Hey,

I've just joined the Green Idol campaign and told Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh that he has no time to lose.

If he's serious about fighting climate change – as he should be – then he
MUST have a Renewable Energy Law in place by 2010. That's next year!

I know he's not going to do it just because I asked him to. But if he starts
getting hundreds of thousands of other Indian citizens asking him too,
he’ll have no option.

Do what I’ve done. Save the climate. Be a Green Idol! Tell Dr. Manmohan
Singh now at http://greenidol.in/?utm_source=TYF&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=greenidol

Scratch is a new programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art -- and share your creations on the web.

Scratch is designed to help young people (ages 8 and up) develop 21st century learning skills. As they create and share Scratch projects, young people learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also learning to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.

Scratch is available free of charge: go to Download.
Currently available for Mac OSX and Windows (see system requirements)

The World's Premier Student Technology Competition

The Imagine Cup is one way Microsoft is encouraging young people to apply their imagination, their passion, and their creativity to technology innovations that can make a difference in the world. Now in its eighth year, the Imagine Cup has grown to be a truly global competition focused on finding solutions to global issues. Below is a list of the 2009 and 2008 winners. For More Info Visit www.imaginecup.com.

A recent survey sponsored by Temenos has found that despite lots of marketing activity, cloud computing has yet to generate any real support from banking executives. The survey found that just 15 percent of 42 executives are currently utilizing the technology, about 33 percent said they don't know enough about the potential risks and 44 percent said the lack of data security was a barrier.

Below the executive level, there seems to be a lot more support for the technology. An IBM/SIFMA survey of more than 350 Wall Street IT professionals has suggested "a significant increase in the level of interest in new technologies and computing models, in particular cloud computing, as firms seek to overcome budgetary restrictions and skills shortages," reports Wall Street & Technology. The IT managers are obviously closer to the ground on new technologies. At some point, they'll have to convince the top executives. A process that I think is underway.

A month after the images of Nikon Digital Single lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras D300S and D3000 were leaked, the company has made the cameras official.
What's New?

The D300S is the revived version of the popular D300 which was launched about two years ago. Featuring a 12.3 megapixel CMOS sensor and 51-point autofocus system, the D300S offers full 720p HD video recording, a 7 fps continuous shooting and Dual CF and SD card slots.

On the other hand, the D3000 will be the company's newest entry-level DSLR with features like a 10.2 MP DX-format CCD sensor and 3fps continuous shooting.

Its features include a 3-inch LCD and 11-point AF system with 3D tracking. Targeted towards beginners and experienced compact users, the camera features a new Guide mode to help learn how to get the most out of a DSLR. The recommended selling price will be $599 with 18-55mm VR lens.

Other Features

The D300S now features a new Quiet drive mode and a dedicated Live View and Info button as well. The D3000 offers a New Guide mode which provides a simple interface meant to help first-time users to select shooting modes. There's also in-camera photo editing and Nikon's Integrated Dust Reduction System in the camera.

Both cameras come with an Active D-Lighting function which claims to vastly improve shadows and highlights of high-contrast scenes.