Google Maps now has traffic information as well

Even though I like MapQuest better than Google Maps (alternating routing is MapQuest’s major advantage), I do acknowledge the fact that Google Maps revolutionized the online mapping segment. Google just silently released a new feature, Traffic, to their Google Maps. You should be able to see a “Traffic” button on Google Maps if it’s available in your area.

Google Traffic is color coded. If you see RED, it means that there is less than 25 MPH traffic flow.  YELLOW means that there is 25–50 MPH traffic flow. GREEN means the traffic is flowing at more than 50 MPH. 

Initially, Google released this feature to San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Dallas, covering each region. Now they have released this feature for more than 30 major US cities.

Check it out, if it’s available in your area.

Technorati tags: Google, Google Maps, Google Traffic, Breaking News

Yahoo integrates Yahoo Messenger with Yahoo Mail Beta

Yahoo is in the process of releasing a killer feature on their Yahoo Mail (beta) platform, to integrate it’s ultra-famous Yahoo Messenger with Yahoo Mail. The way they are doing it makes it even neat. What that brings to user experience is that a single platform for both mail and messaging. Google tried that a while back but it wasn’t a huge hit with the users as Yahoo Messenger seems to still rule the instant messaging world.

I use Yahoo Messenger a lot and I love it. And then I use Yahoo Mail as well. So we are talking about 2 applications and so 2 windows on your precious Windows Taskbar real estate. With this integration you’ll be able to see the online status of your contacts from the Yahoo Mail and if they are online you can ping them to get them involved in a chat session. That will open up a new web tab within the Yahoo Mail window (this tab is not a browser tab, don’t get confused with that) and you can have a hierarchical view of the conversation. The neat thing about this whole thing is that you can convert the whole chat session into an email and have a record of what you said or embarrass your buddies, however you wanna’ do it.

This new service from Yahoo is not yet available to the whole public. The requirement is that you have to use their new Yahoo Mail Beta (not the traditional one) and keep your fingers crossed. If you see an online status icon next to your contacts name on the email then you are all set to chat within the context of Yahoo Mail.

Good luck.

tags: Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Mail Beta, Yahoo Messenger, Yahoo Mail and Yahoo Messenger Integration, Yahoo, New stuff from Yahoo

Flaw found in Office 2007

The consumer version of Office 2007, which launched only four weeks ago, is designed to withstand higher scrutiny by malicious code writers, as Microsoft subjected the software to code auditors as part of its security development lifecycle.

But researchers at eEye Digital Security found a file format vulnerability in Microsoft Office Publisher 2007, which could be exploited to let an outsider run code on a compromised PC.

“We were surprised we could find a flaw so quickly (after Office 2007 launched) and one that was part of their core products,” said Ross Brown, eEye’s chief executive.

An attacker could create a malicious publisher file, he said. Once the recipient opens the file, he or she could find the system infected and susceptible to a remote attack.

Researchers at eEye used a standard process of code auditing in discovering the vulnerabilities, Brown added. He noted that Microsoft either did not do a “good job” with its code auditing, or it may not have had enough people working on such a task.

Microsoft, meanwhile, said it is investigating eEye’s report of a possible vulnerability in Publisher 2007 and will provide users with additional guidance if necessary.

Executives at the software giant have recently said they expect security challenges to keep emerging, as an increasing number of devices connect to the Internet.

No public exploits have been reported in circulation for Publisher 2007 and, given Office 2007’s recent release, the flaw may hold little attraction for attackers who may wish to concentrate on software that is in greater distribution, eEye said.

Source

tags: Office, Microsoft, Microsoft Office 2007, Bug in Office 2007, Error, Bug

Interactive Map at Weather.com

I’m not sure how many of you use Weather.com but I do use it almost daily. I stress the word “daily”. Even though it’s not that accurate in getting the accurate weather information I still feel that it’s worth a service to check for every day.

Even though I like the service pretty much, I wasn’t been a big fan of their map (I like their “Map in Motion” a bit). Lately, without any headlines, they came up with a neat map, based on Microsoft’s Virtual Earth, that has some good sense of interactivity. You can drag the map as you do in Virtual Earth/Google Maps. They also have provided us with quite a bit of controls to control the map. Looks pretty good. If they could make sure that the projections they make are also accurate then this would be one “heck of a” service.

Check it out from here.

tags: News, Weather, Weather.com, New Feature, Interactive Map

Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 is available for free download

If you are into virtualization then you should give a good hard look into the Microsoft’s latest in the virtualization arena, Microsoft Virtual PC 2007. Microsoft just released Virtual PC 2007 and is available as a free download. Of course, you’d need a machine with some spare memory and hard disk space to handle the extra load of the virtual PC.

Here is what you need to install Virtual PC 2007 on these platforms,

Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition

64 MB – Memory

500 MB – Hard Disk Space

Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me)

96 MB

2 GB

Windows 2000 Professional

96 MB

2 GB

Windows XP Home Edition

128 MB

2 GB  

Windows XP Professional

128 MB

2 GB

Windows Vista Enterprise

512 MB

15 GB

Windows Vista Business

512 MB

15 GB

Windows Vista Ultimate

512 MB

15 GB

OS/2 Warp Version 4 Fix Pack 15, OS/2 Warp
Convenience Pack 1, OS/2 Warp Convenience Pack 2

64 MB

500 MB

Download it from here.

Technorati tags: Virtual PC, Virtual PC 2007, Virtualization, Microsoft, Free, Free Download

8 things you must do if your identity is stolen

Credit Score Tips and Advice blog has 8 important things you should do if your identity is stolen. We all hope that it should never happen that identity gets stolen but if you are plan for the worst you should read this and keep these points in mind. It even has the contact details for the 3 major credit reporting services. 

Here are the points at a glance,

• Call one of the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion)
• New accounts
• Inform the creditors
• Contact your local police
• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
• Change all of the passwords that you use online
• Driver’s license
• Keep records

For the full article, click here.

Technorati tags: Personal, Credit, Identity Theft, Stolen Identity, Credit History

MSN Soapbox is now public beta

You must not have noticed this but Microsoft just moved it’s YouTube competitor Soapbox service from private beta to public beta. So what does that mean to you and me? It means that they are done with a smaller user base testing and now they want to expand that user base to a larger scale. That’s a step forward.

Soapbox

Technorati tags: Soapbox, MSN, Microsoft, YouTube Competitor

GMail is now open to the public

Gone were the days where you have to wait for someone to send an invitation to create an account for Google’s best application so far, GMail. Google just announced that they are making GMail open for anyone to enroll without any invitations. Google Docs & Spreadsheets and Google Calendar and few other Google web applications are an added bonus that you can access with the GMail account.

Sign-up for a GMail account.

Technorati tags: Google, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Account

Why do we have bad breath in the morning?

Science guru Bill Nye explains that the flow of saliva slows down during sleep. As a result, mouths don’t get the same level of oxygen as they do while we’re active. This allows anaerobic bacteria, which don’t need oxygen, to thrive. “The waste products from these bacteria often contain sulfur — and those compounds of sulfur are what we smell.”

Onions are also nasty culprits of this type of bad breath because they contain sulfur. So limit your raw onion snacking habits, and you’re ahead of the game.

According to BreezeCare, there are additional causes for morning breath. Mucus in your nose can thicken while you sleep, and your tongue falls to the back of your throat — both of which provide welcome environments for anaerobic bacteria.

Treatments for bad breath abound, however the two common solutions are to brush your tongue to remove excess plaque, and the use of an antimicrobial mouthwash. Good luck, and may your breath be as fresh as a Tic Tac.

Source

Technorati tags: Tips and Tricks, Bad Breath, Hygiene, Why is

Virgin America flies high tech

You have to watch this video to see what Virgin America has to offer for the tech enthusiasts. I’m a bit confused about the mood changing lights. Whose mood it depends on? May be they should make it clear.

Here is the video,

If you are not able to see the YouTube player above you can click on this link to view the video.

Technorati tags: Virgin, Virgin Atlantic, Airline, Tech

20/20 Vision Explained

Visual acuity is expressed as a fraction. The top number refers to the distance you stand from the chart. This is usually 20 feet. The bottom number indicates the distance at which a person with normal eyesight could correctly read the line with the smallest letters. Normal vision is considered 20/20. If your vision is 20/40, the line you correctly read at 20 feet could be read by a person with normal vision at 40 feet.

If your optometrist says you have 20/60 vision, that means you are able to discriminate characters at 20 feet away from an eye chart that a person with normal acuity can see at a distance of 60 feet.

Of course, just because 20/20 vision is normal doesn’t mean it’s perfect. A small percentage of the population is blessed with vision better than 20/20, and just recently researchers unveiled corrective lens that offered vision.

Source

Technorati tags: Explanation, 20/20, Vision, Personal

iPhone Prices May Go Down

Apple Inc. will have plenty of room to eventually reduce the retail price of its upcoming iPhone, according to preliminary gross margin estimates by a market research company.The iPhone, the combination cell phone-iPod media player that Apple unveiled last week, will yield gross margins of more than 50 percent at the current set of retail prices, iSuppli Corp. said in an analysis of presumed component and manufacturing costs.

The 4-gigabyte version of the iPhone, with a retail price of $499, will cost Apple $245.83 to make, iSuppli estimated. The 8-gigabyte version, priced at $599, will cost Apple $280.83.

”With a 50 percent gross margin, Apple is setting itself up for aggressive price declines going forward,” said Jagdish Rebello, a director and principal analyst with iSuppli.

An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.

“Since Apple will face stiff competition in the cell phone market, the company may need to cut into its margins to reduce pricing in the future”, he said.

The Apple iPhone, which was announced by CEO Steve Jobs last week, will be available starting in June exclusively through AT&T’s Cingular Wireless. Apple has said it hopes to sell 10 million units in 2008, or about 1 percent of the market.

That goal ‘’seems attainable,” Rebello said.

Source: WindowsX

Technorati tags: iPhone, iPhone Price Reduction, Apple, Apple iPhone

What was the first thing ever sold on eBay?

Once upon a time, many wondered if a company like eBay would even work. Since then, the online auction house has silenced the doubters. — everything from fake vomit to Lamborghinis is just a click away. Ah, but of all those millions of sales, which was the very first?

EBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995. Though he’s now a billionaire (of course), Pierre started AuctionWeb (as it was then known) as a simple “side hobby.” In late ‘95, Pierre made history when he sold eBay’s first item — a broken laser pointer he had originally bought as a cat toy.

Amazingly, the buyer paid $14.00 for the kaput pointer. We imagine it was about this time Pierre realized he was on the cusp of creating something great.

Source

Technorati tags: eBay, Omidyar, First item on eBay, Interesting

Windows Vista Speech Recognition Hole

Microsoft has confirmed an issue with the Windows Vista Speech Recognition feature.

An issue has been identified publicly where an attacker could use the speech recognition capability of Windows Vista to cause the system to take undesired actions. While this is possible there are a number of factors that make this “attack” very hard to pull off.

In order for the attack to be successful, the targeted system would need to have the speech recognition feature previously activated and configured. Additionally the system would need to have speakers and a microphone installed and turned on. The exploit scenario would involve the speech recognition feature picking up commands through the microphone such as “copy”, “delete”, ”shutdown”, etc. and acting on them. These commands would be coming from an audio file that is being played through the speakers. Of course this would be heard and the actions taken would be visible to the user if they were in front of the PC during the attempted exploitation. It is not possible through the use of voice commands to get the system to perform privileged functions such as creating a user without being prompted by UAC for Administrator credentials. The UAC prompt cannot be manipulated by voice commands by default. There are also additional barriers that would make an attack difficult including speaker and microphone placement, microphone feedback, and the clarity of the dictation.

The flaw is being regarded by many as a non issue.

Technorati tags: Windows Vista, Bug, Speech Recognition, Microsoft

Milk is a Skin Miracle

Here is a natural resource that makes your skin look soft and beautiful. And it doesn’t cost you a fortune. Yahoo Food reports this and so many people have commented saying that they’ve tried this and it works great.

If Cleopatra indulged in all the beauty treatments attributed to her, she wouldn’t have had time to rule her empire, seduce Mark Antony, or learn Egyptian. But a girl’s gotta bathe, so the one skin-smoother she probably did rely on-milk baths-no doubt helped her bring Caesar and Mark to heel. Did Cleo know something we’ve forgotten? Actually, yes.

“Milk is a super soother for chapping, windburn, sunburn, eczema, and other skin irritations,” says New York dermatologist Amy Wechsler, MD. “It contains proteins (whey and casein), fat, amino acids, lactic acid, and vitamins A and D, all of which calm dry, upset skin.”

Dr. Wechsler suggests applying compresses dipped in cool milk for irritations like sunburn and eczema. But be sure to use whole milk; skim won’t do because it doesn’t contain fat, one of milk’s most soothing components. If compresses aren’t practical-say, you’ve managed to broil the backs of your legs on a beach getaway-a milk bath will give you some relief: Add 2 to 4 cups to a warm (not hot) tub and soak for 20 minutes. You can use powdered whole milk too. Sprinkle the amount of powder needed to make a quart of milk under the faucet as the water flows out.

Milky baths also soften skin, according to Wechsler. Milk’s lactic acid weakens the “glue” that lets dead, ready-to-be-shed cells stick to the skin’s surface, making it look dull and dry. Soak for 15 minutes, then give your body a gentle neck-to-toe scrubdown with a bath brush, loofah, or washcloth. This will slough off those dead cells, leaving skin smoother and softer.

Not quite sure about pouring a quart of milk into the tub? The beauty people have visited the dairy too. For instance, Fresh Milk Formula Bath Foam ($35 for 15.8 oz at www.sephora.com) contains milk as well as shea butter and glycerine. But if your skin is very irritated or totally winter-whipped, says Wechsler, try the real thing. It should leave your whole body feeling creamy.

Technorati tags: Health, Beauty, Skin, Tips, HowTo, Milk, Beauty Tip

Top 10 Foods for a Good Night’s Sleep

Everyone loves to have a good night sleep. But these days, with the kind of stress everyone is into, we all know that’s kind of a hard thing to get a good night’s sleep. Yahoo Food suggests these 10 foods for a good night’s sleep. Take a look.

Bananas. They’re practically a sleeping pill in a peel. In addition to a bit of soothing melatonin and serotonin, bananas contain magnesium, a muscle relaxant.

Chamomile tea. The reason chamomile is such a staple of bedtime tea blends is its mild sedating effect – it’s the perfect natural antidote for restless minds/bodies.

Warm milk. It’s not a myth. Milk has some tryptophan – an amino acid that has a sedative – like effect – and calcium, which helps the brain use tryptophan. Plus there’s the psychological throw-back to infancy, when a warm bottle meant “relax, everything’s fine.”

Honey. Drizzle a little in your warm milk or herb tea. Lots of sugar is stimulating, but a little glucose tells your brain to turn off orexin, a recently discovered neurotransmitter that’s linked to alertness.

Potatoes. A small baked spud won’t overwhelm your GI tract, and it clears away acids that can interfere with yawn-inducing tryptophan. To up the soothing effects, mash it with warm milk.

Oatmeal. Oats are a rich source of sleep – inviting melatonin, and a small bowl of warm cereal with a splash of maple syrup is cozy – plus if you’ve got the munchies, it’s filling too.

Almonds. A handful of these heart-healthy nuts can be snooze-inducing, as they contain both tryptophan and a nice dose of muscle-relaxing magnesium.

Flaxseeds. When life goes awry and feeling down is keeping you up, try sprinkling 2 tablespoons of these healthy little seeds on your bedtime oatmeal. They’re rich in omega-3 fatty acids, a natural mood lifter.

Whole-wheat bread. A slice of toast with your tea and honey will release insulin, which helps tryptophan get to your brain, where it’s converted to serotonin and quietly murmurs “time to sleep.”

Turkey. It’s the most famous source of tryptophan, credited with all those Thanksgiving naps. But that’s actually modern folklore. Tryptophan works when your stomach’s basically empty, not overstuffed, and when there are some carbs around, not tons of protein. But put a lean slice or two on some whole-wheat bread mid-evening, and you’ve got one of the best sleep inducers in your kitchen.

Try some of these and see if you can get those 8 hours sleepfully.

Technorati tags: Health, 10 foods for sleep, sleep, foods