Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernias

This quick summary of congenital diaphragmatic hernias was presented a few weeks ago in morning rounds.

Popularity: 1% [?]

February 26, 2009 | Filed Under Medicine | Leave a Comment 

Good Luck to Slumdog Millionaire Sunday Night at the Oscars (Updated)

Update (2.24.2009): Slumdog Millionaire won 8 awards on film’s biggest night. A.R. Rahman won two Oscars for Best Original song for “Jai Ho” and best original score for Slumdog. As an unexpected bonus, The Pussycat Dolls remixed a version of “Jai Ho” available on iTunes and the shadier parts of the internet that has a good chance of making significant inroads with Western audiences. Rahman and The Pussycat Dolls will be performing this song live on the Today Show on March 13.

On that note, there is a large contingent of fellow South Asians who think Rahman’s other work is far more deserving of recognition and don’t consider Slumdog Millionaire’s soundtrack to be worthy of all the attention its getting. Rahman deserves our congratulations for this achievement and we should see it as an opportunity to expose Western audiences to the masterpieces that have made Rahman one of the best-selling artists in the world (behind only The Beatles, Elvis, Bing Crosby, and Michael Jackson).

As expected, Slumdog has been causing “division” (read: drama) amongst Indians–no one saw that coming (read: sarcasm).

slumdog_millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire is coming in with 10 Oscar nominations total and 3 specifically for music by A.R. Rahman so I can’t be more excited to watch the telecast Sunday night. Good luck!

The clip below is from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno broadcast on February 19, 2009. Guests in this segment are Freida Pinto and A.R. Rahman performing during the musical segment. The songs are Dreams on Fire and Jai Ho from the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack.

Popularity: 1% [?]

February 21, 2009 | Filed Under General | Leave a Comment 

Microsoft Dreamspark: Free Windows Server, SQL Server, and Visual Studio

Microsoft Dreamspark is a program with the hopes of nabbing students in academia by giving away free software. According to the Dreamspark FAQ:

Are only students from major school or cities able to access the Microsoft software available on the DreamSpark site?
No way! The whole point of the Internet is to bring everyone around the world together, right? So it doesn’t matter what size your School is or where it is. We only ask that it’s an accredited school and that your student status be verified. DreamSpark is available to all accredited schools across the globe.

While the program has been around since February 2008 Microsoft has continued to add more free software into the mix. Currently available options include:

Microsoft Developer Tools:

Microsoft Design Tools:

Microsoft Server System:

Notably, the key given for Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Standard Edition, is a “MAK_B” key which can be used to activate:

While it would be grossly illegal to apply a product key any program Microsoft didn’t intend the end-user to activate, several people have reported success using this method to activate Enterprise versions of Server 2008.

In addition to having a Windows Live ID, the only catch is would-be downloaders must verify their student status either via Microsoft’s free verification service or via a third-party company that asks for a student id or current class schedule. The online verification option utilizes a system similar to that used for off-campus access to library materials and requires some level of cooperation from the university. UK (and other European) users may use their Athens account for verification. Other international students may also utilize their Inernational Student Identity Card (ISIC) for verification. Other options include SAML or Shibboleth. If none of the above methods are applicable due to Microsoft not having listed an institution then JourneyEd can verify student status by sending in proof of academic status.

High school students must ask a school official to enroll into the Dreamspark program to be able to download the software.

As a side note some people have reported recent graduates may still be able to use the online verification system due to lazy college network administrators not pruning their access lists. Lastly, for those desperate enough to use nefarious means to get free serial numbers, then there is an option for them too. It’s illegal so don’t do it.

Popularity: 1% [?]

January 11, 2009 | Filed Under Tech/Gadgets | Leave a Comment 

← Previous Page — Next Page →