The Wait is finally over for developers

Microsoft finally decided to release latest versions of SQL Server 2005 database and Visual Studio 2005 tools to developers. I have personally worked with SQL Server 2000 and really looking forward to the new edition.

Where art meets science

Amazing Photographs.

The H-1B swindle - A new study shows that companies hire foreign workers for cheap labor, not skill

According to this article, "When you look at computer job titles by state, California has one of the biggest differentials between OES salaries and H-1B salaries. The average salary for a programmer in California is $73,960, according to the OES. The average salary paid to an H-1B visa worker for the same job is $53,387; a difference of $20,573."

ID theft

News.com has an interesting article about ID theft. It explains the problems and what you can do to avoid these problems.

OSS in Schools

This is good example of how schools can implement and embrace open source tools and save money. I don't know how many Indian schools and universities are going to adopt or have already adopted OSS (Open Source Software). Does anybody know?

IBM Research turns 60

Today IBM Research turns 60. News.com is running a story about their achievemnets as a research pioneer. Just to name a few of their inventions like Fortran (1957), magnetic storage (1955), the relational database (1970), DRAM (dynamic random access memory) cells (1962), the RISC (reduced instruction set computer) chip architecture (1980), fractals (1967), superconductivity (1987) and the Data Encryption Standard (1974).

Low-Cost PC for rural India

Yahoo! News is carrying an article that Intel is set to launch low-cost PC for rural India by December. The PC is expected to cost less than $200. The PC is already being tested across the country. The computer is capable on running on car batteries also. The computer also has wireless internet connection. India has very low computer penetration with 9 PCs per 1000 Indians. May be this PC change the way Indians buy computers.

How Sensex works?

Economic Times has an interested article about "Bombay Stock Exchange" and how it operates. It’s interesting to know how Sensex works. This article also talks about how the stocks are selected, Sensex calculation, and much more. This article is worth reading.

The Onion in 2056

I think everyone has heard of Onion newspaper for silly news. But this is beyond your imagination. Check this out.

Google Office

I don't think its good news for Redmond based company. But that's Google. There is at least more than one web based office application is available like Writely (The Web Word Processor), and NumSum (Web Spreadsheet). Both are in beta stages. I personally worked on both of them and they have a long way to go. When I heard Google is partnering with Sun to make OpenOffice available online, I was thrilled. Its like if Google is doing something, it must be good. I don't know how long its going to take them to have a beta version out. I am waiting.