Lately I have been concentrating on programming and writing thesis documentation so I missed blogging for several days (or is it a week??) I had been restless specially in completing our thesis documentation because it seems to be going nowhere this week. Searching for related literature isn’t easy you know.
So rumors were true after all. Google just acquired MeasureMap which I have blogged about several times. I was surprised when I read the news. It’s still in private beta and yet Google bought it. For several weeks MeasureMap had several glitches and bugs. I had experienced a fair share of trouble with it lately. It’s in alpha stage anyway. Regardless, it’s an interesting acquisition because Google had previously acquired Urchin, which track website statatics as well. Later on it was called Google Analytics. Having MeasureMap and Analytics, Google have a complete arsenal to gather lots of data on blog traffic.
Now that MeasureMap joined forces with Google I hope that the web app will improve in performance and speed. I’m also excited about the new features that might come out soon. I’m sure that most beta testers are eagerly anticipating the effects of this acquisition. Congratulations to MeasureMap team! 
Links:
MeasureMap
Google Blog: Here comes Measure Map
TechCrunch: Google Buys MeasureMap
Technorati Tags: Measure+map, Measuremap, Google, analytics, blog+traffic
I spent my valentine’s day with my girlfriend eating at Tokyo Tokyo this afternoon. The coupon for “Masarap Yen” saved me a measly P20 but it’s ok. I also bought a new laptop backpack from her. Apparently I really don’t need a new backpack. I just want to boost her sales because she needs to meet her quota or else she would fail it. It seems that’s the only way I could contribute. I also felt that buying a new backpack from her would be a good idea because (1) the shoulder strap padding of my old backpack is already worn out which makes it uncomfortable to carry sometimes and (2) I want a unique laptop backpack at school. LOL. The second reason is silly but I really don’t like the whole idea of someone else carrying the same backpack model that I carry around in campus.
My new laptop backpack is Victorinox Oxford. FYI, Victorinox is a renowned Swiss knife maker. I didn’t know they also make travelgear until recently. The quality of this backpack is superb. Design-wise it’s cooler than its Jansport counterpart, and relatively less expensive too. I won’t say it’s cheap but it does not carry a ridiculous price tag compared to other “lifetime warranty” assured bags. It’s bigger than my previous backpack in terms of breadth. Even if I put my laptop inside, it leaves room for 2 big hardbound books. One caveat — it looks like a camping bag when full. I think my printer would fit inside it. ^_^
It’s amazing how iTunes became so popular in 21 different countries that it had reached close to one billion downloads already. As Apple approach their one billionth purchased download, they have launched a countdown webpage to celebrate the event. Apple had also opened a contest starting from the 950,100,000th download. An iPod nano and iTunes Music Card will be awarded to user for the 100,000th song downloaded. The grand prize includes 20-inch iMac, 10 60GB Video iPods (5 white, 5 black) and $10,000 worth of iTunes downloads. In order to grab the grand prize the user must be able to purchase the one billionth song. In addition, Apple will create a scholarship in the name of the Grand Prize winner to a world renowned music institution.
Unfortunately the contest is only open to iTunes music store enabled countries. 
Links:
iTunes
iTunes Music Store One Billion Songs Countdown
Technorati Tags: iTunes, countdown
I attended the launch of Windows Server 2003 R2 yesterday at Makati Shangri-La Hotel. I was able to arrive at the venue just on time. I thought I was late already because it was 8:40 AM when I arrived. Microsoft Philippines had given away portfolio bag, ballpen, quick notes and magazines for every attendees. When the event started, I was surprised that there is a special number by the Philippine Wushu Team. I was surprised that they had given this even so much preparation even if R2 is just a minor release of Windows Server. Actually even though it’s just a minor release R2 has some interesting new features that made it more than just a service pack. So it’s not a service pack but it’s not a major release hence it was called release 2 because it is a release update. That’s what I understand from what I saw in the presentation.
Before Windows Server 2003, it’s hard to predict when will Microsoft release its server OS. However starting in Windows Server 2003 Microsoft reorganized the server product line so that every four years Microsoft will ship a major Windows Server release. Two years after each major release, an R2 (release 2) version will be released. Windows Server 2003 R2 is the first R2 release.
In R2, there are 5 main improvements: Simplified Branch Server Management, Improved Identity and Access Management, Reduced Storage Management Costs, Rich Web Platform, Cost Effective Server Virtualization, and Seamless UNIX/Windows Integration.
What caught my attention is the virtualization feature in Windows Server 2003 R2. You can run 4 instances of Windows Server 2003 on top of your installation of Windows Server 2003. You also get 4 additional licenses to run virtual copies of Windows Server 2003 so you get 5 license in total. This is great way to maximize your resources. And you can also virtualize Linux in Windows Server 2003. No matter what flavor of Linux, the speaker said that Microsoft would support them in case you encounter problems to get them running.
To find out more information about Windows Server 2003 R2, visit the links below.
Links:
Microsoft Philippines: Windows Servers
What’s New in Windows Server 2003 R2
Technorati Tags: Windows+Server+2003, Philippines
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