Win a Registration Key

http://myphone.microsoft.com/Good news everyone! Yours truly has come into possession of two registration keys for Microsoft's My Phone Beta program! Since I'm such a nice guy I thought the best thing to do would be to give them away to our readers! For those of you that are unaware - "Microsoft My Phone syncs information between your mobile phone and the web..." - Basically it can best be described as a very simple and easy to use cloud syncing solution for Windows Mobile handsets. Exchange services for the rest of us!To qualify to win one of these two never before used registration codes, all you have to do is post a reply telling us about a time when data syncing has failed you miserably. It can be anything; like having your phone stolen and not backing up your contacts or getting the phone number of an attractive member of the opposite sex seconds before your waiter spills a cup of water on your Samsung Blackjack... Whatever you can think of!The contest will be going on now until Sunday April 12th, 2009 at 11:59PM PST, at which time I will go through and randomly select two entrants to be announced Monday April 13th, 2009. As I mentioned before the winners will be selected randomly so unfortunately bribing me with cookies will do you no good - but you are more than welcomed to try!

kitten

Is Acne bothering you???

Acne is one condition that troubles teenagers and adults alike! Some are lucky,they never experience it. While some have the complete Acne package gifted to them! Though there are many medications in market it pains to take care of your skin,the way acne demands! And we may still be on mercy of hormones that create this havoc in most cases. Most of us get fed up of visiting the dermatologist as we lose faith. But the fact is we need to keep a check on it only through a good dermatologist's advice! Are you one of those who has the Acne trouble? If yes, how do you cope with it?

Twitter's Musical Potential

Crossover hip-hop artist K'naan is revising one of his hits using his fans' tweets.Photo courtesy Interdependent Media After securing $35 million in February and continuing its explosive growth, the only thing that is left for Twitter to do now is to go viral with innovation. A pair of musical projects that use the microblogging service could help make that happen: Somali-born hip-hopper K'naan Warsame is revising his song "People Like Me" using fans' tweets, and the San Francisco sessions vets in Moonalice are planning a repeat performance of their real-time Twitter concert. On April Fools' Day, K'naan offered fans an instrumental download of "People Like Me" from his official site, asking them to submit their own lyrics in the form of tweets sent to his Twitter account. All tweets sent to the hashtag "#knaansong" are eligible for inclusion until the promotion winds down May 1, after which K'naan will mash the finest into a final remake of "People Like Me" that will be made available as a free download. The move is just the latest way K'naan has embraced technology to expose his art across the globe. His official site has links for satellite pages across not just Twitter, but also Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Imeem, YouTube, Rhapsody and more. That kind of plugged-in social and political awareness has turned him from an unknown Canadian rapper into a crossover sensation who collaborated with artists as different as Snoop Dogg and Metallica's Kirk Hammett on his February 2009 release Troubadour, which debuted atop the digital sales chart in the United States and placed third in Canada. It's all part of establishing integrity, K'naan explained to Wired.com in a June 2008 interview. "I don’t think the role of an artist has to do with movements as opposed to credibility. I think that your role as an artist is to make the best songs you can, and if it happens to be something that is inspiring, then that’s great. But a bad song, conscientious or not, is a bad song." Former SNL bandleader G.E. Smith plays guitar with tweeting band Moonalice now. Photo courtesy Moonaliceband.com While K'naan is busy using Twitter to make good songs out of possibly bad but probably great tweets, Moonalice is using the social networking phenomenon to explode its exposure. A group of musical all-stars led by ex-Saturday Night Live guitarist G.E. Smith, the San Francisco Bay Area sextet used Twitter to broadcast, so to speak, its self-titled debut's April 3 release concert at Slim's in San Francisco. After each song, Moonalice's sound team digitized, uploaded and tweeted it before the next tune was finished. The idea was such a hit that Moonalice has decided to do it again, this time on Saturday in Redwood City, California. While K'naan's crowdsourced mash will mark the first time a major artist has created a song entirely out of tweets, Moonalice's promotional maneuver was the first time a band has broadcast a concert in real-time on the Twitter platform. The clever move has already attracted attention and acclaim, most notably from Twitter creator Evan Williams. "We are amazed by all the new ways people are using Twitter, and what Moonalice is doing exemplifies this to the core," Williams said in a Moonalice press release, which explained that the tech-savvy band's debut effort was mixed using the award-winning T-Bone Burnett's CODE DVD-V format. "Twittering a live show is a new and profoundly cool way for a band to reach its fan base and beyond," Williams said. "We hope to see more of this as bands see the value of connecting to their audience in new ways." Given the social network's meteoric rise in adoption and innovation, Williams probably won't have to hope for too long. See also: Somali-Born K'naan Schools Hip-Hop Materialists SXSW Video: Musical Tweets SXSW: Social Networking Rocks — But Only for Some Bands Twitter and Craiglist Spoofed in SuperNews' New Season Nine Inch Nails iPhone App Extends Reznor's Innovative Run

la piscine?

My dad is a swimmer. Pretty much every day, every since he was a kid. So when we went to Paris, I taught him how to ask "ou est la piscine?". Well, he found one. And then made a French/Argentinian/German friend who also swam at that pool. A strange man. Once Henry Miller's chef, he claimed he could make a chocolate cake so good you'd fly out the window. Not really sure how that worked, but we went to his apartment for lunch, and met other strange people. He also had a son, my age, who's accent would switch between American and French each sentence. Which of course fascinated me.The point of this story is, Ou Est Le Swimming Pool (not LeS Swimming Pool, as some people have tagged them - well, that just wouldn't make sense now?) are awesome. A little pop, a little electro, it's reminiscent of that whole Australian electro scene from recent months. Which means it's electro that's not boring, it's easily accessible, an 80's throwback inspired by those such as Cyndi Lauper and Kraftwerk. An interesting combination, indeed. They're not French, obviously, but British. Dance The Way I Feel is, really, an anthem for those who like to dance. And not because someone told you to, or o some sort of music that everyone else is dancing to, it's just dancing of your own accord and the way that you want to, when you want to. They're tipped to be big in 2009, and if the Hype Machine... well, hype, is anything to go by, it's a pretty accurate prediction.Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - Dance The Way I Feel

Big Apple

The spectacular Big Apple Circus is back in town for its 31st season with Play On! — a brand new, magical music box of a show! Play On! is a circus symphony of astonishing acts and side-splitting laughter, propelled by a jazzy mix of classical, soul and rock & roll from the best circus band in the land! While the title is from Shakespeare (If music be the food of love, play on!), Play On! is pure circus, featuring the world’s finest artists under a classic Big Top tent, performing in the intimate setting of a single ring! There are high-spirited Colombians on the flying trapeze; an acrobatic Chinese ballerina, pirouetting on top of her partner; jazzed–up juggling twins from America; Russians springing skyward from their Russian barre; a talented troupe of Italian dogs; and the breath–taking exploits of Big Apple Circus equestrians vaulting onto galloping horses. Not to mention our incomparable paragon of love and laughter, Grandma the Clown! No seat under the Big Top is more than 50 feet from the ring, so even if you’re very small you won’t miss a thing — it’s the finest family entertainment around! Artistic and Creative Directors Paul Binder and Michael Christensen have gathered an amazing cast of extraordinary performers, who bring thrills and delight from eleven countries around the globe: • From England, Carrie Harvey, sensational international ringmistress — from Spain’s Circo Mundial to France’s Cirque Amar to England’s Hippodrome — returns to host Play On! • From America, our beloved Grandma (Barry Lubin), iconic clown of Big Apple Circus’s Department of Laughter, and International Clown Hall of Fame inductee! • From Russia, the award–winning Rodion Troupe amazes with startling, soaring leaps and flips from a bar that is only 5 inches wide in a Russian Barre act! • From Italy, Luciano Anastasini and his Pound Puppies, rescued from animal shelters, deliver doggone delight! • From America, clowns Glen Heroy and Mark Gindick take us on a quest to reconstruct an extraordinary music box in a magical adventure full of merry mischief! • From Belgium, renowned mime and comedian Olivier Taquin is joined by company member Valdis Yanovskis (Russia) in a whimsical, playful and endearing act that takes us back to the silent film era! • From America and Kazakhstan, Christine Zerbini and Sultan Kumisbayev are joined by their equine partners in a thrilling vaulting display around the ring! • From China, the Nanjing Acrobats combine world–class acrobatics and classical ballet to create unforgettable images of unparalleled skills and grace! • From Colombia, an astounding, heart–stopping trapeze act, The Flying Cortes! • From America, flashy identical juggling twins the LaSalle Brothers, Jake and Marty, are double the trouble and… the fun! • From Germany, Sarah Schwarz vibrates with playfulness and elegance on her tight wire as she dances to musical inventions and variations! • From China, Guiming Meng returns to the ring with unequaled equilibrium, jauntily juggling colossal ceramic jars! • From Russia, the lovely Regina Dobrovitskaya swings stylishly high above the ring in a breath–taking trapeze act! • And, completing the cast, the extraordinary and multi-talented artists of the Big Apple Circus Company: Andrey Mantchev (Bulgaria), Virgile Peyramaure (France), Christian Atayde Stoinev (America)! Performances of Play On! begin Saturday, April 4th and run for 56 shows through Sunday, May 10th under the Big Top at City Hall Plaza. Tickets are available by calling (888) 541-3750 or at www.bigapplecircus.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the Community Box Office in the lobby of Boston Children’s Museum from 11 AM to 2 PM daily; there is a $1 per ticket service charge. The Circus Box Office in front of the Big Top opens Wednesday, March 18th; hours are Tues–Fri, 10 AM–8 PM; Sat–Mon, 10 AM–6 PM. The Big Top is heated in cold weather and air–conditioned in warm weather for all–season comfort. For group sales, inquiries about wheelchair–accessible seating or for any additional information please call the Ticket Info Line at (800) 922-3772. Performance Schedule: Sat, Apr 4, 12:30 PM & 4:30 PM Sun, Apr 5, 12:30 PM & 4:30 PM Tues, Apr 7, 6:30 PM Wed, Apr 8, 11 AM & 6:30 PM Thurs, Apr 9, 11 AM & 6:30 PM Fri, Apr 10, 1 PM & 6:30 PM Sat, Apr 11, 12:30 PM & 4:30 PM Sun, Apr 12, 12:30 PM & 4:30 PM Wed, Apr 15, 11 AM & 6:30 PM Thurs, Apr 16, 11 AM & 6:30 PM Fri, Apr 17, 11 AM & 6:30 PM Sat, Apr 18, 12:30 PM & 4:30 PM Sun, Apr 19, 11:30 AM Tues, Apr 21, 1 PM & 6:30 PM Wed, Apr 22, 1 PM & 6:30 PM Thurs, Apr 23, 1 PM & 6:30 PM Fri, Apr 24, 1 PM & 6:30 PM Sat, Apr 25, 12:30 PM & 4:30 PM Sun, Apr 26, 12:30 PM & 4:30 PM Wed, Apr 29, 11 AM & 6:30 PM Thurs, Apr 30, 11 AM & 6:30 PM Fri, May 1, 11 AM & 6:30 PM Sat, May 2, 12:30 PM & 4:30 PM Sun, May 3, 12:30 PM & 4:30 PM Wed, May 6, 11 AM & 6:30 PM Thurs, May 7, 11 AM & 6:30 PM Fri, May 8, 11 AM & 6:30 PM Sat, May 9, 12:30 PM & 4:30 PM Sun, May 10, 12:30 PM & 4:30 PMWhen: Apr 14, 2009 12:00:00 AM to May 20, 2009 12:00:00 AM Where: Under the Big Top on City Hall Plaza in Boston,Massachusetts Cost: Tickets for Play On! range in price from $20 to $65 for Saturday, Sunday and Patriots Week shows, from $20 to $62 for weekday evening shows, and from $20 to $28 for 11 AM weekday matinees. Premium seating for $100 is available for Saturday, Sunday and all Patriots Week (4/21 – 4/24) shows.Posted by:jdd3

What Anti-Virus software are you using?

I choose eScan corporate edition coz it's engine is powered by Kaspersky and it only eats few of my computer resources. Since I used it, I never had troubles with my computer mostly with viruses. I often scan and it manage to delete or disinfects the intrusions and viruses on my computer.

So what's yours? and why?

Which Spoof Winneth?

Sword-and-sandals goofs return to television Thursday night when Comedy Central's Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire premieres. But can it hold a torch to the aborted Adult Swim laugher Korgoth of Barbaria? Ye decide. A cross between Rowan Atkinson's cult classic Black Adder and Mel Brooks' much less funny Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Krod Mandoon unleashes a torrent of easy sexual and scatalogical gags, with Meet the Spartans' Sean Maguire as Krod Mandoon, leader of a band of dysfunctional adventurers, and Little Britain's Matt Lucas as his nemesis, Chancellor Dongalor. Shot in Budapest and featuring a cameo from The Lord of the Rings' John-Rhys Davies, Krod Mandoon is lightweight medieval satire for the prime-time set. From jokes about bestiality to an ancient pole dance from resident babe India de Beaufort, who plays Krod's unfaithful girlfriend Aneka, it's a cable comedy perfectly suited for the male demographic. But can it hold a candle to the legendary Korgoth of Barbaria, the hyperviolent, hyperhilarious animated 2006 pilot from Dexter's Laboratory director Aaron Springer and toon virtuoso Genndy Tartakovksy (Star Wars: Clone Wars, Samurai Jack)? After dropping jaws when it first aired on Adult Swim three years ago, the pilot was never picked up by Cartoon Network, although it still retains a dedicated fan base. Too bad, as its excessive gore and riotous jokes were perfectly subversive, which is to say the opposite of Krod Mandoon. Plus, it had major geek cred, aside from being created by Springer and Tartakovsky. It was a more direct spoof of famous barbarians such as Conan and Thundarr. Korgoth was voiced by Diedrich Bader, who's currently doing the same for the Dark Knight on Cartoon Network's Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Its dramatic introduction was voiced by a cooler Lord of the Rings vet, Christopher Lee, who also starred as Sith creep Count Dooku in Star Wars' second trilogy. As for the show's action and humor, screen the first part of the pilot below and see for yourself. After the blood dries, let us know in the comments section which gets your vote for finest sword-and-sandals satire. The series premiere of Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire airs Thursday at 10 p.m. EST on Comedy Central. See also: Creative Chaos Keeps South Park Timely, Tack-Sharp Half-Naked Female Jedis, Coming Right Up in Clone Wars Education Spoof Look Around You Schools Adult Swim Adult Swim's Superjail Skewers Surveillance State Batman Lightens Up With Brave and the Bold Robot Chicken Returns to Star Wars Roost

Blue

... 'cause they're all the same now. ^__^8:30 a.m.: Alarm rings on cell phone. Hit snooze. Cat begins climbing on chest, arms, face. Cat begins kneading various parts of body. Mmmmm... free massage.8:45 a.m.: Snooze goes off, cat leaps from bed. I follow, a little more slowly. Use toilet, feed and water cat, make cup of tea.9:00 a.m.: Open up laptop and load up new episode of House, M.D. Unfurl yoga mat. Sip tea. Work teh yogas while listening to House make sexy, smartass comments. Intersperse positions with sips of tea.9:45 a.m.: House episode ends, hit shower. Kitty likes to join me in the shower -- not in the actual shower itself, but nearby, breathing the steam. I let her do her thing.10:00 a.m.: End shower, get dressed, makeup, etc.10:10 a.m.: Dry hair.10:20 a.m.: Microwave packet of instant oatmeal. While oatmeal is nuking, grab sabzi from freezer and whip together a PB&J.10:22 a.m.: Eat instant oatmeal while checking email, Facebook, and Google Reader.10:35 a.m.: Turn head upside down. Brush hair. Flip head backwards (my hair now smacks against the ceiling fan when I do this). Grab claw clip. Secure hair so it does not fall in face.10:40 a.m.: Fill backpack, grab sabzi and sandwich, pour some Crystal Light "Immunity" (featuring vitamins A, C, B, and B12) into my reusable glass waterbottle, pet kitty, check three times to make sure my space heater is turned off, leave house.10:45 a.m.: Seriously. Leave the house. I'm going to be late.10:47 a.m.: Drive to campus in manner of Annette Bening's character from American Beauty, singing loudly to whatever 1930s/1940s American standards I've got in the CD player. On a good day I can hit all the words in Mandy Patinkin's rendition of "It Only Happens When I Dance With You" (it's at 4:08).11:00 a.m.: Teach, followed by class, followed by rehearsal.11:00 p.m.: Return home.

Source snapshot available on Codeplex

As requested by the Most Valued Professional (MVP) members at the MVP Global Summit, the TFS Migration team has posted an interim source code update on Codeplex for the project located at http://tfstotfsmigration.codeplex.com/ in March, as shown in the following screen dump extract: The reason for my blog post is two fold … One to remind everyone of the above and remind everyone that we will be releasing the public SDK and the documentation as part of the VSTS Rangers – TFS2TFS Project Copy project. See VSTS Rangers Projects – summary of projects covered on this blog for a list of relevant links for the project. Two, to highlight the fact that we can use a number of version control clients to access the code on Codeplex. Using Team Explorer you have to get access to the relevant project, but receive the known Visual Studio Team Explorer sandbox, which includes the work items, source control explorer and the history, which obviously matches the list above. The one problem I had was that I constantly got an access denied error, until Pei pointed me to the fact that the username must be defined as: snd\[username]_cp. You could, unlike what I did, read the instructions documented on the actual project source code page … with the exact details for each version control client =:- … and avoid the “gnnnnffffffffffffffffff” moment.

April Madness

You've heard of March Madness; get ready for April Madness!April Madness? What is that?OK, I am the only one calling it that.It is School Library Journal's Battle of the (Kids') Books. The Morning News and Powell's Books have been doing a Tournament of Books for five years now; and as Tea Cozy readers know, I've posted a time or two this year's inclusion of a YA book in the ToB.In a nutshell: just as with March Madness, there is a bracket where sixteen books go one-on-one against each other. So the first round contains eight "book v book" rounds, with each round having an individual judge determine who "wins". That leaves eight books for a second round, with a new set of judges; four books for the third round, again, new judges; leading up to the last and final round.The judges? Authors; with Lois Lowry being the final judge. Full details are at SLJ; including a BoB blog; a twitter account; and a handy-dandy printable form to use at your library, school, or office to for your BoB pool. Oh, and you can get the books at The Flying Pig bookstore, at a 30 % discount.

We Just Figured Out Blue's Food

I can get so much mileage out of that post title. ^__^My roommate, tired of her food getting "lost" behind, say, a gallon of milk and not being discovered again until it had started to smell, decided last night that we should separate out our food by shelf. Our refrigerator looked pretty full to begin with; but as it turns out, 90% of the stuff in there is actually hers.When I separated my food out onto its shelf, I discovered I had the following inventory:1 jar peanut butter (store brand)1 jar strawberry preserves (store brand)1/2 loaf whole wheat bread (store brand)Almost-empty squeezy jar of mustard (store brand)1 jar lime-ginger pickle (Priya brand)1 block sharp cheddar cheese (store brand)1/2 block sharp cheddar cheese (it was a 2-for-1 sale)Admittedly, in the freezer I have enough sabzi and gobi aloo to last another ten days, and a giant "family-size" bag of brussels sprouts which I portion out and eat along with my PBJ or cheese sandwiches.I also have half a box of pancake mix sitting on top of the refrigerator, along with some instant oatmeal that I am not actually going to eat because I discovered too late that "sugar free" actually meant "coated in aspartame," and I can't stand the taste.If the sabzi contains broccoli, potatoes, chickpeas, and green-and-yellow beans, and the gobi aloo contains... well, gobi and aloo... am I getting a balanced diet?

Children's guardian angel

Once upon a time there was a child ready to be born. So one day he asked God, “They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?”
　　God replied, “Among the many angels, I chose one for you. She will be waiting for you and will take care of you.”
　　
But the child wasn't sure he really wanted to go. “But tell me, here in Heaven, I don't do anything else but sing and smile, that's enough for me to be happy.”
　　　“Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you every day. And you will feel your angel's love and be happy.”
　　
“And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me,” the child continued, “if I don't know the language that men talk?”
　　God patted him on the head and said, “Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.”
　　
　　“I've heard that on earth there are bad men, who will protect me?”
　　“Your angel will defend you even if it means risking her life!”
　　
　　At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from earth could already be heard. The child knew he had to start on his journey very soon. He asked God one more question, softly, “Oh God, if I am about to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.”
　　God touched the child on the shoulder and answered, “Your angel's name is not hard to remember. You will simply call her Mommy.”