. Cheers! 8) 

http://www.lumensiontheoffice.com/

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About Lumension Security

Lumension Security™, Inc., formed by the combination of PatchLink and SecureWave S.A., is a leading global security management company, providing unified protection and control of all enterprise endpoints, applications and devices. The ineffectiveness of silo endpoint solutions that are reactive in nature has sparked demand for a shift in the security paradigm as organizations look to a more proactive approach to security.

http://www.lumension.com