Hasta La Gadget!

A Microsoft executive is getting into serious Scrooge McDuck territory with this one. Patrick McCarthy, a Chicago-based VP for the software giant, has given the world a new line of perfume and cologne. It apparently smells like money.

The new, familiar scents go by the name His Money Cologne and Her Money Eau de Parfum. McCarthy believes that spraying liquid money on your body can really affect your outlook on life.

Says the executive-turned-perfumist,

I really feel that people who wear this will feel more confident. I got the idea after reading a story about a Japanese study that showed a significant increase in worker productivity when the smell of money was pumped through vents into factories.

Apparently a trip to the ATM machine also inspired McCarthy to get into the liquid smell business. The stink of cash will run you $35 a bottle online.

This article was written on April 17, 2007 by CyberNet.

Microsoft has created a new bar code system that replaces the standard black and white vertical bars with specific patterns of colored triangles. By doing this they are able to pack in more information into such a small space.

The High Capacity Color Bar Code should start appearing on DVD’s already by the end of this year. Once implemented the bar code would be able to store information like URL’s and other information that could be related to the CD/DVD. This would be especially useful when deciding whether to purchase a movie or music CD because it can be attached to a computer at a store so that you can visit the homepage.

This does, of course, require special hardware to scan the bar code so the transition could be costly for companies. It even takes more costly hardware to print the bar codes which is something else that could drive the price of goods up.

Having worked at a retail store I can see real value in such a system. We came across people all of the time who tried to print their own UPC’s for products and place them over an item’s UPC. That way when the cashier rings up the item it is for something else at a much lower cost. Being able to replicate these new color bar codes could spell disaster for scammers utilizing this method of “bar code switching”.

Source: CNet

Thanks for the tip CoryC!

Copyright © 2011 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:

Microsoft Creates A New Office 2007 ThemeWindows Vista Update Available to help Application CompatibilityDoes Microsoft Need More Time To Complete Vista?Microsoft to Support XP 2 Years Longer Than VistaFree Windows Partition Manager

After spending the last two and a half years helping Microsoft develop Kinect (and spending countless hours hacking Wiimotes before that), the illustrious Johnny Chung Lee has decided to take his talents to Mountain View and work for Google. Mr. Lee didn’t say exactly what he’ll be doing for Google, but we do know that he’s joining a special projects team, and his title is “Rapid Evaluator.” It’s curious that Johnny has seemingly left his gaming roots to work for the search giant, but regardless we look forward to seeing what he’s up to at El Goog and wish him the best in his new job. Here’s hoping his new duties won’t quell his penchant for at-home tinkering.

The (geek) decision: Kinect developer Johnny Chung Lee leaves Microsoft for Google originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Japanese  |  Procrastineering  | Email this | Comments

This article was written on April 23, 2008 by CyberNet.

Any time that Vista Ultimate Extras were brought up last year (here, here and here), it was usually to talk about how disappointing that they were. Even though Vista launched in January, it took too long and too much silence from the Ultimate Extras team before they got anything pushed out the door. The most anticipated extra, DreamScene took forever to be launched into it’s final form, and language packs were promised by the end of the Summer but didn’t come until mid-Fall. The team is known for going quite some time without saying a word which has left many Vista Ultimate users wondering if the “extras” have been abandoned all-together.

At one point they said they weren’t going to make any promises or release any details of what would come next but they did say, “Please rest assured that our team is working hard to deliver on our promise to Ultimate Customers.” If they’re working hard and trying to impress, you might expect something a little more than what they just launched. Once again, it’s rather disappointing to say that the only two Ultimate Extras Microsoft could come up with are a pack of 2 Windows sound schemes and a Windows DreamScene Content Pack #3 (photo is of new DreamScene image).

We’re sure that the sound schemes probably are cool, and we hate to discount the work that the team did put into these extras as insignificant, but it’s hard not to when Ultimate Extras in general have been so disappointing and far and few in-between. When it’s been so long since they’ve delivered something, you’d just expect more than sounds and an update to DreamScene for Ultimate users who did pay extra to receive the extras.

When it’s time for Windows 7 to come out, we’re thinking that Microsoft isn’t going to try and sell an “Ultimate” version at a premium price with a promise that extras will be delivered in the future. We’ve seen that they haven’t been able to deliver (heck, it took them a whole month after SP1 launched before they could update the Language packs!) like everybody thought they would which is ultimately disappointing and doesn’t help their reputation any. Unfortunately for Microsoft, Vista Ultimate is not living up to its name.

If you’re running Vista Ultimate and the sound schemes and an update to DreamScene interest you, look for the extras on Windows Update…

Source: Windows Vista Blog

Thanks to all who sent this in as a tip!

Copyright © 2011 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:

Vista Ultimate Extras are Ultimate DisappointmentMicrosoft Plus! for Vista … Where’s the Ultimate Extras?More Bad News for Vista Ultimate ExtrasUltimate Extras are Ultimately ForgottenStardock Puts Microsoft On the Spot

This article was written on September 06, 2007 by CyberNet.

Microsoft briefly announced in one of their press releases today that they hired on the developer of the popular WebGuide software for Windows Media Center (both XP and Vista). This software lets Media Center users manage all of their recordings from any browser, as well as stream content from your Media Center computer. You can also stream music, pictures, and videos that are stored on the PC all from the comfort of your browser.

I’ve actually been using this software for months, and there was both free and paid versions available. The free version did just about everything except for the streaming media, and I liked the software so much that I decided to buy it for the $10 or $15 that it was. Now, however, Microsoft has decided to make the software available at no cost.

The creator of WebGuide, Doug Berrett, made this announcement yesterday afternoon in his forum. Here’s a summary of what he had to say:

I’m excited to announce that I recently finalized a business deal with Microsoft to make WebGuide available to users for free and to become a member of the Media Center team.
…
For those of you who feel I’ve sold out, given in to "the man" or crossed over to the dark side, you don’t need to send me a nasty email.  I hear yah.  Go play a round of Halo to get it out of your system.  At the end of the day, my passion is for developing cool software, and this is an opportunity to do just that.  I’d be a fool not to take advantage of it.

Honestly the interface on this program is amazing, and it even includes a mobile version for phones and PDA’s that make scheduling a piece of cake. There’s also a Vista Sidebar Gadget available so that you can manage your recordings, view scheduled shows, or search and browse the TV guide without ever opening your browser.

Another interesting part of the website is the Top List which collects anonymous television recording stats. You can then view the most recorded shows for your country, and it’s pretty interesting to see what tops off the list for different parts of the world.

I highly recommend installing this software if you’re using either XP or Vista Media Center. It will handle almost all of the configuration itself, and you can create multiple users each with customized access restrictions.

WebGuide Homepage
WebGuide Screenshots

Copyright © 2011 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:

CyberNotes: Schedule and Stream Shows from Media CenterMyFive: Reasons I Love Windows Vista Media CenterMicrosoft Offers 150 Programs For FreeAlternative to WebGuide on Windows 7 Media CenterCyberNotes: Six Amazing Plug-Ins for Vista Media Center