Okay, so Microsoft did have its own search engine before. It was called Live Search and maybe one person in any given peer group had an inkling it existed, but most people never even heard of it; definitely didn’t use it. So search is not exactly “new” to Microsoft. But what’s getting everyone’s attention now is being called Microsoft’s “new” search engine, and maybe they’ll even use it.
What’s exciting about Bing, Microsoft’s attempt to innovate the live search engine realm, or as they call it, a “decision …

Just another reason to be proud to work for Cisco Systems. :)
[via Network World] Cisco has been added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, replacing GM. Travelers has also been added to the stock index, replacing Citigroup.
Cisco had been expected for months to replace a Dow component. The move means that Cisco, the tech bellwether with a market cap of $112 billion, is a stable and key indicator of the nation’s and globe’s economy.
Quoting a statement from Wall Street Journal Managing Editor Robert Thomson, the AP said Cisco was …

Well, it was supposed to be launched Fall of last year, but eBay is ramping up for their big redesign launch… soon. Ironically, most of the key designers on this project are no longer with company. Know why? Burrrrn out. Just kidding. On-campus (and Los Gatos excursion) bocce ball “bonding” was fun, though.
The screenshots are of a few released tests and showcase the emphasis on community, adding a customer reviews section and prominent groupings of pertinent information such as the elusive shipping pricing field, currently …

Hey Guys,
So we have a new pseudo-contest for you: Free, exclusive access keys to the Sony Online Entertainment’s Free Realms Beta. These keys will give you an active account immediately — no need to wait for random beta selection.
Here’s SOE’s description of Free Realms:

Free Realms™ is a brand-new jaw-dropping free virtual world where you can do whatever you want, whenever you want! Free Realms™ is easy to access! There’s no need to go to the store and spend money on the box, or take hours installing and patching …

The second victim of reboot weirdness if the Zork series, with the new browser based mmorpg outing, Legends of Zork. As with the Larry games, I was a fan of the original Zork games (up to Return to Zork), and spent countless hours exploring the Great Undergound Empire. If you haven’t played a Zork game, be sure to check out the wiki page, as well as original in your browser at ThcNet’s error page.
The multi-player browser game reinvention seemed promising at first. The basic description seemed to evoke Urban …

Janeane Garofalo unblinkingly stares at a laptop screen. Suddenly she whips into action like an android with a mission, swiftly and stoically typing a password into a web application that millions across the globe already use, enabling one very important transaction for the President of the United States…
*takka takka takka*
Yes, Janeane Garofalo alone is equipped with the power of WebEx Telepresence, and on March 30th, Monday night (or via this sneak preview clip) you can watch her, along with her equally unfazed compatriots on Fox’s serious series …

Ooh, Yahoo! is bridging the gap for those who are addicted to the Notepad-addled clipboard-enhanced search engine experience, addicted to wikipedia-ing on their mobile phones, and/or those who wish to simply abolish pens, with their new Search Pad overlay, currently in test phase. You can write, edit, and save quick copy-and-paste jot-downs, helpful urls, and wordy reminders, all while saving precious time, resources, and tangible paper*. You can even email them to yourself or whomever. Go green anyway you can.
*If you’re not ready to save …

Okay, so it’s not helmed by Sierra, but the look is strikingly similar. Check out the ImagiNationand MyTopia menu screens below. See the similarities? Pretty hard not to, I’d imagine.
ImagiNation Network

MyTopia

Regardless, ImagiNation Network was one of my favorite pre-internet hotspots, and I’d be more than happy if MyTopia could recreate some of that magic. I’ve signed up for MyTopia using my Dreamlogic email address, but I haven’t been able to play or configure anything. All changes to my avatar result in a server connection error. Maybe they’ll implement boogers as …

Ron Paul, dreamlogic.net fave Republican Presidential hopeful (totally media-snubbed despite his overwhelming “underground” popularity — amazing record-breaking campaign fundraising and high finish in Nevada), has no affiliation whatsoever with RonPaul.com… well, not yet anyway. Recently, RonPaul.com (formerly a Portland consulting firm) sold on eBay for $25,000. The winning bidder’s id, domaininsider, leads me to believe that they might turn around and sell it for profit. Just as long as it doesn’t wind up being someone’s pet slander project, as we’ve seen displayed in the Democratic camps lately. …

Yahoo! Travel just publicly launched their very helpful javascript-loaded redesign — just in time for Summer Vacation plans.. well, for slacker last-minuter bookers! There are all kinds of nifty gadget modules and personalized Trip Recommendations and Reviews galore. There’s a cool new section entitled “Today’s Picks for You” which is just that — top ten destination selections just for you! Nifty, eh?
Just tooling around today (even though I’ve been checking out their test pages for a few months now) I found an alarming cruise for $19,341 per …

If you’re at all interested in Train Man, you probably already know at least something about its incredible popularity in its native Japan. Based on a true story of geek love, Train Man has been adapted as a novel, multiple manga adaptations, a television show, and finally this film.
The basic story is thus: After coming to the aid of an attractive young woman harrassed by a drunken salaryman on the Tokyo Subway, Densha Otoko (translated Train Man), a 22 year old perma-bachelor and self proclaimed “game and anime Otaku” writes …

So google.cn now redirects to google.com if accessed in the US via a Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 browser. Perhaps this is intended to prevent less net-savvy (aka: non Firefox using) American internet users from easily comparing the radically different sets of results for human rights, democracy, and bird flu related searches after upgrading to the new “safe” browser? On a side note, we’ve seen a minor drop in traffic since we first started talking about Google/China stuff, and last I checked a number of Dreamlogic.net pages were missing from Google.cn. …

I’ve been using Firefox since it was called Firebird, but I can’t deny being at least somewhat curious about Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 7. Anyways Microsoft has just released IE7 Beta 2 for public download. Check it out here.
So far I really like the font rendering. Fonts are super smooth even when magnified 400%. Pages look a bit more as they do when viewing through a linux browser. Also, the thing’s pretty fast. And PDF’s open like Kablam. PDFs usually killed my firefox.

So there’s another pagerank and backlink update underway (looks like we’re still holding strong around a 5, but we gained a few hundred incoming links). Because of this you may be interested in seeing your pagerank, but you may not be so interested in installing the pesky Google spybar. I’ve tried a bunch of sites before for checking pagerank, but this one, by SEOpen.com, I just came across. It shows pagerank among search results (much like Poodle used to, and many other sites currently do) but is a bit cleaner …

Three good articles today. Looks like the recent ruckus made by web users in the wake of the major search engine’s money grubbing kowtowing to chinese censorship policies has caught the eye of bigwigs in the capital. To help preserve “the greatest purveyor of news and information in history”, Josette Steiner, a State Department trade expert, is seeking to form a task force to ensure that flow of information stays as it is.
And in other news the House has strong words for those tech companies whose ‘nauseating collaborations’ with …

Okay, so we normally don’t mention TV shows on the site (it’s been known that Kris and I don’t have cable, but these days we no longer have even an antenna on our TV) but this one’s pretty cool due to: a.) it’s being the first comedy show whose subject matter revolves around the daily life of an IT Crew, b.) it’s being a UK Channel 4 production, and c.) the fact you don’t need a TV to watch it.
Yup, the show’s online. Episodes can be viewed a full week …

I just got a couple links from Steve and aL.
First, Steve pointed out this flash comic by Mark Fiore of SFGate.com. The cartoon addresses some of the latest news developments with American Search Engines forays into China. You can watch the cartoon here.
Secondly, aL has pointed out an article on Digg regarding a simple URL hack to display full search results in Google.cn. I have a feeling this won’t work in China due to the Great Firewall, but it’s worth a shot. You can find the Digg entry

The China myth has lured many an American business in the past, with its promise of billions of consumers with wallets waiting to be tapped, Google being the latest to take the bait. Though many have tried to make headway into the market, on the whole most have had nothing to show for it. For example, name one thing that is manufactured in the US that the Chinese actually buy. On the other hand, name one thing in your house that wasn’t made in China.
In an effort to …