Kara Media Corporation

Microsoft have released what appears to be a successor to Windows Defender, a revamped Windows Live OneCare with greater functionality. Microsoft Security Essentials is available to download for Windows XP and Windows Vista/7 32/64 bit editions, and provides Real Time virus scanning as well as Anti-Spyware protection. Upon installation (which validates the Windows OS), Windows Defender is deactivated (but can be turned on later if necessary) and MSE begins updating and scanning. I advise not using both MSE and Windows Defender together since two Real Time systems may conflict and result in false negatives.

Overall, the performance of MSE after a day of usage is very lightweight in terms of RAM usage, and the interface couldn't be simpler. Tests have shown reliable and sometimes more effective file treatment than products such as Symantec's Norton. I recommend the switch to MSE for users of other free antivirus software which have paid versions, such as AVG.

Alex Kara

Well, the judgment day is here. I'm blogging this in the short time I have before going out with friends again to celebrate, here are my results:

A Level Maths – A

A Level Computing – A

A Level Psychology – A

A Level Law – A

A Level Physics – B

Advanced Extension Award Psychology – Distinction

Advanced Extension Award Physics – Ungraded

My first U! I don't think anyone entered for AEA Physics actually passed, and it was extremely difficult, as I described before, which gives comfort I guess. Earlier, I mentioned I was going for AAAAC, but I seem to have met my A2 predictions exactly and got AAAAB! That Distinction in AEA Psychology is uplifting too.

This means I am going to Imperial College London to study a Master's in Computer Science!

Alex Kara

I don't usually post news of this type, but this is a good enough excuse to enter an academic frame of mind during the summer holidays. Students of A Level Law may remember the case of former agent David Shayler (2001), who claimed the general defence of Necessity after breaching the Official Secrets Act 1989 by disclosing information pointing to MI5's incompetence. He claimed that the information would trigger the MI5 in improving their practices and was necessary to better protect the public in future. After fleeing to France for some time and returning to England to face charges, the Court of Appeal ruled that there was no ascertainable risk to identifiable persons (there was merely ''some risk'' to ''some part of the public'' in ''future'') and Shayler was therefore denied the defence.

Mr Shayler has made another appearance in the news recently, and has this time been ordered to leave the property in which he is squatting in Surrey. He appears to have taken a contemptuous attitude towards the legal system and missed a legal hearing since he ''didn't see the point''.

Shayler, who now dresses as a woman calling himself Dolores and claiming on his website that he is the Messiah, appears to have taken an unfortunate turn for the absurd.

Alex Kara

Facebook has caused privacy concerns regarding user uploaded images once again after previously stating firmly that all uploaded images can be used as stock photography without credit to the uploader or permission. This is part of the privacy policy which is accepted upon creating an account. This time, Facebook has agreed to allow third party advertisers the use of uploaded images without permission.

A married woman's photo appeared in an advertisement for a dating service which her husband noticed. They took this with a sense of humour, but the general public are not amused at the privacy violation which ensued. Although the privacy policy states that all intellectual property still belongs to the user, it also allows Facebook to use it however they wish.

The main problem is the applications which are integrated into the profiles of the users (quizzes, games, crush predictions), which the user may forget to later remove after posting their results. By accepting the application, authorisation to access all details is given (unless explicitly stated otherwise in the settings), and since the applications are not removed, this authorisation remains indefinitely. Facebook users can counter against this by remembering to remove applications such as quizzes after they are completed (Applications > Edit Apps > X icon) and by preventing their name from being used in advertisements. (Settings > Privacy > News Feed and Wall > Facebook Ads > Appearance in Facebook Ads > ''no one'')

Some applications, however, violate the terms further by caching the data they are authorised to access, potentially giving them wide scope to harvest personal details and images. Some users report their images being used on external sites outside Facebook.

My advice will be not to install applications which may seem suspicious or have very low star ratings, and to remove small applications such as quizzes after the results have been posted, so as not to allow the creator of the application (and the application itself) further access to your details. I am on the extreme side which almost always removes applications after their usage, doesn't join groups or become fans of pages, and takes caution in accepting requests. This limits the visible scope of my personal information.

Alex Kara

Vkhh hmmgdk ckpk, D'i vpdsdjb dj ednckpskws abadj! Ykq, D tjxkpsmmg sck Jasdmjah Ednckp Ecahhkjbk svdek mukp sck haqs svm ykapq ajx eaik rmpsy scdpx kaec sdik. Emdjedxkjek mp Hteg? Pkbapxhkqq, D'i tjxkpbmdjb a skqs ecahhkjbk mukp scdq qtiikp sm gkkn iy idjx qcapn, ckjek scdq skws! Sck qtiikp'q lkkj rtj qm rap, vdsc rpkotkjs mtsdjbq rmp rdhiq mp pkhawdjb vdsc rpdkjxq. D'uk ahqm bms iy npmudqdmjah hdekjek ajx ai sagdjb sck xpdudjb sckmpy skqs smimppmv. Rtjjdhy kjmtbc, ahscmtbc lkdjb ukpy ajsd Annhk, D vmj sdegksq sm sck dStjkq Rkqsduah svdek! (Vkjs mj 6/7/09 ajx 12/7/09, nkpcanq emthx bm impk dr D'i htegdkp qsdhh!) Qdjek scdq skws dq kjepynskx, D scdjg D iay aq vkhh ikjsdmj scas D'x hmuk sm bm mj sck xay vckpk Qmncdk Khhdq Lkwsmp vdhh lk npkqkjs, caca...

Alex Kara – Consider a monoalphabetic substitution with the keywords found in this line...

It's all over. 16 exams, all completed. From D1 Maths to the Physics Advanced Extension Award, I am now free, and I leave this spectacular exam season with one thought – I would do it all again. The pressure was highly addictive, and I miss the exams already. The whole season from the 20th of May to the 23rd of June has been a cycle of doing well/faltering in parts, but has ended on a high. I entered the season with January results of AAABBCC with intent on raising some of those grades to contribute to my overall A2s.

Commentary on all my exams:

20-05-09: (1/16)

Maths D1 went quite well, most likely better than in January, hopefully increasing the B to an A in the 90% region.

21-05-09: (3/16)

Physics Unit 2 was very good, potentially boosting the low A from January.

Physics Unit 3 could have been better. Most likely it increased the C to a B.

04-06-09: (First A2 exams – 5/16)

Computing Unit 4 was brilliant – I confidently answered an assembly question with the others.

Computing Unit 5 was not bad, but I did forget two of the three levels of a DBMS, losing 2 marks.

09-06-09: (Week 1 of pressure – 6/16)

Psychology Unit 4 was horrible. I overlooked one topic which came up as the third 24 mark question, for which I wrote mostly irrelevant things, but the other two answers should salvage a pass grade here, such that hopefully the coursework and the AS safety net would prevent this from affecting my overall A grade. After this day, the pressure was on, since I now had to do well in Psychology Unit 5. This horrible start to the exams of this week did not do well for my motivation.

10-06-09: (Halfway – 8/16)

Physics Unit 4 was not bad, average performance, perhaps a slight improvement from January's C.

Physics Unit 5 was straight after, and I did well on the Astrophysics questions (especially regarding telescopes of the Cassegrain arrangement), not bad on the radioactivity, and faltered slightly on resolving power in optical physics.

11-06-09: (9/16)

Maths C3 did not start well when I ran into factorisation problems, but I was content with my answers. I did, however, realise that I made a division by zero error in one of the exponential questions, giving ln[1] as a solution where this would be a divisor. I forgot that ln[1] = 0, but it seems that ln[1] was one of the acceptable answers anyway, so I'm unsure as to what happened there.

15-06-09: (Week 2 of pressure – 11/16)

Psychology Unit 5 kick-started this week of two exams per day for two days, one day break and then one exam each day with a fantastic performance in Unit 5. I wrote work I could be proud of, and filled up 13 pages in 2 hours – discussing Psychopathology (the mood disorder of depression, OCD, Schizophrenia), arguing why psychology ought to be considered a science, and applying psychological approaches to explain the scenario given. I believe this made up for my potential failure in Unit 4 on the 9th, so I still had a chance at everything!

Maths C4 was in the afternoon on this day, and I enjoyed this much more than I did C3. The last question was pretty vicious, combining integration through parametric equations with volumes of revolution, but it was not impossible to solve. I was happy with my performance here.

16-06-09: (13/16)

Criminal Law was first thing in the morning, for which I had to have memorised roughly 300 cases. I had done no such thing, but luckily for me, Theft came up in the questions, for which I had memorised the statute pretty well. I did the Theft questions to a good standard, but the first 50 mark question regarding Causation threw me a lot. I'd need roughly 60/120 in this exam to maintain my A grade, but judging on my performance, it looks doubtful. With a bit of luck, however, this could pull through – especially if I were to fix this failure on the 19th when I retake the Law on Duress (for which I got a low A in January) and get higher.

Physics Synoptic Unit 10 was the afternoon exam on this day, and after having quickly expended any Law knowledge from my head and replaced the free space with Physics knowledge, I feel I did well considering the circumstances. Most, if not all, of the questions were answerable, contrary to what I expected, but I do not expect a brilliant grade for this exam regardless. There was a question regarding a piezoelectric accelerometer which was very unusual to me, which I figured out how to solve after the exam.

18-06-09: (14/16)

Psychology AEA was not something you could revise for (as with all Advanced Extension Awards, which give new material designed to test the top 10% of the A grade students of the same subject at A level). AEAs are always 3 hours in length, and often require only 50/100 to pass and 60/100 to obtain a distinction. This gives some idea as to how difficult they are, as they often intend to test synoptic ability. I wrote 14 pages for this exam and loved every bit of it. It felt much more synoptic than Unit 5 of the A level, which was very fun itself. It would be nice to hold an AEA in Psychology, and it doesn't seem too impossible from my performance (I hope at least).

19-06-09: (15/16)

Law (Duress) concluded this week of intense pressure, and I felt I did well. I remembered all the relevant cases with ease. It appears that I am more able to remember cases on a specific topic in Law rather than a general range of all topics, hence doing better in this exam than in the general Criminal Law. As in the Psychology papers, this was a subject which involved a failure in one unit and a fantastic performance in another, but the question which remains to be answered is whether this performance was enough to offset the failure in the Criminal Law paper. In the Psychology A level, I ruined the exam which was out of 90 and did well in that which was out of 120. The situation is slightly reversed here, doing well in that which is out of 80 and ruining that which is out of 120 (needing 60 to keep the A).

23-06-09: (16/16)

Physics AEA was the concluding exam to the entire season for me, and was held on the same day as the Further Maths FP3 unit, putting arguably the two hardest exams in existence at college level on the same day. This exam threatened to end the season on a low, and I expected no good performance here, but I actually feel I did okay, contrary to expectations of not being able to answer anything. Questions included those only worth 4 marks asking the ''distance between molecules of air in the room you are in'', leaving the assumptions of data such as room temperature in Kelvin, dimensions of the room and atmospheric pressure to be made. I did quite okay, but I fear I may have narrowly missed the pass mark. There was (as in the Unit 10 Synoptic paper) a question regarding an accelerometer once more, but this time much more complex. I think I have developed a dislike for accelerometers.

After every day, exams on the previous day seemed like they were a week ago. It has been a spectacular season and I look forward to my results. Of course at the same time, I worry about them, but we can only hope for the best. Having taken this season ''one day at a time'', I am now finished at Richmond Upon Thames College after having had a wonderful 2 years there, and can safely say that I am one of the few people to have passed five completely different A levels. I can now happily relax and fully enjoy the holidays!

Alex Kara

Microsoft's upcoming Windows 7 Operating System will include, for Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate Editions, an integrated Virtual Machine (of which details are still unknown – perhaps similar to Virtual PC 2007) with a fully licensed copy of Windows XP SP3. Contrary to typical virtualization methods used by Virtual PC, Windows 7 will support Hardware Virtualization, and will be able to launch windows in an XP environment alongside others running natively in Windows 7.

This feature, dubbed XPM (XP mode), will allow programs installed under the XP environment to be accessible under Windows 7 via an Application Compatibility Layer. With this feature, Windows 7 will not only have 100% compatibility with Windows Vista legacy programs due to implementing the same Kernel, but will have potentially 100% compatibility with Windows XP legacy programs too. More information can be found in the Windows Team Blog.

Since the end of the Windows 7 BETA, Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 has been released, with a multitude of new features, including InPrivate Browsing, Accelerators and Web Slices. Speed has greatly enhanced since Internet Explorer 7, and I advise people to upgrade and start exploring and enjoying the new features as I've done.

Alex Kara

Well, April 10th has passed, and I have reached the milestone age of 18! It was probably one of the few 18ths where alcohol was completely non-existent, but that can be attributed to some form of rebellion on my part. A friend of mine presented me with the world class research software Mathematica 7, keeping me busy performing tests and pondering over the P vs NP problem. Otherwise, I've kept a good balance between going out with friends and studying this half term. Exam season begins in less than 33 days at the time of writing, and ends after 16 exams, two of which are AEA subjects in Psychology and Physics, which will be the last exam on the 23rd of June, rendering me free for the summer holiday afterwards!

Academically, my AS results have been boosted due to retakes I sat in January. They now meet the predictions I was given, AAAAB (with the B in Physics), and the non retakes contributing to the A2 were quite satisfactory, with 3 As, 2Bs and 2Cs. My AS safety net keeps my upper bound target at five As, and without sitting the next exams at all, the lower bound prevents failure - I have already passed and hold five A Levels! I remain quite envious of the new first years, since they are not only undertaking new syllabi, but they also have the potential to attain the newly introduced A* grade. If it was introduced for us second years, I'd already have seven! A nice balance, however, is how top University requirements go up to accommodate this change (e.g. A*AA). Regardless, I need to average Cs in my June exams to get As overall for my A2. Four As will allow me to meet my firm offer for University, so we'll see how it goes!

Alex Kara

Whilst watching a film regarding Nuclear Fusion in my Physics lesson today, I was astounded by the experimental potential of the machines which would pave the way to the energy source of the future. When I came home to find Slashdot's news feed report that one of the machines mentioned in the video had been completed and had made a successful test run, I certainly had to mention it here.

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) has built the world's largest laser, consisting of two arrays of 96 lasers each, directed by mirrors and superimposed to create a large square beam from the 192 lasers involved. The laser, delivering more than 60 times the energy of any laser system previously built, will  be directed to a small central target, in which temperatures greater than 100 million degrees and pressures 100 billion times the Earth's atmosphere will be generated. These conditions, similar to those in the center of stars such as our Sun (a natural fusion reactor), are ideal for Nuclear Fusion to occur.

NIF have published a report regarding their progress, and appear ready to start investigating the possibilities of self sustaining Fusion as a commercial energy source. The Joint European Torus (JET) are also working on Fusion by way of manipulating plasma with superconducting magnets within a torus. Nuclear Fusion merely requires Deuterium as a fuel, which is plentiful in water since it's a naturally occurring isotope of Hydrogen. At temperatures similar to those in the center of the Sun, atoms are stripped of their Electrons, and Protons are accelerated and brought together such that the fundamental Electromagnetic Force is overcome by the fundamental Nuclear Strong Force. This causes the protons to fuse, making the nuclei unstable and releasing Neutrons high in kinetic energy, which will one day be harnessed to produce commercial energy. A thorough explanation of the process is given in this video.

Very simply, Nuclear Fusion will bring the power of the stars to our Earth, providing an extraordinary solution to the global warming crisis due to its clean nature (the fuel is practically water, exhaust is nonexistent), and producing unprecedented amounts of energy for future technological development and experimentation.

Alex Kara

The technological community were amazed at Microsoft's 2009 TechFest Conference when they saw the latest upcoming Microsoft Research technologies, and personally, I can't wait to see some of these let loose to the public, especially since I'll most likely be on the forefront when they're all released, sharing the experience with other Computer Scientist undergraduates at University!

Among the technologies underway are the following:

• Microsoft Core Tools for Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality is the concept of adding digital components to real video information. Microsoft showcases how Augmented Vision software implemented in mobile devices can help change the way we see the world. One potential use is an electrician pointing a device with a camera at a wall and having the circuitry behind the walls superimposed on the device's image of the wall, helping boost detection and mapping accuracy. A simple implementation has been proposed for quick introduction to the public.

• Microsoft Surface Sphere

Microsoft Surface is an exciting initiative by Microsoft which aims to turn anything tangible into a potential Human Input Device. Starting with the Surface Table, Microsoft dazzled the community with the intuitive use of the multi-touch technology involved. The Sphere is Microsoft's intriguing attempt at providing a 3D concept version of Surface, justifying the slight impracticality by mentioning how since ''this was the most challenging surface possible, if they could get it working on that, they could get it working on anything.'' In addition to anything tangible, Microsoft SecondLight is another Surface technology which will receive human input from the air, recognizing characters in the form of gestures.

• Microsoft PhotoSynth for Video

I've been following the story of Microsoft PhotoSynth quite eagerly in this blog, as depicted in this past post, and Microsoft now intend to extend the functionality to video. Using many videos (opposed to many photos in the current version) of an event/object, a central server would use locations of senders and image recognition algorithms to piece together a large scene for a greater field of view representing the entire area in a larger resolution.

• Microsoft Social Desktop

Social networking has fast become a must have for people everywhere, and Microsoft notice that many networking media exist. This is why the intention of Microsoft Research when they proposed Social Desktop was to integrate the web and PC in such a way that sharing or updating networks from the desktop becomes seamless. Using Silverlight technology (previously discussed), files can be made available from URLs, shared to social networks or to friends temporarily or permanently. Files are stored via Microsoft's Cloud Computing platform, Windows Azure.

• Microsoft GeoLife 2.0

GeoLife is a social networking service based on Virtual Earth which uses location histories of members to build profiles and analyze potential friends based on areas they intend to move to, have lived in, and share common factors with (such as interests, etc). The system will keep track of members via GPS and has unparalleled potential. The research paper is available to be read by the public. Microsoft's social networking tools are also undergoing a change, with computational machine learning theory, social learning theory and various mathematical game theory concepts being applied to accurately determine who is (or should be) connected to whom, and what inferences can be drawn from existing networks.

• Microsoft Image-Centric Advertising Platform

Not so much for consumers, this platform will change the way advertisements are served, by replacing keyword relevance with image relevance. Viewers of a page may see advertisements based on the content of images they upload or interact with.

In addition to all these exciting upcoming technologies, I've been using existing releases for quite some time and ought to recommend them also. Microsoft Live Labs have released Live Mesh, which is a fantastic tool that sets up a virtual network between personal computers and provides an online space of 5GB. Shared folders between Windows Live ID holders can also be set up, which synchronize even when a user is offline (due to files being uploaded to the cloud first). Also using this concept of being able to access shared files from any terminal is Microsoft Office Live Workspace, which includes the Office Live Add-in, a plugin to Microsoft Office 2003/2007 which allows saving files to the online workspace effortlessly. Another Office related tool is the Microsoft Office Outlook Connector, which allows Outlook to synchronize with your Windows Live Mail account in a familiar interface. Microsoft SharedView is another absolute must, which provides Remote Desktop/Assistance style features via the Windows Live ID system, allowing a participant to share their screen and present to others. Finally, for those interested in Astrophysics/Astronomy, the Microsoft WorldWide Telescope is a must, turning a computer into a virtual telescope, mentioned here. Of course, a high speed connection is required, but this provides real, fascinating imagery of space from NASA and various satellites.

I hope the general public looks into the software mentioned here and keeps a watchful eye on Microsoft's Research Labs. Windows 7 (formerly codename Vienna, mentioned earlier) isn't too far away either... Share the excitement!

Alexander Karapetian

Lately, there's been quite a lot of biologically oriented news, especially of the genetic kind. The Fertility Institutes have revolutionised the present day by boldly offering couples the ability to screen their embryos for various traits, including eye colour, hair colour and complexion. Described as only the tip of the iceberg of their research outcomes, this has and will continue to help couples not only develop children who are resistant to diseases, but also allow them the opportunity to customize and perfect them to their desires.

Slashdot's article describes couples around the globe ''flocking in droves to pay the company their life savings for a custom baby'', but also outlines the moral and ethical issues raised from this breakthrough. To such complainers, the advice given is that ''like it or not, the era of designer babies is officially here'', and I am inclined to agree and praise the scientific research which resulted in this and set new standards for the future. The institute has had a 100% success rate in gender selection thus far, and remains a trustworthy source of research which paves the way to customizing embryos in whole new ways.

I look forward to seeing how these services begin to be mass implemented and/or advertised.

Alex Kara

When a couple's dog, Lancelot, died due to cancer, they decided to participate in an auction which took place in Northern California's Biotech firm, BioArts International. The highest bidder would participate in the ''Best Friends Again'' project, in which conventional methods are used to develop clones of dogs. $155,000 was all it took for the couple to be presented with "Lancelot Encore", the cloned version of their dog. The couple reports that Encore fit in with the other animals in a matter of hours, bears great resemblance to Lancelot, and displays similar behaviour patterns.

This service, although expensive for the time being, bears great resemblance to the business ''RePet'' portrayed in action movie ''The 6th Day'' starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, where pets were cloned in case they passed away. Controversially, it was suggested in the film, that if this technology existed, there also existed the capability to clone humans after birth. The problem with correlating this to real life, however, is that the accelerated growth techniques required to obtain an effectively cloned mature human, and a means of imaging and reproducing the brain exactly to retain memories, experience and knowledge cannot be obtained under our current technological circumstances. The couple's cloned dog, Encore, does not have any memories of the host, Lancelot, from which the genes were provided.

We should, however, acknowledge that Science is evolving such that the situation is reduced to a simple matter of time. Complete imaging of the brain and reproduction of the image in new client bodies accelerated in growth is a conquerable challenge, which once achieved, will potentially prevent the need for death to result in a loss of life. At present, the Human Reproductive Cloning Act 2001 governs the development of research in this field at the moment, and licences to perform experiments are distributed with discretion in order to comply with public policy.

It will be interesting to witness how the English Legal System handles the ethical issues pressure groups may raise when this technology and theory becomes available to us.

Alex Kara

Microsoft cleverly announced that they would have a fix for the recent 30GB Zunes breaking down ‘within 24 hours’ but as many have already figured out, the bug was caused by the leap year. Recovery was done by draining the batteries of the Zune and restarting it after 1 January 2009 12:00pm. Without an update patching the firmware, this bug will occur again in 4 years, since the conditions that triggered it will be present once more. The Toshiba Gigabeat S is apparently affected by the same bug, and the Zune 30 was based on this (co-developed by Microsoft with Toshiba).

It’s 2009! Happy New Year, may 2009 bring prosperity to all!

In just a week, the January exam season begins! So good luck to everyone about to throw themselves into the deep end for the penultimate time (June exams to go also!), and to those awaiting decisions from Universities!

Alex Kara

People are waking up on the longest day of the year, (86,401 seconds) to find that their 30GB Zune models are bricked. Slashdot reports the sudden cease of operation in Zunes worldwide, causing confusion and fears over Microsoft’s motives.

The public speculate an intent to brick all 30GB Zunes on this date in order to promote upgrading to a more expensive version, but this is likely to be due to more innocent circumstances, taking into account 2008 was a leap year with a leap second, a more controlled version of Y2K, or Z2K9 as dubbed by online communities may have occurred.

Symptoms include not being able to play music, the Zune locking up immediately when connecting to a PC, and performing a Hard Reset to no avail. The Zunes worldwide began to exhibit these symptoms simultaneously at 31 December 2008, 00:00 EST, where they entered the boot screen and began their state of zero functionality. Microsoft issued a statement explaining that this was a hardware fault to which a solution is currently underway.

The important issue is not to panic or let this affect our opinions of Microsoft, although our precious 30GB Zunes are currently disabled, we can take time to enjoy the other quirks of life besides music. I trust Microsoft will have a solution ready for 2009, and I will be blogging on the matter should it provide more news.

Alex Kara

Amongst the notable events of 2008 lies the decision by Earth’s Timekeepers to add a Leap Second before 2009 begins. The last leap second was added on December 31st, 2005. This is done to account for minor inconsistencies in the Earth’s non uniform axis rotation speed with causes explained here.

The extra second will be added on December 31st, 2008 at 23:59:60, making this year exactly one second longer. Will this cause problems for the countdown to New Year?

It’s hardly Y2K, but surely exciting enough to be noteworthy. I look forward to delaying my “Happy New Year!” by one second.

Alex Kara

Microsoft has recently released a new service regarding a product which I've been keeping my eye on for about two years, and the time has come to shower it with popularity. Microsoft PhotoSynth has been developed through collaboration between Microsoft's Live Labs and the University of Washington, and has been featured in CSI: NY

PhotoSynth is a program which takes a collection of images about a point or place of interest and simulates a 3D environment using algorithms which compare similarities between photos, stringing together an interface with intense navigational capability using the images of the collection. Synths have been produced for select organizations, such as NASA. The existing Synths are viewable at Microsoft's PhotoSynth.net.

At first, PhotoSynth was a project involving an upcoming pre-Alpha Tech Preview which allowed people to experience existing Synths from their browser. Since, it has evolved into a fully fledged project featuring what seems to be a release for the full service. It involves installing the browser plugin compatible with Internet Explorer 6/7 and FireFox and the desktop client which signs you in using a Windows Live ID and publishes your Synths online and publicly visible. For the algorithms to operate at an optimal level, the photos should not be processed in any way prior to upload, but can be of differing qualities and dimensions.

The concept of the Synths being stored online introduces problems with connectivity. The PhotoSynth engine, however, is delivered through another Microsoft Live Labs Project titled SeaDragon, which preserves bandwidth by showing you only details and pixels which you need to see at the time. One of the SeaDragon promises include being able to separate the speed of navigation from the size or total number of items to be navigated.

I have yet to create my own Synth, since I am hindered in the way that I've no camera yet (old one broke, haven't replaced since). I do however look forward to this service becoming a product where the Internet connectivity factor is removed and Synths can be created, stored and viewed offline. Until then, use and enjoy!

Alex Kara

Well, the Ides of August have passed, and I got my AS Exam Results! I once again took the envelope to a place where I could view the results alone (and by this I mean to the extent where I could see nobody in the distance) and paused in quite a melancholic manner for some time before putting together the courage to open the envelope. I'll keep this short:

A - Pure Math/Mechanics

A - Computing

A - Law

B - Psychology

C - Physics

Now, I can live with the Physics being such, because I did not do well at all in either of the exams nor my coursework, but the Psychology modular results I got were A-A-D, which resulted in that overall B. I shall certainly be retaking that last module in January and going for AAAAC (that is, if I'm allowed to continue with all five subjects).

Hopefully in some time I shall decide to buy myself a new HP Pavilion (I just got an Expansion Base for the one I said I'd get in my post about my GCSE results and have now). I'll be going for the HP Pavilion HDX, aka ''Dragon''. The upcoming terms will be a lovely challenge for me if I do indeed continue with five subjects, or even if not (I'm prepared to rid myself of any possibility of an awful Physics grade), and material (well, technological) goods seem to be playing a good part in my motivation, so I shan't be cutting off the supply anytime soon!

-Alex Kara

As mentioned in the previous post, CERN is in the process of building a Large Hadron Collider which is a particle accelerator intended to test Stephen Hawking's theories and possibly create small black holes on Earth in the 16 mile long network of underwater pipes.

Legal action in the form of lawsuits have been brought involving the US Department of Energy, The National Science Foundation, and CERN to prevent the use of the Large Hadron Collider until its safety has been reassessed. It should be easy to imagine the potential devastation which would occur should a black hole be created and handled incorrectly.

Scientists explain possible scenarios which could threaten the stability of the Earth, hence giving the name ''Doomsday Lawsuit'' to this legal action. The singularity of the created black holes are the main cause of the apocalyptic association with CERN's experiment, while Strangelets are another problem. Strangelets convert other matter into Strangelets when they contact with atoms, which would cause a serious chain reaction. Another similar possibility is the creation of magnetic monopoles which also convert matter.

On April 6th, CERN will allow the public to visit the Particle Accelerator.

This will allow the targeting of questions raised regarding the procedure and perhaps enable the public to see why taking such a risk (if there is one) is important in testing the latest theories of physics.

Alex Kara

The concept of time travel is fast becoming a reality, with Russian Mathematician Igor Volovich forecasting the world's most powerful Particle Accelerator as having the potential to make 2008 into Year Zero.

The year in which time travelling capabilities becomes established will be labelled Year Zero, since it will be the earliest time all future entities will be able to return or transmit messages to. Since no portal or capabilities will have existed prior to Year Zero, there would be no way to return to previous times. It is only possible to travel back in time to the first stable wormhole.

The Large Hadron Collider fires protons at each other at the speed of light to create a disturbance. It is so forceful that it has the potential to tear a hole in time and space, effectively opening a wormhole which, if stabilised, will allow transmissions (data or entities) from the future to arrive. The device is being upgraded to accommodate this feature and is marked for completion in May 2008.

Alex Kara

Microsoft has recently bid $44.6 Billion to purchase Yahoo. As a result, the stock price of Yahoo has increased dramatically. Microsoft have attempted to make offers since 2006, and agreements including the standardisation of MSN and Yahoo E-mails to be used in Windows Live Messenger helped fuel the process.

The largest bid Microsoft has made so far was at the time Aquantive was purchased for $6 Billion in 2007. This Yahoo deal will be the largest yet. Since the two companies in question are so large and the money so serious, the deal would require approval by US and EU authorities before it can be accepted.

I approve of this, although do believe the money could be spent more effectively, but as long as Microsoft continually expand, I and others at Kara Media Corporation remain content with Microsoft efforts.

Alex Kara

Windows Live has introduced a new facility to accommodate users with more than one E-mail address belonging to the Windows Live ID system. Dubbed a  ''Windows Live Linked ID'', users will be able to systematically link all of their accounts together to allow fast switching or sending E-mails from one account while signed in to another.

Visit the Windows Live ID account page to set up this service. Simply, you type the E-mail and password to add, and it will be available in the top right corner of every Windows Live page via a drop down list. Note, however, that anyone with access to at least one of the accounts will be given full access to all accounts via either of the passwords. Only Link your Live IDs if you have absolute control over them.

Also, if any of the accounts are set for their passwords to expire within 72 days, all account passwords linked to them will need to be changed as well. Start using this service and enjoy!

Alexander Karapetian

Windows Live is changing.. Live services have been modified to allow installation from a central source - The Windows Live Installer.

Windows Live Installer groups all of the available Windows Live services and allows downloading from a single interface. The installer will create a new folder in C:/Program Files called Windows Live, and place the Installer Dashboard within. It bundles the following optional software:

· Windows Live Sign In Assistant

The Sign In Assistant allows simplistic login to Windows Live services on the web, providing a Windows XP login type screen for web based Live ID credentials. The Sign In Assistant has been upgraded to support Windows Live Linked IDs.

· Windows Live Messenger

Messenger 8.5 is available for download, with a fresh new Windows Vista style interface. This is installed into the Windows Live base folder, making the long awaited transition away from the MSN Messenger folder within Program Files.

· Windows Live Writer

Writer is a program that interacts with online blogs, including Windows Live Spaces. This very post was created with Writer. Writer has several innovative features making blog posting easier and allowing full commitment to an online blog. Writer is installed in the Windows Live base folder and includes a spell checker and the option to save drafts.

· Windows Live Mail Desktop

Mail Desktop is intended to be a direct replacement to Windows Mail of Vista (Microsoft's progression from Outlook Express 6). Mail Desktop will finally allow the checking of E-mail from Hotmail via a standalone client on the host computer. This service was otherwise premium through Microsoft Office Outlook.

· Windows Live Toolbar

The Toolbar integrates with Internet Explorer and provides access to Writer, Messenger, Spaces and many more features with a series of downloadable buttons. The Windows Live Toolbar Suite was given an extremely high rating by Alex Kara previously. Search the Windows Live Gallery for more information.

· Windows Live Photo Gallery

The Photo Gallery acts as a substitute for Microsoft Office Picture Manager, providing Windows Live specific features for maximum interaction with other Live software. This program can handle images and provide basic manipulation and editing.

· Windows Live Family Safety

Family Safety is an introduction to Parental Controls via Live IDs. Parents can now use their Windows Live IDs to monitor or restrict their children's browsing activities for security. This system cannot be abused and users must be 18 years or over to be eligible to use this service. This will install in the Windows Live base folder and will begin restricting the system upon installation. If not required, uncheck the option to install this.

Alex Kara rates the improved Windows Live Installer and the Dashboard interface a 4/5. There were some installation problems, especially if older versions of the mentioned programs were found. Closing other programs and repeating the installation fixed the errors.

Alexander Karapetian

IJUPB MMXIP DBOSF BEUIJ TDJQI FSUFY UJXBT JOTQJ SFEUP XSJUF JOUIJ TNBOO FSTJO DFJWF CFFOU BLJOH QBSUJ OBOBU JPOBM DJQIF SDIBM MFOHF BOEUI FFGGP SUOFF EFEUP EFDJQ IFSFB DIDIB MMFOH FJTSF BMMZR VJUFE FNBOE JOHJN BZOPU IBWFN FOUJP OFECV UJBNT UBZJO HPGGN TONFT TFOHF SVOUJ MUIFU IJSEP GOPWF NCFSB OEJNM PPLJO HGPSX BSEUP DPNJO HCBDL CVUBU UIFTB NFUJN FJBNH MBEJW FIBEB CSFBL BOECF FOBCM FUPTU VEZJO NZTQB SFUJN FBOEN BOZUI JOHTB SFQSP HSFTT JOHXF MMTVD IBTNZ MFTTP OTJOD PMMFH FBOEU IFQSP EVDUJ WJUZP GUIJT NTOTQ BDFJT CPPNJ OHCVU JBMTP BOUJD JQBUF SFUVS OJOHU PDPNN VOJDB UFXJU INZGS JFOET BOEBE EJOHU IFOFX QFPQM FJHPU BDRVB JOUFE XJUIU PNFTT FOHFS JOPSE FSUPH FUUPL OPXUI FNBMM NPSFC VUUIJ TJTBM MJXJM MXSJU FGPSO PXBOE JGZPV EFDJQ IFSFE UIJTD PSSFD UMZQM FBTFM FBWFN FDPNN FOUTT PJDBO EFDJE FXIFU IFSUP DPOUJ OVFXS JUJOH JOUIJ TNBOO FSBOE XSJUJ OHXJU IDJQI FSTPG JODSF BTJOH EJGGJ DVMUZ

Alex Kara - (Think a roman leader and the absolute value of i^2)

Microsoft Windows Live Spaces has evolved. Many new features, including the introduction of a friends list, a welcoming ''what's new'' page detailing changes made by friends and contacts, and most importantly, Windows Live SkyDrive have been added to the inventory of features within.

Windows Live SkyDrive is currently in BETA, but provides 1GB of online file storage to those wielding the almighty Windows Live ID (formerly the .NET passport), competing directly with services such as Ripway.

In accordance to the implementation of Windows Live SkyDrive in MSN Spaces, Alex Kara is preparing a standalone executable program which will display this MSN Space along with some utilities and integrated features for ease of access. The product will be released under Alex Kara's business model Kara Media Corporation, and the program, KC Web, is currently a closed BETA release. At the time of publishing this post, the version was 0.6b.

Kara Media Corporation now has a SkyDrive module enabled, with access to the KC Web installer. Please note, however, that installation will not be possible as long as the program is in closed BETA, since a password will be required.

Alex Kara, Kara Media Corporation (Copyright 1991 - 2008)