JEDUS TECHNOLOGY AND SAINT

Monster attack steals user data

2007-08-22T12:25:00.000+07:00

US job website Monster.com has suffered an online attack with the personal data of hundreds of thousands of users stolen, says a security firm. A computer program was used to access the employers' section of the website using stolen log-in credentials.

Symantec said the log-ins were used to harvest user names, e-mail addresses, home addresses and phone numbers, which were uploaded to a remote web server.

The stolen data could be used to send phishing and spam e-mails.

"This remote server held over 1.6 million entries with personal information belonging to several hundred thousands of candidates, mainly based in the US, who had posted their resumes to the Monster.com website," reported Symantec.

Security breach

The firm has contacted Monster.com to inform them of the security breach.

Symantec said it had seen reports of phishing e-mails sent out to Monster.com users which were "very realistic" and contained "personal information of the victims".

The e-mail encouraged users to download a Monster Job Seeker Tool, which was in fact a program that encrypted files in their computer and left a ransom note demanding money for their decryption.

"To the best of our knowledge, this is not a hack of Monster's security, rather, legitimate customer credentials are being used to log in to the database," said Patrick Manzo, vice president of compliance and fraud prevention at Monster.

He added: "There have been reports of this as an issue of identify theft.

"We are not aware of any cases of identity theft. In fact, the information that is gathered from Monster is no different than that displayed in a phone book."

The program used to access Monster.com user data was a Trojan, which are commonly used to gain access to bank details, usernames and passwords.

More than 8,000 new variants of Trojans are found each month, according to internet security specialists Sophos.

Last year, a British nurse was blackmailed by hackers who had used a Trojan to access her personal e-mails.

They threatened to reveal personal details unless she paid them.

Symantec said users should always limit contact information posted to job websites and to use a disposable e-mail address.

"Never disclose sensitive details such as your social security number, passport or driver's license numbers, bank account information to prospective employers until you have established they are legitimate," said the firm.

Process on Optimizing your Site through Keywords

2006-12-20T09:32:00.000+07:00

There are a lot of things to analyze on your site before you start optimizing your site. Such things are your site overview, nature of business, home page, site dimension and number of pages, product/services categories, page rank and indexed pages for major search engines, link popularity, and a lot more. After that you will go to your onpage and offpage optimization. Analyze your site and think of a generic word that best fits for your web site. Choosing the right keywords is a strategy for better search engine positioning http://www.searchengines.com/placement.html. Analyze your business carefully and think of all the words that relate to your company or product. Most techniques to improve your search engine rankings have one thing in common -- Keywords. Choosing appropriate keywords is very important. Keywords are what lead search engine users to your site.

That word will act as your major keyword for your site. Then find a keyword tool that will help you generate keywords for your site. There are lots of keyword tools like http://inventory.overture.com. Type in the major keyword that you had thought of and it’ll list all related keywords that you can use. On the tool you’ll see the number of counts your keyword has been searched. Person new on search engine optimization might use the keyword with a lot of counts (I, sure did that before) immediately but SEO experts says that Do NOT use it for a start as keyword searched as many times will just give you a lot of competition and give your site less probability in regards to your visitors. So it is best to start with keywords with a little rivalry. Get some traffic with those keywords and eventually focus on the major keywords.

Examine those sites ranked from 1-10 on the keywords you chose to use in optimizing your site. Check everything about the site that is ranked highly on the search engine. Its URL, see if it is the top level webpage or it is the index page of the site as if it is not you can have a great chance to improve your index page for the target keyword and have a better placement in the SERP’s. Sites page rank. Page rank is Google’s way of giving specific value to how popular your website is. It is based on the number of links you have pointing to your website. Then check their page source, see if their actually optimizing their site for some onpage optimization factors. Factors such as title tag, check if they use the keyword on their title tag which is one of the main reasons why a site is rank well on search engine. Header tags are used to separate topics and range from h1 being very large and bold and h6 which is very small and bold, it should contain your most important keyword or keyword phrases to assist you in ranking higher on Search Engines. Image alt tags are words that will be displayed in place of your image through an older browser or when your visitors have their image turned off, insert a readable keyword phrase within the alt tags of your image and it’ll help you on your rankings. And on the main content if they use the keyword on the beginning and at the end of the page, also whether or not they’ve bolded, underlined, or italicized the keywords on that page. By continuing this process on other keywords that you’ve chose you will have an improved ranking on SERPs.

By: Kristine Joy Francisco

Computer Scrapbooks

2006-12-20T09:27:00.000+07:00

When digital cameras were first released on the market, everyone was excited. Finally, here was an easy way to take and store photos. No more would our closets be plagued with boxes and envelopes housing a hodgepodge of unorganized photographs.
What we didn't realize was that soon, our computers would be filled with a hodgepodge of unorganized photographs
The explosion of home computers and the Internet has led to an increased need for people to organize computer scrapbooks. It's easy to accumulate literally thousands of digital pictures, and it's just as easy to get them all mixed up. Try finding a favorite photo as you're scanning through a list of numbers and letters. Creating computer scrapbooks makes it quick and easy to locate the photographs, as soon as you want to see them.

When preparing your computer scrapbooks, the first step should always be renaming your photos. You should use file names that are easy to understand and organize, rather than keeping the default names set by your digital photography software. Anyone who has used a digital camera or camera phone knows just how hard it can be to decipher the file names, let alone selecting the photographs. Proper titles listed in computer scrapbooks make it easy to remember which pictures you have.

One key point to remember is that all of your computer scrapbook files will be sorted in alphabetical order. This can get confusing, particularly if you're naming pictures by date. Rather than call your photos 'January10', 'April21' etc, use the numerical format year, month and then day. Those same files will now be called 20050110Baby and 20050421Baby. In doing so, your computer will display them in the correct date order for you.

After your photo files have been renamed, you need to create folders to store the different types of photo files. Try organizing your computer scrapbooks by subject, theme or occasion. This will allow you to find your photos much easier later on. For example, create a folder called 'Baby Pictures' and save all of your baby photographs in that folder. By setting up and following a naming system, you'll soon have the most well organized computer scrapbooks around.

Whether or not you print your digital photos, always create backups of all your computer scrapbook files. There are many archiving programs that can be used to compress large files, enabling them to be stored on a CD or other removable disk. It is essential that you label your CDs to keep your computer scrapbook backups as organized as the originals. You can write the title on the CD itself, but you should also remember to alter the name of the CD as read by the computer. Most CD writing software automatically prompts you to give the CD a title, but check the instructions before you start the burning process so you, and your computer, will be able to clearly identify the CDs.

Digital cameras make it easy to take and save pictures. Computer scrapbooks make it easy to find the pictures anytime you're ready to take a trip down memory lane or share the digital images with your friends.

By: Barbara Miller

Investment on Returns

2006-12-10T13:35:00.000+07:00

So there I stood, feeling incredibly stupid. Having waited in line for a few minutes to return a paperback copy of Harry Potter, which I realized I already owned once I brought it home, I stood face-to-face with the cashier. I looked over his shoulder and ready “Barnes and Nobles”, I looked down at the imprint on my plastic bag “Waldenbooks”. I paused , turned beet red and said “Oops, I am obviously in the wrong place”. I started to turn and leave when he gently stopped me with the words “If we carry that book we would be happy to refund it for you”. “Really???” I asked. “Sure no problem let me have a look”. He determined that he already had 24 copies in stock and was more than happy to take one more. He handed me a credit card looking store credit, had me sign a receipt and that was that.
But that was not the end of the story. I was so blown away and so grateful I decided to go buy a CD. Now the CD was about twice what my refund was so I handed the card and the money and I took my CD and left

But that was still not the end of the story. As soon as I got out of the store I called my brother and 5 of my friends to tell them about this amazing customer service. And now of course I am telling you, too.

So let’s look at this story and see what actally occurred. Barnes and Nobles made an “Investment on my Return”. What exactly was the “cost” of this investment? Perhaps there was a cost for training the employee that taught him to act in this kind and generous way. But other than that it cost them nothing. Okay maybe there was some cost for restocking. They will surely sell that other copy. But then we need to reverse this formula and see what the Return on Investment was.

Here is where the real power of this theory is seen. They not only were repaid their initial outlay of $7.99, they received an additional $7.99 that I most surely would not have spent otherwise. They received free word of mouth advertising (which is far more powerful and effective than traditional advertising) and they created a loyal, raving fan customer.

“Returns” are often emotionally charged events. Think about it. People return things that “don’t fit”, that they “don’t like” , that they “can’t afford” , “wasn’t what they expected”, that are of “inferior quality”, that” they don’t need” or “they don’t want”

For a lot of your customers returns are either embarrassing, filled with disappointment or frustration or at the very least a major inconvenience.

How you handle this touchy situation will impact on your customer’s decision to continue doing business with you.

There are many stories going around about how Nordstrom would take anything in a return (including a car engine). Of course you don’t have to go to that extreme to make your return policy fair, easy and effective.

Original Post By Laurie Brown

Internet Shopping Guide

2006-12-05T01:20:00.000+07:00

When shopping on the Internet there are many things to consider, following are some guidelines to keep your experiences a positive one. Many people shop at brick and mortar stores because they feel shipping charges only raise their total cost, however, unless you live in a high density populous like a major city, most often shipping charges cost less than the gasoline required to travel to and back from a brick and mortar store, especially when looking for bargains, which would probably require a stop off at more than two stores for price comparison, and even then when you find the best price, (even if you researched your favorite stores online) you run the risk of a fuel expense only to find your item not in stock, so by the time you actually come home with your item, your fuel expense was probably greater than most fast shipping costs would be. There is also the consideration of time, I live in a rural area where the nearest grocery store is about 12 miles away, and the discount big box retail stores, over 15 miles away, with an average speed limit of 50 mph, it would take approximately 20-25 minutes travel in each direction, around 20 more minutes to identify and locate the specific item(s) in the store, then there is the line at the check out area, depending what time of day/evening you go, it could be as little as 5 minutes and up to 30, as I have waited in check out lines at big box retail stores, so online shopping is not only green, ecologically, but you get more than an hour and a half of your life freed up to do other more desirable activities!

Is it safe to shop online?

Many people still hold on to the idea that online shopping is very risky, however with the implementation of a number of encryption techniques, your personal, and credit card information, is quite secure, but should you still feel a measure of insecurity inputting your credit card information at a website, there are additional steps you can take to insure zero liability on your part. Most credit cards offer a zero liability rider on their cards for any fraudulent charges if you pay a small monthly fee, usually after a 30 - 90 day free trial, in which case any charges that show up on your statement that are not your authorized purchases, will be unconditionally credited back to your card, and an investigation will most likely ensue to try to prevent a reoccurrence.

Once you get past the apprehension of credit card fraud, there are a number of practices that will ensure a positive experience.

Feedback and ratings!

There are many opportunities to give feedback or rate your experience with a site. What do you choose, a highly rated store with higher prices, or a store with little or no rating with lower prices, well I for one have many times, passed on offering a rating, by not responding to the email sent, just because of the lack of time, so these should be considered on the lighter side, for instance, a high number of ratings may not all be positive, or they might have lost sight of a customers value because business is so good they no longer feel the need to go the extra mile to make or keep a satisfied customer, on the other hand, no ratings at all might only mean it is a reasonably new store and has not received the customer count of the big guys, but my thought is this, give the little guy a shot, in their pursuit of sales they are more likely to go the extra mile to win over a customer, and possibly offer an incentive to return to them for future purchases.

Is the lowest price the best deal?

When price comparing different e-commerce stores there are some things to consider, is the item brand new, refurbished, re-packed, a factory second, or even the name brand that is stated, these are all important factors to consider when comparing prices, and many sites will state what grade of merchandise they carry if it is good for business, for instance, I have seen prices for a specific digital camera range from $99.95 to $279.95 for the exact same camera and the msrp was $229.00, so I ask myself, why so high, or so low, if I choose the lowest price am I getting what I would get if I paid the high price? Well obviously the highest price is not one's first choice, but here are some answers, the higher prices might be due to a poor choice of wholesaler or distributor, or a lack of buying power due to low volume sales, or a high overhead that needs to be considered by the merchant, or maybe they are also brick and mortar store and do not want to severely undercut the prices in the actual store with their online prices. Now when evaluating low prices consider buying American made, because there are a number of foreign manufacturers that produce cheap knock offs of the original, which are available at much lower prices than their American counterparts, also check the item listing for very small,(fine print) or similar colored text (almost invisible), stating that it is either refurbished or a factory second, and when buying branded items make sure the item picture reflects the advertised brand name, and is not an inferior knock off, this happens most when shopping for accessories like picture cards, removable mass storage devices, and other types of digital media, and similar accessories. Something else to look out for is the price of shipping, and the geographical location of merchant, for instance, compare the shipping charges for the same item on a few sites, that are located in the same area, if one price is much higher, they might be advertising a low price but make it up in the way of a handling charge added to the shipping charge, also if you narrowed down your choice of sites to just a few, then buy from the one geographically close, which will minimize the shipping charge, an example would be if you live in California, and your narrowed down sites are located in New York, Dallas, and Seattle, the lowest shipping charges would likely be from Seattle, now if there is a site also in California, you might still consider the Seattle site to save on sales tax, provided the company does not also have a physical store in California as well, because then they will also be required to charge sales tax, on the positive side, some merchants might show extremely low prices on items that have been discontinued by the manufacturer, and the merchants want to move excess inventory before they lose their profit margin all together, so checking with the manufacturer, if the item is current, will explain such a low price, or they might be a "wholesale to the public" type merchant with tremendous buying power, and warehouse space in which case the savings are passed to you, another explanation for low prices can be the use of drop shippers, and warehouse co-ops, which reduces the overhead for online merchants because they do not need to tie up thousands of dollars in inventory to make minimums, and the expense to house that inventory, all of which can contribute to lower prices, along with being in a very competitive retail venue.

How to search for your purchase!

I would recommend getting as much information about a product or products from the original manufacturer's website, they usually offer the most comprehensive information about their products and usually a suggested retail price, but generally do not sell direct, but instead provide a list of sites you can purchase from, with that said, consider this, after visiting the manufacturer's site you probably made the decision as to which product model you want to purchase, when doing a search engine search, include the make and model in your search query, rather then a general search term like "fish finder" or "digital camera" this will accomplish a few things, first it will reduce the number of results, and make the results you do get the most relevant, then search engines usually, under these circumstances, will provide a "price compare" link, for instance Google will provide Froogle results, or a Yahoo! Search might provide a Yahoo! Shopping link to a price compared list of possible merchants, and then there are the links like Shopzilla, Price grabber, Next tag, or shop.com, to name a few, these links all provide easy access to price comparing, but be advised that many of these results are "sponsored" which means merchants paid to show up in that search result, and may not be the only relevant sites to choose from!

Where do I go to shop for many items?

Many e-commerce sites are pretty specialized, in as much as they offer a comprehensive selection of the type of merchandise they specialize in, a metal detector store for metal detectors and accessories, or a camera store for digital cameras, picture cards, and batteries, etcetera. Although these stores often have the most competitive prices they might not be your best choice when shopping for many different items, that's where your Internet department stores might be a better choice, and I will tell you why, if you were to buy a metal detector for your Nephew, and a digital camera for your Mom, and a GPS fish finder for your Dad, and a paintball gun for your Brother, and some jewelry for your Niece, buying these items each from a different store will not be as cost efficient as taking some time to find a department type store that has all these different items for offer, even if their prices are a little bit higher, because all the shipping will be calculated by the total weight of the order, not rounding up each item to the next whole pound as when purchased from separate stores.

More Information contact here

Voice over IP Telephony Comes of Age

2006-12-05T00:42:00.000+07:00

With the advent of widespread broadband Internet connections, consumers are discovering what businesses have known for a while. Voice over IP telephony, or VoIP as it is known, can be a viable and cost effective alternative to the Plain Old Telephone System (POTS). As VoIP upstarts are popping up everywhere, most notably Vonage, Packet8 and Skype, even the big Internet Service Providers are offering voice over IP packages to their residential subscribers.

Such features as caller ID, call forwarding, automatic redial, and even 3-way calling are standard on most VoIP packages, whereas many phone companies consider them add on’s and will charge you extra. But the real kicker is, if it is right for you and you pick the right Voice over IP solution, you should be able to reduce your phone bill by half or more.
How Does Voice over IP Work?

In voice over IP, the analog voice is converted into digital packets that are routed through the internet, and in the case of one of the parties being on a PSTN connection, the packets are routed to the nearest local switching station and placed back on the PSTN. If both persons are using VoIP, then there is no reason to use the PSTN, and the entire conversation takes place over the Internet.

IP Telephony is a packet switching technology, as opposed to circuit switching as used by the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). The PSTN method uses copper wires to physically connect one caller to another through a series of circuit switches, as illustrated by the switchboard operators of old.

Needless to say, this is much more cost effective than using land lines for the entire distance. If a caller in New York uses VoIP to call a PSTN number in Seattle, the call doesn’t leave the internet until it reaches the switching station in Seattle, making it for all practical purposes, a local call.

The Drawbacks of Voice over IP Telephony

There are some points that one should seriously consider when thinking about dumping the POTS. VoIP generally requires a Broadband Internet connection, which in turn requires power. If a power outage should occur, you have no telephone service. Battery backups could solve this problem, but not on a long term basis. Internet Service Providers (ISP's) also have a tendency to go down occasionally, though they are getting better all the time. Calls can be forwarded to your cell phone if your power is out, but in real disaster situation, even cell phones are not a perfect backup, as seen by Hurricane Katrina. Faxing over an IP network has proven to be problematic. Fax machines scan a document and convert the data into sounds, which don’t travel well over the internet. In IP telephony, much progress has been made on a standard called T.38, whose mission is to convert the fax sound into sendable data. Another option is iFax, the T.37 standard that sends faxes as an email attachment or a remote printout using the Internet Printing Protocol. Today, separate Fax lines can be added by most VoIP providers for an extra charge.

Emergency services such as 911 are also an issue with IP telephony. It is the nature of the Internet that tying a particular node to a geographic location is quite difficult, and street addresses are not easily routed to a nearby call center. In the U.S., the FCC has mandated that VoIP providers implement Enhanced 911 (E911). Providers are making progress by encouraging their customers to register a street address to their phone number, enabling them to route emergency calls to a nearby call center.

Voice over IP and Broadband Connections

The problem with DSL is that it is provided by telephone companies which for the most part require you to have a landline, pretty much defeating the purpose. Some regional Telco’s are starting to unbundle their DSL services by offering “naked DSL”, an Internet connection without the analog line on the local loop. When you think about it, there really doesn't seem to be much motivation for the Telco’s to promote VoIP, as it would effectively be like cutting their revenues in half.

While a broadband connection is not absolutely necessary, it is what makes VoIP shine. Many households are turning to DSL or cable modems for their internet connections, and wireless broadband WiFi hotspots are popping up everywhere.

Wireless networks also work great for VoIP, and are especially convenient if you travel a lot. Hotspots all over the world allow you to call anywhere using a WiFi VoIP phone. Internet phones come in all shapes and sizes with all kinds of bells and whistles. From a full business desk phone from Cisco, to phones indistinguishable from cell phones, even regular cell phones that are VoIP capable – new products and technologies are coming out every day to get you better connected for less.

If your household has cable television, you more than likely can get broadband access through a cable modem. Most cable providers charge around $50 a month for broadband internet access, and for those who utilize the Internet often, a high speed internet connection is well worth the price. Some cable IPS's offer residential Voice over IP for $40-$50 a month. Through the pure play VoIP companies like Vonage or Packet8, you can get VoIP for around $15-$25 a month, potentially eliminating the need for a land line at all.

Voice over IP telephony has come of age. If you have access to a broadband Internet connection, you could conceivably cut your phone bill by half or more, never pay long distance charges in the U.S. and Canada, and pay way less for International calls – as low as 3 cents per minute. Sound quality is usually as good as a cell phone connection. To test you current broadband connection, visit http://www.TestYourVoip.com and download the java applet. In about 20 seconds they will show you in detail how your VoIP phone call would fare to and from national and international destinations. Once you know if your connection can sustain the extra traffic, it's just a matter of finding a reliable Voice over IP telephony service provider.

2006-11-27T14:37:00.000+07:00

For years I've used computers mostly for work and keeping in touch with friends. But a whole new life has opened for me as I've begun to discover the world of digital entertainment—such things as music downloads, recorded TV, and much more. It seems that I've only just begun to tap into what a PC can do for me. And once I started thinking about my computer as part of how I could enjoy the entertainment I want whenever and wherever I want, I discovered that making my PC the center of my home entertainment is much easier than I thought it would be. And (urged on by my son, who I must admit, is more of a computer guru than his mother) I also discovered that there is a lot more out there to tempt me than I'd imagined. The problem is, now that I've discovered all the goodies and cool "stuff" I can have and do in my home, I want it all. And, of course, I can't afford to "have it all"—at least not right now. So, with a little help and advice, I compiled a list. I can use this as a step-by-step wish list for building my own at-home paradise, at my own speed and as my budget will allow. Or I can use it as a gift idea list for the entertainment lovers in my life.

Either way, using the tools found in the Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Design Studio, I can design my own home entertainment configuration—and then print out a shopping list before I even leave the house! And for choices and added shopping advice, I found the Windows Marketplace to be an excellent source of information.

Fast and festive party-planning

2006-11-27T14:30:00.000+07:00

You've decided it would be a great idea to host a holiday party and spread some seasonal cheer among friends and neighbors. But somewhere between the recitals, the baking, and the wrapping, the date has snuck up on you and there are only a few days left to plan. Where do you start? he first thing you need to do is to determine whom to invite. If your address book is on your computer, you are one step away from easily organizing your guest list on a spreadsheet or in a basic word-processing document. Too pressed for time to mail invites? Decorate a card in Microsoft Word using clip-art images or festive photos and send it as an e-mail attachment to your party guests.

As for the planning, there is no need to stress. Nik Manojlovich, host of the television series Savoir Faire, and Bryce Maynard Winter, director of Jetset Event Design, come to the rescue and share their entertaining expertise to help you plan a memorable holiday celebration.

3 tips for printing digital photos at home

2006-11-27T14:24:00.000+07:00

Capturing and preserving memories as digital snapshots is easy with Windows XP. So is turning them into a stunning scrapbook or photo album.

If you're out to create professional-looking photo prints using any home PC, here are a few hints and tips that will help you produce sharper, more eye-catching results.

1. Maximize image quality

The best prints come from the finest images. Improve picture quality by following the suggestions below.

Up photo resolution

As a rule, the higher the resolution, the better the picture. Most digital cameras offer a choice of settings. Check your camera instructions to figure out how to change the resolutions you're using. For premium printing results, always select the maximum photo size and quality offered.

Here are some good guidelines to consider:
•

2 megapixels: Appropriate for an attractive wallet- (2 1/2 x 3 1/2-inch) or album-sized (4 x 6-inch or 5 x 7-inch) print.
•

3 megapixels: Minimum resolution required for projects like creating calendars and greeting cards or printing an 8 x 10-inch photo suitable for framing.

The more you increase photo resolution, the greater you'll improve image clarity and detail.
Image of two sample photos, with higher resolution on the left

Higher image resolutions (left) produce sharper snapshots.

Choose the correct file format

The JPEG file format, which compresses image data, is suitable for sending pictures in e-mail or posting them to the Web. For photo printing purposes, though, stick with larger TIFF files. Despite consuming more space on a memory card, TIFF images are smoother, crisper, and vastly superior to their JPEG counterparts.

Edit and enhance images

Use programs such as Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006 to soften edges, toy with lighting and color, remove blemishes from pictures, and touch up your photos. It's a simple way to add special effects, get rid of red eye, and otherwise improve your snapshots. Read more articles about how to enhance and fix your photos.
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2. Prepare your printer

Enhance print quality by configuring your printer for optimum results.

Use current drivers

Drivers are software interpreters that let your computer and printer communicate. But printer manufacturers are constantly revising these drivers. Always use the most current drivers to ensure peak performance and picture quality. Check your printer manufacturer's Web site regularly for downloadable updates.

Don't skimp on dpi

The higher your printer's dots per inch (dpi) specifications, the slicker the prints it will produce. Avoid images that suffer from frayed and jagged edges by using a printer with 600 x 600 dpi or better printing capabilities when producing hard copies of color digital photos. You can find photo printers on Windows Marketplace.

Configure print quality settings

Check your printer owner's manual for instructions on how to change print quality settings, or do the following:

1. In Windows XP, click the Start menu, and then click Control Panel.

2. In Control Panel, double-click Printers and Faxes to open the folder.

3. Right-click the icon for your printer, and then click Printing Preferences.

4. Set print quality to the highest possible color printing resolution. The greater the dpi setting, the better your prints will be. Each printer will have a different dialog box to change the print quality. Check your printer's user manual for instructions on your printer.
Image of a sample Printing Preferences dialog box

Configure your printer for optimum printing results.

Note that some printers offer bonus features such as automatic contrast and smoothing adjustments that you can also use.

Managing paper

Different types of paper—such as high gloss or card stock—require varying amounts of ink and touch ups. When setting Printing Preferences, be sure to adjust the settings in your printer to accommodate the type of paper that you're using to guarantee first-rate results and avoid wasting expensive stock.

Ongoing maintenance

It's a good idea to run printer alignment, color calibration, and print cartridge cleaning functions every 90 days. These functions (accessible from the Printing Preferences menu) prevent blurring, streaking, and off-center photo prints.
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3. Pick the right paper and ink

Improve photo prints by selecting the right choice of paper and ink to perfectly complement your images.

Go with photo paper

Standard printer paper isn't suitable for creating pleasing photo prints. Unless you're printing documents, choose a glossy or matte finish photo paper instead. Black-and-white prints generally look best on matte finish papers, color on glossy.

Creativity counts

Multiple varieties of paper stock are available, designed for a wide range of specialty uses. These special-purpose materials can enhance any photo printing project. Whether incorporating your photos into decals, business cards, or t-shirts, browse the selection at your local office supply or electronics retailer to see your options before starting a new project.

Choose the right size

Photos come in many shapes and forms, from wallet-sized (2 1/2 x 3 1/2-inch) to album/scrapbook-ready (4 x 6-inch or 5 x 7-inch) prints. Match the paper to fit.

Alternately, choose a standard letter-sized (8 ½ x 11-inch) paper and use the Windows XP Photo Printing Wizard to squeeze several smaller images onto one sheet.
Image of the Windows XP Photo Printing Wizard

The Windows XP Photo Printing Wizard makes printing multiple photos a breeze.

Get inked

The safest way to pick an ink is to choose a brand from the same company that manufactured your printer. Various types of ink provide differing degrees of water-, smudge-, age-, and fade-resistance. Which ink you should pick depends entirely on how much you're willing to spend for various image-enhancing qualities.

By Scott Steinberg

Technical Overview of Office Groove 2007

2006-11-27T14:15:00.000+07:00

In this webcast, get a closer look at Microsoft Office Groove 2007, and see how this powerful new addition to the 2007 Microsoft Office system can help you and your team work together more effectively and improve the quality of your deliverables. Beginning with an introduction to the product, we show how Groove 2007 can help enhance team collaboration and productivity in your organization. Learn about the security measures that make Groove 2007 a more secure collaborative team workspace. We also cover a few of the more popular tools included with Groove 2007, along with other software that enables you to customize your Groove 2007 workspaces. Bryan Von Axelson joined the Microsoft Seminar Sales team in 2004 as a Microsoft TechNet presenter. Before that time, Bryan spent seven years consulting throughout the Midwestern and Western United States, specializing in small and medium-sized businesses. He has also worked for FranklinCovey and MCI. With 14 years of experience as an IT professional, Bryan brings best practices based on real-world scenarios to his presentations.

View other sessions from 2007 Office System Webcasts: Plan and Deploy with Confidence.

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Microsoft Webcast: Best Practices for Deploying Windows Vista

2006-11-27T14:00:00.000+07:00

Deploying a new operating system across an enterprise is no small task, but Microsoft has designed Windows Vista with several deployment features that make the process easier and more efficient. Join this webcast to learn how to streamline your large-scale Windows Vista deployment using the best practices that Microsoft IT learned through deploying a beta version of Windows Vista. We also explain how to use the new Windows Imaging Format (WIM)—a file-based disk imaging format—to install Windows Vista. Presenters: Sandy Sharma, Senior Executive, Advaiya, and Aaron Duggal, Principal Subject Matter Expert, Advaiya

Sandy Sharma has more than 15 years of business and technology consulting experience in a senior executive position. He has also served as a senior consultant, business strategist, and architect for large organizations. Sandy specializes in helping organizations achieve success through his practical knowledge of how to improve business processes and align business needs with technology.

For more than 10 years, Aaron Duggal has worked in the information technology industry, specializing in client/server technologies. As a result, Aaron possesses a thorough knowledge of Microsoft operating systems and technologies. Throughout his career, Aaron has served as principal consultant for several emerging technology companies.

View other sessions from IT Manager Connections: Build Business and Careers on the Microsoft Platform.

If you have questions or feedback, contact us.

Problems hit Xbox video service

2006-11-27T13:58:00.000+07:00

Microsoft has promised to refund gamers who have experienced problems with its new Xbox Live video service.

US Xbox 360 owners are able to download high definition TV programmes and films, including shows such as Star Trek and CSI.

But Xbox's Larry Hryb has said "technical issues have resulted in a very unpleasant experience" for users. Speed problems and video not being delivered is being blamed on "the extremely high number of downloads".

Microsoft has trumpeted its Xbox Live online gaming and download service as its key weapon in the battle for console supremacy with Sony and Nintendo.

"To celebrate its first birthday... Xbox 360 becomes the first and only gaming console to provide HD and standard-definition TV shows and movies direct to you," states the Xbox website.

Xbox Live
Shows such as CSI are available for download

The announcement of a video download service was made earlier this month, with more than 750 hours of TV and films promised - both in standard and high definition quality.

Gamers can buy TV programmes but the movies are rented and are automatically deleted from the console's hard drive after a fixed period.

"We've made progress over the past 24 hours, and the team is dedicated to fixing the issues and continues to work as fast as they can around the clock to get the service running as seamlessly as you have come to expect," wrote Mr Hryb, who is Xbox Live's director of programming, on his Major Nelson Xbox blog.

Xbox owners experiencing problems have been told to contact customer support on 1-800-4MYXBOX.

The problems reflect the difficulty companies - even those of the size of Microsoft - are having in getting video into the online age.

Video content in high definition results in very large file sizes - which can put a strain on servers when delivering content to thousands of people at the same time.

Some gamers are reporting that they are receiving different programmes from the ones they have paid for, while others have complained downloads are taking hours to arrive.

A standard definition TV programme costs $2 (£1.03), while a high definition version costs $3 (£1.55). Rental costs for films are $4 (£2.06) in standard definition and $6 (£3.10) in high definition.

Sony recalls cameras over glitch

2006-11-27T13:48:00.000+07:00

Sony has said it will recall eight models of its Cyber-shot digital cameras after finding a defect in the liquid crystal display screen.

The problem is caused by a glitch with the image sensor, which may mean the screen does not display images correctly, Sony said.
The company would not say how many cameras were affected.

The recall applies to models sold worldwide between September 2003 and January 2005.
The electronics giant will repair for free only cameras that show signs of the problems, according to Sony spokesman Chisato Kitsukawa. This is the second time in just over a year that Tokyo-based Sony has announced defects in its digital cameras. It cited similar problems with 20 other models last October and offered free repairs.

It also follows the global recall of about 10 million Sony-made rechargeable batteries, affecting almost every major laptop maker in the world, because of fears they could overheat and catch fire.

The recall applies to models DSC-F88, DSC-M1, DSC-T1, DSC-T11, DSC-T3, DSC-T33, DSC-U40 and DSC-U50.

Bionic man

2006-11-20T03:38:00.000+07:00

While covering the Iraq war, BBC producer Stuart Hughes lost his leg. His new prosthetic foot is so advanced, it may even allow amputee soldiers back into battle.

Every evening, before I switch off the bedside light, I take my right leg off and plug it into the mains. I am a below-knee amputee. I lost my leg in 2003 after stepping on a landmine while covering the war in Iraq for BBC News.

Unfortunately, my prosthesis doesn't enable me to leap over a wall with a single bound or run faster than a speeding bullet

Stuart Hughes

A few weeks ago, I became one of the first people in the UK to be fitted with the world's first "intelligent" prosthetic foot.

The word "bionic" inevitably conjures up memories of the 1970s TV series, the Six Million Dollar Man. Unfortunately, my prosthesis doesn't enable me to leap over a wall with a single bound or run faster than a speeding bullet.

Rather, it uses sensors and a built-in microprocessor to mimic some of the actions of a human foot. The Proprio Foot is one of a new range of bionic artificial limbs designed by Ossur, a prosthetics company based in Iceland.

"The sensors detect whether the user is walking on level ground, going uphill or downhill or climbing steps," says Ossur's Richard Hirons.

"Every type of terrain has a distinct 'signature' which the software controlling the foot is able to interpret. When the microprocessor recognises a change in terrain, it instructs a very accurate motor to automatically adjust the angle of the foot in preparation for the next step."

Motor control

Researchers have been connecting man and machine since the 60s when they first began using electrodes attached to the body to direct motorised arms to move and bend.

1. Prosthetic socket

2. Battery

3. Battery cable

4. Keypad and circuit board

5. accelerometers - sensors - to track movement and pick up slopes, stairs etc

6. motor drive to pivot heel

7. actuator brings down toe during each step

How amputees learn to walk

But Saeed Zahedi, visiting Professor in Prosthetics at the University of Surrey, says more and more computer-controlled devices are beginning to emerge from the laboratory and on to the marketplace.

"The technology is a lot cheaper now," Professor Zahedi says. "Electronic components that would have cost hundreds of pounds 10 years ago now cost just a few pounds.

"Computer-controlled devices can be programmed and are much more flexible, which is why designers are choosing them instead of complicated and expensive mechanical devices."

One market keeping a close eye on developments is the military, which has seen a rise in the number of amputees among its ranks. Advances in battlefield medicine and better protective equipment mean that many soldiers who would once have died are now surviving, but are returning from war zones with horrific injuries.

Hundreds of soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have lost limbs, many due to roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices.

If an amputee soldier wants to remain on active duty, we are going to find a job for him

Colonel Daniel Garvey

Once, a soldier who had lost a limb in battle would have been pensioned off or transferred to a desk job. Now, though, some are being passed as fit for duty and are being allowed to return to the frontline.

"The mindset, even as early as five years ago, was if a soldier had impairments such as an amputation, they are unfit and they may be at risk to others around them if put in a combat situation. That has changed," says Colonel Daniel Garvey, Deputy Commander of the US Army Physical Disability Agency.

"If a soldier wants to remain on active duty, we are going to find a job for him. That is a cultural change for us."

Count the cost

But Grania Hyde-Smith, from the Limbless Association, a charity which provides advice and support to amputees, urges caution.

She says the cost of the current generation of bionic limbs - up to £60,000 for some powered knee systems - puts them beyond the reach of many users. Ms Hyde-Smith wants more research to be carried out into whether the benefits justify the hefty price tag.

There's bound to come a time where the concept of the bionic man stops being just science fiction

Saeed Zahedi

"Bionic technology definitely offers new prospects that weren't available before, but I don't think we should get carried away just yet," she says.

"People are reading about the new technology and are getting very excited about it -- and rightly so.

"But if you speak to health care professionals and prosthetists they say it's still very early days. They're not sure the new systems have been tried and tested sufficiently."

Some researchers believe the current generation of bionic limbs is just the beginning. They are working towards the day when man and machine are seamlessly integrated.

"There's bound to come a time where the concept of the bionic man stops being just science fiction," says Professor Zahedi.

"Promising work is taking place with limb transplants. One day it may be possible to create hybrid limbs which combine human tissue with electromechanical devices. Experiments with neural implants are also progressing quite rapidly, connecting the nervous system to external devices. What we're seeing at the moment is just the tip of the iceberg."

Perhaps one day an electronically-enhanced human being - "better, stronger, faster" as the opening titles of the Six Million Dollar Man put it - will be a reality.

But bionic technology is already bringing benefits for amputees like me - just so long as we don't forget to recharge our batteries.

Add your comments on this story, using the form below.

I disagree with Grania Hyde-Smith, from the Limbless Association. I've been an above-knee amputee for five years now. I have a C Leg, by Ottobock. It contains a microprocessor as described in the article. The difference in my quality of life from using this leg versus a traditional mechanical leg is worth way more than 60K pounds. The amount of energy I use to walk is greatly reduced. I fall less often than I would, since the knee detects stumbles and changes in walking speed and adjusts for them. This all means I can work fulltime, care for my two year old son, and have as independent a life as possible.
Juliet, USA

I think the trauma of losing a part of your leg would prevent 99% of soldiers returning to the battlefield. To lose a limb like this must affect the way you were before
Robin Yates, Swindon, Dudley

I retired from the US Army after 30 years of serving our great country. During my duty at Fort Stewart, I visited our soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Center, MD, every month. I strongly agree with Col Garvey - keep amputee soldiers in our army. This was my number one request when I visited our soldiers. Wounded in action soldiers want to serve.
CSM (R) US Army, Sam Perrotta, Richmond Hill, Georgia

There is one very famous military amputee that went back to the front line 60 years ago - Group Captain Douglas Bader. Injured in a crash in the 20s, fought everyone to get back in to the air force, there was no reason why he shouldn't have been he could fly better than anyone else. It was just not accepted by anyone, but Douglas fought all the way and one, he was one of the reasons why we won the Battle of Britain.
Richard, West Wickham

For 25 years I've had a lower leg that, while still there, has been seriously compromised (war injury). This is the first thing I've seen that makes me feel that it might be better if my leg did drop off one day.
Charles Haley, Harare, Zimbabwe

Bravo bionic technology, I have always long to see the end to the sufferings of the limbless. Disability is not inability and so incorporating them back in to society bridges the gap. The cost is the only drawback, I hope it will be cheap and affordable one day.
Aaron Tellve Pabai, Freetown, Sierra Leone

I can't wait to get a bionic foot so that I can go walking on all sorts of terrain not just flat surfaces. It will make amputees much fitter because as you get older it is more difficult to take exercise which involves walking or running.
Wendy Gething, East Bridgford, Nottingham

Might the day come when prosthetic limbs are better than their organic equivalent? - then everyone might want upgraded body parts. In time I'm sure we could come up with some 'alternative' designs that improve on the original and allow movement not currently envisaged. Exciting stuff!
Anthony, Bristol

I remember reading concepts about heel-powered systems to provide electrical energy through walking; the focus market was laptop users. Could lower body limbs use the compression of impact whilst walking to recharge their power levels. If it worked, then the limb could even use a smaller battery.
Simon Mehlman, Manchester

Mobile internet 'upgrade' launch

2006-11-20T03:35:00.000+07:00

Mobile internet 'upgrade' launch

By Rory Cellan-Jones
Business correspondent, BBC News

Consumers have generally been underwhelmed by 3G phones

Mobile firm 3 has agreed a tie-up with top internet firms in a move it claims will make the mobile internet work properly for the first time.

Third generation (3G) mobiles have proved a financial disaster as companies have struggled to interest consumers in using the new technology.

Firms spent billions on technology making it possible to surf the web or watch television through handsets.

But they found customers were only using them for simple phone calls.

Service promise

3, the company which launched Britain's first 3G network, now says it is going to make the mobile internet more interesting.

It is launching a partnership with internet firms including Skype, Google and eBay.

The promise is that users will be able to make free internet phone calls, watch their home television on their phone and tap into their home computers on the move.

The price for all these services will be a flat-rate monthly fee.

Mobile phone companies often make big claims when launching new products - but analysts say 3's move could change the industry.

MySpace sued by Universal Music

2006-11-20T03:29:00.000+07:00

MySpace has plans to scan music files on its site

Universal Music Group is suing MySpace - claiming the online social network site is encouraging its users to illegally share music and music videos.

It accuses MySpace of allowing people to illegally upload videos and of providing the technology for users to share the content with others.

Links to work by its artists including The Killers, Jay-Z and Gwen Stefani are available, Universal alleges.

But MySpace said it acted legally and dismissed the "meritless litigation".

It added that its procedures for removing illegal downloads were good, and that it fully complied with copyright laws.

'Key role'

"We have been keeping Universal closely appraised of our industry-leading efforts to protect creators' rights," MySpace said.

Our goal is not to inhibit the creation of these communities, but to ensure that our rights and those of our artists are recognised

Universal Music Group

"We provide users with tools to share their own work - we do not induce, encourage, or condone copyright violation in any way."

But Universal's lawsuit, lodged in a US district court, claims that MySpace "encourages, facilitates and participates in the unauthorised reproduction, adaptation, distribution and public performance".

In a statement it added: "Our music and videos play a key role in building the communities that have created hundreds of millions of dollars of value for the owners of MySpace.

"Our goal is not to inhibit the creation of these communities, but to ensure that our rights and those of our artists are recognised."

Technology plans

Universal alleges that MySpace tries to avoid liability for copyright breaches by making its users give the website the right to publish the content.

However the users do not have the right to give that permission, the music firm argues.

MySpace last month unveiled technology to block users from uploading copyrighted music to its pages.

It will use a file-filtering application to scan old and new content to weed out any unauthorised material.

Illegal files, the company said, would be removed and persistent offenders would be banned from the site.

The issue of copyright on sites such as MySpace is a hot topic.

Google is trying to win permission from media companies to broadcast output legally on YouTube and avoid the threat of legal action.

Music labels lose MP3 search case

2006-11-20T03:27:00.000+07:00

Many music companies have blamed falling CD sales on piracy

China's leading web search engine has been cleared of copyright infringement by a Beijing court.

Baidu.com faced a lawsuit from music companies after posting links to sites offering illegal music downloads.

But the ruling said the service did not constitute an infringement as the music was downloaded from webservers of third parties, state press reported.

This overturns an earlier ruling, which had ordered Baidu to pay a distributor of EMI 68,000 yuan (£8,400).

Companies including EMI, Sony BMG, Warner Music and Universal Music had had demanded a public apology from Baidu, the suspension of its download service and 1.73m yuan ($216,250) compensation.

Baidu argued the MP3 search engine it provided was the same as other search engines providing links to web pages, news and pictures.

"If the music companies had won, the whole search engine sector would have ground to a halt," Xinhua news agency quoted a Baidu spokesman as saying.

The report said the music companies would appeal against the ruling.

Buyers line up for Nintendo Wii

2006-11-20T03:16:00.000+07:00

Nintendo's new Wii games console has gone on sale in the US, competing against Sony and Microsoft.

Thousands of fans, some of whom had camped for several days, queued outside shops in New York and Hollywood.

The Japanese firm dominates the handheld gaming space, selling more than 200m DS and Gameboys globally.

But its last home console, the GameCube, faltered as titles for the machine from third-party developers dried up.

The first buyer, Isaiah "Triforce" Johnson, had been queuing outside the New York shop for more than a week.

"I had to get it first," said the 29-year-old, who shook hands with Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime after buying the console.

'Brave' design

Nintendo hopes the Wii, designed to be more accessible than rival machines, will boost its fortunes.

Nintendo has decided to opt-out of the "arms race" of the current round of consoles, that has seen Microsoft and Sony play a game of brinkmanship with their Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 machines.

Both firms have positioned their consoles as home entertainment hubs, offering high definition gaming and film playback, along with digital downloads and high-specification graphics and central processor chips.

Instead, Nintendo has attempted to re-design the gaming experience, opting for a controller which looks like a remote control but is motion sensitive, offering gamers a potentially simpler but at the same time more immersive experience.

The games for the machine have also been designed to be more accessible, with a focus on casual and family gaming.

Analysts and experts are divided over whether Nintendo will be able to break down the barriers between gamers and non-gamers but the firm has a track record of innovation.

Third-party developers are embracing Nintendo machines, with Ubisoft, for example, offering seven titles at launch including Red Steel, Far Cry Vengence and Splinter Cell: Double Agent.

Electronic Arts, the world's biggest games publisher, has also backed the Wii, admitting that the success Nintendo had made of its DS handheld console had forced them to re-think their plans.

Hiroshi Kamide, director of research at KBC Securities Japan, believes Wii will not only convert new gamers but also win over PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox fans, who may buy Wii in addition to PlayStation 3.

"The Wii will expand the market pie and grow in that sense, but also actually be the second console of choice for all the core gamers," he said, adding that Wii's success will depend on how well it does on both counts.

"It will be very interesting to see how much the market pie grows because of the Wii. But it is still a game console at the end of the day."

Wii has a pricing advantage at $250 (£132), half the price of the PlayStation 3 cheapest model.

The Xbox 360, which launched last year, sells for $300 (£158) to $400 (£212).

Nintendo spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa has said nearly 400,000 Wiis will be available for the Japan launch date on 2 December, and likely more for the US launch on Sunday.

The UK gets hold of the Wii console on 8 December for £179.

We Love Technology - Part 1

2006-11-08T22:36:00.000+07:00

"Using technology to make yourself happy."

Being in a relationship is about lot of things. It’s about love, respect, sharing and understanding. For me, it’s the same bedroom scenario every night, and it’s not what you think it might be. I am a big fan of science fiction and have a nice little collection of Isaac Asimov. The problem is, I can never read them before sleep as our viciously bright night lamp light and 100 decibels of book page turning, irritates my girlfriend. Nagging and futurism don’t go well together.

So this is what I’m going to do I’ll utilise technology to improve my nerdy lifestyle. Running several popular websites such as Analogik generates lot of traffic. Traffic equals backlinks, backlinks equal PageRank – a virtual good and a commodity in demand these days. On the other side there are companies with products – they try to sell products and services. Higher the PageRank, higher you are in the search engine results. We have the PageRank – they need the PageRank. Do you see some spiral tungsten firing up already?

No problems so we got the money, now so we have to choose our gadget wisely. After a bit of research and friendly persuasion, a nice chap from FedEx arrives with a brand new NOKIA N91, Made in Finland, shipped from Hong Kong (?). Pretty nice – stainless steal body, slightly bulky but elegantly robust look enwrapping a jolly nice combo of a phone and an mp3 player with 4Gb of HDD space and high speed connectivity. A bit of an overkill, yet very satisfying knowing that PayPal money paid for it instead of my credit card.

The foundation brick of Analogik, Brad Schwede has always had passion for futurism and today he revealed to me that he is so lazy to read books that he gets his text-to-speech program do it for him. So that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

I’ve already got most of Asimov’s books in electronic format thanks to a very dedicated group of fans who OCR-ed and organised the lot. So by using NaturalSoft’s Natural Reader loaded with AT&T’s smooth speech engine I shall convert the text into one large audio file, load it onto the phone and listen to the narration until the little robots take me to the Metropolis land.

Come on, it’s 2006 and there are no robots walking around and there are no flying cars. For that we shall wait, unil then - use your technology to make yourself happy.

Be a techno superstar - Share your story with us!

XBOX, a multimedia platform

2006-11-08T22:13:00.000+07:00

XBOX, a multimedia platform
xbox mods by mark whitney
XBOX - xmbc The Most Complete and Affordable Multimedia Entertainment Solution for your lounge room is made by Microsoft, but it is not the product that you would expect. Although a PC equipped with Windows Media Center Edition has good features and will play most of the media you would like it to, it is quite expensive to purchase the hardware and the operating system. And the fact still remains that there is a much cheaper and superior alternative that Microsoft would never advertise. For about the same price as a high quality DVD player you can get yourself the most complete multimedia entertainment solution. With the ease of use and speed of a DVD player, smaller than and with more features than a Windows Media Center PC, the original Microsoft Xbox, mated with a mod chip, is the complete solution. Not only this, but custom software can be employed; in particular, Xbox Media Center, or XBMC. XMBC is open source software that replaces the standard Microsoft launch menu, and is packed with features that you would pay triple the price for in other products. An Xbox with Xbox Media Center installed will allow playback of basically any media format you can throw at it. With an adapter you have surround sound support, and HDTV support allowing resolutions up to 1080i. The experience gets even better when you connect the Xbox to your LAN or to the internet. You may share your media files on your PC and watch them directly from the Xbox. XBMC supports the common streaming media formats from the internet, so you may listen to all of the Shoutcast or similar radio stations on the net. And of course there are also the obligatory visualisations available to make the music look as good as it sounds! The great thing about this product is the continued development of the XBMC software. That is not to say it is not a complete package, because it is. But as we all know, technology is continually improving, and as such, support for new media technologies is always needed, and will long be provided by the XBMC project. As I am sure you would agree, the huge amount of powerful features make this an extremely complete multimedia solution for any lounge room. If you also take into account the Xbox’s original purpose of playing games and its affordability, the mod chipped Microsoft Xbox running XBMC is the most complete entertainment solution money can buy.
For more info contact our XBOX Mod Chip Experts

XBOX, a multimedia platform

xbox mods by mark whitney

XBOX - xmbc

The Most Complete and Affordable Multimedia Entertainment Solution for your lounge room is made by Microsoft, but it is not the product that you would expect. Although a PC equipped with Windows Media Center Edition has good features and will play most of the media you would like it to, it is quite expensive to purchase the hardware and the operating system. And the fact still remains that there is a much cheaper and superior alternative that Microsoft would never advertise.

For about the same price as a high quality DVD player you can get yourself the most complete multimedia entertainment solution. With the ease of use and speed of a DVD player, smaller than and with more features than a Windows Media Center PC, the original Microsoft Xbox, mated with a mod chip, is the complete solution. Not only this, but custom software can be employed; in particular, Xbox Media Center, or XBMC. XMBC is open source software that replaces the standard Microsoft launch menu, and is packed with features that you would pay triple the price for in other products.

An Xbox with Xbox Media Center installed will allow playback of basically any media format you can throw at it. With an adapter you have surround sound support, and HDTV support allowing resolutions up to 1080i.

The experience gets even better when you connect the Xbox to your LAN or to the internet. You may share your media files on your PC and watch them directly from the Xbox. XBMC supports the common streaming media formats from the internet, so you may listen to all of the Shoutcast or similar radio stations on the net. And of course there are also the obligatory visualisations available to make the music look as good as it sounds!

The great thing about this product is the continued development of the XBMC software. That is not to say it is not a complete package, because it is. But as we all know, technology is continually improving, and as such, support for new media technologies is always needed, and will long be provided by the XBMC project.

As I am sure you would agree, the huge amount of powerful features make this an extremely complete multimedia solution for any lounge room. If you also take into account the Xbox’s original purpose of playing games and its affordability, the mod chipped Microsoft Xbox running XBMC is the most complete entertainment solution money can buy.

For more info contact our XBOX Mod Chip Experts

Harmonic Distortions

2006-11-08T22:08:00.000+07:00

by Brad Schwede

view video (QuickTime) - (Right Click - Save As... )

Need a player for QuickTime files?

The idea for this design came out of a late night coffee with Dejan whilst listening to jazz.

The concept of a little seed coming up out of ground was agreed upon and I went straight home to start designing the seedling. It is obviously influence by Autechre’s Gantz Graf and clean modern vector styles but visually I wanted to push the contrast of heavy ‘harmonic distortion’ on a tiny little organic plant. Almost as if the plants DNA was being modified by sonic pulses.

Process.

The distortion map is created in after effects using ‘audio spectrum’ where a 16:9 map of the soundtrack was rendered (which was to become the base of all vector movements). To create harder and softer distortions on the plant the audio file was then filtered so that high frequencies would be the physical distortion on the plant and low frequencies would be the shake movement. After the seedling was satisfactorily distorted the camera move was exported in RLA so that the vector overlays could be matched. The overlays were to reflect a sort of monitoring system of the amount of audio and the plants distortions.

soundtrack (Reason File)

The audio sphere (or bass ball) is created out of the same audio map but traced around a 3d sphere (‘alpha infection’) and then treated in after effects to produce a glowing, pulsating ball which is wrapped around the plant.

Sound (by Dejan Petrovic)

Doing a soundtrack for this piece was a bit of a challenge. The coffee-table idea bounced off our heads and we both had the same, yet different mental picture of how this animation should look like.

So it started with sound. Knowing Brad's recent influences in music I've decided to go with the most unpleasant and distorted option I had up my sleave Malstrom synthesizer served me well in this case. And so I started.

First thing I had to visualise was the sound, a void would make just before the seed comes out. For this I used a very deep bass in Subtractor Synth. I had all sorts of ideas in my head but they would all take a very long time to implement, especially for this experimental piece.

Sometimes the most time consuming thing is experimentation. It seems like no one dares to experiment anymore, I mean, there are zillions of samples, synths and loops out there so musicians keep recycling over and over again. I guess every now and then an innocent error happens in the process of sound design and that's how some of the best sounds are created.

The idea in a form of a track bounced off couple of more times until we've polished it to our liking. At the same time Brad was constructing his little 3D world, and at some point it all seem to have merged into one. In our case it was very hard to tell which one should have been done first - sound or the animation so they were done simultaneously.

Enough talk.

Here is the source track in Propellerhead Reason | video file: harmonic_distortions.mov - (Right Click - Save As... )

SONY PlayStation 2 Commercial

2006-11-08T21:59:00.000+07:00

Article by: Dejan Petrovic

(SONY™ PlayStation® 2)

"The commercial will engage you with captivating visuals of intense communal excitement.."

Ref: Sony PlayStation® Australia

From a perspective of a typical multimedia person, The "Mountain", Sony PlayStation® ad has got to be one of the best ads of the decade. What a brilliant combination of video, special effects and vintage Shirley Temple track - Get on Board Lil' Children.

EFFECTIVE

The "Mountain" is a part of PlayStation® new "fun, anyone?" brand campaign. As always PlayStation® manages to stay in touch with their audience and customers in a way that Coca-Cola, Pepsi, McDonalds and other giants could only imagine. While everyone else is trying to be cool and hip, PlayStation® actively seeks and attempts to tap into all the possible wavelengths of the youth today. Needles to say - their success in this field is immense.

FRESH

PlayStation® commercials are always fresh, quirky, weird and different. It seems that by bombarding the audience with the unknown and strange we can actually wake the sleepy minds that have been trained to filter out all forms of advertisement. Shock techniques are not a new thing but there is something different with the ad serial coming from PlayStation®.

ARTISTIC

Every PlayStation® ad that we see on TV seems to be a carefully crafted short film with a true artistic value behind the commercial facade. They are not necessarily dark and mean - often they are vibrant, innovative and uplifting.

REALISTIC

The mountain ad simply makes you feel happy after you see it. And what's beautiful about it is that there is no transparency in their visual effects technology. Everyone today knows that almost anything is achievable by video effects and 3D animation but this ad simply leaves one in doubt - is it for real?

PRODUCTION

The producer of this commercial, Frank Bugden has used over 500 extras, and a production team of 300 people. Frank was assisted by some of the leading producers, directors and crew members with experience in gigantic cinema projects (e.g. Lord of the Rings). We won't be giving any jewels away - you will have to visit Australian Playstation site for the Fun Anyone? 60 second video clip.

Continued on 2nd December 2008

Word of the author: To be honest, I didn't expect such an verwhelming response to what I've written about the Mountain ad. We've had around 1500 people on the ad review page already, and all the feedback we have received was positive. It's unbelievable how PlayStation advertisement got everyone involved. So involved, that they are not just noticing the ad, but are also actively searching the Internet for more. The Internet, Multimedia and TV advertising / product marketing have never been more important, and it looks like many big boys are loosing the battle for the market.

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Red Death

2006-11-08T21:50:00.000+07:00

view video (QuickTime) - (Right Click - Save As... )

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Once again a 3d object with 2d animations tracked. The concept for this work was trying to tune a television and not being able to find clear reception. The 3d object is an animated displacement map on a sphere. Camera moves are a lot freeer and cleaner than the other works as I wanted to give the effect of exploring rather than being told what to look at. The tiny + symbols were originally apart of a guide track for the motion but I changed there look and left them as they look like the HP symbols.

The sound track (if you can call it that) was a recording from a digital set top box through a computer of 6 hours of TV in MPEG1 format – I decided to ‘scrub’ through the audio and let it stop for a second then continue on (as if scanning for something). Then realizing that this was not distorted enough added a tone generator in AE and parented its pitch and frequency values to the camera – so if the camera went one way the tone would go up etc. Giving a feeling of tuning analog equipment.

The final treating of this file was to add a channel delay so the edges had a colored blur. An effect used a lot to simulated busted tubes. Then at certain points a camera roll and malfunction effect was applied to give the feeling on the object being tuned.

Unstanding Card

2006-09-11T11:09:00.000+07:00

What is credit?

Credit is an agreement between a lending organization (such as a bank, store or credit card company) and you, the borrower. That agreement puts money in your hand, in your bank, or on a credit card, for your use. The terms of repayment, including interest charges, are usually set up front and are governed by an agreement between you and your issung bank.

Differences between Credit and Debit cards

Credit Card You can make purchases up to your credit limit. When the bill comes, you must pay at least the minimum balance. Banks charge interest on unpaid balances. Generally, if you pay the entire bill at the end of the month, you will not have to pay interest charges. If you maintain an outstanding balance, you will be charged interest at a predetermined annual percentage rate (APR), which differs from issuer to issuer.
Debit Card Funds are automatically taken from your account to cover charges. You can spend the total amount that is in your account.

Establishing credit

First, apply for a credit card that meets your needs and spending habits. See Find a Card . As you pay off your purchases in a timely manner, you'll build a good credit history.

Maintaining good credit

The most important thing to do is pay your credit card bill regularly. Pay the entire bill, or as much as you can afford (at least the minimum payment), each month.
If your bill is delivered late or if you won't be able to pay it on time, contact your card issuing company to make payment arrangements.

If you know you'll be carrying a balance each month, consider a credit card with a low interest rate. And be sure to learn the impact of compounding interest - the amount you're charged in interest on top of purchase and interest charges unpaid in previous months.

Copyright : MasterCard.com

Historical PC Sales Top $3.1 Trillion

2006-08-17T01:21:00.000+07:00

The personal computer celebrated its 25th birthday this past weekend. Although its age is known, its weight wasn't. But on Monday, one analyst estimated that the total PC market to date is worth $3.1 trillion.

IBM introduced the PC on August 12, 1981. It cost $1,565, had a 16-bit microprocessor, 12 font styles, 8 background colors and no mouse or hard drive. But it set the standard for the ecosystem that made the PC a part of our daily experience because it was compatible with non-IBM software. IBM released the machine with the go-ahead for other manufacturers to develop similar machines on the same software base.

Egil Juliussen, an analyst with Computer Industry Almanac, co-authored a review of the machine in August of 1981 in which he predicted that the PC would "permanently and rapidly change the computer industry."

"IBM did not fragment the personal computer industry by starting its own, new software base," Juliussen wrote in the original report. "Other manufacturers have fallen into this trap by trying to down-size their existing small system. Instead, IBM has shown that it is a market-driven company, determined what the best product would be, and built that product to be compatible with the primary existing standard."

HP Offers Debian Support for its Servers

2006-08-17T00:33:00.000+07:00

HP and Debian Linux may not sound like an obvious pairing, but on August 14 at LinuxWorld in San Francisco, HP announced that it has increased its Linux distribution support options for customers and will now support Debian Linux.

Specifically, HP will be supporting Debian Linux across its HP ProLiant and HP BladeSystem server lines. While Red Hat, Novell SUSE, the Asianux foundation of Miracle, Red Flag, and Haansoft remain HP's first choice of Linuxes for its customers, it has been working internally with Debian since the Linux community's beginnings in 1995.

HP will provide Debian technical support for installation and configuration during a server's warranty period. The company, according to sources close to HP, will also offer "care packs" for Debian in the future. Care packs will essentially be service packs.

This support plan is not wedded to a particular Debian distribution. Debian Sarge will be the first Debian distribution to be supported. Etch, when it's released, will also be supported.

The company also has no plans to sell, market, or certify Debian on HP hardware. So, why do it?

Source: eweek.com by: Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

Ad zapping with a proxy

2006-03-17T08:55:00.000+07:00

I hate adverts on websites, and I find the Google text ads some of the worst as they can completely ruin the flow of the text. This is worst on many blogger sites, where an advert will be inserted straight into the area where the text content of the blog is concerned and often, frankly, it just looks ugly, not to mention highly confusing if you are trying to read the entry online.The graphical ads are usually tolerable, as long as they are placed in a suitable location that allows the text of the content to flow around the ad itself, just as it it were a photo or image as part of an article. That doesn't mean I like them any better, but least you can more easly tell where the ad begins and ends. More annoying are those animated and flash ads that have an annoying habit of sapping CPU time while you view them, to varying degrees.Long ago I used a proxy server between my network and the Internet to help filter out the adverts, but when I moved home and changed network organization I lost the proxy server and moved to web-based filtering with Firefox.I gave up Firefox long ago, not because I was anti-Firefox (I still recommend it to everybody), but as a mainly Mac OS X user, I appreciate the OS integration that Safari provides. I still use Firefox on my Windows and Unix/Linux machines exclusively.Filtering across all those systems however was inconsistent, so I'm back to border-level filtering. Fortunately Gentoo supports AdZapper. A simple emerge of AdZapper and Squid (AdZapper will also work with Apache and some other solutions). A quick reconfigure to use the new proxy server, and the addition of a few lines into the Squid configuration file and I now have a network-wide ad zapping service that gives consistency no matter what Browser I'm using.

Source : http://www.computerworld.com/blogs/trackback/1845

By Martin MC Brown

A better security bet

2006-02-21T12:46:00.000+07:00

From : Kristin Arnold • Bankrate.com

Reports of security breaches, hackers and phishing scams have consumers running scared about online financial transactions. However, a study released in January 2006 by Javelin Research and Strategy shows that Internet-related fraud problems are actually less severe, less costly and less prevalent than previously thought.
According to the study, identity theft victims who detected the crime by monitoring their accounts online lost only about $551, compared with an average of $4,543 when the theft was detected from paper statements.
The difference is that the longer it goes on before you detect the fraud, the more it will cost you, and you're likely to discover it faster if you monitor your accounts online.
Online banking has grown steadily since first being introduced to consumers in the 1990s. More than 53 million Americans currently make some type of monetary transaction online, according to a study performed by Pew Internet & American Life Project, an organization that tracks the social impact of the Internet.
According to both the Javelin and Pew reports, growth in online banking is built on two trends.
The first is that Internet users are gaining more experience and, therefore, are more likely to participate in activities like online purchases and travel reservations.
Betty Reiss, senior vice president of media relations for Bank of America, says that when Internet banking was first introduced in 1995, banking customers made baby steps in their initial online banking attempt.
"Our customers traditionally started to bank online to look at transactions and move money between accounts. The next step was paying bills online. Once people tried paying bills online, they saw that it was easier and more convenient."
The second trend is that banks are more aggressively offering online banking as an option for their customers, and they are offering it for free.
"Online bill pay from Bank of America has been a free feature for our customers since 2002," Reiss says.
Reiss says Bank of America, which has the largest online-banking customer base in the United States, made bill pay free based on an 18-month analysis comparing online-bill-pay customers to offline customers. She says that over time, online-bill-pay customers had wider relationships and more loans with Bank of America, and stayed with the bank longer.
Still, even though banks have tried to make online banking attractive, some consumers refuse to take that route because of security fears.
But despite the series of recent security breaches, most bank-related crimes remain old-fashioned.
The Javelin study indicates that the most common source of misused information is a lost or stolen wallet, checkbook or credit card. More than 68 percent of ID theft and fraud occurred from offline means, compared to just 11.6 percent from online.
Paper statements from your bank, credit card offers and insurance claims also can be potential time bombs if someone, even your family member or friend, get ahold of them.
The Javelin study pointed out that in 26 percent of all cases of ID theft and fraud, the victim knew the person who had misused his or her personal information.
Bruce Cundiff, a researcher for Javelin Strategy and Research, says consumers reluctant to bank online face a greater threat of ID theft and fraud because they leave a paper trail that is easily accessed by thieves, family members and friends, which then gives them direct access to their important financial information.
Cundiff says, "Online banking gives consumers the ability to eliminate the physical statements, taking away the ability to get your information through that physical record."

Dangers of debt consolidation

2006-02-21T12:40:00.000+07:00

It sounds tempting to consumers in debt: Take out one big loan to consolidate various balances into one, easier-to-handle and less-costly package

But be careful of what looks to be a quick fix.
"You're getting symptomatic relief, not a credit cure," says Chris Viale, president of Cambridge Credit Corp., a nonprofit credit counseling agency based in Agawam, Mass.
This fighting-fire-with-fire approach can take several forms. There are debt-consolidation loans, balance transfers to a zero-percent credit card and home equity loans or lines of credit.
But, says Viale, 70 percent of Americans who take out a home equity loan or other type of loan to pay off credit cards end up with the same (if not higher) debt load within two years.
Viale's statistics underscore a major problem with debt consolidation: It feeds upon the tendencies that got you in trouble in the first place. By taking on yet another creditor, you're adding the proverbial fuel to the fire. In this case, it's your money that's burning.
Plus, if you've taken on so much debt that you're looking for more as a solution, chances are you won't qualify for the very low interest rates you see advertised. Those generally go to people with stellar credit ratings.
However, if you're at the end of your credit rope or swear that this time you'll be more disciplined, debt consolidation may be something to consider despite its risks. Here are some popular forms of debt consolidation, how they work and a look at their pros and cons.

8 ways to consolidate debt

2006-02-21T12:33:00.000+07:00

If you find yourself continually worrying about debt -- it's time to seek out some solutions. Greg Pahl, co-author of "The Unofficial Guide to Beating Debt," and Virginia Morris, co-author of "The Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Money & Investing," offer these suggestions on consolidating your debt.

1. Credit card transfers.

Rate surfing only makes sense if you can pay off your outstanding debt within the time frame of the low introductory rate. "By the time you do all the transferring, the introductory period is over," Pahl says. "I get this stuff in the mail a lot. You really have to read it carefully. The change of a word or two can change the whole thrust of the promotion."
To look for the credit cards with the lowest rates, use Bankrate.com's credit card search engine.

2. Home equity loans.

They're inexpensive, relatively easy to obtain and they may offer a tax deduction for the interest portion of the loan. The downside is that the collateral for the loan is the house. "A home equity loan can be an extremely useful strategy if it's used properly," Pahl says, "but people need to have their eyes open and understand the implications."
The other disadvantage is the low-pressure repayment terms. "Most lenders aren't in a hurry for you to pay it back. The leisurely repayment schedule isn't part of your goal," he says. "Your new monthly payment should be at least as large as your previous monthly payments -- if you want to really make progress. If you can pay more, you should, because you'll pay it off faster."
Bankrate.com's home equity search engine lets you find the lowest rates for variable-rate home equity lines of credit and fixed-rate home equity loans.

3. Retirement funds.

Most employers will allow loans from a 401(k) or other retirement plan, but this should only be used if you have no other choice. The interest is almost never tax-deductible, but you're paying interest to yourself instead of a bank, Pahl says. If you can't pay it back within five years, the IRS will assess taxes and penalties. Also, if you quit your job, your employer will call the loan in full when you leave. Accessing retirement funds does offer a way of lowering your payments and speeding up the debt repayment process.

4. Life insurance.

If you have whole life insurance, you can borrow against its value. There's no time limit and, Pahl says, "You don't really have to pay it back at all. If you don't pay it back, the amount of the loan is deducted from the benefits paid to your beneficiaries, so you probably want to pay it back."

Articels From : www.bankrate.com

Watch out for bad-loan signals

2006-02-21T12:25:00.000+07:00

Johnny Bell had a new deck and other home improvements in mind when he refinanced his home in Oxford, Miss., last summer.
Make that almost refinanced.
Bell spotted attractive terms on a television ad, contacted the lender and locked in a cash-out refi at 5.125 percent with $350 upfront as a processing fee toward a 45-day closing.
Then trouble began. First, the company delayed the closing, saying it was behind on the paperwork. Then it asked for proof of reserve funds and Bell complied. After 90 days, the company informed Bell that his "locked" rate had gone up to 6.2 percent.

"I got angry," Bell recalls. "I told them I was definitely not paying more interest. They started making excuses for why it had taken so long, putting the blame on Fannie Mae for requiring the reserves. But the interest rate didn't have anything to do with the reserves."
After two more months of futile telephone calls, Bell walked away from the deal, received his $350 back and built his deck out of pocket.
"It was bait and switch," he said. "It took me five months to not refinance."

articels from : www.bankrate.com

Benchmark Lending

2006-02-21T12:19:00.000+07:00

Benchmark Lending Group is a direct mortgage lender, enabling you to quickly secure a new home mortgage or refinance your existing one. Offering a broad range of mortgages ensures that we provide you with a solution that is specifically tailored to your needs. Our mission is to earn your trust, meet your financial goals and provide an outstanding customer experience. And guess what, we´re nice people too. For over a decade, Benchmark Lending has been helping home buyers and owners realize their dreams. As a primary lending institution, Benchmark is uniquely positioned to assist both refinancing and new mortgage customers. We take the time to understand you and your financial goals. We tailor loans that take into account your cash flow, payment timeframe, equity plans and investment opportunities. You will get a loan that won’t break your budget and provides you the flexibility and resources to get the most out of your property investments.
Our loan process is in one word easy, easy to understand, easy to complete and most of all easy to manage, because we handle all the hard work. Your personal Loan Officer will manage the application process, work with you through any and all credit issues and help ensure that every I is dotted and every T is crossed. They will carefully explain every detail of your mortgage so there are no surprises on your monthly bill. Our sole aim is to make the experience of financing a new or existing home absolutely painless. We will guarantee that you have a loan tailored to your specific financial needs.

Website Payments Pro: Solution Overview (USA Only)

2006-02-19T15:21:00.000+07:00

Get the features of a merchant account and gateway, plus much more—at a lower cost. Website Payments Pro is:

Powerful. Control your checkout from start to finish, and integrate PayPal with your order-management system and shopping cart.

Complete. Accept credit cards directly on your website just like a merchant account. You don’t need a separate merchant account and gateway.

Please Note:

The easiest way to use Website Payments Pro is with a shopping cart that has integrated Website Payments Pro.
If you don’t have a shopping cart that has integrated Website Payments Pro, and want to do your own integration, you’ll need programming support and two to 20 days to integrate it into your website. To speak with a sales representative, call 1-866-836-1648 or explore our Solutions Directory for integration resources.

If you’d like an easier way to get paid, check out our Website Payments Standard or Virtual Terminal solutions.

Houston Crimonal Lawyer

2006-02-19T15:06:00.000+07:00

Houston Criminal Lawyer John T. Floyd III is an experienced criminal defense attorney dedicated to defending individuals and businesses accused of committing serious crimes in all State and Federal criminal courts in Houston and throughout the State of Texas.

As an experienced criminal defense lawyer, John T. Floyd’s practice is dedicated exclusively to criminal defense work protecting the rights, privacy, and dignity of businesses and individuals suspected or accused of committing serious crimes.

Criminal Defense Lawyer John T. Floyd proudly represents clients charged with serious criminal offenses before State and Federal courts in Houston, Galveston, Richmond, Angleton, Beaumont, Austin, San Antonio, Waco, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Tyler, Sherman, Del Rio, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, Mc Allen, El Paso, and all counties throughout the State of Texas. Our primary office is located on the 70th floor of the JPMorgan Chase Tower in Houston, Texas; however, Mr. Floyd often travels to Criminal Courts across the State of Texas, as well as, Federal Criminal Courts across the United States.

Criminal Defense Lawyer John T. Floyd has over ten years experience defending businesses and individuals accused or suspected of committing criminal violations of State and Federal law. While the John T. Floyd Law Firm’s practice is primarily focused upon criminal defense of those being investigated or suspected of federal criminal violations, John Floyd also represents individuals accused of serious State crimes.

Since the tragedy of 9-11, Criminal Defense Lawyer John T. Floyd has represented dozens of individuals and entities regarding terrorism investigations and related criminal defense work in the State of Texas and Washington D.C.

Houston Criminal Lawyer John T. Floyd provides clients with individualized attention prized by those demanding the personal touch of a “boutique” criminal defense firm, along with significant contacts throughout the state and country to assemble a serious legal defense team any large firm would find formidable. The organizational approach the John T. Floyd Law Firm takes with each client is determined by their specific needs, goals and budget, as well as, the seriousness of the issues and facts surrounding the case.

If you have any further questions, or would like to discuss your case further, please contact a dedicated Criminal Defense Lawyer by phone at 713-224-0101 or by e-mail at jfloyd@JohnTFloyd.com

Wireless Pointing Mouse From JW Tech

2006-02-19T14:20:00.000+07:00

JW Tech recently presented a very cool pointing mouse that could be really handy during multimedia class or presentations. It features both a wireless trackball mouse that takes advantage of the radio frequency technology, as well as laser pointing function. You can freely use it while moving around within 20m radius. To avoid the signal being jammed, 5 different frequencies are provided. One of the most unique feature is the receiver itself. Check out the picture below and you'd see that the receiver device is a wired 5-button optical mouse. So, instead of one, you'd get two functional mice in a bundle.

Manoi The Humanoi Robot

2006-02-19T14:18:00.000+07:00

Toymaker Kyosho has come up with a robot that can be assembled easily even by those with limited knowledge of robots. Named "Manoi", this robot is capable of walking on two feet and kicking a soccer ball. It has a one-fitfh the scale of human body. That's around 40 cm tall. If this small robot designed by Tomotaka Takahashi already able to kick soccer ball, someday we might even play soccer with a robotic team. Cool or scary?

Anyway, Kyosho is also planning to host the Athletic Humanoid Cup several times a year with such events as the 5-meter sprint. The first competition is planned for August 2006.