Upload limit increases to 15 minutes for all users

We want YouTube to be the best place to upload video. Without question, the number one requested feature by our creators is to upload videos longer than 10 minutes. We’ve heard you, and today we’re pleased to announce that we’ve increased the upload limit to 15 minutes.

We encourage you to take full advantage of this new time limit by making a video of your “15 minutes of fame.” Imagine that this video is all the world will ever know about you: what would you want to communicate? What will be the enduring stamp you’ve left on us all? Tag your video with “yt15minutes,” upload it by Wednesday, August 4, and we’ll select a handful of people to truly gain their 15 minutes of fame by featuring them on the YouTube homepage in a future spotlight.

In the meantime, you may wonder “why now?” -- the upload limit for non-partners has been 10 minutes for years. Well, we’ve spent significant resources on creating and improving our state-of-the-art Content ID system and many other powerful tools for copyright owners. Now, all of the major U.S. movie studios, music labels and over 1,000 other global partners use Content ID to manage their content on YouTube. Because of the success of these ongoing technological efforts, we are able to increase the upload limit today. We will continue our strong commitment to provide advanced technology and tools to protect the rights of small and large copyright owners worldwide. We’ll also do everything we can to release incremental improvements like this one that benefit our video creators.

One final note: if you’re uploading a video that was previously rejected for being too long, you’ll have to go into “My Videos” and delete it before attempting to upload it again. Thanks and happy uploading!

Joshua Siegel, Product Manager, Upload and Video Management, recently watched "Gulf - Jack Conte VideoSong."

More about → Upload limit increases to 15 minutes for all users

Destination: Beauty! YouTube’s gurus help you look your best

Get your eyeliner sharpened, your mascara pumped, your hair ready to be oh-so-carefully tussled -- today, we're launching our first-ever beauty program, "Destination Beauty," sponsored by L'Oréal Paris. The year-long initiative will feature a constantly refreshed selection of videos offering tips and tricks on looking your best from partners like Panacea81, KandeeJohnson and Seventeen Magazine, all of whom are authorities in this space. Take a peek at the videos below as examples of what you'll find on the channel.

Emulating Katy Perry's "California Gurls Video" look:



Getting violet lips:



Constructing a quick summer up-do:



Check back every Monday for a new dose of only-on-YouTube tutorials in categories like makeup, hair and trends.

Mia Quagliarello, Community Manager,  recently watched "Get Leighton Meester's Cool, Colorful Eye Look!"

More about → Destination: Beauty! YouTube’s gurus help you look your best

YouTube Summer School, Session 3: Mathematics

Welcome back, life-long learners! We’re in our third week here at YouTube Summer School and today we’re shifting gears again. After our lovely stroll through the art gallery of YouTube EDU, we’re headed to the hall of mathematics and will be crunching numbers for the next week.

Ever have any trouble with algebra, geometry, calculus or trig-a-what? For some, putting numbers in their place isn’t as easy as Captain Picard makes it look. Sometimes we simply can’t “make it so” without a little help. That’s why we’ve scoured through YouTube EDU to find what professors from top universities around the globe are teaching about everything from differential equations to probalistic aggregation studies (try saying that 10 times fast!).



And to review what we covered last week, take a minute to test yourself with the following questions. If you know the answers, let us know in the comments below (please note comments are moderated due to spam). We’re on the lookout for our “Grade A” students!

1) What color house did Frida Kahlo grow up in?
2) Malaquias Montoya, professor of Chicano studies and art history at the University of California in Davis, is known for what item of unique clothing?
3) The African art exhibit in the Valparaiso University Brauer Museum is from what century?

Until next week!

Mandy Albanese, Communications Associate, recently watched “Nilsequences and the Primes.“

More about → YouTube Summer School, Session 3: Mathematics

Surf video all day long on TV and the Web, then tell your friends about it

As you could probably guess, we're really excited about the imminent launch of Google TV. You can learn more about this initiative here, but it’s basically a new way to watch TV by seamlessly integrating the Web and TV into one incredible viewing experience. Soon, you’ll be able to watch a lot more of those beautiful hi-def YouTube videos on your beautiful, hi-def TV.

Google TV will initially be available on devices manufactured by Sony and Logitech in the fall, with more partners to be announced later. Logitech has just come up with a nifty idea to publicize their device, the Logitech Revue with Google TV™ -- a contest to find the 'Host with the Most' in one of three fabulous cities within the U.S.



Check out this site for more details of ‘Host with the Most,’ but the gist is simple: if you can prove that you are a true social influencer with a passion for the new universe of TV and video that Google TV will offer, Logitech may select you to become a Logitech host and pay you to spend time in one of their lofts in New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco. Your mission will be to host a bunch of parties, show off the technology, and spread the word through your social circles. (See Logitech's OFFICIAL RULES for eligibility requirements and complete details.) Since nothing goes together better than YouTube and Google TV – and no group is more socially connected than the YouTube community – we thought we’d encourage you all to nominate yourselves for the role. We look forward to seeing what cool things the winning hosts will do with the Logitech loft experience – and maybe one of them will be you!

Peter Sherman, Product Marketing Manager, recently watched “What is Google TV?”

*NEITHER GOOGLE NOR YOUTUBE IS A SPONSOR OF OR AFFILIATED WITH THE LOGITECH 'HOST WITH THE MOST' CONTEST IN ANY WAY. EMPLOYEES OF GOOGLE AND YOUTUBE NOT ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE.

More about → Surf video all day long on TV and the Web, then tell your friends about it

Katy Perry bares all as Lisa Nova asks your top questions

“Did you really kiss a girl?” “Do you ever laugh at the parody videos making fun of you?” “Are you and Russell planning on having kids?” The call was to ask Katy Perry anything you wanted, and you responded with a record-breaking 20,500 text and video questions submitted to Katy’s channel via the Moderator tool. Over 401,600 votes were cast, and YouTube’s own Lisa Nova posed the most popular questions to Perry, who was wearing a Latex getup only she could pull off:

Along with this exclusive 30-minute interview, which is highlighted on our homepage today, you might also want to check out her hit single “California Gurls” and a special behind-the-scenes peek from Lisa Nova, of what ultimately turned out to be a relaxed chat between girls.

Want to kick start your own discussion? Join Katy Perry, President Obama and others by adding Moderator to your channel page.

Michele Flannery, Music Manager, recently watched “Minnesota Gurls.”

More about → Katy Perry bares all as Lisa Nova asks your top questions

How to Access Blocked Websites, View Restricted Sites

Most of us find ourselves in situations where a website we wish to visit is blocked by a software or by our ISP (Internet Service Provider). So the question arises, how can we access blocked websites. The answer to this is simple: Proxy Servers. Before going into details, let us know a bit about proxy servers. 

Proxy Server

A proxy server acts as an intermediate source between the user and server the site being contacted is hosted on. Users send requests to proxy servers which convey them to the site's server. The reply received to the proxy server is forwarded to the user's computer. This gives an impression to ISP's and softwares that the user is visiting the site on which proxy server is hosted but in reality, s/he is visiting the site which was blocked. Thus, proxy servers provide extra security to users by making them browse the web almost anonymously.

Commonly Blocked Web Sites

The sites which are most commonly blocked by ISP's at workplaces, schools and offices are social networking sites like Facebook, Orkut and Twitter. In some countries, social bookmarking sites like Digg and Reddit are also blocked. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, China have even blocked access to mainstream media websites like The New York times. A proxy server can be used to visit them and also to access websites which are restricted to particular countries and block users from other countries from accessing them. So, a proxy server becomes an absolute necessity for users who must visit blocked sites and supporters of free uncensored information.

Types of Proxy Servers

There are two types of Proxy Servers. First, the ones which are hosted on a website and have interactive design and second, the ones which do not have a website and interactive layout and only work on the basis of IP Addresses and Port Numbers. Proxy servers are also segregated on the basis of anonymity into Anonymous, Transparent and High Anonymous.

How to Find Proxy Servers

A simple google search containing the word "proxy servers" is likely to return a lot of proxy servers. But most of them are likely to be proxy servers which you can setup using IP Address and Port Number. So, in order to find interactive proxy servers, you will have to search "Facebook Proxy Server" or "Orkut Proxy Server". A search like this is most likely to return interactive proxy servers with which you can access your website by simply entering the URL in URL field. If you want additional security and anonymity, you can opt for a paid proxy server.

Note: The reason why links to proxy servers are not given is that most proxy servers stay up for short periods of time. Thus, a list containing outdated proxy servers will be of no use.

How to Setup Proxy Servers

If you wish to visit your blocked website using an interactive proxy server, you do not need any setup. But, if you wish to use proxy servers using IP Address, you must set them up.

Google Chrome and Internet Explorer Users

Google Chrome uses the same network settings as Internet Explorer. So, in order to use a proxy server in Google Chrome, you have to setup proxy server in Internet Explorer. You can setup a proxy server in Internet Explorer by following the instructions given below:-

1. Start Internet Explorer.
2. Click on Tools, Internet Options.
3. Click on Connections Tab, select your Network Connection and click on Settings.
4. Check on Use a Proxy Server for this Connection.
5. In the Address field, add the IP Address of your Proxy server and In the Port field, enter the Port Number of your Proxy Sever.
6. Click on OK and OK again.

Mozilla Firefox Users

Mozilla Firefox users can setup Proxy Servers by following the instructions given below:-

1. Start Mozilla Firefox.
2. Click on Tools, Options.
3. Click on Advanced Tab.
4. Click on Network tab.
5. Click on Settings.
6. Circle Manual Proxy Configuration.
7. Enter the IP Address and Port Number in the appropriate category. In most cases, it will be a HTTP server.  

After you have successfully setup the proxy server, you will be able to access blocked websites.

Related - Best Ways to Access Blocked Websites

More about → How to Access Blocked Websites, View Restricted Sites

Life in a Day: Thank you for filming!

On behalf of Ridley Scott, Kevin Macdonald, LG, the Sundance Film Festival and all of us at YouTube, thank you to everyone who took part in “Life in a Day.” Using the footage you shot, Kevin will now begin to build the world’s largest user-generated documentary, capturing what it was like to be alive on July 24, 2010.




Remember that even though filming day is over, you have until July 31 at 11:59 p.m. PST to upload your video to the Life in a Day channel. Be sure to subscribe as well, so you can receive directorial updates from the cutting room floor. If your video is selected for inclusion in the final film, you'll be hearing from Life in a Day Films, so be on the lookout for an email.

We'll be in touch again in early January with more details on the film's premiere at Sundance.

Congratulations to everyone.

Nate Weinstein, Entertainment Marketing, just watched "Yosemite Bear Giant Double Rainbow."

More about → Life in a Day: Thank you for filming!

Lock and Load: It's Life in a Day

What are you doing today? Something routine like cooking breakfast or taking the dog for a walk? Or is it something extraordinary like your child's first soccer game or your wedding day?

Whatever it is, big or small, we hope you’ll capture it on video and take part in "Life in a Day," a user-generated documentary that will tell the story of a single day on Earth, as seen through your eyes. You have until 11:59 p.m. local time to film something, so get going. For more information, visit the Life in a Day channel.

Get out those cameras and let's make film history!

Nate Weinstein, Entertainment Marketing, just watched "The Film Editor’s How-To Guide for Life in a Day."

More about → Lock and Load: It's Life in a Day

YouTube Play jury selected and ready to view your work

For artists, YouTube is a 21st century canvas. Since the YouTube Play project was announced last month, more than 6,000 videos ranging in genres, topics and budget have been submitted from 69 countries, and the YouTube Play channel has received over 2 million views.

Today, we’re unveiling the jury for YouTube Play, which includes some of the world’s leading artists, from international film festival winners and renowned photographers to performance and video artists on the cutting edge of art.

YouTube Play jurors include musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson; musical group Animal Collective; visual artists Douglas Gordon, Ryan McGinley, Marilyn Minter and Takashi Murakami; artists and filmmakers Shirin Neshat, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Darren Aronofsky; and graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister, with Guggenheim Chief Curator and Deputy Director Nancy Spector serving as jury chairperson.

Over the course of the next few months, these jurors will watch countless hours of videos submitted by the international YouTube community and select the most creative and inspiring work to showcase at the Guggenheim museums in October.

Already, this campaign has drawn some remarkable talent, and we’re looking forward to seeing more of your submissions in our quest to find the most creative video art in the world and showcase it alongside van Gogh and Picasso. The deadline for getting your videos in is July 31. For more information about the jurors and to learn more about how to participate, check out youtube.com/play.

Ed Sanders, Senior Marketing Manager, recently watched “YouTube Play: Behind the Scenes.”

More about → YouTube Play jury selected and ready to view your work

"Unstaged” concert series brings you live music, starting with Arcade Fire

Hello, music lover, meet “Unstaged,” a new five-part concert series brought to you by YouTube, American Express and VEVO. Each performance will not only be streamed live on YouTube, but it will also have unique on- and offline components to entertain fans -- for example, you may be able to vote on the encore performance or switch camera angles. And if you miss anything, no worries: the full show and highlights will be available on the artist’s channel soon after the show.

Kicking off the series will be Arcade Fire, who will perform at Madison Square Garden in New York City on August 5. The concert will coincide with the release of Arcade Fire’s third album, The Suburbs, and will be broadcast live to the world on www.youtube.com/arcadefirevevo.

Other artists slated to be part of the “Unstaged” lineup include John Legend and the Roots. More artists will be announced in the coming weeks so keep an ear tuned right here for more details.

Glenn Brown, Business Development, Music, and Dana Vetter, Marketing Programs, recently watched “Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #2 (Laika) .”

More about → "Unstaged” concert series brings you live music, starting with Arcade Fire

You Report: What’s happening now in the Bay Area?

Though YouTube is a global site, it’s often local videos that are most relevant to your life. When people use camcorders and mobile phones to capture newsworthy events in their neighborhoods and upload them to YouTube, they’re broadening the window into our own communities. For example, in the San Francisco Bay Area (where YouTube is based), we’ve seen several YouTube videos inform local news coverage, from the snapping of support cables on the Bay Bridge, to the shooting of Oscar Grant by an Oakland police officer, to fights breaking out on Muni, the local bus system.

Earlier this summer, we announced our CitizenTube News Feed, the first of two projects we're doing with the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Now, we’re participating in an experiment in citizen reporting right here in our own backyard. We’re joining forces with our local ABC station, ABC7 (KGO-TV), to launch the ABC7 uReport powered by YouTube. ABC7 will use YouTube Direct to collect news footage from people in the San Francisco Bay Area. Residents of the Bay Area are invited to document the news and events happening where they live, work and play, and to submit those videos via YouTube Direct to the producers at ABC7. The team at ABC7 will feature newsworthy videos on television (Channel 7 in the Bay Area), on their website (ureport.abc7news.com), and on their YouTube channel (youtube.com/abc7news).

Do you have a video camera and live in the Bay Area? You can participate in the project by submitting your news videos to ureport.abc7news.com, and be sure to follow along on Twitter (@abc7newsbayarea) and on Facebook (facebook.com/abc7news) for the latest news and updates.

Olivia Ma, News Manager, recently watched “Dancing at Sunday Streets Mission.”

More about → You Report: What’s happening now in the Bay Area?

Ready...set...discover more music on YouTube

If you want easier ways to discover music on YouTube, just start here. Our revamped music page - part of a redesign that started with our shows and movies pages - showcases the most viewed music videos, special promotions, curated playlists, unsigned talent and gives you the ability to create on-the-fly mixes. For example, in the mood for electronic beats? Just scroll down to that genre and click “play” for an instant playlist. Looking for the latest viral music sensation? Check “Today’s Hits”...

And if you want to find live music happening in your area, we will soon surface local music listings in "Events Near You."

So go ahead and give our new music browse page a try! The only hazards are: 1) singing along to your favorite song; 2) hipping your friends to something new; 3) getting stuck in a groovy mix; or 4) stepping out to catch a live performance in your own backyard.

Michele Flannery, Music Manager, recently watched “My Terrible Friend.”

More about → Ready...set...discover more music on YouTube

YouTube Summer School, Session 2: Art

Alright, alright...settle down, class. It’s time for another session of YouTube Summer School.

You’ll remember that the semester started last week with a deep-dive into physics; now we’re on to a loftier subject -- art! Our educational platform, YouTube EDU, brings world-class art lessons from esteemed professors right to your desktop. So whether you’re simply curious about drawing techniques and portraits, or looking to learn more about new forms of art, take a look at this playlist for a sampling of art videos on the site. Topics range from making comics to surveying Roman architecture:



We can’t promise you’ll be the next Bob Ross after watching these, but we can guarantee videos like this will be available anytime you’re in an artsy mood, and will continue to grow as our university partners add new content.

And just to review what was covered last time, take this pop quiz on some of the material covered in videos in our physics module. Please list your responses in the comments below (please note comments are moderated due to spam). At the end of the semester, we’ll crown some of our “Grade A” students.

1. According to Professor Walter H.G. Lewin at MIT, are you taller standing up or laying down?
2. What is the name of University of Minnesota’s wide receiver that got hit with 10.78 Gs of force when he scored a touchdown against UC Berkeley?
3. A vacuum uses the power of 8-10 horses. A plane taking off uses the power of 100,000 horses. On a typical day, the world uses how many “horses”?

OK, class dismissed!

Mandy Albanese, Communications Associate, recent watched “Ceramics Inspired by Marine Life.”

More about → YouTube Summer School, Session 2: Art

On July 24, it's time to make film history

This Saturday, don’t forget to charge those batteries, polish those lenses, and get your cameras ready to capture a glimpse of your life for "Life in a Day."

Two weeks ago, we announced this historic cinematic experiment to create the world's largest user-generated documentary, made possible by LG, produced and directed by renowned filmmakers Ridley Scott and Kevin Macdonald, and filmed by you. In the words of Ridley, it’s now time to "just do it."



If your video is selected for inclusion in the final film, you’ll be credited as a co-director and may be one of 20 contributors selected to attend the world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

Visit the Life in a Day channel for more information.

Nate Weinstein, Entertainment Marketing, just watched "How You Can Build the Soundtrack to Life In A Day."

More about → On July 24, it's time to make film history

YouTube answers your questions about “YouTube Worldwide”; next topic is advertising

“YouTube Answers” is a series we began in April to introduce you to a variety of people who work here and give you the chance to ask us questions about a broad topic relevant to the site. Camille Hearst and Shenaz Zack bravely went first, to answer your questions about partnerships. Next, we recruited Brian Truong, Product Manager; Shalabh Chaturvedi, Software Engineer, and Victoria Grand, Head of Policy, to tackle your queries about our international sites and policies:




Big thanks to everyone who asked a question! We saw a three-fold increase in questions and votes this round.

Next up: head over to the YouTube channel where we’re using Moderator to collect questions on the topic of “Advertising on YouTube.” This is a good opportunity to ask about how advertising on YouTube works, what the different ad formats are, what advertisers are looking for, and ways you might be able to connect with them. We’ll be taking questions until Monday, July 26, and then we’ll be back as soon as possible afterward with two new staffers in the hot seat.

Mia Quagliarello, Product Marketing Manager, Community, recently watched “Yosemitebear Mountain Giant Double Rainbow 1-8-10.”

More about → YouTube answers your questions about “YouTube Worldwide”; next topic is advertising

Epic Browser: The safest, intuitive way to browse the web

"Meet Epic. Your New Best Friend." says the opening lines of the webpage at EpicBrowser.com and I do not totally disagree. Epic Browser is the first browser with the made in India tag and which proudly says that it is made for Indians. Epic has left the top browsers like Google Chrome and the original Mozilla Firefox tasting the dust in terms of security.

Moreover Epic Browser is totally free. Although its focus is on Indian Consumers, users from other countries will also find it useful. Epic Browser is the first product of the Bangalore based software company HiddenReflex.

About HiddenReflex: From the browser's about us Page, " Hidden Reflex is a software product startup founded by Alok Bhardwaj in 2007 and based in Bangalore. Alok, who was raised in the U.S., was inspired by the success of open source software and web 2.0 innovations."

 Features: 

1. Based on rock solid foundation of Mozilla Firefox 3.6.6. What else do you need? A totally customizable version of Firefox and definitely more safe than it. All the features of Mozilla and more.
2. Tweaked for improved speeds. I have personally found the Epic Browser performing better in rendering pages than original Mozilla Firefox 3.6.6. Both browsing and downloading were found to be faster on the same internet connection than Mozilla Firefox.
3. Built In Anti-virus: Epic Browser is the world's first anti-virus browser with integrated Eset Nod32 anti-virus( considered to be among the safest security products) which you can use to scan your whole system after downloading virus definitions of about 25 Mb. Unlike trial versions of anti-viruses, you can use epic anti-virus to kill the viruses it finds.
4. Malicious Website Warnings: Epic warns you whenever you are going to visit a malicious website.
5. Anti Phishing Protection: Epic shows a big bolded domain name so you can never confuse google.com to a scammy googlescam.com.
6. You get latest film songs, live cricket scores, news from leading sources like rediff.com, regional and hindi news, live tv, stock quotes, events, videos and a daily joke in the Epic Sidebar.
7. Epic offers one click private data deletion, one click private browsing, flash cookie deletion and even no browsing records for those worried about Privacy( Mozilla and Opera store what you search on search engines.).
8. Sidebar: The epic sidebar is a gem in its own. It contains links to Facebook, Twitter, Orkut, Gmail, Yahoo with live updates to your feeds directly in the browser. So, you can always stay updated to your friends.You can use the sidebar to find jobs, play games, make a to do list, backup your hard drive, start a timer and even download a customized app.
9. What's more? Epic has integrated World Of Trust Search and rating with which you can sort your results and remove less trusted sites.
10. Epic automatically display an option to view cached versions of not found pages from 3 sources. Google, Wayback and Coral.
11. If you don't like the included skin, you can always download a skin anytime. Note: When you start Epic for the first time, it downloads the default skin. So the lag in speed should in no way associated to the browser.
12. You can use Epic to type easily in Indian languages using Epic Indic Text.
13. Epic has an integrated Word Processor with which you can easily create documents. So forget other WordProcessors.

Download Epic Browser: You can download Epic browser from EpicBrowser.com.

Safest undoubtedly it is, Epic is not totally bug-less. The most common problem is that it re-downloads its theme after every few days. Overall , Epic is a feature rich browser with loads of potential. If HiddenReflex works on it well, Epic can easily become the best web browser in the market. 

For more such great freewares, visit our Freewares Section.

More about → Epic Browser: The safest, intuitive way to browse the web

Get Popular on the Internet

We all wish to be popular. But unfortunately, getting popular is not so easy in the real world. However, in the cyber world of which we all are part of, it is not so tough if you follow some tips given below. Now what are you waiting for? Bring your Pen and Paper start taking notes on how to become famous.


1.  Start a Website: You might have heard the cliche, "everyone popular has a website." But fortunately, you don't have to be famous to have a website. You can have your website made from a specialist or can make it yourself. Just choose a topic you like, get your pen...err... keyboard ready and start creating killer content for which people would come back again and again.



2.  Start a Blog: Some bloggers are ridiculously famous. No matter what they write, people like it and start praising them. Although such wizardry would have no reason in the real world, the cyber world has a reason for everything. To become one such popular blogger, the basic thing required is killer content. The second most important thing is being regular in posting articles, and probably the most important thing required is humility. You can have your self hosted blog or choose any of the free blog hosting platforms. The two leading ones are Blogger and WordPress.

Related: What is a Blog?

3.  Join Facebook: Facebook is the second most visited website on the internet after Google. Almost everyone is on Facebook. Having so much traffic each day make Facebook a potential advertising source. Just Join Facebook, add everyone you know as a friend and also add the friends of your friends to your friends list.
Create a Facebook Fan page and add a link to your website and blog on it. Observe what people like on Facebook and start a postathon of posting such articles. 'Like' other people's posts and give genuine comments on them. There is a good chance that they might get to your fan page and start following you.

Also:Why Facebook Use Blue Color?

4.  Join Twitter: Twitter is the latest buzz on the internet. Everyone well-known is on Twitter. Be it Tom Cruise or Sachin Tendulkar, twitter has left no one untouched. So why shouldn't you be on Twitter too? Join Twitter and start following people. It is more than likely that they will follow you in return. Be controversial but only to a limit. Moreover, tweet on any latest buzz you might see on the internet. e.g. Octopus Paul was the latest buzz on the internet in World Cup 2010. A lot more than many people tweeted about it. Most of them are popular on the internet.


5.  Join Social Networking Sites: Aside from Twitter and Facebook, join all the social networking sites you can think of. Try to be an active member of the community and take part in discussions. People will eventually start liking you and will be pulled to click on your Profile. Have an amazing profile and do not forget to add a link to your website, blog, Facebook fan page and Twitter account.



6.  Join Forums: Be helpful in forums. Welcome new members and don't discourage newbies. Always encourage them and remember that there are people on the other side of your Computer reading what you are typing. If you do all this, people will feel that they are under a charm and will click on your Profile. Again don't forget to add a link to your website, blog, twitter account and facebook fan page in your profile.


7.  Your Profile:  Having a well written profile for uploading in social networking sites, your blog and website will help make you notorious much sooner. Remember to have a descriptive profile, with a slight comic touch. People will praise your profile and will be attracted to you like bees to honey.


8.  Start Commenting: Give intelligent comments on other blogs/websites with a link to your website/blog. But remember not to give spammy comments followed by a link. Use the Name/URL field to give a link. Try to correct other blogs and suggest improvements in the posted articles. But remember not to become too much of a corrector. People don't like such commentators.


I am pretty sure that if you follow all of the suggestions given above, you will also become popular on the internet in no time and would also join the elite group of famous people.

More about → Get Popular on the Internet

Make Undeletable, Unrenamable Folders

Have you ever wondered how you can make a folder which neither can be deleted nor be renamed. Well, if you have, then you have come to the right place. With this trick, you will be able to create folders in Windows which cannot be renamed or deleted.

Basic Concept
The basic concept behind this trick is the use of Keywords. Keywords are reserved words in any programming language which cannot be used as names of variables. Windows also uses certain keywords in its programming. Some of them are con, aux, lpt1, lpt2, lpt3, lpt4, lpt5, lpt6, lpt7, lpt8 and lpt9.

A Test
To test this concept, make a new folder in Windows and try to give it a name same as any keyword suggested above.

Result
Windows will  not rename your folder to any of the keyword given above.

Trick
So the question arises, how can we make a folder with a keyword as its name? The solution to this problem is included in Windows itself. As we know that Windows has evolved from D.O.S.(Disk Operating System), its commands can be used in Windows. You can use D.O.S. Programming in Windows to create a folder with a keyword as its name using the steps given below:-

1.  Click on Start.
2. Click on Run. Type in "cmd" without quotes.
3. In the Command Prompt Window that opens, type the name of the drive you wish to create your folder in the format <drive-name>: and press Enter. e.g. If you wish to create the undeletable folder in D drive, type "D:" without the quotes. Note that the folder cannot be created in the root of C:/ drive.
4. Type this command- "md con\" or "md lpt1\" without the quotes and press Enter. You can choose any of the keywords given above as the name of your folder.
   

Now Windows will create an undeletable, unrenamable folder in the drive you entered in Step 3. However the folder can be renamed to another keyword using Windows Explorer.


Deleting the Folder 

Although it is not possible to manually delete the folder, you can delete the folder by typing "rd con\" or "rd lpt1\" in Step 4 instead of "md con\" or "md lpt1\".


Try it yourself to create one such folder which can neither be deleted nor be renamed.

More about → Make Undeletable, Unrenamable Folders

YouTube Summer School, Session 1: Matter & Motion

School’s out for summer, but around here we’re (nerd alert) still pretty excited about numbers, facts and learning in general. And it looks like we’re not alone. More than half a million people are now subscribed to YouTube EDU channels, and since October 2009 we’ve seen a 77% jump in channels and an 89% jump in videos on the educational platform.

While summer often provides a welcome respite for students, we know that some are looking for ways to keep their brains active over the break. If you want to keep those math formulas fresh and foreign languages top-of-mind, this could be the stuff that gives you a leg up on the non-YouTubers in your class come the fall. Since we want nothing more than to help you rule the world, we are creating playlists, by topic, of the videos you might want to watch to get ahead of the curve. Each week, we’ll post a new playlist to the blog and the YouTube channel. Think of it as a mini virtual summer school, but without the research papers and early-morning start times.

First up, class, we’re focusing on physics, the study of matter and its motion through space and time. This playlist has everything from Einstein’s general theory of relativity to physics of football:



Next week, we’ll feature must-see videos about art. And throughout our little summer school, do let us know if or how EDU has made an impact on your life, whether in school or achieving your dreams overall. Please leave a comment below (but note: comments are moderated due to spam). We’d love to hear about your experiences in online education.

Class dismissed!

Mandy Albanese, Communications Associate, recently watched “Bicycle Wheel Gyroscope.”

More about → YouTube Summer School, Session 1: Matter & Motion

Connecting a Google Account to your older YouTube account

Following YouTube’s acquisition by Google in 2006, new YouTube signups were given the choice between two different account systems to power their YouTube experience: the original YouTube account system (built in 2005) or the Google Account system.

In May 2009, we started requiring all new YouTube usernames to be powered by Google Accounts.

Now, we’re gradually asking all remaining pre-May 2009 users still using the older YouTube account system to connect a Google Account to their YouTube username. For now, it’s an optional step, but eventually it’ll be required in order to continue using your YouTube username.

Before we go any further, we should clarify three important facts:

• YouTube usernames themselves aren’t going anywhere. No matter when you signed up for YouTube, or if you’re currently associated with a Google Account, you’ll still be “LifeOfTheParty29” (aka “your username”) on YouTube.
• A Google Account is not necessarily a Gmail account. You can create a Google Account with any email address through many different Google products, just like you can create a Twitter or Facebook account with any email address. Of course, you can choose to use Gmail as the email address for your Google Account.
• Connecting your existing YouTube username to an existing Google Account doesn’t start sharing your YouTube activity to your Buzz followers; it’s only an account connection behind the scenes, and it’s still up to you to decide whether or not to bring YouTube into the rest of your Google life.

So what’s the point of asking people to connect a Google Account to their older YouTube account? Here are the main reasons:

• Improved account security. The Google Account system is robust and will help reduce spam across the site; users will get a slew of security and safety features that Google has spent the past decade developing.
• A single account system. This may not mean much to anyone outside of the YouTube engineering team, but behind the scenes it’s extremely complicated to support two different account systems. Having all users on the same account system not only simplifies matters, but more important, it makes it much easier to use Google technologies to keep the site running smoothly (over two billion views a day and counting), as well as introduce new functionality.

If you have an older YouTube account and you’d like to link to a new or existing Google Account today, just visit this page and choose to link to an existing Google Account or a brand new one. You can also visit our "Linked YouTube/Google Accounts" topic in the Help Center for more information on common questions and problems.

And, as a reminder, if you’d like to review all of the services and data associated with your Google Account at a glance, visit the Google Privacy Dashboard.

Brett Hobbs, Software Engineer, recently watched "The World's Reaction to Landon Donovan's Game Winning Goal."

More about → Connecting a Google Account to your older YouTube account

Disable USB ports on Windows XP, 7 or Vista PC via Registry

With this trick, you can disable access to your USB(Universal Serial Bus) ports in your Windows based PC to prevent people from taking out data from your personal computer without permission or spreading viruses through the use of USB(pen and flash) drives.

To use this trick to disable USB ports, follow the steps given below:-

1. Click on Start.
2. Click on Run.
3. Type "regedit" without quotes.
4. Navigate to  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbstor.
5. In the work area, double click on Start.
6. In the Value Data box, enter 4.
7. Click on OK.
8. Close Registry Editor and refresh your desktop.
9. To re-enable access to your USB ports, enter 3 in the Value Data box in Step 6.

Try it yourself to make your PC invulnerable from data theft and malware which spread through USB ports.

Note: This trick also disables access to your USB connected peripheral devices.

More about → Disable USB ports on Windows XP, 7 or Vista PC via Registry

Our highlights from Vidcon

Wow. Let’s hope vlogbrothers Hank and John Green are somewhere tropical right now, resting up after the coup they just pulled off in Vidcon 2010. The sold-out online video conference took over L.A.’s Hyatt Regency Century Plaza from July 9 -11 in a flurry of cameras, Bieber-inspired hairstyles and coveted subscribe pillows. Feedback on Twitter was unanimously positive: Vidcon rulez!

We were lucky enough to be among the 1,300+ fanboys and girls who gathered to fete all things video and hear from some of the biggest names in the online video industry. It was invaluable to meet with so many of you in “real life” and, yeah, some of us may even admit to a quickened heartbeat when in the vicinity of our favorite creators.

Here are our highlights from the event, in no particular order:

• The energy and passion of everyone there. Wow! Just WOW. We should bottle that, keep it around the office, ration it and release it occasionally when we need a boost. RedBull and 5-hour-energy would not be needed in the micro-kitchens anymore... - Andy Stack, Product Manager
• The two-way interactions between YouTube staff and community -- the chance to go beyond the username and talk with people about what they need from YouTube's product to help them accomplish their goals - Hunter Walk, Director, Product Management
• iJustine giving out T-shirts to faithful fans in the lobby, using a bar stool as her table, showed her dedication to the YouTube community - Anna Richardson, PR Manager
• The Uncultured Project and the standing ovation it received after showing this video. It's one more reminder of how YouTube and its community are changing the world in both big and small ways. - Jim Woods, Director, Content Partnerships
• HiimRawn's performance on Saturday morning, featuring Rawn in a bikini, playing the accordion, dancers in gold lame body suits, John Green in a turkey costume and a small marching band. - Mark Day, Comedy Manager
• Meeting John Green while wearing a shirt with his face on it. John Green: "Nice shirt." My response: "Nice face!" - Rick Silvestrini, Product Marketing Manager
• I fell in love with the incredible passion from the audience and their desire to change the world -- invigorating and reminds me why we do what we do. Hank and John are especially awesome and genuine; they're leading a movement. - Brian Glick, Product Manager
• Being in the elevator with a sobbing girl after the iJustine meetup. - Lauren Siegal, Ad Programs Associate
• Sitting on a panel with DeStorm, who moved from the established music industry to make his musical career on YouTube without major label backing. It was great that he, like so many YouTube musicians I met, see a successful YouTube presence not as stepping stone to a label deal, but as the career in and of itself. - Chris LaRosa, Product Manger
• Seeing kids networking, getting involved in the culture, and wanting to apply for partnership. I'm amazed at the initiative they're taking when they're already so young. - Jeffrey Lee-Chan, Software Engineer
• Hearing an aspiring partner say that getting autoplay on his channel changed his life. - Josh Siegel, Product Manager
• ShayCarl, charlieissocoollike, sxephil, whatthebuckshow and many other partners highlighting how this is the best job they ever had. - Shenaz Zack, Product Manager
• Although it was a bit uncomfortable to hear a 13-year-old girl ask Shane Dawson to be the father of her children, it was truly inspiring to witness the enthusiasm, dedication, and excitement of fans and YouTube stars. Props to the Green brothers for their hard work and giving away conference proceeds to charity! - Falon Fatemi, Strategist, Business Development
• Seeing parents trying to understand YouTube and supporting their kids who were so passionate about it...and getting a glimpse of Rocktard. - Mia Quagliarello, Product Marketing Manager
• Ze Frank’s presentation - too many to name!

And what about you? What were your highlights? Share your thoughts and videos in the comments below! (Please note: comments are moderated due to spam and will be updated about once a day.)

So once again, thank you, Hank, John, everyone at Vidcon and in fact the whole YouTube community. We were honored to be part of your event.

The YouTube Team

More about → Our highlights from Vidcon

Make your Computer Welcome You

Do you watch movies? Have you always loved the way how Computers in movies welcome their users by calling out their names? I bet that you too would want to know how you can achieve similar results on your PC and have a computer said welcome.

Also: Make your Computer Talk

Then you are at the right place, this article describes exactly how you can make your computer welcome you like this.

With this trick, you can make your Computer welcome you in its computerized voice instead of having a human said Welcome. You can make your Windows based computer say "Welcome to your PC, Username."

Make Windows Greet you with a Custom Voice Message at Startup

To use this trick, follow the instructions given below:-

1. Click on Start. Navigate to All Programs, Accessories and Notepad.
2. Copy and paste the exact code given below.
   

Dim speaks, speech
speaks="Welcome to your PC, Username"
Set speech=CreateObject("sapi.spvoice")
speech.Speak speaks

     3.  Replace Username with your own name.
     4.  Click on File Menu, Save As, select All Types in Save as Type option, and save the file as Welcome.vbs or "*.vbs".
     5.  Copy the saved file.
     6.  Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup (in Windows XP) or to C:\Users\ User-Name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup (in Windows 7 and Windows Vista) if C: is your System drive.
     7.  Paste the file.

 

Now when the next time you start your computer, Windows will welcome you in its own computerized voice.

Note: For best results, it is recommended to change sound scheme to No Sounds.
You can change the sound scheme to No Sounds by following the steps given below:-

1. Go to Control Panel.
2. Then click on Switch to Classic View.
3. Then Click on Sounds and Audio Devices.
4. Then Click on the Sounds Tab.
5. Select No Sounds from the Sound Scheme option.
6. If you wish to save your Previous Sound Scheme, you can save it by clicking Yes in the popup menu.
7. Click on OK.

Try it yourself to see how it works. In my personal opinion, this is an excellent trick. Whenever I start my PC in front of anybody and the PC welcomes me, the fellow is left wondering how brilliant a computer do I have.

More about → Make your Computer Welcome You

What's bigger than 1080p? 4K video comes to YouTube

Today at the VidCon 2010 conference, we announced support for videos shot in 4K, meaning that now we support original video resolution from 360p all the way up to 4K. To give some perspective on the size of 4K, the ideal screen size for a 4K video is 25 feet; IMAX movies are projected through two 2k resolution projectors.

We always want videos on YouTube to be available in the highest quality possible, as creators intend. In December of last year, we announced support for 1080p, or full HD. At 4096 x 2304 pixels, 4K is over four times the size of 1080p. To view any video in a source resolution greater than 1080p, select "Original" in the video quality pulldown menu:

To illustrate the power of 4K, please check out the videos in this playlist; each one was created by a filmmaker with access to a 4K camera. (Be warned: watching videos in 4K, even on YouTube, will require ultra-fast high-speed broadband connections).

Because 4K represents the highest quality of video available, there are a few limitations that you should be aware of. First off, video cameras that shoot in 4K aren’t cheap, and projectors that show videos in 4K are typically the size of a small refrigerator. And, as we mentioned, watching these videos on YouTube will require super-fast broadband.

We're excited about this latest step in the evolution of online video. We've been impressed by the 1080p videos you've uploaded over the last seven months and can't wait to see (in 4K!) what you do next.

Ramesh Sarukkai, YouTube Engineer, recently watched "New Dad State of Mind."

UPDATE (7/10/2010): Thanks to those of you who pointed out a few errors in the technical specifications in this post. We've corrected them and look forward to more of your feedback!

More about → What's bigger than 1080p? 4K video comes to YouTube

Investing in the Future of Video: YouTube Announces Partner Grant Program

The YouTube ecosystem is vibrant and growing fast. We have over 10,000 partners, and 94 of Ad Age’s top 100 advertisers have run campaigns on YouTube and the Google Display Network. We’ve made great progress in the last five years. But we think we can do better. That’s why today we are announcing the YouTube Partner Grants program that will invest five million dollars across select new and emerging YouTube partners. Our goal is to catalyze the creation of new ideas and production models from some of our most innovative and original content partners for the benefit and advancement of the entire industry.

The idea behind YouTube Partner Grants is fairly simple. We’ve been amazed by the creativity and resourcefulness of many of our partners. Some, operating on shoe string budgets, have been able to produce incredible videos, generate substantial revenues and command an audience that rivals that of network television. This new creative class often manages 360 degrees of their business operations, from the writing filming and producing of their content to the marketing, post-production and distribution of their videos. Despite their success, many partners lack the resources and deep financial backing available to studio-backed production houses. The goal of YouTube Partner Grants is to act as a catalyst by infusing additional funds into the production budgets of a small group of YouTube partners who are at the forefront of innovation. Funds from YouTube Partner Grants will serve as an advance against the partner's future YouTube revenue share. This additional funding can allow partners to invest in better cameras, achieve higher production quality, expand their marketing efforts, expand their staff, or just hire more talent. Anything that will help them evolve their art, business, and ultimately the entire creator community. We look at this as an investment that will bring an even richer body of content for our users and advertisers and raise the creative bar for online video.

Here’s how it works:

• YouTube is identifying eligible partners based on factors such as video views, subscribers, growth rate, audience engagement and production expertise
• Selected partners are contacted by YouTube and invited to submit a Grant proposal
• Proposals are evaluated by YouTube based on signals which include projected performance, distribution plan, marketing plan, cost requirements and appeal to advertisers
• If approved, funds are transferred to the partner so they can get started on their project

Youtube Partner Grants represents another step forward in the evolution of both video and YouTube. Our hope is that through these investments we’ll help nurture talent and bring more great videos to YouTube for all of you to enjoy.

George Strompolos, Partner Development Manager, recently watched “Pixels by Patrick Jean"

More about → Investing in the Future of Video: YouTube Announces Partner Grant Program

Announcing YouTube Pro *Wink*

It was with great pleasure that we heard billionaire investor Warren Buffett enjoys hours and hours of YouTube watching his favorite videos.

The "Oracle of Omaha" also suggested that YouTube should be charging him "a lot of money" based on the enjoyment he gets from YouTube. We agree and are happy to announce a new subscription offering: YouTube Pro. Pro will be offered for a limited time at the low price of $100 million/year. We don't expect to sell many, but if Mr. Buffett wants to make sure he's paying his fair share, we take cash, credit and, for him, personal check.

Hunter Walk, Director, Product Management, recently watched "Tips & Factors for Investing Money."

More about → Announcing YouTube Pro *Wink*

Did she really kiss a girl? Ask Katy Perry a question!

Perhaps you’ve seen Katy Perry kissing girls, waking up in Vegas or parodied by the YouTube community. More recently, she’s been spotted cavorting with hip-hop superstar Snoop Dogg (along with life-size Gummy Bears and multi-striped snakes) in her latest “California Gurls” clip.

Well, now she’s putting that day-glo fantasy life on hold to answer your questions:

You have until midnight PT on July 18 to submit a video or text question to Katy’s channel (www.youtube.com/katyperry). Everyone will be able to vote on the questions until July 18, and Katy will answer the most popular in an exclusive Q&A as conducted by YouTube’s own Lisa Nova. We’ll put the interview on the homepage shortly after it’s edited and uploaded to YouTube.

Fire away!

Michele Flannery, Music Manager, recently watched "Key of Awesome #22"

More about → Did she really kiss a girl? Ask Katy Perry a question!

YouTube Leanback offers effortless viewing

A click here, a search there, a browse on this page -- sometimes it can take more than a few flicks of the wrist and finger taps to get your daily dose of video. Luckily, YouTube Leanback wants you to conserve your energy for actually watching more videos. Mmm...more videos...

Just as its name implies, YouTube Leanback is all about letting you sit back, relax and be entertained. Videos tailored to your interests play as soon as you visit the site and they play in full screen and high definition, continuously. There’s no need to click, search, or browse, unless you want to, of course. Watching YouTube becomes as easy as watching TV.

To see what we mean, go to www.youtube.com/leanback, and you’ll note that a selection of videos -- your “feed” -- plays immediately. This feed is based on your YouTube settings and preferences, including content from your subscriptions and videos your friends are sharing on Facebook (assuming you’ve connected your YouTube account to your Facebook account). You can also watch the most popular comedy, entertainment, news, or more. And if you don’t care for the video that’s playing, use the right arrow key on your keyboard to skip ahead to the next video, or try the up/down arrows to search, access player controls, and browse channels and videos. You won’t need your mouse for this experience.

Here’s more about how YouTube Leanback works (we’ll also show you how to hook up your Facebook account):



YouTube Leanback is currently in beta, but we’d love for you to try it out at www.youtube.com/leanback and let us know what it’s like to kick back and revel in the endless stream of YouTube entertainment!

Kuan Yong, Senior Product Manager, recently watched “Life in a day.”

More about → YouTube Leanback offers effortless viewing

YouTube Mobile gets a kick start

It’s well known that the mobile Internet is huge and growing fast; what’s surprising is exactly how fast. According to a recent report, within five years more users will connect to the Internet via mobile devices than desktop PCs. YouTube consumption on mobile devices has also grown considerably: playbacks were up 160% in 2009 over the previous year. And we’re excited to announce that YouTube Mobile now receives more than 100 million video playbacks a day. This is roughly the number of daily playbacks that YouTube.com was streaming when we joined forces with Google in 2006.

We launched YouTube on mobile devices in 2007 with about 1,000 videos available on the mobile site (m.youtube.com). While this suddenly opened up the possibility to access videos on the go, our site, mobile browsers and the hardware had limitations that prevented the mobile experience from keeping up with YouTube on the desktop. Today, more than ever, we know that you want to be able to find and access your favorite videos wherever you are. That’s why we’re rolling out an updated version of the mobile site. Here's what's new about it:

• It's really fast. 
• The user interface incorporates larger, more touch-friendly elements, making it easier to access videos on the go. 
• It incorporates the features and functionality you’ve come to expect from the .com site, like search query suggestions, the options to create playlists, the ability to designate “favorite,” “like” or “unlike” videos directly from your device.
• As we make improvements to Youtube.com, you’ll see them quickly follow on our mobile site, unlike native apps which are not updated as frequently.

As the world continues to go mobile, we think this is a great improvement for users who want a more consistent YouTube across many devices, no matter where they are. We're launching in English only today, but will be rolling it out in other languages in the coming months. You can access the latest YouTube mobile site from your iPhone or Android browser. To learn more, visit m.youtube.com to check out the latest improvements and take a minute to watch this demo video:



Andrey Doronichev, Product Manager, recently watched "Insane street football."

More about → YouTube Mobile gets a kick start

A fast way to open PDF files

If you are like most of the computer users who consider that Adobe Reader takes ages to open PDF files, then this article is for you. But before that, let's know a bit about PDF format. Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format created by Adobe Systems in 1993 for document exchange.

Adobe offer their own reader, Adobe Reader to access PDF files.

But, it is sad to see that Adobe's own offering Adobe Reader is cluttered with all sorts of plugins which an average user does not even use once. These plugins are the main cause that Adobe Reader has slow loading times and hangs frequently.

So, most users need a quick an easy way to open PDF files and Foxit Reader does the job appropriately. According to the company's website, "Foxit PDF Reader 4.0 is a small, fast, and feature rich PDF viewer for Microsoft Windows, which allows you to open, view, and print any PDF file." In my personal opinion, Foxit PDF Reader is the best free alternative available for Windows which offers a hassle free way to open PDF files.


Download Foxit PDF Reader: You can download the latest version of Foxit PDF Reader from Foxit Software Official Website.

Official Website: http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader/

To download some more great freewares, visit  5 Essential Free Software for Windows PC.

More about → A fast way to open PDF files

Life in a Day

Every day, 6.7 billion people view the world through their own unique lens. Imagine if there was a way to collect all of these perspectives, to aggregate and mold them into the cohesive story of a single day on earth.

Today, we’re excited to announce the launch of “Life in a Day,” a historic cinematic experiment that will attempt to do just that: document one day, as seen through the eyes of people around the world. On July 24, you have 24 hours to capture a snapshot of your life on camera. You can film the ordinary -- a sunrise, the commute to work, a neighborhood soccer match, or the extraordinary -- a baby’s first steps, your reaction to the passing of a loved one, or even a marriage.

Kevin Macdonald, the Oscar-winning director of films such as The Last King of Scotland, Touching the Void and One Day in September, will then edit the most compelling footage into a feature documentary film, to be executive produced by Ridley Scott, the director behind films like Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Thelma & Louise, Blade Runner and Robin Hood.  LG Electronics is supporting “Life in a Day” as a key part of its long-standing Life’s Good campaign and to support the creation of quality online content that can be shared and enjoyed by all.

The film will premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and if your footage makes it into the final cut, you’ll be credited as a co-director and may be one of 20 contributors selected to attend the premiere.



Want to take part? Here’s what to do.

1. Visit the “Life in a Day” channel and learn more about the project. Be sure to read through the steps you need to take to participate and the guidelines for creating your video(s). Also check out some of the sample videos for inspirational ideas.

2. On July 24, capture your day on camera.

3. Upload your footage to the “Life in a Day” channel any time before July 31.

Regardless of whether your footage makes it into the final film, your video(s) will live on on the “Life in a Day” channel as a time capsule that will tell future generations what it was like to be alive on July 24, 2010.

Be a part of history.

Tim Partridge, Product Marketing Manager, recently watched “Life in a Day trailer.”

More about → Life in a Day

Notepad Tricks and Tips

With these tricks, you will be able to find out the tricking ability of Microsoft Notepad. But before that, do you know:-

1. The number of the flight that attacked World Trade Centre? 
2. How much control the President of United States has over Microsoft?
3. How worried Microsoft is about their reputation?

Well if you don't, you will know the answers to all these questions after trying these tricks.

Trick/Answer 1

The number of flight that attacked the World Trade Centre was Q33N. You might ask what is the trick in that. We could have searched it on the net in an instant. But this is not the trick. The trick starts now:-

1. Open Notepad.
2. Type in Q33N.
3. Change the font size to 72 by clicking on Format and selecting Font in the Menu Bar.
4. Also select Wingdings as your Font.
5. Click on OK to see the trick.

 Note: Change back to your default font.

Trick/Answer 2

Well the President of United States is undoubtedly one of the most powerful man. No one dares to test it. But now that Bush is no longer the President, .........we would. To test his authority over Microsoft, follow the steps given below:-

1. Open Notepad.
2. Type in "bush hid the facts" without quotes.
3. Save the notepad file as test.txt or *.txt.
4. Reopen the file to know the results.

Trick/Answer 3

Well, most people think reputation is everything and the top brains at Microsoft are no different. To test their reputation building scheme, try the steps given below:-

1. Open Notepad.
2. Type in "this app can break" without quotes.
3. Save the notepad file as test.txt or *.txt.
4. Reopen the saved file to know the results.

Try these notepad tricks yourself to know the results.

On a serious note, none of the flight that attacked World Trade Center had the flight number Q33N. It is just a rumor which became popular due to its peculiar nature. Moreover, did you notice some similarity in trick 2 and 3? Yes, you figured it out correctly, both of the statements have the word length pattern of 4,3,3,5 which seems to cause the bug. It is not that Microsoft is that much 'worried' about their reputation or the U.S. President have absolute control over Microsoft.

Note: The last two tricks work on all versions of Windows but these tricks are computer specific and might or might not work on some systems running later versions of Windows after XP. 

More about → Notepad Tricks and Tips

A different way to browse the web

Web Browsers allow us to browse the web in an easy manner. But, personally I am bored trying to browse the web with the same type of address bar and stuff. If you too are bored with browsing the web in the orthodox manner and wish to browse the web in a new and unique way, then this is a must read article for you.

With this trick, you will be able to browse the web in a totally different way using your own Windows Calculator or MS Paint or Notepad for that matter. To use this trick, follow the steps given below:-

1.  Open any Application in Windows.
2. When the application starts, press F1 key. This will load the Help file for that particular application.
3. Click on the ? sign before the application name. A drop down menu will appear. From the drop down menu, click on Jump to URL.
   
4. A pop up box will appear like one in the second image. In the Jump to this URL field, enter the URL you wish to visit. Be sure to write your URL in the format "http://www.yoururl.com" without the quotes.
5. Now you will see your website being loaded in the Right Hand Side Pane.

 
Try it and show it to other people to impress them with your tech skills. I personally love browsing the web in this manner, It is a bit complicated but still, gives the tech wizard feel.

Note: The Help files use Internet Explorer's core to browse the web. Moreover, sites that you visit will also be visible in Internet Explorer's History.

More about → A different way to browse the web

Shakira talks World Cup upsets, Waka Waka and education in YouTube interview

The most difficult moment in Shakira’s musical career? Her thoughts on her song being picked as the official World Cup song instead of an African artist? The one question she’s always wanted to answer? You asked, and today, Shakira answers.

Last week, we gave you 48 hours to submit questions for the Colombian songstress and promised that the top-voted questions would be posed in a special YouTube interview with her. Proving that Shakira truly is a global sensation, fans from over 40 countries -- from Egypt to Venezuela, the Netherlands to South Africa -- submitted 2,500 questions, put forth several impressive Waka Waka dance renditions, and cast 40,000 votes on which questions should be asked.

In the final interview, which is featured on today’s homepage, Shakira fills you in on whom she’s rooting for in the World Cup (she’s absolutely hooked on football, she says), which of her own songs are her favorite (her new album holds a few of them), and the experiences she had as a child that led her to become a steadfast champion for universal education. Watch the full interview here:



Can’t get enough Shakira? Visit her official YouTube channel here for more music and dance exclusives, or go to www.1goal.org to join Shakira in her quest to provide education for all children.

Ramya Raghavan, Nonprofits & Activism, recently watched "Waka Waka."

More about → Shakira talks World Cup upsets, Waka Waka and education in YouTube interview

Release Notes: processing status, share to Buzz, and more

Before we head into the holiday weekend, wanted to update you on a couple of things that went down in sunny San Bruno recently:

Processing progress status: Those of you who upload know that there's a short period of time between uploading a video and it being visible on the site. The new processing percentage under the video preview lets you know when your video is ready for the world to see.

AutoShare to Buzz: Over four million people are already AutoSharing to Facebook, Twitter, Orkut or Google Reader, and now you can automatically share your YouTube likes, favorites, comments, subscriptions and uploads to your Buzz network, too. You can still keep YouTube as a connected site in Buzz if you hooked it up previously, but that only automatically posts your uploads for now. For more about AutoShare, click here.

Results badging: Our search results page has had a light makeover. Instead of bold headers separating channels, videos and playlist results, we've introduced new, compact badges to more clearly indicate the content type, as so:

New captions feature: The interactive captions viewer allows people to read ahead in the caption stream and jump to a specific segment within a video with captions. Captions are a key part of making YouTube accessible to all.

Have a great one!

The YouTube Team

More about → Release Notes: processing status, share to Buzz, and more