We knew good and well Microsoft was gearing up to drop a pre-beta release of Windows 7 in developers' laps at its Professional Developers Conference, but now we're being treated to a host of details from Redmond itself. For starters, it's showing off (for the first time, mind you) its new Web applications for Office. As you'd expect, said apps are "lightweight versions of Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote that are used from within standard web browsers." According to Ray Ozzie, chief software architect at Microsoft, it's aiming to bring "the best of the web to Windows, and the best of Windows to the web." 'Course, we're also told about improved navigation, a new taskbar (preview shown), support for multi-touch gestures, Device Stage and enhanced AV integration -- all things that have our interest decidedly piqued. Hit the read link for the full spill direct from the horse's mouth.
Tagi: chief software architect, microsoft office word, office word excel, ray ozzie, versis, word excel powerpoint, enote, web course, beta release, best of the web, taskbar, gestures, web browsers, laps, starters, spill, laptops, nbsp, developers, microsoft
We knew good and well Microsoft was gearing up to drop a pre-beta release of Windows 7 in developers' laps at its Professional Developers Conference, but now we're being treated to a host of details from Redmond itself. For starters, it's showing off (for the first time, mind you) its new Web applications for Office. As you'd expect, said apps are "lightweight versions of Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote that are used from within standard web browsers." According to Ray Ozzie, chief software architect at Microsoft, it's aiming to bring "the best of the web to Windows, and the best of Windows to the web." 'Course, we're also told about improved navigation, a new taskbar (preview shown), support for multi-touch gestures, Device Stage and enhanced AV integration -- all things that have our interest decidedly piqued. Hit the read link for the full spill direct from the horse's mouth.
Tagi: chief software architect, microsoft office word, office word excel, ray ozzie, versis, word excel powerpoint, enote, web course, beta release, best of the web, taskbar, gestures, web browsers, laps, starters, spill, laptops, nbsp, developers, microsoft
Each release of Windows treats us to a new boot screen. XP had its endless progress bar, and Vista added its emblem. Windows 7, though, gets a glowing Microsoft blob.
As is always the case with early software, this video could represent a concept that never makes it to manufacture. However, as Ars Technica notes, Microsoft tends not to change their boot screens much during the course of testing a news versions of Windows, and this looks a bit polished for a temporary stopgap.
If included in next month's beta release, the MS blob will likely make its way to your desktop in the end. So basically, get ready to see a lot of this thing (But not too much). [Ars—Thanks, Sicarious]
Tagi: boot screens, versis, boot screen, beta release, new boot, stopgap, progress bar, blob, mth, microsoft
Hurricanes, as we've seen, can wreak serious havoc when they strike populated areas. We've never had control over them before, but one researcher thinks they could be broken up with F-4 fighter jets.
In theory, sending in a pair of the jets to do loops around the eye of the hurricane while it's still out over the ocean, creating sonic booms, would break it up before it hits the shore.
Jet fighters flying at supersonic speeds along special trajectories with a hurricane/typhoon at various altitudes would create supersonic booms. In one such embodiment, the trajectories for the supersonic booms of the present invention are counter to the rotational component of the hurricane and/or typhoon being targeted. As such, supersonic booms can be tailored and/or designed to partially and/or fully -negate the basic rotational contribution in a hurricane by slowing down a hurricane's/typhoon's rotation. Additionally, when supersonic booms propagate downward to the surface of the ocean they also destabilize a hurricane's/typhoon's structure by increasing the pressure in the central part of a hurricane's/typhoon's eye.
It's a pretty crazy idea, but I guess it makes sense. It would be pretty amazing to be able to stop any hurricane before it hit shore, saving millions and millions of dollars and who knows how many lives. I can't wait for them to test this out. [Patent via AV Web; Thanks, Jason!]
Tagi: supersonic jets, eye of the hurricane, weather control, fighter jets, web thanks, jet fighters, millis, booms, trajectories, altitudes, embodiment, jas, hurricanes, havoc, researcher, cy, patent
Like every year, the Controllable Christmas Lights for Celiac Disease are now live, tackier and wonkier than ever, with more than 20,000 lights, plus inflatable Santa, Elmo, Frosty Family, SpongeBob, Homer, and even Hulk.
Everything is controlled using a web page, which is connected to the huge setup using X10 power control systems. Alek Komarnitsky says that this year he's using wind energy too, helping with the power demands this thing requires. The system will be online until January 1st between 5:00PM to 10:00PM (GMT -7).
All is completely free, but Alek does it for a good cause, not just to showing us who cool he is and how puny we and our ACME instant tree-in-a-pizza-box are. If you like the show, consider donating some money to the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research. [Komar]
Tagi: alek komarnitsky, celiac research, maryland center, power demands, xmas lights, dease, mey, wind energy, january 1st, hulk, elmo, university of maryland, homer, web page
Microsoft details pre-beta release of Windows 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Hurricanes, as we've seen, can wreak serious havoc when they strike populated areas. We've never had control over them before, but one researcher thinks they could be broken up with F-4 fighter jets.
Like every year, the Controllable Christmas Lights for Celiac Disease are now live, tackier and wonkier than ever, with more than 20,000 lights, plus inflatable Santa, Elmo, Frosty Family, SpongeBob, Homer, and even Hulk.