In shocking news to a lot of Google nexus one fans, Google VP of Engineering Andy Rubin announced that they are stopping selling the Google nexus from the Google shop. That means that the URL http://www.google.com/phone will be there but you just won’t be able to buy anything from there, rather it will showcase other Android enabled phones. Google started this new direct selling initiative to the consumers and seems like this was a hard sell than they anticipated.

Andy Rubin Quoted:

“We launched Nexus One in January with two goals in mind: to introduce a beacon of innovation among Android handsets, and to make it quick and easy for people to buy an Android phone. We’re very happy with the adoption of Android in general, and the innovation delivered through Nexus One. Already, a lot of the innovation that went into creating Nexus One has found its way into numerous Android handsets, like the HTC Evo 4G from Sprint and the Verizon Droid Incredible by HTC.

But, as with every innovation, some parts worked better than others. While the global adoption of the Android platform has exceeded our expectations, the web store has not. It’s remained a niche channel for early adopters, but it’s clear that many customers like a hands-on experience before buying a phone, and they also want a wide range of service plans to chose from.

So today we’re announcing the following changes:

More retail availability. As we make Nexus One available in more countries we’ll follow the same model we’ve adopted in Europe, where we're working with partners to offer Nexus One to consumers through existing retail channels. We’ll shift to a similar model globally.

From retail to viewing. Once we have increased the availability of Nexus One devices in stores, we'll stop selling handsets via the web store, and will instead use it as an online store window to showcase a variety of Android phones available globally. Innovation requires constant iteration. We believe that the changes we're announcing today will help get more phones to more people quicker, which is good for the entire Android ecosystem: users, partners and also Google. "

My initial reaction was, hey! What is going to happen to my new nexus phone that I have. But then I realized, may be it’s a good thing. Now Google nexus will be available in other retail stores and they will have more accessories that are hard to find and may be able to provide support that Google was not able to face to face. The users prefer face to face service than through the web. My wish is that Google nexus will still be around for a long time and who knows may be able to come back with a big bang through this. After all, Google nexus one is still the best android phone in the market along with Droid.

Google made history today May 19th, 2010 by opening up the next generation of video codec named VP8. It is part of the project called WebM at www.webmproject.org and supported by Google, Mozilla, Opera, and Adobe. Full list can be found from the webm project website.

Google also debated the new Chrome web store, introduced Google Apps Engine for business and also opened up the Google Wave to public. Initially it was only for the invited few but now it’s free to the public. To learn more about this, Google’s many new API features and more open-source code for developers, visit the Wave Developer blog.

Google designed its App Engine for Business for enterprise customers, building the service on top of a 99.9 percent uptime service-level agreement, centralized administration tools, and security. The pricing is set at an SMB level: $8 per user, per application, per month – capped at $1,000 per application per month. It is still in preview, and will be available later this year.

One of the biggest push for HTML5 we saw in this conference. Google and Adobe are pushing for this and they are pretty much on top of this by a great extend. HTML5 continues to be a key component for Chrome, Google's Web browser, and Google promises a session titled "HTML5 status update" at its conference.

VMware also debated a new open source layer for the cloud. Google has been working with VMware to integrated Google Web Toolkit and Springsource ( a VMware product) to make apps that run on clouds. Google debated the new Web Toolkid 2.1 +Roo in this conference.

We are waiting for the biggest of all, the Android 2.2, or "Froyo," the code name for Google's next revision of its mobile operating system. It is expected to be released at the conference by Google Android Project manager Andy Rubin. The 2.2 revision reportedly adds Wi-Fi hot-spot capability and USB tethering to the platform.

The first time I listened to Michael Jackson's song when I was in my teens. I remember it was the song Thriller and it instantly caught my attention and love. The rhythm and passion in his music was inspiring to all. I myself was also thrilled by his song and loved every minute of it. Ever since that I was following his songs and like a real fan was keeping all his music in my collection. So when I heard that the king of pop is no more, I was very surprised. I could not believe my self and even now have the same feelings, that he is dead and left us. Micheal was the only Black artist that ever caught eyes all over the world and loved by millions all over the world. From poor coutries like Bangladesh to wealthy nations like Switzerland, Brunai, he had fans who loved his dearly.

Michael helped shape the music industry in such a way that there was no division between black and white. He was the first artist that actually crossed that boundary and made everyone see the truth about people's inner beauty and not its color. For this he will be remembered for a long time, let alone his reputation as the King of POP. We miss you MJ.

It can take four to 14 months to find the right job... and fewer than 90 days to lose it. According to executive coach Linda Seale, most professional and managerial dismissals are due to failure to understand and fit into a company's culture.  It is during these first weeks on the job that your boss and colleagues form the most lasting impressions about you. But remember, they don't expect you to be perfect. As long as you show intelligence, versatility and a willingness to work and learn, people will be happy to have you aboard and rooting for you to succeed.  Here are some ways to make sure you get off on the right foot: 

• Check your interview notes. Recall the names and titles of everyone you met and interviewed with so you will be able to greet them and pronounce their names correctly.
• Work full days. Know where and when to report on day one. Get there 30 minutes early and leave when or after most of your co-workers do. Notice people's schedules and work habits, so that you'll know the optimal times and means to connect with others.
• Project positive energy. Look and act as if you're happy to be joining the team.
• Look good. All eyes are on you, so pay attention to your grooming. Dress tastefully and slightly above dress code.
• Keep a journal. Write down procedures, names of key people and contact numbers, so that you'll look like a quick study.
• Be flexible. Expect and embrace the inevitable challenges of your position. A flexible attitude will decrease stress for you and others.
• Show appreciation. Be kind and appreciative to everyone who helps you learn the ropes.
• Listen 80 percent; Talk 20 percent. Resist offering opinions or assessments -- that road is full of land mines. You'll get more respect by listening and absorbing what your co-workers have to teach rather than by showing off how much you know.
• Get to know your boss. Observe your boss' personality and work style, and tailor your interactions to his or her preferences.
• Clarify expectations. Make sure you and your boss are on the same page. Find out:
  • What priorities and issues need to be immediately addressed.
  • How often and in what format you should provide project updates.
  • How your performance will be evaluated.
• Connect with colleagues. Get to know as many people as you can especially your teammates and those with whom you will work regularly. Establish the foundation for a relationship, and trust and information will follow.
• Identify key players. Find out who the decision-makers, influencers, stars and up-and-comers are. Notice the traits they have in common and try to emulate them.
• Uncover hidden agendas. Identify any political forces at work. While you want to avoid getting involved in politically charged situations, it's helpful to be aware of undercurrents.
• Take initiative. As you finish assignments and are ready to handle a bigger workload, ask for more. Pick projects that have support from upper management and buy-in from your staff.
• Don't make major changes. Even if your interviewer told you the company was looking for fresh ideas, proceed carefully. Show respect for those who have invested energy in a project or system before trying to change it. There may be obstacles you aren't aware of. Ask why things are done the way they are and seek feedback from people whose support you need. Applaud what is being done right and frame changes as enhancements.
• Be a team player. Don't engage in gossip. Always make your boss look good. Share credit with your workmates.

Every day more and more of Americans are getting laid off and the burden is falling on the Obama Administration to fix the economic problems that was left by the Bush government. The recent stimulus plan that is circulating in the senate and house floors has some good additions. As it stands now, tax cuts account for about $252 billion of its $885 billion total cost, according to an analysis of the Senate bill released by the Congressional Budget Office on Monday.

The plan also comprises of a tax cut for everyone, Of this, $142 billion would go for Obama’s “Making Work Pay” tax credit for individuals. This credit – up to $500 a year for individuals and $1,000 for two-income couples – would fulfill Obama’s campaign pledge of tax relief for low- and middle-income workers. The full amount would be limited to individuals who make $75,000 or less and couples making $150,000 or less. Other individual income-tax provisions contained in the Senate version of the stimulus package include an increase in the earned income-tax credit, estimated to cost $4.7 billion; a $13 billion education tax credit; the first-time home buyer credit, which would cost at least $2.6 billion; and the $70 billion AMT adjustment.

The stimulus package also includes general business tax breaks that would total more than $35 billion.Small businesses would be able to increase the dollar amount of expenses they could write off from $125,000 to $250,000 for 2009 and 2010, for instance. Businesses would have an increased ability to apply recent losses against past and future tax bills.

All these are good news but on the spending side. There are some provisions of tax cuts that will also cost the governement around $70 billion.

The tax cut and spending can and might do good for the economy but the more pressing and long term needs must be accounted for. As an example and for more selling of our goods we should also think about the followings:

1. Open up the Aircraft market specially Boeing for China and Iran to procure. They have recently shown interest to buy American made aircrafts.

2. Bring back the soldiers from Iraq as soon as possible. US can bring at lease 50% now and rest by next year. US is spending arount 20/30 billion dollars each month to support its soldiers and this will free up those money for productive use.

3. Stop issuing new H1 visas  for 2 years for that the companies can hire laid off American workers and not mis use the H1 quotas. The H1 quotas can be given to the immigration family category, so that American Citizens can bring relatives fast instead of waiting year after year. Average American have to wait 5/6 years to be united with their sibling family members, which is ridiculous.

4. Give lelalization to millions of illegals who will pour in millions of dollars in the American economy. Study showed the last lagalization by Reagan increased US economic GDP by coulple of points.

5. Stop economic embargo on Cuba. Cuba can be a closer and eager market for American products.

6. Employ Export Import Bank of America agreesively to promote American products abroad specially cotton, wheat and others. There are lots of American products that have prospective markets abroad and we just need to explore them.

There might be other things that can be added to this list. However if we also include these lists to it, I am sure the economy of USA will rebound to a great extend.