Black water Agency in Pakistan.

Oct 9, 2009

The CIA has reportedly hired the infamous US security firm Blackwater on the Pakistan borders to help track down Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.

The New York Times first reported Blackwater’s involvement late Wednesday on its Web site.

The report said Blackwater executives helped with planning, training and surveillance for a secret program to kill top-level members of Al-Qaida.

“This is a huge threat for our national security,” Hamid Mir, an Islamabad-based defense and security analyst.

Defense and security analysts argue that the presence of Blackwater would rather complicate the security situation in Pakistan.

“They are trying to establish their feet. They are hiding themselves under the diplomatic and FBI covers,” an intelligence official said in anonymity for not being authorized to discuss the sensitive issue.

He said Blackwater has hired the services of some local security agencies to work for them.

The North Carolina-based security firm, established ten years ago by Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL and a right-wing son of a multi-millionaire, gained world notoriety over involvement in dozens of unprovoked civilian killings in Iraq.

A recent US congressional report discovered Blackwater has been involved in 195 shooting incidents since 2005, mostly unprovoked.

The New York Times reported that the CIA did not have a formal contract with Blackwater for this program but instead had individual agreements with top company officials, including founder Erik D. Prince.

Daily.pk writes another article on same issue ”

Reports suggest Pakistan has expelled a US Blackwater mercenary, but Pakistanis ask, ‘Who rules our streets, the Pakistani government or the Americans?’ And who let them in?

In May, a US diplomat was caught arranging a meeting between a suspected Indian spy and senior Pakistani officials in the privacy of her house. In June when Pakistani officials confronted Washington with evidence that terrorists in Pakistan were using sophisticated American weapons, US media quickly leaked stories about American weapons missing from the US-trained Afghan army. And now reports confirm that the dirty secret arm of the US government – the mercenaries of Blackwater – have infiltrated sensitive regions of Pakistan. Blackwater works as an extension of the US military and CIA, taking care of dirty jobs that the US government cannot associate itself with in faraway strategic places. The question: Who let them in? And who deported one of them, if at all?

The American NGO that works for US government has almost half of its international vacancies in Pakistan. Its director in Peshawar has been found contacting anti-Pakistan elements in the Pak-Afghan border area.

The American NGO that works for US government has almost half of its international vacancies in Pakistan.

Its director in Peshawar has been found contacting anti-Pakistan elements in the Pak-Afghan border area.

Three weeks ago a group of concerned Pakistani citizens in Peshawar wrote to the federal interior ministry to complain about the suspicious activities of a group of shadowy Americans in a rented house in their neighborhood, the upscale University Town area of Peshawar.

A NGO calling itself Creative Associates International, Inc. leased the house. CAII, as it is known by its acronym, is a Washington DC-based private firm. According to its Web site, the company describes itself as “a privately-owned non-governmental organization that addresses urgent challenges facing societies today … Creative views change as an opportunity to improve, transform and renew …”

The description makes no sense. It is more or less a perfect cover for the American NGO’s real work: espionage.

The incorporated NGO is more of a humanitarian front that alternates sometimes for undercover US intelligence operations in critical regions, including Angola, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Gaza, and Pakistan. Of the 36 new job openings, the company’s Web site shows that half of them are in Pakistan today. Pakistan is also at the heart of the now combined desperate effort by the White House-military-CIA to avert a looming American defeat in Afghanistan by shifting the war to its next-door neighbor.

In Peshawar, CAII, opened an office to work on projects in the nearby tribal agencies of Pakistan. All of these projects, interestingly, are linked to the US government. CAII’s other projects outside Pakistan are also linked to the US government. In short, this NGO is not an NGO. It is closely linked to the US government.

In Peshawar, CAII told Pakistani authorities it needed to hire security guards for protection. The security guards, it turns out, were none other than Blackwater’s military-trained hired guns. They were used the CAII cover to conduct a range of covert activities in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province.

The infamous Blackwater private security firm operates as an extension of the US military and CIA, taking care of dirty jobs that the US government cannot associate itself with in faraway strategic places. Blackwater is anything but a security firm. It is a mercenary army of several thousand hired soldiers.

Pakistani security officials apparently became alarmed by reports that Blackwater was operating from the office of CAII on Chinar Road, University Town in Peshawar. The man in charge of the office, allegedly an American by the name of Craig Davis according to a report in Jang, Pakistan’s largest Urdu language daily, was arrested and accused of establishing contacts with ‘the enemies of Pakistan’ in areas adjoining Afghanistan. His visa has been cancelled, the office sealed, and Mr. Davis reportedly expelled back to the United States.

It is not clear when Mr. Davis was deported and whether there are other members of the staff expelled along with him. When I contacted the US Embassy over the weekend, spokesman Richard Snelsire’s first reaction was, “No embassy official has been deported.” This defensive answer is similar to the guilt-induced reactions of US embassy staffers in Baghdad and Kabul at the presence of mercenaries working for US military and CIA.

I said to Mr. Snelsire that I did not ask about an embassy official being expelled. He said he heard these reports and ‘checked around’ with the embassy officials but no one knew about this. “It’s baseless.”

So I asked him, “Is Blackwater operating in Pakistan, in Peshawar?”

“Not to my knowledge.” Fair enough. The US embassies in Baghdad and Kabul never acknowledged Blackwater’s operations in Iraq and Afghanistan either. This is part of low-level frictions between the diplomats at the US Department of State and those in Pentagon and CIA. The people at State have reportedly made it clear they will not acknowledge or accept responsibility for the activities of special operations agents operating in friendly countries without the knowledge of those countries and in violation of their sovereignty. Reports have suggested that sometimes even the US ambassador is unaware of what his government’s mercenaries do in a target country.

Official Pakistani sources are yet to confirm if one or more US citizens were expelled recently. The government is also reluctant in making public whatever evidence there might be about Blackwater operations inside Pakistan. But it is clear that something unusual was happening in the Peshawar office of an American NGO. There is also strong suspicion that Blackwater was operating from the said office.

There are other things happening in Pakistan that are linked to the Americans and that increase the chances of Blackwater’s presence here.

These include:

1. One of the largest US embassies – or military and intelligence command outposts – in the world is being built in Islamabad as I write this at a cost of approximately one billion US dollars. This is the biggest sign of an expansion in US meddling in Pakistan and a desire to use this country as a base for regional operations. Interestingly, US covert meddling inside Pakistan and nearby countries is already taking place, including in Russia’s backyard, in Iran, and in China’s Xinjiang.

2. A large number of retired Pakistani military officers, academics and even journalists have been quietly recruited at generous compensations by several US government agencies. These influential Pakistanis are supposed to provide information, analysis, contacts and help in pleading the case for US interests in the Pakistani media, in subtle ways. Pakistanis would be surprised that some prominent names well known to television audiences are in this list.

3. CIA and possibly Blackwater have established a network of informers in the tribal belt and Balochistan; there have also been reports of non-Pakistanis sighted close to sensitive military areas in the country. Considering the intensity and frequency of terrorist acts inside Pakistan in the past four years, there is every possibility that all sorts of saboteurs are having a field day in Pakistan.

4. Members of separatist and ethnic political parties have been cultivated by various US government agencies and quietly taken for visits to Washington and the CENTCOM offices in Florida.

The possibility of the existence of mercenary activities in Pakistan is strengthened by the following events:

5. Pakistani officials have in recent months collected piles of evidence that suggests that terrorists wreaking havoc inside Pakistan have been and continue to receive state of the art weapons and a continuous supply of money and trainers from unknown but highly organized sources inside Afghanistan. A significant number of these weapons is of American and Israeli manufacture. Indians have also been known to supply third-party weapons to terrorists inside Pakistan.

6. Some Pakistani intelligence analysts have stumbled on circumstantial evidence that links the CIA to anti-Pakistan terror activities that may not be in the knowledge of all departments of the US government. One thing is for sure, that CIA’s operations in Afghanistan are in the hands of dangerous elements that are prone to rogue-ish behavior.

7. In May, a US woman diplomat was caught arranging a quiet [read 'secret'] meeting between a low-level Indian diplomat and several senior Pakistani government officials. An address in Islamabad – 152 Margalla Road – was identified as a venue where the secret meeting took place. The American diplomat in question knew there was no chance the Indian would get to meet the Pakistanis in normal circumstances. Nor was it possible to do this during a high visibility event. After the incident, Pakistan Foreign Office issued a terse statement warning all government officials to refrain from such direct contact with foreign diplomats in unofficial settings without prior intimation to their departments.

8. Pakistani suspicions about American foul play inside Pakistan are not new. On July 12, 2008 in a secret meeting in Rawalpindi between military and intelligence officials from the two countries these concerns were openly aired. The Americans accused ISI of maintain contacts with the Afghan Taliban. The Pakistani answer was that normal low-level contacts are maintained with all parties in the area. NATO and the Kabul regime were doing the same thing in Afghanistan. In return, the Pakistanis laid out evidence, including photographs, showing known terrorists meeting Indian and pro-US Kabul regime officials. Was the United States supporting these anti-Pakistan activities is the question that was posed to the US military and CIA.

9. Further back into history, in 1978 the ISI broke a spy ring made up of Pakistani technicians working for the nascent Pakistani nuclear program who were recruited by CIA. Pakistan chose not to raise the issue publicly but did so privately at the highest level in Washington.

Now there are reports that the Zardari-Gilani government is consulting Pakistan’s Naval headquarters on a proposal to construct a US navy base on the coast of Balochistan. When things have reached this level of American meddling in Pakistan, Blackwater seems like a small issue. Some Pakistani analysts are of the view that elements within the Pakistani security establishment need to be very careful about where they intend to draw the red line for CIA operations in and around Pakistan. Ahmed Quraishi

READ MORE - Black water Agency in Pakistan.

Wal-Mart to Sell Broadband Services

With Wal-Mart's "Always Low Prices" does this mean we can look forward to dropping prices on broadband?

Wal-Mart has announced it will begin selling HughesNet (formerly DirecWay) Satellite Broadband at 2,800 stores across the nation, focusing on rural areas where you just can't get anything else. Now, HughesNet isn't exactly cheap --- or all that fast, with its fastest speed at 1.5Mbps / 200Mbps (dl/ul) priced at $79.99 / month. But if you can't get cable or DSL, it's better than dial-up, and yes, I'd pay for it if necessary.

Of course, the problem with satellite broadband is latency, so gamers will of course be disappointed. But as I keep saying, it's better than dial-up!

In a statement from the press release, Mike Cook, senior vice president, North America Division, Hughes, said:

"Wal-Mart is perhaps the only retail store in the country that reaches as many people as HughesNet. This relationship is a powerful way to make broadband a reality for the millions of Americans and small business owners who cannot get high-speed Internet access from cable or DSL providers. Through Wal-Mart, we are able to offer more Americans the opportunity to experience the convenience and benefits of high-speed Internet in business and every day life."
I think when he said "reaches as many people as HughesNet" he should have added the word "potentially." HughesNet currently has around 350,000 subscribers, according to their own numbers.

My big question: will the Wal-Mart yellow orb of savings replace Margaret Easley as the HughesNet spokesperson? That would be terrible (my wife knows she's on my "freebie list." Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
READ MORE - Wal-Mart to Sell Broadband Services

Wal-Mart to Sell Broadband Services

With Wal-Mart's "Always Low Prices" does this mean we can look forward to dropping prices on broadband?

Wal-Mart has announced it will begin selling HughesNet (formerly DirecWay) Satellite Broadband at 2,800 stores across the nation, focusing on rural areas where you just can't get anything else. Now, HughesNet isn't exactly cheap --- or all that fast, with its fastest speed at 1.5Mbps / 200Mbps (dl/ul) priced at $79.99 / month. But if you can't get cable or DSL, it's better than dial-up, and yes, I'd pay for it if necessary.

Of course, the problem with satellite broadband is latency, so gamers will of course be disappointed. But as I keep saying, it's better than dial-up!

In a statement from the press release, Mike Cook, senior vice president, North America Division, Hughes, said:

"Wal-Mart is perhaps the only retail store in the country that reaches as many people as HughesNet. This relationship is a powerful way to make broadband a reality for the millions of Americans and small business owners who cannot get high-speed Internet access from cable or DSL providers. Through Wal-Mart, we are able to offer more Americans the opportunity to experience the convenience and benefits of high-speed Internet in business and every day life."
I think when he said "reaches as many people as HughesNet" he should have added the word "potentially." HughesNet currently has around 350,000 subscribers, according to their own numbers.

My big question: will the Wal-Mart yellow orb of savings replace Margaret Easley as the HughesNet spokesperson? That would be terrible (my wife knows she's on my "freebie list." Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
READ MORE - Wal-Mart to Sell Broadband Services

iPhone Gets a Carrier Settings Update

Hard to say exactly what this is about, but when I plugged in my iPhone 3G today I received a different update message than I'm used to. It said:

"An update to the carrier settings for your iPhone is available. Would you like to download it now?"
According to Apple's KB, carrier settings are:
Carrier settings updates are small files (about 10k) that are downloaded from iTunes to be installed on your iPhone. The carrier settings can include updates to the default APN (how iPhone accesses the carrier's cellular data network), special dialing codes at Settings > Phone > [Carrier] Services, default settings for Stocks, Maps, Weather, and other items.
OK, can we be more vague. Naturally, Apple isn't giving us any release notes, but on the positive side of things, these are small files that don't require a reboot of any type.

According to MobileCrunch, the update included references to AT&T's upcoming femtocell device (AKA MicroCell), in the form of light and dark images (shown). We thought it might be coming earlier than anticipated and this just reinforces that opinion.

At the same time, it appears that Apple added settings for the Mobily network (Saudi Arabia) and Etisalat (United Arab Emirates) in this update as well (which makes sense as those countries are supposed to launch on 2/15).
READ MORE - iPhone Gets a Carrier Settings Update

Windows 7 Upgrade From Vista Can Take Up to 20 Hours

And people wonder why I complain that Microsoft has made it more difficult of late to do a clean install using an upgrade copy of Windows. A report issued by a Microsoft software engineer shows that depending on the state of your system and hardware, it could take as long as 20 hours to run an upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7.

I see nothing wrong with using an upgrade copy for a clean install as long as you had a valid copy of the previous OS and can prove it. Prior to Windows Vista, all you had to do was insert your old CD or your old serial number and off you went. With Windows Vista there was a double-install workaround.

According to past reports, it appears the same workaround will work for Windows 7. Somewhat of a blessing, even if you have to install twice, rather than having to wait 20 hours. Of course, you'll have to reinstall all your applications.

According to the blog post, the exercise was to determine if a Vista SP1 -> Windows 7 upgrade was within a 5% threshold faster than an upgrade from Vista SP1 -> Vista SP1. Microsoft chose to use a Vista SP1 -> Vista SP1 upgrade instead of Windows XP -> Vista as their baseline because:

  • Windows XP is a vastly different operating system compared to Vista and an upgrade from Windows XP -> Vista would not be a good comparison with Vista -> Windows 7
  • Windows XP did not support 64-bit upgrades and we wanted to track 64-bit upgrade performance as well as 32-bit upgrades for Windows 7
  • Vista SP1 -> Vista SP1 is a valid upgrade path that exercises all upgrade code (this upgrade is commonly used by Product Support Services for a repair scenario)
The blog post detailed the following results and following user profiles:

Clean
No data and 0 applications

Vista SP1 -> Vista SP1
Low End Hardware: 32-bit: 40.79 minutes; 64-bit: 57.19 minutes
Medium Range Hardware: 32-bit: 31.20 minutes; 64-bit: 39.09 minutes
High End Hardware: 32-bit: 29.35 minutes; 64-bit: 36.66 minutes

Vista SP1 -> Windows 7
Low End Hardware: 32-bit: 39.30 minutes; 64-bit: 46.51 minutes
Medium Range Hardware: 32-bit: 29.75 minutes; 64-bit: 33.03 minutes
High End Hardware: 32-bit: 26.75 minutes; 64-bit: 30.28 minutes

Medium User
70Gb of data and 20 applications

Vista SP1 -> Vista SP1
Low End Hardware: 32-bit: 179.19 minutes; 64-bit: 217.65 minutes
Medium Range Hardware: 32-bit: 117.73 minutes; 64-bit: 111.15 minutes
High End Hardware: 32-bit: 106.80 minutes; 64-bit: 101.03 minutes

Vista SP1 -> Windows 7

Low End Hardware: 32-bit: 170.41 minutes; 64-bit: 177.00 minutes
Medium Range Hardware: 32-bit: 99.65 minutes; 64-bit: 92.40 minutes
High End Hardware: 32-bit: 99.65 minutes; 64-bit: 83.56 minutes

Heavy User
125Gb of data and 40 applications

Vista SP1 -> Vista SP1
Low End Hardware: 32-bit: 361.15 minutes; 64-bit: 390.97 minutes
Medium Range Hardware: 32-bit: 194.79 minutes; 64-bit: 186.05 minutes
High End Hardware: 32-bit: 176.37 minutes; 64-bit: 172.37 minutes

Vista SP1 -> Windows 7
Low End Hardware: 32-bit: 343.36 minutes; 64-bit: 345.88 minutes
Medium Range Hardware: 32-bit: 187.30 minutes; 64-bit: 164.85 minutes
High End Hardware: 32-bit: 159.50 minutes; 64-bit: 151.25 minutes

Super User
650Gb of data and 40 applications

Vista SP1 -> Vista SP1
Low End Hardware: N/A
Medium Range Hardware: 32-bit: 1305.72 minutes; 64-bit: 635.54 minutes
High End Hardware: 32-bit: 768.24 minutes; 64-bit: 611.61 minutes

Vista SP1 -> Windows 7
Low End Hardware: N/A
Medium Range Hardware: 32-bit: 1214.86 minutes; 64-bit: 608.07 minutes
High End Hardware: 32-bit: 672.87 minutes; 64-bit: 545.93 minutes

Honestly, the statement about a Windows 7 upgrade taking 20 hours is a bit hyperbolic. I wouldn't consider the Super User profile to be realistic. Medium User, however, isn't an outlier, and comparing a clean install vs. that profile still shows a large difference in times.

Stability wise, I always recommend a clean install. Even excluding the Super User profile, this study / experiment just gives users more reason to do so.
READ MORE - Windows 7 Upgrade From Vista Can Take Up to 20 Hours

Study: H1B Visa Use Reduces U.S. Programmer Salaries by 6%

Globalization is wonderful, and does no harm anywhere, that's the line we've been fed. But a new study, titled "H-1B Visas, Offshoring, and the Wages of US Information Technology Workers" by Prasanna B. Tambe of New York University - Stern School of Business and Lorin M. Hitt of University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School aims to dispel "the myth that globalization generates no losers," the authors state. *

The study's abstract states (emphasis mine):

Our estimates indicate that H-1B admissions at the current levels are associated with a 5-6% drop in wages for computer programmers and systems analysts. Offshoring appears to lower the wages of a slightly broader class of IT workers, including IT managers, by about 3%. These effects are larger for employees exposed to external labor market forces, such as new graduates or job-hoppers.

...

To the best of our knowledge, the analysis in this paper is the first to provide evidence that H-1B employment and offshoring put downward pressure on the wages of US IT workers in some occupations.
The study's authors said they used public data, including data from a leading (but unnamed) careers site.

A draft of the 32-page paper was posted last week on the Social Science Research Network.

The report is just the latest; typical of many such studies, look hard and you can find plenty of evidence in either direction on this matter, meaning that some will say offshoring and H1B visas harm U.S. workers, and some will say precisely the opposite.

It is true, however, that the authors refrain from putting a purely negative spin on offshoring and H1B visas, saying:
Although our findings suggest that the negative effects of globalization may be substantial for some workers, it is critical that policy makers weigh these effects carefully against the macro-level economic effects. Offshoring will most likely remain a necessary and important part of the global economy, and there is substantial evidence that H-1B admissions appear to directly improve levels of innovation and entrepreneurship, which in the long term should create new jobs and raise demand for technology workers in other areas.
Here's the thing, though: let's throw on our common-sense hats for a second. Ignoring offshoring, and looking at H1B visa holders, the claim is made by many that H1B visa holders are not paid less than American workers. Rather, they say that the need for H1B visa holders is not because of lower wages, but instead because there are not enough American workers to fill the jobs, mostly in the tech industry.

Additionally, those favoring more H1B visa try to claim these visa holders are the "best and brightest," but a study just last year indicated that was in fact not the case. In fact, the study said (emphasis mine):
"Most foreign tech workers, particularly those from Asia, are in fact of only average talent. Moreover, they are hired for low-level jobs of limited responsibility, not positions that generate innovation. This is true both overall and in the key tech occupations, and most importantly, in the firms most stridently demanding that Congress admit more foreign workers."
When over six million people are receiving jobless benefits, and let's be careful to note there are many who have fallen out of these numbers because they are either underemployed or have exhausted their benefits, are you telling me you cannot find 65,000 American workers who can do the jobs of H1B visa holders?

Am I supposed to really believe that? Ask many American workers, and they will say the H1B visa program should be suspended until after the recession ends.

We now return to our non-common sense world.

* I would hope those who think globalization is a great thing worldwide might take a look at the sweatshops overseas favored by Wal-Mart, and even companies like Apple.
READ MORE - Study: H1B Visa Use Reduces U.S. Programmer Salaries by 6%

Microsoft Offers Windows 7 Discount to Students

Microsoft announced a new discount program on Thursday, one that would allow eligible students to get a $30 price on Windows 7 Home Premium (upgrade). There is also a mention of Windows 7 Professional, but it is unclear from the site what the price on that product would be. The program, announced via Twitter, is similar to other such student discount programs Microsoft has run in the past. It also follows an earlier, less generous pre-order campaign, where consumers could pre-order Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Home Professional upgrades for 50% off. That program ended on July 11th, however.

The program's website is here. Unless you want to spend an extra $13, the delivery of the software will be via download. Here's the eligibility information:

Promotion Eligibility: This offer is good only to eligible students who attend an educational institution geographically located in the United States. This offer is non-transferable. Only one product may be purchased per eligible student (but not required).

The following conditions serve to define student eligibility for the Promotion:

1. .edu: Individual must possess a valid e-mail address at a U.S. educational institution which contains the domain suffix .edu; OR Pre-Approved School List: Enrolled in a U.S. educational institution included on the pre-approved school list; OR Submission of school enrollment: Submit verifiable school enrollment via the validation process; AND

2. Individual must be a student at a U.S. educational institution and must be actively enrolled in at least 0.5 course credit and be able to provide proof of enrollment upon request.

Microsoft or Digital River may contact you to verify that you are a current student. If documentation is not provided indicating that you are a current student, you will be liable to reimburse Microsoft for the difference between what you paid and the estimated retail price of the software.

Microsoft, in their sole discretion, may accept other forms of validation to determine eligibility in lieu of a valid e-mail address when one is not available.

Program Description: Eligible students are allowed to purchase one license of the product below:

1. Microsoft® Windows 7 Home Premium

OR

2. Microsoft® Windows 7 Professional

The offer is live now for U.S. residents, and runs until January 3rd, 2010. Microsoft plans similar offers in Canada, Australia, Korea, Mexico, France, and Germany, though the prices will vary somewhat, and most of those countries will have to wait until Oct. 22nd for the promotion to go live. The U.K. will be able to pre-order on Sept. 22nd, however.

READ MORE - Microsoft Offers Windows 7 Discount to Students

A BSOD of Olympic Proportions

Most of us who have used a Windows PC know what a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) is. Well, there could be no more perfect timing for a BSOD than this. Right when Li Ning was rounding the lip of the Bird's Nest during the climax of the torch-lighting ceremony, someone snapped this photo of the familiar BSOD most of us have seen at one time or another.

The original pic was spotted at a Chinese language forum.

But the best pictures were the ones taken by rivercoolcool, who said he was sitting right below the BSOD image. Ironic, isn't it, that he's using a Microsoft Windows Live Spaces blog?

Click the below image to enlarge.


Some have speculated PhotoShopping (an obvious possibility), but quite a few have looked at these images already and seem to think, in particular, that the image was waaaaay too well done to be fakes, with all the shadows and even creasing.

Additionally, someone even reportedly found the image on his DVR. Assuming we now believe it to be true, the only remaining question is: genuine or pirated version of Windows?

READ MORE - A BSOD of Olympic Proportions

Apple Tries to Cool Off "Hot" Macbook Air Owners

On Monday, Apple issued the "SMC Update 1.0" for the MacBook Air. You might ask, "what the heck is SMC?" Well, SMC stands for the System Management Controller, a chip on the laptop's motherboard responsible for power management.

According to Apple,

"The SMC Update fine tunes the speed and operation of the internal fan."
Apple released this update because owners have been complaining of overheating issues with Macbook Airs. This thread on their discussion forum, has over 3,000 views and over 50 replies.
My MBA would freeze up and then unfreeze and then freeze again, at an interval of about 10 to 15 seconds. This happens when I watch video on iTune, QuickTime or even those flash based videos such as YouTube.

CPU monitor shows one core shutting down itself when this happens, and the other core would run at 100% (roughly half for user and half for system). When the system try to take 100% of the single core left, the OS would freeze.

I suspect this is an overheating problem, but I have no prove. All heat monitors indicate temperatures in acceptable range, but I suspect a particular unmonitored component may have overheated causing on CPU core to shut down.
Despite the update, many are still complaining, either saying their systems didn't need the update or that the update didn't improve things. For example, this post says:
The SMC Update didn't worked for me: it said my machine was already up to date. And my fan were running on 6200 rpm all the time.

This behaviour leads me to something we all already knew: Adobe Flash Player is a cpu hog, no doubt there. However, the problem is with exhibition of graphics, which grows so much that forces the SMC cut the power on one of the cpu cores.
Theories are that the issue really lies in the OS, as the post posits:
So this is my theory:

When the heat reaches a certain limit, instead of lowering the frequencies, it disables one core and we have the intermittent freezing problem.

In fact I tried using windows xp through boot camp and no matter what I did, it never freezed.

My opinion is that the problem is OS and/or driver related and I think it will be fixed in the future with a patch.
Some have wondered if the increased popularity of Apple produced has produced quality control issues. Of late, we have seen reported nano explosions, keyboard freeze issues on MacBooks, problems with defective DVD as well as BSODs during installation of Leopard - and on and on.

The unusual design of the MBA surely places more stress on the components, heat-wise. Much as owners probably will hate to admit it, it's not designed to be a desktop replacement and certainly not a gaming laptop - you're just asking for overheating.

It's obvious, though, that however the MBA is programmed to respond to overheating - it ain't working for many users, and correction is still called for.
READ MORE - Apple Tries to Cool Off "Hot" Macbook Air Owners

FTC Opens Formal Antitrust Investigation of Intel

The FTC has opened a formal antitrust investigation into Intel's business practices, as revealed by an Intel press release issued Friday in response to a subpoena. Not just Intel, but rival AMD and several PC makers have begun to receive subpoenas from the commission. AMD, which has long complained about Intel's business practices, has not issued a statement yet.

You'll recall that earlier this week South Korea fined Intel $25.4 million over antitrust issues.

Intel's press release said the following:

On June 4 the U.S. FTC served a subpoena related to Intel's business practices with respect to competition in the microprocessor market. Since 2006 Intel has been working closely with the FTC on an informal inquiry into competition in the microprocessor market and has provided the commission staff with a considerable amount of information and thousands of documents. By proceeding to a subpoena, the Commission will be able to obtain not only information that Intel has already committed to provide but also information from other parties. Consistent with its standard practice Intel will work cooperatively with the FTC staff to comply with the subpoena and continue providing information.

The company believes its business practices are well within U.S. law. The evidence that this industry is fiercely competitive and working is compelling. For example, prices for microprocessors declined by 42.4 percent from 2000 to end of 2007. When competitors perform and execute the market rewards them. When they falter and under-perform the market responds accordingly.
I see a dig at AMD in that last sentence.

The investigation was authorized by William E. Kovacic, the new chairman of the FTC and has the support of the agency’s other commissioners. This was a reversal of a prior decision by Kovacic's predecessor, Deborah P. Majoras.

It should be noted, however, that FTC Chairmen are appointed directly by the President. Coming at the end of Bush's term, this definitely won't be resolved before the elections, sho who knows where the investigation will eventually end up.

Both AMD and Intel were down over 2% in Friday afternoon trading; however, this could be attributed to the poor jobs data released on Friday as well as oil news.
READ MORE - FTC Opens Formal Antitrust Investigation of Intel

Chrome vs. IE 8: A side-by-side comparison

MSNBC.com

Do you use Google Chrome or IE 8 for browsing ? Which one is better in performance or speed ? Or, maybe you still unsure which one you should use. For your reference, here is the comparison review of Chrome vs IE 8 written by Suzanne Choney (msnbc.com).

On first glance, both browsers are speedy, but Chrome is faster

REVIEW

By Suzanne Choney

updated 1:07 p.m. ET Sept. 3, 2008

Google knows how to lure users with the seeming simplicity of its products, even though there’s a great deal of complexity going on behind the scenes. Microsoft often makes products that seem to create more work than they should for users.

That dichotomy is evident in the companies’ Web browsers — Google’s new Chrome and Microsoft’s Windows Internet Explorer 8, both out in beta, or test, versions. (Msnbc.com is a Microsoft-NBC Universal joint venture.)

Chrome shines in its simplicity, while IE 8 brings some better functionality to an existing product.

Both have lots to offer users. Whether either is a good fit for you will depend on your needs. Just as learning a new operating system can be time-consuming, if you’re already happy with the Web browser you use, whether it’s Internet Explorer 7, Mozilla’s Firefox, Apple’s Safari, or Opera, you don’t have to download either Chrome or IE 8, both of which are free.

However, if you like to use different Web browsers at different times, and some people do, you may want to experiment with both.

Visually, Chrome is basic, spare and efficient, an antidote to the busy, cluttered look of Internet Explorer, and the anxiety it can provoke once you get lost within its menus.

I asked Google to explain the meaning of its new browser’s name, and the explanation fit with what the product evinces.

Chrome refers to “the user interface of the browser that surrounds the Web page,” said Erin Fors of Google. “The 'chrome' is everything other than the site itself, including the address bar, toolbars, the window controls and the frame around the bottom.

“With Google Chrome, we've designed the 'chrome' to be minimal so that users are primarily experiencing the sites and Web applications they're visiting.

When you launch a Web application from a desktop shortcut in Google Chrome, the address bar and other browser controls is removed so the 'chrome' is further reduced to just the application frame.”

Chrome has almost a retro feel to it, as if this is how Web browsing should have been 10 years ago, during a (relatively) simpler time, when the Internet for the masses was still new and all about exploring interesting sites rather than having a knee-slapping night of entertainment finding the grossest videos available on YouTube.

Both are speedy; Chrome is faster
I did some initial testing of both Web browsers on a year-old ThinkPad running Windows Vista. Chrome is available for both Vista and XP; Google says versions of Chrome are in the works for the Mac and Linux operating systems.

I also use Safari on a Mac, and Firefox on both the Mac and the PC. Firefox remains my preferred browser for now on both operating systems, having proven itself as relatively stable.

I found both Chrome and Internet Explorer 8 to work quickly, although Chrome, less laden with add-ons, moves at lightning speed.

Its basic interface shows a Web address bar, back and forward buttons, a refresh button and two menus, one for tools and another to handle items such as creating new tabs, new windows and copying and pasting. (By way of comparison, to do those same functions in IE means using three different menus.)

In Internet Explorer, the Web site tabs remain located below the address bar, as they are in Firefox. Chrome puts the tabs above the address bar, giving a truer appearance of file folders in a cabinet.

I’ve never had good luck with having more than two tabs open at once in Internet Explorer before it hangs, in contrast to Firefox. Both Chrome and IE 8 seem to handle multiple tabs with no issues.

In IE 8, Microsoft has added “crash recovery” for tab crashes, so that when they do happen, the tab is restored and and the Web site reloaded as you had it. I’m happy to say I didn’t need to use crash recovery, and had six tabs open at once without incident, a record in my IE experiences.

Quick, visual snapshot
Chrome’s home page is worth the download experience alone. It gives you a visual snapshot of your nine most-visited Web sites, making it easy to go back to them at any time. It also displays a handy list of recent bookmarks, and recently closed tabs, within easy click range on the home page.

Chrome and Internet Explorer 8 both have Web address bars that try to anticipate what you want to search for, or where you want to go, as soon as you type in a word. Chrome calls its auto-completion feature “Omnibox,” and IE 8’s is “Smart Address Bar.” Both of these worked well.

Both also have stealth surfing modes, but odds are neither will let you escape the eyes of a forensic examiner if your computer is confiscated.

Chrome’s is called “Incognito” mode, which you can slip into at any time by clicking on the same menu you use for creating a new tab. Google is quite clear about Incognito’s features.

“Browsing in Incognito mode only keeps Google Chrome from storing information about the Web sites you’ve visited. The Web sites you visit may still have records of your visit,” Google let me know before I enabled Incognito. “Any files saved to your computer will still remain on your computer.”

IE 8’s program is “InPrivate Browsing,” located in the Tools menu. InPrivate Browsing “ensures that history, temporary Internet files and cookies are not recorded on user’s PC after browsing,” according to Microsoft.

Internet Explorer 8 probably holds more excitement and interest for Web developers and IT managers than everyday Web users. Microsoft has added a lot under the hood to make IE 8 beefier in terms of security and Web development tools.

But for those of us who want a fast, no-nonsense Web-browsing experience, Chrome is a terrific option. Its ease of use does take some getting used to — imagine that! — and it’s an appealing entry into the competitive Web browsing market.

© 2008 msnbc.com

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26519075/

READ MORE - Chrome vs. IE 8: A side-by-side comparison

Opera , Firefox or Chrome, which one is fastest in speed ?

What is the internet browser you’re using right now ? Is it Firefox, Opera or maybe Chrome ? Have you ever wondering which one of the current popular internet browsers is the best in speed ? If you do (and I bet you do), here is the speed test result for your reference.

The test was conducted with the most current versions of each browser being tested – Opera 10, Chrome’s development channel 4.0 version and the final Firefox 3.5 with security fixes.

Read the complete test result in here >>

READ MORE - Opera , Firefox or Chrome, which one is fastest in speed ?

Caught on Camera - the best of Google Street View

WIKIPEDIA.org said that Google Street View is a feature of Google Maps and Google Earth that provides 360° horizontal and 290° vertical panoramic street level views and allows users to view parts of some regions of the world at ground level. When it was launched on May 25, 2007, only five American cities were included. It has since expanded to thousands of locations in the United States, France, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, and includes a variety of urban and rural areas.

Google Street View was first introduced in the United States on May 25, 2007, and only covered areas of the United States until July 2, 2008. As of today, images can be seen in seven countries (although parts of other countries can be seen from locations located near national borders; for example, large portions of Vatican City can be viewed from Rome's streetview). Introductions have generally occurred every 2 days to 3 months. Up until November 26, 2008, major cities (and early on, the only cities) were marked by camera icons, more of which were added each time. Then, all camera icons were discontinued in favor simply of "blue" coverage.

The United States was the first country to have Street View images and was the only country with images for over a year following introduction. Early on, most locations had a limited number of views, usually constrained to the city limits and only including major streets, and they only showed the buildings up to a certain height. Few suburbs or other nearby cities were included.

After the first few sets of introductions, image collections from cities added were more detailed, often including every side street, especially in areas closer to the center of the city. More suburbs and other nearby cities were included.

The first views anywhere outside the United States were introduced on July 2, 2008, when the Tour de France route was added. Nineteen camera icons, each indicating part of a French city or town and Cuneo, Italy were included.

Asylum.com has the story

Check this out and see what great job that Google Street View has done ....

Street View is a feature on Google Maps that allows you to virtually roam the streets of towns to which you may never have even been. While this is useful for figuring directions, it's also turned out to be useful for finding amazing pictures of people doing stuff they should not be doing.

We've collected a few of our favorites in the gallery below. But before you laugh too hard, consider this fact: Even one of our own Asylum editors was caught on the street by the Google van. If it can happen to us, it can surely happen to you.

Have you been out on the streets doing anything you might regret?

Read further in here >>>

READ MORE - Caught on Camera - the best of Google Street View

 
 
 
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