WeLcOmE 2 Da MaDnEsS :: FukDatShhh.CoM: 9/30/07

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Squawkers McCaw is the latest Fur Real friend from Hasbro to hit the skies, and for a robotic parrot he's very realistic and a ton of fun. Full video review with the feline reaction (i.e. my cat attacking him) above. If your ADD is in full effect today you can skip the video to find all the pros and cons about this cool new toy from Hasbro after the jump.

Pros:

Extremely realistic movements.
Very good voice recognition.
Fully customizable with command/responses in your own voice.
Looks almost like a real parrot.
Rubber cracker looks good enough to eat.

Cons:

Mode and power switches are in the back and are hard to get at.
Beak sensor doesn't always register when the cracker is there.
Eyes click loudly when he blinks.
Wing movements could be a little more pronounced.

Conclusion :
Squawkers McCaw is a refreshing change from all the sleek, hard plastic robots to come out in recent memory. He's got a fun little personality too, and his advanced programming makes what he says fully customizable in your own voice. For a robotic bird that doesn't actually walk or fly, he's a ton of fun. We think Squawkers will be one of the hot toys this Christmas, and he's GadgetMadness Approved.

Buy it on Amazon

(video review shot entirely with the PSP Camera.)

Hidden Number On Pepsi

Hidden Number On Pepsi - The most amazing bloopers are here

Photoshop Match Color

Photoshop Match Color (simple And Amazing Results) - For more funny videos, click here

Dropping A Bag Of Water

These guys fill a bag with water and wait for an innocent victim to walk out the door. That poor girl must be pissed... and wet. "Bullseye!"

Dropping A Bag Of Water - Watch more free videos

Foul Mouthed Granny Is Pissed

This granny is pissed about something and she isnt afraid to use her colorful vocabulary to express herself. I wouldnt trust her if she tries to make peace with some specially baked cookies.

Foul Mouthed Granny Is Pissed - Watch more free videos

Know Your Rights: Why is copyright law so screwed up?

What on earth is going on with that $222,000 RIAA judgment against that poor woman in Minnesota? Is the system really that broken?

Why do you always ask questions that you know will have answers that you don't like?

Come on -- almost a quarter-million dollars for sharing 24 songs on Kazaa? No one even uses that anymore.

Well, the truth is that the system isn't broken at all, really -- it's working exactly as it was designed. Under the rules in place now, anyone who willfully infringes a copyright is on the hook for at least $750 and a max of $30,000 per infringement. Since each song you share is a unique copyrighted work, that means you get hit with that penalty for every track in your shared folder. This obviously lead to some strange hypothetical results -- sharing that copy of "Wave of Mutilation" triggers the exact same legal mechanisms as sharing all of, say, OS X or Vista, since those are considered single copyrighted works, but that's how we determine damages in our system.

Well, so why were the damages so ridiculous in this case?

A range from $750 to $30,000 is pretty huge, and we may never know exactly why the jury in the Jammie Thomas case settled on $9,250 per infringement as their number -- and most observers seem to agree that it's a figure that is out of proportion with whatever harm she may have caused the labels. There is also no conclusive evidence that damages of this size have done anything to halt the growth of P2P file-sharing.

The real problem that's being brought to light is that our system doesn't always keep pace with the rapid changes in technology. Every system has flaws, and it's incredibly unlikely that lawmakers, of all people, will be able to draft legislation forward-looking enough to avoid similar breakdowns in the future.

So why even bother? If we can't get it right, why even try to impose all these limitations? It just seems to lead to things like DRM.

What you're asking is more of a philosophical question than a legal one -- what law students will recognize as a "policy question." The copyright system is designed to reward creation and penalize unauthorized copying -- which is exactly why those fines for willful infringement are so high. If you were an author and someone straight-up copied your work and re-distributed it, wouldn't you go after them for as much as you could? Just look at the way we react to less-obvious copying situations, like those Apple ads that seem to lift a little more than they should.

Now, if you copy something in a non-willful way, the copyright owner has to show how much they were damaged and how, so we don't drop the hammer as hard on that kind of copying. But the main idea -- straight from the Constitution -- is that the copyright system should promote the "useful arts" by giving authors the exclusive rights to profit from their works.

Whatever, I'm an coder and I license everything I write with an open-source license, so how on earth does this broke-ass system help me?

Because open-source licenses like the GPL and Creative Commons wouldn't be able to exist without strong copyright law to back them up.

How does that work? I thought they were all viral and subversive and damn the man! Talk hard!

Calm down, Harry. While open-source licenses are incredibly innovative ways of turning copyright law inside-out, they still depend on the existence of copyright to make all those sexy viral provisions stick. That's all a license is, after all -- a set of conditions under which an author lets you use his / her work. If you don't own anything, how can you enforce your rules? The reason why open-source licenses have power is because anyone who breaks them is liable for -- you guessed it -- regular, old-fashioned copyright infringement, and all the penalties that come with it.

So you're basically saying that there are parts of the system that are a little out-of-date when applied to the modern tech landscape, but that overall things aren't as bad as they seem?

Exactly.

This was so much easier when I just got to flame away about how broken everything was.

Don't worry, you can still do that. We won't tell anyone.

Thanks.

No problem, Mr. Emo Pants. Just try not to get your guyliner all over everything like last time.

Friday, October 5, 2007

Skills With A Hammer

This guy juggles with three hammers and pulls off some pretty awesome tricks. I would like to see him build a whole house that way.

Skills With A Hammer - Watch more free videos

Orange County boy charged with killing brother

ORANGE COUNTY-- An Orange County boy has been charged in the death of his 8-year-old brother.

Deputies said the 13-year-old killed him when their mother was out of the house.

Authorities said the boy choked and beat his brother to death because the younger boy ate a dessert and he was worried he would be blamed.

The boy is under arrest for first-degree murder. The boys' mother told police she was visiting a cousin nearby and left him in charge of his younger siblings.

She is charged with aggravated child neglect.

Police said a neighbor told investigators that she heard four loud bangs, followed by 10 minutes of quiet and then more commotion.

The State Attorneys Office will decide if the boy will be tried as an adult. He is due in juvenile court Friday.

Lost Gas Cap

David filled his car with gas at a self-service gas station.

After he had paid and driven away, he realized that he had left the gas cap on top of his car. He stopped and looked and, sure enough, it was lost.

Well, he thought for a second and realized that other people must have done the same thing, and that it was worth going back to look by the side of the road since even if he couldn't find his own gas cap, he might be able to find one that fit.

Sure enough, he hadn't been searching long when he found a gas cap. He tried it on, and it went into place with a satisfying click.

"Great," David thought, "I lost my gas cap, but I found another one that fits.

"And this one's even better because it locks!"

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Red vs Blue :: Stick Figures

This was made with paint, and I am really impressed.

Red Vs Blue 2 - Watch today’s top amazing videos here

The Worlds Greatest Jump Roper

This guy does a demonstration on jump roping for an audience and as dumb as jumpin a rope might sound I was quite impressed.

The Worlds Greatest Jump Roper - Watch more free videos

Kevin Everett News Mix Up

Sports guy reporting on the progress of injured NFL player Kevin Everett. Im pretty sure thats the wrong video. Someone in the news room is definitely getting fired.

Kevin Everett News Mix Up - Watch more free videos

Cheating Wife

Well, here is a good start to a marriage. At the wedding a security camera catches the bride making out with the best man. The groom starts to walk up on them and just before he sees them the best man runs off.

Cheating Wife - Watch more free videos

Scaring Your Kid Is Fun

One of the joys of being a parent is you get to scare the crap out of your kids whenever you feel like it. I cant wait!

Scaring Your Kid Is Fun - Watch more free videos

Mustang High Speed Chase

This guy is in a high speed pursuit and does some pretty amazing things to try to escape.

Mustang High Speed Chase - Watch more free videos

Building Falls On Top Of Excavator

A large excavator is trying to demolish and old building but pulls away a main support which causes the building to fall back onto the excavator.

Building Falls On Top Of Crane - Watch more free videos

Professional Wrestler Fights Audience

During a recent wrestling match "Hero" decided that one opponent wasnt enough for him and decided to get in a fight with a member of the paid audience.

Professional Wrestler Fights Audience - Watch more free videos

Halloween Grim Reaper Prank

Halloween is just around the corner and this guy was slightly startled when he turned around and saw the grim reaper.

Halloween Grim Reaper Prank - Watch more free videos

Little Kid Cant Figure Out How To Drink

I thought this little guy was pretty cute. Somebody shows him how to drink from a hose and he cant figure out why it doesnt work for him.

Little Kid Cant Figure Out How To Drink - Watch more free videos

Why You Shouldnt Feed Hippos Burritos

This is a good example on why you should not feed a large hippo a mexican spicy burrito.

Why You Shouldnt Feed Hippos Burritos - Watch more free videos

Little Kid Should Listen To Dad

This little kid should really take his dads advice and not jump on the slide. I wish the dad kept rolling a few seconds longer for the reaction shot.

Little Kid Should Listen To Dad - Watch more free videos

Cop Takes A Shot At Guy In Handcuffs

This guy was just arrested for burglary and the arresting officer decides to give him a little extra help getting into the squad car.

Cop Takes A Shot At Guy In Handcuffs - Watch more free videos

Coffee Creamer Explosions

Coffee Creamer Explosions - Watch more free videos

Very Excited Pug

Lessons Learned By a Parent

A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2,000 sq. foot house four inches deep.
If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with rollerblades, they can ignite.
A 3-year-old's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.
If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound boy wearing Batman underwear and a superman cape. It is strong enough, however, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 foot room.
You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using the ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.
The glass in windows (even double pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.
When you hear the toilet flush and the words "Uh-oh", it's already too late.
Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.
A six-year-old can start a fire with a flint rock, even though a 36-year-old man says they only do it in the movies. A magnifying glass can start a fire even on an overcast day.
Certain Lego's will pass right through the digestive tract of a four-year-old.
"Play-Doh" and "microwave" should never be used in the same sentence.
Super glue is forever.
No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.
Pool filters do not like Jell-O.
VCR's do not eject PB&J sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.
Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.
Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.
You probably do not want to know what that odor is.
Always look in the oven before you turn it on. Plastic toys do not like ovens.
The fire department in Austin has a 5 minute response time.
The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earth worms dizzy. It will however make cats dizzy. Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

Soap Sculptures

Can you believe this is all soap? All it takes is a bar of soap and LOTS of talent!

Danny Bonaduce Bodyslams Jonny Fairplay 2007 Fox Tv Awards

Turn the iPod touch's Contacts app into a versatile to-do list

Ciara on Tyra

Ciara on Tyra

Kanye West On Saturday Night Live

Gang Starr - Mass Appeal

Lebron On Saturday Night Live

“American Gangster,” Behind The Scene Interviews

Lumidee ft. Shaggy - Feel Like Making Love

Lumidee Feat Shaggy - Feel Like Making Love

T.I. feat Alfamega and Busta Rhymes - Hurt

Kanye West @ XXL Photoshoot, 50 Cent Interview

50 Cent - So Serious

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Patriotic Artist... You gotta see this!

Monday, October 1, 2007

A note to both Apple and iPhone customers on the v1.1.1 update

Apple's latest iPhone firmware, as you've probably heard, locks out third party applications, consequently preventing owners from using their device on networks other than AT&T -- so it's easy to see why this is being viewed as a hostile act, with thousands ready to storm the Cupertino castle in order to get their hacked iPhones back the pre-v1.1.1 status quo. Make no mistake about it, whether you care about the iPhone or not, this 150MB software update is uniquely controversial and causing a rift -- if not an outright adversarial relationship -- between Apple and untold thousands of its core customers, who've used Engadget comments, blogs, and any other sounding board at their disposal. So, may we have a word with both parties?

Now, we're not going to assume we could possibly be the arbiter of a discussion so complex as this, but we think there a few things both parties should remember. Let's start with the iPhone users. Note: to be clear on nomenclature, when we say a device is "bricked", we mean it's completely unusable, not just that it's been re-locked to AT&T, or had 3rd party app support disabled, ok?

iPhone users,

We know you're incensed. You paid a premium price for a powerful phone with a lot of untapped potential, and only a few weeks after the third party iPhone community got to work on a slew of surprisingly well made apps -- including the holy grail of SIM unlock software (both free and paid) -- Cupertino drops the hammer and shuts it all off in the blink of an eye, in some cases even resulting in the bricking of your device. But before you grab a torch and a pitchfork, there are a few things you should know.

Apple's first mistake in this mess was the ominous sounding announcement they released last week, a few days ahead of the update. Here's the clip from the release:

"Apple has discovered that many of the unauthorized iPhone unlocking programs available on the Internet cause irreparable damage to the iPhone's software, which will likely result in the modified iPhone becoming permanently inoperable when a future Apple-supplied iPhone software update is installed. ... Apple strongly discourages users from installing unauthorized unlocking programs on their iPhones. Users who make unauthorized modifications to the software on their iPhone violate their iPhone software license agreement and void their warranty. The permanent inability to use an iPhone due to installing unlocking software is not covered under the iPhone's warranty."

Apple's intentions here are perfectly clear and normal -- almost any electronics company out there will tell you that their customers are discouraged from hacking their devices, as it invariably voids the warranty and might be liable to cause issues in the future. And here's why this announcement was a mistake: Apple conflated the issues of SIM unlocking and/or adding 3rd party software with the anticipation of bricked devices. Basically, Apple sought to preemptively blame the 3rd party iPhone software community for any devices that their software update might brick. In the end, stating that the application of v1.1.1 to hacked phones "will likely result in ... permanently [inoperability]" ultimately makes Apple look like they're targeting thousands of iPhone modders -- which is why this press release is biting them in the ass.

There are a lot of Apple customers out there who have, indeed, had their devices bricked by v1.1.1. We can't say for sure how many, but we do know that blog authors to New York Times writers like Saul Hansell and Katie Hafner have leveled the pointing finger at Apple for targeting those adding software, in no small part due to the press release above. Apple's relationship with its customers is souring because, at the outset, many are starting to believe that the v1.1.1 is nefariously bricking hacked or modded devices; that Apple is somehow hell bent on punishing iPhone users who don't want to use the device Steve's way.

Unfortunately, we suspect the truth isn't quite such a juicy story for those looking to lay blame. We've seen just as many reports of legitimate, "factory fresh" users getting bricked iPhones as those who've just added apps, SIM unlocked their devices, or done both. In fact, besides a lot of hearsay and anger from the tech community, we've seen absolutely nothing which indicates to us that Apple is targeting users who've hacked their phones and is bricking them on update. In an informal and totally unscientific poll, the number of iPhone users who had never hacked their device but wound up bricked was very similar to the number of users who did hack and brick their device -- and that's even with polls showing far more voting users hacked their phones than not.

Without any correlation in bricking between hacked and unhacked iPhones, it's easy to imagine the v1.1.1 update went out without proper QA testing, and is bricking a certain number of phones indiscriminately. For further detail, we asked iPhone hacker extraordinaire Erica Sadun, of our sister blog, to weigh in. She said iPhones upgrading to v1.1.1 appear to have a completely "random distribution of bricks", implying the far simpler and likelier explanation is that the update was rushed to meet its release deadline. We know Apple promised the update would be out by September's end, and considering how much iPhone software was changed with this update, it stands to reason that Apple worked until the 11th hour just trying to finish up and push it out the door -- not testing it exhaustively for weeks before shipping to consumers.

So before you pick up any real bricks for hurling through Apple windows in a moment of frustration, consider the possibility that some potentially poor choices decisions on Apple's probably may have led to bricked devices, and the appearance might be that Cupertino is out to get you for hacking your phone. We sincerely doubt it's anything that nefarious. But totally locking down the iPhone doesn't exactly whet our whistle, either, so don't worry, we've still got an earful for Apple, too.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, Apple.

Look, you've so seriously backed yourself into a corner on this one. We know you think you can't really be taking away what you never actually gave us. That we were all living on borrowed bits, so to speak, so tough luck when an update breaks something you didn't authorize -- and to a certain extent that's actually a fair stance to take. But the reality of the matter is that the consumer electronics market has changed, and consumer expectations don't just match what's on the spec sheet. We know that you've been extremely clear about what the iPhone does and doesn't do since day one, and we stand by our initial iPhone review -- we reviewed the iPhone as the device it was on the day of launch, not the device it might one day be. But we still think clamping down the iPhone is really bad news for consumers.

The first mistake that was made leading up to this whole debacle was enticing the hacker community to develop for the iPhone. Let's be fair, that's exactly what happened, you can't play innocent here. At Macworld Steve got up on stage and talked about how advanced the iPhone is running a "sophisticated" operating system like OS X, enabling the development of "REAL desktop-class applications", and "not the crippled stuff you find on most phones", only to demand the development community sandbox its functionality in mobile Safari. That's not dangling a carrot in front of the mule, that's just tempting fate.

The second mistake was loosing the iPhone in such a way that it was so easily broken into. We don't mean to trivialize the Apple's work in getting the iPhone out the door on time, or the open source community's work that went into gaining access to the iPhone and making it ripe for 3rd party development, but it was only a matter of days before iPhone hackers got root access to the device. At its core, jailbreaking an iPhone is just a matter of editing a small number of Unix files, which opens up the rest of the phone -- that's like complaining your encryption sucks when you're using ROT13. If you were so against users developing for the iPhone, you should have taken the precautions you took with the iPod touch (which is encrypted to all get out) when initially releasing the iPhone. But now you've convinced buyers of the iPhone's power to run "desktop-class applications" and then practically left the door open. This isn't a fun while it lasted kind of situation, this became the status quo. With AppTapp, 3rd party apps became so easy to install on the iPhone it was practically an undocumented feature.

The third mistake was putting out that press release, which could be construed as being intended to preemptively shift the blame of iPhone brickings to 3rd party iPhone software. There's simply no correlation between iPhone modding and bricking with v1.1.1. So far as we can tell, this fairly major iPhone update just wasn't properly tested, and it's bricking iPhones randomly and indiscriminately, killing just as many hacked devices as unhacked devices. To us this smacks a lot of the FUD we heard from Steve earlier this year, when he said, "You don't want your phone to be an open platform. ... [AT&T] doesn't want to see their West Coast network go down because some application messed up." There's obviously been no shortage of software-adding iPhone users, and yet the wireless company having trouble with uptime these days is RIM.

There has never been a question of whether you have the right to re-lock the iPhone -- that's more or less indisputable. We may own the hardware, but you own the IP, and while you can't really force us to upgrade, the free market says you can upgrade in countless ways you see fit. But with the damage done, for many users the iPhone lockdown has become a question of motive. We may never learn the true reasons why, but it seems only fair to pontificate, especially given Steve's comment in London about the iPhone becoming a cat and mouse game: "[Is Apple] the cat or mouse?"

Perhaps this is cause and effect of the SIM unlock solutions. Perhaps someone in accounting ran the numbers and figured out that Apple, which has unprecedented revenue sharing deals with its wireless carriers, will lose more money from people unlocking iPhones (which requires some level of 3rd party openness to accomplish) than it would from just selling the things outright -- therefore, in order to lock out the SIM unlock software, the only solution was to lock out ALL software. Or perhaps you're simply contractually obligated to prevent iPhone unlocks from occurring at all costs. (Knowing how much power Apple wields, though, it's hard to believe Steve wrote a blank check to ensure iPhones stay locked at all costs, including customer satisfaction.)

Or maybe it's because you intend to launch an iPhone software publishing service. Sure, why not? It's clear 3rd party apps are on the docket, we've heard way too many hints to think otherwise. And since you so closely control the hardware and software, maybe you're thinking of a more game console-like approach, like the way you sell iPod games -- offer customers only Apple-approved 3rd party iPhone software via iTunes. Developers get their apps certified, users get ease of installation and the assurance that their iPhone won't be knocking out AT&T's West Coast network (har), and Apple gets a cut of the cash. If that is indeed what you're doing, Apple, it sounds to us like you're in for a world of pain. The only thing worse than taking something away is taking it away only to offer it back for money.

Look, we, your users, are smart, and we demand more from every company we buy from. And as a consumer electronics company, you have a responsibility to your customers to continuously provide more. You can't put your Lego model in a kid's hand and throw a fit out when they make something better than you did. Like it or not, 3rd party developers found a way into the iPhone, thus fulfilling the inherent expectation that the iPhone should be an extensible platform. Whether or not you choose to publicly acknowledge it, that expectation is there, period. Sure, you can try to see this one through, but from where we sit in the middle, an inordinate number of first adoptors, smartphone user that switched to the iPhone, people that comprise your core customer base are starting to see you as villainous and money grubbing.

So why not let Steve give another a press-stopping mea culpa, giving your customers what they want (hey, maybe even throw in an SDK while you're at it?). Make developing for the iPhone as free and open as it is for every other smartphone around, and you still get to come out on top as the company that listens to its customers above all. Sure, the SIM unlock software might still be out there, but you can't fight this thing forever, the hackers will always catch up, and every wireless carrier in the world knows that. At a certain point you're expected to do the right thing for the people keeping you in business, and we think that's happening right now. Even if it is contractual obligation with the carriers that Apple must stop iPhone unlocking at all costs, isn't the buying public at least worthy of an explanation? Enough with the silent treatment, Apple. A lot of people handed over a lot of money for a cellphone, and we think it's time for some answers -- even if they're the answers we don't want to hear.

Little Kid Is A Bad Liar

This kid is a bad liar, or at least he needs to learn how to cover his tracks better.

Little Kid Is A Bad Liar - Watch more free videos

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Is Google Gearing Up For GMail 2.0?

Rumors of a coming GMail redesign have been running rampant after ZDNet reported some telling requests in Google's public translation program. Google frequently relies on ordinary users who are fluent in both English and another language to translate small snippets of English text into other languages. Over the weekend some translators working on GMail noticed some snippets of text that hint at possible new features.

The first thing to come to light was that Google was asking for translation of the English phrase “Newer Version.” The translation request is in the GMail UI section, which seems to indicate that GMail may soon get a facelift. Given that GMail has been essential unchanged since its launch in April of 2004, the need to translate that phrase clearly means something is in the works.

Garett Rogers, the ZDNet blogger who first pointed out the translation “leak,” has also discovered that Google is requesting the phrase “Gears is not enabled” be translated to other languages, as well as the phrase “Disable Local Store.”

Both of these translation requests seem to lend some support to earlier rumors that Google Gears-based offline functionality is headed for GMail in the near future.

Another translation tidbit seem to indicate that future versions of GMail will be able to display recent logins by IP address, which could be handy for ensuring no one is accessing your account without your knowledge.

So far there’s been no comment from the GMail team and no screenshots of any new features have surfaced. But, given that GMail is over three years old and really hasn’t been updated much since its launch, we think it’s a safe bet that something new is coming in the near future. Whether or not it will be a small upgrade or a completely new GMail 2.0 remains to the seen.

Google Patches Serious GMail Vulnerability

Early this week we told you about a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) flaw in GMail that would allow attackers to create a filter in your account — possibly forwarding copies of your mail to themselves.

This morning I received an e-mail from a spokesperson at Google who said that the GMail team rolled out a patch last night which fixes the problem.

"Google takes the security of our users’ information very seriously,” the e-mail says, “We worked quickly to address the recently reported vulnerability, and we rolled out a fix. We have not received any reports of this vulnerability being exploited.”

Google says they haven’t heard of anyone being victimized, but it wouldn’t hurt to login and take a quick look at your filter just to be on the safe side.

Microsoft Buckles, Gives Windows XP A Life Extension

The people have spoken and Microsoft is listening. The company has decided to continue selling Windows XP through the end of June 2008, which is five months past the original deadline. The extension applies to both retail sales of XP and the company's OEM deals with major manufacturers.

“There are some customers who need a little more time to make the switch to Windows Vista,” says Mike Nash, the head of Windows product management, in an interview on the Microsoft PR site. “We’re responding to feedback we have gotten from our OEM partners that some customers will benefit by extending availability of Windows XP.”

There’s been much ado about Windows Vista and it’s hardware requirements versus XP, and the web is filled with tales of disgruntled users “upgrading” back to XP after experiencing problems with Vista. CNet recently ran an editorial calling for Microsoft to abandon Vista, or the OS “will bring the software giant to its knees.”

Despite some bad press, Microsoft still claims Vista is its fast selling OS ever, with more than 60 million licenses sold to date.

The five month extension should be good news for those waiting on the first Vista service pack before upgrading. Although no final data has been given for Vista SP1, the beta is in the hands of testers now and is expected to be released near the end of this year or the beginning of next year.