VIDEO CONFERENCING: June 2008

Monday, June 16, 2008

Reviving Old Computer Games

Remember the good old days of gaming, when there were only 5 pixels in the protagonist and your imagination could turn them into a heroic figure of Schwarzenegger proportions? When the enemies and the heroes were distinguished by colour and you only needed one button on the joystick? Well times have changed and technology has moved on. Pulling my old Commodore 64 or Atari out of the back of the cupboard and setting them up often takes more time than the nostalgic pang lasts. I’ve also noticed that some of my old disks are starting to age and become corrupted. Enter the Internet.The wonderfully technologically gifted and giving Internet populace is out in force in their attempts to preserve the older side of gaming. Remakes and Emulators for almost any old machine can be found around the Internet. Emulators act as a layer between old software and new hardware allowing modern PCs to run programs that such hardware was never meant to see. Commodore 64, Amiga, NES, Master System, Arcade Machines and more have all been emulated and the necessary programs placed online for download, usually for free.Emulation is not a new idea. I had a hardware emulator for the VIC20 that plugged into the back of my Commodore 64 and allowed the use of the older VIC20 cartridges with the new hardware (I never actually owned a VIC20 or any programs for it but that’s another issue). Emulator popularity has been fading in and out for many years, only coming into many people’s attention with the release of Bleem!, a Playstation emulator for PC that was released while the PSOne still held a dominant share of the video game market. Bleemcast (a Playstation emulator for the Sega Dreamcast) soon followed causing one of the more interesting video game legal battles as Sony fought to have the emulator shut down. However, the emulators have a strong following and very active user base.Emulators are easy to find and download. Simply search for the system you want and add the word emulator to the end (e.g. “SNES Emulator”) and you’ll probably come up with a lot of hits. Be slightly wary as some emulator sites will either be false links or may contain pornographic ads. Setting the emulators up to run is usually fairly straightforward and there’s a fair chance that you’ll be able to find some documentation and help. Some of the newer systems require a BIOS image to be installed with the emulator. This is to get around the legal issues raised by Sony in the Bleem! legal battles by requiring you to be in possession of a Playstation BIOS (and hence, presumably, a Playstation) in order to play the games on your computer. Making a BIOS image to load into your computer will most likely be beyond your technical expertise, but a quick check of your console’s case will reveal the file you need to get and then it’s as simple as searching the internet for a BIOS image that matches the BIOS you already own.Of interest are the PC emulators now available. Windows no longer has very good support for older DOS-based games so there are a few emulators out there now to emulate the DOS environment. DOSBox (http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/) is probably the best known of the crop. There are also game-specific emulators such as ScummVM (www.scummvm.org) or DOOM Legacy (http://legacy.newdoom.com/) that focus specifically on certain games and hence are able to improve the experience for those particular titles.Once you have yourself an emulator you’ll need to get yourself some programs to run with it. These programs are called ‘ROMs’ and are images of the original storage device that the program came on (be it a cartridge, tape, floppy or other). The process of creating a ROM is probably far too technical for the vast majority of computer users so you’re probably going to have to find a ‘backup’ from somewhere to download. This is where the venture gets slightly foggy. Basically the deal is that you can only have a program ROM if you own the original program. So if you have boxes of old Amiga disks, NES cartridges, or other old gaming programs stored away somewhere, you’re in luck, otherwise you’re treading on legally shifty ground. While it can easily be argued that the downloading of a 1987 computer game is of no real consequence to the company that has in all likelihood closed down, copyright doesn’t actually expire for 50 years and computer games just haven’t been around that long.Online ‘emulation’ is a new area now being explored. The idea is that you simply play the game in your browser through a Java applet or Flash application. These might not always strictly be emulated programs but many remakes are feature perfect with the originals. The graphics, sounds, and game play remain intact. One excellent place to look for online games is Every Video Game (http://www.everyvideogame.com). While the site does not in fact contain ‘every video game’ it does have a very large list of old games from the arcades, GameBoy, NES, and Master System all playable through your browser. Many remakes can also be found at Shockwave’s site (http://www.shockwave.com/sw/actiongames/arcade_classics/). Some of the old games have even been remade and updated for this modern world we now live in. Try doing a search for remakes of a game title you particularly enjoyed and you may be surprised at what you find. There are games that have been updated to be 3D, such as some old favourites of mine: Pac man (http://www.caiman.us/scripts/fw/f1292.html) and Barbarian (http://www.dgdevteam.tk/), and while these might not always be brilliant games or remakes in their own right, the thought and effort put in often leads to an enjoyable diversion. There are also more traditional versions of games that have just updated the code as well as possibly the graphics so that they can still be run. So if you’re feeling nostalgic or just can’t get the hang of these new-fangled games that require you to push fifty buttons in a precise configuration just to jump, you may like to check out the emulation and remake scene. It’s surprisingly entertaining to go back in time to when games were simple yet fun.

Create Your Own Digital Library

The moment you got your first digital camera, your view of the world has totally changed. You always seem to see something beautiful or artistic in your surroundings, worthy of being captured in pixels. You experiment quite a lot and keep on loading your pictures in your computer. Until one day, you thought of working on a project. You’re sure you have the kind of picture you need – you knew you have it somewhere in your hard disk… in one of those folders… You can’t run a search for it though because you pretty much use generic filenames like Flower1, Flower2, Flower 3 and so on. Uh-oh! Looks like it’s high time for you to organize your digital photos!Microsoft has something that can help you do that. It’s called the Microsoft Digital Image Suite 9, which actually consists of two imaging applications – MS Digital Image Library 9, which serves as your database of digital images and MS Digital Image Pro 9, which is a photo manipulation program.A lot of people may like it’s familiar Explorer-like interface – the left pane being the folder pane, while the right side of the window is the image browser, showing thumbnails of your images. The good thing about Digital Image Library 9 is that you wouldn’t have to transfer your photos from their current location. Instead, it scans your hard disk and locates folders it considers photo folders, afterwhich you may deselect folders that are not appropriate. The images may then be sorted according to date or keywords. From here, you may double-click on a photo to bring it up in a full-screen view and use the basic controls for zoom, fit to screen, rotate and print. You may also select multiple photos for slideshow, the speed of which range from 1 second to 1 minute. Oftentimes, pictures taken with a digital camera contains metadata. These are information about the photo, such as shutter speed and the date and time the photo was taken. Digital Image Library 9 allows you to add these metadata with captions and keywords to easily categorize and later on identify images. Another nifty feature of this application is that it even allows you to rate your photos! From the preview pane, simply click on how many stars, the highest being five, you wish to assign each photo.If you wish to do some retouches on an image, simply click the edit button and Digital Image Pro 9 launches and opens the selected image. This application has a lot of quick-fix features such as the Red Eye tool and the Smart Erase, which caters to novice retouchers and home users who don’t want anything complicated.Being the all-in-one application that it is, Microsoft Digital Image Suite 9 comes with tons of mats, frames and templates for creating professional photo projects such as scrapbooks, photo albums, calendars and postcards. You may also get Microsoft Photo Story, an add-on to the suite that lets you turn your photos into video. Simply choose which photos to include then add some narration if you have a microphone and add music and zooming effects.

Press Release MX8 - Heralded as the most PERFECT Computer System with Click Instant Performance and x800!

MX8 - Heralded as the most PERFECT Computer System with Click Instant Performance and x800!
World's Proven Most Powerful and Fastest Computer - MX8 with Pentium 4 3400MHz E (EXTREME EDITION Blows away Apple's G5) and 500GB SATA-X Hyperdrives. No other computer proves to be as fast, convenient or complete as Michael's Computers MX8 Tower
Marina Del Rey, CA July 9, 2004 -- MX8 - World's only Computer with Click Instant Technology (If you have to wait when you click, your computer is TOO slow)"When someone hears about Michael's fastest computers" - 1000's of clients worldwide voice the same after seeing a system from Michael's Computers. Maybe that's why those who use Michael's Computers are the only fortunate customers to experience CLICK INSTANT performance. Outdated computers are those that when you click something, you have to wait for it to load to come on. All programs launch instantly on Michael's Computers MX8 3400 Pentium 4 Enhanced Edition Processor (Much faster than Previous HT Version or Apple G5!)Michael's MX8 Tower continues to be the most powerful Desktop in the world. Featuring the NEW Intel Pentium 4 HT 3400MHz Extreme Edition Processor, it outperforms it's nearest competition AMD (AMD FX-53) processor by over 65% and is over 40% faster than Apple's G5!. Significantly faster due to Michael's integration of over 1024MB of PC4000 DDR Memory, 500 GB SATA-X Hard Drives (That's more than 500,000 MB of space!), ATI's VERY latest X800 Video which is 85% faster and richer than Nvidia's latest 6800 256MB DDR Video Card. Technology developed by Industrial Light and Magic (a George Lucas Company) or ATI's Radeon 256MB x800 8X AGP Video Card (updated with Direct X 9.01b), SoundBlaster's Platinum Audigy ZX 108dB Soundboards (up to 7.1 Surround Sound), 8X DVD Re-Writeable, 52X CD-R's, and SO MUCH MORE...there is no computer on the market that performs as best as the MX8 day in and day out. Compare to ANY system and you just won't find the speed or power better than in a Michael's MX8...if it doesn't have the EAGLE, a computer systems speed does not FLY.Everything is working fine and I have all I need so far. Still can't believe the incredible speed this MX8 computer has. I will be getting a laptop next from you guys. If I can send some business your way I will. I guess I can invite some of my friends to come check out my MX8 and see what it can do. I know they will be in awe. I surely was. Thanks again Michael for the incredible systems you build. This is the FASTEST production computer I ever had.--Darryll Patterson, Belle Glade, FloridaMichael's Computers invites you to stop by www.MichaelsComputers.com today and by simply asking, they will install an extra 512MB of PC4000 DDR MEMORY FREE!Additionally, Michael's Computers bundles top of the line software that makes computing more useful, productive and fun. There is never a point in buying a system, unless you have stellar software to run and show off the performance.With the longest 8 year warranties in the business, world's only proven systems to load programs and run operations nearly instantly, best service and web posted benchmarks, Michael's Computers have personally proven to have manufactured the perfect computer system, both desktops and laptops, for the professional and gamer user.United States Navy Sidewinder Missile Division in California - "We have computers from every company, and your MX Systems surpass every computer we have ever tested. Our technicians saw your latest systems and they practically drooled over them"Where parts may be similar, side by side, no other computer can be as instant or as fast. Many wonder how this is possible? Simple explanation - Ever wonder how one V8 engine in a car can be beat by another manufactures V8 in another car? It's always the way a system is built and optimized that makes the total difference.Who builds your system at Dell, Compaq, Gateway, HP, IBM, Alienware or any other company? Do you actually get to know the maker? Why do you think more people trust Michael's Computers?About Michael's Computers:Michael's Computers, founded in 1996, is the world leader in design and manufacturing of the highest performance computer systems under the brand names MX8 (Previously MX7 which the MX stands for "Michael's Xtreme" and the number stands for years in warranty AND business). The company does 100 Percent business online and can be contacted by mail at 4712 Admiralty Way, Suite 359, Marina Del Rey, Ca 90292.Michael's Computers have been designing world performance systems for Gamers, Web Designers, 3D Cad Designers, Law Offices, Realtors, Doctors, Movie Producers, Audio Enthusiasts and personal within the US Navy, US Air Force and US Marine Corp since 1996!Michael's Computers systems are sold throughout the United States and also ship as far as Canada, Alaska, Ireland, Australia, Germany, UK and London.

New Features of Macromedia Flash MX

In the times of yore, videos all over the web are quite disappointing. It is like delivering a mediocre performance to annoyed expectators. But then, a transition from the passé made a dramatic exposure. The release of Macromedia’s Flash MX marked a leap in the development of rich content productivity and stability of video across the Internet. It proves that these things can still be made superior and outstanding.Video compression is one of the booming segments in the online industry. The outcome of full-screen, full-motion video all over the Net is improving everyday. This will gradually wreck the pessimism towards online media. I agree that productive media is the key to online advertising growth. I also believe that Macromedia Flash will turn out to be the industry’s spine to hold everything in order. Macromedia will not change the given fact in just a spur of the moment however, this will ultimately result in a richer user experience. The increasing demand for rich media will give way to the development of video codec algorithms which includes compression and decompression.Flash’s greatest ability is to deliver animated images in a vector format. It means that the file size is not dependent on the image quality. Vectorization now becomes subordinate to the necessity to have rich and reliable content. Flash works with video by allowing developers to import a video file. Then the file is manipulated, scaled, rotated, skewed, masked and made interactive using scripting. Video format supported by QuickTime or Windows Media Player together with MPEG, DV (Digital Video), MOV (Quick Time), and AVI can be imported.Macromedia took into consideration the flourishing wireless and handheld market. In fact, they are about to release a new 3G cell spectrum. Flash MX ships with templates for Nokia handsets and Pocket PC devices with other platforms that are soon to follow. The SDK comprises reference platforms for Windows CE, Windows 32 and even Linux. Flash support to electronic devices such as cell phones, PDAs, interactive TV systems, Internet appliances, game machines and in-room hotel entertainment system is also in the stage of brainstorming. Macromedia acknowledges the ability of designers and developers to gain additional market opportunities in the near future by delivering Flash content for Internet-enabled devices. The company’s vision to define the user experience on platforms through lightweight content and flexible format that can adapt to smaller screens without sacrificing functionality is now very much accessible.

iPhoto 5 Magnified

Want a user-friendly, efficient and versatile digital imaging software that allows you to be creative and produce professional projects? Then you’ll definitely love iPhoto 5. It has the standard functions one can expect from an image editing application – the Red-Eye button for well, red eyes, the Retouch Brush for removing blemishes and other unwanted “dirt,” freehand Crop Tool to capture only the best elements of your photo in one frame, the Straighten tool to level horizons using the handy-dandy grid, and the Advanced Editing Dashboard for precise adjustment of black and white points using the Levels tool, adjustment of exposure and color saturation, modification of color temperature and for fine-tuning tint, as well as brightness and contrast. While editing a photo, iPhoto 5 even allows you to compare it with the original image simply by holding down the Control key. You can also reset all the adjustments you’ve done with the different sliders using a single button. Yup, iPhoto 5 has all these… and so much more.It supports not only the oh-so famous JPEG file format, but even the RAW file format, which has become a favorite among professional photographers and higher-end enthusiasts who wish to preserve the maximum image quality. It also supports the MPEG-4 file format for video clips and if you’re concerned about file size, don’t worry – iPhoto 5 imports them just as fast and easy as it would JPEGs and from almost any data source too. With a USB cable, simply plug in your gadget to your Mac, whether it’s your digital camera or your memory card reader or your iPod and iPhoto would automatically launch. It would then give you a dialog box where you can put in information about your images like name, subject, keywords and other metadata, which you can later on use for fast and easy search of photos, albums or digital roll. You can also import images stored in CDs or your hard drive in two ways – either you select and add your image folders to the library from the File menu or simply drag the folder into the iPhoto window.Lastly, one of the many features that iPhoto 5 prides itself of is the intelligent and advanced slideshow feature. First off, the slideshows are separate from the albums. Therefore, you can modify the contents of one slideshow, like maybe add a few images from another album, without affecting the albums themselves. And since iPhoto 5 supports MPEG-4, you can create slideshows consisting of both still images and video clips. It also has a lot of fantastic transitions, which you can control the speed and direction of, and even allows you to adjust the slide duration on a per-image basis. You might be thinking, a good soundtrack would be lovely too – but setting the perfect timing may be difficult to achieve. With iPhoto 5, you wouldn’t have to worry about that as it has a tight integration with iTunes. Simply select a song or an entire playlist from your iTunes library and iPhoto will do the math for you and synchronize your music with your slideshow! Now how’s that for a total viewing experience? Your family and friends might think that you had a professional do all these creative work for you!

LCD Touch Screen Computer Monitor

Liquid Crystal Display Touch Screen Computer Monitor is a widely used monitor as compared to its counterpart Cathode Ray Tube Computer Monitor. LCD Touch Screen Computer Monitor offers exceptional performance at a fairly reasonable price. This high contrast LCD Touch Screen Computer Monitor is brighter than a normal desktop. LCD Monitors feature a standard interface with a power switch to extend the life of the monitor and a reliable internal power supply for easy hook-up via a standard power cord. LCD Touch Screen Computer Monitors have a sturdy aluminum case and sealed glass construction. It gives LCD Computer Monitors protection against dirt and moisture. All this makes LCD Touch Screen Computer Monitor the ideal choice for a wide variety of applications. If you just plug the LCD into your Touch Screen Computer in place of a CRT, you’d end up running in minutes. The LCD Touch Screen Computer Monitor is the easiest monitor you can use. LCD Touch Screen Computer Monitors are very popular for eye pleasing clarity and stunning image quality. Many manufacturers produce lots of designs for a wide array of customer monitor solutions, including desktop, touch screen, and open frame units. LCD Touch Screen Computer Monitors are compact, visually impressive, and offer many different touch screen models to fit your needs. Moreover you can get most of these designs at affordable prices.LCD Touch Screen Computer Monitor was designed to address the key needs of touch applications, resulting in a product that can truly be called "designed for touch." LCD Touch Screen Computer Monitor has a unique combination of flexibility, reliability, performance, easy installation and a distinctive visual appeal. Most of the LCD Touch Screen Monitors have high quality panel with 140°x140° viewing angle, analog and digital (DVI-D) video inputs.

Broadband ISP Comparsion

The Search for the right ISP The search for the right ISP includes a number of factors. Cost is obviously important. So is the quality of the connection. Other features that are included can also be good. It is also important to know if it is available in your area. There are a variety of ISPs to choose from. Because of this, it is important to choose the best ISP for you. For most subscribers, cost is the most important thing about an ISP. Even though cost is a big issue, many people are not willing to have the poor quality and voluminous advertising that comes with free ISPs. With free ISPs not worth considering, most people then begin looking at lower cost ISPs. As with most things, if there is a lot of flashy advertising, the ISP is probably going to be more expensive. Lower cost ISPs tend to have less advertising. A good way to find them is by searching on the Internet. Even if the price is right, you don't want to go with an ISP that has a weak connection. This can be a recurring problem with ISPs that use cable or phone lines. It can also be a problem if your ISP has too many people trying to access the Internet at the same time, usually during peak times. This happens mostly with dial-up ISP's that do not have an adequate number of phone numbers. It is also smart to make sure that the tasks you do online are compatible with an ISP you are considering using. AOL users sometimes experience problems with some websites and Internet tasks. This is a result of the AOL program being so dominating. Many frequently visited sites have a listing of ISP's that have difficulties with the site. However, this tends to apply to sites that feature music, video and graphics effects but it doesn't usually apply to straight text sites. The features offered by an ISP are an added bonus. Do some research to find the ISPs that address your needs. If you don't want the hassle of pop-ups you will want to look at ISPs that offer pop-up blockers and virus protection. Most parents have concerns about their children surfing the web. If so, you will want a feature that blocks adult sites. All ISPs offer a variety of features, and often come up with new ones, so finding one that is suitable for you is really not that difficult. Always check for availability. It would surprise some people to know that there are ISPs that are not widely available. Free and low cost ISPs are notorious for this problem. You also need to make sure they have a local number in your area, because if not, you could be hit with costly long distance charges. Also, if the ISP doesn't have enough local numbers, you can find yourself not being able to connect during peak hours.

Flat Monitor Panel Screen Touch

The best advantage of a Flat Monitor Panel Screen Touch is its size, or lack of it! . Earlier, people used CRT monitors, which were big and occupied lots of space. But now with new advancements in technology, Flat Monitor Panel Screen Touch is widely used. All the work in a Flat Monitor Panel Screen Touch is done behind its thin screen by liquid crystals and millions of transistors. So, the Flat Monitor Panel Screen Touch doesn't need a long case.If you are looking for more table space, the Flat Monitor Panel Screen Touch is handy for you. Flat Monitor Panel Screen Touch with a built-in USB port is even more handy, if your touch screen monitor has all four USB ports in the back of the machine. No longer you are needed to pull the computer out from behind the desk, to simply download pictures from your digital camera. You just plug the camera into one of the Flat Monitor Panel Screen Touch's USB ports, and you're good to go.Another nice thing about Flat Monitor Panel Screen Touch is its level of brightness. Flat Monitor Panel Screen Touch displays are also usually crisper. Graphics and Text have sharper edges on the Panel Touch Screen Monitors. CRT Monitors use an analog signal, i.e., it is carried on a wave. Flat Panel Monitors can be either analog, or digital. Many flat Monitor Screen Touch Panels have connections for both.Using a Digital Flat Monitor Panel Screen Touch depends on your video card. This is a circuit board inside your computer. Its output points stick out of the back of your Flat Panel Monitor Screen Touch. If your Flat Monitor Panel Screen Touch is relatively new, you may have both digital and analog outputs on your video card.

Tools of the Trade: Photo Editing

With digital cameras becoming a hit not only to professional photographers, it is understandable that creations of digital image files are also increasing. It is actually the magic of being able to manipulate your photos – edit and organize them and make certain special effects that digital image files become interesting and essential. In order to keep in line with the best and easiest ways of editing, organizing and storing digital photos, latest software application programs for digital photo enhancements are being introduced. Here, we give you an overview of the features of some of the newest tools to maximize your digital image editing efforts:1. Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 – this latest offering of Adobe offers enhanced features not only for editing your digital photos but also helps you in organizing your files. Ten new features makes it an all-in-one home photo solution: 1)could perfect, transform, organize and share your digital photos; 2) ability to brush away flaws on your photo; 3) can create dynamic slideshows; 4) can send themed photo e-mail; 5) you can enjoy flexible print options;6) you could get high quality images with camera raw and 16-bit support; 7) you’re given the chance to pick your best shot from among many; 8) photos for safekeeping can be archived; 9) gives you the full color range, and; 10) have intuitive capability to instantly fix common flaws. Can’t wait to get your hands on this new software? You may expect its shipping on November. It costs $99.99 and can be ordered from the Adobe Site! 2. Microsoft’s Digital Image Suite 10 – this offering by Microsoft debuted last month, with expanded set of tools to satisfy your passion for digital photography. This includes all new features found in Digital Image Pro and more and Digital Image Library for those dead– set in a digital photography career0. Several innovative features are: 1) by cataloging photos in Digital Image Library guarantee you quick storing and retrieving of photos; 2) with Photo Story 2.0, you could create videos using your photos, with all the audio-visual effects; 3) as you view your photos, flags allow you to designate the next-steps to do with your photos; 4) on-click Auto Fixes help you adjust color, exposure and more; 5) complex editing problems can be handled easily with Color and Exposure toolsets; 6) Panoramic Stitching lets you piece together multiple horizontal and vertical photos; 7) allows precise adjustments over five curves; 8) you can remove unwanted noise in your pictures; 9) with Fix Red Eye Tool to remove red eye from photos; 9) can delete unwanted things in the background of your photo by the Smart Erase tool. Good news! It’s available on the market already and costs $129.If the two tools given above doesn’t satisfy you enough, you could still have other reliable tools for your Photo Editing. You may try Jac’s Paint Shop Pro 9 and Apple’s iPhoto for other needed features to help you with your Digital Images. -30- About the author:Lala C. Ballatan is a 26 year-old Communication Arts graduate, with a major in Journalism. Right after graduating last 1999, she worked for one year as a clerk then became a Research, Publication and Documentation Program Director at a non-government organization, which focuses on the rights, interests and welfare of workers for about four years. Book reading has always been her greatest passion -- mysteries, horrors, psycho-thrillers, historical documentaries and classics. She got hooked into it way back when she was but a shy kid. Her writing prowess began as early as she was 10 years old in girlish diaries. With writing, she felt freedom – to express her viewpoints and assert it, to bring out all concerns -- imagined and observed, to bear witness.

Experience the Lighter Side of the Internet

We all know the Internet is a great tool for finding out information and sharing knowledge. But as a human sometimes sitting at a computer all day can get quite tedious, especially if it is your job 5 days a week. This feeling can be compounded by other problems in one’s personal life, and the result can mean little productivity because of a sour mood. Well humanity does have a lighter side, and this too can be explored on the Internet. Sometimes a little humor or interesting trivia can really take the edge off a bad moment. You’d be surprised at how much comedy and insight is expressed on the Net. I’ve been exploring what’s out there and I just can’t stop laughing. Laughter of course is the ultimate medicine and some believe it to be the highest form of life. My only warning is don’t get hooked on this stuff as your work ethic will probably become worse than ever!Now, there’s a lot of stuff on the Net and not all of it is positive humor, but you can surf around the undesirable stuff with ease. To give you an idea of some funny sites I discovered, here is a short list but I’m sure there are thousands of others you can find by doing simple word searches: www.bored.com, www.linkydinky.com, www.chickenjoke.com, www.crazyfads.com, www.crazythoughts.com, www.dancingbush.com, and www.stupidvideos.com. I really advise checking out the last site and watching the video entitled ‘Evil penguin2’. This nearly brought tears to my eyes as I already have a soft spot for penguins.So, you’ve got jokes, funny videos, kooky trivia, strange thoughts and perspectives on different aspects of life, and even the most ‘powerful’ man on Earth-George Bush doing an animated dance imitating John Travolta in ‘Saturday Night Fever’. You’ve really got no reason anymore to sit in front of your computer worrying and wallowing in self-pity. I’ve always thought that humans have put too much emphasis on technological development as opposed to the spiritual side of things. This comedic aspect to the Internet has shown me that people can also be quite clever in more lighthearted endeavors. Some of the ideas on these sites really flip the world upside down and make you question why we do the things the way we do. This could be considered a step forward in our evolution as we see the underlying truths in our cultural systems.Laughter is the key to humanity reaching a higher level of consciousness. Imagine if everyone on our planet could all be happy enough in one moment to laugh at the same time. The Earth would shake, the seas would rise, and all the animals would stop what they’re doing to join in. The vibration would probably cause a ripple to flow out into space affecting other planetary systems. Then, imagine all the beings of the Universe laughing at one time. We’re talking serious celebrations! We’re talking about black holes folding in on themselves in result of the positive energy wave forces demolishing all negative forces in their path! It’s called the Laughter Revolution, and it might just be the next step for you to take to reach that long awaited goal of happiness. Come on, take a look around, there’s a whole world of funniness just under the surface of our perceived ‘normal’ reality. We have to wake up and smell the cheese…Oh the sweet cheese.

Clueless About What You Can Buy On Ebay?

Being clueless on what items to buy on E-bay is a phase. In fact, it's the very first step to online shopping. With every new day, online shoppers conquer more E-bay buying techniques, and slowly lift off the novice's launch pad. From then on, online shoppers realize there's more they can buy on E-bay than meets the eye. Generally, E-bay is comprised of almost all the things a buyer would want and need under the sun. In fact, it seems that E-bay's selling almost everything. Because of its diversity in items being sold, E-bay categorized each item for easier search. Though, each listing varies from one country to another. Generally, online shoppers may choose to buy things under the category of antiques. These may include old-fashioned decors; house wares; vintage cars, clothing, and accessories; historic collector's item; and old postcards. Buyers may also deliberate on buying items classified under the automotive category. These may range from cars to accessories to almost insignificant extras like car stickers, car perfumes, and collectibles. Those who are looking for computer gadgets, electronic bolts, or printers may look at the Electronics and Computers category of E-bay. E-bay listings also have the basic necessities like clothes, shoes, and accessories. It also includes different kinds of jewelries like trinkets, charms, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, watches, and ornaments. Those who are looking for stamps and other collectables like postcards, old papers, even different kinds of minerals, rocks, and fossils will find E-bay a very lucrative place to do online shopping. E-bay also caters to people who are into sports. Buyers can find different sorts of sports gadgets, sports get-ups, and tools. Those who are hobbyists may also find practical tools for their respective hobbies like gardening tools, cross-stitching paraphernalia, cooking and baking utensils, or scrapbooks. Best of all, E-bay offers a great line of entertainment appliances and high-tech gadgets like mobile phones, mp3 players, pc tablets, PDAs, memory cards, flash cards, video cameras, digital cameras, audio recorders, sensors, and camcorders. Aside from these common items that reflect fads and fashions in today's contemporary society, e-bay has also that special section that consists of "everything else." These are the things that do not fall under the basic categories. These are ephemera, costumes, children's themed gift sets, party packages, mobile sim card, and mobile load, even a Google account. With these things, buyers can be assured of a wide array of things and gadgets that would serve them best provided that it does not fall under E-bay's prohibited list.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is the hot topic on many boards today. It is also the hot topic in many laboratories and software houses. The military is trying to harness it to replace humans, the game houses are trying to control it to make games more realistic and the appliance makers and homebuilders are trying to perfect it to make our lives easier. One of the great questions is, is artificial intelligence a good thing? It sure seems like it, doesn't it? Imagine coming home from a rough day at the office and your intelligent washer and dryer have not only washed and dried your clothes, but folded them as well. You meal is waiting for you but it was not prepared by human hands, instead your intelligent refrigerator has sent food to your oven which cooked it for you. You TV has turned itself on and switched to your favorite station so you might enjoy your meal with your favorite program. When you are done eating, the dishes are collected by a robotic machine and put into the dishwasher. An intelligent vacuum cleaner comes out and cleans the area where you were eating so that any crumbs that might have fallen were picked up immediately. You decide you want to talk to a few friends, so you tell your television that you want to make some phone calls and it connects you to several people at the same time creating a conference call, except you can see each person in a square on the TV. You talk for a while and then hang up. You feel like playing a game so you tell the TV and it replies,” Name of Game Please and Play Human or Me?" If you decide to play a human you are immediately connected to the internet, if not, you are about to play one of the toughest opponents, the computer which is integrated into your TV. Oh look here comes the dog, a dog you never have to feed. It is the Sony dog, a slick little robotic dog that acts much like a real dog. You play with it for a while, but you get the urge. Into the bathroom you go. The toilet will examine all your waste products and if anything is wrong it will contact your doctor right away. Now you decide to go to bed and enter a room where clouds sail over the ceiling. You lay down and a soothing voice asks "What time shall I wake you and what sounds would you like to hear?" You tell the voice (it really is part of the computer in your tv) to wake you at 7:00 am and to play ocean sounds for 10 minutes.Does all this sound good? Much of the above exists already. As we create smarter and smarter devices are we getting near creating life? At what point does something become aware? Can a computer ever become so smart that it is a living being? Some people think that we are nothing more than organic computers that were programmed and offer our genes as proof. One of the problems that exist today is how to tell if something is truly alive. If we were to build the perfect robot that could interact with humans without being detected as a machine, would it be considered alive? Many would say yes and many would say no. The yes people would say that because the robot can make decisions on its own that are the equivalent of decisions that a human would make than it must be alive. The no people would argue that it is simply following a program created by man and it is a machine without a soul. If we taught an animal to react a certain way under certain conditions would this mean he was programmed and not alive? If we offer our dog a bone but only give it to him if he sits up and begs does this mean he is not alive but programmed? It seems that programming is not exclusive to life or self-awareness. Some says that computers are just a bunch of electrical circuits. I would have to remind them that without electricity the human body would be just a pile of skin, bones and organs. It seems that we have now eliminated electricity as being a reason to deny life to machines. Then there are those that say that computers are not alive because they only know what is programmed into them. I would have to remind these people that there are dynamic programs out there that allow machines to learn on their own. After all, isn't that the way we learn, we are programmed (school) and we also learn some things on our own (dynamic programming)? Neural networks are developing that mimic the behavior of our human brains. Computer 'creatures' have been created that can learn, age, procreate and finally die. Of course these creatures are very primitive by our standards.Life certainly is not easy to define. Webster's Dictionary states that life is "The quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body." It would seem that the Webster people considered only organic beings as being capable of life since they decided that a dead body was necessary for non-life. Yet there is a second definition by Webster that states that life is a principle or force that is considered to underlie the distinctive quality of animate beings. Being animate is now made a requirement for life. Both the Soviet Union and the United States had built, during the cold war, what at the time were considered super computers that could make split second decisions on whether to launch missiles against countries which had launched missiles against them and both systems proved to be flawed. This proved that it is not so easy to teach a machine how to be able to plan for every contingency. We have advanced quite a bit from those days. Now many of us have more powerful computers on our desks then those super computers of old. At some point we are going to be able to communicate with our computers the same way we communicate with another human. When this happens, what will we have? If we can actually get an intelligent conversation out of our computer, then at least, some people may begin to wonder what we have created. Imagine that someday you want to remove a part from the computer for use somewhere else and the computer complains. Will you feel that maybe the computer is becoming self-aware? Now here is a question that really shakes things up. If we are able someday to download the contents of a human brain into a machine, will that machine become self aware, in other words, will it be alive? Just think of it, a machine that acts just like you. This may be much more far fetched, but what if we could download the contents of an intelligent machine into a human brain, would that person cease to be human and living? We would probably still have to consider him alive since the organic functions were still operating. I guess as time goes by we are getting closer and closer to machine life and someday someone will have to decide if machine life is really life at all.

Artificial Intelligence

The Three Principles Of Image Optimization

Are you losing visitors to your web site due to slow page load times? Is your site being penalized because the images on your site are too large? Are you able to capture your visitor’s attention in the first 10-15 seconds that they are on your site?All of these problems can be caused by an improperly optimized web page. In other words, the page loads too slowly and your visitor leaves before you have had a chance to hook them.Optimizing a page for quick load times can be broken down into 3 broad categories: the basic coding of the page, scripts that are used on the page, and images. Of these three, images that are too large can have the most significant impact on load times and therefore have the greatest potential for improved page loading times if properly optimized.A brief primer on image typesThere are many image formats in common use on web sites, the three most popular being GIF, JPEG, and to a lesser extent Flash content. We will be limiting our discussion to GIF and JPEG images, with a specific focus on still images.Each of these image formats has their strengths and weaknesses. GIF or Graphics Interchange Format was developed by CompuServe before the Internet boom as a way to share images on the CompuServe service. Due to limitations with screen resolutions and color depths at the time, GIF images were limited to showing up to 256 colors, more colors were imitated by Dithering, a process of fooling the eye into seeing one color by using 2 or more sets of color dots spaced too closely for the eye to distinguish separately. Imagine a chessboard with black and white squares. When viewed closely we can distinctly see the individual squares, but if we back off far enough we will no longer be able to discern the individual squares and instead we will see one large grey square, the black and white squares merging together in our eyes to form one solid color. This is the concept behind dithering.The JPEG file format on the other hand is a newer format that can handle millions of colors easily. The initial drawback to JPEG images is that they do contain many more colors, and each color requires some coding for display, making the file size larger.Speeding up image load timesThe main idea behind making an image load faster is to make the file size smaller. This can be accomplished in two ways, you can either make the dimensions of the image smaller, or decrease the amount of coding that is required to display the image. The easiest way to reduce an images file size is to reduce the image’s physical dimensions. In other words, the smaller the image, the smaller the file size. Imagine an image that is a square 80 pixels by 80 pixels. The number of pixels contained in the image is 80x80 or 6400 individual pixels. If we reduce the image size by one half to 40 pixels by 40 pixels we then have 40x40 or 1600 pixels. So reducing the image size in half reduces the file size to one fourth of the original.This is our First Principle of Image File Size Reduction: Use the smallest image dimensions that will work with your layout. And likewise the fewer images on the page, the fewer image pixels, therefore the smaller the page size.Since GIF and JPEG image formats use different methods of saving image information, they tend to be better at showing some types of images and worse at showing others.GIF images, since they are limited to 256 colors per image, are better at displaying images with large solid blocks of color and images with very small physical dimensions. The GIF format will produce smaller file sizes than JPEG for these types of images.JPEG images are better at showing gradients or subtle changes from one color to another. Therefore JPEGs reproduce photographs very well, or any other image with gradations. The JPEG format will produce smaller file sizes for these types of images than the GIF format will.This is our Second Principle of Image File Size Reduction: Choose the correct image format for the image you are using. Most web pages will contain a combination of GIF and JPEG images.Decreasing the coding is called image compression. Both GIF and JPEG images can be compressed but the process is different. In GIF images we try to limit the number of colors, in a JPEG image we use software algorithms to remove redundant information from the file.Whenever we compress a file we will lose some image quality. We have to reach a balance between a small file size and acceptable image quality. This is our Third Principle of Image File Size Reduction: Find the least acceptable level of image quality. Most images can handle some compression with very little quality loss, and all images can stand more image quality loss and still be acceptable. Your job is to decide how much quality loss you can accept. In other words, the lower the quality, the smaller the file size.GIF images can usually be reduced from 256 colors to 128 colors or less, the fewer colors used the smaller the file size. JPEG images can almost always be reduced to a quality setting of 80nd frequently can be reduced down to as little as 15-30àSo when you use a higher compression level (smaller number) the file size will be reduced. Experiment with the image, try smaller and smaller settings until you find the smallest setting that still displays an acceptable quality.The fastest loading page will have no images and the slowest loading page will be completely filled with full resolution images. If you work towards controlling your images using the principles outlined above you will have a very lean web page that will load quickly and be viewed favorably by the search engines.

Invest Wisely When Buying A Laptop

Have you priced a laptop computer lately? Buying a new laptop is a big investment; and just how big of an investment you want to make is entirely up to you. Look in your Sunday newspaper flyers to see countless models on sale each week. Initially selections were made by looking at the specifications and the general appearance. However that’s not the sole criteria any longer. Everyday more and more people are now stepping inside the mobile world. With so many models of laptops now available, how can you be sure about the choice you make? Below are several factors you should consider: CPU (Central Processing Unit), Video Card, hard disk, noise, battery life and RAM (Random Access Memory).CPU is the main component which determines the performance of your computer and also the heating and the battery life. There is a trade-off between the CPU performance and the battery-life and power consumption (heating). If you want a laptop which would replace a desktop and if you are not planning to travel with it a lot then there are several different offers with desktop CPUs integrated in the laptop main board (such as a P4).If you are fond of mobility and are going to use your new laptop for your business purposes or school, then you should consider buying a laptop with more suitable CPUs. AMD Athlon can be a solution: Athlon processors are designed for users who are looking for economical solutions, both purchase and usage. Older models of Athlon are no where near Intel Pentium products from the point of performance, and yet new models like 2800 are potent enough to compete with P4 2.8 GHz.There is one more model of CPU that many of the customers prefer: Centrino. Centrino is the new attempt of Intel to balance the tradeoff between the performance and mobility issues. With the 2 MB second level cash, the Pentium CPU is modified for the laptop which eases the burden of the CPU and implicitly pulls down the levels of heating and power consumption.RAM and the graphic card are also two important factors for the quality of the laptop. There are two kinds of RAM on the market: SD RAM and DD RAM. In any case, there is no tradeoff, no comparison: DD RAM is better, and yet, you still have to be careful about the clock specification of the RAM. If you buy a RAM with 3.0 MHz clock speed, you will see the performance improvement it supplies to the whole system. Another thing to consider is that some computers have 512 MB RAM with two slots (256 x 2) which is not very good for the new laptop you are going to buy. Overall, if you want a good laptop, you should consider one equipped with a 3.0 MHz, 512 MB, DD RAM.There are various video cards on the market today. The first thing you should check is the “ON-Board” specification in the video card. These cards are integrated into the main board and generally use your main RAM as for the video memory. If you are going to use your laptop for general purposes, not for gaming or 3-D design which would require 3D hardware acceleration, these laptops with onboard video card are for you. However, if you are a professional Counter Strike player, you would be disappointed with the screen delays and freezes.The last technical detail is the hard disk. While buying a hard disk there is a detail which is much more important then the capacity: RPM. Rotation Per Minute determines how fast the data transfer rate is to the CPU to be processed so this specification also plays a huge role while dealing with multimedia stuff.So if you’re in the market for a new laptop computer, one suggestion is to consider buying a Centrino laptop with an onboard video card with a big RAM if you are planning to use it for school or business purposes and also randomly for movies and music. Nevertheless, Pentium computers with AGP or PCI Express video off-board video cards would give you the performance of a desktop if you don’t mind the weight, noise and the heating of the laptop.With so many decisions to make, take your time; do your homework and invest wisely.

VOIP For Your Business

Many businesses are considering VOIP for their telephone businees needs. Many don't know exactly when they should consider it an option for them. Many do not understand how it differs from regular telephone service and how the two differ.Many companies are now beginning to look into alternatives to high priced telephone systems currently in use. They are realizing that there are huge benefits financially to those switching over to VOIP. They are realizing there is greater functionality with VOIP as well as cost savings and room for growth.The simple basics of VOIP is that it uses high speed internet lines to carry voice traffic instead of telephone lines. There are two basic technologies.IP telephony runs over a local area network also known as a LAN. this is a very cost effective way for communicating within an organization. It allows voice transmissions between people within a company who are part of an internal network. VoIP is carried over a wide area network also know as a WAN. VoIP can be used to transmit voice through a WAN (such as the internet) or carry voice over a public WAN (such as the Internet) or a private WAN, which provides enhanced security for communications.Why would a business consider making this change?Large companies currenly use PBX systems. This is a private phone system within an organization. Users work with a certain number of lines for all external calls.Some companies use a cental office exchange service know as Centrex, which is basically a PBX in which all routing occurs not on a company's premises, but at the local telephone company. Some use "Key systems", which are very small PBXs, designed primarily for small offices. These systems all share the same problem. When it comes to long distance the costs are enormous. As more and more this becomes a global world, long distance becomes a major necessity and this means one thing...large long-distance bills, Coupled with this these systems are difficult to change or expand with company growth and are unsuited to support more technically advanced communications. Because these systems are based upon proprietary technologies, companies are limited to only what the phone companies provide.VOIP services make this a thing of the past. As VOIP gains popularity among companies seeking more cost effective services these antiquated phone systems are slowing disappearing. Expansion of services will be a breeze because of the technology involved with VOIP.Companies will benefit from reduced overall costs as IP-based voice technology can virtually eliminate toll calls. It also slashes the cost of making add-ons, moves and changes to the system. Enhanced functionality. VOIP offers all the options that callers are used to using such as call waiting, caller ID, unified messaging, directory services and vertical-specific applications. In addition, VOIP is a standard, open protocol, allowing companies to build their own audio applications or purchase other applications that will come from software developers. Easy Expanion. As your company expands and grows this cost effective system will allow for expansion with very little cost.Easy To Use. With VOIP, employees wil have many options--they can use a VOIP phone that is identical to a regular desk phone or use a "softphone" which loads into desktops, laptops or PDAs as software. Added benefit is that they will be able to use their telephone number in any location. In time VOIP networks will become even more usefull as it will be able to support the convergence of data, video and voice services. This will enable companies to be ready for a plethora of multimedia applications that are emerging from developers. VOIP technology will give guaranteed levels of reliability, quality of service and security. VOIP is now a fully developed technology, providing companies with a valuable voice system today, and allowing for the latest technological advances that will develop in the future. Companies need to get in on the ground floor to take advantage of all the new technology that is coming and the savings it will afford.

The End of TV

Television will soon be another reason to hook up to the Internet.In the not-so-distant future TV as we know it, will cease to exist. This is going to have huge ramifications on the whole of human society, or at least the so-called 'wealthy' countries that sit in front of the 'magic-story-box' religiously everyday. I say 'so-called' because we obviously measure wealth in terms of material gain and not internal peace or gratitude for life. When television first appeared, like the telephone (see last article on the changing world of voice-communication: 'Internet nerds are actually secret prophets who change the way our world works. Check out Skype, a type of future communication technology.') TV was an incredible addition to our collective reality. However, we are in the 'Information Age' and this means that the ways we do things as a species are changing faster than you can say, "Humans humorously hunt for humble hints at how to have more happiness." The coming of the Internet spells the end of the television era, and this could also mean the end of years of walking around with mindless advertising jingles in your head. The other day when I was washing the dishes I absent-mindedly started to sing the slogan from one of my local TV channels, "Bringing it home to you." If these silly songs are what they bring home to me, I am going to quite happy when they're gone. Thankfully, as TV shows are already putting episodes on-line these hard-core advertising techniques may soon disappear altogether. TV on the Internet means many things for the viewer. As the show is coming straight to you instead of through the old channel medium, you can have more control of the show, with elements of video, like pause and rewind coming into play. Watching a show straight through without commercials sounds like a godsend indeed. TV websites will still need corporate sponsorship for promotion elsewhere, so the concept of 'product placement' that has already come into play will most probably evolve further, especially in the case of International companies whose products are available universally. Hopefully these 'placements' don't go too far from reality thus taking us metaphorically back to times of 'canned' laughter and obviously contrived dialogue.I can just imagine Homer on the 'Simpsons' suddenly changing the beer he drinks from 'Duff' to Budweiser because it 'tastes great and is less filling.' As if he ever cared whether his doughnuts came from Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Doughnuts, or cared about his weight for that matter! So of course with all changes in life come both sides of the coin of positive and negative outcomes. Still, having TV integrated as another of the infinite capabilities of your personal computer makes life more simple, not to mention that the quality of the broadcast will be equal to the latest in digital technology.Someone will have to figure out what to do in the case of a person wanting to watch an American show when living in England or another foreign country. Your Internet Service Provider may choose to integrate local advertisements into the TV program, as the American commercials won't be relevant to the viewer overseas. TV-On-Demand (paying for individual shows) may also become one of the main viewing options.The main bonus in having television on the Internet is the idea that we will have more control over our lives. Instead of having to watch a show at a designated time that your channel decides, you will now be able to watch what you want, when you want it. No more missing shows, having to tape episodes, or worrying about your kids seeing something that you feel isn't suitable. The watcher becomes the ultimate controller of viewing reality, so theoretically life becomes easier. I won't dispute this fact but I will always be a firm believer that life truly improves when we improve our attitudes towards it. I also feel that what we produce presently on television needs to start evolving as much as the technology that provides it. Violence, crime, murder and death on the News and primetime are getting as old as my underwear. I won't mention in what year they were purchased.Just because there will be less channels to choose from doesn't mean there will be less to watch. On the contrary, there will probably be more and more shows and the chance for you to put your own show out there on a web site means much more variety. Broadcasters may keep producing groups of shows on websites, but there will surely be much more competition from producers who work on their own.

Using a Bluetooth Headset with your PC

If you use your computer for Voice over IP (VoIP) applications, chances are that at some time you’ve experienced frustration with the cords associated with traditional PC headsets. Imagine being able to roam throughout your home whilst talking to people around the world using a PC headset unencumbered by the constraints of wires. Whether you use a headset for PC to Phone conversations, instant messaging, gaming or video-conferencing, a Bluetooth solution may be just the ticket for your wireless cravings. BluetoothFor those of you not familiar with the term, Bluetooth refers to a wireless protocol (or set of rules) designed for short range electronic applications (usually less than 30 feet in distance). Although the technology has been around for several years, Bluetooth support for PC users has been limited due to hardware manufacturers focusing on the more traditional 802.11 wireless network protocols (wifi). In reality, Bluetooth and wifi achieve different purposes and each has its pros and cons.Cellular Telephone Bluetooth HeadsetsThe cellular telephone community has long embraced Bluetooth technology, developing and refining numerous wireless devices. One of the more popular Bluetooth applications for cellular telephones has been cordless headsets which enable users to leave their telephone in their bag or pocket while still being able to make and receive calls. Bluetooth headsets are generally very lightweight, worn over one ear and achieve talk times from 1-4 hours before needing a recharge.Bluetooth PC Headset?So if cellular telephone users have warmly embraced Bluetooth headsets, why not the PC community? At the time of writing, this author knows of no PC hardware manufacturer who has designed a Bluetooth Headset primarily for use with a PC. However, there is nothing to prevent a PC user from using a cellular phone Bluetooth Headset with their PC. Keep in mind though, these headsets were originally envisioned for cellular phone use and may need a bit of ‘tweaking’ before they’ll perform as well as ‘corded’ headsets on your computer.USB Bluetooth AdapterUnless you own a relatively expensive notebook PC, odds are that your computer doesn’t natively support the Bluetooth protocol. If this is the case, you’ll need an ‘Adapter’ or ‘Dongle’ in order to make your computer ‘Bluetooth enabled’. Bluetooth adapters are generally very small (a few inches long) and insert into a vacant USB port on your computer. When purchasing an adapter it’s critical that you buy one that supports the ‘headset protocol’. The headset protocol is merely a set of rules which enables your Bluetooth adapter to communicate with and make use of Bluetooth headsets in its vicinity. If your adapter does not support the headset protocol, no amount of ‘tweaking’ will get your headset working with your PC. Adapters generally run between $20 - $80 USD and can be purchased at most PC retailers.Buying a Bluetooth HeadsetBluetooth headsets for cellular phones are generally very expensive when compared with conventional ‘corded’ PC headsets. Depending on where you buy your headset, you could spend anywhere from $20 to $200+ USD. If you’re looking for a relatively inexpensive headset that’ll simply enable you to make wireless VoIP calls using your PC, I recommend looking on Ebay. Although prices vary considerably on Ebay between merchants for similar products, overall they are considerably less expensive than purchasing the same headset from a telephone store. A word of caution about Ebay though; ensure that you read the fine print associated with shipping costs. Some Ebay merchants advertise Bluetooth Headsets for $5 USD however the real cost quickly rises to $35+ when you account for their often exorbitant shipping charges.‘Pairing’ the Headset with your PCOnce your computer is ‘Bluetooth enabled’ and you’ve obtained a Bluetooth headset, you’ll need to ‘pair’ the headset with your computer in order to use it for VoIP applications. This is usually just a matter of setting your headset in ‘discovery mode’ and allowing your PC to ‘search’ or ‘discover’ Bluetooth devices. The steps needed to enable discovery mode on your headset and adapter will vary between devices and should be clearly explained in the documentation accompanying your devices. Adjusting your Audio SettingsDepending on your hardware and operating system, you may need to make adjustments to your audio settings after the headset is ‘paired’ with your PC. In the Windows operating system, this will involve accessing ‘Audio Properties’ through the ‘Control Panel’ and setting the audio and voice devices to your newly paired Bluetooth headset. Again, adjusting these settings should be covered in the documentation accompanying both your headset and Bluetooth adapter.Once you’re up and running, you’ll wonder why you didn’t adopt this wireless headset solution sooner. The freedom to wander away from your computer whilst maintaining voice over Internet conversations is something you’ll come to appreciate and love.

Podcasts are giving people a voice: Future Internet 4

This article has an accompanying image that can be viewed at http://m6.net/articles/images/padcastfinalv2.jpgI may seem a little bit slow but not all of us make it onto the 'boat of innovation' as fast as others. When I think about it, I have been missing the boat most of my life, but there's a new phenomenon that's come to town and I don't think I'm the last to hear about it. Podcasts, what are they? Well today I finally got my act together and brought my head out of the pit of ignorance where it had been dwelling in relative bliss. I have now experienced podcasts and I think I have an idea as to why and how this new form of Internet communication can bring a whole new level of intimacy to our human community.Podcasts are like blogs in the sense that they give any individual or group a means to express their ideas to the wider society. The difference is that you can now listen to the actual person's voice as well as to whatever information they have recorded for their visitors, like music or samples from other media sources. The force that grabs me is the power of connection one feels when you realize that you are hearing an individual person's thoughts. Some podcasts seem to be stream-of-consciousness dialogue, so you really feel like you are getting to know the essence of a so-called 'stranger' that you may never actually meet in the flesh. Other podcasts are set up so you can read the blog on the computer screen while at the same time getting to hear the voice of the author, which adds a whole new dimension to expressing oneself.I typed 'podcasts' into www.google.com and found this site, which has a list of many podcasts deemed to be the 'freshest in the known Universe': http://audio.weblogs.com/. I listened to a few on the list, including one called http://podchef.libsyn.com/. This is an average guy who happens to be a chef. He usually talks about all things gastronomical, but also shares his views on life in general. As I sat listening to this guy chatting away I couldn't help picturing him in his house, where he says he lives on an island on the coast of the USA. I had to wonder, what makes someone sit down at his or her computer at home and attempt to talk to the world? Does he know someone will be listening or is he just taking a chance that someone will? If there is someone hearing his thoughts, why does he want us to hear what he's saying anyway?I think the answers lie deep within our bloodlines, within our tribal instincts, which so much of the time lie dormant in the wine cellars of our minds. In our present planetary society of approximately 6 billion human souls, one can often feel that they are alone, that no one else knows they even exist. We get to hear the perspectives of the major billion-dollar media corporations about what life is supposed to mean to us, about what is 'important' to us. Many of us are feeling left out of the circle. We feel empty and strange because others don't mention the things that are relevant to us. This can often lead us to thinking that we are insignificant, disconnected, and that we don't 'fit in'. We have now reached a new era in our species' history. People are figuratively screaming out into the dark emptiness, pleading to be heard by someone that will understand them, and connect with them in a social relationship. A great society will be the one where individuals (people who have decided to interpret life for themselves through their own experience) reach out and realize the power of the people around them. Like a giant tribe, or a hive, we will learn to appreciate the skills, attributes, and voices of the whole team. This may result in all of us working together for the collective good of all, where we all feel that we are an imperative, important part of the group. I checked out a few other podcasts that were interesting in their own right like http://www.twistedlittlegnome.com/ Here two brothers that live on opposite sides of their country have conversations about 'geeky' ideas on-line. It's pretty cool, two people talking to each other, while we can listen and comment on their perspectives. http://dreammaker.libsyn.com/ is a very simple podcast that shows how you can use this medium to play music, showing others what you've made, or letting them know what you like to listen to. http://wichitarutherford.libsyn.com/ is a good example of how to incorporate photos or pictures to enhance the listening experience. http://oldtymeradioman.libsyn.com/ is a podcast dedicated to listening to old-style radio shows of the past. It's ironic that the construct of these old shows is being relived in this futuristic context, as many people are incorporating music and sound effects within their dialogue. It exemplifies the cyclic course that much of humanity's creativity travels over time.Like blogs and now vlogs (video blogs), podcasts are a sign that individual people need to connect with others in the community and are starting to speak out to the world. Listen to the voices of your fellow human beings and you might just come to realize that there are others like yourself, and that the way you see life in the Universe is a valid one. One day soon you too may decide to share your mind with the rest of us. You never know whom you may meet through the process. You also could find out more about yourself, when you hear your own voice speak its mind out loud.

File sharing - What you need to know!

File sharing on p2p is soaring despite the music and movie industry efforts to curb the practice. Regardless of which side of the arguement you are on it is likely that sharing of copyright material will continue in one form or another for the foreseeable future.With the advent of p2p file sharing it is possible to download music, movies, movie trailers, MP3's, TV shows, software, games and ringtones all for free. All that is required is a fast internet connection and some P2P software. A peer to peer computer network is a network used for sharing content like audio, video, data or anything in digital format. The best known example of p2p file sharing application was Napster. Napster was shutdown following a lawsuit with the music industry.Today, Napster has been replaced by a new type of application which required no central server and allows the anonymous sharing of files. The most common peer to peer networks today are Kazaa, Grokster, eMule and Morpheus.Be warned however that much of the content on p2p networks is copyright material and therefore downloading or sharing this material can violate copyright laws especially in light of the recent US Supreme Court rules against file-sharing services. There is also the risk of downloading viruses and spyware as these file-sharing networks are not secure. Spyware and adware programs are frequently bundled into P2P file sharing software. Downloaded material could also contain pornography. http://p2p-free.info

The Tools and Features of Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is one of the world's leading graphics editing programs, developed by Adobe Systems. Available on Mac OS or PC, Photoshop is used as one of the leading image design programs for the World Wide Web. The most recent version of Photoshop, or Photoshop CS2, "bridges" between other Adobe products such as Image Ready, Illustrator, Premiere, After Effects, and Encore DVD to produce professional videos and DVDs. Photoshop uses a file format called a .PSD or .PDD to store multiple layers of an image. Recently Adobe released a program called Photoshop Elements in order to give a less expensive version of Photoshop with many of the same features. Although Adobe Photoshop is used primarily in doing touch-up for digital photos, it is also used for creating designs for web pages and professional companies.Adobe Photoshop was originally created as a convenient and powerful way to retouch photos. Its most basic features include easily cropping and straightening photos that were either scanned ore taken with a digital camera. Under- or overexposed photos can be easily rescued with the retouch power of the Camera RAW and other plug-ins. Photos taken in difficult lighting situations can be perfected by a few clicks of a mouse. Filters and plug-ins can be used to make the picture seem old or change to black and white.Many web and graphics designers use Photoshop to create and design company logos and advertisements. Built in Photoshop effects and filters can make designing professional logos or advertisements a quick and simple process. With the power of layers and opacity, pictures can be blended together and effects such as shadows, blurs, etc. are made possible. And, for those who desire to return to the finger painting days of their youth, Photoshop has a paintbrush tool with countless brush shapes and textures for anyone who just needs to let out their creativity.Text editing has also become easily accessible because of Photoshop. Perspectives, shapes, and type on a path are just a few examples of the tons of amazing text effects that are available. Slimy, dripping letters or cloud-writing in the sky are made easy from filters and text effects built into Photoshop.Web designers thrive on Photoshop for making animations using Photoshop with other Adobe products. The things that can be done with Photoshop are literally endless. This is truly and amazing program.

The Top 3 Best Photo Editing Softwares

Being a photo editor is not rocket science. All it takes is a lot of creativity and a mastery of some of the best photo editing software available in the market. Photoshop Elements 3This is almost like a primer for Adobe Photoshop—so beginners, don’t feel intimidated. Elements does have some of the features that Photoshop is well known for, which comes quite handy when you’ve decided you’ve like to try your hand on something more upscale than cropping and resizing. It’s so easy to use this program, what with it being simple and easy to navigate. And talk about user-friendly—at start up, a “recipes” palette asks if you’d like a step-by-step tutorial of the program. Elements can also import stills from video clips, as well as PDF files. And when you’re feeling a bit lazy (or is just plain ignorant about how to use some of the tools), a “Quick Fix” wizard can help you adjust the essentials: lighting, focus, color, and rotation of images. For those who like their photos in widescreen editions, Elements’ Panorama Tool helps you seamlessly put together photos to create a panoramic photo. It blends in the colors, as well.And when it’s time to print and show off your photography skills, you can pick one of the “picture package” templates to automatically print them in a specific size. PhotoImpact 10A little bit more technical than Photoshop, PhotoImpact needs a lot of patience to master. This program is best for eager learners with a lot of time in their hands to figure out the “too-technical” features that would scare away first time photo editing users. However, PhotoImpact does have its gems. An ExpressFix features shows you several options to fix exposure, color, saturation, focus, and skin. It also comes equipped with a 360 panorama program. Probably the shiniest gem in the package would be the “Beautiful Skin” effect, which removes red patches and evens out your skin tone. Can you say airbrush?While PhotoImpact doesn’t support PDF files, it does allow you to grab images off the internet. Type in the URL of a webpage, click on the image you want to get, then edit away. It’s a little tricky to use at first, but once you get a hold on PhotoImpact’s tools, you’ll be thankful you took the time to learn.Digital Image Suite 9Microsoft’s own photo editing software is like digital spoon feeding. Image Suite 9 is a very basic image editing software that hardly requires a tutorial. While it does work wonders for those who only want to share pictures online, it could be quite frustrating for those who want to flex their creativity muscles a little bit more. Image Suite 9 lacks some features that you might want to use later on. That said, there still are a bunch to keep you happy. While there’s no auto color fix option (quite essential to fix the crappy lighting most digital cameras capture), there are still the basic features of cropping, adjusting brightness and contrast, and removing red-eye. The most advanced this software can get would be removing blemishes, whiten teeth, and eliminating wrinkles. The layering option is hardly even handy—you can layer on photos, but it’s virtually impossible to unlayer them. This program will work perfectly if you want hassle-free, basic photo editing.

The Value Of Video Conferencing

Why should you have video conferencing? Is it worth the investment? There are many reasons why you should utilize video conferencing software. The simple fact is that it is quite reliable and quite handy. But, that is not usually enough to have you open your wallet. Yet, there are other reasons why this may be the next investment that you make for your business. Video conferencing is an excellent means of communication.Besides being a very high quality way of communicating, it also opens the door to live, clear understandings of what is being said. There is little doubt that in a video conferencing situation that you will not know and understand just what the other person is saying. Your message is delivered with a full awareness of your means simply because seeing is believing. Yet, this too is only one reason to consider it.Video conferencing is also very capable of connecting you with other establishments. If you can not manage your company in one place because you are managing it someplace else, video conferencing can keep you connected. By doing this, you can effectively be in two places at once.There are excellent quality video conferencing systems out there. Many of them are well worth the dollars that they cost. And, because technology continues to grow, you’ll find that prices for video conferencing will become more competitive. It is the way of the future. Is your company in the future? Using video conferencing can help to insure that it is there.We highly recommend bringing your company up to date and to use this pioneering technology. It doesn’t need to be expensive, or difficult to set up if you contact specialists in this area. There are many information portals now devoted to the subject and we reading about it at one of these. Try googling for “video conferencing info” and you will be surprised by the abundance of information on the subject.

Do Pop-Up Ads Still Work?

A few years ago, pop-up windows was the rage in Internet marketing. It seemed like every time you opened a web page you got bombarded with offers for this or that. It got to the point where surfing the Internet was almost like playing a video game, that is, for every pop-up you tried to close, one or two more would open. This is precisely why we have seen the decline in the use of pop-up windows on the Internet today. Surfers simply won't even look at the pop-ups anymore, as they're conditioned to close the pop-up before ever reading the ad. Very often, a surfer will even leave your site if there are too many pop-up ads. They simply do not want the hassle of closing those windows while trying to obtain the information that your site has to offer. This information, while valuable, is not as valuable as the surfer's time. Recent studies have shown however, that even with these set backs, pop-up windows are still an effective method of Internet marketing.Is there some way that pop-up windows can be less irritating and still be effective? Yes! What if the pop-ad was seen upon exiting your site instead of entering? This would allow the surfer to obtain the information needed from your site, thus feeling that they were able to come and go quickly without being hassled by other ads and offers all the while making the surfer happy. You have left the surfer with a positive attitude and therefore more likely to respond to the pop-advertisement. This is being accomplished more and more by using what is being called pop- under windows. When the surfer comes to your site, the ad is opened discretely behind your web page. Then, upon leaving your site, after obtaining all the information that they need, will see the ad and therefore be more likely to respond. Since the surfer has the information, he has achieved his objective and is now open to do other things; ideally respond to the pop-under advertisement.Not all pop-windows are created equally. There are some things that you can do to make your pop-windows, whether pop-up or pop- under, more effective. The pop-window should be easy to "escape" from. If the surfer does not want to see the ad, but has a hard time closing it out, they will likely become frustrated and may leave your site all together. You should either use a button that will allow the surfer to close the window or be sure that the "x" is easily visible. Another good idea is to use a script that utilizes cookies. Cookies will prevent pop-windows from overloading the surfer since you can decide the frequency of the pop-windows, rather than each time a page is opened. Also be sure that there is not more than one pop-window per page.When creating a pop-window, you will be asked to fill out a short information form, select the length of cookies, and choose the layout of the pop-window. When choosing the design of your pop- window, you can increase the effectiveness by creating a large headline that includes benefits that will be most appealing to the customer. You should also consider using incentives, and lastly, do not ask the customer to read a long and drawn out advertisement. Keep the message simple yet powerful and your pop- ads will be sure to generate profits for your site.

3 Things You Must Know About Spyware

1) Spyware is on your system. Like it or not, statistically speaking, you probably have spyware on your machine right now. There are so many malicious programs floating around out there that one or two have bound to have gotten past all of your security settings. McAfee and Norton Anti Virus are both excellent programs, but even they can be beaten by the determined spyware makers and distributors. One recent computer repair man said, close to 80% of the machines that he services have spyware on them. I believe it. Spyware can be sneaky and it can install quietly without your knowledge. Your system probably has spyware on it; make sure it doesn't corrupt your data files or worse.2) Spyware attacks through certain programs. One program that seems to have been a magnet for spyware on my machine has been my browser (one that is distributed by a major computer comapany). Maybe I didn't update my security settings or maybe they were not strong enough but somehow, somewhere, my previous browser seems to have been vulnerable to spyware attacks. Switching to an open source browser (FireFox) was like night and day. Firefox hasn't seemed to let any spyware install itself so far. I switched about 6 months ago. If you haven't tried Firefox, you might consider downloading a trial copy.3) You need to get some form of protection against spyware. There are all sorts of companies out there claiming to have the magic cure for spyware. Some work fantastically, some don't work as well. Finding the spyware removal “silver bullet” isn't as hard as it seems, but it does take some work and a little bit of research. I use several programs on my new machine that I am typing this on. The hardest part is getting spyware off of your machine once it is installed, so you don't want it to get on your machine to begin with. Using the right type of browser (as mentioned above) is one of the best ways to insure you don't have to spend a lot of time cleaning your machine.

"Winnie the Pooh": Online Educational Fun for Children

Recently I read a very cool book called "The Tao of Pooh" by Benjamin Hoff written back in the 1980's. It shows how the popular children's cartoon bear Winnie the Pooh created by A.A. Milne in England in the 1920's, though a Western concept, actually embodies the ideology of the great Chinese (Eastern) philosophy Taoism (pronounced Daoism). I remember enjoying Winnie the Pooh stories when I was a kid so I thought I'd do the modern task of searching for his name on the Internet. Of course there are hundreds of sites based on Pooh, but I decided to go to the official site entitled: http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/animatedfilms/pooh/. Uh oh, Disney! Of course Disney didn't have the rights on Pooh Bear from the start, but where there is a dollar to be made in the realm of children's entertainment...I may sound a little judgmental here, but I just get a weird feeling about Disney, like they are planning to take over the world one day, possibly replacing the current governor of California, movie 'star' Arnold Swartzenegger, with Donald Duck or heaven help us, Goofy. Then again maybe that wouldn't really change the world much at all! I don't want to get too political as this article is basically going to be a positive review of the Pooh website, but when I think about it, having Pooh Bear as president instead of George Bush could have some really happy and peaceful repercussions around the globe. Getting past the idea that Pooh Bear has been 'acquired' by the Disney Corporation there are some positives in all situations (Taoist belief of the balance of yin and yang energies) and one of these is the fact that Disney have a lot of power and money behind them. Therefore, the Pooh Bear website in question sets a very high standard of how high the quality of websites can reach. The colored graphics are astounding as well as the movement and interactivity of the site in general. The main point of the site that I want to emphasize is the enjoyable educational value that it holds for children approximately 3-6 years of age, although after reading Hoff's novel, parents and people like myself can also get something out of the stories. Milne's original tales were a social commentary at the time of writing as well as promoting happiness and friendship to the youngest generation. Hopefully in keeping in character, Disney doesn't lose too much of the original purpose and perspective, though in being perpetually politically correct I'm sure all real controversy has disappeared like honey from Pooh Bear's jars.Your kids can enjoy Pooh based on-line video games, as well as downloading coloring-in pages, mazes, and color wallpaper posters. You can also download a fun empty family tree that the child can then research to fill in. As the site is highly professional and under constant updates in construction, it says that soon there will be Pooh alphabetical flash cards and even an 'Enchanted call from Pooh and Tigger", although this sounds like a pure money/honey making exercise. Speaking of money please be careful as this site has lots of different products and merchandise your kids are bound to obsess over. If I were you, just try and choose the stories and videos that seem to have genuine educational value. However, there are a few nice freebies that you can download from the 'Characters' link, such as a Tigger mask and a valentine card for Eeyore the donkey as well as more fun activities. Whether you want to show your young children an interesting and fun time on the computer/Internet, or you are planning to build a children's website of your own, this site is an excellent choice.

Web Casting - The Future of Online Education

Despite the communications power of the Internet, nothingbeats good old human interaction when it comes to learninga new skill. You can always read a book, listen to a tape, or watch avideo to learn how to do something, but, in the end,learning from a live teacher who can answer your questionson the spot works best. Until recently, the Internet resembled a large "book" ofelectronic text and pictures where any extended "human"interactivity could only take place offline by tele-conference or in-person meetings. Now, however, the appearance of cheap "web casting" createsan inexpensive opportunity for mass interactivecommunication between people spread all over the world. "Web casting" (broadcasting through the web) enables apresenter to transmit a live presentation over the Internetto as many as 10,000 participants. For most online events, participants only need an Internetconnection through a standard phone line and audiospeakers. In the post-9/11 era, people simply don't like to travel asfrequently. The meal and hotel costs associated withattending seminars or other adult education events make iteven harder to attract a full audience. However, with web casting, you can pull together a largegroup of people from around the world at a specific time ona given day, teach them something, and then let them allget back to their lives without the traditionalinterruptions and expenses of travel.Web casting enables you to literally present just about anytype of information or educational material you want. You can do everything from a simple "radio" typepresentation where people passively listen, to a multimediapresentation complete with Power Point slides and livetours of actual websites. At this point, imagination seems to represent the onlylimitation as far as what you can do to teach peoplethrough the Internet using this technology.Currently, large corporations and independent speakers andentrepreneurs seem to represent the majority of web castingusers. I believe this comes from the fact that people simply don'tknow about it yet and don't understand how to use it. Once that changes, web casting will go a long way towardsreplacing tele-conferencing as the preferred means of long-distance education.In the future, as costs decrease even further, you willfind people using web casting for everything from onlinefamily reunions and sales presentations, to home-basedcooking shows and pay-per-view seminars. As the technologyimproves, the potential uses will skyrocket.As with any new technology, a few drawbacks exist. Though web casting works with modem speeds as low as 28K,no one standard has emerged for broadcasting content. Some services require Real Player, while others requireMicrosoft's media player, and, as usual, Mac users oftenget left out in the cold without any options.Right now, search engine giant Google.com rates the bestsource of information on how to offer your own web cast.Simply log on to Google, search for "webcast," andinvestigate the ever-growing number of available resources.

RSS Channels

When subscribing to cable or satellite television, most of us select a programming package based on the channels available that are to our personal taste. Some people prefer Showtime to HBO, others can't live without ESPN, MTV, or the Weather Channel. Whatever our preferences, we have a choice as to the services we subscribe to.Imagine adding a new channel to your TV... This channel though, runs in the background, alerting you to new content, so you don't miss out on anything and you don't have to keep tuning in to the channel to check if there is anything new to see. This channel will let you know the second there is new news. And it will let you view additional channels that are available, rather like having access to all of the Discovery Channels for one price.Not only that, but this channel will also allow you to privately, securely and instantly communicate with others. And to put the icing on the cake, you could subscribe to this channel for free!Does that sound too cool or what! That would be worth having right? Especially for free...Now apply that whole concept to your computer. Use your computer to subscribe to that channel. You can. The channel that I am referring to is an RSS based system that does all of those things, and more, for you, and at no charge. Just click to open and click to close. It's actually easier than using the TV remote.Where can you get this? Only one place...This system is only available through Quikonnex publishers. No other RSS based system has this capability. There is nothing else like it available, anywhere. Why? Because the programmers at Quikonnex are visionary. They were into RSS before it was cool. They are lightyears ahead of the pack.This is an RSS tool that will support ezine publishing and distribution, private membership communications and training areas, interdepartmental exchanges... it will even handle your podcasting needs. It is like having your own Internet TV station! You can even use this RSS tool to interact with family and friends, all over the world! It is an awesome way to share photos, videos, and "hi how do ya dos," with everyone you know.RSS is the future of online communications. It's as plain as the nose on your face. Even Bill Gates knows it and has gotten proactive in developing an operating system that integrates RSS.So what's this awesome RSS tool called? (I thought you'd never ask.) It is called DeskView. Get it, because it is one RSS tool you're not going to want to be without.The following two DeskViews are currently available for download, with many more to come...The Trii-Zine Ezinehttp://www.ezines1.com/DV AdsOnQ : Article Distribution and Syndication On Quikonnexhttp://www.ads-on-q.com/DV