The Next Generation - Asimo. Yeah, I was just blogging here about the Next Generation Humanoid Robot, targeting a new level of mobility.

Honda added intelligence technology to ASIMO which is capable of interpreting the postures and gestures of humans and moving independently in response. ASIMO’s ability to interact with humans has advanced significantly—it can greet approaching people, follow them, move in the direction they indicate, and even recognize their faces and address them by name.

Further, utilizing networks such as the Internet, ASIMO can provide information while executing tasks such as reception duties of receiving and delivery coffee mug try and pushing the serving cart with drinks.




Following a recent appearance amidst the winter splendour of Helsinki, ASIMO even helped open the 8th International Middle East Motor Show in sun-drenched Dubai.

Integration with user's network system, Asimo can execute functions appropriately based on the user's customer data; greet visitors, informing personnel of the visitor's arrival by transmitting messages and pictures of the visitor's face; guide visitors to a predetermined location, etc. Aso Accessing information via the Internet, ASIMO can become a provider of news and weather updates, for example, ready to answer people's questions, etc.

Amazing!!! New waves of technology and robots will rule one day!

- ilaxi

Yahoo Mindset, the Intent-driven Search and it allows you to Find the results you like or sort the way you need!

A Yahoo! Research demo that applies a new twist on search that uses machine learning technology to give you a choice: View Yahoo! Search results sorted according to whether they are more commercial or more informational (i.e., from academic, non-commercial, or research-oriented sources).

Yeah, now put the keywords in Yahoo Mindset 'Net newspaper for kids' and there I (Kidsfreesouls site of mine) stand with results # 1, #2 and # 5 of about 467812 for net newspaper for kids:-) This is fine. But the best part is that the demo provides a slider widget for users to explicitly specify their intent. Leaving the slider in the middle means they want to use the original Yahoo! search result order. Moving the slider to the extreme right means they want the top results to be those which the classifier is most confident are "non-commercial". Putting the slider in between those two positions means a blend -- somewhat faithful to the original ordering but also tending to bring the more obvious non-commercial pages to the top. Similarly, sliding into the left half indicates blending of commercialness confidence vs original ordering.

Complicating? Machine learning...well, thats the way of the web! Read here to explore what exactly Intent driven Search - Mindset is related to with great mind set to Yahoo!

I am still wondering with this Beta - should I tilt the widget towards the right? Or just leave in center as it is? Yahoooo.........please help!

- ilaxi

Google recently announced an exciting change to the Google Print product.The Google Print has been renamed as Google Book Search.

I feel this is user-friendly name and Book search is more a discovery of world books available on the web. More books would be promoted through this program and surfers can judge from the book cover and even get an opportunity to read the contents page, copyright details and a chapter of the book.

I already have the MJ Akbar Books account with google and a click from the website to Google Book search will land you up reading a chapter of the book 'Shade of Swords'. The Author account with google means parterning for the google revenue and of coz, the author's books need to be either transported by courier to google or the book pdfs of details to be uploaded on their server.

Way to go Google......More Publisher may tie up with google and more authors will reflect on searches with Google also planning to add Book Search on its main search.

Ego surfing by authors are sure to bring them great results!

-ilaxi

Google is Restless!! Every day, you hear Google is upto something new - That's the reason its the apple of my eye;) In my September post, I mentioned about all the galore projects Google is gonna implement but here is a jolt of surprize - Urchin is gonna be Free! Google Analytics offers a host of compelling features and benefits for everyone from senior executives and advertising and marketing professionals to site owners and content developers.

Need I say more? I just love their move as this allows to make profit-generating improvements to advertising and website.Google offers Urchin : Urchin 5 analyzes traffic for one or more websites and provides accurate and easy-to-understand reports on your visitors - where they come from, how they use your site, what converts them into customers, and much more. I've used Live Stats but this one is quite competitive and if you have an Ad Words account, it really allows 5 million user traffic track with no cost and it's absolutely 'Free'! Oh, maybe Google might revise its fee procedure at a later stage as it mentions in its Terms and Conditions but till than, Enjoy!

- ilaxi

Google launched a blog to help publishers understand the inner workings of AdSense. Yeah, the move comes as the Google vs Yahoo battle is on. The search giant is confronted by direct competition from Yahoo's Publisher Network and pressure from publishers to make AdSense less more transparent. In the battle between Google and Yahoo, the advantage will go to whichever company can produce the highest effective CPMs for publishers.

The "Inside Adsense" Blog and Google Adsense support offer optimization tips and feature descriptions to prospective and existing publishers in the AdSense network, with up to three posts a week by AdSense Engineers, Product managers, Product marketing managers, and Operations staff.

Yahoo's Publisher's Guide to RSS is all on how to Distribute content to Yahoo. Given in five steps: RSS on Yahoo, Submit RSS Feed, Promote Your Feed, Track your Success and the last is ad network launch this month with the Beta [Monetize Your Site]Earn Income from your site! This is likely to be an ongoing battle between the two search giants to improve both their offerings and their customer service and the benefits are the End users who gonna eat the cake or let it go. The Big Search Engine war is on and we expect more new features from Yahoo, Google and Msn - a changing Scenario on the web.

-ilaxi

Blog and RSS Landscape has been really shaping up the market recently. As I got exploring the tech world, its new announcements every day! AOL is buying weblogs for approximately $25 million with the first deal paid of $2.5 million as revealed by verisign! The company's network includes approximately 80 advertising supported sites published by a group of more than 100 bloggers. Its blog properties include Autoblog, Blogging Baby and Engadget, which is Weblog's busiest site, according to traffic measurement provided by Technorati.

Now, recently I visited AOL and the most interesting was the 25 People We Envy Most which features Gwen, J K Rowling, Sergei Brin and Larry Page of Google,etc. Indeed, Fortune pays tribute to the people that makes us Jealous - Really? Nope, I think fortune pays tribute to the people who are Lucky becoz they are the Chosen One!

- ilaxi

Google celebrates 7th Birthday on 27th September and here's wishing my fav Search Whizz Google "A Happy Birthday":-)

My affair with Google Search started way back as I explored the web searching for my website urls to appear with my own keywords 'net newspaper for kids', 'ilaxi', MJ Akbar and 'gujarati newspaper' and 'kidsfreesouls'. I almost fell in love with Google and I found it a 'wonder of wonders'. This has ever been my first Internet Crush and since years, my day began with google and ended up google as I updated my websites. To celebrate its Birthday, google is giving a newly expanded web search index that is 1,000 times the size of their original index. This means, ending the Search Engine Index war in terms of raw counting! Quality of search results is all that matters with Google. Most comprehensive web search and here's Google come a long way with company Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin's BackRub to a Big Big Google World on Web:

google search, Google mail, Google Earth, Google Moon, Google Maps, Google Tool Bar, Google Adwords, Google Adsense, Google Store, Google Desktop, Google Video, Google Blog Search,Google Talk and more n more!!!

Yet, more exploring awaits with Google Labs & Google Print

It's the surprise that Google has the whole Library project that shows Authors & their Books, Publishers, Book shops on the web. This Google Print Project bumped into trouble with Authors Guild who sue Google over a program that will make millions of books more discoverable to the world. Authors Guild alleged that Google's scanning and digitizing of library books constitutes a "massive" copyright infringement - Now, that's a real pity coz Google respects copyright and I do have a Print Account that I explore there and I find it 'Excellent'. It do need some changes but overall, Google has made it clear that copyright holder can ask to have their books excluded from the Library Project by following these instructions here.

Anyways, here's **Cheers** to Google - Goodness always Win!


-ilaxi

Google introduces Blog Search and this is indeed great news for Bloggers:-) Blog is a great tool for freedom of expression and the recent Hand Book of Dan Gilmor, US Journalist and Jay Rosen, US Blogger is full of handy tips and technical advise on why Blog, Blogging Language, Choosing tool, setting up and running a blog, ethics, getting picked up by search engines, etc.
This Handbook may prove to be a boon to bloggers who are often the only real journalists in countries where mainstream media is under pressure or censored. Reporters without Borders provide tips to remain anonymous and to get round censorship, by choosing the most suitable method for each situation.

Now this is a download or a print : Handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents.

However, the latest buzz is Internet censor world championship - Most of the world’s authoritarian regimes are trying to control what their citizens read and do online. They’re getter better and better at blocking “objectionable” material, usually with technology bought from US firms. China is far and away the world champion. But it’s felt the heat of competition in recent years. Each country in this far from complete list has its own style and tactics but they all have one purpose, to keep ahead of the game.

So far, there's no way to censor Internet in this country and I wonder, who's framing the cyber laws?
(As posted here too)

-ilaxi

Srchnkd : That's right. A new search engine was launched recently called iSearchNaked.com, a name, no doubt, designed to shamelessly get your attention.First Come, First Served: The first twelve advertisers for each keyword or keyword phrase will be rotated in the sponsored listings on all pages of the search results. Top sponsored keyword search results can be purchased for a fixed introductory rate of just 25 cents.Fix rate for no more click fraud.

Interested? Then, Sign up Now!

-ilaxi

Before three days or so, Google launched its most enhanced Blogging Search. This Blog Search indexes blogs by their site feeds, which will be checked frequently for new content. This means that Blog Search results for a given blog will update with new content much faster than standard web searches. Also, because of the structured data within site feeds, it is possible to find precise posts and date ranges with much greater accuracy. As such, Blogging has become the recent craze with individuals, corporates, newspapers, students and all who wish to write their own blogs - journals on any topic. Newspapers in print media are currently facing the threat of Online Journalism with the Blogging world. More and more blog posts reveal potential journalists leaving behind print media journalists who stand back with newer technology.

Even Net Newspapers for Kids have flourished with the use of Technology and more Editors, Journalists, Syndicated News columnists and Kids related websites are coming up with Kids newspapers Online. News sources are available in ample with sites like :

Moreover,
Pluck (RSS),
Newsgator,
Newspaper archive, etc.

The most common example is google search with the keywords 'net newspaper for kids' and viola, the results roll down with information.

I guess in time to come, these new search of Blogs and online journalism may step down many website owners who may lag behind with their daily updates and no need to web consult for web design! Coz, anybody can go for their own Blogs and even promote it. Any ideas?

-ilaxi

Wanna listen to my Fav songs? Here is my very own Radio Station that plays cool songs of my choice! Blossomsmile ilaxi's Radio station

When Message boards bubble up heated with the talks of Search Engines esp. Yahoo vs Google, it's the unique features that are offered which matters the most.Google is indeed shooting up the charts on web with the most power search, Yahoo lags behind and it's a feel that its almost limping to catch up the search engine war to win. Google is the ultimate yet Yahoo has one power music feature that I like most and that is 'Launch music' - Your very own Radio Station on Yahoo Messenger that makes you feel on top of the world as you surf and listen to your fav numbers. Your ratings to the songs and albums makes your Radio station play more of the matched music numbers for you. And viola, some features do demand to ask for paid features, nevertheless, on the go, if you set up your very own Music Radio station, you have a choice of listening your songs while you're busy with work. At liesure, you feel and you can even see the video of a song you like. Now isn't this great tool? No need to distract from work visiting music download places or listening to saved songs on your compu. Even people on your messenger can see what you are listening!



Now that Google Talk is launched, hope google is all set up to provide this kind of facility too.

-ilaxi

For some it's a quench your thirst for knowledge! While surfing on net, Google 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. It's the time to 'Think fruity, Think refreshing' Google focus on the neurotransmitter smart drug stimulants past the blood-brain barrier to achieve maximum optimization of your soon-to-be-grateful cerebral cortex. Plus, it's low in carbs and with flavors ranging from Beta Carroty to Glutamate Grape. For the Beta version of Google Gulp, here is my guide and if it suits a surfer and you are lucky to grab a 'Gulp Cap' at local store, here is a 'way to go' as you'll never run out of way to quench your thirst of knowledge!

-ilaxi

It's getting easier for Bloggers to attract and retain visitors to their website or blog with dynamic news feeds available on web. A lot of side action flanking the contents and Bloggers now do have the opportunity to be online Journalists!

Thanks to advertising support - Bloggers can now add free news feeds over 340 news categories of the most of the minute news available from major news sources like USA Today, CNN and BBC. All possible with the click to FeedDirect (Moreover Technologies) - Easy to choose and use.

Not on the Blogger I guess. Coz the javascript shows errors but on a website, this may work great. Btw, its much easier for a Blogger to go for Moreover news feeds setting up New York Times Headlines to the site. Opt for the Headlines News or whatever your choice and viola, its a quickie cut-paste the code and sit back n read and let people come back to read your blog too.

News Headlines can also be Powered by Worldpress . Bloggers can get quality content from Contentinfusion too.

There's no limit to what you can do as Charlene Li, Principal Analyst,
Forrester Research says "Blogging will grow in importance, and at a minimum, companies should monitor blogs to learn what is being said about their products and services." It's Time to Look at Blogs!

- ilaxi

Marketing research firm Hitwise just released numbers for July discussing search engine rankings. The information from a press release on Tekrati says Google is still the top dog for search, more than double the number of searches of their closest competitor, Yahoo.

The report said that Google has 59.2% versus Yahoo's 28.8% and MSN's measly 5.5% of the market. The top 3 accounted for 93.5% of the total search market. One comment Hitwise made discussed Google's lack of a portal to drive traffic, saying 73% of Yahoo's traffic comes directly its main portal sites of Yahoo.com and My.Yahoo.Com and MSN received 61% of its traffic from its portal sites: www.MSN.Com, My.MSN.com and dellnet.msn.com

Google continues to demonstrate the value of effective Internet search on its own, irrespective of any connection to a general Internet portal. The next big challenge for Google will be the arrival of Microsoft's new operating system, "Vista," which is said to have far tighter search integration.

- Source John Stith
Check kidsfreesouls Blog track Here

-ilaxi

I happened to be a tech buff and a whizz as I wrote, designed, managed, maintained, hosted and marked my own websites. As I write Technical column for my print and online readers, I brush my web skills day by day. My articles like Create a Website, Promote Website, Ezines, Endangered Kids, Is Computers safe for kids, etc. has been widely accepted and read by readers. I got a wider experience on Tech as I promoted and marketed my own websites online. I got into web submission of articles, web forum posts and into associating and affiliating my sites. This made me think to start 'Tech Briefs' so as to dig into Tech scoops and provide information 'What's happenning-where and who's outsourcing why or you can say 'Tech Briefs' - Briefings on Tech on Internet.

Here's the beginning posts I earlier done on this Blog and hopefully, will be updating this blog on and often, now onwards. So, check in any time - Like the song 'Hotel California' says 'We are programmed to receive, You can check out anytime you like but you can never leave....Because I know, if you like to read on Tech, you will like to stay back!



Earlier Posts:
Yahoo's recent Facelift can mean more Traffic to your Website. With the recent Yahoo Beta Search, surfers can now Save the Search, Share by Forwarding to a Friend & Even Omit unwanted sites from search. The Beta search website save feature also provide simple atom.xml file for feed reads. But the major Facelift is with Yahoo's feature 'My Yahoo' 'World info on Desktop' that provide RSS feeds and explains RSS & atom files creations. Currently, the RSS module boasts of 150,000 plus feed sources and growing.RSS.XML feed sites can be added to 'My Yahoo' for easy reads.It's a wake up call for site owners to be in limelight to get more traffic from yahoo by creating simple RSS.XML syndication (click left bar feeds to add to 'My Yahoo'). So now, surfers of mjakbar.org, don't worry;-) You can set up your 'My Yahoo' and click RSS.XML FEEDS button on left to add and viola, you get the latest M.J.Akbar's Blog Feeds for reads on your Desktop. And if you've time limits to surf, instead of visiting this site, you can then make 'My Yahoo' your Homepage and log to read the latest posts of this site there;-)



Blogging
Growing Importance of Blog is confirmed in a Survey conducted by: Pew Internet and American Life
By the end of 2004 blogs had established themselves as a key part of online culture.
Two survey Project in November established new contours for the blogosphere:

8 million American adults say they have created blogs;
blog readership jumped 58% in 2004 and now stands at 27% of internet users;
5% of internet users say they use RSS aggregators or XML readers to get the news and other information delivered from blogs and content-rich Web sites as it is posted online; and 12% of internet users have posted comments or other material on blogs.
Still, 62% of internet users do not know what a blog is!



Google Launches 'Google Scholar' the search for keywords in thesis, books, technical reports, university websites and even traditional academic publications.The search spawns from medicine to physics to economics and computer science. Open access movement is significantly enhanced. Another interesting search is its 'Froogle' - finding products, any books online. Any Author can get an Author Print account at Google (Paid ads) provided the author has US copyright of his books. Or else sell books via Amazon and the keyword search in google reflects the search. eg. put 'm.j. akbar' in Froogle search and you get results. Also, The Google Suggest Tool Launched, in Beta. Their ideas is leading to great leaps in search usability. Try it yourself at:Labs.google



There's lots to celebrate at Amazon.com as it marks the 10th anniversary of its Web-site debut on July 16, 2005. Princeton-educated Jeff Bezos piled his belongings into his dad's '88 Chevy Blazer, drove from Fort Worth, Texas, to Seattle with his wife, MacKenzie, and started Amazon in his rented Bellevue home. The decade has flown by at Internet speed since that Fourth of July weekend in 1994 and Bezoz saw his new company raise $54 million in its 1997 initial public offering and defy skeptics who predicted the company would become Amazon.toast. Bezos currently holds $3.6 billion worth of Amazon stock.



News around is Yahoo is gonna come Live with Yahoo! 360°, you'll have one place to keep the important people in your life connected to you. And one place for you to stay connected to them. The feature makes you easily invite your friends and family, very easy to plug all of your people in. With just a few clicks you can invite any -- or everyone from your Yahoo! Messenger friends list, your Yahoo! Address Book or (after beta) from Microsoft Outlook to connect to you.

Called Yahoo 360°, the new service will include a wide range of offerings including blogs and photo sharing. The most interesting aspect of the offering looks to be the way in which all the elements are tightly integrated into a broad social network service where you will be able to easily share and exchange information, chats, files, etc, with family and friends.

Isn't this gonna be great for the chatty Lovers? Enjoy!


- ilaxi