Microsoft launches new Office for consumers

SEATTLE  - Microsoft Corp launched new Office software for home users on Tuesday, featuring constantly updated, online access to documents from all kinds of devices as the world's largest software company attempts to tailor its most profitable product to a mobile generation.
The new Office suite of applications - including desktop staples Outlook email, Excel, Word and PowerPoint - is aimed at home users rather than businesses, and is designed to extend Microsoft's domination of the workplace to the home office and beat back growing competition from Google Inc's free online apps.
 "The notion of an always up-to-date streaming version of Office comes directly from how people are using devices today," said Kurt DelBene, head of Microsoft's Office unit, in a phone interview. "You really want all your content to roam with you. We see that as an opportunity to deliver what customers are asking for."
The version of the new software launched on Tuesday, called Office 365 Home Premium, is the first major overhaul of Office since 2010. Big companies, which generally buy Microsoft's software under multi-year contracts, already got the latest features of the new Office in December.
Tuesday was the first look for individual customers, and initial reactions were positive at Microsoft's flagship Seattle store.

Perfecting Power Nap

Researchers have found in recent years that the human body requires only as much sleep as the brain will allow it.

In other words, so long as the brain is functioning at full capacity, there’s no great requirement for sleep. The big thing is that the brain needs a rest every now and then, and apparently, the brain can refresh itself and go on “like with a full tank of gas” with just a short, 20-minute power nap.


These short 20-minute power naps for people who are really engrossed in their work, almost always provide a fresh burst of new ideas and energy. They tend to eliminate the need for caffeine boosts during the workday. And, they guarantee a reserve of energy so that the working day isn’t followed by an evening in which he falls asleep on the couch watching TV or at a social event.

Reasons for a Power Nap:

1. Less stress.

Curling up in a sunny patch on the floor or even lying your head down on your desk for a quick snooze brings relaxation. Research found that stress hormone levels were lower in those who took stress-reducing actions such as napping. Take a break each day from the stresses and reduce your risks, find a quiet, comfortable spot and take a nap. Even a short power nap can leave you feeling refreshed, renewed, and more focused.

Users increasingly turn to Internet to buy drugs, EU report

BRUSSELS - Virtually any kind of illegal drug can be bought on the Internet and delivered by post to users who no longer need to make direct contact with dealers, an EU study published on Thursday said.

It gave no statistics on online drug sales, which are normally conducted on so-called "darknets", or anonymous computer networks.

The report, compiled by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and Europol, the pan-European police agency, said increased globalisation and communication technology made it harder to track drug routes.

"Practically any type of drug can be bought on the Internet," Europol director Rob Wainwright told a briefing. "The consumers may feel that it is 'cleaner' to buy drugs without any direct contact with the drug dealer."

10 Ideal Habits for a Better Lifestyle

 The urban lifestyle that you lead comes at a cost.

And it takes much more than your spending power. Most people caught in the urban trend of life lack a lot of things in their daily life, like time, freedom, peace and, most importantly, happiness. When your demanding lifestyle starts taking a toll on your mental, physical or emotional state of being, you know it's time for a change.

We bring 10 small but ideal habits which can help you lead a better lifestyle.

1. Opt for juice over coffee

Whether its a persistent migraine or lack of sleep or even a bad day at work, the urban man actually depends on coffee. Not everyone knows that the dependence is actually a bane and poses health hazards. Substitute your daily cup of coffee with a glass of fresh juice. It will not only bring a marked improvement in your health but might also reverse the ill-effects of your lifestyle on your body.



2. Writing over typing

With most offices embracing the concept of going paperless and the convenience of typing, people have forgotten the essence of writing. Just like an artist needs his canvas to paint, the experience of writing can only be a fulfilling one with a pen and a paper. It will be a sort of re-discovery for you and will add a freshness to your daily, boring, routine.

Microsoft sued over search-related patents

 NEW YORK  - A lawsuit filed on Thursday alleges Microsoft Corp has been infringing patents that allow Internet search engines to most effectively place advertisements.

I/P Engine Inc said in the suit filed in Manhattan federal court that Microsoft uses search technology based on inventions by two employees of I/P Engine's parent company, Vringo Inc.

Microsoft uses the technology in systems that generate advertisements and associated links for users of the world's largest software company's search engine, Bing, the lawsuit said.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for Vringo declined to comment.

Facebook starts selling retail gift cards on website

SAN FRANCISCO - Facebook Inc introduced gift cards on Thursday that consumers can use at Target Corp and a handful of other businesses in the social network's latest move into the retail market.

Consumers in the United States can buy the cards for their Facebook friends and choose from four different businesses: Target, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vitton SA's Sephora, Jamba Inc's Jamba Juice and Darden Restaurants Inc's Olive Garden.

Affleck wins directors top award as Argo hurtles toward Oscars

LOS ANGELES  - Actor-turned-filmmaker Ben Affleck won the top honor from his peers at the Directors Guild of America on Saturday for the movie "Argo", cementing the Iran hostage drama's frontrunner status for the Oscars.

The Hollywood directors' recognition for Affleck, however, is an awkward result for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, which failed to nominate him for Best Director in what is considered one of the biggest snubs of this year's Oscars.

Since 1948, there have been only six occasions when the Directors Guild of America (DGA) winner has not gone on to win the Oscar for Best Director.

"I have nothing but respect for the Academy," Affleck said after collecting his first DGA award. The Hollywood star, a producer of "Argo", said he was thrilled the film was nominated for the Oscars' Best Picture award.

France, Africa face tough Sahara phase of Mali war

BAMAKO/DAKAR- The French or African troops who hunt down the Islamist fighters holed up in the mountains and deserts of northeast Mali may find a resilient enemy capable of fighting back with a concealed arsenal of surprising firepower.

France's initial success in its three-week old intervention in its former colony has gained Paris plaudits at home and abroad as a welcome blow struck against radical jihadists threatening Africa and the West.

Timbuktu and Gao, the main Malian towns held by Islamist insurgents since last year, fell to the French at the weekend, and French troops also seized the airport at Kidal, the last urban bastion abandoned by the rebels.

But the next step in stabilising Mali and pursuing the al Qaeda-allied fighters in their remote desert and mountain bolt-holes near Algeria's border looks like a much tougher task.

It will take longer than a few weeks and likely require a bigger and more international effort than the limited offensive that has so far involved 3,500 French soldiers on the ground, backed by warplanes, helicopters and armoured vehicles.

Matches have never been won on paper, says Gooch

 

'India have the advantage over Australia in spin'

Former captain Graham Gooch who, as England’s batting coach, has decided to exclusively focus on Test cricket, spoke to The Telegraph from the UK on Saturday afternoon.

Now 59, Gooch had an outstanding Test career, finishing with 8,900 runs with 20 centuries. He totalled 4,290 in ODIs (8x100). Overall, Gooch scored 128 first-class centuries.

The following are excerpts

Was it actually too much being the batting coach in all formats?

I believe that Test cricket must not lose its primacy and I’d wanted to exclusively work with the present band and the next generation of Test batsmen. Given the amount of cricket being played, teams need multiple choices.

Srinivasan cements ties with Dhoni

 

The lines had blurred long back. The appointment of Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as vice- president of Indian Cements, which is owned by cricket Board president N Srinivasan, has only brought out the worst kept secret of Indian cricket.

All along, the relationship between Dhoni and Srinivasan has been too cozy for comfort, much to the dismay of many in the cricketing fraternity. The new development means that the relationship is now deeply embedded in the cricketing establishment.

Dhoni, the captain of the Indian team and the Chennai Super Kings, owned by India Cements, has now got a top position in the company as well.

Pataudi had no regrets

Sharmila Tagore with Sourav Ganguly at the book launch in Kolkata.

Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore feels her late husband and former Indian cricket captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi did not have any regrets in life as he was used to losses from an early age.

"I think he didn't have any regrets. He lost a lot of things very early in life - his father at the age of 11, his eye when he was 20. So I think he was used to losses. He didn't dwell on these things at all and moved on with his life," said Tagore while releasing a book on Pataudi titled Pataudi: Nawab of Cricket at the Kolkata Literary Meet here Saturday.