Web Directories

A web directory or link directory is a directory on the World Wide Web. It specializes in linking to other web sites and categorizing those links.
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_directory

As the above suggests, a web directory is a directory in which websites are linked in a categorized manner. Before listing, the websites are reviewed manually and are listed in the right categories.

There are various web directories available across the internet these days but not all are as reliable as some of the well known web directories such as DMOZ, Yahoo directory etc. The major essence of a Web Directory is that, they are maintained by a group of reviewers, that it these lists are maintained manually. This is the main reason why seach engines focusses on websites listed on a well known web directory than a website which is not listed. As a result, a web directory is SEO friendly.

Many web directories offer web developers or website owners to submit there website online, after which they review it and approve it accordingly. Most well known web directories ask for a nominal fee for inclusion in the directory. Many web directories may ask you to put a backlink of the directory website anywhere on the website you are submitting for your website to belisted in the web directory. Very few offers free web directory listing submission. Online tools are also available where the website owners are required to submit the website details on their website and these websites in turn submits the details to hundreds of directories...and once again, these websites may charge you according to the submission type you want or may do it for free!!

If you are a website owner, for a start you should try submitting your website to SEO friendly web directory or free web directory which will help you in increasing the visibility of your website to major search engines. Increasing visibility on search engines definitely means an increase in the number of potential customers from your website.

Embarrasing Google Street View images

Google was forced to remove hundreds of pictures from its street view mapping service within hours of its launch facing complaints from people who said that the system breached their privacy.

The street view gives 360-degree views of 25 cities and towns allowing users to take virtual tours from their computers or mobile phones. The initial laumch hit hundreds of thousands of visitors when it began on thursday; but google faced a deluge of complaints from homeowners and members of the public shown by its cameras, who demanded that photographs be taken down.

Blogger (including me!!) and internet sites posted embarrasing scenes captured by the service. Among the pictures removed were a man vomiting on a pavement, one leaving a sex shop and another entering a sex shop; another guy being arrested. These images were blacked out later with the message: "This image is no longer available". However, street view users were able to travel a few meters down the road and turn the camera back to see the same people from a different angle.

Google spent more than a year coveing 22,000 miles to collect images with car-mounted cameras (one such car can be seen in the photo a the top of this article). Some people complained that viewers could zoom into the open windows of their homes which is a sole matter of privacy intrusion.

The company promised to remove any pictures to which individuals objected. "We put tools in place to allow people to remove images quickly".

For more funny Street view images, goto www.telegraph.co.uk.

Want to protect your idea??

Recently...errr well not really, it was a while ago since i've been thinking about the procedure to protecting one's original idea/concept about something... I said IDEA or CONCEPT.

The first thing that came into my mind was of a Copyright Protection. However, copyright doesn't protect your ideas/concepts. I've gone through some of the US and Indian copyright protection handbook and that led me to the conclusion that copyright, in any case, doesn't protect your ideas from being 'copied'.

The question arises now... Can an idea be protected??

Yes. An idea can be protected in the form of an invention. Patenting the creation and the technical drawings (related to the idea) is one option but someone in the university, a student or any individual may not be ready to spend the handful amount of dollars required to get the idea patented. Copyright, on the other hand is cheap and protects your idea in the form of an innovation or original creation. If you've created something, putting a © symbol protects your creation but however, you need to register it (which though requires a small fee) if in case legal issues are to be fought. Putting a © symbol conveys that the creation is copyright property and just putting the symbol ensures it rights. For federal acts or legal proceedings, valid registration with the Copyright Protection Department in your country is essential.

Other ways to protect your ideas include submission of your ideas to organisations. Many of which are available online and some charges small amount of fees while others doesn't. Another way is to mail yourself all the required documents provided the envelop in still sealed. This is valid only when there is a date stamped on the envelop by the post office and which represents the date on which your idea becomes 'yours'. However, this method is not much recommended.

Bottomline is, turn your idea into an innovation first...

Internship Programs @ Microsoft Research

Internship Application - Instructions

You must complete all pages of the application and confirm the details you have submitted in order for your application to be considered. Upon completion of the application you will be sent a confirmation email message. After the confirmation email, you will only be contacted about the status of your application if a research group is interested in considering you for an internship. 

Please assist us in processing your application efficiently by making sure you fill out the application correctly. Before applying, please be aware that the following pieces of information are required. You will need:

• Advisor details including email address.
• The name and email address of at least one person other than your advisor to provide a letter of reference.
• Your preferred start and end dates, with second choices.
• Your preferred lab and research areas, with second choices.
• CV / Resume in PDF, Word Doc or Text file.

Please be aware that if you do not complete the application fully your record will be marked as incomplete and your application will not be considered. 

Please carefully review the information you enter on each page before clicking the "Continue" button. 

Once your application is submitted the only way to change any of the details you submit will be to contactinternts@microsoft.com. 

Other Notes: 

Internships in the US are typically 12 weeks long. Internship length varies at our international labs but is typically from 12 weeks to one year. 

You only need to complete one internship application to be considered for positions at multiple labs. 

We will keep your application on file for one year from the date of entry. 

Items marked with "*" are required. 

Questions? Please read the Internship FAQ. 

Internship Application Privacy Statement

Send any technical support questions you may have to internts@microsoft.com.

New users will need to create a logon

Returning users can log on directly

i'm initiative from Microsoft

Airtel e-pay Problems

I've been trying to make my my mobile bills payment for the last 2 days using my SBI net banking account but i've been facing some real irritating problems.

The first time i tried to make the e-payment, after redirecting to the onlinesbi payment page, I logged in there but some errors says "Invalid merchant account information". I tried a couple of times but the same result came up. I thought it was Airtel's problem with their account information at SBI coz i've seen the same result while tryin to buy some flowers online once. Later, I checked with one of my fren's account but there, everything was working fine. He can make the payments and no errors ever crept up. So I thought i'd try again and I did and this time a complete new thing happened. After I've been redirected to the onlinesbi page, I gave me username and password but i just could not sign it. It says "Session error...".

I kinda get irritated and as my net line was a bit slow, i thought it might be becoz of the connection speed but i've tried at least a couple of times that if it has to work, it prob'ly should be working by now. Have anyone ever faced the same problem yet???