Jimi Hendrix thE LegEND

In his brief four-year reign as a superstar, Jimi Hendrix expanded the vocabulary of the electric rock guitar more than anyone before or since. Hendrix was a master at coaxing all manner of unforeseen sonics from his instrument, often with innovative amplification experiments that produced astral-quality feedback and roaring distortion. His frequent hurricane blasts of noise and dazzling showmanship -- he could and would play behind his back and with his teeth and set his guitar on fire -- has sometimes obscured his considerable gifts as a songwriter, singer, and master of a gamut of blues, R&B, and rock styles.

When Hendrix became an international superstar in 1967, it seemed as if he'd dropped out of a Martian spaceship, but in fact he'd served his apprenticeship the long, mundane way in numerous R&B acts on the chitlin circuit. During the early and mid-'60s, he worked with such R&B/soul greats as Little Richard, the Isley Brothers, and King Curtis as a backup guitarist. Occasionally he recorded as a session man (the Isley Brothers' 1964 single "Testify" is the only one of these early tracks that offers even a glimpse of his future genius). But the stars didn't appreciate his show-stealing showmanship, and Hendrix was straight-jacketed by sideman roles that didn't allow him to develop as a soloist. The logical step was for Hendrix to go out on his own, which he did in New York in the mid-'60s, playing with various musicians in local clubs, and joining white blues-rock singer John Hammond, Jr.'s band for a while.

It was in a New York club that Hendrix was spotted by Animals bassist Chas Chandler. The first lineup of the Animals was about to split, and Chandler, looking to move into management, convinced Hendrix to move to London and record as a solo act in England. There a group was built around Jimi, also featuring Mitch Mitchell on drums and Noel Redding on bass, that was dubbed the Jimi Hendrix Experience. The trio became stars with astonishing speed in the U.K., where "Hey Joe," "Purple Haze," and "The Wind Cries Mary" all made the Top Ten in the first half of 1967. These tracks were also featured on their debut album, Are You Experienced?, a psychedelic meisterwerk that became a huge hit in the U.S. after Hendrix created a sensation at the Monterey Pop Festival in June of 1967.

Are You Experienced? was an astonishing debut, particularly from a young R&B veteran who had rarely sung, and apparently never written his own material, before the Experience formed. What caught most people's attention at first was his virtuosic guitar playing, which employed an arsenal of devices, including wah-wah pedals, buzzing feedback solos, crunching distorted riffs, and lightning, liquid runs up and down the scales. But Hendrix was also a first-rate songwriter, melding cosmic imagery with some surprisingly pop-savvy hooks and tender sentiments. He was also an excellent blues interpreter and passionate, engaging singer (although his gruff, throaty vocal pipes were not nearly as great assets as his instrumental skills). Are You Experienced? was psychedelia at its most eclectic, synthesizing mod pop, soul, R&B, Dylan, and the electric guitar innovations of British pioneers like Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend, and Eric Clapton.

Amazingly, Hendrix would only record three fully conceived studio albums in his lifetime. Axis: Bold as Love and the double-LP Electric Ladyland were more diffuse and experimental than Are You Experienced? On Electric Ladyland in particular, Hendrix pioneered the use of the studio itself as a recording instrument, manipulating electronics and devising overdub techniques (with the help of engineer Eddie Kramer in particular) to plot uncharted sonic territory. Not that these albums were perfect, as impressive as they were; the instrumental breaks could meander, and Hendrix's songwriting was occasionally half-baked, never matching the consistency of Are You Experienced? (although he exercised greater creative control over the later albums).

The final two years of Hendrix's life were turbulent ones musically, financially, and personally. He was embroiled in enough complicated management and record company disputes (some dating from ill-advised contracts he'd signed before the Experience formed) to keep the lawyers busy for years. He disbanded the Experience in 1969, forming the Band of Gypsies with drummer Buddy Miles and bassist Billy Cox to pursue funkier directions. He closed Woodstock with a sprawling, shaky set, redeemed by his famous machine-gun interpretation of "The Star Spangled Banner." The rhythm section of Mitchell and Redding were underrated keys to Jimi's best work, and the Band of Gypsies ultimately couldn't measure up to the same standard, although Hendrix did record an erratic live album with them. In early 1970, the Experience re-formed again -- and disbanded again shortly afterward. At the same time, Hendrix felt torn in many directions by various fellow musicians, record-company expectations, and management pressures, all of whom had their own ideas of what Hendrix should be doing. Coming up on two years after Electric Ladyland, a new studio album had yet to appear, although Hendrix was recording constantly during the period.

While outside parties did contribute to bogging down Hendrix's studio work, it also seems likely that Jimi himself was partly responsible for the stalemate, unable to form a permanent lineup of musicians, unable to decide what musical direction to pursue, unable to bring himself to complete another album despite jamming endlessly. A few months into 1970, Mitchell -- Hendrix's most valuable musical collaborator -- came back into the fold, replacing Miles in the drum chair, although Cox stayed in place. It was this trio that toured the world during Hendrix's final months.

It's extremely difficult to separate the facts of Hendrix's life from rumors and speculation. Everyone who knew him well, or claimed to know him well, has different versions of his state of mind in 1970. Critics have variously mused that he was going to go into jazz, that he was going to get deeper into the blues, that he was going to continue doing what he was doing, or that he was too confused to know what he was doing at all. The same confusion holds true for his death: contradictory versions of his final days have been given by his closest acquaintances of the time. He'd been working intermittently on a new album, tentatively titled First Ray of the New Rising Sun, when he died in London on September 18, 1970, from drug-related complications.

Hendrix recorded a massive amount of unreleased studio material during his lifetime. Much of this (as well as entire live concerts) was issued posthumously; several of the live concerts were excellent, but the studio tapes have been the focus of enormous controversy for over 20 years. These initially came out in haphazard drabs and drubs (the first, The Cry of Love, was easily the most outstanding of the lot). In the mid-'70s, producer Alan Douglas took control of these projects, posthumously overdubbing many of Hendrix's tapes with additional parts by studio musicians. In the eyes of many Hendrix fans, this was sacrilege, destroying the integrity of the work of a musician known to exercise meticulous care over the final production of his studio recordings. Even as late as 1995, Douglas was having ex-Knack drummer Bruce Gary record new parts for the typically misbegotten compilation Voodoo Soup. After a lengthy legal dispute, the rights to Hendrix's estate, including all of his recordings, returned to Al Hendrix, the guitarist's father, in July of 1995.

With the help of Jimi's step-sister Janie, Al set up Experience Hendrix to begin to get Jimi's legacy in order. They began by hiring John McDermott and Jimi's original engineer, Eddie Kramer to oversee the remastering process. They were able to find all the original master tapes, which had never been used for previous CD releases, and in April of 1997, Hendrix's first three albums were reissued with drastically improved sound. Accompanying those reissues was a posthumous compilation album (based on Jimi's handwritten track listings) called First Rays of the New Rising Sun, made up of tracks from the Cry of Love, Rainbow Bridge and War Heroes.

Later in 1997, another compilation called South Saturn Delta showed up, collecting more tracks from posthumous LPs like Crash Landing, War Heroes, and Rainbow Bridge (without the terrible '70s overdubs), along with a handful of never-before-heard material that Chas Chandler had withheld from Alan Douglas for all those years.

More archival material followed; Radio One was basically expanded to the two-disc BBC Sessions (released in 1998), and 1999 saw the release of the full show from Woodstock as well as additional concert recordings from the Band of Gypsies shows entitled Live at the Fillmore East. 2000 saw the release of the Jimi Hendrix Experience four-disc box set, which compiled remaining tracks from In the West, Crash Landing and Rainbow Bridge along with more rarities and alternates from the Chandler cache.

The family also launched Dagger Records, essentially an authorized bootleg label to supply harcore Hendrix fans with material that would be of limited commercial appeal. Dagger Records has released several live concerts (of shows in Oakland, Ottawa and Clark University in Massachusetts) and a collection of studio jams and demos called Morning Symphony Ideas. ~ Richie Unterberger & Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide

MSI GeForce 8800 Ultra 768MB

As if having the jump over rival ATI by releasing the world's first DirectX 10 compatible graphics architecture is not enough, NVIDIA has continued to consolidate its superiority by extending its GeForce 8 series from the initial high-end GeForce 8800 cards. So we have also seen the mid-range GeForce 8600 and 8500 series in recent months while at the extreme high end, NVIDIA's response is the GeForce 8800 Ultra. MSI sent us its version of this new king of the hill and here are the highlights.

Boosters On!

How to top the successful and speedy GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB? Well, NVIDIA's answer is to raise the bar on the clock speeds. The MSI card we received is a typical reference card that follows the default clocks - which have all been increased in the Ultra SKU. Hence, the core clock has gone from the GTX's 575MHz to 612MHz, the memory has increased to 2160MHz from 1800MHz and underneath all this, the internal shader clocks have also gone up to 1500MHz from 1350MHz. As this is a standard card, we will not be showing the performance benchmarks and you can refer to our previous review of the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra for the figures. Let's just say we were not exactly thrilled with its performance (or its price point).

Black as the Night

The success of the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra has been how the engineers have managed to keep the graphics card at an admirably low noise level despite increased clock speeds (that usually spells more heat and in many cases, a noisy fan). A black plastic shroud covers most of the card but the large two-slot cooler is as quiet as the GeForce 8800 GTX. Although NVIDIA's engineers claim to have reduced power consumption slightly in certain scenarios, that wasn't the case during our testing, so be prepared to have extra 'juice' in your PSU before getting one of these.

On the D.O.T

If the inherently faster clocks on the GeForce 8800 Ultra is still not enough to suit your taste for speed, MSI's usual proprietary overclocking utility, Dynamic Overclocking Technology (D.O.T) is bundled together with this card. Users are able to get the preset profiles to get between 2 and 10% boost in clock speeds, though of course, getting the maximum 10% to run stable on your card is not guaranteed. However, as usual, MSI will be responsible for any damages encountered during the use of D.O.T, so it's a form of insurance for less daring overclockers.

Other exclusive MSI software include StarOSD, which allows users to tweak their clocks and fan settings within an application, e.g. a game. There is no need to exit the program to change your graphics card settings anymore. This should be a boon for enthusiasts who desire close, complete control of their systems and to optimize them on the fly. Finally, MSI also bundled a future Hall of Fame RTS game in the award winning Company of Heroes, which has breathed new life into the genre. It is a fitting title for a top end card like this GeForce 8800 Ultra. More so now that the game has been updated to support DX10 in the latest patch release version 1.7.

Our Thoughts

The GeForce 8800 Ultra is a luxury item, with prices starting from US$829 at launch and we don't expect this MSI card to be any different, especially when one factors in the software and applications bundled. There probably won't be that many available also for this niche product that will appeal only to enthusiasts with real spending power. For the majority, this is a card for bragging rights only, as the value is hard to justify with its performance. This isn't the fastest yet as MSI has an overclocked version in the pipeline, but that too will come at a price of course.

Product Specifications

• GeForce 8800 GPU (G80)
• Core Clock: 612MHz
• Memory Clock: 2160MHz DDR
• 384-bit memory bus
• 2 x dual-link DVI outputs supporting two 2560 x 1600 resolutions
• Minimum 500W or greater power supply
• HDCP Compliant
• NVIDIA SLI Ready
• Dual Molex 6-pin power connectors required

Hands on With 'Microsoft Surface': The Coffee-Table PC

Microsoft has been looking beyond the desktop for sometime now, but with the launch of "Milan," the company is showing the potential for so-called "surface computing" to revolutionize everything from retail kiosks to the common coffee table. At its core, Milan is a PC running Windows Vista, but don't expect to use it with a keyboard and mouse. Instead, Milan uses a touch-sensitive display that enables multiple users to navigate the system's interface. See how it works!

Milan will start appearing in commercial locations at the end of this year (think casinos), but PC Magazine was able to sit down with Microsoft executives for a hands-on demo of the new system. The demo unit we saw looked a lot like a coffee table, but you won't want to put your feet up on this system; it was made for touching.

The flat display measures 30 inches diagonally, and is designed to make it easy for multiple users to reach across and touch the screen. Images are projected onto the display via a custom DLP engine. Five infrared cameras set below the display detect contact with the display and enable users to navigate the interface.

By detecting every touch and gesture, Milan offers a very tactile way of interacting with digital information. Users must actually grab files and images with their fingers without the use of a mouse or keyboard. The system also allows multiple users to interact with the display at the same time; it can detect dozens of contact points.

The system includes support for object recognition using a proprietary technology, dubbed Domino, which works like a bar code. With the right Domino tag, basically a small sticker with a black and white pattern on it, Milan can instantly recognize other electronic devices. For example, in our demo, a Wi-Fi digital camera was placed on the surface of Milan and the contents of its memory were instantly displayed as a pile of snapshots alongside the camera on the display. From there, they could be moved around the screen, resized, or sent to other users via e-mail.

Likewise, when a couple of Domino-tagged Zunes were placed on the display, their contents were instantly shown on the display and songs could be exchanged between players simply by dragging their images from one Zune to the other. (With all the DRM-restrictions attached, of course.)

Using Milan is also inherently social. The first application we tested was a simple paint program. We painted on the screen using our fingertips and a simple pallet of colors and effects. We were also able to take photos that were loaded onto the systems hard drive and manipulate them—moving them around the screen, making them larger or smaller, even e-mailing them just by using our fingers. But surface computing isn't just for playing around. In fact, all of the early implementations will be commercial.

Microsoft has announced that Milan will be deployed at commercial properties by the end of the year, including Harrah's Entertainment's Las Vegas properties, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, and International Game Technology (IGT). Milan will also be featured at some T-mobile retail stores.

In our demo, Microsoft showed how Milan could be used to help shoppers choose cell phones. All the buyer needs to do is place two Domino-tagged phones on the surface of the display, and the system will call up features and technical information for each phone for side-by-side comparison. The company also showed how new service plans, ringtones, even music files could be added to your phone simply by dragging and dropping images in the Milan interface.

Microsoft wouldn't release the technical specifications of its Milan surface computing systems, but the company estimated each system would cost between $5,000 and $10,000. Like the Xbox 360, the device was designed and will be manufactured by Microsoft.

Going to USA

H-1B visa: Nasscom writes to US Senators

India and its industries are strong proponents of building people-to-people relationship further, in a mutually beneficial way

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Nasscom, the premier trade body of the IT software and services industry in India, today sent a letter on behalf of the nine Indian companies to Senators Durbin and Grassley, addressing the issues raised by them in their letter of May 14 2007 (addressed to nine Indian IT companies) about reported fraud and abuse of the H-1B visa program, and its impact on American workers.

 
 

A Nasscom release said its response represented the viewpoint of those nine Indian companies and the industry. The letter assured the Senators of support and co-operation by Nasscom and its member companies on the larger issue of visa fraud and also echoed the Senators' belief that any fraudulent activity should be dealt with in the strictest possible manner.

 
 

It highlighted that H-1 B visas are beneficial to both, US and Indian companies, and also to the US economy. It also draws attention to the fact that many US industry leaders have repeatedly stressed the need to raise the H-1B visa cap, which was reduced from 195,000 to 65,000 two years ago.

 
 

On the linkage between layoffs and the H-1 B visa, the letter notes that these two do not seem to go hand in hand as exhibited through the 2006 survey by Money Magazine.

 
 

The letter also iterated that while the number of H-1B visas is currently very limited (currently capped at 65,000 a year), the H-1B visa is not limited to the IT sector nor to Indians alone.

 
 

In fact of the H-1 B visas granted in the year 2006, nearly 14,000 (more than 20 per cent) visas were granted to American educational institutions.

 
 

Among other significant areas of note, one at a broader level is addressing the mistaken belief that US-India trade was flowing primarily in one direction.

 
 

As has been recognized widely, India was a major buyer of a whole host of US goods and services, including aircraft, wheat, branded garments and accessories, etc.

 
 

An overwhelming majority of the computers and software used by India's IT industry as also other sectors of the economy are those produced by US companies like HP, Dell, Microsoft, Oracle, etc.

 
 

The largest outsourcing contracts from the Indian private sector, as also from the Indian government, had gone to US companies. The rapidly growing Indian economy was importing ever-larger quantities of these goods and services.

 
 

Meanwhile, Indian students now formed the biggest group of foreign nationals studying in the US universities, spending an estimated $ 3 billion a year.

 
 

"These indicators of a growing trade relationship complement the excellent political and people-to-people relationship that exists between our two countries," Nasscom said.

 
 

The above instances indicated, very clearly that India, and its industries "are strong

 
 

proponents of building this further, in a mutually beneficial way."

 
 

The Nasscom letter also called for attention to the fact that there was a considerable body of evidence pointing to the contributions made by H-1B visa holders to innovation and entrepreneurship in the US, which had resulted in job creation on a scale that was anecdotally well known and widely-recognised, even though it had not been properly quantified.

 
 

"These contributions have come from nationals of many countries, who have worked in the US under this visa programme; needless to say, the Indian IT industry and Nasscom are particularly happy to note the contribution made by Indians," the letter stated.

 
 

It further said that H-1 B visa holders were paying taxes, social security and making significant contributions to the local and national economy. Additionally, in the past two years, to combat potential fraud in H-1B and L-1 visas companies had paid more than $300 million in government-imposed fees to fund a State Department/DOL/DHS effort.

 
 

The Nasscom letter particularly drew attention to the specific clause in the

 
 

Immigration Bill, which had been introduced by the two Senators that "prohibits

 
 

companies from hiring H-1B employees if they employ more than 50 people and more than 50 per cent of their employees are H-1B visa holders".

 
 

Nasscom said it and the Indian IT industry "clearly see this as a protectionist measure that will affect Indian IT companies, reduce the number of H1- B holders going to the US and reduce the competitiveness of the IT industry in the US."

 
 

In conclusion, the letter noted that knowledge-based services trade had been a unique feature of India-US trade and Nasscom and the industry hoped that the US would not specifically penalize non-US firms and continued to promote free and fair trade, so that this sector could continue to flourish as part of a broader US-India engagement.

 
 

Nasscom also offered to meet the Senators to discuss the issue.

 
 

 

ApplEZ iPhone Update

Apple's iPhone to hit mkt on June 29

The highly anticipated iPhone, with service provided by AT&T, will go on sale on June 29

Monday, June 04, 2007

 
 

 
 

SAN FRANCISCO, US:  Apple Inc.'s highly anticipated iPhone, with service provided by AT&T Inc., will go on sale on June 29, the company said on its Web site on Sunday.

The maker of Mac personal computers and iPod digital media players had previously said only that its new cellular telephone would debut in late June.

© Reuters

TImE to GeT MovIn mA MusIc

FreeAgent data movers

From Seagate, is a new family of data storage devices designed for college students, mobile consumers and business professionals

Features: Seagate has introduced a new family of devices called FreeAgent data movers in India.

With the launch of the new product, Seagate has moved beyond traditional "storage in a box," keeping consumers not only connected to their content, but also to their desktop computing environment including Internet favourites, email and more from wherever they are.

Leading the pack is the FreeAgent Pro data movers, available in 320GB, 500GB, 750GB sizes. Others include FreeAgent Go and FreeAgent Desktop.

“Our FreeAgent family of data movers is an exquisite offering of storage solutions, both beautiful and functional, blending aesthetics and digital content management tools into a seamless device for work or home,” said Rajesh Khurana, country manager for India and SAARC at Seagate.

FreeAgent Pro allows consumers to automatically synchronize content they select wherever they want it – like automatically transferring your latest project files to a flash drive, copying email and contacts from Microsoft Outlook to an iPod or quickly syncing an entire ‘My Documents’ folders to the FreeAgent Pro, he added.

Designed for college students, mobile consumers and business professionals, the new Seagate FreeAgent Go provide, freedom to carry your computing environment with you – including Web favorites, passwords and settings, IM, email, contacts and digital files – without having to haul around laptop or desktop PC. Simply plug a FreeAgent Go data mover into any Windows computer’s USB 2.0 port at work, the airport, or at a business center to have personal computing experience.

The third product FreeAgent Desktop is designed for a broad array of computer users, from corporate and small business professionals to prosumers and students, It provides simple add-on storage for people to gather and access their content in one place. They are PC and Mac compatible with a USB 2.0 interface for easy connection.

Seagate has appointed Fortune Marketing Pvt. Ltd as distributor of the product in India.

Price: The retail price in India for the FreeAgent Pro is Rs 9200/- for 320GB, Rs13,750/- for 500 GB and Rs18,400/- for 750GB for the standard combo module; and Rs 10,900/- (320GB), Rs 14,500/- (500 GB) and Rs 19,700/- (750GB) for the dual FireWire 400 version.

The FreeAgent Go is priced at Rs 5980/- for 80 GB, Rs 7700/- for 250 GB and Rs 9200/- for 500 GB.

The FreeAgent Desktop is priced between Rs 7500/- to Rs 1,000/- in Indian market.