ඔබේ පද්‍ය ගද්‍ය නව නිර්මාණවලට පමණක් නොව......

Heshan Gamage (seek) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:55:11 +0000

ඔබේ පද්‍ය ගද්‍ය නව නිර්මාණවලට පමණක් නොව පොතපතින් හෝ සමාජයෙන් හෝ ඔබ අත්දුටු දෙයක් වෙතොත් එය අන් අය සමග බෙදා ගැනීමට සුදුසු යැයි හැඟ් නම් ඒවාට ද මෙහි ඉඩ ඇත. ළමයින්ට සුදුසු වැඩිහිටියන්ගේ නිර්මාණ පමණක් නොව ළමා වියේ පසුවන ඔබේ ගද්‍ය පද්‍ය නිර්මාණද ඔබේ නම ගම වයස ලිපිනය ඉගෙන ගන්නා පාසල හා ශ්‍රේණිය සඳහන් කර අප වෙත එවන්න.

Fastest violin player

Amali :) :D — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:25:01 +0000

The fastest violinist is David Garrett (Germany) who played "Flight of the Bumblebee" in 1 min 5.26 sec on the set of Guinness World Records: Die GroBten Weltrekorde in Germany, on 20 December 2008.

“Only those artists can afford to do crossover who have already made a name for themselves in the classical music scene.” David Garrett sets high quality standards. And he knows what he is talking about. In Fall 2007 the recording artist made his appearance in Germany with the release of his crossover album Virtuoso and he has been redefining standards in the classic and crossover scene step by step ever since. The native of Aachen, son of a German jurist and an American prima ballerina, can allow himself to sound out the limits. After all, at age 30, he already looks back on a matchless career.

2012 BMW Z4 sDrive28i

Lalin Perera — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:29:10 +0000

BMW's Turbo Four-cylinder Z4 - 2011 New York Auto Show

One of the big reveals at the 2011 New York International Auto Show wasn't a car but an engine. KBB's Micah Muzio spoke with Joseph Wierda from BMW to discuss the company's new turbocharged four-cylinder Z4.

Skype Pulls Premature iPad App

Heshan Gamage (seek) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 06:38:23 +0000

Skype said Tuesday that it removed its new iPad app from Apple's App Store, saying that the program was posted prematurely.
"To ensure your best Skype experience, we've temporarily removed Skype for iPad which went live prematurely today [Tuesday]," the company said on its Twitter account. "We know you've been eagerly awaiting Skype for iPad and apologize for the inconvenience."
The program reportedly allowed audio and video calling over both 3G and Wi-Fi networks.
Skype is in the process of being acquired by Microsoft.

Breitling Sea Wolf Submariner - dark metal Version

Bird Evil — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 09:09:44 +0000

The renowned Swiss look at brand, Breitling, recently arrives using a special design of submariner, Sea Wolf crafted from dark metal in limited edition. It could possibly be the only type of wristwatch which could possibly be operated under the consuming water for 1000.

It capabilities difficult metal situation handled by CNX, single-rotating bezel, crown and skid-proof key tightened by superb huge screws. dark dial, light luminous sends and timers also to the red-colored accumulator types a powerful comparison.

It is this sort of type of special layout that helps make the submariner distinctive, professional and powerful, no doubt probably the most effective choice for diving. However, this wristwatch is really proud to the magnetic key plan inside the look at case. This plan could possibly be the patent of Breitling, producing the operated equipments started out throughout the material situation to cease the instant touch from the buttons also to the movement. That could possibly be its exclusive advantage above other submariners which could not be utilized under the consuming water for 1000m.

In purchase to assure the safety from the pros who are on deep diving, this sort of wristwatch is equipped with automated compression discharge valve and sapphire anti-dazzle decanter or wineglass which guarantees the exact time illegible below any difficult environment. Housed inside the situation equipped the SuperQuartzTM that is 10 instances extra exact compared to standard quartz movement. It could possibly be precise to one tenth 2nd and exhibits periodical times. The Sea Wolf in dark metal is planned in limited 2000 and arrives with Diver expert rubber strap also to Ocean Racer rubber strap. thinking about the near romantic relationship of Breitling also to the aviation, the bezel is decorated by wind rose to report the procedure under consuming water or inside the sky.

Article Source: http://www.puretimezone.com/

SEO services - One Of The Key Jobs

Seo Services — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:15:22 +0000

SEO services is one of the key jobs in this competitive world. There are various SEO tools which should be followed in order to effectively enhance the ranking of a particular website.

Are You Good Enough For Heaven ?

Lalin Perera — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 07:11:27 +0000

Are You A Good Person? A Test
Some people think that they are going to heaven because they are a good
person. Are you good enough to earn yourself to go to heaven?
Let's find out by just looking if you kept the 10 commandments:

Please be honest with yourself!

#9 Have you ever in your life lied?
If yes...what does that make you?....a liar.

#8 Have you ever stolen anything or taken anything that did not
belong to you...no matter how small?
If yes...what does that make you?...a thief.

#7 Have you ever committed adultery?
If you think not...think again...did you know that the bible says that even
if you just look at someone in lust, you've committed adultery in your heart
(Matthew 5:27 - 28). Have you ever looked at someone with lust? What
does that make you? That makes you an adulterer.

#3 Have you ever taken the lord's name in vain...even casually?
When we take the almighty God's name in vain that is called blasphemy.
God says that he will not hold anyone blameless who takes his name in
vain. What does that make you? It makes you a blasphemer.

#6 Have you ever murdered anyone?
The bible says that if you hate someone, you are a murderer in God's eyes
(1 John 3:15). God does not simply judge actions...he knows the intentions
of the heart.

#1 Have you always put God first in your life?
God says that you should be his primary love, even above your spouse,
your kids, even your own lives. Have you done that?

#2 Have you ever made an idol, a god that suits you?
Have you pursued money more than God? If so, you made money your
idol. How about your work...then work is your idol. If you think that God is
loving and he would never send me to hell. Then you're creating your own
God to fit your own life and that is called idolatry. It's the oldest sin in the
bible.

#5 Have you always treated your parents in a way that pleases God?
If not, that is considered a serious sin.

#10 Have you ever coveted or desired something that did not belong to you?
It reveals a lack of gratitude for what God has blessed you with.

#4 Have you kept the sabbath holy?
God requires us to take one day out of seven for us to rest and honor him.

How did you do?

The bible says - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely
by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Romans 3:23-24 (NKJV)

If God judged you by the 10 commandments on the day of judgement , will you be innocent
or guilty?

If you're honest with yourself, you would have to admit that you did not keep these 10
commandments. Your own conscience convicts you and tells you that you're a lier, thief,
an adulterer by hear, even a murderer. Think about it and be honest with yourself...will you
be innocent or guilty?

You might say that it's been a long time since I sinned. Imagine if you told said that in a court...judge, I know I'm
guilty but it's been months or even years. He won't ignore your crime. The court punishes war criminals even
decades after the fact. So, would you be innocent or guilty?

You might say that you've been more good than bad, or you might say that you're not as bad as someone else you
know. If you have broken the law, it does not matter how many good things you have done. You will be held
accountable.

Will you go to heaven or hell?
If you're honest, you would have to say "Hell". Some people say that "yes, I'm guilty, however, God is a good God,
so he'll let me in.

Imagine this. You're standing in a courtroom guilty of a very serious crime. The judge says, "you're guilty as
charged....is there anything you would like to say before sentencing?" You answer, "Yes judge. I'm sorry for what I
have done. Please forgive me. Can a good judge let you go simply because you're sorry? There is a $50,000 fine
that needs to get paid. He would not be a good judge and would do injustice to the people who got hurt if he just let
you go. Imagine, if you were the one violated, would you feel that the judge was fair if he would let the guilty off the
hook? The fine has to be paid.

The bible makes it clear that if we die in our sins, we will go to hell. So will you go to heaven or hell? Hell is not a
place where you want to be...it's total agony for eternity.

Let me just make something clear. I'm not here to say that I'm any better than you...probably worse. I'm
guilty...we are all guilty if we're just honest with ourselves. So what can we do?

THE GOOD NEWS!
There is hope for me, for you, for us. God made a way for us to be forgiven. The question is, how do you access
this forgiveness? God loved us so much that he sent his own son to suffer and die in our place, taking on our
punishment for you and I so we can live. It is very simple...you broke the law and Jesus paid the fine. Then Jesus
rose from the dead and defeated death. The bible says...if you repent - turn away from your sins - and place your
trust in Jesus Christ as your savior, God will forgive you and grant you everlasting life. He will change you from the
inside out and will make you a new person in Christ. God loves you. Salvation is a gift from God. You can not
earn it, because it is impossible to earn it.

Pray this prayer.
"Dear God, I confess that I'm a sinner and that I need your forgiveness. I'm truly sorry for my sins and humbly ask
you to forgive me and cleanse me. I believe that Jesus died on the cross in my place and that he rose again for my
salvation. In faith I accept from you the gift of eternal life, and, with your help, I promise to serve you as long as I
live. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen"

Microsoft Scoops Up Skype for $8.5 Billion in Cash

Lalin Perera — Sun, 15 May 2011 20:43:30 +0000

Microsoft Scoops Up Skype for $8.5 Billion in Cash

Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, announced yesterday it has inked an agreement to purchase Skype Global for $8.5 billion in cold, hard cash. This ranks as Microsoft's biggest acquisition ever, and the Redmond software giant hopes its money will be well spent as it looks bolster its voice and video communications, and go up against Google and other rivals. Still, at $8.5 billion, the obvious questions is, did Microsoft overpay?

That depends on what Microsoft does with it. Microsoft says the acquisition will increase the accessibility of real-time video and voice communications, which it will pitch in some form or another to both home consumers and enterprise users. And with Microsoft now owning the VoIP service, expect to see Skype support shuttled across Microsoft's entire portfolio, from devices like the Xbox and Kinect, to Windows Phone, Lync, and Outlook.

"Skype is a phenomenal service that is loved by millions of people around the world," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. "Together we will create the future of real-time communications so people can easily stay connected to family, friends, clients, and colleagues anywhere in the world."

Still, Microsoft has its work cut out for itself. As The New York Times points out, Skype generates most of its income from a small subset of users who pay for long distance calls to telephone numbers, and in 2010, Skype reported a net loss of $7 million. The high price tag makes it easy to criticize Microsoft on this one, though not everyone agrees it's such a bad move.

Forbes wrote a lengthy piece in defense of the $8.5 billion deal, saying that both Facebook and Google were interested in the service, and even if Microsoft never makes any money with this, "they've weakened Google a little from taking this asset from them." Microsoft also has the option of licensing Skype software to Facebook, which would make both companies more valuable (and remember, Microsoft is already invested in Facebook). And at the end of the day, it's not like Microsoft had to beg, borrow, and steal money to get this deal done. The deal costs Microsoft $8.5 billion, or 17 percent of the cash they had on their balance sheet at the end of the quarter, Forbes says.

Nvidia To Buy Baseband Processor Company Icera For $367 Million

Heshan Gamage (seek) — Mon, 09 May 2011 17:51:59 +0000

Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) said it plans to acquire baseband processor maker Icera for $367 million in cash as the chip company expands its footprint in the fast-growing mobile market.

The Santa Clara, Calif., company, which makes graphics chips used for video games and other visually intensive applications, has enjoyed a turnaround of late. After several quarters of product delays and other struggles, Nvidia has benefited from its strong position in the mobile market. Its Tegra applications processor has netted many key design wins, including the Xoom tablet ...

Hands-On With Samsung’s Mammoth Android Phone, the Infuse 4G

Heshan Gamage (seek) — Sat, 07 May 2011 17:51:41 +0000

When it comes to smartphones, how big is too big?

Samsung obviously isn’t preoccupied with that question, as evidenced by its latest Android device release, the Infuse 4G.

As soon as you pop the phone out of the box, the first thing you notice is its size. The thing is massive. It needs to be, though, in order to support its 4.5-inch super AMOLED display. Save for the first Dell Streak smartphone-cum-tablet hybrid — whose screen is a whopping 5-inches — the Infuse is packing one of the largest screens we’ve seen on a smartphone.

This is a good thing. I watched the HD trailer for Cowboys and Aliens on the little silver screen and could practically feel the trail dust on my face. The picture quality was excellent, and as bright as can be. I did wish the Infuse came with a little kickstand for my movie watching, something akin to what the HTC Thunderbolt has on its back. With this phone’s slick edges, it won’t be very stable propped up on my airplane tray table during a long flight.

After seeing how well the screen handled the trailer, I could see myself using Samsung’s Media Hub store, which lets you download from a library of thousands of HD movies. To sweeten the pot, Samsung throws in a $25 credit with the phone, which is enough to rent about 6 films.

Size has its disadvantages. After sitting down with the phone in my pocket, it felt a bit like a splint trying to straighten my upper thigh. And I don’t even wear skinny jeans.

But for being such a fatty in pure surface area, the thickness of the phone is surprisingly svelte. Samsung boasts that the Infuse is the “thinnest 4G smartphone out there today.” It’s light, too. Airy, not terribly bulky, if not a little too light. I personally prefer a bit more heft in my device — one of my biggest complaints with its Nexus S brother was the light, plasticky build that made me feel that I’d break it if I wasn’t delicate enough.

The removable plastic backing that protects the phone’s innards is thin and flimsy. It practically peels off the back of the handset, and I was worried I’d snap it in half while I took it off to look under the hood.

Samsung included a few perks that I don’t often see come with other phones. The Infuse comes with a 2-GB micro SD card, saving you a trip to Radio Shack. It also comes with a microSD adapter card, so if you’ve got a regular-sized card reader built into your laptop, transferring files is easy as pie.

An issue: The phone doesn’t have HDMI-out on the handset itself (Samsung probably ran out of room, being its “thinnest” phone to date), which is a bummer. Samsung remedies this, however, with an included MHL adapter. With a screen this big, you may wonder if you need anything else, but you might find times when an HDTV is easier to watch.

Like every other 2011 Android smartphone release, the phone doesn’t ship with the latest version of Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), but instead runs 2.2 (Froyo). I’ve almost ceased to mention this in reviews, since it’s been the case in every new phone we’re seeing. Still, the fact that it’s not on this phone while it is on Samsung’s nearly six-month old Nexus S (which was launched in conjunction with Google) is disheartening, to say the least.

Listen up, bird-chucking addicts: The Infuse 4G comes bundled with a copy of Angry Birds, complete with hidden level only available to Infuse owners. Whoop.

Both the 8-megapixel back-facing camera and 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera take clear, crisp photos, which can be auto-uploaded to an AT&T-hosted online locker for storage or sharing, which I found pretty cool.

Overall, Samsung has created a media hub, as much as a smartphone, in the Infuse 4G. All of the included attachments practically beg for you to use it as such, and from my initial tests, it delivers.

As for the phone’s performance on AT&T’s network, that’s something to be saved for a longer review.

Beginning May 15, the phone will be available on AT&T’s HSPA+ 4G network for $200 with a two-year contract.

Skype's Dangerous Exploit: What You Need to Know

Heshan Gamage (seek) — Sat, 07 May 2011 17:42:35 +0000

Skype
Security researchers revealed a dangerous exploit in Skype for Mac which can be exploited to create a worm that can take control of Mac PCs.This FAQ will help you understand the potential impact of the threat, and what you can do to protect your system.

What is the vulnerability?
PureHacking, an Australian security research firm published a blog post describing a vulnerability and proof of concept exploit affecting Skype for Mac.

Apple wormSecurity researchers claim the Skype for Mac zero-day could easily be a malicious worm.What is the potential risk?
The researchers at PureHacking and the developers at Skype seem to disagree on the scope of the threat. PureHacking claims to have developed a proof-of-concept exploit that allows the attacker to take complete control of the vulnerable Mac system, and states that the flaw is easily wormable and extremely dangerous.

Skype's seems to believe the threat is much more limited. Skype explains that a message from a malicious contact could cause the Skype for Mac software to crash, and stresses that default privacy settings in Skype restrict the impact because you can only received messages from your authorized list of contacts.

There is a pretty big difference between "limited threat that crashes the Skype client" and "dangerous worm that pwns Mac PCs". PureHacking may lean toward "sky is falling" for the sensationalism, while Skype has a motive for erring on the side of "no big deal". Lets assume the truth is somewhere in the middle.

Is my version of Skype affected?
According to the Skype blog post, only Skype for Mac 5.x is affected. Earlier versions are not vulnerable to this exploit.

What about Skype on Windows or Linux?
The flaw only exists in the Skype for Mac client. PureHacking investigated the issue on Skype for Windows, and Skype for Linux and found that the exploit does not work on those platforms.

Is this related to the Skype for Android app issue?
No. The issue with the Skype for Android app was a configuration error by Skype that left a database containing sensitive data open and unencrypted. This vulnerability is a flaw that enables a specially-crafted Skype message to execute malicious code on the target Mac OS X system.

Should I be concerned?
The risk of exploit is virtually nil for Mac OS X. Despite assertions by Apple loyalists that Mac OS X is simply more secure by default and virtually impervious to attack, the annual Pwn20wn contest, and the proof-of-concept exploit developed by PureHacking for this threat demonstrate otherwise. That said, Mac OS X is still a drop in the bucket for PC market share and malware developers have their attention focused on the big pool, so there is little risk of this being exploited in the wild any time soon.

Is there a fix?
Skype claims to have been aware of the issue even before PureHacking brought it to its attention, and has already developed a hotfix which has been available since April 14. Skype has not pushed the hotfix, though, because it is not aware of this flaw being exploited in the wild. Next week, Skype will push an updated version of Skype for Mac 5.x which resolves the problem, and includes a variety of other tweaks and fixes as well.

What should I do?
If you are really concerned, get the hotfix from Skype and apply it now. If you prefer, though, you can probably just wait until next week when Skype unleashes the updated version

SETI Institute to shut down alien-seeking radio dishes

Heshan Gamage (seek) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 09:35:48 +0000

In the mountains of Northern California, a field of radio dishes that look like giant dinner plates waited for years for the first call from intelligent life among the stars.

But they’re not listening anymore.

Cash-strapped governments, it seems, can no longer pay the interstellar phone bill.

Astronomers at the SETI Institute said a steep drop in state and federal funds has forced the shutdown of the Allen Telescope Array, a powerful tool in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, an effort scientists refer to as SETI.

“There’s plenty of cosmic real estate that looks promising,” Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the institute, said Tuesday. “We’ve lost the instrument that’s best for zeroing in on these better targets.”

The shutdown came just as researchers were preparing to point the radio dishes at a batch of new planets.

About 50 or 60 of those planets appear to be about the right distance from stars to have temperatures that could make them habitable, Shostak said.

The 42 radio dishes had scanned deep space since 2007 for signals from alien civilizations while also conducting research into the structure and origin of the universe.

SETI Institute chief executive Tom Pierson said in an email to donors last week that the University of California, Berkeley, has run out of money for day-to-day operation of the dishes.

“Unfortunately, today’s government budgetary environment is very difficult, and new solutions must be found,” Pierson wrote.

The $50 million array was built by SETI and UC Berkeley with the help of a $30 million donation from Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen. Operating the dishes cost about $1.5 million a year, mostly to pay for the staff of eight to 10 researchers and technicians to operate the facility.

An additional $1 million a year was needed to collect and sift the data from the dishes.

The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the billionaire’s philanthropic venture, had no immediate plans to provide more funding to the facility, said David Postman, a foundation spokesman.

The institute, however, was hopeful the U.S. Air Force might find the dishes useful as part of its mission to track space debris and provide funding to keep the equipment operating.

The SETI Institute was founded in 1984 and has received funding from NASA, the National Science Foundation and several other federal programs and private foundations. Other projects that will continue include the development of software and tools to be used in the search for extraterrestrial life.

Despite the shutdown of the Allen Telescope Array, the search for E.T. will go on using other telescopes such as a dish at Arecibo in Puerto Rico, the largest radio telescope in the world, Shostak said.

The difference, he said, was that SETI researchers can point the Arecibo telescope at selected sites in space for only about two weeks a year.

While the telescope in Northern California is not as powerful, it could be devoted to the search year-round.

“It has the advantage that you can point it where you want to point it and you can keep pointing it in that direction for as long as we want it to,” Shostak said.

The dishes also are unique in the ability to probe for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations while gathering more general scientific data.

“That made the telescope a double-barrelled threat,” said Leo Blitz, a professor of astronomy at UC Berkeley and former director of the observatory that includes the Allen Telescope Array.

US Supreme Court hears Microsoft appeal on Word patent

Heshan Gamage (seek) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 04:51:19 +0000

The US Supreme Court begins hearing Monday Microsoft's appeal in the Word infringement case in which the software giant was held guilty of violating a patent held by Toronto-based i4i Inc. and ordered to pay $290 million in damages in 2009.

According to legal experts, the outcome will decide how patent laws protect exclusive technology. The Canadian company had taken the software giant to court in the US in 2007 over violations of its patent in Word applications and won the case and got $290 million in damages in December 2009.

In its lawsuit in a Texas court, i4i had claimed that the world's biggest software company infringed on a patent granted to it in 1998.

The patent pertained to i4i's technology that can open documents using the XML computer programming language and manipulate complex data in electronic documents.

The technology allows users to sort out and manage tons of information by turning complex documents into more accessible databases.

The Toronto company claimed that Microsoft violated its patent when it created Word 2003 and Word 2007 software.

Later in 2009, the US court of appeals upheld the lower court order banning Microsoft from selling its patent-infringing Word processing software from January 11.

Microsoft complied with the court order by stopping selling versions of Word with the disputed technology from that date.

In May last year, the Canadian company also got another boost when the US Patent and Trademark Office rejected Microsoft's request and confirmed that the belonged to i4i Inc.

But Microsoft challenged the verdict in the US supreme court in August last year, arguing that the current system is disproportionately loaded in favor of patent holders.

In a case that that may fundamentally overhaul the US patent system, Microsoft is said to enjoy the backing of Google, Yahoo Inc., Apple and Intel Inc.

But the US administration, venture capitalists and patent inventors and some pharmaceutical companies have thrown their weight behind i4i. Pharmaceutical giants such as Bayer, Merck and Nexgen are i4i's clients.
Toronto-based i4i chairman Loudon Owen said Sunday that Microsoft has "the right to keep appealing and that's what they're doing.''

But he added that the patent has no meaning "if it's not enforceable.''

The verdict is expected in the summer. If Microsoft loses, it will have to immediately pay $290 million in damages to the Toronto company.

Microsoft Releases Preview of Internet Explorer 10

Heshan Gamage (seek) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 10:08:57 +0000

What? Another Internet Explorer already?

Just a month after Microsoft launched Internet Explorer 9 at South by Southwest, the Windows giant unveiled its Internet Explorer 10 Platform Preview, a sneak peak at some of the new features in store for the next version of the leading web browser.

Internet Explorer 9 has gotten rave reviews from critics for its improved interface, fast performance and enhanced security -- but for a browser looking to reassert itself in a now crowded marketplace, there's no time for rest.

"We're about three weeks into development of IE10, and based on the progress we've made, we want to start engaging the development community now," wrote Microsoft corporate vice president Dean Hachamovitch in a Tuesday post on the IEBlog.

Though no release has yet been announced, Platform Preview 1 is already available for download, and according to Hachamovitch, it represents a "next wave of progress" -- a browser for the modern world. The main focus is HTML5, a next-level programming language for the Internet that is quickly becoming the industry standard. Microsoft has a demo showing off these new features in action, highlighting more flexible layouts, gradients and even 3D transforms.
The team's commitment towards Windows optimization seems natural, and Hachamovitch believes that this marriage will ultimately provide a much better web experience.

"We built IE9 from the ground up for HTML5 and for Windows to deliver the most native HTML5 experience and the best Web experience on Windows," Hachamovitch said. "IE10 continues on IE9's path, directly using what Windows provides and avoiding abstractions, layers and libraries that slow down your site and your experience."

Naturally, not all agree, such as Firefox chief Mike Belztner who countered the claim.

"Mozilla has always believed that the full, modern, open Web should be accessible by as many people as possible, which is why we have continued to invest in cross platform development," Belztner told PC Magazine. "If a platform is capable of supporting the technology used by tomorrow's Web pages, then it's worth our time to support it."

All in all, it's now abundantly clear that the successes of Firefox and Chrome have reignited a fire under Microsoft, which famously let its hugely dominant browser stagnate for many years. Now with two major contenders hot on its heals, quicker releases are becoming an industry standard.

Mozilla's Firefox 4 launched just weeks ago, but plans for the June 21 release of Firefox 5 have already been announced. Google's Chrome 10 came out in February and Chrome 11 is already in beta as well.

This also means that this latest iteration of Internet Explorer is more evolutionary than revolutionary, offering little in terms of real tangible benefits to general users, such as interface updates or performance boosts. Still, that the marketplace has been revitalized by healthy competition can only be good for the consumer in the long run.

Winklevoss Twins Lose Legal War With Facebook

Heshan Gamage (seek) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 03:39:03 +0000

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Monday that Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss -- the former Harvard University classmates of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg -- can't undo their settlement over the social networking site. The appeals court ruled that the twins were savvy enough to understand what they were agreeing to when they signed the agreement in 2008, a deal that called for a $20 million cash payment and a partial ownership of Facebook.

"At some point, litigation must come to an end," chief justice Alex Kozinksi wrote for the unanimous three-judge panel. "That point has now been reached."

A third classmate, Divya Narendra, was part of the settlement with the twins but did not pursue the second lawsuit seeking to undo the agreement.

The twins had alleged they were misled about Facebook's value when they agreed to settle their lawsuit that claimed Zuckerberg stole their idea to launch Facebook.
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss were famously portrayed by Armie Hammer in The Social Network, a Hollywood blockbuster that dramatized the events surrounding the founding of the massive social network.

The original case was brought against Facebook in 2004 when the brothers claimed that Zuckerberg broke an oral contract with the plaintiffs to create ConnectU (originally dubbed the Harvard Connection). The twins alleged that Zuckerberg not only stole the code and the idea, he stalled them them so he could get his site, thefacebook.com, out first.

The suit was originally settled for $65 million in 2008 but the latest lawsuit had claimed fraud for Facebook and Zuckerberg “not volunteering a more recent valuation of different Facebook stock.” The settlement is now worth more than $160 million because of Facebook's increased valuation.

Facebook has said it stood behind the original settlement, noting that the twins “admit that they calculated the value of Facebook themselves, based upon a truthful press release from several months earlier,” according to leaked documents.

Kozinski said the twins were "sophisticated parties" when they agreed to the settlement during a mediation meeting.

"They brought half-a-dozen lawyers to the mediation," Kozinksi wrote.

In a statement, Colin Stretch, deputy general counsel of Facebook said “We appreciate the Ninth Circuit’s careful consideration of this case and are pleased the court has ruled in Facebook’s favor.”

Monday's ruling upholds a lower court decision enforcing the settlement.

Lawyers for the Winklevoss twins said they are reviewing the decision and have not decided on their next step. The twins could ask the Supreme Court to consider the case.

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