Google acquired YouTube

The number one online video community YouTube has been bought by Google

Making official what has been rumored, and quite accurately, Google announced that it has purchased YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock.

Youtube will maintain its current offices and all employees will retain their jobs. All 67 of them that is. I have to assume that they may see some windfall out of this.

They plan to incorporate YouTube with their online advertising. Unclear exactly how they plan to do that, but YouTube certainly lends itself to a number of creative uses.

And here is the official statement of the two founders of YouTube, Steve and Chad

Trojan sucks life from PSPs

A new Trojan horse claims to help make PlayStation Portable run homegrown software, but instead the malicious code turns Sony's game player into a useless "brick."

The malicious program, which Symantec has labeled "Trojan.PSPBrick," is aimed at a crowd of "modders," or people who seek to hack the portable device so that it can run custom code and official game cartridges.

The new Trojan claims to be software that can roll back a Sony upgrade that has made the device harder to hack. When people install it, the malicious software actually deletes key files and renders the PSP inoperable.

"Basically the (PSP) is completely inoperable, and you've lost your device," said Eric Chien, the principal software engineer at Symantec Security Response. "It's called 'bricking.'"

However, Chien said the program is not likely to affect a wide audience, because most PSP owners aren't looking to alter their machines.

"The types of people who would be affected wouldn't be everyone who has gotten the PSP," he said. "It would be affecting the people who are trying to 'mod,' or update, their devices."

The PSP went on sale in March, with most people snapping it up for its gaming or music- and movie-playing abilities, not to see if they can run Linux. Sony also added Web-surfing capabilities in August.

Still, while the numbers of people likely to be hit are low, the cost is high, Chien said.

"There's definitely people who have run it and are something on the order of $300 poorer now," he said. It's also an indication, Chien said, that virus writers are looking beyond the PC.

"People are writing malicious code for all kinds of devices," he said.

A Sony representative was not immediately available for comment. The company has said that running homebrew code will void the PSP's warranty.

Source: ZDnet

19 Ways to Keep a Girl

1. DON'T FORCE HER TO DO ANYTHING.
[She won't trust you if you do & it'll be awkward]

2. Grab her hand when you walk next to each other.
[She always gets butterflies when you do it; it makes her feel like you want her]

3. When standing, wrap your arms around her.
[It makes her feel like you really love her.]

4. Cuddle with her.
[She'll feel like your there for her]

5. Hug her from behind
[It makes her feel special]

6. Write little notes.
[She smiles. One of girls favorite things to recieve. They're cute; The end]

7. Compliment her Honestly.
[No girl likes a liar and no girl likes a person who lies about it when you compliment her]

8. When you hug her, hold her in your arms as long as possible.
[It makes her feel wanted]

9. Be super sweet to her. = )
[All girls like a super sweet guy]

10. Call her at night to wish her sweet dreams.
[She'll go to bed with a smile]

11. Comfort her when she cries.
[She'll feel like you'll ALWAYS be there for her]

12.Wipe away her tears
[It'll show you'll always be there]

13. Love her with all your heart.
[Not with your brain... or your .....dick...or *at least dont tell you you love her when you really dont*]

14. flirt with her

15. Be a gentleman (hold the door for her).
[Every girl loves a guy who is a gentleman]

16. DON'T let your friends talk trash about her, it'll get back 2 her
[& it'll make her feel like you aren't really there for her]

17. Take her for a long walk at night!
[She just wants to be alone. & that's not always bad. The world can be annoying sometimes & you just need to be alone.]

18. When it's cold outside hold her close
[You want her to be happy & she's happy in your arms]

19. Draw on or rub her back as she is tryin to rest or sleep
[This just feels good!]

World’s Smallest Mobile Phone

When it comes to cellphones it appears that manufacturers are not going to be satisfied until phones are so slim that you can wield them as a knife, or so small that they become a choking hazard

China’s Xun Chi 138 cellphone definitely qualifies as the latter.

The phone is only 67mm tall (55g in weight), but features color touch screen, handwriting recognition, 1.3MP camera, MP3 player, USB and SD card slot.

Source: Phone Daily

Microsoft's Vista to cripple pirated software

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Microsoft confirmed that its soon-to-be-released Vista operation system was designed to cripple pirated copies.

A beefed-up "Software Protection Platform" partially disabled illegitimately obtained Windows Vista or Windows Server "Longhorn" programs, according to the Redmond, Washington, software giant.

The anti-piracy feature switched unauthorized copies to a "reduced functionality mode" and routed users to a website explaining the situation and how to remedy it, most likely by paying for the software.

"Microsoft anti-piracy technologies cannot and will not turn off your computer," Cori Hartje, director of the company's Genuine Software Initiative, explained in a release.

"Reduced functionality mode in Windows Vista will allow the user to use the browser."

The Vista security feature was a more disabling version of one on the operating system's predecessor,
Windows XP, according to Microsoft.

When the anti-piracy software spies illegitimate copies of Vista or Longhorn it alters them to a "non-genuine state" that requires the user to reactivate the program.

"At no point will a user lose access to his or her personal data based on the genuine program, nor is personal data ever transferred to Microsoft," the company said.

"However, it will be obvious to a user, and anyone else viewing the PC, that the PC experience is not equivalent to that of a user running a genuine copy of Windows Vista."

Vista's release had been delayed while engineers tuned the software and it was on track to be released early next year.

Microsoft estimated that one in five copies of its Windows software on computers worldwide was stolen, unlicensed or counterfeit. Windows programs run approximately 90 percent of computers.

The Business Software Alliance reported in May that 35 percent of computer software used worldwide was pirated. The alliance estimated the value of the illicit software at more than 35 billion dollars.

Source: Yahoo News