Microsoft and Yahoo: Search partners

After a year and a half of dealing, the tech giants reach a 10-year deal to take on Google, which holds a 65% market share in online search.

Microsoft and Yahoo reached a long-awaited partnership Wednesday in a bid to challenge Google's dominance in online search.

Under the 10-year deal, Yahoo.com and Bing.com will maintain their own branding but search results on Yahoo.com will say "powered by Bing." Yahoo, in turn, will be responsible for attracting premium advertisers.

Microsoft will pay Yahoo 88% of the revenue it gains from searches on Yahoo's sites. Microsoft will also have the rights to integrate Yahoo's search technology into its own existing Web search platforms.

Yahoo said the agreement will modestly decrease its overall revenue but increase its operating income by about $500 million annually.

Shares of Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500) tanked 12% on the news, as investors expected Microsoft to pay the company up to $1 billion in cash up front for the deal, albeit with a more modest revenue-sharing figure. Microsoft's (MSFT, Fortune 500) shares rose about 1%, and search leader Google's (GOOG, Fortune 500) stock price fell 1%.

The deal is expected to close in early 2010. U.S. users will start to see the change three months later and users around the world will see the full effect within two years.

"This deal is really about scale," said Yahoo Chief Executive Carol Bartz on a conference call. "By combining the ... technology of both companies, we can create a real, viable alternative for advertisers."

Microsoft said the transition will cost the company "several hundreds of millions of dollars," but it will benefit in the long run from the ability to charge advertisers more for its service, because the deal will improve the relevance of search results. Microsoft said it also expects to benefit from Yahoo's expertise, acknowledging that its new partner has more ad sales experience.

"This really is a win-win agreement both for Microsoft and for Yahoo," said Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer. "Consumers will get better products, and it will help the industry as a whole to prosper through our shared vision and shared values."

Bartz said that some Yahoo employees will eventually move over to Microsoft and that some search personnel would be laid off. But she added that the transition will occur over time, so virtually nothing will change at least until the deal is inked next year.

Google. Both Microsoft and Yahoo -- but especially Microsoft's Ballmer -- used their joint statement and conference call to offer several digs at search market leader Google.

In a joint statement, the companies said that "advertisers no longer have to rely on one company that dominates more than 70% of all search."

Ballmer argued that the search advertising market, as it is currently constructed, unfairly favors Google because of its dominance. He said many advertisers choose to enter into exclusive deals with leader Google to avoid the laborious process of entering into negotiations with three different companies.

But the new partnership will simplify that process, and "advertisers will know now that is is clearly the second place to work," said Ballmer.

He said he fully anticipates Google will launch an antitrust complaint against the partnership. "We'll likely face issues from 'the' competitor who may not like the competition," said Ballmer. "But our argument is we'll provide more competition, not less."

Google disagreed, saying in an emailed statement that, "There has traditionally been a lot of competition online, and our experience is that competition brings about great things for users. We're interested to learn more about the deal."

Microsoft and Yahoo will head to Capitol Hill and Brussels next week to begin the American and European regulatory processes for the deal.

An 18-month odyssey. It was a partnership that was a long time in the making. Microsoft's search market share has been slipping for more than two years, and the company has struggled to make its online advertising unit profitable. Meanwhile, Yahoo, once the search market leader, dropped to a distant second place behind leader Google by 2007.

The dealings between the two companies began Feb. 1, 2008, when Microsoft made an unsolicited $44.6 billion cash and stock bid for Yahoo. A week later, Yahoo rejected the bid, saying the offer "massively undervalues" the company.

In June of last year, Microsoft said it was no longer interested in acquiring Yahoo outright, but would like to enter a deal for Yahoo's search advertisement business.

Bartz and Ballmer said those preliminary discussions involved more cash up front for Yahoo but a less revenue sharing. Bartz said Yahoo insisted on a higher revenue number so it could invest in its long-term projects like its core online media businesses.

Though many analysts speculated that Microsoft's immediate success with its Bing search engine, unveiled last month, was the final nail in the coffin, Bartz said there was no one thing that pushed the deal through.

"It was the understanding and trust that we could have a partnership, and that takes time," said Bartz. "Finally the comfort level was there, and the proverbial snowball went down the hill. Once we reached a point in which it was clear that a deal was advantageous to both companies, we moved forward."

Ballmer said, for Microsoft, the deal wasn't better than the original revenue-sharing proposal, "just different."

YAHOO AND MICRESOFT STRIKE A DEAL

YAHOO AND MICROSOFT STRIKE A DEAL

The tech giants are set to announce an online search and advertising deal in the next 24 hours, according to The Wall Street Journal.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Microsoft and Yahoo have finally come to a search deal and will announce the details of the agreement in the next 24 hours, according to a report.

It is not clear whether the two companies have signed any official papers, but the negotiations of the deal, which also includes advertising, have finally come to a close, The Wall Street Journal said Tuesday.

Microsoft launched its own Internet search portal, Bing, in early June. While Bing met with initial success, Microsoft has still been unable to post a profit in its online advertising business.

Microsoft and Yahoo would share revenues on the deal, and Yahoo would not get any money up front, according to the Journal.

Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500) and Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) have been in talks for some time to join forces on Internet search and advertising technology. Together, the two could stand a better chance to gain market share from rival Google (GOOG, Fortune 500).

GANDHI,S HOME FOR SALE

GANGHIS HOME IN SOUTH AFRICA NOW FOR SALE "I'm an optimist, and the interest being shown by local and international potential buyers following publicity makes me confident that a new buyer will also retain it in the same state that it has been for so long," Nancy Ball said. She described the response to the proposed sale as "absolutely phenomenal!" Ball is retiring to Cape Town and has put the house up for sale to someone who would have the same interest in its historic value. The thatch-roofed house in the northern Johannesburg suburb of Orchards was designed and built by architect Hermann Kallenbach, a close confidante and follower of Gandhi as he developed his Satyagraha philosophy during his stay here by leading locals against oppression. Gandhi and Kallenbach lived at the house for three years from 1908. "The house has a special quality and I have also been in touch with the previous owners before the 28 years that we have lived in it. They all decided to maintain it as it was originally built," Ball said. Only bathrooms and the kitchen have been adapted over the years. The only Gandhian relic retained in the home though is a prayer stool. "We found it in the attic and although there is no firm evidence, it is believed that Gandhi used it during his meditation." As Ball was keen on preserving the heritage of the home, she contacted Stephen Gelb, director of the Centre for Indian Studies at Wits University, to find a suitable buyer. Gelb said that initiatives to find buyers among the local Indian community had initially drawn little interest. But after media interest from places as far a field as Britain and Canada, a number of people had come forward, including an unidentified Malaysian businessman who is a Gandhian as well. Kirti Menon, a great-granddaughter of Gandhi who lives here, has also launched an initiative to get locals to buy the house. "I wish I had the required 2.5 million rands to buy it immediately," Menon said. "When I visited the house and Mrs Ball told me that my grandmother had once visited and sat there, I got all soppy. I said I would need a few days to develop a strategy to buy the house," Menon said.

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anahad naad

the unstruck melody
understanding the science of naad yoga


the word naad simply means sound the word yoga means to union or to yoke union with sound is the goal of naad yoga to understand what that mean wae have to think about nature of sound itself.
in yogic terminology there are two kinds of sounds in the universe
1.ahad
2.anahad
AHAD SOUNDS
AHAD SOUNDA ARE CREATED BY STRIKING TWO THINGS. this is the nnormal sound and we use it normally in our every day life
these sounds
must travel through the matter .
ANAHAD
ANAHAD LITERALLY MEANS THE UNSTRUCK MELODY .in yogic cosmology and science it is said that hte universe is made of sound all matter is vibrating at certain frequencies.this is the same sound which we call big bang the origin of universe and probably the universe. the universe is made of it and scientists also call it cosmic radiationsi.e the constantly creative sound left from the big bang,
the christian call it THE WORD
SIKHS CALL IT NAAD;
yogis call it ANAHAD;
beyond the minds ability to grasp,one can omly surrender to hear the anahad naad sound and contempate with wonder,as guru nanak says
keeta pasao ik kavao tis te hoye lakh dariyao

The interplay of the tongue on the meridian points of the upper palate and the action of the lips, nose, throat, and the air passages of the body are directly linked to chemical and hormonal secretions in the brain and glandular system. Through sound, speech, chanting, singing—communication—we can directly and scientifically affect our own level of consciousness,as well as our physical health and well-being and that of others.

One time in my early stages of yoga practice, I was in a very unbalanced state of mind. It was a stage of complete doubt called Shakti Pad. In those days we would have said simply that I was "freaking out." I had an opportunity to speak with my spiritual teacher, Yogi Bhajan, about it. He was in town leading a White Tantric Yoga course, which I did not attend, and he asked where I was. "He is freaking out," my friends told him. "Get him," he said. They were able to find me at work and I pulled myself together and hastened in to see him. "What is happening?" he asked. I told him, "Sir, I am in total doubt and cannot meditate or do yoga." He looked at me and said, "All the planets, moons, stars, and solar systems are revolving in cycles and patterns in a perfect rhythm and harmony. Just take up any of your instruments and play melodic rhythmic patterns on them and you will come into balance and harmony." He then told me that as a teenager in India he used to practice a martial art called Gatka, and that he was always getting hit on the head by his opponents during practice. His teacher told him to study tabla (Indian drum) and that by mastering rhythm, he would master the art of fighting. Yogiji then sent me to Punjab, India, and suggested that I study Gatka, tabla, and kirtan (singing divine poetry), which I did, and I’ve been grateful ever since for that opportunity.

That very complete study of rhythm called Taal, as well as the study of melody called Raag, is another very important component of Naad Yoga. Together they make up what we know as music. The power of music to heal has been well documented in recent years, as well as illustrated in the Bible in the famous story of David healing King Solomon with the music of the harp. The ancient seers of India understood this power to transform, and it was common for mantra and scriptures to be sung, as a way to increase their meditative power.

Sympathetic Sound

For a moment imagine the human body as a musical instrument, especially one of the Indian instruments like the Sitar or Sarangi, which have playing strings that are struck or bowed, and also have 40-odd strings which are never played but are sympathetic strings. When the playing strings are struck, they set up vibratory frequencies that begin to sound the finely tuned but un-struck sympathetic strings. These strings pick up the frequency and vibratory rates of the struck notes and begin to sound and create incredible overtones without being physically touched. It is this design that gives these instruments their unique and meditative sound.

The human organism has a similar design. In Yogic terms, we have the central pranic energy channel (shushmana)corresponding to the spinal column. To either side of it are the ida and pingala, the energies of the sun and moon. Think of these as the playing strings. These energy channels then connect with 72,000 nadis (energy channels) loosely corresponding to the nervous system, that extend throughout the body. Think of these as the sympathetic strings. Whatever we vibrate in the shushmana begins to set up a sympathetic vibration in the ida and pingala and throughout the nadis that transfer that vibration to all the cells of the body. If we are unconscious in our speech and what we are vibrating, we can set up waves of negativity, self-doubt, and disharmony. These things lead to a deteriorating state of health and wellbeing. On the other hand, we can consciously choose mantra, scripture, harmonious communication, and musical sounds that elevate, heal, and balance us. Naad Yoga is the practice and experience of all this on a very practical and scientific level of self-exploration.

Each Jap, or repetition, of these sacred sounds brushes off alayer of unreality that causes us to falsely identify with theego, and opens up our inner channels to the Divine energy of God. It is a question of awareness, brain chemistry, vibratory rates and frequencies, and the Grace of God

i hope this post might have enchanted you with

SPIRTUALITY WITH DIGNITY

BIG BANG





THE UNIVERSE
GURU NANAK THE SHEHANSHAH OF THE UNIVERSE.
.BABA ISHAR SINGH JI OUR INSPIRANT THE MESSENGER OF GURU NANAK.

krishna act of colors is really the best act ever in any reality show i hope you must enjoy it.

my first post

sat sri akal

dhan dhan baba nand singh ji under whose blessings i am living on this earth and surviving even the difficult parts of my life i pay homage to him in my first post.

baba nand singh ji

he was the messenger of god to awaken our souls in respect and admiration to the only god guru granth sahib ji.

he inspired us by not only by obeying but living the daily ordains of guru granth sahib ji.he whole heartedly obeyed the hukam of guru gobind singh ji as to respect guru granth sahib ji as guru