Hashtags and Replies may Move from Twitter

It appears as if Twitter is planning to phase out hashtags and @ replies. The company is possibly thinking of a way to streamline replies and hashtags by moving them into the background. What this means is not yet clear, but it does give the sense that Twitter is aiming to make some big changes.

According to the report in TechTimes, This rumor came to be after Vivian Schiller, head of news at Twitter, made a statement while addressing the Newspaper Association of America's mediaXchange conference in Denver a few days ago. Schiller view hashtags and replies as "arcane," which suggest a few changes might be in the pipeline for the micro-social network.

Twitter representatives were asked by Buzzfeed to clarify what Schiller meant. According to the representative, the plan is to bring forward better interactions in hopes to get more activity from casual users 
"By bringing the content of Twitter forward and pushing the scaffolding of the language of Twitter to the background, we can increase high-quality interactions and make it more likely that new or casual users will find this service as indispensable as our existing core users do," says the representative. "And we took initial steps in that direction with the introduction of media forward timelines and in-line social actions in October, and we're already starting to see early signs that those initiatives are working well".

It is possible Twitter is not on the verge of phasing out hashtags and @replies, since these little things are arguably one of the most used features on Twitter, so we don't see Twitter removing these features anytime soon. More than likely, the company might be planning to make these actions easier for users in such a way that would get users to interact more often than normal.

However, if it does happen, it wouldn't be the first time Twitter has phased out. The social network's all but killed the original version of the retweet, so making another drastic move could be on the cards. Then again, the original retweet feature was confusing to some, so Twitter's move was warranted enough.

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Farewell Days for Microsoft XP

Microsoft announced a deadline for Microsoft XP users to change their PCs from XP to other operating systems. Even they announced an offer of $100 off on upgrade through Microsoft website or store. Microsoft Corporation is sweetening the pot for owners of Windows XP computers to upgrade their PCs.

They are offering $100 off when you buy a Surface or select PCs over $599 from the Microsoft website or store. On April 8, support for XP ends. This means that there will be no more updates, patches, or technical support for the operating system rendering XP computers insecure.

History of Microsoft XP

Windows XP was initially released in 2001, and Microsoft has been trying to mothball Windows XP since originally setting the end-of-life date for January 31, 2009. Many computer users are using this software from the years as it is that much reliable and soft on computers.

One of the issues with upgrading the operating system for a Windows XP computer is that the hardware may not be able to run the newer operating systems. There are other options out there including purchasing an Apple computer, a Google based Chromebook, the iOS, Microsoft, or Android tablets, or installing one of the LINUX based operating systems like Ubuntu.

If not upgraded from Microsoft XP?

It is strongly suggested that you move off of Windows XP before April 8. However, if you choose to stay with Windows XP, we suggest you do the following:

Update your anti-malware/anti-virus software.

Microsoft does have a free program called Microsoft Security Essentials.

However, Microsoft will stop providing Microsoft Security Essentials for download on Windows XP     on April 8. They will continue to release antimalware signature updates for a limited time.

Use Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or other third party web browser. The newer versions of Internet Explorer will not work with Windows XP. Google has announced that they will support Chrome on Windows XP until April 2015.

It must be noted that even with these steps, you will not be secure as the core operating system will have vulnerabilities.

Here’s some details on the Microsoft deal that also includes 90 days of free support and free data transfer from your Windows XP computer:

The offer is valid 3/20/2014 until 6/15/2014, or while supplies last. Available in select Microsoft retail and online stores in US (including Puerto Rico) and Canada. Offer applies to customers who make online purchase(s) with a qualifying Windows XP device or customer who present a qualifying Windows XP device during purchase(s) in-store only. Offer valid on select PC or Surface devices priced $599 or more. Excludes Surface 2 and some PCs. Not valid on prior orders or purchases; cannot be transferred or otherwise redeemed for cash or gift cards. Not combinable with other offers. Price discount does not include taxes, shipping or other fees. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Microsoft reserves the right to modify or discontinue offers at any time. Limit 1 per device.

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Traditional St. Patrick's Day Parade

New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio was to become the first mayor in decades to sit out the city's traditional St. Patrick's Day parade over a dispute involving whether march participants can carry pro-gay signs. But Ireland's Prime Minister refused to be sidelined, saying he'll join the procession in Manhattan because the holiday is about Irishness, not sexuality.

New York's Irish, their descendants and the Irish for a day will revel in the celebration of culture on Monday, but de Blasio's decision to skip the parade underscores lingering political tensions over gay rights issues in the Northeast.

According to report in ABC News, Boston's Mayor Martin Walsh also opted out of his city's parade on Sunday after talks broke down that would have allowed a gay group to march.

Parade organizers said they did not want the event to turn into a demonstration for a particular group, but Walsh said their plans prevented all Boston residents from participating fully. Still, thousands of green-clad spectators came out to watch bagpipers and marchers in Boston, and organizers of a float intended to promote diversity threw Mardi Gras-type beads to onlookers. A similar scene played out in downtown Philadelphia.

In Michigan, parades were Sunday held in Bay City and Detroit, and on Monday a St. Patrick's Day Parade was scheduled in Cleveland. Cities from Savannah, Ga., to Montreal also hosted festivities over the weekend, and throughout the world landmarks were bathed in green floodlights.

Ireland's head of government, Enda Kenny, became the first Irish prime minister to attend Boston's annual St. Patrick's Day breakfast Sunday. Kenny has resisted pressure, in both Ireland and America, to support the gay rights lobby's demand to have equal rights to participate in parades on St. Patrick's Day.

"The St. Patrick's Day parade (in New York) is a parade about our Irishness and not about sexuality, and I would be happy to participate in it," he said in Dublin before leaving for a six-day trip to the U.S. In Ireland, St. Patrick's Day provides the launch of the country's annual push for tourism, a big part of the rural economy.

"To Irish people by birth or descent, wherever they may be in the world, and to those who simply consider themselves to be friends of Ireland, I wish each and every one of you a happy, peaceful and authentically Irish St. Patrick's Day," Irish President Michael D. Higgins, the ceremonial head of state and guest of honor at Monday's parade in Dublin, said in a statement.

Parade organizers in New York have said gay groups are not prohibited from marching, but are not allowed to carry gay-friendly signs or identify themselves as LGBT. Some LGBT groups were to protest the parade along the parade route on Fifth Avenue on Monday. Others had planned to dump Guinness beer from the shelves of the Stonewall Inn, the birthplace of the gay rights movement, in protest of the brewer's plan to sponsor the parade, but that demonstration was canceled late Sunday after Guinness said in a statement that it had dropped its sponsorship.

Other beer companies joined the boycotts earlier, with Sam Adams withdrawing its sponsorship of Boston's parade and Heineken following suit in New York.

New York's parade, a tradition that predates the city itself, draws more than 1 million spectators and about 200,000 participants every March 17. It has long been a mandatory stop on the city's political trail, and will include marching bands, traditional Irish dancers and thousands of uniformed city workers.

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Fake Video Posts are Floating in Facebook about Flight MH370

While many people are worried about the missing Malaysian jet flight MH370, on the other side spammers are posting malware posts in social media to get some shares and views to increase the profit. Post includes a video image that shows a plane which landed on the water surface of the sea as a front picture. When a user clicked on that post it opens up in the next window asking user to share the page first.

Desperate user who wants to see the video unknowingly sharing the page url in his/her timeline proportionally the spammer is getting a share for his page. Social media users must be careful about these kinds of spam posts which are spreading the false news across the web. The hackers are taking advantage of the news of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 to hijack Facebook accounts.

These spammers and hackers are disturbing the curious people by these kinds of posts which say “breaking news Malaysian Airlines Found”. People must be aware when clicking these links as they are redirecting to phishing websites which ask user to share first before they watch.

Search Enters Second Week for Flight MH370

Search for Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 has been going on from more than a week by around ten countries, who are drilling the oceans around Malaysia. Investigators are exploring the growing evidence that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 involved a criminal act that caused the two communication systems to stop working simultaneously.

Search efforts are more focusing on the west side area of Malay and Indian Ocean. US search teams are filtering the Indian Ocean for the missing flight. Investigators are working on a theory that someone with flight experience took the control of the flight and switched off all the communication devices.

Mr. Najib Razak, Malaysian Prime Minister, says investigators now know that the missing Malaysian airliner’s communications were deliberately disabled and that it turned back from its flight to Beijing and flew across Malaysia. Najib also said that authorities are now trying to trace the airplane across two possible corridors, a northern corridor from the border of Kazakstan and Turkmenistan through to northern Thailand, and a southern corridor from Indonesia to the southern Indian Ocean.

He says that expanded search area is based on the latest available satellite data."Clearly the search for MH370 has entered a new phase. We hope this new information brings us one step closer to finding the plane" he said.

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Malaysia Heighten the Search for Missing Flight

Everybody is desperately waiting for the positive news about the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 which vanished from the radar three days ago. The flight MH370 was flown from Kuala Lumpur airport to Beijing with 239 passengers on board. Malaysian authorities have been searching for the flight from the day it was gone missing.

China has urged Malaysia to intensify the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 that disappeared on Saturday. According to BBC report, Chinese relatives of passengers on board of missing flight MH370 tell the BBC that they are holding on to glimmers of hope about positive news. Malaysia said that it was heightening the hint as there was no trace of the missing plane after days of disappearing.

It is confirmed that most of the passengers on board were Chinese. The areas along the Malacca Strait to South China Sea are getting searched thoroughly by the rescue teams from nine countries. Malaysia’s armed forces were assisting the Chinese intelligence to identify the two passengers on board of flight MH370, who are travelling on stolen passports.

Two Passengers in Flight MH370 were with Stolen Passports

Hishamuddin Hussein, acting transport minister Malaysia, said that all the relevant information about those two passengers had been passed to the various national intelligence agencies which are investigating the matter. The plane MH370 disappeared shortly after it left the Kuala Lumpur. The relatives and well wishers of the on board passengers have been told to prepare for the worst.

The sudden vanishing is baffling experts as pilots and investigators have described it as weird and bizarre. Experts say that most of the problems leave some kind of trace behind through radio or any other source. If there is any engines fail issue with the plane, it will potentially glide for around 90 miles giving pilot enough time to radio and make a mayday call.

There are emergency codes for pilots to enter in case of hijacking or someone broke into flight deck. Qin Gang, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, had urged Malaysian authorities to intensify its search efforts for missing flight. He also urged authorities to provide relevant information to China correctly and in a timely manner.

One of the two men travelling and on board with stolen passport was identifiers by Malaysian authorities not revealed the identity but they confirmed the man was not from Malaysia. Those two passengers were travelling with Italian and Austrian passports stolen in Thailand years ago. Malaysian CAA chief, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said that none of them are Asian-looking men.

Plane Door Spotted in Ocean Not Recovered

A rectangle object that spotted in the ocean on Sunday afternoon which was suspected to be one of the doors of missing Boeing 777 was not recovered from the sea. Vietnam used six planes and seven ships on Monday to find the rectangle shaped object but nothing has been found and recovered, said by Doan Huu Gia, chief of search and rescue coordination center.

The presence of passengers on board with stolen passport is a blunder breach of security and could relate to illegal migration. The questions are still troubling the officials that how two passengers managed to get on board with stolen passports.

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