I am thrilled to welcome a dear friend to co-author this blog. It's great for me and I'm sure it'll be great for my readers as well, since his technical knowledge surpasses mine. He has asked me not to disclose too much information about himself so I will leave it at that.

And to give you a taste of his writing I suggest you read his site.

Oh FZKL, here is the red carpet I promised. Welcome aboard fzkl!

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Before I proceed with this blog post, I would like to know what you all think of the new setup of "Word from the Web"? Do you like it? Is there something you thought looked better. We are constantly looking at improving our site to give it a more user friendly look and feel and your feedback is really valuable.

Moving ahead, this post is dedicated to the constant rivalry between Firefox and IE. This David and Goliath war started with the release of Windows XP where in the all powerful IE had a few bugs which not only slowed down the browsing experience but was a security threat to browsers. That is when Mozilla Firefox swooped into the market and saved several virtual souls.

Before this Internet Explorer monopolised a major chunk of the market. A few other browsers tried to stand their ground but were unsuccessful. Some examples are Opera, Netscape and Apple's own Safari. Internet explorer which came as a package deal with every PC in the world found it very easy to establish itself as the number one web browser. Internet Explorer was synonymous with web browser as Google is synonymous with Search. When Windows XP was released, the internet explorer released with it had several bugs, this lead to frustrated users looking for a change in the internet browsing arena and that's when Mozilla firefox started gaining market share. Microsoft soon came out with SP2 to help them improve the security features of IE.

Firefox has several advantages over IE -6. You can open multiple windows by opening tabs. There is an inbuilt pop up blocker. It has live Bookmark updates which helps in keeping yourself updated to the sites that you visit.

Since it is open source, it allows all the bright minds from across the globe to add something new to the browser. I love all the firefox extensions I have installed. The reason why I love this browser more is because its customizable nature allows me to run my applications more efficiently. The Ad-on features such as Cool iris view which allows you to see what is beyond the click without even clicking on the link, Greasemonkey script, which allows you to add small customized scripts to your applications. If you are an avid blogger you can try Perfomancing extension, which allows you to make rough drafts and notes as you browse the web and add it on to your site using the drag and drop feature.

I love Firefox, and eventhough the new Vista has incorporated most of these feature in its new IE 7, I will stick on to this open source revolutionary browser in hope that they will come out with better and more secure browsing experience. Also the Google Toolbar along with the Firefox serve as an amazing combination for online writers.

For those wondering how they can download Mozilla Firefox on to their site, its fairly simple, the button next to this post helps you download this browser. It's free and secure. If you are new to Firefox you can visit www.mozilla.com for more details about the browser. Please leave a comment if you have enjoyed the product after downloading it, I would love to know what your experience has been with the product.

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I recently have had the luxury of having a laptop at my disposal. Its so great to have something that will help you connect to the rest of the world with a click of the button. It is my messiah on a long journey home, its my entertainment system, my music, my window to the outside world, my work, my everything. I wouldn't know what I'd do without it. But just imagine on a lazy day you decide that you want to have coffee by your workstation and hey lo, the coffee tips over and falls on your laptop, you are doomed. Your laptop is not waterproof. What about when you are out walking the street and trip over and you drop your laptop on the floor (forget the fact that you are bruised or have a broken bone etc)? Life will start moving in slow motion, you will see the plastic fragments floating around in front of you, you will see all the loans you will have to take in order to pay your company back for the laptop you were supposed to take care of.

Instead, I endorse the Panasonic Toughbook to all companies that are giving laptops out to their employees. Here are a few reasons why you should try a Panasonic Toughbook

• Rugged and Reliable - Engineered to meet the demands of doing business on the road or in the office.
• Integrated Wireless - The biggest obstacle mobile workers face is downtime. With Toughbook's integrated wireless features, downtime is kept to a minimum.
• Certified Tough - Toughbooks are designed using specified testing procedures and are put through stringent environmental challenges your mobile PC will face everyday. Here is a small video clip of how a Toughbook is tortured. Enjoy.

Here is some more tests that the Toughbook passes with ease. Please keep your eyes peeled for the keyboard tests, it gives me goosebumps everytime I watch this clip.



Also, see that Panasonic has to offer you to improve your ROI:

"For the past three years, notebook PC damage rates have risen 22.5%, with an average damage incident cost of $2,900. At the same time, the functions that mobile PCs are required to perform have evolved to mission critical status. Professionals cannot afford to be without their computers-offline, unproductive, out-of-touch.

We build Toughbooks with a durability that's designed into every seal, hinge, keyboard and connector. Toughbooks endure stringent U.S. Military MIL-STD-810F testing procedures that measure for dust, water, vibration, extreme temperature and moisture resistance, as well as drop shock absorption. Toughbooks can take it-day in and day out.

* Reinforced, integrated antenna retracts into case design to protect against damage
* Sealed LCD to provide extra protection against moisture and dust
* Internal dampers and seals isolate the LCD from shock, vibration and moisture
* HDD mounted in damping polymers to help insulate against sudden blows
* Flexible connectors between the hard drive and system board to protect against the transfer of shock from drops and bumps
* Sealed keyboard and touchpad prevent damage from dust and spills
* Environmental seals protect the multimedia pocket, PC card slots and connection terminals from moisture and dust
* Full or partial magnesium alloy casing that protects against bumps, drops and knocks"

Panasonic sells through trusted resellers and I visited www.buytough.com to check for prices. A Toughbook 51 with the following specs will cost you $1600. Prices go up to $3200.00. Value for money, sorry I can't comment on that just yet. But I can say that I will have to take care of my IBM T43p for a while till I can afford a Panasonic Toughbook. The specs are pretty good too.

• Genuine Windows® XP Professional
• Intel® CentrinoTM Mobile Technology
• Integrated 802.11a/b/g wireless LAN
• Optional SmartCard reader
• Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
• Multimedia pocket DVD/RW or optional second battery
• 15" Active Matrix Color LCD
• Swappable 1.44MB floppy drive
• Full magnesium alloy case
• Shock-mounted removable hard drive


As always I am goin to finish with the ad for Panasonic Tougbook, I love this ad, I like the way one shot merges with the other, talks a lot about life's intricate nature - and the TOUGHbook really makes life SIMPLE.

-CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE-

*** This falls under Nonsensical Brilliance - not for the nonsensical part but for the Brilliance part. Please digest this before proceeding. ***

You have 4 months, 400 cans of Mountain Dew and a few tools and a brilliant imagination. What will you do with these things? You make the mountain dew Christmas tree. That is what you call Brilliance! I love the fact that this tree is made out of cans.






Please visit their site at www.mdewtree.com and if you didn't like any of my previous gift ideas you can buy this at ebay for $300.00. Interested? Click here.

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It's 4 days to Christmas, wondering what to buy for your techie friend and family? Last minute online shopping can save the day. Here are 12 cool gizmos and lifestyle products that can give any techie a smile for the rest of the year.

TEasE- shirts
These tech tees are brilliant. I don't even need to say anything else, they speak for themselves. It's $14.99 from the ThinkGeek Store



















Tangram shelf from Lago.

Ever been to a friends place and awed at their amazing bookshelf or artistic table, which is so simple it blows you away. Here is Lago's answer to jazz up your living room, dining room, any room with a Tangram shelf.

Tangram is a puzzle which includes 7 shapes which fit together to form a square. But why have a boring square when you can have say a cat or a man. Here are some brilliant examples.



For the Caffeine lovers.

While sipping on your hot JAVA have you ever wondered what the Scientific formula and molecular structure of Caffeine is? You haven't ? Are you really really sure? Okay if you haven't then this sleek glass mug with the molecular structure of Caffeine is definitely not an ideal gift for you. It costs you $7.99 at ThinkGeek. Worth every cent if you are crazy over your your caffeine.

For those curious here is some trivia about Caffeine

Scientific Name: 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine or 3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione

Molecular composition: C₈H₁₀N₄O₂

Molecular Structure:
The Exact Pint

This beer beaker will give measure your pint to the T. It costs you only $6.99 at the ThinkGeek store. It is a plastic beaker (NOT GLASS) just incase you've had a pint too many. For the people on the British Isle, this may be a bit of a problem! The pint here is not in Brit measure, its the US measure; by this I mean, a pint is not 20 ounces but rather 16 ounces. All the same, Cheers!




Not your Ordinary Doormat

This rather unusual doormat is not something everyone will just walk over. I am sure the techie brain will easily decipher the WELCOME written on it in binary code. It costs about $39.99 at ThinkGeek.


USB - Chiller.

Something that'll go great with the Perfect beaker is this USB beverage chiller. Just plug it in, do some coding, once you are finished with one segment, you can pour your chilled beverage in the perfect beaker, just check if the company is honoring your trust by giving you 16ounces of juice and enjoy. This ingenious desktop luxury costs you a meager $29.99 from ThinkGeek.




System requires more Memory

This is a perfect gift for your forgetful friend. Give them some extra memory. I subtle reminder for them to REMEMBER. 1 GB RAM round your neck you will never forget anything. At $14.99, these are a steal. They also come with a pair of matching earrings.




Psycho re-invented

This classy knife stand is just perfect for a crazy man's kitchen. Stabby comes with 5 knives which sit in magnetised slots to keep them secure for $69.99 at ThinkGeek.




We hate Ties.

So do the people at ThinkGeek. Check out the binary brilliance on this neck wringer. The tie reads "ties suck" in it sophisticated way. It costs $24.99 and you know where to find it.



Swiss Army Key.

Have you ever been in a situation when you are out in the woods and apart from tin can opener a knife and bottle opener you had desperately desired a USB key to store all those brilliant photographs you'd taken of lion tailed macaque? No? Me neither. But this USB Key attachment to your Swiss Army knife will surely come in handy if you ever venture out of the virtual jungle to the real one. I don't see that happening in the near future, but whatever. The cost varies depending on the capacity of the USB key. You can find all this and more at the ThinkGeek Store.




Blow on the candles

Sick of using the conventional Candles on a romantic evening? The fumes make you nauseus, remove the zing out of the romance? Well you can try this new LED powered candle which flickers like the real thing, Not only does it give that brilliant glow, it also magically blows on. YES YOU READ IT RIGHT BLOWS ON!! For a mere $14.99 at the ThinkGeek, its a steal for a magical evening.




Circuit board coasters

When you have your cute little tea party with your scones and jam, I am sure you wished you had better table decor than the measely straw mat. This circuit board coasters add a little panache to your tea parties!

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Worried someone is stealing your content and feel like there is nothing you can do about it? Well there are several things you can do about your content online. For photographs, tag your website name or your name to the photograph you are adding online. You can do this using Paint or for more savvy users, photoshop or snag it.

For text content, you can add a copyright text on your site or have a cool banner like this one from Copyscape



They have a variety of styles to suit your site format. More importantly this will be a clear indicators for content thiefs to stay clear from your site.

For bloggers in particular, it is important that you understand online plagiarism is taken very seriously. It can also lead to termination of your account.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act is part of the US legislation. Google is a service provider which is an agent for notification of claims of infringement pursuant to Section 512(c) of the Copyright Act. Here is more clarification from Google's policy page

Most web publishers, don't mind others using their content as long as they provide a link to their site. Others require a disclaimer that clearly mentions, that this information is taken from such and such a site. The easiest way to find out is send them a message and hope they allow you to use their information.

I love reading online and have many a times taken information from other sites and used them as references, I have also provided links where due, please feel free to contact me if you feel that I have used your information without adequate reference to your site or require me to remove content, I will be more than happy to do so where applicable.

Moving on to another cool search from Google, ever had a brilliant idea that could change the world and you suddenly realised that some clever guy already had the same idea but he was smart enough to patent it?

Well the next time you get a bright idea you can search for it online on Google patents . As all Google products its in beta. I wanted to search for some random objects around the house and see how it has been patented, here is a list of what i searched for.

• Toothbrush
• Nail Polish brush
• Plastic bucket
• Ready made Sari

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It started with the pager which gave an irritating beeping sound in the middle of a lecture, then moved on to the crazy vibrations of the cell phone. Another electronic gizmo that has joined the ranks of "status e-tools" is the iPod. Apple's brilliant technology combined with excellent quality of sound and picture has been dominating the market. Microsoft tried to give Apple a run for its money using its product called ZUNE. Some of the features include WiFi, 30GB of HDD, built-in FM, a 3-inch screen and the basic music, pictures and video playback.

Zune marketplace is similar to the iTunes store with a huge variety of songs available to a Zune subscriber. Have a look at the websites. I feel the Zune website is dull and boring, its a little disappointing to see this product from the same people who made Vista (I am not a fan of Vista or anything - just feel that Microsoft can do much better than Zune) . On the other hand the Apple iTunes store has an awesome design and represents iPod's clean and easy to use look. I know now why their sales dropped drastically over the last month.

It costs around $249.99 which is 99 cents more than its Apple counterpart - A 30Gb iPod. All in all a good effort from the Software giant to nudge Apple from its top position. Zune gets the mighty fourth place in this category, falling below, Apple, Sandisk and Samsung. With the sales taking a nose dive this product might just be extinct in a few months time. Here is the ad for Zune - very very drab.

Oooh, before I forget, thanks Vims for the title - Very Apt!

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I'm feeling really festive and sentimental today, it's Christmas and there are no decorated Christmas trees, no Holly, no Wreaths and no Carols here at work, so I've decided its time for me to pimp up my blog in the true christmas manner. So here is a Christmas tree, a wreath and a holly.



And now for the Christmas music and carols, I came across this on many of my friends blog and wanted to add one of my own. Here is my favorite Christmas song.



And this is for Shanti.



Wondering where I got the link? RadioBlogClub. They have an awesome collection spreading from Rap to classical. If you have a music blog and want to show a sample of the song to your visitors, this is one resource that you will keep coming back to.

You can post one single song as above, or have a group of songs like below.







If you compare the first song and this set the first thing that you see is the color difference. Although the bottom looks like a list, its individual boxes just stacked one on top of the other.
If you are using the original format without changing the colours, it looks awesome on a black colour background. Thanks Moi for letting me use your blog for this.



"Just because it's Christmas - And at Christmas you tell the truth" - my review.
I like the fact that music you like can be added to your blog, I also like the variety and the type of music they have to offer. The look of the tool is sleek and isn't gaudy and in your face. However on the downside, there is no help available. A mouse-over box describing what the buttons do would really help. Some of the songs are really low quality, so I suggest you listen to the songs before you add them to your site. The site doesn't allow you to hold a format. So when you want to change the format for a few songs, you need to remember where in their colour box each colour is, there should be a save colour format option to make this better.

Overall, I like it, it could be better!

Moo Score: MOO and a C out of MOOOOO (2 and 1/2 out of 5)

My friend Nags has some additions to the review she says "I feel its not too useful to listen to music, the volume is not high enough and we cant navigate away from the page"

Post Script : For those wondering where they have heard "Just because it's Christmas - And at Christmas you tell the truth" before.......

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What do you get when you combine Windows Technology with some extremely cool GUI and a cool array of features? Vista! Windows Vista is the name of the latest release of Microsoft Windows, a line of graphical operating systems used on personal computers, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. Prior to its announcement on July 22, 2005, Vista was known by its codename Longhorn. There is endless speculation about how this software will revolutionize the business and home OS world.

According to Microsoft, Windows Vista contains hundreds of new features; some of the most significant include an updated graphical user interface and visual style dubbed Windows Aero, improved searching features, new multimedia creation tools such as Windows DVD Maker, and completely redesigned networking, audio, print, and display sub-systems.

Some user features.

Windows Aero: a new hardware-based graphical user interface, named Windows Aero – an acronym (possibly a backronym) for Authentic, Energetic, Reflective, and Open. The new interface is intended to be cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing than previous Windows, including new transparencies, animations and eye candy. Here are a few key features of Aero.

* translucent windows
* 3-dimensional perspective
* rich texture
* advanced color mixes
* animations

Here is a demonstration of how Vista looks



Windows Shell: The new Windows shell is significantly different from Windows XP, offering a new range of organization, navigation, and search capabilities. Windows Explorer's task pane has been removed, integrating the relevant task options into the toolbar. The address bar has been replaced with a breadcrumb navigation system.

The Start menu has changed as well; it no longer uses ever-expanding boxes when navigating through Programs. Even the word "Start" itself has been removed in favor of a blue Windows Orb.

Windows Search (also known as Instant Search or search as you type): significantly faster and more thorough search capabilities. Search boxes have been added to the Start menu, Windows Explorer, and several of the applications included with Vista.

Windows Sidebar: A transparent panel anchored to the side of the screen where a user can place Desktop Gadgets, which are small applets designed for a specialized purpose (such as displaying the weather or sports scores). Gadgets can also be placed on other parts of the Desktop, if desired.

Speech recognition is fully integrated into Vista. It is an improved version of Microsoft Speech Recognition currently working under Office 2003, with a better interface, a rich and flexible set of commands, and an extensive command-and-control capability to activate the computer by voice.

(The speech recognition feature has some glitches, see the video below)



But on a serious note - here is how it can work (without the ambient noise)- BRILLIANT!



To read about more features click here.

Hardware revolution with Vista.

This version of windows however requires a minimum of 512MB RAM to enjoy the Basic Windows Vista experience, if you'd like to run the advanced features such as Aero on your system, you need to buff it up to a system with a dual-core or Pentium-class processor and a minimum of 1GB or more of Dual Channel memory (two or more memory modules) or 512 MB of system memory PLUS a premium graphics card such as ATI or NVIDIA

Dell already has a range of systems compatible with Vista. Click here to see what kind of systems Dell is bringing out to make it compatible with Vista.


What this means to me?

Well to me it simply means that I will have to upgrade my PC or else like most things Microsoft, I will be out of support boundary. When Vista starts selling like hot cakes what will happen to XP and Windows 2003 etc? They all get buried into the past. I love the features, I really do but most of the features seem copied from here and there. The desktop gadgets feature seems like it was borrowed from Google Desktop features. The scroll windows etc seems to be taken from the Apple Mac.

There are several firefox extensions available which have some of these zoom features, scroll through the windows features etc. By incorporating all these things in Vista, Microsoft has handled the threat from Mozilla Firefox very well. Those who have Vista will now stick to Internet Explorer 7.

Windows XP was released and within a few months of release, MSN released SP 1 and then SP 2, I wonder how many service packs Vista will require. Hopefully none. This is the longest time taken by Microsoft to release an Operating system. All in all a great product. The market is waiting to get Vista loaded on to their systems. How well and how long Vista will run will depend on the users. As for me I will have to wait for some time till I can afford Vista, I may have to invest in a new system to support its advanced features. But that's okay I love XP.

Here is a link to a site where you can view Windows Vista.



Finally, here is an ad for Vista.




This review is without a score, Moo don't have any Money for Vista yet. So keep your eyes on this page. When I do, there will definitely be a Moo Score and an update in the review.

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Sense of humour and talent is something that is essential especially in the tech field. Without this companies like Google and Mac would be, just another company.

Google's "joke" of releasing Gmail on Fool's day hasn't stopped Gmail from being one of the largest Free mail service in the world.

Similarly, On April Fool's Day, 1976, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs released the Apple I computer and started Apple Computers. The Apple I was the first with a single circuit board used in a computer.

The first home computer with a GUI or graphical user interface was the Apple Lisa. The very first graphical user interface was developed by the Xerox Corporation at their Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in the 1970s. Steve Jobs, visited PARC in 1979 (after buying Xerox stock) and was impressed and influenced by the Xerox Alto, the first computer ever with a graphical user interface. Jobs designed the new Apple Lisa based on the technology he saw at Xerox.

Read more about Mac on www.about.com

Now coming back to the fun part, I love the festive season. Here is an ad by Mac that combines ingenious technology and a sense of humour...



Here are some more ads by Mac. Let me know what you think about them.

Oh, before I forget, this is my favorite.



MOO SCORE : MOOOO/MOOOOO (4/5)

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I checked the Google Blog today and saw one of my favorite Google tools has retired. It was your one stop for getting all your questions answered. From things like "I'm trying to sell my broken computer" to "Combustion of Octane"

So here is the place where you can ask the system extremely smart questions and rest assured you will receive an extremely smart answer. I used to spend hours on this on some sunny afternoons, not that I had specific questions to ask or anything, had nothing to do, but what the hell, it kept my wandering mind occupied. With questions like "What aparition doty was sequestered to a potty by a scaly stare so haughty?" who won't get hooked?

Bye Bye Google Answers...... We'll all miss you.

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Humans must colonize planets in other solar systems traveling there using "Star Trek"-style propulsion or face extinction, renowned British cosmologist Stephen Hawking said on Thursday.

Referring to complex theories and the speed of light, Hawking, the wheel-chair bound Cambridge University physicist, told BBC radio that theoretical advances could revolutionize the velocity of space travel and make such colonies possible.

"Sooner or later disasters such as an asteroid collision or a nuclear war could wipe us all out," said Professor Hawking, who was crippled by a muscle disease at the age of 21 and who speaks through a computerized voice synthesizer.

"But once we spread out into space and establish independent colonies, our future should be safe," said Hawking, who was due to receive the world's oldest award for scientific achievement, the Copley medal, from Britain's Royal Society on Thursday.

Previous winners include Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin.

I believe this is something we really need to consider, getting man on other planets. Now that we have experimented with one and taken it right to the dogs, lets see if we can do better the second time around. The "GAIA" concept of Earth as a living creature has always fascinated me. It is true it constantly replenishes itself and finds itself in a perfect balance between giving and taking, but humans somewhere tilt the scales towards their own side. Always taking - well what else can do they? They have nothing to offer this world.


I love the movie "Matrix". Here is Agent Smith's famous dialogue, being a hardcore environmentalist its one of my favorite dialogues in the movie.


Agent Smith: I'd like to share a revelation during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species. I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed. The only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You are a plague, and we are the cure.

Credit for the Hawking news - www.cnn.com

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