Microsoft certifications are getting more expensive.

According to an announcement made by Microsoft, the retail price of mid-range Microsoft Certification exams will increase worldwide. The exams in line for a price increase are: Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS), Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP), Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD), Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST), Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA), Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD), Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD), and Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA).  However, the Microsoft Certified Master (MCM), Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA), Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA), and Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exams are expected to remain the same.

Today students in high school and universities pay $60 for Microsoft’s Certification exam.  After July 1^st. of this year, the cost will be $83, showing a 22% increase. For non-students it goes from $125 to $150, or an even 20% increase. All increases are said to differ by region. Microsoft states that the price increase will let the company improve testing flexibility, security, and to develop new certification tiers.  Mostly Microsoft say’s they want to provide better certifications and support to customers but the price does seem steep, but looking at it today an A+ certification is just the tip of the iceberg.

Triumph of the nerds!

If anyone has seen this film, you already know how funny it is...informative but funny, they did however work very hard and sacrifice alot of time to thier cause, but there were always rivals and ego's that got in way too, like Steve Jobs...enough said.  If you havent seen it you should especially if you want to pursue a career to in the field of computers.

The T-Mobile Bobsled

T-Mobile has launched Bobsled, a new brand that provides a cloud-based communications services over the Internet by bridging telecommunications with Internet-based voice and data services. The first product under the Bobsled by T-Mobile is actually a Facebook application that offers free voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) calls, and because this new brand isn’t limited to just T-Mobile’s network or just its devices, anyone can use it.
To use it, you’ll need to install the new Bobsled application on Facebook.  The application lets you make free calls worldwide to any of your Facebook friends. It requires a computer, an Internet connection, and Facebook Chat.  Once downloaded and installed, the application eliminates the need for dialing: you simply click on a friend’s name to start a conversation. There’s also no need to remember screen names or to input numbers: you just need to know which Facebook friend you want to talk to.

Real-time, online communications

Communications have grown over the past few years with social networking sites like MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook devouring the Internet.  But it appears a new step has emerged going beyond text communications.  “Tout” a mobile video tool designed for capturing and sharing short video status updates via Twitter or Facebook is available for free in the iPhone app store, the app allows the user to point and shoot 15-second clips to send to the social networks.

The current state of the Internets primary based networks are specifically aimed at engagement and relationship building.  However, video brings about a whole new level of engagement within these social networks, in what Tout describes as a "visual conversation." CEO Micheal Downing states "Some moments in life just can’t be reflected in text. Tout delivers ‘life as it happens’ in full-motion color and sound, as opposed to 'life as it’s written in 140 characters or less.  Twitter and Facebook will most see more of these video sharing tools, as many more creative minds develop new ways to engage with others.”

Is this smart or is it not?   As the picture on the article shows a woman using the app driving a car, all I can think is “Great!, people can hardly drive and speak on a cell phone at the same time, while most deaths occur from texting and driving, and now we’ve got them updating their status by video and driving, well at least well know who wasn’t watching the road when that accident happens, thanks Tout."  Downing also claims though apps like BubbleTweet and Zkatter currently exist, those, along with Tout, may run into problems down the line as Twitter threatens to restrict third party engagement within the site. With hopes of providing their own exclusive app.  We’ll have to see if there’s enough room for these apps in the future.

FYI: Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology (sometimes shortened to "nanotech") is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale, in which materials and devices are built from molecular components which assemble themselves chemically by principles of molecular recognition.  Nanotechnology is very diverse, ranging from extensions of conventional devices in physics to completely new approaches based upon molecular self-assembly.  From developing new materials with dimensions on the nanoscale, to investigating whether we can directly control matter on the atomic scale.

There is however much debate on the future implications of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology may be able to create new materials and devices with a wide range of applications, within medicine, electronics, biomaterials and energy production. On the other hand, nanotechnology raises many of the same issues as any new technology would, including concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials,  and their potential effects on global economics, as well as speculation about various doomsday scenarios. These concerns have led to a debate among support groups and governments on whether special regulation of nanotechnology is warranted

The first use of the concepts found in nano-technology was in December 1959 by Richard Feynman. Others made headlines of nanotechnology from newspapers and books from 1974 through 1986 to the year 2000. While in the early 1980s two major developments were made; the birth of cluster science and the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope. This development led to the discovery of fullerenes in 1985 and carbon nanotubes a few years later. In another development, the synthesis and properties of semiconductor nanocrystals were studied; this led to a fast increasing number of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles and quantum dots. The atomic force microscope was invented six years after.  Nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale, covering both current work and concepts that are more advanced. In its original sense.  Nanotechnology refers to the projected ability to construct items from the bottom up, using techniques and tools being developed today to make complete, high performance products.

Japan’s New Horror

The author begins with “as if Japan didn’t have enough on its hands”.  Sad but true, the new horror facing japan; are the 1,000 bodies near the shore of the leaking Fukushima plant, leaving the bodies contaminated with radiation.  So contaminated in fact that they are highly dangerous to handle or move.  He also states; that most tsunami and earthquake victims are usually retrieved, cremated then returned to their family members, but japans government is baffled, proclaiming this situation will require a solution with decisive action and a high degree of delicacy.  What was stated was that they were not ready to make a decision for a plan of action, since struggling to cool the plant’s reactors and prevent a catastrophic meltdown, with several explosions. Creating fires carrying polluted gasses and discharged water from the plant have released radiation into the air and ocean near the plant, affecting anyone who remains in the area including the dead   If a plan has been made then it has not been made public,   For a country that has been prepared for disasters of this kind, Japan is seeing a lot of new problems setting an entirely different magnitude of disaster.

The new mile high club

The future of gaming has become airborne.  Consoles may include a full-sized monitor, surround sound and plenty of legroom, if you've got the cash to drop on a plush, "Not For Wimps" airline seat of course.  The seat, designed by Contour Aerospace and Factorydesign, is among the future design concepts being
shown off at the Aircraft Interiors Expo at the Hamburg Messe in Germany this week.

The Not For Wimps prototype, designed specifically for in-flight gaming, includes speakers integrated into the top edges of the seat, the ability to create a bubble of active noise cancellation around the gamer and a large monitor suspended in front of each seat by a Kevlar-coated carbon fiber arm.   The seat is currently only at the concept stage, which means that if gamers make enough noise maybe they could add or tweak a few of the design choices. What would you want added, removed or changed to a seat designed for gaming? Me? I'd want an over-sized table to hold a sturdy laptop, a dedicated power point, LAN access and a separate side table for food and drinks. It would also be great if the seats sported multiple consoles, or the ability to rent a PS3 or 360 mid-flight, for the duration of the trip.  Other concepts being shown off at the week's show include a seat with a built in iPad, another with a built-in Playstation Portable and a beverage trolley designed to dispense a multitude of drinks with the push of a single button.

This just seems to me like another example of how we are getting more and more dependent on electronic
devices.  A lot of people can't go a few hours, let alone a day or more without checking their phones, looking at their computer, or playing games. Plane rides can be long and boring, certainly, and I'm not against bringing a portable game even, but this chair seems like a big waste of resources.  It essentially amounts to creating an environment as close to home as possible, further ostracizing us from each other and creating emotional dependencies on these things.  No doubt it does look cool, but would people really waste a massive amount of money for a few hours of game play, let alone on a plane? I know I wouldn’t.  I'd
be too worried about dieing first. Cause hieghts freak me out.