Chris Sabga

For many aspiring students, getting into a top-flight university such as MIT, Yale, or Princeton is a lifelong dream. Unfortunately, that dream never becomes a reality for many of those eager pupils. Grades, finances, or any number of other ... obstacles can get in the way. With the front door firmly shut, very few people ever think about going around to the back. Surprisingly, the good news is that a number of educational institutions already offer courses to pretty much anyone -- for free. So, what's the catch? Most of the classes can't be taken for credit and will not count toward a degree. ( ... (view more)

If you've ever seen a picture of Lord of the Rings and King Kong director Peter Jackson, you know that he's a big man with messy hair and a bushy, scruffy beard and mustache. It's kind of hard to picture someone of that description standing in the ... same room with Bill Gates: the essence of corporate tidiness. But in the business world, the only appearances that matter are the color of the cash being handed out, the size of the numbers on them, and how thick the wad is. Therefore, it's not too surprising that Jackson and Microsoft have come together in a Kong-sized deal to form a major video ... (view more)

What do you do with a computer that you no longer need? You can always give it away, but then there's worries that another person might have access to previous and private information once held on the PC ... or, you can just store it in a garage and ... watch it take up space and gather dust. Neither option sounds very appealing, does it? ;-) Now computer maker Dell is offering another choice to U.S. consumers: If you own a Dell brand PC or accessory, you can recycle it for free. A company worker will come pick it up from your home at no charge. Computer recycling, however, is hardly a new ... (view more)

The best things in life are free; getting something for nothing is like music to my ears. And now, Microsoft has found a way to make that expression literal. The industry giant has teamed up with Control Room (the company behind last year's Live 8 ... benefit concerts) to bring free live musical shows to the MSN web portal. The deal spans multiple years and includes 36 exclusive concerts. The performances will air live on MSN's 42 global websites and then they'll be available on-demand for a limited period of time thereafter. So, how is Microsoft able to provide these shows free of charge? The ... (view more)

Have you ever taken a good, long, hard look at everything stored on your computer? Chances are there are heaps of redundant and unnecessary files that are taking up valuable disk space and cluttering up your file system. Why are they there? What's ... their purpose? And how in the world did they get on your PC in the first place? If you've owned a computer for any length of time, you have inevitably downloaded, installed, and later gotten rid of program after program. What you may not realize, though, is that uninstalling a program often leaves you with "leftovers." Now, you'd think that the " ... (view more)

Who hasn't sued Microsoft? A quick Google search reveals lawsuits over music downloads, Xbox 360 defects, Xbox Live, Xbox internet, and Excel. And that's just the first page! And now, you can add an alleged name infringement to the list. At the ... heart of the situation is Microsoft's new line of Forefront security products (previously released under the MS "Client Protection" brand). Dexter + Chaney, a Seattle-based software company, is claiming the rights to the Forefront name. "Construction companies throughout the United States know and respect the 'Forefront' name," Dexter + Chaney vice ... (view more)

Which tech war is currently the most heated? Is it the fierce battle between Sony and Microsoft over the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 respectively? Or is it the violent clash between the two new DVD formats, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD? A new development ... threatens to fuse both issues together, turning two raging firestorms into one giant explosion. Just recently, Microsoft announced its plans to introduce an HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360. This is obviously a direct response to Sony's PS3, which also doubles as a next-generation Blu-Ray DVD player, straight out of the box. Japan will get first crack at ... (view more)

In the tech world, conventional sentiment has always been that Mozilla's Firefox browser is safer and more secure than Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE). Now, antivirus and security company Symantec (Norton) is strongly challenging that notion. A ... recent study by Symantec indicates that 25 confirmed security holes were discovered in Firefox during the first half of 2005 -- "the most of any browser studied," according to the authors of the research. Out of those 25 security defects, 18 were identified as high-risk. Internet Explorer, on the other hand, contained 8 high-level security risks out ... (view more)

Did you know that India is one of the fastest growing technology markets in the world? The dudes at Dell sure did. The company plans to build its first factory near Chennai, the fourth largest city in India -- with over 6 million people in its metro ... area. The facility is expected to open its doors in the first half of 2007. (Source: statesman.com ) "We will start with a production capacity of 400,000 units and quickly ramp up to much higher numbers," according to Rajan Anandan, Dell India's vice-president and general manager. "We are building this factory with the simple objective of ... (view more)

"The President of the United States is dead. He was murdered in the morning sunlight by a four-year-old boy ..." That's an intriguing excerpt from "7th Son," an online podcast novel written by J.C. Hutchins. The plot of the story from the author's ... official website goes on to read: "7th Son is the story of seven strangers who have been brought together after the recent assassination of the U.S. president. These men quickly discover they all appear to be the same man ... with identical childhood memories." (Source: jchutchins.net ) Interested in the story but not quite sure how the heck a ... (view more)