Final Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour, An Epic Feat.

 After 30 years of triumph and tragedy, NASA’s space shuttle era is drawing to a close as Space Shuttle Endeavour took it's last flight. Then again Youtube, Google PBS News hour and NASA is presenting you with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be a part of this special moment.YOU can ask NASA Crew Questions for a LIVE Interview From Space. Follow the link after the video.

PBS Newshour at Youtube

REDHAT Is Fooling FOSS And Feeding Patent Trolls!

I am very happy that just a few weeks ago, I made a decision not to buy Readhat product and instead went with CentOS and private local support for a project requiring Linux servers.
The answer to why? is in the lengthy post by Florian Mueller revealing what Redhat is doing behind the closed doors.
Through  examining a series of a lawsuits, negotiations with patent trolls, litigations, Florian shows how  Redhat managed to fool FOSS community and feed the Patent troll at the same time. In this particular case, Redhat has paid 4.2 Million to the patent holders.

Red Hat coughed up $4.2 million in June 2008 to settle a patent infringement suit that had been brought by FireStar Software.

The content is too vast to summarize here but what matters is that
While patent license agreements are just a routine deal for traditional IT companies, the significance of this finding lies in how it reflects on Red Hat's credibility:

• In political and regulatory contexts, the market-leading Linux distributor insists on the false claim that open source licenses (especially the GPL) are absolutely incompatible with the payment of patent royalties (while this simply depends on the specific terms and conditions of a deal).
• The GPL also serves as Red Hat's pretext for refusing to offer its customers implementations of patent-encumbered standards such as the popular AVC/H.264 video codec.
• Another important credibility issue is that the world's largest open source company actually fails to be open about its patent-related dealings and positions, a fact that others have criticized before. It hides behind self-imposed confidentiality obligations and employs legalese terminology that in the eyes of many laypeople will appear far more favorable to Red Hat than a straightforward representation of the facts would.

If you are involved in FOSS, it is very important to learn these facts so I urge you to visit the source and read the article in it's entririty.
Thanks Florian.
Red Hat feeds the patent trolls and fools the FOSS community

The Document Foundation ( LibreOffice ) Raises €50,000 In Eight days!

If you are a LibreOffice user, you can be rest assured that good news is covering the The Document Foundation, which is responsible for the LibreOffice, the free personal productivity suite.
I have been a OpenOffice user for a very long time but I have moved over to LibreOffice because, unrestricted freedom it offers.
It is very good news in many a fronts, one way we assured that LibreOffice and The Document Foundation will continue to operate and provide the valuable service. But most important is that people like you and me, trusts and supports The Document Foundation. If OpenOffice allowed you to be free of clutches of M$, now you can soar free with OpenOffice, Please visit.
Even if you cannot make a financial contribution, please help by spreading the word and introducing people to the LibreOffice.
Following is a exact post on the Document Foundation blog;

The Community around LibreOffice, the free personal productivity suite, has accomplished the next major milestone in establishing The Document Foundation as a legal entity. In just eight days, some 2,000 donors from all over the world contributed €50,000 for the capital stock necessary to set-up the legal entity in Germany.
“We still can’t believe it,” says Florian Effenberger, Steering Committee member. “It happened in such a short period of time and was beyond our wildest expectations. You all really rock! On behalf of the Community, the Steering Committee would like to thank all the donors for their generous support.”
The €50,000 collected will form the Foundation’s paid-up capital, ensuring a permanent future for the organization after the legal paperwork is complete, based in Germany. The capital will be frozen assets for the Foundation: the funds cannot be spent, and we will be able to avail just the annual interest. All money donated from now on will actually bankroll our ongoing running costs for things such as marketing, hardware, infrastructure, attending trade shows, initial financing of merchandising material and, of course, developing new and exciting ideas.
“So we still need your support: Every donation helps to pay for our future operational running,” Effenberger adds.
Details on how to donate to The Document Foundation and how the money will be spent are available at http://challenge.documentfoundation.org
Information about LibreOffice can be found at http://www.libreoffice.org
The home of The Document Foundation is at http://www.documentfoundation.org
About The Document Foundation
The Document Foundation has the mission of facilitating the evolution of the LibreOffice community into a new, open, independent, and meritocratic organization over the next few months. An independent Foundation is a better reflection of the values of our contributors, users and supporters, and will enable a more effective, efficient and transparent community. TDF will protect past investments by building on the achievements of the first decade, will encourage wide participation within the community, and will co-ordinate activity across the community.
Media Contacts
Florian Effenberger (Germany)
Mobile: +49 151 14424108 – E-mail: floeff@documentfoundation.org
Olivier Hallot (Brazil)
Mobile: +55 21 88228812 – E-mail: olivier.hallot@documentfoundation.org
Charles H. Schulz (France)
Mobile: +33 6 98655424 – E-mail: charles.schulz@documentfoundation.org
Italo Vignoli (Italy)
Mobile: +39 348 5653829 – E-mail: italo.vignoli@documentfoundation.org

Google Code Jam Africa and Arabia 2011!

Google Code Jam is a coding competition in which professional and student programmers are asked to solve complex algorithmic challenges in a limited amount of time. The contest is all-inclusive: Google Code Jam lets you program in the coding language and development environment of your choice.

Want to match wits with coders across the continent, test your skills on some tough algorithmic problems, or win a prize? Register now for Code Jam Africa and Arabia!

Interested in Google internships? Register now and let us know! Outstanding performance in Code Jam Africa and Arabia 2011 may be considered if you apply for an internship at our European Headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.

Need even more coding? Ready to take on the world? Join Google's global Code Jam 2011!

Do you enjoy solving tough problems and grappling with technical challenges? You can practice on our past contests. If this is your first time competing in a Code Jam event, take a look at our Quick-Start Guide to learn the basics of how to compete.

Take a trip To Cowboys Stadium In 3D

“Cowboys Stadium, Arlington TX In 3D” 
Everyone knows it is cold in Texas, specially for us here in Cali, with weather reaching 70s! :) . But cold or not, in two days, the Cowboys Stadium will be the center of the earth for us football fans.
I am not lucky enough to be in the stadium, not even near it, but we are all stacked up with beer and other drinks food and we are going to enjoy the 76 degree weather on Sunday.

But the good news is that, Google Earth can take us to the center of the earth mentioned above in 3D.
Just click on "The center of the earth" and you will be taken there.
If you have Google Earth PC, Google Earth iPhone or Google Earth Android, installed search for “Cowboys Stadium, Arlington TX”
Enjoy the Super Bowl, have fun!
Never mind what any one says, Thank God for America, Thank God for Football!
Google LatLong: Take a trip to the Super Bowl with Google Earth

Copyright Troll, Drops 670 John Doe Porn-downloading Case.

Mick Haig Productions, an adult video company has dropped its lawsuit accusing 670 John Does, Internet users, of illegally downloading pornography. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Public Citizen (PC) are counsel for the anonymous defendants at the request of the court.

"Copyright owners have a right to protect their works, but they can't use shoddy and unfair tactics to do so," said EFF Intellectual Property Director Corynne McSherry. "When adult film companies launch these cases, there is the added pressure of embarrassment associated with pornography, which can convince those ensnared in the suits to quickly pay what's demanded of them, whether or not they have legitimate defenses. That's why it's so important to make sure the process is fair."

Mick Haig Productions dropped the case just 48 hours after EFF and PC demanded that it withdraw subpoenas Mick Haig's lawyer apparently issued while the question of whether the court should allow the subpoenas at all was still under consideration by the court.

"This dismissal is wonderful news for the 670 anonymous defendants in this case, but troubling questions remain about the behavior of Mick Haig Productions," said EFF Senior Staff Attorney Matt Zimmerman. "Given the extremely invasive power of subpoenas, plaintiffs have a duty to ensure that subpoenas are not misused. EFF is committed to ensuring that litigants are held accountable for taking shortcuts around the due process rights of their opponents, especially in cases such as this one where the very act of obtaining someone's identity could be improperly leveraged into pressure to settle a claim."

Copyright Troll Gives Up in Porn-Downloading Case
Another Copyright Troll, Drops 670 John Doe Porn Cases

Github Follows Google, Lists DCMA Takedown Notices Like Sony Online.

When I saw Matt Cutts tweeted this news, I was surprised but happy to see the news that Github, inspired by Google is disclosing DCMA takedown notices by companies like SONY. You can see a takedown notice, the first, by Sony here.

I hope SONY relaizes that Android is an open source OS and also hope they will not infect the perfect OS with DCMA laden code.
Oh Why worry, those fake SONY blogs did not work and we have not forgotten about those Sony root Kits either. We steer away from the likes.
Thanks Github for being informative and Google for setting the trend.

"Inspired by Google's DMCA policy, this repo contains various DMCA takedown notices we've received here at GitHub.For more details on our own policy, please see this page."

I Want To Ride The Freeway (Highway) Train, SARTRE Vehicle Platooning

First demonstration of SARTRE vehicle platooning.
Platooning may be the new way of travelling on motorways in as little as ten years time and the EU-financed SARTRE project has carried out the first successful demonstration of its technology at the Volvo Proving Ground close to Gothenburg, Sweden.
This is the first time the EU-financed development teams in SARTRE try their systems together outside the simulators.

"We are very pleased to see that the various systems work so well together already the first time," says Erik Coelingh, engineering specialist at Volvo Cars.
"After all, the systems come from seven SARTRE-member companies in four countries. The winter weather provided some extra testing of cameras and communication equipment." "This is a major milestone for this important European research programme," says Tom Robinson, SARTRE project coordinator, of Ricardo UK Ltd.

"Platooning offers the prospect of improved road safety, better road space utilization, improved driver comfort on long journeys and reduced fuel consumption and hence CO2 emissions. With the combined skills of its participating companies, SARTRE is making tangible progress towards the realization of safe and effective road train technology".

Safer and more convenient ;Vehicle platooning, as envisaged by the SARTRE project, is a convoy of vehicles where a professional driver in a lead vehicle drives a line of other vehicles. Each car measures the distance, speed and direction and adjusts to the car in front. All vehicles are totally detached and can leave the procession at any time. But once in the platoon, drivers can relax and do other things while the platoon proceeds towards its long haul destination. The tests carried out included a lead vehicle and single following car. The steering wheel of the following car moves by itself as the vehicle smoothly follows the lead truck around the country road test track. The driver is able to drink coffee or read a paper, using neither hand nor foot to operate his vehicle.

Platooning is designed to improve a number of things:

Firstly road safety, since it minimises the human factor that is the cause of at least 80 percent of the road accidents.
Secondly, it saves fuel consumption and thus CO2 emissions with up to 20 percent.
It is also convenient for the driver because it frees up time for other matters than driving.
And since the vehicles will travel in highway speed with only a few meters gap, platooning may also relieve traffic congestion.

The technology development is well underway and can most likely go into production in a few years time. What may take substantially longer are the public acceptance and the legislation where 25 EU governments must pass similar laws.

"It is great to see that all systems work so well together. We develop the communication between the vehicles, today using a vehicle-to-vehicle specified radio frequency. Our next step will be to develop a parallel system, probably using 3G, so there is a built-in back-up if the primary communication fails," says Erik Hedin at SP.

About the SARTRE project: The SARTRE project stands for Safe Road Trains for the Environment. Part-funded by the European Commission under the Framework 7 programme, SARTRE is led by Ricardo UK Ltd and comprises collaboration between the following additional participating companies: Idiada and Robotiker-Tecnalia of Spain, Institut für Kraftfahrwesen Aachen (IKA) of Germany, and SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Volvo Car Corporation and Volvo Technology of Sweden. SARTRE aims to encourage a step change in personal transport usage through the development of safe environmental road trains (platoons). Systems are being developed in prototype form that will facilitate the safe adoption of road trains on un-modified public highways with full interaction with non-platoon vehicles. The project is addressing the three cornerstone transportation issues of environment, safety and congestion while at the same time encouraging driver acceptance through the prospect of increased "driver comfort". Read the full story »
http://goodnews.ws/2011/01/20/system-designed-for-stress-free-road-driving-tests-are-a-success/

Library of Congress Gets A New Home Page.

One of the worlds largest knowledge portal has got a new home page.
Oncowikia Blog: Library of Congress, A portal To Knowledge, Gets A New Home Page.

Big Victory for Consumers' First Sale Rights, EFF Wins Against Universal Music Group (UMG)

San Francisco - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has shot down bogus copyright infringement allegations from Universal Music Group (UMG), affirming an eBay seller's right to resell promotional CDs that he buys from secondhand stores and rejecting UMG's attempt to claim that a sticker on a CD created a license agreement forbidding resale.
Troy Augusto, represented by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the law firm Durie Tangri LLP, was sued by UMG for offering promo CDs for auction on eBay. At issue was whether the labels on the CDs, some of which stated that they were "promotional use only, not for sale," trumped Augusto's right to resell the CDs that he bought. Copyright's "first sale" doctrine prevents a copyright owner from restricting further sales or uses of a work once title has passed.
In an opinion issued today, the appeals court held: "UMG transferred title to the particular copies of its promotional CDs and cannot maintain an infringement action against Augusto for his subsequent sale of those copies." The court noted that UMG did not maintain control of the CDs once it mailed them out, did not require the recipients to agree to the "conditions" it sought to impose with the not-for-sale label, and did not require return of the CDs if the recipient did not consent.
"This ruling frees promotional CDs from the shadow of copyright infringement claims, which is good news for music lovers," said EFF Intellectual Property Director Corynne McSherry. "But it also has broader ramifications. The court flatly rejected the argument that merely slapping a notice on a copyrighted work prevents the work from ever being sold. It eliminates the risk of copyright infringement claims against later recipients -- regardless of whether they paid for the work."
"The Ninth Circuit recognized an important principle: that you can't eliminate consumers' rights just by claiming there's a 'license agreement,'" said Joe Gratz of Durie Tangri, lead counsel for Mr. Augusto. "Once a copyrighted work is freely given, the copyright holder isn't in charge anymore. The copyright owner can't stop you from selling it or lending it to a friend."
For the full opinion in UMG v. Augusto:
https://www.eff.org/files/filenode/umg_v_augusto/UMGvAugusto9thCircuitOp...
Contact:
Corynne McSherry
Intellectual Property Director
Electronic Frontier Foundation
corynne@eff.org

NNN, Next New Networks Raise $1 Million Amid Youtube Acquisition

Next New Networks has raised $1 million in debt financing. According to this SEC filing and some big boys are behind the NNN and Ross Levinsohn from Fuse Capital, Bijan Sabet from Spark Capital, Goldman Sachs and Saban Capital Group are listed as investors.
The NNN manages and produces it's own video content as well as managing independent film makers. If the rumors of YouTube acquisition are true, NNN will provide the first inhouse video production facility for YouTube and Google TV.
I guess we need to wait and see if the rumors are true.So we can "Watch and Be Merry"
NNN via TC

Quantum Cryptography Is Safe From Detector Blinding Attacks.

Toshiba’s Cambridge Research Laboratory announced today that they have discovered a simple method to prevent detector blinding attacks on quantum cryptography.  Quantum cryptography is a method to distribute digital encryption keys across an optical fiber cable. The protocol has been proven to be perfectly secure from eavesdropping.But recently a paper suggested ways of blinding the detectors, the Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) avalanche photo-detectors that are commonly used in quantum cryptography. This would have been one way to eavesdrop on the data stream and capture secret keys.

Following is the press release;

30 November 2010, Cambridge, UK

The Cambridge Research Laboratory of Toshiba Research Europe announced today that it has discovered a simple method to prevent detector blinding attacks on quantum cryptography.

Quantum cryptography is a method to distribute digital encryption keys across an optical fibre. The protocol has been proven to be perfectly secure from eavesdropping. However, any differences between the theoretical protocol and its real-world implementation can be exploited to compromise the security of specific systems.

A recent paper published in the September edition of Nature Photonics suggests a method to blind the Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) avalanche photo-detectors that are commonly used in quantum cryptography. If successful, this attack could allow an eavesdropper to gain information about the secret key.

Now an investigation by the Cambridge team, to be published in the December edition of Nature Photonics, demonstrates that the detector blinding attack is completely ineffective, provided that the single photon detectors are operated correctly.

The new study shows that the attack is only successful if a redundant resistor is included in series with the single photon detector, or if the discrimination levels are set inappropriately. Furthermore, by monitoring the photocurrent generated by the detector it is possible to prevent all bright light attacks on avalanche photodiodes.

Dr Andrew Shields, Assistant Managing Director, Toshiba Research Europe, comments, “Quantum cryptography is now entering a new phase in which the security of particular implementations is carefully analysed and tested. This is important to uncover any security loopholes and to devise appropriate countermeasures. It will allow real-world devices to approach the perfect security that can be proven for the protocol.”

Toshiba recently implemented its quantum key distribution (QKD) technology in the quantum cryptography network set up in the Tokyo metropolitan area in October 2010. In a series of trials Toshiba demonstrated record average secure bit rates on installed fibre in the network. A secure bit rate of 304 kb/s was demonstrated, averaged over a 24 hour period, on a 45 km fibre despite a relatively high loss on the link of 14.5 dB. In April 2010 the same team announced an average secure bit rate of 1 Mb/s for a laboratory based demonstration on a 50 km fibre spool.

For further information about the work of Toshiba's Cambridge Research Laboratory in Quantum Information Technology, go to 
http://www.toshiba-europe.com/research/crl/qig/index.html

DOT P2P, Decentralized Open Domain Name System

With the recent flurry of government take downs of piracy or torrent related sites like onsmash.com, users are revolting, in a different way, by designing a new DNS system that bypasses usual ICANN route.
The laughing matter of the project, DOT P2P, initiated by a group of enthusiasts is that the backbone of the system will be bittorrent based. And the the new domain extension will be .p2p.

“By creating a .p2p TLD that is totally decentralized and that does not rely on ICANN or any ISP’s DNS service, and by having this application mimic force-encrypted BitTorrent traffic, there will be a way to start combating DNS level based censoring like the new US proposals as well as those systems in use in countries around the world including China and Iran amongst others.”

perhaps everyone will get a p2p domain now in case the sites get closed down for right or wrong reasons. But that depends on how you look at copyrights and government control.
You can read more about the p2p TLD at torrentfreak and at the Dot-P2P project itself.

InfiniBand Marriage, Mellanox Will Acquire Voltaire for $218 Million

Cyber Monday comes in different forms to different people. But the share holders of Voltaire Ltd got a real nice present, in to the tune of cash price of $8.75 per share.Mellanox Technologies has entered a definite agreement to acquire Voltaire Ltd. for a cash value of $8.75 per share, equivalent to approximately $218 million. Providing there are no regulatory problems, the deal will close in the first quarter of 2011.

Press release by Mellanox;

SUNNYVALE, Calif., and YOKNEAM, Israel, Nov. 29 -- Mellanox Technologies, Ltd., a leading supplier of end-to-end connectivity solutions for servers and storage systems, and Voltaire Ltd., a leading provider of scale-out datacenter fabrics, announced today that they have signed a definitive agreement under which Mellanox will acquire 100 percent of Voltaire's outstanding ordinary shares for cash at a price of $8.75 per share, or a total equity value of approximately $218 million ($176 million net of cash).

The terms of the transaction have been unanimously approved by both the Mellanox and Voltaire Boards of Directors. The transaction is currently projected to close in the first quarter of 2011, subject to certain closing conditions. The combination of the two companies will strengthen Mellanox's position as a premier, end-to-end connectivity solutions provider for the growing worldwide datacenter server and storage markets. According to Gartner*, worldwide server shipments are expected to increase from approximately 9 million in 2010 to 11.2 million in 2014, and worldwide storage systems are expected to grow from approximately 1.8 million in 2010 to 3.2 million in 2014.

The combined businesses currently have approximately 700 employees and achieved revenues of $217 million for the twelve months ended Sept. 30, 2010.

Mellanox currently anticipates that the transaction will be accretive to its fiscal 2011 non-GAAP earnings by $0.02 - $0.05 or more per share. With highly complementary products, markets, customers and strategies, Mellanox expects the proposed acquisition of Voltaire to enhance its market position as a leading provider of end-to-end connectivity solutions for servers and storage systems. The combination will also help Mellanox achieve meaningful revenue and cost synergies over time, with estimated, annualized cost synergies of at least $10 million by the end of 2012.

Mellanox's Board of Directors has indicated its intention to nominate Ronnie Kenneth, the chairman and CEO of Voltaire, to join its Board of Directors at Mellanox's Annual General Meeting of shareholders, which it currently anticipates will be held in May 2011. Mr. Kenneth has indicated his intention to join the Board of Directors of Mellanox.

Mellanox and Voltaire believe that employees represent one of their most important assets, and Mellanox looks forward to combining employees from both organizations under one unified management team. Mellanox expects to run the combined business from both companies' current offices located in Israel, the United States and around the world. Further, Mellanox intends to retain both companies' existing product lines and will converge such lines in future product generations to ensure continuity for customers and partners of both companies. Through this acquisition, Mellanox expects to achieve additional scale to permit it to operate as a larger, more successful and more profitable enterprise, thus increasing value for the combined company's shareholders and customers.

"The combination of Mellanox and Voltaire will create a leading provider of connectivity solutions for our customers by leveraging the complementary strengths of our companies. Together, we believe the combined company will be a stronger business partner and system solutions provider, delivering customers a comprehensive range of end-to-end connectivity solutions," said Eyal Waldman, president, chairman and CEO of Mellanox Technologies. "We welcome the great talent from Voltaire and look forward to completing the integration of our employees to create a superior combined company."

"We believe this is a great transaction for our customers, employees and shareholders," said Ronnie Kenneth, chairman and CEO of Voltaire. "We expect the combined company to offer our customers the financial strength of Mellanox, industry-leading solutions and world-class development teams that drive innovation and enhance market opportunities."

Mellanox believes that the Voltaire acquisition will strengthen its leadership position in providing end-to-end connectivity systems and will expand its software and product offerings in the growing worldwide datacenter server and storage markets it serves.

Under the terms of the definitive agreement, Voltaire shareholders will receive $8.75 for each ordinary share of Voltaire that they hold at the closing of the transaction. The proposed acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals and the approval of Voltaire's shareholders.

In connection with the transaction, J.P. Morgan acted as exclusive financial adviser to Mellanox, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch acted as exclusive financial adviser to Voltaire.

Piratebay Lose Appeal, Get Reduced Sentences And Increased Fines.

The Swedish appeals court found the founders of piratebay guilty and upheld the 2009 ruling against them that found them sentenced to a year in jail and heavily fined. The new ruling reduces the jailterms but increases the fines.

Fredrik Neij (born April 27, 1978) alias ‘TiAMO’:
Guilty of contributory copyright infringement
10 months in prison
A share of the $6.5 million in damages

Peter Sunde (born September 13, 1978) alias ‘brokep’
Guilty of contributory copyright infringement
8 months in prison
A share of the $6.5 million in damage

Carl Lundström (born April 13, 1960)
Guilty of contributory copyright infringement
4 months in prison
A share of the $6.5 million in damages

"It is now time for The Pirate Bay, whose operators have twice been convicted in court, to close. We now look to governments and ISPs to take note of this judgment, do the responsible thing and take the necessary steps to get The Pirate Bay shut down." said the International Federation for the Phonographic Industry.
I wonder how many other piratebays will pop up? Or something like piratebay in North Korea!
Read more at torrentfreak

Godaddy.com Goes on the auction block

I have a quite a few domain names registered at Gogaddy.com and I was surprised to read the WSJ article indicating Godaddy, the Big Daddy Bob Parsons, is looking to sell the company.
With posted revenue between $750 million and $800 million in 2009 from 43 million domain names registered and various other services like e-commerce and web hosting, there should be plenty of people to bid. It is speculated the bids could reach as much as 1 Billion dollers.

BSDCan Through A Googlers Eyes

BSDCan through the years - Google Open Source Blog

I learned my UNIX abilities on a BSD box as a youngone, a very young one. Berkeley Software's release was running on my fathers, I guess, 286 PC.
Ever since then, like the Googler, Kirk Russell, Site Reliability TeamI too have had a BSD machine at home. I too have attended BSDCan, a few times. But I did not go this year.
Kirk takes you through the years of conferences and meetings with a lot of information. Read his post to refresh your BSD memory or to learn a lot about BSD, if you do not know what it is.

OpenStack. RackSpace OpenSources The Cloud Code

While Oracle leaves us in limbo about SUN purchase and the open source' direction, Two big players, NASA and RackSpace has come forward to make the cloud, open.
OpenStack. An Open Source Cloud Initiative By RackSpace And NASA. | VOIP IP Telephony

Fly With Google! Google Purchases ITA For $700 Million

Google just announced about its purchase of ITA, a Cambridge, Massachusetts based Flight information provider for to airlines, travel agencies, and online reservation systems. Basically, it is the center of flight data.

A consortium of rivals including Microsoft, Kayak, Expedia, and Travelport; has tried to stop Google from getting it's hands on ITA by trying to beat Googles offer, last spring. But Google’s $700 million was bigger than theirs, I guess. Microsoft, Kayak, Expedia, and Travelport rely on ITA for their flight data needs.

"ITA's very talented team has created an impressive product to organize flight information," said Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO of Google. "Their technology opens exciting possibilities for us to create new ways for users to more easily find flight information online, and we're looking forward to welcoming them to Google."

"It is a privilege to work with a most skilled and dedicated team to build innovative technologies that people use every day," said Jeremy Wertheimer, CEO & President, ITA Software, Inc. "We are all looking forward to continuing and expanding our efforts as part of Google."

Official Google Blog: Taking off with ITA

Javazone, Brilliance Made Into A Movie, Java Rocks!!

Javazone,Brilliance Made Into A Video, Java Rocks!!
Only thing missing was Steve Ballmer dude breaking chairs. :)

Javazone