Abhishek Upadhyay - Free Softwares Download

iTunes 8.0.2.20

2009-02-15T13:58:00.000+05:30

iTunes, the award-winning digital-jukebox software, is now available for Mac and Windows. The iTunes Music Store offers Windows users the same online music store as Mac users, with the same music catalog, the same personal-use rights, and the same 99-cents-per-song pricing.

With music from all five major music companies and more than 600 independent labels, the iTunes Music Store catalog now offers more than 1,000,000 songs. Features include a free download with no hidden charges for extra features, MP3 and pristine-quality AAC-encoding from audio CDs, smart playlists, more than 250 free Internet-radio stations, and the ability to burn custom playlists to CDs and MP3 CDs, to burn content to DVDs to back up an entire music collection, and to share music via Rendezvous over any network, cross-platform.

Version 8 adds genius playlists, a tile view, and HD TV-show support. Version 8.0.2 is a bug-fixing release.

Download Now (13.43K)

Please note that downloading this program takes you to a third-party Web site.

Internet Explorer 8 RC 1

2009-02-15T13:55:00.000+05:30

This beta preview version of Internet Explore r8 is intended for Web developers and other Web professionals. It is not intended to be a functional product for Web surfers.

Internet Explorer 8 beta is intended to enable developers, web developers and IT pros to begin to test the new browser for compatibility with their applications and Web sites. End-user improvements include two new features: Activities and Web Slices. Activities are contextual services that allow easy access to Internet services from any Web page. WebSlices is a new feature for Web sites to connect to their users by subscribing to content directly within a Web page. WebSlices behave just like feeds where clients can subscribe to get updates and notify the user of changes.

Beta 2 is the second public pre-release of Internet Explorer 8 and adds Accelerators--which let you complete your everyday browsing activities more quickly and discover new services; InPrivate Browsing, search suggestions, and other new features.

Download Now

Valentine's Day downloads

2009-02-15T13:52:00.000+05:30

With Valentines day just a couple of days away, why not get in to the spirit? We put together a collection of screensavers and Valentine's Day themed downloads to get you in the mood for the most romantic of holidays. Hopefully, it will also act as a reminder to those who might forget. Ahem.

Some of these downloads are paid and others are free, but any one you choose will certainly put you in the spirit of Valentine's Day.

Cool EasyCard lets you create Valentine's cards (or any type of greeting) with your own photos and the words you want to say. If you're tired of trying to find just the right words in the greeting card aisle, leave nothing up to chance by saying the right thing just the way you want to say it.

Hearts, Roses, Love is an elegant and simple screensaver to get you in the mood for Valentine's Day with class. The beautifully designed screensaver doesn't offer a lot of bells and whistles, but is just enough to make your desktop come alive with the Valentine's Day spirit.

Cuddly kitties and canines is exactly what the name would imply: photos of cute kittens and puppies surrounded by Valentine's themed decorations. If you're an animal lover, check out this cute and simple screensaver.

Free Valentine's Day Screensaver features high-quality images and smooth transitions to make this screensaver the perfect way to enjoy the holiday. If you want a little more than a themed screensaver, or prefer several changing Valentine's day images, this is the download for you.

Valentine 3D Screensaver lets you view a lovely setting with wine glasses, a Valentine's Day message, and a cuddly teddy bear. Smooth, nice-looking graphics make this screensaver a great choice for those who leave their computers on during this most romantic of dates. Later, you should consider turning off your computer entirely.

3D Dancing Cupid gets you in the mood for the holiday with a retro screensaver designed to bring out the silliness in everyone. If you're the type who likes a dancing screensaver, Cupid is a little guy who knows how to get down. On the dancefloor--get you're mind out of the gutter.

3D Love Clock lets you put a personalized, heart-shaped clock on your desktop. You'll never forget your loved ones during this most important of romantic holidays--or what time it is. Customize your clock further by adding a picture of your loved ones.

Check out my Facebook profile

2009-02-08T10:10:00.001+05:30

facebook

Check out my Facebook profile

Hi Free,

I set up a Facebook profile where I can post my pictures, videos and events and I want to add you as a friend so you can see it. First, you need to join Facebook! Once you join, you can also create your own profile.

Thanks,
Abhishek

To sign up for Facebook, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=1413724328&k=6WB423TSWZ4M5AGEPDZ2UT&r

This e-mail may contain promotional materials. If you do not wish to receive future commercial mailings from Facebook, please opt out. Facebook's offices are located at 156 University Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301.

10 Websites To Make You A Photoshop Ninja - Part II

2009-02-04T16:13:00.001+05:30

I told You All About 5 Websites In Previous Post.
Next 5 Websites Are Here
Now Previous Continued...

Photoshop Tutorials

Photoshop Tutorials combines tutorials for Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, and Photography. It covers a whole range of things, and always tells you how advanced the particular tutorial is. Some are incredibly complicated, and some are great ways to do really basic things in Photoshop.

Though it doesn’t have the largest database I found, it probably wins my award for easiest-to-follow tutorials. Users also rate and comment on tutorials, so you can see what people liked and hated on the site.

Luxa

Luxa calls itself a “social learning site for Photoshop artists.” It’s a combination of tutorials, videos, and design articles. Users suggest video and tutorial topics, and Luxa helps them learn Photoshop.

To really appreciate Luxa’s community, you’ll want to become a member, which is a bit of a pain but creates a lot of benefits. There’s also a voting system (though not an oft-used one yet) that helps bring the best to the top. In addition to all the tutorials too, Luxa also has a large collection of Photoshop brushes that will let you achieve before-impossible awesomeness.

Photoshop Contest

Photoshop Contest is one part site for Photoshop ninjas, one part site for becoming one. There are contests for people doing cool things with Photoshop, but also a big repository of tutorials and videos.

Since the makers of the tutorials are usually on the site because they know Photoshop inside and out, they often have cool tips for how to take shortcuts and “cheat” an image. Most of the tutorials are pretty basic, though at least for me, there’s nothing basic about any of Photoshop.

PSHero

PSHero gets onto the list for being the most practical of the bunch, and sharing the most tutorials that the average user would actually want. If you’re looking to do things like design a website, create logos, or make your photos grungier, you’re set with PSHero.

There’s not a lot of higher-level stuff to be found, but I found that PSHero was perfect for someone like me, who’s more likely to be creating a logo than an anime airplane eating a lion on top of a mountain. The tutorials are easy to follow, and definitely geared toward the inexperienced Photoshopper.

PSDTop

Another aggregator (I think the name might have taken from AllTop), PSDTop is a great place to find all kinds of cool Photoshop Tutorials.

Though it’s not the only site to have categories, its breakdown of the tutorials into various types (Drawing, Digital Art, etc.) is a great way to become ninja-like at a particular skill in Photoshop. Since it’s an aggregator, it too will have the occasional dud tutorial, but most are good.

From introductions to Photoshop to doing things that couldn’t possibly exist in the real world, these ten sites will help you earn your black belt in the wide world of Photoshopping. But obviously many more Photoshopping tutorial websites exist out there so tell us your recommendations in the comments below.

10 Websites To Make You A Photoshop Ninja - Part I

2009-02-04T16:11:00.000+05:30

Photoshop is hard. There’s all kinds of menus, commands, and keyboard shortcuts that you’ve got to figure out. Once you learn how it works, it’s an unbelievably useful and powerful tool, but the learning curve is enormous.

Using the Web though, you can learn how to do just about anything in Photoshop, and either become great at it or just get really good at faking it. Either way, you’re doing cool stuff.

Here are ten sites to learn Photoshop online and get you Photoshopping like a champion:

You Suck at Photoshop

You Suck at Photoshop is the place to start, just to defeat you a little bit and make you realize how badly you need to learn Photoshop. In all seriousness, though, Donnie Hoyle’s video tutorial series is both hilarious and informative. They’re helpful for learning how to do simple things, where to find particular tools, and how to mess with the pictures of people you love.

Tutorial9

Tutorial9 has a ton of different tutorials, including a lot of them for Photoshop. Every tutorial has step-by-step instructions, complete with pictures of the tools you need and the buttons you should click on (really helpful- what in the world does the “capture” tool look like?).

Then, for everything you need to do, there’s a quick video showing you what it looks like. There’s no narration, but that’s okay- the step-by-step instructions do everything you need. Tutorial9 helps you do all kinds of things with Photoshop- my favorite was creating burnt parchment. You know, without burning anything. Definitely agreat site to learn photoshop online.

PSDTUTS

With PSDTUTS, you’ll see lots and lots of pictures. Tutorials are made up almost entirely of pictures that give you the slightest detail instructions on how to do various things in Photoshop.

One of the best things about PSDTUTS are the comments on the tutorials, which help to iron out the possible issues with the tutorials as presented. The tutorials are long, because they’re so broken down, but if they can teach me to make a Web banner out of a motorcycle, they’re doing something right.

Good-Tutorials

There’s nothing terribly unique about Good-Tutorials, except that it’s more of a general guide to using Photoshop than a guide to achieving a particular effect in Photoshop.

Though Good-Tutorials does have those tutorials, it’s also got things like “Create a Photoshop Action for Screenshots” to help save you time and effort in Photoshop. Simple tutorials and powerful Photoshopping both come from Good-Tutorials.

Photoshop Lady

The Photoshop Lady pulls together some of the best Photoshop tutorials from around the Web, and lets you read and watch them easily. If you create an account, you can save tutorials for later, and you can also see the “Most Viewed” and “Highest Rated” tutorials to see what other people are learning how to do. Since it’s not centralized, some tutorials are better than others, but most of it is good stuff.

22 Most Useful Free Applications for your PC - System Utilities

2009-02-03T16:47:00.002+05:30

Previous Continued...

System Utilities

Keeping my system healthy and working its best is a never ending challenge. These are some of the tools that I use to help.

CCleaner - Keep your PC squeaky clean with this System Optimization tool. It deletes just about every kind of unnecessary crap from your computer. Temporary files, Cookies and other junk from every browser, Programs running at Startup, Uninstalls software and fixes all kinds of problems in your Registry. Click about five buttons and wait about a minute and your machine is a new person. Alternatives: NCleaner – better in some ways, but worse interface. AdAware and Spybot for spyware removal.

Filezilla - My favorite FTP client. Quick, simple, and easy. FTP from your browser with FireFTP. Not secure enough, try WinSCP for secure FTP. Use Putty for Telnet and SSH access.

Rocket Dock - Do you have Mac Envy? This launching doc is nearly a dead clone of Apple’s dock. You can launch Applications, Folders, Files, and other processes so quickly and easily, you’ll never click the Start button again. Alternatives: Object Dock

7Zip - This WinZip alternative will open just about any archive file format known to man. It’s faster and lighter on resources than any archive tool I’ve used. Alternatives: There are a bunch, here is a list of free winzip alternatives.

TightVNC - Remotely view and control other computers from your desktop. Install the server software on one (remote) computer and then control it with the viewer software from your main computer. Great for helping diagnose computer problems on your family and friend’s computers. Alternatives: UltraVNC and RealVNC have comparable feature sets and decent followings. See this tutorial for Using VNC to remotely control another computer.

uTorrent - The best way to download huge files is with BitTorrent technology. My (current) favorite BitTorrent client is uTorrent. Nothing spectacular, just a solid tool that fills an important role. Alternatives: Azureus is a java based bit torrent client with similar features.

SyncBack Freeware - Very powerful backup program with numerous configuration options including: Backup and Restore of files, Synchronization of files, Zip Compression of backed up files to save space, Back up to FTP servers, Filters for choosing what to back up or ignore. Alternatives: Mozy Backup (web base $5/per month)

AVG Antivirus - Don’t destroy your computer with that garbage that Norton and McAfee are peddling. Those two applications will screw up you computer worse than any virus. AVG Antivirus (free version) protects your computer from viruses, spyware, and heebie-jeebies of all types without bogging down your computer. Alternatives: Antivir and Avast also offer very good free antivirus options.

22 Most Useful Free Applications for your PC - Multimedia

2009-02-03T16:45:00.001+05:30

Previous Continued...

Multimedia

Here is one of the fields where you can spend your whole paycheck on commercial software. Pick up anything from Adobe, Corel, Pinnacle, etc and you’ll see what I mean. Fear not, there are plenty of ways to view, manage, create, and distribute your media without spending a dime.

Paint.net - If you need to do minor edits to your photos and images that don’t warrant the King’s ransom that Photoshop commands, you should give Paint.net a try. You can do edits that range from simple to complex without spending a dime. Yes, I know there’s a huge Gimp following, but I just like this better. Alternatives: The Gimp do yourself a favor get the Gimpshop version.
VLC - This is a streamed down media player that will play any audio or video format ever created flawlessly. This is a lot like Foxit for your videos. It opens lightning fast and begins playing your files. Light, fast, simple!

Picasa - Manage your photos like a champ. If you have more than 10 photos on your computer, you MUST get Picasa. Organize, search, display, and share your photos in a way that will make you really appreciate your camera. Windows Live Photo Gallery (Reasonable clone of Picasa integrates with Windows Live services well).

iTunes - Yeah I know, there are a bunch of alternatives but, I still just like iTunes. It does just about everything I need very well and the few things it doesn’t do, I just use one of the other options. Alternatives: (Media Monkey, Songbird, Winamp, Miro TV)

DVD Shrink - If you want to make "backup copies" of any of your "legally purchased" DVDs, this is the simplest application out there. Pop in the disk, click "Backup" and go. Then, use DVD Decrypter to burn it to a blank disk. Once you do the simple setup, you can do a two click back up of any DVD. (I hope Netflix doesn’t read this blog.)

22 Most Useful Free Applications for your PC - Productivity

2009-02-03T16:44:00.000+05:30

Previous continued...

Productivity

Getting things done on your computer can often cost you a pretty penny. While I’m still an advocate of forking over the money for Microsoft Office, there a lot of other areas that you can save money.

Windows Live Writer - I write every one of my blog posts using Live Writer. If you have a blog you really should try this. It handles multiple sites and has tons of extensions to customize it. Alternatives: Raven is a desktop blogging software that is a lighter alternative to WLW. Not light enough? Try the Scribefire extension for Firefox.

Notepad++ - Sure, Windows comes with a text editor built in, but not like Notepad++. You can use the tabbed interface to work on multiple documents at once. There is syntax highlighting for editing code. If I need to do minor edits to code I can open a file, make the changes, and have it closed before Dreamweaver would even begin launching. This is another application with plethora of extensions that allow you to modify it to your heart’s content.

Foxit PDF Reader - Love PDFs, but hate the bloat of Adobe Acrobat? I thought so. Foxit will open your PDF files so fast, you’ll wonder why anyone would ever use Acrobat. Get hours of your life back.

CutePDF Writer - If you need to create PDF files from your documents and don’t want to shell out for Acrobat Pro, then get CutePDF Writer. This installs on your system as a Printer. Then, you can turn any printable information from any application on your computer into a perfect PDF. Put it all together to be a PDF champion.

22 Most Useful Free Applications for your PC - Internet

2009-02-03T16:42:00.002+05:30

Previous continued...

Internet

This is the home of the freebies. There are so many free internet browsers and applications that I could go on all day. Actually, the follow-up article will focus on the best web-based applications.

Firefox - The Granddaddy of all free software. If there were one piece of software that I would just not give up, it’s Firefox. Alternatives: Flock (Firefox variant aimed at media and social networking), Opera (decent alternative, but no extensions), Google Chrome (lean and clean new-kid-on-the-block), Apple Safari (only for testing web development).

Google Earth - Put every inch of the Earth at the tip of your finger. I’m not sure how much anybody "needs" this software, but you know you want it. Stalk your friends, enemies, and ex, then check out the Eifel Tower and Pyramids.

22 Most Useful Free Applications for your PC - Communication

2009-02-03T16:38:00.003+05:30

Use your Computer, Not your Wallet

The recession is hitting everyone hard and money is tight. That doesn’t mean that can’t get the most out of your computer. There are so many great free applications that can help you do just about anything. I’m going to take a look at 22 applications that I use all the time with wonderful results.

I’m going to identify the free applications that I use in the following categories:

Communication
Internet
Productivity
Multimedia
System Utilities

I have my personal favorites that I’m going to talk about, but those are not your only options. I’ll also list any other viable alternatives that I’m aware of for each category.

Communication

I’m a big fan of Microsoft Outlook, but I have been using Thunderbird on my computer for a while now. It’s not quite as good, but it’s constantly closing the gap. Here are some of my favorite ways to keep in touch for free.

Thunderbird - This is Mozilla’s open source answer to Microsoft Outlook. You can do Email, Contacts, and Calendaring very similarly to Outlook (minus some of the polish). It’s built using the same open, extensible platform as Firefox, so there is a steadily growing collection of extensions to augment it’s functionality. Turbocharge Thunderbird with these plug-ins. Alternatives: Gmail.

Digsby - Simply the best Instant Messenger tool available. You can connect to all of your IM networks (AOL, Yahoo, MSN, Google, ICQ, Jabber, and Facebook ) to let you chat with any of your contacts. That alone makes it valuable, but wait, there’s more: Get real-time updates on your social networks (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and LinkedIn). You can also get updates on your inbox for just about any email account (Gmail, Yahoo, MSN, plus any IMAP and POP3 accounts). Alternatives: If you’re looking for something almost as good, try Pidgin IM or Trillian with a bunch of plug-ins. Meebo (Web Based).

How to create an encrypted disk image to store your private files on MAC

2009-02-03T16:22:00.001+05:30

Well,This tutorial will guide you through using SecureFiles to create a secure, encrypted disk image in OS X. Using that disk image, you can store files that you don’t want other people to be able to access.

There are quite a few ways to create secure disk images in OS X, or a secure partition. However, using SecureFiles is arguably the easiest way.

To get started, download SecureFiles and open the .dmg file. Drag the SecureFiles app to your Applications folder to install it.

Launch SecureFiles from your Applications folder.

Give your secure disk image a name by entering it in the New disk image name: field. Decide how large you want the image to be by selecting a size from the Size: stretches to drop-down menu. You can create custom size disk images (rather than using one of the defaults) by selecting the Preferences option from the top menu. Now, decide if you want to allow Spotlight to index your secure image. I opted not to, but this is one of those “up to you” decisions. Click the small “folder” icon in the bottom left corner of the SecureFiles window to change the default location your image will be saved in, if you don’t like the default. Finally, click the Create button.

Now enter a password for your secure disk image. As the window indicates, if you lose this password you won’t be able to access your secure files. So select a password that’s both secure (hard to guess) and easy to remember. You’ll probably want to remove the check from the box labeled Remember password in my keychain, otherwise you won’t be prompted to enter your password each time you open the image to add or access files to/from it, which (with the default keychain settings) negates the entire SecureFiles process.

And now your disk image will be created.

Once completed, your disk image will be mounted, and you can access it via the Finder. Drag and drop files to it the same way you would any other. Once inside, they’re part of the encrypted disk image. Unmount the disk image when you’re done.

Any time in the future when you want to access the secure disk image - to view/extract or add files to it, just locate the .sparseimage file (it will be saved in the location you specified back in step #3) and double-click it.

Enter the password you created in step #4.

And your encrypted/secure disk image will mount. Again, now you can access the files inside, or add more to it.

Ultimate Leopard Customization Guide

2009-02-03T16:15:00.000+05:30

Leopard is cool. There’s no doubt about it. But there’s always that one thing that’s missing from something you buy, whether it be from your new iPod, your new toaster, or your new operating system. We’ve covered many of the customizations that can be made to Leopard in the past, but we’ve decided to compile them all in one place, ready to be downloaded and tried out, (almost) all for free.

Wanna bring back the rounded corners? 2D-ify that dock? Kill that transparent menu? Whatever it is, you can likely find it here. Do let us know if we missed some.

The Dock

Hate it? Love it? Make you dizzy?

2D-ify It!
DockDoctor Dashboard Widget

Probably the biggest complaint about Leopard is the new dock. Personally, I think it’s just dandy. But, if simplicity is your thing, you can easily change the default glossy dock look and change it into a sleek darker shade of the original OS X dock. You know, the one that appears by default when the dock is on the left- or right-hand side of the screen. And, if you like, you can change it right back. Quick and simple.

Color It!
with DockColor

Do you like the shiny dock, but does it just not go well with your wallpaper? No more! Easily change the color of the dock from the color palette and get the dock just right to match your wallpaper. This may require some creativity. I mean, colors are just colors, but I suggest the use of subtlety. Perhaps a slightly pink dock to go with the space-time Leopard wallpaper, or a dark navy with the original OS X one.

Theme it!
with Dockulicious

Don’t like the shiny, glossy look of the dock, no matter what color? Change it! Choose from dozens of themes made by users on the website and easily give your dock a whole new look by simply dragging the downloaded .zip file to the Dockulicious icon. And, if you want to change your dock back to it’s original look, it’s easy to revert to the original.

Triangulize it!
with a quick customization

Get rid of those glowing blue indicators at the bottom of your dock, and replace them with the classic Mac OS X triangle. Fairly simple tutorial.

Hide it!
with MacPilot

Make hidden application icons translucent with this neat feature of the shareware product MacPilot. Feat not, however. You have 15 days to make the changes until you have to start paying. This can also be achieved through a simple terminal command.

Stacks

Do they increase or decrease clutter?

Overlay it!
with “Drawer” icons

One of the biggest complaints about stacks in Leopard is how the icons are displayed on the dock. They’re just, well, stacked. And if the folder changes constantly, the front-most icon will also constantly change. These drawer icons fix that. Just drag one of these beautiful icons to the stack you want, and poof it’s there. It sits in the folder as an image with a last modified date of 2010, so you’re folders and files look like they’re in a shiny little translucent drawer.

Recent-ize it!
in the terminal

Make a stack with only your recent items, with some quick terminal commands. Great for if you’re working on a project where you constantly have to access the same files, or accessing recent downloads without finding it in the clutter of the download stack. Or, you can even have it show your favorite items instead.

App-ify it!
with a quick tip

Make a stack with a collection of apps in it for easy access. Quick and easy tip, no coding required. This is a very useful way to keep your dock tidy, but still provide easy access to groups of similar applications. Perhaps put all school-related apps in an app stack, or all web browsers that you use every-so-often.

Hierarchical-ize it!
with Quay

Remember the old way to view a folder from the dock? Right clicking would bring up a menu with all of the items inside that folder, and allow you to browse all of the subfolders in it with a hierarchical structure. Now you can do it again with Quay. If you make more than one hierarchical folder, you have to pay $10 for Quay. Watch the video tutorial for more info.

Menu Bar

Don’t you hate when this gets cluttered?

Round it!
with Displaperture

OK, they’re only rounded corners, but still! In previous version of OS X, the menu bar had rounded corners, a couple of dark pixels on the corners of the screen that gave it a nice effect, kind of a way to blend in with the thin dark border around the screen. And Leopard took them away. It’s a small thing, but surprisingly important for many people. Now you can bring them back with Displaperture, even choose how round you want for the corners to be.

Opaque-ify it!
with OpaqueMenuBar

Hate the new transparent menu bar in Leopard? OpaqueMenuBar changes your wallpaper so that the menu bar appears to be non-transparent. Not the most conventional way to do this, but it gets it done quickly and easily - as long as you don’t use another app to rotate your desktop wallpapers. Also, it’s to contrasted for my eyes after looking at it for a while. But that’s just me.

That wraps up our list of Leopard customizations. Do you have any more? Post them in the comments and we’ll check them out, and add them to the list.

5 ways to speed up your PC - Part IV

2009-02-03T16:03:00.001+05:30

Previous Continued...

Protect your computer against spyware

Spyware collects personal information without letting you know and without asking for permission. From the Web sites you visit to usernames and passwords, spyware can put you and your confidential information at risk. In addition to privacy concerns, spyware can hamper your computer's performance. To combat spyware, you might want to consider using Microsoft Windows Defender, which is included in Windows Vista, and is available as a free download for Microsoft XP SP2. Alternatively, there are other free anti-spyware software programs available.
Learn all about ReadyBoost

If you're using Windows Vista, you can use ReadyBoost to speed up your system. A new concept in adding memory to a system, it allows you to use non-volatile flash memory—like a USB flash drive or a memory card—to improve performance without having to add additional memory.

5 ways to speed up your PC -Part III

2009-02-03T16:01:00.002+05:30

Previous Continued...

Detect and repair disk errors

In addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of your computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility.

As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult, or even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file system errors to see whether certain files or folders are misplaced.

If you use your computer daily, you should run this utility once a week to help prevent data loss.

To run the Error Checking utility:

1.	Close all open files.
2.	Click Start, and then click My Computer.
3.	In the My Computer window, right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.
4.	In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.
5.	Click the Check Now button.
6.	In the Check Disk dialog box, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.
7.	If bad sectors are found, choose to fix them.

Tip: Only select the "Automatically fix file system errors" check box if you think that your disk contains bad sectors.

5 ways to speed up your PC - Part II

2009-02-03T15:58:00.002+05:30

Previous Continued...

Speed Up Access To DATA

Disk fragmentation slows the overall performance of your system. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk when the file is opened to piece it back together. The response time can be significantly longer.

Disk Defragmenter is a Windows utility that consolidates fragmented files and folders on your computer's hard disk so that each occupies a single space on the disk. With your files stored neatly end-to-end, without fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk speeds up.

When to run Disk Defragmenter
In addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals—monthly is optimal—there are other times you should run it too, such as when:

•	You add a large number of files.
•	Your free disk space totals 15 percent or less.
•	You install new programs or a new version of Windows.

To use Disk Defragmenter:

1.	Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter. Click Analyze to start the Disk Defragmenter.
2.	In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, click the drives that you want to defragment, and then click the Analyze button. After the disk is analyzed, a dialog box appears, letting you know whether you should defragment the analyzed drives. Tip: You should analyze a volume before defragmenting it to get an estimate of how long the defragmentation process will take.
3.	To defragment the selected drive or drives, click the Defragment button. Note: In Windows Vista, there is no graphical user interface to demonstrate the progress—but your hard drive is still being defragmented. After the defragmentation is complete, Disk Defragmenter displays the results.
4.	To display detailed information about the defragmented disk or partition, click View Report.
5.	To close the View Report dialog box, click Close.
6.	To close the Disk Defragmenter utility, click the Close button on the title bar of the window.

5 ways to speed up your PC - Part I

2009-02-03T15:56:00.002+05:30

By following a few simple guidelines, you can maintain your computer and keep it running smoothly. This article discusses how to use the tools available in Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) and Windows Vista to more efficiently maintain your computer and safeguard your privacy when you're online.

Free up disk space

By freeing disk space, you can improve the performance of your computer. The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.
Use Disk Cleanup to:

•	Remove temporary Internet files.
•	Remove downloaded program files (such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets).
•	Empty the Recycle Bin.
•	Remove Windows temporary files.
•	Remove optional Windows components that you don't use.
•	Remove installed programs that you no longer use.

Tip: Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of space because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later.

To use Disk Cleanup

1.	Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.
2.	In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list. Choose the files that you want to delete.
3.	Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then click OK.
4.	When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, click Yes.

After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk Cleanup dialog box closes, leaving your computer cleaner and performing better.

Computer Security Resource Center

2009-01-30T07:45:00.000+05:30

The Computer Security Resource Center is one of eight divisions within the Information Technology Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a US federal technology agency that develops and promotes measurement, standards, and technology. The Computer Security Division is involved with many different projects and CSRC provides Webpages based on these projects.

The site provides access to documents concerned with the development of the US government's computer security policy, including definitions of encryption, cryptography and authorisation procedures. There is an up-to-date news section as well as publications available in HTML and PDF format, and links to other computer security pages.
http://csrc.nist.gov/

Computer and Communications Security Research and Education Center

2009-01-30T07:44:00.000+05:30

This site provides details of the research carried out at CCSC into the security of computer and communications-based systems. There are publications available to download from staff pages.

Other information includes details of the research areas pursued, projects, staff pages, some of which include teaching materials, and events.
http://www.ccsc.colorado.edu/

Build secure WS-Resources with WSRF::Lite and WS-Security

2009-01-30T07:43:00.002+05:30

Basic knowledge of Perl and a basic understanding of Web services technology and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) are recommended. This tutorial requires all users to register/sign in with IBM IDs and passwords, which can be used site-wide.

This tutorial shows Web services (WS) and grid developers how to build secure WS resources using WSRF::Lite, a Perl implementation of the Web Services Resource Framework (WSRF). It shows users how to secure Web services and WS resources built with WSRF::Lite, using two approaches: Transport Layer Security (TLS) and digitally signing Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) messages.
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/edu/gr-dw-gr-buildsecure.html

Digital Signature Guidelines

2009-01-30T07:43:00.001+05:30

Digital Signature Guidelines is a publication on the American Bar Association website that is intended to assist anyone involved in online transactions that need to be secure and authentically signed.

Complete with a tutorial, the Guidelines (from the American Bar Association, Section of Science and Technology) explain digital signature technology in simple terms, and examine how this technology can be applied as a computer-based alternative to traditional signatures. Visitors can download copies of the book in WordPerfect or Microsoft Word format or obtain zipped copies of either format.
http://www.abanet.org/scitech/ec/isc/dsg-toc.html

Electronic Frontier Foundation

2009-01-30T07:38:00.000+05:30

The EFF campaigns for online freedom of access and privacy rights.

This organisational site includes several accounts of legal cases which EFF has been involved in as well as appeals for action in current cases. There is a newsletter and also a library of Online Civil Liberties Documents covering topics such as encryption, spamming and cybersquatting. A calendar of events is provided.
http://www.eff.org/

Microsoft Research

2009-01-29T07:26:00.000+05:30

This site gives a list of links to computer science projects and groups conducting research at Microsoft. It includes a searchable publications database that includes journal articles and technical reports. Free software and demonstrations are available to download.

There are also links to news articles about, and press releases from, Microsoft Research. The site is linked to the Multi University Research Laboratory (MURL) site, a collaboration between Microsoft Research, PARC and four US university departments; lectures given by members of this group can be viewed over the web.
http://www.research.microsoft.com/research/projects/

Free online dictionary of computing

2009-01-29T07:24:00.000+05:30

FOLDOC is a searchable dictionary of acronyms, jargon, programming languages, tools, architecture, operating systems, networking, theory, conventions, standards, mathematics, electronics, institutions, companies, projects, products and history

covering all aspects of computing. The dictionary contains over 13500 definitions.

Entries are cross-referenced to each other and to other related resources elsewhere on the Internet. Searching is done by direct entry under terms or scrolling through letters of the alphabet.
http://foldoc.org/

Computing Reviews

2009-01-29T07:23:00.000+05:30

Computing Reviews is a subscriptionÃ¢â‚¬â€œbased service which publishes monthly reviews of books, articles, and other forms of publications, thus providing a critical survey of what is being published in the field at the time. Author rebuttals may be printed.

The site offers reviews organised by subject area. Reviews can be browsed or searched. Reviewer profiles and discussion forums for various topics are provided. Access requires a subscription.
http://www.reviews.com/

Computing Research Association

2009-01-29T07:21:00.000+05:30

Information about the CRA's work to promote research and education in the computing fields, expand opportunities for women and minorities, and improve public and policymaker understanding of the importance of computing and computing research in society is provided here.

This includes information about events, jobs, projects, and publications. A list of members and affiliated professional societies is available.

The site also contains a government affairs section with advocacy and policy analysis for the computing research community, funding papers, fact sheets, policy briefs, and surveys. The CRA newsletter and bulletin is available along with best practice reports, student/career guides, a computing research policy blog, and links to related sites.
http://www.cra.org/

British Computer Society

2009-01-29T07:19:00.000+05:30

This extensive site gives information about the society and its activities in the field of computers and information systems. Publications are listed, with tables of contents and abstracts of journals available to all (full-text is available to subscribers only).

Events are listed and there is information on professional development, exams, and courses offered by the society. Links to specialist groups are given along with industry and society news, careers information and information on Internet security and general computer use.
http://www.bcs.org/

Australian Computer Society

2009-01-29T07:06:00.000+05:30

Provided here are details of this association's (ACS) work to promote the development of Australian information and communications technology resources. Resources available include conference papers and certification papers (in PDF format), news, links to information on events, careers, membership, standards, research grants, and publications.

Publications include Information Age, a general interest magazine, and columns provided by ACS for The Australian newspaper's computers and high technology section. A special supplement celebrating 35 years of ACS history and professional computing is available detailing recent initiatives, milestones, and the future of ACS and IT as a profession. There is also information about special interest groups, examinations, training, and other professional development activities. ACS's codes of ethics and of professional conduct and professional practice, minutes from Joint Board Software Engineering meetings, and links to a number of relevant sites is also listed.
http://www.acs.org.au/

Systems and Computers in Japan

2009-01-23T07:53:00.000+05:30

Systems and Computers in Japan is a translation of the Japanese periodical in information engineering, computer systems, and cognitive science.

The journal publishes research papers in areas such as computer networks, computer theory, formal languages, advanced digital circuitry, interface devices, signal and image processing, and biomedical applications of computers. The views expressed in this journal are exclusively those of the Japanese authors and editors. The Japanese authors are generally consulted regarding the translation of their papers, but are not responsible for the published English version.

Tables of contents and abstracts are available. The full-text is accessible by subscribers only.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jhome/51986

Performance Evaluation

2009-01-23T07:50:00.000+05:30

The journal Performance Evaluation disseminates information relative to performance aspects, in particular, performance studies of computers, computer communications,

telecommunications and distributed systems, flow control in networks, modelling and analysis methods (e.g. queuing and scheduling theory, simulation methods, data analysis), and performance evaluation applications.

Abstracts are available to all; the full-text is accessible online to subscribing institutions via ScienceDirect. There is access to author and keyword indexes and articles can be searched.
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/505618/descrip

Journal of Computer Security

2009-01-23T07:48:00.000+05:30

Tables of contents and abstracts are available from this subscription-based journal which focuses on the

theory, design, implementation, analysis, and application of secure computer systems.

Users within institutions that subscribe to this journal can access the full-text. A free sample copy of the journal is available upon request.
http://www.iospress.nl/html/0926227x.html

Computer Standards and Interfaces

2009-01-23T07:44:00.000+05:30

The International Journal on the Development and Application of Standards for Computers Software Quality Data Communications Interfaces and Measurement

Tables of contents and abstracts are available via ScienceDirect from this subscription-based journal providing information about activities and progress on the definition of computer standards, software quality, interfaces and methods, at national, European and international levels.

The full-text is accessible to subscribing institutions in PDF format. Acronyms of volumes 21-24 are also included on the site.
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/505607/descrip

VersionTracker Pro 4.1

2009-01-18T07:18:00.001+05:30

VersionTracker Pro monitors the version status of installed drivers and 3rd-party applications on your Windows systems and then shows you when new updates are available.

VersionTracker Pro also provides you with a detailed description about each update to help you make informed decisions and will download and automatically install the updates you choose to apply.

* Installed software & driver tracking - lists of your installed software and drivers that automatically refresh when you install a new program, device, update, or upgrade.
* Feedback Alerts - VersionTracker Pro will alert you when feedback is posted on any application you are interested in following, whether you have them installed or not.
* Search - a comprehensive database of over 198,000 drivers & applications.
* Download History - a record of the driver and application updates you've downloaded and installed.
* Preview Pane - provides product details including "what's new" in the latest version.
* Skip Version - skip an update and still be notified about the next release.
* Download Manager - queues multiple downloads for optimum speed and provides automatic retries.
* New Uninstall feature for your Software - From within the VersionTracker Pro application you can uninstall any application that is in the operating system Control Panel's "Add or Remove Programs" section (Windows XP and Windows 2000) or "Uninstall or change a program" section (Windows Vista).

Download Now (5.66MB)

Advanced SystemCare Free 3.1.2

2009-01-18T07:11:00.000+05:30

Slow down, freeze, crash, and security threats are over. Advanced SystemCare Free is a comprehensive PC care utility that takes a one-click approach to help protect, repair, and optimize your computer. It provides an all-in-one and super convenient solution for PC maintenance and protection. All work will be done with 1 click and 1 minute. Compared with its nearest competitor, Advanced SystemCare Free provides the more essential and practical formula for Windows: Removing Spyware and Adware, Preventing Security Threats, Privacy Protection, Fixing Registry Errors, Temporary Files Cleanup, Startup Cleanup, Repairing Windows, Speeding up System and 1-click Mechanism.

Version 3.1.2 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.

Download Now (7.29MB)

The Data Administration Newsletter

2009-01-14T19:46:00.003+05:30

This is a web-based newsletter, published by consultant Robert Seiner. It contains a range of articles on data management and related topics.

It also has listings of conferences, jobs, companies and related Web pages. An archive and a search engine are provided.
http://www.tdan.com/

The Web Robots Pages

2009-01-14T19:46:00.002+05:30

This resource guide includes a FAQ about web Robots, from web users, web authors, and web robot implementors.

There is information on preventing web robots from accessing your website as well as a list of types of web robots and a mailing list. Articles on web robots are given. Links to related sites are provided.
http://www.robotstxt.org/wc/robots.html

Spatial Data Transfer Standard

2009-01-14T19:45:00.002+05:30

The Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS) is a way of transferring earth-referenced spatial data between dissimilar computer systems with the potential for no information loss.

The site features SDTS standards documentation, user guides in PDF format, workshop and conference reports and training materials, as well as links to available public domain software. Visitors can also avail of event announcements and a news archive.
http://mcmcweb.er.usgs.gov/sdts/

IEEE Computer Society data engineering bulletin

2009-01-14T19:43:00.000+05:30

A link to tables of contents back to 1891 is available. The site is provided by the IEEE Computer Society in the USA.

This quarterly journal site covers the design, implementation, modeling, theory and application of database systems and their technology. It includes the full-text of current and previous issues back to 1993 in PostScript or PDF format.
http://tab.computer.org/tcde/bull_issues.html

Fraunhofer Institute for Information and Data Processing

2009-01-14T19:42:00.001+05:30

Fraunhofer Institute for Information and Data Processing (IITB) develops concepts and application solutions in the field of information technologies and data and information processing for technical systems. Research is carried out in the fields of production control systems, production optimisation, telematic systems,

real-time image processing systems, recognition and diagnostic systems, interaction systems, multi-modal transport systems, utility supplies and waste disposal systems, environmental and ecological systems, cognition systems, and infrastructure and services. The Institute is divided in several departments: in Karlsruhe where the Cognitive Systems Section and the Department for Technical Expert Systems - Process Monitoring and Control are situated; in Dresden with the Department of Process Control; and in Berlin.

The site introduces the Institute and its research fields with associated contacts, links to related Departments and gives details about services and products.

http://www.iitb.fhg.de/

Data science journal

2009-01-14T19:41:00.001+05:30

Full-text articles from this peer reviewed electronic journal publishing papers on the management of data and databases in science and technology can be found here in PDF format.

An archive of back issues is also available, as is a list of forthcoming papers.

The scope of the journal includes descriptions of data systems, their publication on the Internet, applications, and legal issues. It is published by the Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA) of the International Council for Science (ICSU).

http://dsj.codataweb.org/

Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery

2009-01-14T19:39:00.001+05:30

Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery in Databases

The journal Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) covers topics in data mining methods, algorithms for data mining, knowledge discovery processes, and application issues.

Tables of contents and abstracts are available. The full-text is available electronically to subscribers. A full-text sample issue is provided in PDF format.

http://www.springerlink.com/openurl.asp?genre=journal&eissn=1573-756X

BotSpot

2009-01-14T19:37:00.001+05:30

BotSpot It specialises in software tools used for digging through data on computers and the Internet.

The site includes a newsletter. What is a Bot? gives an introduction to the topic. There is information on types of Bots and new developments as well as recommendations and reviews. Some types of Bots, including DISCo Pump offline browser can be downloaded from the site. Links to FAQ sites are provided. The site can be searched.

Data science journal

2009-01-14T19:28:00.001+05:30

Top Resources in Search Engine Industry

2009-01-11T09:42:00.002+05:30

This section contains a collection of links relating to different search engines subjects. Especially users, webmasters, search engine experts, seo and web marketing companies, search engine submission firms, search engine optimization specialists and expert relating to search engine reviews, search engine tutorials, search engine technology, search engine software for your web site, search engines and legal issues, search engine conferences, search engine advertising, SEO organisations and directories, search engine web promotion,, Internet marketing and SEO forums.

Search Engine Industry Source

Seo Web Directory

Abakus SEO Blog

Google Blog

Jeremy Zawodny's blog

Seo Shop

John Battelle's Searchblog

Pandia Search World

Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Lowdown

Search Engine News Blog

SEO Forum

Web Site Search Tools

Search Engine Optimization Forum

Search Engine News Journal

Search Engine Roundtable

Search Engine Resources

Search Engine Glossary

The above resources will be very useful if you are concerned with Search Engine Industry.

What are Virtual Private Servers (VDS) and their advantages?

2009-01-11T09:40:00.001+05:30

Do you think that Virtual Private Server also known as VPS is a popular and a new concept? No it is an old concept of dividing a physical device, which is large and costly into many parts and allowing more and more people access to it at affordable price. It is just more than shared server and less than a dedicated servers. Virtual Private Server is similar to a building, which is divided into different flats, and each flat is independent unit having its own drawing room, kitchen and its own lock and key.

VPS is a hosting environment that gives you your own machine. Each VPS is a private and protected area that operates as an independent server. The VPS allows multiple customers to share the expense of hardware and network connections (and completely eliminate the hassle of maintaining it all) without sacrificing performance or the freedom to run whatever software they choose. Every VPS has its own complete directory structure and set of dedicated applications (web server, mail server, etc.). And each VPS can be rebooted without affecting any other VPS on the physical server.

Virtual Private Servers Known by different names Virtual Private Server, VPS, VPS Server, VDS, Virtual Dedicated Server, Virtual Shared Server have same meaning that is, partition of Dedicated Server. Virtual Private Servers are more costly than a shared hosting plan, but if you don't want to pay for dedicated server, then the choice is VPS. VPS bundles the privacy, performance, and controls of a dedicated plan but because it's on a shared server, it's more
affordable.

Advantage of Virtual Private Server (VDS)

1. Setup of servers in minutes
2. Utmost reliability and security
3. True root access on your own virtual dedicated server.
4. Install the software you want!
5. Increase server utilization and maximize server potential
6. Increase profitability through better management
7. Leverage of hardware and software investments
8. Provide complete self-administration panels
9. Manage servers with a minimal skill set
10.Minimize software license and support requirements
11.Create your own virtual disks for your server, including swap!

Virtual Private Server technology allows your Server to be completely isolated from every other Server on the same physical machine - other users are unaware of you, can not access your files (unlike some shared hosting solutions!) and, importantly, can not crash your server. For you, this means that you get the utmost reliability and security - features that your website deserves.

Your Free Guide to building a website - V

2009-01-11T09:39:00.000+05:30

Editing objects in WebEden

The beauty of building a website with WebEden is the speed with which you can edit pages or make site wide changes. Here’s 6 Menus to Basic Editing of your webeden.co.uk website

1. Edit menu
This allows you to operate on the currently selected object. Everything you see on a page is an object and to use it, you simply click on it and drag it around the page, or click here to edit it. You can delete objects from the Edit menu, send them to the back (as you can put objects on top of each other, like using layers in DTP programs), or change some more generic settings. For example, you can change the settings for the current page here, so you can set it as a private page that only registered users can see. The Edit menu also allows you to manage who is registered on your site and send them emails if you have chosen a package that includes this feature. Many of these features are not normally available in low end hosting packages or in normal HTML, but are possible because of the unique delivery system WebEden uses.

2. Pages menu
This menu lists the pages on your site, so you can jump to one to edit it. It also allows you to organise the pages and set which is the home page, etc. a great way to create your own website.

3. Insert menu
This is a very powerful menu as it allows you to add all manner of elements to your pages. As well as text and images, you can choose File, which brings up the File Manager. We’ll look at this in detail in the next part of this series, but you will come to love it because it gives you access to the WebEden library, which includes polls, animations, frames, games and much more.

4. Design menu
You can change the fonts, background, and the “Page Master” which is the template that contains elements that are on every page, like the menus. This menu also allows you to change the overall dimensions of your pages.

5. Active object
The currently selected object on a page will show a bounding box, a real help when you make your own website.

6. Editor dialog As you select different objects or add ones, this editor changes to offer options.

When you create your own website with WebEden you can have interactive elements like polls added easily, as well as your own images, all added to the existing template.

DID YOU KNOW?
When you create your WebEden account, you simply step through the wizard as described on the next page and select a subdomain, like tutorial. webeden.co.uk, as your web address. If you want to have a “proper” URL, you can register a web address and simply get it to forward to your WebEden address automatically.

That’s all for now...

Your Free Guide to building a website - IV

2009-01-11T09:38:00.000+05:30

What’s next?
Now you have the site, simply click on any area that you wish to change and you will be able to edit it. Start with the basics, which is entering the text you want on your website.

By single clicking on an item you will see the bounding box that surrounds any item. This is like the boxes you will find in any design package on your PC, so you will find control boxes at the corners and mid-points of the bounding box. You
can use these to stretch or shrink the object. You will also see that the floating Editor dialog changes as you select different objects on a page. This dialog allows you to change the dimensions of an object or the location of it by entering the pixel data. If the object is a text object you can double click on the object and you will now be able to change the text itself. If you already have the text that you want to appear on a web page written in a Word document, then you can copy it into your pages by opening the document and selecting the text and copying it to the clipboard by pressing Ctrl-C. Then go into WebEden and double click on the text box you wish to edit, then select the text by wanding it in, and press Ctrl-V to paste over it. When you have finished entering the text for a page, you can click on the Save icon to save it, or if you click on a different page in the menu, you will move to edit that page, and WebEden will prompt you to save the page automatically. As long as you don’t simply quit the
browser, there should little chance of you inadvertently losing any changes you make to pages. Clicking on the pages in your site menu may take you to the individual pages so you can edit those, but how do you edit the menu itself to rename pages or add pages to your site. Website Builder makes this easier than any other method we’ve seen. Simply go to Pages / Organise pages and
the dialog there lists the pages currently in your site. To change the order of pages in the menu, click on a page in the Drag column and move it up or down the list. Type over the page’s name in this dialog to change it on all pages, and click on the “Add a new page” to add one to the menu. See below for sub-menus.

Your Free Guide to building a website - III

2009-01-11T09:37:00.000+05:30

Step 2
WebEden has many advanced features which we’ll look at in later tutorials, but for now let’s look at one of the key ones, which is the menu editing feature, which is the key to great website building. The menu changes you make in the site organiser are automatically site wide, so you don’t need to worry about making sure changes are replicated across pages. You may also decide that you want a part of your menu to be a category for new pages, rather than a link to an individual page. Create the new pages and then drag them up so they sit under the category link. Click on the arrow next to the page number in the Organiser and it will make the page a sub-page of the one above it.

Now the website builder knows what type of site - and therefore what pages - are needed, it will combine these with the design template. Again there are buttons which when you click on one the preview will be shown above. The difference here is that as well as choosing the basic template for your page’s design, you will see there are three colour buttons under the preview. Once you’ve selected a template, click on the colour button you prefer and you will see the colour scheme applied to the template. Note that there are two pages of templates to choose from.

Step 3
Once chosen, you can move on to final step which requires you name the site and enter an email address. You can then create your own website and you will be taken to a view of your new site.

Your Free Guide to building a website - II

2009-01-11T09:36:00.000+05:30

Step 1
You can try out WebEden by clicking on the 14 day trial icon on the home page and starting the wizard. The wizard takes only a few steps and you don’t need to enter any credit card or financial data to try out the site, only a valid email address which is used to validate your WebEden account. The first step of the wizard gives you a set of options for the purpose of your website. By selecting the purpose, you decide the number and titles of the pages on your site, so for
example you can have a home page with a music page, links, message board and hit counter, or a site for a club you may run with club news, events and photo gallery. You can see the different pages for each purpose by clicking on the relevant button – the list of pages will appear above. If none suit your purpose, you can choose a Blank purpose and add your own pages later. The next step will allow you to combine the pages titles you’ve chosen with a design template.

Your Free Guide to building a website - I

2009-01-11T09:33:00.001+05:30

What do you do if you want a good looking website, but don’t want to have to install and learn complicated new software? Previously the answer was either to pay someone else to create the site for you, which was very expensive, or to choose a wizard driven online site builder. These create generic, drab looking sites that are very restricted in terms of functionality and in terms of how much you can change them. WebEden is a new service that provides the next generation of website building.

What is excellent about WebEden is the scope of the offering. Starting at only £2.99/month, cheaper than some standard Web Hosting packages, you get a
hosted website together with an online website creator that makes generating a site and updating it, from anywhere in the world, a walk in the park.
Best of all, WebEden grows with you, so you can start out knowing nothing about creating a website and the system is intuitive that you can have your own
new website up and running in half an hour. If you just need a site that looks presentable and offers the right information that you need, then simply use the wizard to set up a site. Even in its most simple form though, it’s better than other wizard driven sites, as you can choose the type of site you are after so that the right pages are created, and then a basic template for the design and then the colour scheme you want as well.

These tick box driven decisions by themselves mean that your site will have an individual look about it, but will look better than 90% of the hand created sites you see online. As you get used to the WebEden system though, you can edit the site and change any part of it that you want, all through the online interface. And we don’t just mean changing the colours, fonts or the graphics, the whole layout of pages can be controlled easily through your browser. The system can even password protect parts of your site and add Message Boards for interactivity. If this sounds interesting, then the good news is that you can try WebEden for free as they have a 14 day free trial, so you can play with the system all you like without any risk. Go to www.webeden.co.uk and sign up for free now.

Get started with WebEden

How to sign up with WebEden and get your first website ready for visitors in half an hour

Panasonic unveils 1-inch thick HDTV [CES '09]

2009-01-11T09:23:00.001+05:30

Panasonic won the day with its unveiling of the Z1 Viera TV. This super thin set — thickness of a mere inch — is also a wireless TV. What this means is that the TV has no inputs. Instead it comes with a set-top box which has the requisite ports and connects with the Z1 Viera wirelessly, with no loss or degradation in quality. The box can then be placed anywhere in the room. And yes, it does all this in full HD 1080p glory.

ASUS Launches P320 PDA Phone

2009-01-05T19:57:00.000+05:30

Following the recent launch of the Lamborghini ZX1, ASUSTek Computer Incorporated (ASUS) Taiwan announced the launch of their P320 PDA phone in India, on June 24, 2008 .The ASUS P320 runs Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, which is an OS known for its reliability and user-friendly interface. The phone also features the company's proprietary ASUS Today interface for a better look and feel. Add to this the fact that the phone features GPS navigation with an inbuilt SiRF Star III chipset, EDGE/GPRS class10, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, USB connectivity, 3G capabilities, and more, and all of it accessible easily thanks to its 2.4-inch screen.

What's really great though is the fact that the PDA phone incorporates every function you'd need or want, and does throws it all into a small, light and user-friendly package.

Edward Wang, Head Mobile Communications ASUS, said "India is growing as a big market for PDA's and Smartphone's, and that is the reason why the ASUS P320 is designed stylishly and is by far the smallest ASUS PDA—economically priced at Rs 12,900 so that more people can get to use a PDA. The future is smart phones"

As far as the future is concerned, Wang said that ASUS is very keen on equipping their PDA's with their second generation interface called ASUS Glide. Future plans also include its own chain of ASUS Experience stores, and dedicated service centres, which will be launched in the metros soon. ASUS is clear about sticking with Windows mobile for future products as well, so those looking for alternate OSes are out of luck.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 - Was it worth the wait?

2009-01-05T19:56:00.002+05:30

Just when we got sick of hearing about it, and were beginning to wonder if the Xperia X1 from Sony Ericsson was just more vapourware, it lands up at our test labs. Sure, it’s still a “Prototype”, as the plain white box it came in proclaims, but at least it’s no longer a video on YouTube or pictures on some random site.

We were excited to get it open, apart from being the X1, it was also our first look at Windows Mobile (WM) 6.1. Immediately after the un-boxing, whilst holding on to the X1, our first reaction was, “Wow, it’s a lot smaller than we imagined.” It’s probably the ultra-high-res images that SE released of the X1, or the knowledge that this is a side-slider phone with a QWERTY keyboard and a 800x480 pixel screen that made us feel it would be a lot bigger.

The X1 feels like a brick, but in a good way — you can’t help but notice the weight and solidness that only a metal body can offer. The brushed metal finish (black in this model, but silver is also available) means the device is not a fingerprint magnet; the screen, however, will need constant fingerprint cleansing.

A gentle press of the metal power button on the top and we were booting into WM 6.1. It took a minute to start up though, which is a lot slower than we’re used to.

After boot-up, we noticed that although most of the body is metallic, the front buttons are plastic, which were hoping will change at launch. We spent a few seconds feeling for the stylus, which fits in perfectly with the body – no chance of pulling this out of your pocket and losing a stylus. The stylus quality is good too, so no complaints.

Stylus in hand, we took a close look at the screen. The gorgeous 3-inch, high-resolution screen is one of the best we’ve seen. It’s crisp, crystal clear and no complaints even in direct sunlight. Tapping on it with the stylus did nothing at first, and we felt that it was probably because we were being too gentle. A minute later we had our first complaint – you have to tap a lot harder than normal.

Apart from this, the phone was quite responsive when going to settings and menus – not Symbian fast, but fast compared to other WM devices. We found it quite surprising that there was no Walkman branding to be seen in the programs, and instead, a WM version of Windows Media Player is left to handle all the media files. While using this, some files would hang the player for a few seconds, and it rather than slow hardware, we think it’s more likely a software bug. Wide-screen format videos play flawlessly, and look really good on the X1.

The X1 has dropped IE for Opera when it comes to the default browser, and we have to admit that this is a good move. IE is still available for use in the programs menu, but isn’t the default browser. We’re sad to report that Opera Mobile breaks even more terribly with Gmail on the X1 than we’ve ever seen.

The 5-way navigation button on the X1 acts like a touch control, with four actual clicks on either side. The centre button is like a trackpad, but without a mouse. Although the centre button is meant to scroll through long pages and links, we found the stylus and the click buttons just offer more control.

We slid open the phone to type in a URL, and were shocked by the ease and smoothness of the slider - brilliant. The curved design to the slider also offers a slight ergonomic edge over similar devices, and is a good thought. The QWERTY keyboard is quite impressive to look at, and since each button has a triangular-shaped raised part, it’s also quite easy to find the right keys. Key feedback is lacking, so again, there’s a little bit of a learning curve involved. Having to press a function key first to type numbers is a little irritating at first, it’s something that’s unnoticeable after a few days.

The X1 allows you to choose different looks and layouts for the WM Today screen, and they call this feature X-panels. Using the dedicated X key, on the bottom left of the device, pops up the panel options you have, and these can be displayed in various ways. This is cute, but we don’t see too much utilitarian value here. Also, there’s a little wait involved in changing panels, with low-res images of the panel being displayed while the high-res version loads.

Connectivity is the X1’s forte, with all the options you can think of — Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPRS, Edge, GPS, etc. Thanks to WM 6.1, and its new Connection manager, it’s really easy to switch off or on different connections. We tested the X1’s Wi-Fi and GPRS connectivity, and found that it all worked flawlessly.

With PDA / Smart phones, it’s easy to forget that they’re also ~phones~, and this being the X1, we didn’t get down to testing it as one for a few days. The first time we inserted the SIM card and started it up, the X1 claimed there was no SIM. When trying to remove the SIM, it ended up dislodging the chip from the plastic that holds it. Now admittedly the SIM in question was over 7 years old, but we do have to complain about the retention mechanism here — a Nokia-style clip for the SIM retention would be preferred here. Even when we got a brand new SIM, the X1 refused to detect it at first — we will give it the benefit of doubt here, as this is a review piece that’s probably much used.

One we got it working, the network reception was good. We have quite a few dead zones for our service provider in the office, and we made it a point to walk through these while on a call, and apart from a few stutters, the X1 managed to stay connected — again, not as good as Nokia’s N-series, but much better than the regular breed. Voice clarity was exceptional, and the people at the other end of the call said we were crystal clear. The ear piece volume and clarity of the X1 are also impressive, so no complaints here.

With PDA functionality in mind, the X1 is a brilliant phone. Running WM means that mobile MS Office is available, and you have a very long list of office related apps to choose from. Though we said earlier that you have to tap a little hard on the touch screen, it’s still very responsive and easy to use, once you’re used to the amount of pressure that’s necessary.

Most importantly, it’s the quality of the screen that makes this the perfect PDA-phone, because working with documents and e-mail are a joy. Unless your optometrist has prescribed reading glasses for you, you should soon start enjoying the clarity that the screen offers at even miniscule font sizes — which obviously translates to being able to see much more per page.

A minor irritant was the lack of directional keys on the keyboard, but the 5-way, touchpad-style controller allows you to leave the stylus sheathed. Although far from the ideal solution, it’s easy enough to get used to.

So is that all there is to the X1? Not by a long shot; there are many more nice little features as well as niggling irritants to talk about. To start with, we’re shocked that the X1 doesn’t have an orientation sensor, and the screen only changes when you open or close the slider.

We’ve come to expect more of cameras on SE phones too, and the X1 is a disappointment here again. The 3.2 MP main camera is nowhere close to as good as the cameras we’ve become used to. It also features a front facing 0.3 MP camera for video conferencing, but that’s not something we’re used to using in India, so no points gained here. The main camera does offer touch focus though, but this doesn’t work well at night.

The 3.5 mm headset jack on the top of the device is something we’ve been waiting for from SE, and is good to have for those who want to connect a better set of headphones than the bundled ones. The provided headset offers decent quality, but the audio quality improves drastically with even a Rs 800 pair of Sony earphones.

The X1 features a light sensor that auto-adjusts the screen brightness based on ambient light, and this feature works so well that you never notice any drastic changes in screen brightness; it keeps the screen clearly visible at all times. Speaking of lighting, multi-colour LEDs at each of the four corners of the sides of the phone offer some really cool lighting effects when starting up, or when you are notified of an event such as a message or a missed call. Really cool for some; others might not want this.

The X1 is charged using a mini USB connector, and SE has smartly integrated the charger and USB cable. Basically, there is a mini-USB to USB connector, and the charger just has a female USB connector, so as long as you pack the charger, you know you have the USB cable at hand too.

Memory expansion is needed, because the device only features 512 MB ROM and 256 MB RAM, and this is taken care of by a Micro SD slot that’s below the battery cover, but not below the battery — so no need to power down the device to insert / remove the memory.

We’re told the price for the X1 is Rs 44,500, which is just way too much in our opinion. Sure you get WM 6.1 device with a decently fast processor and RAM; yes this device is unique, and definitely offers amazing flaunt value; it’s also true that you get a really nice PDA / Smart phone with an impressive screen; multimedia playback is enjoyable as well and this phone is packed to the brim with features, but a Netbook and a good phone would probably be much better as solutions for those who need to work on the move, and they’d be cheaper too! We suggest you wait for prices to fall a bit before buying this phone, and if it’s available for around the Rs 30K mark, it’s something you really should own. For now, we can tell you from experience that whipping out this phone, even in upper class restaurants, grabs attention – especially when you slide it open and start typing. The bottom line seems to be hidden in the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1’s initials: SEXX1 (sexy)!

Specifications

WM 6.1 Pro, CPU — Qualcomm MSM7200A (528 MHz), 512 MB ROM, 256 MB RAM, Screen — 3-inch (800x480), 65k colours, 3.2 MP Auto Focus camera, A-GPS, BT 2.0, WLAN, microSD expansion, 1500 mAh battery, weight — 158 g

NOKIA N85 8 GB

2009-01-05T19:50:00.002+05:30

Nokia’s has always been known for solid albeit unattractive phones. Their latest phones try to solve the latter issue, and the N series has been a forebearer in this regard. Their N85 8 GB follows the latest design trend of being sleek, compact and sports the same kind of glossy, two-tone finish that we’ve seen from the newer N series phones like the N78, N82 and such. While some like the new colours, others may prefer the suave black of the N95 8 GB to the glossy mocha brown of the N85 8 GB. We feel that looks aside, these new finishes are longer lasting; this is noticeable after months of regular use. The N85 8 GB is built like a small tank and feels extremely solid in hand; much better than the N95 8 GB; full points to Nokia here.

It’s a really compact phone that is slim even while incorporating a two way slider which has a nice slick movement. The slider does develop a little play after awhile of use; just how bad this is we’ll only know after three or four months of heavy usage which is impossible to test within the timeframe we had. The screen is OLED, a first for Nokia and measures 2.6-inches. We found this screen dimmer and the colours slightly darker than other Nokia LCD screens. The colours also seem a little saturated, and we feel there’s a lot of work that needs to be done on OLED screens judging from this one before they can replace LCDs in high-end smartphones. The first serious complaint is with the call accept/reject buttons – they’re too tiny for proper use. The joypad is also a pain with a rather uncomfortable bezel around the middle button. This four-way button (bezel, whatever) is also hard to press and the menu buttons on either side of it sometimes get pressed when you use it. Conversely, the four-way button gets in the way of the menu buttons, unless you use your nails. The buttons are, however, well lit. The inner keypad is completely devoid of beveling and only has a thin raised surface between the three rows of keys; despite this the keypad is good mainly because the number keys are well laid out and exude positive feedback. SMS junkies will not be disappointed. The volume buttons on the side and the camera button are really well placed and very easy to use; once again button feedback is excellent and positive. There is a hold slider provided for disabling the keypad; a plus when travelling as this avoids accidental key presses. The multimedia buttons on the two-way slider also work well and their backlighting is good.

For the first time Nokia has offered a USB charger; and the data cable and a/c adapter both utilize the same port. The five megapixel camera has a nice cover with a smooth action slide-back. Nokia provides a dual-LED flash which is more powerful than the flash aboard the N95 8 GB. A 3.5-mm connector for the headset means you can hook up your own headphones; a trend we’ve seen more often from Nokia in recent times.

Music quality is good; and the N85 8 GB is a good phone to use as a music PMP; the screen does let down for video playback; we like OLEDs; they save power, but this isn’t acceptable at the cost of display quality. Although text quality is good; and the screen is very crisp yet multimedia is not the pleasure it should be. In-call quality is good; and the N85 8 GB didn’t drop a single call during our test and maintained good voice quality on speaker phone and with the headset. The phone is fast; faster than the Nokia E66 which we tested this month; and with a 369 MHz ARM 11 processor we’d expect it to be; this is faster than the hardware on the Nokia N96 which is their flagship model. NGage games support is built in and the N85 8GB can be used horizontally with games; the multimedia buttons double as game control buttons – neat! Additional goodies like WLAN and A-GPS with Nokia Maps keep things interesting; expansion is provided via microSD; and the suffix 8 GB is a misnomer as this phone doesn’t have 8 GB of inbuilt memory; although Nokia does provide an 8 GB microSD card.

The camera is quite good; although we’ve seen an eight megapixel unit from Samsung; this unit produces good photos with decent lighting even indoors although you need to fiddle with the manual settings to get the best out of it. With a large 1200 mAh battery expect battery life to be quite good. We tested it and measured it at five and a half hours which is really good; right up there with our best phones.

At a price of Rs. 27,299 (MRP), the N85 8 GB is certainly expensive, but it’s a lot of phone for the price. We did not like the flawed menu pad and joypad; we didn’t really care for the OLED screen and this phone should have had at least a 2.8-inch display. Other than that there’s very little to nitpick about. It’s very well built and very compact for the features; and the price is certain to fall in a couple of months time. Do bear in mind that it doesn’t have any more features than Nokia’s other phones like their N96, N82 and N95 8 GB; so you have no dearth of choice.

Specifications: Dual slider CPU – ARM 11 369 MHz, 85-MB inbuilt, Screen – 2.6-inches, 240 x 320 pixels, 16M colours, , WLAN, A-GPS inbuilt, 5.0-megapixel camera with dual LED flash, microSD expansion.

About Internet/Network Security

2009-01-05T19:48:00.001+05:30

This site is a guide about Internet and network security and is produced by About, Inc.

The site contains articles on topics including cyberterrorism, hacking, encryption, privacy issues, script languages, and social engineering. Product reviews (of firewall appliances, etc.) and a discussion forum is also available.

http://netsecurity.about.com/

About Antivirus Software

2009-01-05T19:45:00.000+05:30

This site is a guide about anti virus software and is produced by About, Inc.

The site includes a virus encyclopaedia with descriptions of some of the more prevalent viruses, including prevention tips and a descriptive list of the more common virus hoaxes. A glossary, links to free antivirus downloads, a listing of antivirus vendors, reading material, and articles giving virus removal help are also available.

http://antivirus.about.com/

2000 Trainers

2009-01-05T19:44:00.000+05:30

This educational site covers Windows, SQL, Cisco, network security, Linux, Visual Basic, ColdFusion, XML, A+ and netware. It includes free online courses, articles, tutorials, practice exams, discussion forums and links to study guides.

There are links to related sites and resources. It is provided by a group of volunteers who work in various areas of the IT industry.

http://www.2000trainers.com/

Computers and Security

2009-01-05T19:39:00.001+05:30

Tables of contents and abstracts are available from this subscription-based journal devoted to the study of the technical and managerial aspects of computer security. It is the official journal of Technical Committee 11 (computer security) of the International Federation of Information Processing.

Users within institutions that subscribe to this journal can access the full-text. An online sample copy is provided.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01674048

Window Managers for X

2009-01-05T10:38:00.000+05:30

Window Managers for X is a guide to window managers and desktop environments for the X Window System, and is authored by Matt Chapman.

The site includes basic information about how to install and change window managers, discussion lists, links to information about various window managers and desktop environments, including screenshots, and example configuration files where applicable. Some collections of icons and textures and links to other works by the author such as a beginner's guide to UNIX and an article on the Java 2 user interface are also available.

http://www.xwinman.org/

Dell Computers

2009-01-05T10:37:00.001+05:30

Dell Computer Corp is based in Texas, USA and has divisions around the world. It specialises in computer systems and Internet infrastructure for home, business and public sector use.

The site includes descriptions, photos and specifications of products. Software updates are available to be downloaded from the site. A message forum and online technical support are provided.

http://www.dell.co.uk/

Linux Magazine

2009-01-05T10:34:00.001+05:30

Articles from this magazine for Linux users are provided here along with an archive of back issues since 1999. Access requires registration of details.

New content is added to the archive monthly. The contents of each new issue appear online sixty days after subscribers receive their copies of the magazine. Job openings are also posted on the site.

http://www.linux-mag.com/

CNET Download.com

2009-01-05T10:32:00.000+05:30

This software download site provides access to shareware and free software.

The programs listed are divided into different operating systems including Windows, Mac, Linux, and Palm OS. Users can either browse or search for software. A summary description is provided which includes, user ratings, description of products, links to the producers and information on minimum hardware requirements, limitations to licences, estimation of download time and cost, if any.

http://www.download.com/

Blah, blah technology

2009-01-05T10:29:00.000+05:30

This blog is produced by Wayne Smallman, a Web design consultant. It provides commentary on a variety of wide-ranging technological topics including software, hardware, science, and socio-technological issues.

A blog archive provides access to previous articles by date.

http://www.blahblahtech.com/

Linux online

2009-01-05T10:26:00.003+05:30

Linux is an operating system, developed by Linus Torvalds, at the University of Helsinki, and is a popular 'free' Unix clone.

The site includes relevant information and links suitable for both beginners and advanced users. The site has news items, general information, coming events information, and is searchable. There are also FAQs and a free Linux course.

http://www.linux.org/

Apple Computer

2009-01-05T10:24:00.000+05:30

This commercial site contains pictures and specifications of Apple's computer hardware and software products and accessories, as well as data sheets in PDF format. There are product news stories and free software is available to be downloaded. The Apple Learning Interchange contains resources for educators at all levels.

Information for developers is provided and the site can be searched.

http://www.apple.com/

Beware of Scareware

2009-01-04T08:34:00.002+05:30

What Is a Rogue Scanner?

Rogue scanners, also known as scareware, are often advertised as a free antivirus download or free online scan. Once on the system, the rogue scanner typically displays false virus alerts, with instructions to buy the "full version" in order to remove the fictional infections. Wasting your hard-earned dollars on a bogus product isn't the only thing you need to worry about. There have been multiple reports from folks who fell for the scam only to end up with credit card charges much higher than expected - and often a series of fraudulent charges continue to appear on their statements. Here's how you're most likely to encounter a rogue scanner, how to prevent scareware, and how to get rid of it.

Rogue scanners go by many different names, including XP Antivirus 2008, XP Antivirus 2009, SpywareSheriff, SpyFalcon, and several dozen others. Rogue scanners, also known as scareware, are often advertised as a free antivirus download or free online scan. Once on the system, the rogue scanner typically displays false virus alerts, with instructions to buy the "full version" in order to remove the fictional infections. Wasting your hard-earned dollars on a bogus product isn't the only thing you need to worry about. There have been multiple reports from folks who fell for the scam only to end up with credit card charges much higher than expected - and often a series of fraudulent charges continue to appear on their statements. Victims typically encounter rogue scanners in one of three ways:
Preventing Rogue Scanners
Keep your legitimate antivirus/antispyware scanner up to date. You can also help mitigate your risk of exposure by reading email in plain text only and avoid clicking links or opening attachments in email received unexpectedly - even if it comes from someone you know. Don't respond to ads from strangers - stick with the good guys. For a free online scan, use one of these top online scanners. Keep your system patched to prevent exploit: use the free Secunia Software Inspector at least monthly to check your system for vulnerabilities that need patching.
How to Spot a Rogue Scanner
A classic symptom of a rogue scanner is getting unexpected virus alerts from a product you don't recall installing. Before you do install a new scanner or other security software, check first to make sure it's not on the rogue scanner list. If you are receiving virus alerts unexpectedly, follow these Six Steps to Tell if a Virus Alert is Legit.
Removing a Rogue Scanner
First and foremost, absolutely do not let the rogue scanner connect to the Internet. Typically, an uninstaller is placed under the Add/Remove Programs option in Control Panel - but the uninstaller seldom works. If your existing antivirus can't remove the rogue scanner, use SmitFraudFix - a free tool that specializes in the removal of this specific type of malware.

PC Plus magazine

2009-01-04T08:32:00.001+05:30

The PC Plus website is the online version of the print magazine, and is published by Future Publishing.

The archive section contains complete issues of past PC Plus magazines in PDF format. News, featured articles, regular columns and product reviews are also provided. The downloads section lists free software that is available on the Internet and the tutorials section covers topics such as Web development, programming, the Internet, and Linux.
http://www.pcplus.co.uk/

Classical Greek fonts and utilities for the PC

2009-01-04T08:30:00.000+05:30

The Classical Greek Fonts and Utilities website offers PC users several free downloadable fonts, keyboard utilities, and macros. At the time of writing, there was a selection of eleven 'WinGreek' fonts, and twelve Unicode fonts to choose from. Some of the fonts require that a particular utility be installed on the user's computer. These are provided at the site. Such utilities are necessary for typing using the font, in order to access all the required breathings and accents. An example of such a utility is 'Son of WinGreek', which may be downloaded from the site. A more recent program, 'Antioch', takes advantage of the Unicode format that is offered by the more up-to-date word processors. This may also be obtained from the site. Most of the utilities are shareware, being free to download on the understanding that satisfied users will contribute a certain amount of money to the developer. The site also offers help in deciding which font to choose, as well as explanations of how the different encoding systems work.
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/GrandLatGreekFonts/

Focus on PC Support

2009-01-04T08:29:00.000+05:30

This site gives technical support for PCs and is produced by About, Inc.

The site includes how-to guides, quizzes, a glossary of technical terms, and a troubleshooting guide. Also available are tutorials, downloads, articles, and links to other resources.
http://pcsupport.about.com/

technical information about PCs

2009-01-04T08:27:00.000+05:30

PC Guide
This site holds technical information about PCs including a section on how to build your own PC adapted from the book authored by Charlie Palmer.

Topics covered include hardware assembly and basic installation and configuration of a dual boot Windows XP and Linux system. Discussion forums are also included.
http://www.pcguide.com/

Building a computer - an illustrated step by step guide

2009-01-04T08:26:00.001+05:30

This illustrated online guide to building a PC became the book proposal for the how to build a computer (Build Your Own PC) book series that the author writes for McGraw-Hill.

The online guide covers topics that include: how to select a PC case and power supply, choosing a motherboard, and installing CPUs, video cards and heat sinks.
http://www.daileyint.com/build/

Mac OS X hints

2009-01-04T08:22:00.000+05:30

Mac OS X Hints is a community-built source of information on Apple's operating systems. The site contains hints, tips, a discussion forum, and other information on Mac operating systems development.

The site is searchable by keyword, topic, and date and is produced by a writer for Macworld.
http://www.macosxhints.com/

Oscail-X Windows software for molecular modelling and crystallography

2009-01-03T22:40:00.000+05:30

Oscail is a crystallography and molecular modelling program offered free of charge to academic users by the National University of Ireland in Galway. It is a Windows-based software package capable of solving, refining and examining small molecule crystal structures on a PC. A tutorial and sample data sets are provided.
http://www.nuigalway.ie/cryst/software.html

Web building resources

2009-01-03T22:36:00.002+05:30

ReallyBig.com is a resource for developing pages on the Internet, for beginner and experienced website developers.

The site contains a large directory of Web building resources that include free scripts, editors, and tips and tricks.
http://www.reallybig.com/

Microsoft Office Online

2009-01-03T22:36:00.001+05:30

The UK Microsoft Office site includes a range of resources for all Office applications. These include press releases, news items, case studies, full-text white papers and descriptions of products, which include demos, trial products, FAQs, news and reviews.

Support pages include "tips and tricks" and "how-to" articles, software downloads, software add-ins, updates, templates, security releases, converters and viewers.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/default.aspx

Just Linux

2009-01-03T22:35:00.001+05:30

This website provides articles and tips and tricks on using Linux systems that have been contributed by users from the Linux community and which are then converted into help files.

Some example help file topics are: configuring the desktop, X configuration (GUI), security, the language of Linux, Linux applications, file systems, compiling kernels, and installation. There is also access to discussion forums.
http://www.justlinux.com/nhf/

Adobe Illustrator techniques

2009-01-03T22:34:00.000+05:30

This is the website of the journal 'Adobe Illustrator Techniques', described as "the premier publication for Adobe Illustrator users". Published eight times a year, the journal provides tutorials, tips and tricks to help in mastering the Adobe Illustrator package. The abridged online version of the journal provides selected tutorials, and a subscriber-only community which provides exclusive online content and downloads. The Newsletter provides a listing of the contents of each issue, and in addition to a selection of members' work in the Gallery section, there is also a Forum for discussion of Illustrator-related issues.
http://www.illustratortechniques.com/

Windows help central

2009-01-03T22:31:00.000+05:30

This site has tips, tutorials, and advice, as well as blogs that will help users solve their problems with using Windows XP. The tips and tricks are arranged by category, such as performance tips, XP logon and taskbar.
http://www.windows-help-central.com/

Oracle Tips, Tricks, and Scripts

2009-01-03T22:30:00.000+05:30

This site includes database tuning topics, a list of technical bulletins, a programmer's page and technical articles covering the Oracle database.

There are example scripts and links. The site is provided by the Steve Rea, an Oracle specialist at the University of Arkansas.
http://www.uaex.edu/srea/

Macworld's best tips, tricks, and how-to's

2009-01-03T22:28:00.000+05:30

This website holds the latest help and tips for Apple Mac users. This includes reviews of new products, articles, and troubleshooting guides. Tips can be browsed by category or product.
http://www.macworld.com/howto.html

Send Large Files...

2009-01-03T21:48:00.002+05:30

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Many many cursors

2009-01-03T21:44:00.003+05:30

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Reminder mail

2009-01-02T20:36:00.000+05:30

Not eating enough fruit? Forgot to feed the fish again? Need a little help keeping your New Year's resolutions?
Tell us what to hassle you about, and we'll nag you via email at semi-unpredictable intervals.
HassleMe is unique because you never quite know when your reminder will come along.

http://www.hassleme.co.uk/

50 Page Rank 3 Or Higher Free Website Directories

2009-01-02T07:05:00.000+05:30

Hi. have browsed the web to put together a list off over 50 Page Rank 3+4 Free Web
Directories for you to submit your blog to. This will hugely benefit your blogs back links
whilst also driving traffic to your blog. I would suggest to submit your site to about 5 of
these directories daily instead of submitting to them all at once because you don’t want to
flood Google with your links!Here’s the list :-

http://www.134u.net/
http://www.a2zwebindex.com/
http://www.adanacup.com/
http://www.add-link-url.com/
http://www.adora.us

http://www.agrieducation.org/
http://www.astraldirectory.com
http://be41.com/
http://www.blfree.com/
http://www.blurbblogdirectory.info/
http://www.biowatchmed.net/
http://www.charolabap.com/
http://www.datasoftsystem.com/
http://www.directorystop.info/
http://directory.ebali.web.id/
http://dir32.com/
http://www.eatdrinkfeelgood.org
http://www.ebba.ws/
http://www.enomal.com/
http://etup.org/
http://www.freshprlinks.com/
http://www.geanina.info/
http://www.glawinfo.com/
http://gotartans.com/
http://www.happydirectory.info/
http://www.hifupower.com/
http://www.hyperdirectory.net/
http://www.instantadsenseempire.org/
http://www.internethow.com/
http://justintroutman.org/
http://www.linkconnection.info/
http://www.magellan.cc/
http://myriadwebs.net/
http://www.Nwal.net
http://www.njmusicsociety.org/
http://www.ohlibs.org/
http://www.panaonline.us/
http://www.primotours.com/
http://www.qxiu.net
http://www.rankdir.info/
http://www.submitlink.com.ar/
http://www.theretailaxis.com/
http://www.thewebsiteassistant.com/
http://www.uustuff.com/
http://www.vlig.org/
http://www.web4link.com/
http://webdirectory.meelink.com/
http://www.websitejoint.com/
http://xeem.info/directory/index.php
http://www.yourjoker.com/
http://www.zjuedu.org/

How to improve your Page Rank

2009-01-02T07:01:00.003+05:30

The list below will teach you how to improve your Google page rank. They are all very easy and simple to do but will prove effective in the long term for your Google page rank;

Submit to Directories
Submitting to High Page Rank directories will definitely help boost your Page Rank. I have put together a free web directory list HERE. Don’t submit to to many at once as it will decrease your page rank due to flooding Google with your links. Submit to no more than 20 Per day! Once you have done this for a few weeks you will notice after the page rank update that your page rank will have gone up.

Back-Links
Getting back links is the most effective way of getting your page rank up. Try to get webmasters with good Page ranks to put your link on there blogroll. Try to get a few high page rank backlinks rather than lots of no page rank baclinks. Sometimes you might have to pay them a few dollars but its worth it. Before submitting your link you should check there page rank. Use this TOOL if its page rank 3 or higher then I would recommend placing your link on their site or blogroll. Try not to exchange links to many times as they cancel each other out. Normally you just exchange links for traffic!

Submit You site map to Google using webmaster tools
Submitting your site map to Google will also have a good affect on your page rank to do
this go to this SITE If you don’t have a Google account then sign up. Then add your site by
pasting your link in the site add section and click add site button. Once you have verified
your site click the site map tab. Then Click add site map, Click the down arrow and select
add General website map. Now paste your site map URL into the box provided.

Article Submissions
Find High Page rank article submission sites and write some unique content articles then
post them up on there. Remember to put a few links to your site in the article you submit
to them. Remember not to copy your articles on your blog as duplicating content is frowned
upon by Google so make sure its all Unique. A good website is E-Zine articles LINK They
have a page rank of 6 so it will definitely help you site.

Social Bookmarking
Well this can provide a big boost in traffic, it also helps with back links. Make a nice
article and post it on sites such as Digg & Stumbleupon. Make sure to actually leave your
link in the article don’t hyperlink a word! There are lots of high page rank social
bookamrking sites try to post on a few of them because your site readers can also comment
on your blog there.

Google’s New Year Logo 2000-2009

2009-01-02T06:47:00.002+05:30

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

10 Tips for Managing Email Effectively

2009-01-02T06:41:00.001+05:30

1. Handle your domain email with Gmail

One of the best things about owning your own domain is that you get to have an email address like me@mydomain.com. Unfortunately, most email clients that come with your hosting account look and function like they were released in 1999.
It’s actually possible to send and receive emails via your me@mydomain.com address through Gmail, and the process for doing so is quite simple.
1. Create a Gmail account for your site.
2. Head to your current client and forward all your incoming email to the Gmail account.
3. In your Gmail account, go to Settings –> Accounts. Under ’send mail as’, click ‘Add another email address’. Enter the details for your me@mydomain.com account.
4. Complete the verification process.
5. Make your me@mydomain.com address you default for ’send mail as’.
6. And you’re done.

2. Create useful labels and folders to keep you organized

Not every email is as urgent as the next, though it can be difficult to keep track of those you need to answer quickly. Develop a labeling system that helps you get things done. Tag your most important emails with ‘Reply ASAP’, or an equivalent. Less urgent tasks can be marked ‘To Do’, while the least urgent ones can be tagged with ‘Later’.
I also think it’s important to archive as many emails as you can. If you’re using Gmail, it’s not like you run the risk of running out of space, and it’s worth it in case you need to retrieve details or contact someone again in future.
To make retrieving emails easier I’d suggest removing immediate action tags like ‘To Do’ and replacing them with tags for the purposes of archiving (when you’re done with the email). If it’s correspondence with another blogger, tag it ‘Networking’ and archive it. If it’s to do with guest-posting, tag it ‘Guest-Posting’, and so on.

3. Process emails in batches

A simple way to increase your productivity is to turn off auto notifiers. It’s simply not necessary to check email constantly throughout the day, and doing so will regularly interrupt more important tasks. After receiving thousands of emails I can safely say that I’ve never received one that couldn’t wait 12 hours or so.
Process your inbox in batches. Make it once or twice a day, and try to get your inbox down to zero. This will allow you to plow through the rest of your productive tasks without constant interruption.

4. Read it, answer it

Many people have the habit of reading all the emails before actually replying to them. Sometimes they might even wait a couple of hours before getting back to these previously read emails.
This method is ineffective for several reasons. First of all you might forget about some emails altogether. Once they are marked as “read” on your inbox, they will get mixed with all the others that you have already replied to.
Secondly, this process will also consume more time, since you will probably need to read each email a second time before remembering what you will need to say in the reply.
What would be a better approach? Simple, whenever you read an email, answer to it right away.

5. Keep it short

This benefits you and the person on the receiving end of your email, particularly if that person is busy like you.
* Cut out unnecessary words and sentences.
* Address the essential: not everything warrants a response.
* Use paragraphs liberally. It’s easier to read, and makes your email more approachable.

6. Keep it sweet

* Greet the correspondent by name.
* Use a smiley if appropriate.
* Sign-off with your name. It can change the tone of your email, and only takes a second or two.

7. Re-read once

You can go back and edit typos in a blog post or article, but you only get one chance with emails. It’s important that your meaning and expression is clear, especially when making pitches or networking with other people.
Also, remember that spell checking is not enough. Typos and mistakes that form other valid words (e.g., lose and loose) will not be corrected by the spell checker. Proofreading is key.

8. Build an address-book for networking

* Add other bloggers.
* Add people you have worked with.
* Add people who have skills you might need.
* Add people you might be able to call a favor from.
* Add social bookmarking friends and power-users.

9. Use bridging emails

I’d like to meet one web user who hasn’t spent time composing a thoughtful email, only to have it completely and utterly ignored. In most cases, the receiver has a good excuse, but that doesn’t change the way we feel (mainly because we never heard said excuse!).
In other cases, someone you’ve emailed might eventually get back to you, but only a few weeks after you categorized them as a snob who ignores their emails and pledged never to visit their blog again.
A quick and simply solution to ensure people never feel this way about you is to use a bridging email for queries and requests you won’t be able to answer for a while. Send them a sentence saying you’ve received and read their email, but don’t have the time to answer at the moment. If you know when you might be able to answer, provide a broad timeframe. A few days? A few weeks? A few months?
Taking a few seconds to acknowledge their email can mean the difference between leaving a positive or a negative impression, even if you never find the time to answer. Readers appreciate that you’re busy. The main thing is that they don’t feel completely ignored.

10. Create a dedicated signature

Make sure that your signature contains functional links. It might be a link to your blog, website, or online portfolio.
Blog readers are so used of having their emails ignored by busy A-list bloggers that they’ll half expect you to do the same. Proving them wrong with a polite response can leave them delighted and feeling very positive about you. Your signature should effectively capitalize on this positive feeling.

How To Lock Your Folder without a Software

2009-01-01T19:03:00.000+05:30

Windows makes every thing too personal to be comfortable sometimes. Linux is still not an option to consider for many. So, is there a way to make your private information really private? Do you wanna lock and password protect some files inside a computer that can not be viewed by others? Of course you have software for that. But why would you like to have a software which can easily be done by a few tweaks. Here is a simple trick.

Trick

1.Suppose you have a folder named mhm in D:\mhm

2.In the same drive next to the folder create a new notepad file with the exact statement
ren mhm mhm.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}

3.Now save this text file as loc.bat

4.Create another notepad file and type
ren mhm.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D} mhm
5.Save this as key.bat

6.Now there are two batch files . Double click loc.bat and your folder will change into Control Panel and the contents inside the folder will not be obtainable simply.

7.To open the folder double click key.bat and you get back your original folder .

8. If you want, keep the file key.bat at some other place. Whenever you need to access that folder just copy and paste the file at the previous location and double click.

Isn't it simple but effective?

10 Must Know Tips to Improve your Experience with Windows Media Player 11

2009-01-01T19:01:00.000+05:30

Windows Media Player 11 have acquired fair share of admirers within no time. It wears a remodeled sleek look and comes with some utile upgrades. User-friendly playback controls, easy sync with mp3 player, better media management of audio, video as well as art albums are a few to mention among the number of other improvements in WMP 11 from its previous version. The new version includes an array of new add-ons that music-freaks would love to tamper with. Having said that, you need enough time to explore the features. So why not look for short-cuts? To make it easier here are 10 tips which you must know to improve upon Window Media Player 11.

1. How to Switch between Skin Modes

The music player allows you to switch between the modes from the menu as well as from the keyboard. Depending upon your choice you can choose between full mode, customized, or compact mode. However, remember that you have the menu bar according to your the skin mode you have selected. Not to worry, when you have the keyboard at hand. Use the following shortcuts

To switch from skin mode to full, press Ctrl+1 and to return to the skin mode Ctrl+2.
To exit the full screen just click the Esc button.
Again, for compact mode you need to click on the Compact Mode button on right bottom and use the same button to return to the full mode.
To switch modes from menu, first select the view and choose the skin mode.

2. How to Enhance Audio Experience through SRS Wow Effect

This player enhancement option is an upscale tool. Try and experiment with the SRS WOW, if you are looking for quality audio playback. Additionally, WOW offers 3d sound and has a TruBass for adjusting bass. Now, how to go about it? Switch to the full mode and start with a right click on the title bar. Next choose the view option and then enhancement. Finally, you are into the SRS WOW Effects. Make sure that it is ON and then feel the difference yourself.

3. How to Filter Music from Certain Time Period

Jostling up and down the library when you want your favorite Presley's music right in jiffy - surely makes you impatient. So what do you do? Luckily, there's is a simple way out of this. Just type in the years on the search bar like for instance you are in mood for the 50s, just type in 1950..1960 and you would have the tracks from the period listed.

4. How to Combine the Searches

Are you looking for a special track of your favorite artist and you are still searching for a clue? Here's a solution for you. Suppose you want it that way. What you do is a combine search, go to the search bar and type in the name of the artist plus the name of the album - "Backstreet boys+Millenium". Now you have the list of tracks from the album.

5. How to Stream Media files

Does your Windows Media Player 11 start and stop constantly while streaming music? This happens as your Window media player 11 stores or buffers a certain amount of content before playing it. while you play the multimedia, content is downloaded in the background. In case of a congestion in network or a related problem for few seconds, downloading suffers a break. However, in case the content is buffered for a longer time(say 5 seconds) no breaks in streaming playback occurs.
There is an easy and simple way to get out of this - increasing the size of buffer. in order to increase the buffer size follow the steps below:

First open the options menu by clicking Alt+T and then O
When the options dialog box appears select the performance tab
Click the buffer radio button underneath the Network Buffering
Beside the radio button you have the input box where you can enter the number of seconds you want to want WMP 11 to buffer the files before playback. The maximum is 60 seconds. 10 seconds can be a safe be for you.
Finally click OK to close the dialog box

6. How to Solve Codec Problems

All the audio and video files are not compatible with WMP 11. So what can you do to run latest formats? Here's an idea. Just download the latest release - Vista Codec Pack v5.x. It is available for free download and includes all the codecs required to play old as well as new files. It has no media player. Once you install the package it will allow you to play any media player. Enjoy the DVD movies and videoclips of different filetypes.

7. How to Create Playlist Effortlessly

Listing you favorite songs on the WMP 11 Media Center is as easy as child's play. However, the interface doesn't allow you to create or edit directly. You can overcome this without much fuss. Just include the Playlist Editor. It's a powerful tool with Media Center 2005. Download the program and install it. Now, you are free to create or edit a playlist including songs according to genre, artist or title.

8. How to Tag Your Music

The Media Center offers a unique way to organize the MP3 and audio files. Even after you have the tabs on ID3 tags containing album, artist, songs and other info, you might come across an unknown folder while searching through the Media Center. The best way to deal with it is to take one album at a time.

Begin by clicking on the Library tab and search the unknown folder.
Select the album and right click on any track name.
Next choose the Advanced Tag Editor.
Now, check the album box and provide the name of the album in it.
Next, click on the Artist Tab and check the Artist box and then write the name of the artist. Finally, click on OK. The unknown folder will disappear from the WMP and Media Center.
Repeat this for other songs.

9. How to Use the Childlock inside WMP11

Are you looking to block the R-rated movies from being played on your PC? Certainly, you don't want your children to watch The Passion of the Christ or Beverly HIlls. Here's a formula to stop them.

Go to the Tools and choose the Options tab and then to the DVD tab.
Under the DVD playback restrictions select the Change button. Here you get the choice for selecting the highest rating movie you want to play on the player. This is a great way to restrict undesired DVD movies from being played.

10. How to Manage Xbox errors

After installation of the WMP 11 most of the users are known to face an Xbox error while setting up the Xbox 360 Setup software. To solve this you can follow the steps provided below:

First open the Xbox 360 setup,
Click on the Next and then Finish.

In order to share media start the WMP11 for Windows XP. For more information check into the Windows Media Player Help with the topic Sharing your media.

Tips To Protect Yourself from Hackers in Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and Orkut

2009-01-01T18:56:00.000+05:30

Social networking has a very important part to play in our lives now. Be it Facebook or Myspace or Orkut or Twitter - these sites are proving to be beneficial for both personal and professional purposes. We can not just ignore the fact that with each passing day, we are becoming addicted to these social networking services. So, is it bad? No way. But we must keep in mind that our sensitive personal and professional information are there inside our profile. In this world of prying eyes and ears, we need to take care of our profiles. So here are 8 very useful tips (better to call reminders) maintaining which can at least make you safe from your side.

Tips

Do not put sensitive information in your profile. Even if you make your profile private, there is no need to write down your sensitive personal information in your profile. There are numerous ways to find a fault in the privacy set by these social networking sites and then your information can be in the wrong hands. Better to be safe than sorry.
Do not click on any suspicious link. You never know what these links can lead to. From remote installation of a keylogger that can record your keystrokes to send you a DoS attack, every thing is possible through a seemingly harmless link. So don't click on it unless absolutely sure.
Do not Download any file Unless You are Sure. Do not download a file (esp. a .exe or .zip file) unless you are sure about the content. Make sure that you have good anti-virus and anti-spyware software to guard you against any kind of attack, if happens. Do not trust a suspicious downloadble file even if it comes from a friend. He may never know that he has sent it.
Do not Run a Javascript in your Browser. A javascript can do a hell lot of things which are not funny. Usally people play with javascripts to make visual changes but believe me, without going into the details of cookie stealing and various such techniques, Javascript can harm you even before you will ever know.
Do Not Keep a Weak Password. Make sure that your password is strong enough. Do not use only numbers or only letters. Use both as a combination in random. A weak password which is easily tracable is the easiest way to hack your profile. I don't prefer to have even personal information inside a password. Your close friends can get a way out with the things they know.
Do not Install Third party applications Unless Fully sure. Live without some cool features but don't download widgets or tools (say for Facebook or Myspace or Twitter) you are not sure of and doesn't come from the parent site itself.
Beware of user-generated spam. Social networks like Facebook rely on users to enrich the experience by posting content such as pictures and video (as well as links) and then sharing the content with their contacts. Spam-based social networkers will go to other people's comment threads, for instance, and chime in with links that, if clicked on, will install malware. So beware of that too.
Keep Yourself Updated with Latest Security Software. A real time anti-virus scanner is very important to have if you are using internet, along with a good anti-spyware and firewall software. They can be your friends in more ways than you can think of. And yes, juice them well with regular updates.

How to Copy and Save Photos from Orkut Album Directly

2009-01-01T18:52:00.001+05:30

There is a very annoying feature at orkut now. You can not download any image file from Orkut directly from someone's album. You will have to save the whole HTML file instead or you will have to take screen-shots and then save it in paint and then crop it. Isn't it too tedious? The other day I saw a beautiful landscape in my friend's album and I had to tell him to send me the photo! So here is what I found to be a simple trick which can solve your problem within seconds.

1. Open the the particular picture you want to save in your computer.
2. Then just drag and drop the photo to your address bar where orkut.com/ orkut.co.in is written. You will see the same photo in a slightly different link, say, images.orkut.com/….

and then right click on the photo, Bingo! Now you can save the photo to your computer.

Disposable Temporary E-mail ID

2009-01-01T18:43:00.002+05:30

Disposable Temporary E-Mail Address

German, Spanish, Polish and Dutch translations will be available soon! Would you like to help us translate to other languages as well? Please let us know! This website provides you with disposable e-mail addresses which expire after 15 Minutes. You can read and reply to e-mails that are sent to the temporary e-mail address within the given time frame.

CLICK HERE TO GET UR ID

Make Windows XP Look Like Vista

2009-01-01T16:24:00.003+05:30

Do you like Windows Vista only because of its newly revamped Graphical User Interface? It surely does have an attractive interface but many are still hesitant to upgrade. Some because of it’s massive system requirements, and some because of all the negative buzz around it. Whatever your reasons are, you still can get a Vista like look even on your Win XP system. Below are some of the better free tools that can help you to make your Windows XP look like Vista. Just make sure you got a bit of spare RAM on your system.

Vista Start Menu

Vista Start Menu turns XP’s Start menu into one like on Vista. Not only do you get a better look but also many new features that are normally not there. These include: resizable start menu, zoom in/out, program launcher, desktop search, power buttons, tabs, and more. Another noteworthy aspect, Vista Start Menu does not change your system settings, thus making it easy to install, as well as simple to remove.

Vista Transformation Pack 7

VTP changes XP’s interface, including the Start menu, the Control Panel, system dialogs, icons, and more, to Vista style. Also includes a transparency function to mimic Vista’s Aero Glass functionality. It’s probably the most comprehensive package out of all, so be very careful with it. While I haven’t experienced any problems some folks reported difficulties in uninstalling it (see comments here). Here are some of the notable changes that will be made to your system.

[Update: Version 8 was released yesterday (Nov 28). It's seems to be better and much more stable. Read more here]

Boot screen / Welcome Screen / Logon Screen.
New desktop, file and toolbar icons.
Progress Dialogs.
New System Tray icons.
New Sounds scheme.
New interface visual styles.
Windows Media Player Skins.

RocketDock

RocketDock is a portable, memory-friendly, smoothly animated, alpha blended application launcher that sits on your screen. It provides a nice clean interface to drop shortcuts on for easy access and organization. Some features that are worth looking at include: Minimize active windows to the dock, drag-n-drop interface, Dual-monitor support, Auto-hide and Popup on mouse over, and Running application indicators. Check it out in action in the video below

VistaMizer

VistaMizer modifies about 400 of your system files, and when you reboot your system after installation you won’t remember how your old desktop looked like. It’s highly customizable and changes lots of stuff. What’s really good about is that it will keep backup of all the changes (so that you can easily revert it) and won’t replace/overwrite anything that would risk destabilizing your system.

5 Packs to Transform Windows to other OS

2009-01-01T16:12:00.003+05:30

It’s a new year, why not give your years old XP operating system a new look? If you’re bored of having to look at the same kind of icons and eyecandy everytime, you can download and install these free transformation packs, and transform XP to look like any other OS.

(Note: Some of the listed transformation packs are quite extensive so please read installation guidelines carefully)

Vista transformation Pack [Download]

Vista Transformation Pack does all kinds of appearance tweaks, and makes Windows XP look like Vista. From icons, transparency to new sounds, this pack does it all to make your XP look like Windows Vista.

Mac OS Transformation Pack [Download]

Transforms XP to look like Mac OS X 10.5. Some important components like Windows Explorer and other shell files are patched to mimic Mac OS X appearance. Work only with Windows XP SP2 (English version).

FlyakiteOSX [Download]

Again, make your windows look like Mac OS X. However, it’s much more comprehensive than the above one. This enhancement utility does everything from registry tweaks, visual styles, sounds, icons to imitate the appearance of Mac OS X. See other screenshots here. If you’re using iTunes then make sure to deselect ‘iTunes Multi-Pugin’ option (under ‘Software’) in the installation wizard.

Fedora Transformation Pack [Download]

This tool is intended for making XP resemble the Fedora Linux Distro. Though the utility just packs a simple visual style, it does include icons, screensavers and wallpapers, and other Fedora-like skins for programs.

Ubuntu Transformation Pack [Download]

This pack contains visual styles, icons and other patches that can give the brownish Ubuntu look to Windows XP. If you just can’t get Ubuntu working on your PC, but still love its looks, you can download this pack.

Awesome Gmail tip.You Don’t Know about it.

2009-01-01T16:08:00.002+05:30

Let’s say that your email address is ‘GeorgeBush@gmail.com’, basically everything sent to any of the following email addresses will be forwarded to your primary email.

GeorgeBush@gmail.com
G.eorgeBush@gmail.com
Ge.orgeBush@gmail.com

…
…

GeorgeBus.h@gmail.com

GeorgeBush@googlemail.com
G.eorgeBush@googlemail.com
Ge.orgeBush@googlemail.com

…
…

GeorgeBus.h@googlemail.com

And that’s not all, you can place as many dots as you want, it can be even something like ‘G.e.o.r.g.e.B.u.s.h@gmail.com’ and you’ll still get it on ‘GeorgeBush@gmail.com’

Additionally, I just also found out that you can embed random text to your email ID using ‘+’ sign. That is to say ‘GeorgeBush+anythingyouwant@gmail.com’ can be used as your email address, as well.

Ok I got it. Now what ?

1. One email for every purpose

Instead of using different email addresses for various purposes (work, school, friends, etc.) you can use different variations of your Gmail and filter incoming mails by ’sent to’ address. For instance, all incoming mail sent to ‘Name.Surname@gmail.com’ can be put to folder ‘work’, messages sent to ‘NameSurname@gmail.com’ can be put to ‘friends’, ‘N.ameSurname@gmail.com’ can be used for newsletters, and so on.

2. Track/Block spammers

When signing up for some website, say thatwebsite.com, you can add thatwebsite to your Gmail user ID (eg. GeorgeBush+thatwebsite@gmail.com). This way you can block your subscription whenever you want and even identify those websites that distribute your email address to spammers.

40 amazing websites (II)

2009-01-01T15:58:00.002+05:30

1. beFunky - Awesome web app that turns images to cartoonized paintings and videos to cartoons.

2. DisplayWars - Incredibly simple tool that helps lots of people. Want to buy a new screen? DisaplyWars lets you compare screen sizes by mapping one display size on top of the other. For smaller items see SizeEasy.

3. DocSyncer - Synchronize office documents in your ‘My Documents’ folder with Google Docs account.

4. JotYou - By using this service you can send messages to others so they get them only when they are in the area you specify.

5. Keybr - Online keyboard to practice your touch typing skills.

6. Mint - The simplest way to manage your finances. More about Mint.

7. Numbr - Free disposable phone numbers.

8. PDFHammer - Merge, edit and rearrange PDF documents online.

9. PhoneSpell - Ever wondered if you phone number spells something memorable ? PhoneSpell will find it out.

10. SecondRotation / BuyMyTronics - Want to cash in on your old iPod ? Or mobile phone ? Both of these services will buy your old (broken) gadget, regardless of its condition.

Other

11. BeamIt - Send pictures, music, videos, docs or any other file to your cellphone.

12. BooksInMyPhone - Download and read copyright-free books on a mobile phone. Comes with its own book reader.

13. CallTheFuture - Schedule text messages and get them delivered (as a voicemail) on any desired date in the future.

14. CameraSummary - Extracts so called EXIF data from the images. Shows what model of digicam was used, image creation date and time, resolution settings, location and so on.

15. CanYouRunIt - One-click web app that inspects your PC’s hardware and software settings to determine whether or not it meets gaming requirements for a game of your choice.

16. CellSwapper - Transfer your current mobile contract to someone else. Or get a free plan with only a short term contract.

17. CivilAnswers - Free legal assistance.

18. ControlC - This small cross-platform (Win, Mac, Linux) monitors your clipboard and saves everything online.

19. Definr - Incredibly fast online dictionary. It takes abt 14 ms to lookup a word.

20. Drop.io - By far the coolest service for private file collaboration and transfers. Add files by email, send voice messages from phone, etc.

21. File-Destructor 2 - Generates files (Doc, PDF, … ) that look genuine but won’t launch properly. Basically, it’s a tool that helps you put all the blame on your “faulty computer”.

22. File-encryptor - Secure encryption tool to freely encrypt/decrypt sensitive files online. Quite handy for sending over sensitive files.

23. FlashPhone - Free flash-based SIP-softphone. Simply add your SIP account and you’re good to go. No need to install anything.

24. Google Mobilizer - Makes your fav. websites mobile friendly. Must-have for your mobile bookmarks.

25. GetMyFBIfile - Here you can generate letter templates that you can use to request for a free copy of your FBI file.

26. LetterMeLater - Offers one feature that your email doesn’t have, ‘the ability to schedule when an email should be sent’. Coolest part about, you can use it directly from your email program (GMail, Outlook, etc.).

27. Mailbucket - Finally, a tool to help you forward emails to your feedreader.

28. Mobical - Over-the-air mobilebackup and restore service. Backup phone contacts, calendar, bookmarks and settings.

29. MoDazzle - Access Facebook, LinkedIn and dozens of other web services (weather, stock quotes, etc.) via email or mobile text messaging. Update Facebook ’status’, get un-read messages from Facebook inbox, get someone’s profile info from LinkedIn, and lots more.

30. Nanoscan - Super fast yet compehensive online virus scanner.

31. OhDon’tForget - It does only one thing, but does it really well: Schedule text message reminders to any phone.

32. ProQuo - Reduce junk mail by removing your personal data from telemarketing lists.

33. PPCalc - Comprehensive Paypal fees calculator.

34. Rondee - Fast, easy and free way to arrange phone conference calls with as many people as you want.

35. SpokenText - Convert PDF, Word, plain text, PowerPoint files, ,RSS news feeds, emails and web pages to speech.

36. Sullr - Obtain information about telephone lines in reverse mode. Get address, location, owner’s name etc.

37. WakerUpper - Schedule wake-up phone calls. Lots of useful features.

38. WebMarkers - Adds additional option to your ‘Print’ menu that lets you print documents (or webpages) directly to the web.

39. WhatShouldIReadNext - Book recommendation service. Simply enter the author and title of your latest book and it will give you a list of recommended readings.

40. WorldTaxiMeter - Calculate the cost of a taxi ride in a number of top cities worldwide (London, New York, Rome …). Accessible both from the web and mobile phone.

40 Amazing websites (I)

2009-01-01T15:52:00.003+05:30

1. BugMeNot - instantly get disposable login details for any popular website that forces you to register.

2. DailyLit - read your favorite books by email (on your PC, mobile, etc.).

3. FranceRadio - neat MP3 Search Engine that lets you Find, Play and Download favorite MP3s for FREE.

4. Google SMS - provides mobile users with a quick access (via SMS) to a wide range of practical information and tools (i.e. business listings (pizzerias, shops, etc.), weather, movie listings, driving directions, currency converter and lots more.

5. Podlinez - listen to your favorite podcasts from any phone. Just enter the RSS feed URL for the desired podcast and get a free-toll number to access it from a phone.

6. RetailMeNot - locate fresh discount coupons for thousands of web merchants and services right from your browser toolbar.

7. SoLow - on a daily basis SoLow auctions 4 different items (iPhones, HD Screens, etc.). Anyone with a mobile/PC can participate in the auctions by placing their bids via text-messaging. The user with the lowest unique bid wins the auction.

8. TeleFlip - auto-forward your emails to your cellphone as text messages.

9. UrbanDictionary - hilarious (and practical) 100% user-maintained dictionary where users provide and vote on definitions for urban words (slangs).

10. Yak4Ever - make free international calls from US, UK and Ireland to 50+ countries.

=== Mobile - related ===

11. Bitbom - schedule free text message reminders to your phone. Schedule online or using mobile. (Similar PingMe.)

12. Flurry - follow up on your emails (send, receive) and receive latest articles from favorite blogs/websites on your mobile.

13. Foonz - place group calls and send messages to multiple people for free (from your mobile or any other phone).

14. GameJump - lots of free games for mobile phones.

15. GrandCentral - single phone number for all your phones and a web-based centralized voicemail system. (Similar: YouMail, GotVoice)

16. IQzone - post your classified ad to a number of online and print classified networks directly from your mobile.

17. Jott - simple and convenient service for leaving yourself notes and ToDo reminders using your mobile.

18. Mosio - text any question from your mobile phone and shortly receive up-to 4 answers.

19. mShopper - instantly check up on the bargain deals for any product (or even order) right from your mobile phone.

20. NoPhoneTrees - simple phone directory that lists direct human access numbers to support employees in hundreds of companies.

21. Nutsie - takes a copy of your iTunes library file and creates an online copy of your library. Access this library from PC or mobile phone.

22. Google SendToPhone - forward anything you find on the web (maps, address, text, etc.) to any mobile phone for free (US only).

23. Qipit - take quick document pictures and turn them into properly formatted PDFs. Save online, email, or fax documents right from mobile.

24. Soonr - handy application that lets you access your PC remotely using your mobile or any other PC (work, school, etc.).

25. TelePixie - quickly schedule and receive daily (or one time) wake up phone calls, reminders, weather forecast calls, jokes, and more.

26. TellMe - free local directory service for business listings (Car Repair Shops, Pizzerias, Restaurants, etc.), maps, and directions.

27. PhoneZoo - convert your MP3s to custom-length ringtones and forward them to your phone. Plus 1000s of free ringtones from other users.

=== Other ===

28. BossBitching - fun and active community where people can bit*h about their bosses anonymously.

29. eSnailer - send free postal mail letters (to anywhere in the US) right from the desktop. From Canada? Check out EasyPost.

30. Yapta - get a refund (or credit) from the airlines on a purchased ticket in case its price drops.

31. ListenToaMovie - lets you ‘listen to a movie’, i.e. stream the audio part of various movies and some TV-shows.

32. OpenDNS - provides a safer, faster, smarter and more reliable way to navigate the Internet.

33. PodioBooks - search, subscribe and browse through a variety of totally free audio books (100% legal).

34. PriceProtectr - tracks the price of items you bought online and notifies in case of price-drops, so you can request a refund.

35. RateMyDrawings - excellent place to draw, share your drawing creations, learn to draw, and watch other people drawing.

36. SwitchPlanet - cool and active marketplace where you can switch (or trade) used DVDs, CDs, Video Games and Books.

37. Scribd- search, browse, rate, share various types of documents (jokes, facts, stories etc.). It’s like Youtube for text documents.

38. ViaTalk - make up-to 10 minutes long free phone calls to anywhere in the US and Canada. You don’t even need to sign-up.

39. VideoSift - popular Digg-like voting community for user-submitted videos.

40. Wordie - make lists of words (words you love, words you hate, or whatever) and share them with others.

VIRTUSPHERE

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A new locomotion technology for immersing in virtual reality

VirtuSphere advantages:

User can move in any direction; walk, jump, roll, crawl, run over virtually unlimited
distances
Life-like movements inside cyberspace
Standalone or networked
Multiplatform
Need to change the purpose of use? Just reload the software
Mobile solution, transportation in middle size car, assembled in 4 hour

VirtuSphere products and solutions are marketed to target customers including:

Military, law enforcement, dangerous occupations – safe training, simulation and
mission rehearsal
Health, exercise, sport – fitness clubs; bridge between classical and cyber games
Entertainment market
Education, museums
Architecture, construction, real-estate – site model walk-troughs
Virtual travel and tourism
Home gaming and exercise

Computer Operating Systems

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When you turn on the power to a computer, the first program that runs is usually a set of instructions kept in the computer's ROM(read only memory). This code examines the system hardware to make sure everything is functioning properly. This power-on self test (POST) checks the CPU,memory, and BIOS(basic input output system) for errors and stores the result in a special memory location. Once the POST has successfully completed, the software loaded in ROM (sometimes called the BIOS or firmware) will begin to activate the computer's disk drives. In most modern computers, when the computer activates the hard disk drive, it finds the first piece of the operating system: the bootstrap loader.

The bootstrap loader is a small program that has a single function: It loads the operating system into memory and allows it to begin operation. In the most basic form, the bootstrap loader sets up the small driver programs that interface with and control the various hardware subsystems of the computer. It sets up the divisions of memory that hold the operating system, user information and applications. It establishes the data structures that will hold the myriad signals, flags and semaphores that are used to communicate within and between the subsystems and applications of the computer. Then it turns control of the computer over to the operating system.

The operating system's tasks, in the most general sense, fall into six categories:

Processor management
Memory management
Device management
Storage management
Application interface
User interface

While there are some who argue that an operating system should do more than these six tasks, and some operating-system vendors do build many more utility programs and auxiliary functions into their operating systems, these six tasks define the core of nearly all operating systems. Next, let's look at the tools the operating system uses to perform each of these functions.

Types of Operating Systems

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Within the broad family of operating systems, there are generally four types, categorized based on the types of computers they control and the sort of applications they support. The categories are:

Real-time operating system (RTOS) - Real-time operating systems are used to control machinery, scientific instruments and industrial systems. An RTOS typically has very little user-interface capability, and no end-user utilities, since the system will be a "sealed box" when delivered for use. A very important part of an RTOS is managing the resources of the computer so that a particular operation executes in precisely the same amount of time, every time it occurs. In a complex machine, having a part move more quickly just because system resources are available may be just as catastrophic as having it not move at all because the system is busy.
Single-user, single task - As the name implies, this operating system is designed to manage the computer so that one user can effectively do one thing at a time. The Palm OS for Palm handheld computers is a good example of a modern single-user, single-task operating system.
Single-user, multi-tasking - This is the type of operating system most people use on their desktop and laptop computers today. Microsoft's Windows and Apple's MacOS platforms are both examples of operating systems that will let a single user have several programs in operation at the same time. For example, it's entirely possible for a Windows user to be writing a note in a word processor while downloading a file from the Internet while printing the text of an e-mail message.
Multi-user - A multi-user operating system allows many different users to take advantage of the computer's resources simultaneously. The operating system must make sure that the requirements of the various users are balanced, and that each of the programs they are using has sufficient and separate resources so that a problem with one user doesn't affect the entire community of users. Unix, VMS and mainframe operating systems, such as MVS, are examples of multi-user operating systems.

Photo courtesy/Apple
Mac OS X Panther screen shot

It's important to differentiate between multi-user operating systems and single-user operating systems that support networking. Windows 2000 and Novell Netware can each support hundreds or thousands of networked users, but the operating systems themselves aren't true multi-user operating systems. The system administrator is the only "user" for Windows 2000 or Netware. The network support and all of the remote user logins the network enables are, in the overall plan of the operating system, a program being run by the administrative user.

With the different types of operating systems in mind, it's time to look at the basic functions provided by an operating system.