Google sets up Heathrow boredom killer

Google has opened an internet booth at London's Heathrow Airport in a bid to learn more about how people use its services.

The 'pod' known as Google Space is situated in the Terminal One departure lounge and consists of 10 Samsung laptops dedicated to Google services.

Google staff "flown in from all over the world" are on hand to answer any questions as well as monitor usage.

"We see it as a huge focus group," said Lorraine Twohill, Google's European director of marketing. "For many of our users, we have always been something in their computers and they have never actually met us."

A survey conducted for the launch by Google has shown that the average airline passenger wastes a day's holiday a year waiting around in airports, some nine hours in total.

Goblet of Fire Seen in Space

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has been viewed in space at the International Space Station about 220 miles above the Earth's surface. According to Business Wire, Commander William McArthur wanted to see the fourth installment in the ever-growing franchise so NASA workedl with Warner Bros. to stream the new film into space to be watched by the crew of the Space Station.

Update : This film pulled in roughly $182 million dollars in its first weekend worldwide. With $102.3 taken in domestically and $80 million throughout the rest of the world, it was the highest opening weekend movie of November alltime. It is also the 3rd highest opening weekend total in history.

The great firewall of modern China

The latest set of internet regulations announced by the Chinese government are cause for deepening gloom about the prospects for free speech in the world's most populous country. Although the new rules governing online news reports are largely a codification of existing practice, they underline the determination of Communist leaders to stifle dissent and will further limit the facts and political opinions available to the country's 100m internet users. The rules threaten organisations that disobey with fines and closure, and call for the transmission of "healthy and civilised" news.


The announcement was the most recent of a series of moves over the past few months to tighten control of local and foreign media. Several journalists have been arrested, one with the help of the US internet portal Yahoo, which - like Microsoft - has been accused of undermining free speech to protect its interests in China. Earlier this month a frustrated Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News Corp, said his company had hit a "brick wall" in China and accused Beijing of paranoia.

Autograph ban on Harry Potter star

The school friends of the Harry Potter star Rupert Grint have been banned from asking for his autograph.
According to Internet Movie Database, the 17-year-old Grint, who plays Ron Weasley, was mobbed by students at his Richard Hale School.
Students have been told they will be given detention if they ask for his autograph.
A source said: "All the other kids were really proud of him and were asking him about the movies. Senior staff held an assembly, warning pupils not to bother Rupert. Anybody flaunting the rules gets a lesson long detention."

How To Get Banned From Google Adsense In Just few hours

The darkest nightmare a hardworking affiliate webmaster fears is receiving a dreaded Google Adsense Warning, or even worse, a notice that Google Adsense has been disabled for the entire account.

The notice starts out like this:"It has come to our attention that invalid clicks have been generated on the ads on your web pages. We have therefore disabled your Google Adsense account. Please understand that this step was taken in an effort to protect the interest of the AdWords advertisers."

Some webmasters use Google Adsense to generate 100% of their website income and the account may hold many different websites. In that case, every website is disabled at one time. An automatic disqualification can be devastating, especially when Google has no obligation to explain its decision in detail.

Not only does the account become disabled, but also existing click-through earnings are refunded back to the advertisers.

Life gets tough, but is it that easy to get an account banned? Yes it is.The terms of service every Google Adsense Webmaster accepts, describes the easy do's and don'ts.

Do use the Adsense approved formats only

Do keep your click-through data and income private.

Don't display Adsense on registration or thank you pages.

Don't use Adsense code and a competitor's content-targeted advertisement on the same page.

Don't encourage anyone else to click on ads.

For a complete list, read the Adsense policies and terms

The easiest method an account can be banned is by a Webmaster clicking on the site's own ads.

Just how many click-throughs are needed to get a site banned isn't exposed, but Google Adsense watches for multiple clicks from the same domain. One person was banned who clicked twice from the same domain within a 24-hour period. That doesn't mean that is Adsense policy, because Adsense appears to place suspect sites on watch status until the action is duplicated.

Spikes in click-through percentages are hefty red flags. Those are the changes worth becoming proactive over by emailing Google Adsense. A site that rises from a consistent 1% click-through rate to a 10% click-through rate on one day could become suspect. The actual percentage that creates the flag isn't made public for obvious reasons.

What's the safest way to protect an account?

Don't click on the site's own ads ever.

Deceptive practices work for a short time, but they always come back to hurt the originator.

Yahoo IM users get more than they bargained for

If you're one of the tens of millions of Yahoo users asked to upgrade your instant-messaging software this week, be on your toes: The update can open the door to unwanted PC houseguests--and setting changes--by default.

The newest free version of Yahoo Instant Messenger (YIM) boasts advanced Internet phone calling in a upgrade that comes "highly recommended" by Yahoo. By clicking "yes" to the update, a user can expect to get a slicker YIM interface with buttons to quickly chat, blog, swap photos or call someone online. It even has new smiley icons.

Those changes are what many might expect. What they may not expect are all the other tools they get when not paying attention.

By accepting Yahoo's "typical" installation of YIM with Voice, it will also download Yahoo's Search Toolbar with anti-spyware and anti-pop-up software, desktop and system tray shortcuts, as well as Yahoo Extras, which will insert Yahoo links into the Internet Explorer browser. The IM client also contains "live words," which will automatically show an icon when the user highlights words online and then hyperlink to Yahoo search results, definitions or translation tools. Finally, the installation will alter the users' home page and auto-search functions to point to Yahoo by default.

To avoid these changes, users must actively choose the "custom" installation and uncheck five boxes.

Yahoo spokeswoman Terrell Karlsten said that for avid Yahoo users, the included services are valuable and highlight the integration among all its tools.

"By setting it that way we're giving people choices. For people who want to download software in one fell swoop, they have that option. If they don't want it we give them the ability to customize it," Karlsten said.

Read here

Google's digital gift for European Publisher's

Google opens digital library to European book publishers
Google Inc is asking European book publishers to submit non-English material to its Internet-leading search engine - a move that may ease worries about the company's digital library relying too heavily on Anglo-American content.

It marks the first time that Google has sought submissions from non-English publishers since it began to scan books into its search engine index last year.

The Google Print undertaking represents a major piece of Google's effort to convert printed material into a digital format so it can be called up from any computing device with an Internet connection. By indexing the material, Google hopes to attract more visitors to its website and spawn more searches that generate advertising revenue.

Google's database already includes books printed in about 100 different languages, but all that material came from US, Canadian and Australian publishers that submitted a handful of non-English books on their own.

By reaching out to European publishers, Google hopes to substantially increase the volume of non-English books in its database, said Jim Gerber, director of content partnership for Google's print programme.

Read here

Bulk Email Marketing

There's alot of misconceptions out there about bulk email marketing and I want all of my visitors to be aware and beware of them.

First, the definition of bulk email marketing varies depending on who you ask. Some people refer to it as mass marketing, direct marketing, or opt-in marketing of a product or service to 2 or more people simultaneously via their email address. People who prefer that definition are usually the senders of the email. Others refer to bulk email marketing as SPAM. Those people are usually the recipients of bulk email marketing.

SPAM has grown to be the universal term to describe any unwanted, unethical, or unproductive activity performed on the Internet. In the case of bulk email marketing, SPAM is any unsolicited commercial or junk email.

Commercial email does have its benefits for both businesses and consumers.Getting labeled as a "SPAMMER" can get your business in a whole lot of trouble. It can get all of your company's email addresses blocked from sending any email of any kind to entire email networks (AOL, MSN, YAHOO, etc.). It can get your site blocked by those networks as well. It can get your site banned from the search engines. Finally, it can get your site kicked off of your host's servers.With this information in mind you should really think twice before you send out any advertisements using email. There are many companies online that sell lists of thousands of email addresses claiming that the owners have knowingly and freely "opted-in" to receive unsolicited emails.

hope this helped you

Adsense and Affiliate programs

Google's new adsense is creating alot of interest and many publishers have decided to run with them instead of affiliate program banners. This will begin to hurt some affiliate merchants and certainly the affiliate networks will feel the pain.

But will it be the end of affiliate programs? I think not. I do however predict that in the future we may see more affiliate programs that look for closer ties with their affiliates. I would expect merchants to seek out affiliates that are more like real partners rather than just banner publishers. There are more likely to be more affiliate programs that allow for affiliates to use their own branding.

Want to Create a Free Website? Think Again.

This article may sound a little harsh to some. It's not meant to be as I am just stating the facts from personal experiences. I don't think many people realize the number of disadvantages that go along with free websites. That's why I've written this article.

Don't make the same mistake I did.I vowed to never go the "free route" again. Creating your site from scratch with its own dot com name is affordable and definitely worth the small investment.

It amazes me how many people try to build serious websites with free web host providers. Granted, we all love things in life that are marked "free", but it doesn't always make sense to go that route if it will cost you more in the long run

Parking your site at a free host is like building a house on sand. It may be quick and and it may seem easy at first, but I can almost guarantee you it won't last long.

Disadvantages of Free Web Hosts

1. Limited web page space
2. Can't add interactive features (chat rooms, message boards, games, online ordering etc.)
3. Search engines often ignore them A Huge disadvantage! (Although NOT with me)
4. May have banners and/or pop ads on your homepage and/or all of your pages
5. Long and hard-to-remember web address (instead of yourdomain.com)
6. No guarantees of site availability and longevity
7. No branded emails addresses (you@yourdomain.com)
8. Poor help and support options (if any)
9. May not be free forever

Advantages of Owning Your Own Dot Com Name

1. Easy to remember website address (yourdomain.com)
2. No banners or popups
3. Easier to get listed in search engines (Google, Yahoo etc.)
4. You have more control over the look and feel of your website.
5. Multiple branded email addresses (you@yourdomain.com)
6. Plenty of web page space for site expansion
7. No worries of site being removed unexpectedly
8. Looks more professional and often easier to get listed with search engines (Google)
9. More flexibility for design and functionality
10. Help is readily available.

I have a complete article. If you feel like reading it then mail me on mitanshu dot garg @gmail dot com.

Finally back to IITR

Finally...Mitanshu has come back to IIT Roorkee.The journey gave me a lot of trouble during my way fom Delhi to Roorkee in a DTC bus. Firstly; the bus was not moving but instead crawling...then it made a huge sound and broke down...waiting on the road 44 Kms. away from Roorkee for another DTC bus was really embarrasing. Then finally one came which maintained the average speed of previous bus but presence of my friend from IIT Roorkee in that bus gave me some relief.Somehow; I reached IIT Roorkee at 5.30 pm and then I went to my new room in Govind Bhawan. Let's see what the destiny has in store for me in my 3rd semester @ IIT Roorkee . Also the wait of all fans of Harry Potter around the world came to an end with the release of Harry Potter and the Half Blodded Prince.

Summer Vacations

With less than 1 week left for new term to begin at IIT Roorkee I am feeling a bit excited as now I would be in 2nd year and a fresh batch of JEE cleared students will be coming a week later.

These vacations were totally different from all the summer breaks that I have spent during my childhood.

I have signed-up with Yahoo!360 on my friend's request.I will continue posting here only although I will try to update that also.

Holidays

I am having my vacations going on
You may call it as mid-sem break or HOLI vacations.

I am thinking of adding something new to my site
But i am unable to think of it.

Please visit my site and suggest me something.

My site is : http://mitanshu0.tripod.com
or you may go to it through http://www.mitanshu.tk