Linking your world with Information Technology

Surfing the Web Anonymously – Questions to Ask

2008-11-17T05:56:00.000-08:00

When you surf the web it is possible to learn information about you even when you don't want to advertise who you are. This is true even if your system contains no virus or malware software. Specifically information that is easily available online includes your IP address, your country (and often more location information based on IP address), what computer system you are on, what browser you use, your browser history, and other information. It gets worse. People can get your computer's name and even find out your name if your machine supports programs like finger or identd. Also, cookies can track your habits as you move from machine to machine.

How do people get this basic information about you?

When you visit another web site, information about you can be retrieved. Basically, information is intercepted and used by others to track your Internet activities.

How do you stop this from happening?

First of all, it is possible to serf the web anonymously and thereby stop leaving a trail for others to find. Note that this is not fool-proof, but it makes it much harder for people to know who you are. There are products called anonymous proxy servers that help protect you. The anonymous proxy server replaces your Internet address for its own. This has the effect of hiding your IP address and making it much harder for people to track you.

How do I get an anonymous proxy server?

There are many vendors who sell anonymous proxy servers. There are also free proxy servers available to you. Two such products are ShadowSurf and Guardster. Guardster (http://www.guardster.com/) offers various services for anonymous and secure access to the web, some paid as well as a free service. ShadowSurf (http://www.shadowsurf.com/) ShadowSurf provides anonymous surfing at their site for free. Go to it and you will find a box to enter a URL that you want no one to track. There are many others, but here are two that are frequently used.

Another interesting product, given the recent news about the Google search engine filtering its findings for the Chinese government, is Anonymizer (http://www.anonymizer.com). This company, among others, recently (Feb 1st, 2006) pressed that it "is developing a new anti-censorship solution that will enable Chinese citizens to safely access the entire Internet filter-free" (http://www.anonymizer.com/consumer/media/press_releases/02012006.html).

Does an anonymous proxy server make you 100% safe?

No. Still, you are much better off if you use such technology.

What other things should I be concerned about when trying to keep my private information private?

Three other items come to mind when trying to keep your information private. First, you can use an encrypted connection to hide your surfing. This article does not go into detail on this, but search the web and you will find a lot of information on this. Secondly, delete cookies after each session. Third, you can configure your browser to remove JavaScript, Java, and active content. This actually leads to limitations, so you need to think about the cost/benefit of this course of action.

Anything else?

Wishing you happy and safe surfing!

3 Quick And Easy Ways To Build A Profitable Opt In List

2008-11-16T06:01:00.000-08:00

You finally realize that you need a good opt-in list. After reading countless articles and sought expert advices and have read many success stories of people creating a small fortune with opt-in lists you finally decide to have one of your own. Then it happens, you think you have known everything there is to know about opt-in lists and have followed their advices to the T and you still weren’t able to make a profit.

In fact, you may be losing money. You maybe hiring writers to help you out, or there are some expenses incurred, even if you have a big list, but only a very small percentage actually buys from you, your still losing profit. You’ll realize that after a few months when you see your statistics and sales figures.

So what could have gone wrong? Why have others succeeded where you have failed? The most common mistake is that you dived straight right in. You chose a topic where you think could be quite popular and would earn you money. This just not the case. Just because you wrote people from the list doesn’t mean they are going to buy instantly.

Here I will offer more advice, for those who have started an opt-in list and have failed, you can rejuvenate your failed venture. For those who are starting, here are three quick and easy ways to build a profitable opt-in list.

1) Get your customers to trust you and your products first. Just launching your opt-in list would not make you an expert and a believable seller. Put many articles first before you start an opt-in list. Write about the topic you know and have started and used for your site. Try to put forums first to gain knowledge about your customers about their wants and needs and target those wants and needs.

Join forums from other sites as well. Provide expert advices and recommendations. When you feel that people trust you already, you will be able to start your own opt-in list. You can build a base as well with other forum users. You can ask them to join your list. Friends are always good customers. Put up a link to your site so that they may be able to see what you're business is all about.

The certain truth is, the money will only come in when the consumers and subscribers believe and trust in you. They want a product or service that could be a good exchange for their money. People are not going to buy something out of your recommendation if they don’t know you.

2) Find a product or service that people want and need. Although it may not be your forte, if you provide a service and product that you have researched and learned about well, you can carry it on forward. Invest your time, effort and money that you could sell as well as the buyers or subscribers of your opt-in list can use.

While it is true that it is best to sell something that you have interest in, there are not many people who have the same interest as you if you decide to sell something that is not entirely popular or profitable. Do your research well and you would see the profits come in. Also provide your subscribers with promotional material that they could actually use and spread around.

3) Make friends with other opt-in list users. This is basically beneficial especially if it is someone who has already launched a successful opt-in list. These are people that have the experience in this venture and experience is still the best teacher. While there are many articles available for you in the internet to use, there is nothing like getting a first hand account from someone you trust.

Experienced opt-in list users will be able to tell you what to do and what not to do because they have gone through it. While different situations occur for different people, the general concept can still be very helpful. There are many things to avoid and these people will be able to tell you which ones.

Building a profitable opt-in list don’t just happen overnight. There are many preparations and effort to do. Opt-in lists are built from scratch, as your list grows, you should also maintain the quality of your list. Keep it organized and manageable. Get or hire help if need be, just make sure that your subscribers are happy and satisfied and they will be willing to buy from you.

Name, Rank and Social Security Number

2008-11-15T05:08:00.000-08:00

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the U.S. The U.S. Secret Service has estimated that consumers nationwide lose $745 million to identity theft each year. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, the average victim spends 607 hours and averages $1,000 just to clear their credit records.

Identity thieves employ a variety of methods to gain access to your personal information. They may get information from businesses or other institutions by stealing it; by bribing an employee who has access to records; hacking into records; or conning information out of employees. Once identity thieves have your personal information, they may use it to commit a fraud or theft in your name.

How can you tell if you have become a victim of identity theft? Some signs include unexplained charges or withdrawals from your financial accounts; bills or other mail stop arriving (the thief may have submitted a change of address); a credit application is denied for no apparent reason, or debt collectors begin calling about merchandise or services you didn’t buy.

Your computer can be a goldmine of personal information to an identity thief. To protect yourself and your computer against identity theft consider:

• Updating virus protection software frequently. Consider setting your virus protection software to update automatically. The Windows XP operating system also can be set to check for patches automatically and download them to your computer.
• Not opening files sent to you by strangers, clicking on hyperlinks, or downloading programs from people or companies you don’t know.
• Using a firewall program, especially if you use a high speed Internet connection like cable or DSL that leaves your computer connected to the Internet 24 hours a day.
• Providing your personal or financial information through an organization’s secured website only. While not fool proof, a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a URL for a website that begins “https:” (the “s” stands for secure), may provide additional security.
• Not storing your financial information on your laptop, unless absolutely necessary.
• Deleting all the personal information stored on a computer before disposing of it. A wipe” utility program to overwrite the entire hard drive is recommended.
• Checking with an anti-fraud education organization such as CardCops (www.cardcops.com). Card Cops runs a web site designed to help consumers determine whether their credit card numbers may have been stolen. They monitor Internet "chat rooms" where identity thieves illicitly trade and sell stolen credit card numbers. CardCops turns the information over to law enforcement authorities, but also allows consumers to access their database to see whether individual card numbers may have been stolen. In the first two months of operation, the site identified more than 100,000 stolen credit cards.

As with any crime, you can not completely control whether you will become a victim, but you can take steps to minimize your risk by remaining diligent and by minimizing outside access to your personal information.

About Encryption and Making Your System Secure

2008-11-15T04:59:00.000-08:00

What does encryption do for me?

Encryption and cryptographic software has been used in many different ways to make systems more secure. This article discusses only a few ways that such software can make your system more secure, including:

1) Encrypting your email
2) Encrypting your files

To programs are mentioned that will help encrypt information. There are many more programs out there that will help, but these programs are good and a good place to start as any. They have the added benefit of both being free with source code available.

Will encryption stop people from accessing my information?

Encryption simply makes it harder for people to gain access to important information, like passwords or sensitive information in a file. The first thing you should know about encryption is that the algorithm that is used to encrypt can be simple or more complex and that affects how securely what you have encrypted is protected. Encryption systems have been broken when the method of encryption is understood by hackers and is easy to break.

Why bother to encrypt my email?

It should be noted that email is far less secure than paper mail for two very good reasons: first, electronic data can be accessed easily over an Internet and secondly, electronic data is really simple to copy. There is a very good chance that someone has snooped around in your email despite your best intentions to stop it.

How do I go about encrypting my email?

There are many programs out there that can help you encrypt your email. A very popular one is PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) or its Gnu offshoot GPG.

PGP (http://www.pgpi.org/) self-describes itself this way: This "is a program that gives your electronic mail something that it otherwise doesn't have: Privacy. It does this by encrypting your mail so that nobody but the intended person can read it. When encrypted, the message looks like a meaningless jumble of random characters. PGP has proven itself quite capable of resisting even the most sophisticated forms of analysis aimed at reading the encrypted text."

Why bother to encrypt my files?

The answer to this boils down to what you store on your computer. If you have financial data with important information like social security numbers, email addresses, account numbers and passwords, then you open yourself up to losing very valuable information. Most corporate Internet security employees will attest to the widespread theft of very valuable information. As long as you are connected to the Internet you are vulnerable.

How do I go about encrypting my files?

AxCrypt File Encryption Software (http://axcrypt.sourceforge.net/) Self-described as "Free Personal Privacy and Security for Windows 98/ME/NT/2K/XP with AES-128 File Encryption, Compression and transparent Decrypt and Open in the original application."

How to Easily Create, View, Modify, and Print All Your Pdf Files--without Paying for Acrobat

2008-11-09T01:35:00.000-08:00

I've noticed that you'll often have a PDF file that you need to modify, only to discover that you can't change a PDF with the ease that you can a Word or Excel file. You realize that the only way to really do anything to a PDF is to get the full version of Acrobat. Unfortunately, that costs quite a bit of money. Money you don't have.

Fortunately, I came across a site recently in some dark corner of the internet. On this site, you can take any file, and quickly turn it into a PDF file that's incredibly easy to print and modify.

Not only can you turn any file into a PDF, but you can also format the text, insert images, even insert sounds. That's something Adobe Acrobat just doesn't let you do. And when dynamic, colorful documents are crucial in just about every facet of business and study, having access to those features are essential.

As PDFs are the most popular as well as the most reliable and recognized international standard for viewing and managing PDF documents in the world, we all want to be able to easily create and print them for easy sharing. Now, opening, creating, writing and printing PDF files has never been easier.

Membership with this service is lifetime, and the cost is quite insignificant.

This is the greatest tool I've found in a long time. Now for all of that have wondered, here is a new way to create, view, print, and modify PDF files. See it here.

Off the Wall Ideas for Your Plasma TV

2008-11-09T01:32:00.000-08:00

Anyone with a plasma TV will tell you it's not small. Usually they are mounted to a wall to save space and prevent damage. With most models measuring in at over 37" across, they do take up a significant amount of wall space. Not to mention the fact that they need special mounting gear to keep them on the wall without damaging the TV or the wall. Rest assured that many have been destroyed by improper installation. This is not the ideal situation.

What can you do then? Should you get rid of the expensive TV that you've worked so hard for? That would be silly and, of course, unnecessary. Rest assured that there is an answer for your dilemma. A plasma TV lift is a device that will allow you to raise and lower your expensive set in and out of a beautiful cabinet while taking up only minimal space. Not only will you not have to worry about damaging your wall, your expensive TV will be out of the way until you want to watch it. Real artwork can adorn the walls once again.

How big a set can a plasma TV lift handle? They can handle sets up to 65". You may wonder how strong one of these lifts can really be. On one manufacturer's website they decided to put one of these lifts to an unusual and difficult test: they had one of their managers sit on the cabinet and press the button. The lift raised both the TV and the manager with seemingly little effort. There was no loud noise coming from the motor that would indicate that this was causing a strain to the equipment. This is an example of the strength of the TV lifts that you can find on the market today.

The various manufacturers of this type of product have a variety of cabinets available complete with the TV lifts already installed. There are many styles available to suit any decor, from classic to modern. There are also a wide variety of price ranges available to fit most budgets. You can also purchase a kit that can allow a lift to be placed into a cabinet of your choosing. This is especially important if you have a matching furniture suite that you don't want to distract from. You can also find a full range of accessories, from component shelves for DVD's and VCR's, to extra heavy-duty mounting brackets and anything else you might need to make this type of set-up work for you.

5 components of an IT economic model

2008-11-08T19:21:00.000-08:00

One of the steps identified in Real Time Enterprise Blog "9 Steps to a Virtual Oriented Utility" was the requirement to create an economic model. As we have been working with many CIO’s, we are finding that the discipline of creating and managing an economic model does not exist or is not understood.

The Economic Model for IT can be thought of as the Business & IT linkage of demand and supply. In particular, it is the interactive dynamics of consumption of IT resources by the business and the fulfillment behavior of processing by IT.

We coach CIO’s and their organizations to relate their service delivery (people, process and technology) as a digital supply chain. This supply chain must adhere and be managed against the IT economic model. Our experience in building a real time infrastructure led us to standardize 5 key components of our operational model to ensure we adhere to our economic model similar to how our business has to. Below outlines the 5 key components:

Demand Management – the continuous identification, documentation, tracking and measuring of day in the life of the business, what they expect, where there are problems today, and understand sensitivities to cost, bottlenecks, and timing constraints. In particular, service contracts defined in natural language that identify users, entitlement, expectations, geography, critical time windows, special business calendar events, and performance defined in terms of user experience.

Supply Management – the continuous identification, documentation and tracking through instrumentation to capture “objective” factual data of which users, using what applications, consume what app, server, network bandwidth, network QoS and storage resources for how long. Ensure you trend this over a period of time to accurately identify peaks, valleys and nominal growth.

Fit for Purpose Policies – It is essential that organizations trying to build a real time infrastructure or at least a more responsive IT platform and operation, incorporate an operating level of policy management of how the IT platform matches supply and demand at runtime. This should include factors of wall clock, trends, and service contract requirements matched optimally against runtime supply management trends. It is this operating level discipline that can radically reduce waste, unnecessary costs, lower capital investment WHILE improving service levels. It is here that most organizations fail to implement, execute or adopt such a granular discipline, instead firms standardize infrastructure from bottom up, use rule of thumb sizing and define service levels in terms of recovery time objectives or availability only.

Role of ITIL/ITSMF – ITIL 3.0 and the IT Service Management Framework are excellent guides for creating consistent end to end processes related to delivery IT as a service. They are not in themselves the sole answer to resolving IT service problems or quality of delivery. Firms must still resolve issues of alignment and strategy, define sound architectures, implement dynamic infrastructures BEFORE ITIL can have its ultimate impact on end to end process delivery.

Sustaining Transparency - Many IT organizations miss the mark when it comes to meeting and exceeding business expectations due to lack of transparency. The key components outlined above can contribute significantly to creating transparency with the business related to IT delivery of service on their behalf. It is critical that IT organizations institute a discipline of tooling, data capture and reporting procedures that consistently and accurately communicate to the business a complete transparent view of what, how, who related to the consumption of IT by the business and the delivery of service by IT.

We can’t emphasize how important this kind of playbook is instituted by the CIO’s office and executed by the leaders of the IT organization – if they want to enhance the collaboration with the business and become a more strategic and integral part of building the business.

FIFO and LIFO differences

2008-10-25T22:53:00.000-07:00

LIFO and FIFO are terms commonly used in inventory control, in cost accounting and in computer science. They all stand for literally the same phrases, but it means something different in each application.

In inventory control, they simply mean how you handle your merchandise. Do you restock the shelves by pushing the old items back to make room for new items of the same kind? Then the last items stocked will be the first items sold, or LIFO. This would be a typical stocking method for items that have no 'sell-by' date associated with them, or at least one that is in the distant future, such as canned good. Perishable items such as milk and eggs are restocked from the back, so that the old items are pushed to the front and are the first selected by shoppers; this is a FIFO restocking method. This is why most convenience stores have walk-in coolers behind their cold displays, so that they can stock from the rear.

Obviously, you can handle some merchandise LIFO and some FIFO, depending on what it is and how fast you have to move it.

In accounting, LIFO and FIFO mean two different ways of setting a value on your existing inventory and calculating your profit. Some retailers stock an individual type of item only once and then when it has sold out, they no longer carry it; ephemeral fads and fashions are examples of stock-once items. So they pay the same price for each unit of that particular item, and have no decision to make when valuing their inventory. Most retailers, however, stock a particular item for some time, replenishing their supply as they run low. The price on the item fluctuates with time, usually going up, alas. So the newest items you purchase may cost more (or less) than the ones you have had for awhile.

Of course you may adjust your selling price on the item, but what does the increase in unit cost do to the value of your existing inventory? If you had to replace it all, you would now have to pay the higher price (or rarely, get to pay the lower price). Is your inventory system sophisticated enough to be able to determine which purchase lot each unit in stock was a part of? If not, you have to select an inventory evaluation method, either FIFO or LIFO.

The choice between LIFO and FIFO can have a significant effect your P/L (Profit/Loss) statements. It is probably wise to pick a particular method and stick to it so there are not wild fluctuations in your numbers. Also note that some evaluation methods are not allowed for tax purposes. You should obviously not make a decision to use LIFO or FIFO cost accounting and inventory valuation without first consulting with an accountant and/or a tax attorney.

In computer science - LIFO and FIFO refer to how requests or intermediate results are stored and dealt with. If requests are handled on a first-come-first-served basis, the date store is called a 'queue'. If requests are handled Last-In-First-Out, the structure is called a 'stack'. Different operations require different data handling. The LIFO-FIFO terminology, originating in business and adopted by the computer industry, led to the addition of a third term for data storage; to wit: GIGO. Garbage in, garbage out.

What is the Difference Between GSM and CDMA?

2008-10-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

In cellular service there are two main competing network technologies: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). Cellular carriers including Sprint PCS, Cingular Wireless, Verizon and T-Mobile use one or the other. Understanding the difference between GSM and CDMA will allow you to choose a carrier that uses the preferable network technology for your needs.

The GSM Association is an international organization founded in 1987, dedicated to providing, developing, and overseeing the worldwide wireless standard of GSM. CDMA, a proprietary standard designed by Qualcomm in the United States, has been the dominant network standard for North America and parts of Asia. However, GSM networks continue to make inroads in the United States, as CDMA networks make progress in other parts of the world. There are camps on both sides that firmly believe either GSM or CDMA architecture is superior to the other. That said, to the non-invested consumer who simply wants bottom line information to make a choice, the following considerations may be helpful.

Coverage: The most important factor is getting service in the areas you will be using your phone. Upon viewing competitors' coverage maps you may discover that only GSM or CDMA carriers offer cellular service in your area. If so, there is no decision to be made, but most people will find that they do have a choice.

Data Transfer Speed: With the advent of cellular phones doing double and triple duty as streaming video devices, podcast receivers and email devices, speed is important to those who use the phone for more than making calls. CDMA has been traditionally faster than GSM, though both technologies continue to rapidly leapfrog along this path. Both boast "3G" standards, or 3rd generation technologies.

EVDO, also known as CDMA2000, is CDMA's answer to the need for speed with a downstream rate of about 2 megabits per second, though some reports suggest real world speeds are closer to 300-700 kilobits per second (kbps). This is comparable to basic DSL. As of fall 2005, EVDO is in the process of being deployed. It is not available everywhere and requires a phone that is CDMA2000 ready.

GSM's answer is EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution), which boasts data rates of up to 384 kbps with real world speeds reported closer to 70-140 kbps. With added technologies still in the works that include UMTS (Universal Mobile Telephone Standard) and HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), speeds reportedly increase to about 275—380 kbps. This technology is also known as W-CDMA, but is incompatible with CDMA networks. An EDGE-ready phone is required.

In the case of EVDO, theoretical high traffic can degrade speed and performance, while the EDGE network is more susceptible to interference. Both require being within close range of a cell to get the best speeds, while performance decreases with distance.

Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards: In the United States only GSM phones use SIM cards. The removable SIM card allows phones to be instantly activated, interchanged, swapped out and upgraded, all without carrier intervention. The SIM itself is tied to the network, rather than the actual phone. Phones that are card-enabled can be used with any GSM carrier.

The CDMA equivalent, a R-UIM card, is only available in parts of Asia but remains on the horizon for the U.S. market. CDMA carriers in the U.S. require proprietary handsets that are linked to one carrier only and are not card-enabled. To upgrade a CDMA phone, the carrier must deactivate the old phone then activate the new one. The old phone becomes useless.

Roaming: For the most part, both networks have fairly concentrated coverage in major cities and along major highways. GSM carriers, however, have roaming contracts with other GSM carriers, allowing wider coverage of more rural areas, generally speaking, often without roaming charges to the customer. CDMA networks may not cover rural areas as well as GSM carriers, and though they may contract with GSM cells for roaming in more rural areas, the charge to the customer will generally be significantly higher.

International Roaming: If you need to make calls to other countries, a GSM carrier can offer international roaming, as GSM networks dominate the world market. If you travel to other countries you can even use your GSM cell phone abroad, providing it is a quad-band phone (850/900/1800/1900 MHz). By purchasing a SIM card with minutes and a local number in the country you are visiting, you can make calls against the card to save yourself international roaming charges from your carrier back home. CDMA phones that are not card-enabled do not have this capability, however there are several countries that use CDMA networks. Check with your CDMA provider for your specific requirements.

According CDG.org, CDMA networks support over 270 million subscribers worldwide, while GSM.org tallies up their score at over 1 billion. As CDMA phones become R-UIM enabled and roaming contracts between networks improve, integration of the standards might eventually make differences all but transparent to the consumer.

The chief GSM carriers in the United States are Cingular Wireless, recently merged with AT&T Wireless, and T-Mobile USA. Major CDMA carriers are Sprint PCS, Verizon and Virgin Mobile. There are also several smaller cellular companies on both networks.

source: wisegeek.com

Advantages of a LCD TV

2008-10-04T22:05:00.000-07:00

LCD TV's (liquid crystal display) are on of the most popular types of HDTV's on the market today. LCD technology has been in use for several years. Many of us remember the days of CRT computer monitors but most people have moved on to LCD computer monitors. The technology used for computer monitors has evolved to high definition televisions and they are growing fast.

LCD HDTV's main competition is plasma television. Up until recently, plasma was shockingly more expensive tha LCD but with advances in technology, their prices are becoming more similar. So if pricing is pretty similar, then which TV is the better option? Each has its advantages and disadvantages. For now, we will be focusing on the advantages of LCD televisions.

Advantage 1: Screen Glare. Plasma TV's have a reflective, glass looking screen. LCD screens have more of a matte finish. Because of this, you don't have to worry as much about having too much light in your room. LCD TV's are a great option for theater rooms, kitchens, living rooms and just about anywhere else. You don't have to be stuffed in a cave to see the picture.

Advantage 2: Energy Use. LCD TV's use much less energy than plasma TV's. Running a plasma TV could cost you several hundred dollars more per year just to own. With the recent "green" movement, you will be helping the environment by avoiding plasma.

Advantage 3: Size. LCD is available in a very wide size range. You can get LCD screens anywhere from 5 inches to 65 inches or higher. Plasma screens are usually only available in the 40 inch or greater range.

Advantage 4: Price. Even though plasma's are getting cheaper, you will still save a few bucks by going with a LCD. Most people can't even tell the difference between LCD and plasma so save a few bucks and go LCD. With our current economy, who doesn't want to save money?

Advantage 5: Wall Mounting. You can wall mount most LCD or plasma HDTV's. Wall mounting is a great option for several reasons. First, it looks very styling and modern. Second, it frees up space in small or cluttered living rooms. Lastly, you can mount them with a swing arm so you can position the TV in any direction that you want.

These are some of the most common advantages listed for LCD TV's over other types of high definition TV's. Each has its pro's and con's but these advantages may persuade you to buy LCD.

Apple MacBook Air Review

2008-10-03T05:20:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for a very small, very fragile, very light laptop, then Apple MacBook Air is for you. A slight tap on the screen will close the system down completely.

Apple MacBook, being the lightest MacBook in its category, sets in in the spotlight, surpassing other MacBook. The depth from the back (at .76 inches) tapering towards the front bezel (at .16 inches), makes this the slimmest.

The curved design of the Apple MacBook Air makes it stand out in the crowd. Other laptops have look thicker due to a flat level of thickness all around, where as Apple MacBook Air has a thickness of .04 centimeters at most parts, and is curved.

Absence of connectivity ports and an optical drive contributes to the limitations of this laptop. There are many innovative features, such as standard voltage processing parts and a full size keyboard, that make up for all limitations. The utility of an optical drive is reduced by having an internet connection.

Apple MacBook Air does have pre installed software, including Mac OS Xv10.5 Leopard operating system, Safari, Time Machine, iTunes, Xcode, iMovie, and many more.

Apple has always been an active participant in environmental group Greenpeace in recent years. Apple has enclosed its MacBook Air to suit all environmental concerns. This laptop sports a completely recyclable aluminum case. All circuit boards are BFR and PVC free. Apple has been the first to have a mercury-free display with arsenic-free glass. The retail packaging uses fifty-six percent less packaging material than MacBook packaging. Apple MacBook Air is Energy Star 4.0-certified and EPEAT silver-compliant.

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Data Center Build and Manage IT In House vs Outsourcing

2008-10-03T05:13:00.000-07:00

Too Big for a Small Business As businesses began to increase their focus on having reliable and available data centers, data centers began to grow in size and complexity. No longer a single room housing a comparatively simple computer system, businesses now required very large Internet data centers. These large data centers are expensive to run, expensive to maintain, and expensive to staff.

These huge data facilities were out of the reach of many small businesses. These smaller organizations also needed managed services like high speed Internet connectivity and high availability of data, but they did not have the resources to build such physically large and expense data centers. Even the equipment required for such an endeavor was often out of the financial reach of a small business.

The Adventage of Data Center Outsourcing Private data centers became the go-to solution for small to medium business information technology needs. Data center outsourcing grew in popularity, largely because it was a practical and financially more viable solution to the problems created by huge, on-site data centers.

Not only are outsourced data centers more affordable, they also lift much of the heavy responsibility from the business. Disaster recovery, adhering to industry standards, ensuring a secure and hospitable environment for information storage and management, and many other practical concerns can make in-house data centers a logistical nightmare. When organizations place their trust in an off-site data center, they do not need to shoulder this burden alone.

What to Look For in Outsourcing Data Storage When you outsource your data center responsibilities, you want to be selective in your choice of a data storage partner. Every moment that you network is not up and running, your business is being affected. A high availability data center will place a great deal of emphasis on the following:

- Skilled IT Professionals: A data center is only as good as its staff. Security and networking teams need to be well-trained, skilled, and experienced. Network technicians need to be trained to the highest industry standards. - Proper Environment: The environment of a data center is of the utmost importance. There must be an uninterruptible power supply or backup generator, a highly sensitive HVAC system to filter air, a fire suppression system, and proper installation of equipment. - High Level of Security: Your data needs to be protected, and the first level of defense is the physical security of the building. There should be controlled access, video surveillance, and extensive employee background checks. - Top of the Line Equipment: Network infrastructure is one of the most important aspects of data center planning. When selecting a data center, make sure equipment selection and infrastructure set-up receive the emphasis they deserve. - Strict Adherence to Standards: Industry standards are around for a reason. They help make sure data centers provide high quality service, maximum availability, and top-shelf security measures.

The Advantage of Outsourcing In house data centers simply cannot offer the same kind of reliability and economic viability as off-site data centers. An organization must allow its focus to remain on the health of its business operations, rather than getting bogged down in the details of managing data. Outsourcing your data center allows you to keep your focus where it should be: on your own organization.

The complicated and expensive nature of today's data center needs make it impractical for a company to expend huge amounts of resources on an in-house data center. It just doesn't make good financial sense. Instead, outsourcing your data center allows you to put those resources back into your company, further strengthening your organization.

SAS 70 certified Data Centre in Toronto provides businesses with solutions for managed hosting, business continuity services, managed security, disaster recovery.

Why You Should and How to Use Proxy?

2008-10-03T05:08:00.000-07:00

Nowadays Internet is becoming one of the major needs of this contemporary world. Almost every work can be done online and it is preferred by people because it is time and cost efficient. It is one of the greatest blessings of technology.

However, there are a lot of online web sites, which are not safe to your computer, your personal info could be hijacked through them. Therefore, in order to save your personal info you can use a proxy. So do you have the right knowledge of how to use a proxy server?

Using a proxy server to surf online safely can be very simple and everybody can avail its benefits in a convenient way. For a novice user it is much easier to understand how to use a proxy.

Proxies are very essential as they help in visiting the online websites safely. Anybody can easily protect his or her personal information by using a proxy. Proxies are used to hide your IP address, operating system, and other personal information. When you visit any of the online sites, it is seen that all the traffic is surfacing from the proxy server and your computer's identity and location remains hidden. Therefore, before visiting any of the online sites it is essential that you know how to use a proxy.

The process of using a proxy is easy and convenient. Neither you have to install any software nor have you to download anything when you use a web proxy. Make some configurations to your browser and you all set to use the proxy configured.

Then all you have to do is type the URL addresses of any web proxy site in your browser. After you typed the address, the connections will be redirected via the proxy thus revealing that all the transfer is coming from the proxy server as filtering firewall traces only the proxy server. You can easily download any files, or you can play games or even download them, you can do chatting, sharing videos and so many things more when you know how to use a proxy.

However, if you want to avail different facilities of internet safety, what you have to do is to learn how to use a proxy. It is important as it helps in hiding your personal information and avoids personal information in getting into the wrong hands.

About the Author:

Have no idea how to use a proxy? Be sure to checkout our proxy tutorial site & get your unlimited proxy Q&A for free.

Social Networking Website Software Proves To Be Safe and Secure

2008-09-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

Most of the internet users of today are members of one social networking website or the other. There are many popular social networks like MyTube, Face Book and MySpace which has maximum members in them, which is attributed to the safe and secure social networking website software it uses on the website.

With so many people becoming members of social networks, the quest to find out if the information and data provided to the social networks is actually in safe hands goes on and on. And the answer these people always receive is an affirmative one.

This is because this social networking website software is constantly updated to ensure that people on the site are safe. This does not come as much of a surprise, considering the fact that the sudden rise in people being blackmailed through such information has made it important that safety and security is a priority on the sites.

Social networking sites are a great way of teaching children to keep in touch with family members and friends. However, this can be made possible only if you teach your children all the security features and restrictions available on the site to the child. If the child is not aware of these steps that have to be taken to protect private and personal information, the child may jeopardize this information. As the social networking website software offers all these tools on site, it does not prove difficult to teach your child the basic security features of the site.

However, there is no point in having security features in the social networking website software, if you are not careful in using the computer. There are many people who leave their email addresses, home address, full name and phone number on pages that are open for public to see. Remember it is important that you restrict strangers from accessing your personal information to be successful in the internet, and especially social networks.

It is only on visiting a social networking site do you realize the amount of security the social networking website software maintains in the site. The security features of the software includes encryption, CAPCHA codes, spam filters and even passwords that are used to ensure your safety in the site.

Of course, these safety features may not prove to be something special as practically all websites have these features. However there is some additional security provided with the social networking website software which is, providing users with the ability to block and restrict access to the site by people who are not known or recognized by the site.

One of the most popular social networking sites successfully using this software to day is Facebook, which is presently one of the largest social networking sites catering to high school and college students.

Basically, access to any profile page on the site is restricted unless and up till you are added as a friend in the site. Once you are declared and added as a friend, you can view the pages of your friend, leave comments when required and even send messages. It is also possible to see other friends of your friend; and by registering yourself as their friends, you will be able to see their private pages too. With all this security, personal information remains private and personal.

In the case of another site, MySpace, security issues are handled differently. Here the access to your page can be tailored for only friends and in some situations, let everyone else have a look at your page too. You can also place limitations on who can request making friendships with you. With this feature, it is possible to not only avoid spammers, but also prevent inappropriate people visiting or gaining access to your profile page.

All this does not imply that you have to take this software for granted. Remember that hackers will always look for ways to hack into accounts and gain access to information. This is why no matter how safe a social networking website may seem you should never disclose too much personal information on your profile page.

Remember that if you cannot actually control your personal information on the web, you are the one who will suffer from its consequences. Never actually rely only on the security measures found on social networking website software. It is better to consider them to be additional tools that you can use with your common sense for your own safety.

So it can be said that these features, with the safety steps and etiquette you have to maintain when on the internet all leave you with a social networking website software that is not only safe, but will keep you secure at all times.

Oracle launches computer hardware

2008-09-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

Enterprise software firm Oracle is to sell computer hardware for the first time in partnership with Hewlett Packard (HP). The firm has launched an HP-designed, co-branded database system, as well as a smaller storage system, both of which go on sale this week.

The hardware is designed to speed up data retrieval via Oracle's software products and marks the firm's efforts to offer more comprehensive business software solutions, reports Associated Press. The move expands on a long-standing engineering agreement between Oracle and HP.

The HP Oracle Database Machine is configured for data warehousing, uses 64 Intel processor cores and can store 168 Terabytes of data. It will retail for USD650,000, but excludes the cost of Oracle software, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Meanwhile, the HP Oracle Extradata Storage Servers is aimed at enterprise customers with existing data warehouses. This hardware is designed to enhance data processing and offers 12 Terabytes of storage.

The launch was unveiled by company CEO Larry Ellison during a keynote speech at the Oracle Open World event in San Francisco. The move follows Oracle's USD8.5bn buyout of software rival, BEA Systems, last April.

3 Theories on Why Fewer eBay Listings Are Showing Up on Google

2008-09-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

Ever since 9/16 when fp30 rolled along with a bunch of finding bugs, we have seen sales plummet in many categories with apparel and jewelry being hit the hardest.

While most sellers are focusing in on some of the eBay (eBay) finding wackiness, one seller noticed Google (Google) had all but disappeared as a 'source' of traffic in their advanced store reports.

Based on that tip, we started doing some looking and saw some very unusual behavior.

Here's a search for a popular Nike product's model number:

Notice that the second, third and fifth search results are all for eBay international sites and not ".com".

I've run literally hundreds of searches and you have to really work now to find eBay in the organic (and even paid) Google results. Interestingly enough, when I did find the occasional eBay listing in the index, it was an FP30.

Note that eBay's pagerank [PR] doesn't seem to have changed - it's at 8/10.

Theories on what is going on...
I have a couple of quick theories on what's going on:

Given their track record in the last couple of weeks, it's possible that eBay has done something to mess up the crawlability of the site.
It could be that eBay has asked Google to not crawl anything but fp30 dramatically reducing the number of eBay listings in the google index (this doesn't seem very smart, but hey anything's possible I guess)
It could be that Google is using this tough spot for eBay to kick them in the ribs and has decided that eBay listings are 'not relevant' and yanked them from the index.

Personally I think the last theory is the most probable given the near overnight disappearance of eBay's listings from the Google index.

Readers - any insights into what you are seeing/think is going on

Disclosure: Author is long eBay and Google.

Welcome to the Future

2008-09-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

by: David Ewing Duncan

With a little help from Google, secretive Silicon Valley startup 23andMe is betting you’ll want to Web-surf your own DNA. But is the science ready?

Graphic by: Martin Krzywinski
This just in: Illumina C.E.O. Jay Flatley has the “sprinting” gene, a cluster of DNA that is associated with professional athletes and Olympic track stars, those human beings whose muscles twitch fast instead of slow. Flatley, a stocky 55-year-old industrial engineer, chuckles at this discovery.

On the other hand, he lacks a fairly common gene variant linked to Type 2 diabetes. That’s good news, he says, zooming in on a virtual human body that’s now floating on his computer screen. He clicks on the figure’s leg, and up pops a page describing the gene for restless legs syndrome, a malady that causes some people to flail around at night, resulting in sleeplessness. The webpage includes graphics, descriptions, and links to studies and references, including PubMed, an online health science library. “This site will tell me if I have a gene for obesity,” he says, “or whether my earwax is wet or dry. I’m not kidding.”

My fast but fantastic voyage through the inner Flatley comes during a visit to his company’s San Diego headquarters, where he has allowed me to peek at an early version of the site being developed by a Silicon Valley startup, 23andMe, which is named after the number of paired chromosomes in every human. In stealth mode until a launch planned for later this year, 23andMe is using Illumina’s powerful gene-reading chips to build a company that is among several hoping to cash in on personalized genomics—the tailoring of an individual’s health care and lifestyle based on DNA and biomarkers.

When 23andMe goes live, customers will be asked to spit into short plastic tubes or to swab cells from inside their cheeks and mail in the sample. 23andMe will then analyze the data in relation to reams of information about ailments, treatments, diet, and ancestry and compare the results with those of thousands of others who have been tested for genes associated with diseases and other traits.

The cybersynthesis will be channeled into a customized DNA diary on the website. The company is considering a feature that would allow people to then link their personalized pages to those of others who share their DNA—fellow sprinters, say, or people at risk for Alzheimer’s—just as you can now link to college chums on Facebook. 23andMe has not discussed pricing, but competitors are talking about charging upwards of $2,000 a person.

As wonderful as this sounds, 23andMe is plunging into very controversial territory. Scientists and ethicists warn that the understanding of most genes remains a work in progress—and, as a result, users could make life decisions based on incomplete or erroneous science. “Just because we have identified a gene doesn’t mean its function or its impact has been thoroughly understood or that having a gene has any real predictive value,” says Francis Collins, who led the international consortium that sequenced the human genome and now directs the National Human Genome Research Institute.

This admonition, however, has not deterred 23andMe and other online companies from entering what they believe is a potentially gigantic market. “We’ve only scratched the surface of understanding the human genome,” admits a source familiar with 23andMe. “But the company will be very responsible with the information it will make available to consumers. 23andMe is working closely with the research community.”

New iPhone 2.1 Update!!!!

2008-09-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

I’m starting a new positively posh post every Friday that will include some fabulous finds.

For today, we have a special guest, the iPhone 2.1 update! Not only is Apple stating that this update will fix those reputed dropped calls, but also lend a hand in that poor battery life. What could be better news on a Friday, I ask you?

Here’s a quick list of what’s included in the iPhone 2.1 update:

* Decrease in call failures & those pesky little dropped calls
* Better battery life
* Supposedly fixes crashes from third party apps! Here I come LOLCats!
* Better text messaging performance
* Faster loading of your beloved contacts
* Improved accuracy of 3G signal
* And tons more!!!

Get you one today!

Get Now! Email Management Via Gmail

2008-09-04T00:05:00.000-07:00

Recently, I wanted to increase the productivity of the management of all my emails. I had been using Outlook for maybe 8 years or so, and was relatively happy. However, I wondered if there was a smoother way to deal with my emails. You see, I get 100-200 emails per day. I need a proper method in place to manage this, otherwise, I lose time which to me is of a great value.

I had switched to Google Calendar, and I was wondering if a similar switch from Outlook to Gmail would actually work. Gmail would have to have all that Outlook offers and then some for me to transfer over. Here is what I found out:

Multiple accounts & label system
I was pleasantly surprised to know that I could fully manage up to 5 accounts + the actual Gmail account from within the same account. This was very good because I happen to have 3 or 4 different email addresses. What’s different about Gmail is that it does not have folders. Within Outlook, I would save and/or arrange my emails in different folders. With Gmail, you put a label on it and then you can retrieve it by searching within that label’s category. It gives you the same result in my opinion. Labels or folders, I find my emails just the same. Labels might be a little cleaner as far as what the screen looks like since it takes less space than to have tons of folders.

Huge archive storage
It is very important for me to save emails and be able to retrieve them easily. With Outlook, the database backup was just enormous in size for what is basically text. Plus, searching through old emails in Outlook takes a embarrassing amount of time. With Gmail, you get about 7 Gigabyte of storage space. I have barely used 1% of it so far (1 month of usage). Searching within Gmail is so easy and so fast. I can easily archive all my conversations, and find what I need to find within a matter of seconds. This saves me a lot of time, because I would get very frustrated when searching for an email for a client and having Outlook take 5 min. or freeze on me.

Great spam filter
The spam filter in Gmail is really good. I was actually very surprised as to how much more accurate it is compared to the filters in Outlook or the ones installed on the web server for POP or IMAP accounts. I usually had about 30-50 spams that would still find their way into my inbox every day with Outlook. Now, after 1 month, I remember 1 or 2 spam that made it into my inbox. The difference in efficiency is clearly obvious.

Star system
One of the best features in Gmail is the fact that you can apply a “star” (or question mark, exclamation point, etc.) to a particular email, so that you can be reminded to follow up on it later. When looking at a screen of 100 emails, it’s hard to remember which ones you need to reply to or whatnot if there is nothing to make them stand out. I have found my ability to properly deal with emails where my attention was required multiple times has improved because of this star system. Sometimes I cannot reply right away, but I put a little exclamation mark next to it to remind me that I need to reply back. I put a little star next to an email where I am expecting a response back. This feature can really boost your productivity.

More features
Just like other emails, you have all the features you need. You can add a signature to your outgoing emails. There is a vacation auto-responder as well. Before, I had to set up 4 different auto-responders for each email account. Within Gmail, just one takes care of everything. What’s also great is that you can have your Gmail in sync with your Google Talk account. I use this chat service often, and it saves my chat history within my Gmail account. So if I discuss something with a client, I can easily find the information back if necessary, and I can do that extremely quickly. Plus, you get notifications on the chat when you have new emails. You can also add your own filters to incoming emails. These are very flexible and highly customizable. There is also an option to create keyboard shortcuts for common tasks that you might do within your account. These features are nothing new, but they make Gmail truly a viable alternative to Outlook.

Best of all, I can access my Gmail account from any computer. Therefore, I can deal with my emails anywhere in the world I may be. With Outlook, I was restricted to one computer. And even using IMAP instead of POP, I would still have to login to each specific email account individually on the server itself. With Gmail, it’s all under one roof, and that’s what I found so powerful. This was one of the main reasons why I switched over. I wanted my work to be more remote and be accessible anywhere. Sometimes I am on the road, traveling, or on a laptop. Sometimes I just need to check something quickly while I am at a friend’s place. In any of these cases, I have full access to my email accounts just like I would if I was at the office. Add in all the other features I mentioned above, and the decision to switch over was very easy to make! To be perfectly honest, it’s been so smooth using Gmail, that I haven’t missed Outlook whatsoever ;)

Affordable Apple: Here Come the Clones

2008-09-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

It was only a matter of time after Apple’s switch to Intel and subsequent thriving of the OSx86 project. There were already plenty of hardware guides helping users spec out their own OSx86 compatible PCs. Now you can switch on the cheap without putting in that kind of effort. Psystar Corporation is selling computers with OS X Leopard preinstalled starting at $554.99. Here are the specs on their baseline machine:

* 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 Processor
* 2GB of DDR2 667 memory
* Integrated Intel GMA 950 Graphics
* 20x DVD+/-R SATA drive that is Lightscribe-capable

A significant processor gain and twice the memory and hard drive of Apple’s closest priced Mac mini which is $50 more. Interesting to note that most of the cost for these computers, like PCs today, is in the cost of the operating system. In fact, even more of the cost ($155) is due the operating system in the case of these machines because Apple does not have OEM licensing pricing available. Psystar does make their hardware available without Leopard preinstalled for $399, a move likely to encourage piracy of Apple’s OS X. If Apple can hold back the knee-jerk urge to sue they must be feeling right now, this could be another revenue opportunity. A $90-a-copy OEM licensing deal with companies like Psystar in exchange for the manufacturer agreeing not to sell the equipment without an operating system, similar to deals Microsoft has been known to engage in with Dell and other manufacturers, it would serve both add a revenue stream from a customer base that currently finds Apple’s lineup cost prohibitive and reduce revenue loss via piracy. That would make a lot of business sense. Apple will still be the Cadillac. These machines are large ugly bricks compared to the cool and sleek Mac mini. Of course I’m morally opposed to enforced licensing schemes such as that. ;)

Google to release Web browser

2008-09-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

'Chrome' challenges Microsoft's Explorer

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google Inc. is releasing its own Web browser in a long-anticipated move aimed at countering the dominance of Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer and ensuring easy access to its market-leading search engine.

The Mountain View-based company took the unusual step of announcing its latest product on the Labor Day holiday after it prematurely sent out a comic book drawn up to herald the new browser's arrival.

The free browser, called "Chrome," is supposed to be available for downloading today in more than 100 countries for computers running on Microsoft's Windows operating system. Google said it's still working on versions compatible with Apple Inc.'s Mac computer and the Linux operating system.

Google's browser is expected to hit the market a week after Microsoft's unveiling of a test version of its latest browser update, Internet Explorer 8. The tweaks include more tools for Web surfers to cloak their online preferences, creating a shield that could make it more difficult for Google and other marketing networks to figure out which ads are most likely to appeal to which individuals.

Although Google is using a cartoonish approach to promote Chrome, the new browser underscores the gravity of Google's rivalry with Microsoft, whose Internet Explorer is used by about 75 percent of Web surfers.

Google's lead in the Internet search market is nearly as commanding, with its engine processing nearly two-thirds of the Web's queries.

For the past few years, Google has been trying to take advantage of its search engine's popularity to loosen Microsoft's grip on how most people interact with PCs.

The assault so far has been focused on a bundle of computer programs, including word processing and spreadsheet applications, that Google offers as an alternative to one of Microsoft's biggest money makers, its Office suite of products.

Switching to Gmail IMAP on the BlackBerry

2008-09-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

After reading this post a while ago and spending some time thinking about it, I’ve switched over to IMAP for Gmail access on the BlackBerry. Before I had an elaborate setup, using a filter to forward emails to my blackberry.net device email and then setting the device email to set from and reply-to to my gmail address and auto bcc my gmail address. All that because IMAP and POP have historically had much slower delivery times on the BlackBerry than the device and enterprise email. However, as I process more and more email using my device, I always have a pile of unread messages in my inbox whenever I log in to the web interface. I’ve tested IMAP again and it seems to be working much faster than in the past. Here are some notables about my new setup:

* Emails read on the BlackBerry are marked as read in Gmail
* Emails deleted from BlackBerry are archived in Gmail
* After creating a ‘Sent Items’ label in Gmail, emails sent from the BlackBerry appear under this label on the web interface. Conversations stay intact.

Technology wouldn’t be fun without a few caveats:

* Emails read in the web interface are not marked as read on the BlackBerry
* Emails archived or deleted in the web interface are not removed from the BlackBerry inbox
* Any previously archived messages moved to the inbox using the web interface will be redelivered as new messages on the BlackBerry

Now at least messages are marked as read when I view them on the device and I can archive messages from the device quickly to keep them from building up in my inbox. I still have the Gmail app installed but continue to see that as primarily a tool for searching through historic messages and chats, etc. from the device more than a good way to process incoming email and reply to it.

Tech News: Aurora UI Concept by Adaptive Path

2008-08-13T02:42:00.000-07:00

So previously, we’ve seen that the Minority Report-ish interface was possible. Now how about web technologies that push the envelope. Adaptive Path has made available a video of their Aurora UI concept. It features how a conflict between two users is resolved through interactive browsing. Quite interesting how, through Aurora, web content can manipulated through actions patterned on real-world ones (grabbing, pushing, pulling, etc…). Interesting concept.

Aurora (Part 1) from Adaptive Path on Vimeo.

Microsoft offers back to Yahoo again

2008-08-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

Microsoft Corp. said it's back in talks with Yahoo Inc., this time centering around a deal that wouldn't mean a full buyout.

Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) said in a statement Sunday that it is not at this time proposing a new bid to acquire all of Yahoo, "but reserves the right to reconsider that alternative depending on future developments and discussions..."

Earlier this month a suit against Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO) by shareholders angry over its refusal of Microsoft's $47.5 billion buyout expanded to include company co-founder David Filo.

The case is pending in the Court of Chancery for the State of Delaware and plaintiffs are the Police & Fire Retirement System of the City of Detroit and the General Retirement System of the City of Detroit.

Microsoft eventually walked away from the negotiations when Yahoo rejected its $33 per share offer, and the suit contends CEO Jerry Yang and Filo had personal interests in keeping the merger from happening. Yang owns 3.95 percent of Yahoo shares; Filo 5.85 percent.

Yahoo, meanwhile, said investor Carl Icahn's plan to replace the board and sell the company to Microsoft shows a "significant misunderstanding of the facts."

Chairman Roy Bostock, in an open letter to Icahn, said the board "met over twenty times to review Microsoft's proposal and Yahoo's other strategic alternatives. Throughout this process our board kept an open mind and an open ear."

Icahn, an activist investor known for shaking up companies to boost their share prices, is the majority shareholder of St. Louis-based American Railcar Industries Inc. (Nasdaq: ARII), controlling about 53.7 percent of the company's common stock. In early February, Icahn and various affiliates notified The Greenbrier Cos. Inc. (NYSE: GBX) that they are interested in the company possibly merging with American Railcar.

He is CEO of Icahn Capital LP, a wholly owned subsidiary of New York City-based Icahn Enterprises LP (NYSE: IEP), through which Icahn manages various private investment funds.

Better Management with IT Service

2008-07-21T06:08:00.001-07:00

I realize exactly that running a garment business is not an easy jog. But that doesn’t mean we must give up just like that without giving our best shot to start and manage business. One main side that is always spin my head around is the Information Technology (IT) management. The fact is, none of my staff is a computer and network expert. While I want to introduce my products wider, thus it will lead to increase sale of my products through internet marketing.
After a couple of times talking to some friends, many of them suggested me that I had better uses the NY IT Consulting, an IT Outsourcing company.
The NY IT Consulting lies right in the city I live, Boston. NY IT Consulting has been helping me to manage my computer networks and provide services that I my self have thought possible. Later on I found out that NY IT Consulting has already had so many consumers to serve. Some among them are American Program Bureau, Abbot Capital - a private equity investment, Delphi construction, and many more.
Now after more than six months dealing with NY IT Consulting, I found out my business management has getting better, and the sale points ? hmmm….it’s promisingly increasing.

GPS Tracking a Key Role in The Correct Data

2008-07-21T06:07:00.000-07:00

have you ever heard the word ‘Global Positioning System’? are your confused of what it is ? Well I’ll try to give you a small illustration of this ‘Global Positioning System’, or ussually known with just GPS.
The Global Positioning System is used for the first time in 1978, signed by the launching of Navstar I (a satellite for navigation system, with the timing and the most diverse). It is made prominently for military necessity.
GPS monitoring has been created to - especially- replacing the different navigation system that is existing before. But in today’s world, the GPS is widely used in many purposes, not only in the army, but also by the civilian, through a device called GPS Tracking Key. Based on for their own unique purposes, and the reason might be for the personal efforts or for law enforcement agencies.
One example of GPS Tracking Key of law enforcement agencies, was a case happenned in November 2007, the herd of George Ford, the murder of 12-year-old girl Shyanne Sommers, Chenango Land. Read the details in this article. Or have a look at the new streaming here
The precision of GPS tracking key is a very highly trustable, the basic reason is because the data in the GPS device had been seized by the satellites. Using the GPS receiver for monitoring unit will provide information translatable by Google Earth. It will ease the users to read the data taken, make the data be more sensible.

Finding Great AdSense Keywords

2008-07-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

When someone asks "What are good AdSense keywords?" they are really asking about the best keywords to optimize their pages with which have AdSense ads on them. Success with AdSense is all about driving traffic to niche websites. The chosen keywords to optimize the site's pages with will make or break efforts to earn income from Adsense.

Success requires choosing a niche area without too much competition. Yet, the niche must have enough interest to insure there are sufficient numbers of searches. Many people choose niches which are simply too competitive to ever have a chance of being ranked on the first page of search engine results.
This is the most common mistake made when creating AdSense sites.

AdSense keywords for a given niche must allow the site owner to rank his or her pages on the first or second pages of Google and/or Yahoo search result pages. The best way to find these AdSense keywords is to brainstorm with the many free keyword tools available online. I have found even the free versions to be of great help for discovering AdSense keywords which can be used to optimize pages with. I particularly like the Google keyword tool. Simply do a search for "keyword tool" in Google and it is usually the first result.

When you find possible keywords, they should be checked in a Google search with quotes around them. Notice the number of total sites with that keyword in the content. For example, if there are 500,000 other sites with that keyword, it is probably too competitive of term for you to ever get traction with. On the other hand, if the AdSense keyword shows only 5,000 other sites, it can be very easy to rank well in the search engines.

Simple and easy ways to advertise online

2008-07-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

Simple and easy ways to advertise online

Some people say that advertising is everything! Regardless if you have a product, a service, a hobby website or just want to share pictures of your wedding, you have to advertise somehow to get the traffic to your site or blog.

But not all traffic is equal. There are services that can help you drive tons and tons of traffic to your site and it won't do you any good at all because it's not targeted traffic.

Take for example all of the many different 'surf for traffic' or 'traffic clicking' programs that are out there. If you have a website that is about your hobby, say model airplanes, then what good is this traffic really going to do you? Who's using these services?

Webmasters and marketers that want traffic on their own site. So they most likely won't spend any more time on your page than is required by the little timer these services use and then they are gone again. Even if your site is about these traffic services (this is about the only time you will see very much benefit from using such a tool) you will still have to spend a ton of time just surfing and clicking around to get a real benefit from these programs. Once marketers realized this they switched gears. They started promoting all the different programs to a lot of other marketers to get them in their downlines, so they could get some traffic as a bonus. This became their new focus. The problem is that everyone else did exactly the same thing, so not a lot of people were surfing the internet anymore.

Bottom-line is this. You need targeted traffic. So here are some tips on how you can generate exactly the traffic you need and bring the visitors you want to your website without having to chase after them.

Content
What is your website about? Do you just have a page with a lot of links and not much else?

If this is the case, think about adding some content to your website that will be of value to any potential visitors. You could write articles or find articles at one of the many directories that you can reprint on your site.

Talk about your experiences in your subject matter.
You don't have to put up some kind of resume (although that can work too), but rather try writing about what you are doing, as it relates to your topic of choice. Let's look at the model airplanes again briefly, you could talk or write about the latest plane type you built, how the last time flying your plane went, what challenges you run into or perhaps even post some pictures of your plane or of you flying it.

Forums and bulletin boards.
You could add a forum or bulletin board to your website where your visitors can interact with each other. There are a lot of free services available out there that you can use to either remotely host a forum for you, or even software you can install on your website's server. To find some of these, just head over to your favorite search engine and you will definitely find plenty to choose from.

And while you are visiting the search engine, why not run a search for any bulletin boards and forums that are already out there for your chosen topic? You could visit those and interact with the visitors there and since many allow you to post a signature or a profile, you could add a little line about your own site with a link (just check the rules of the forum first so
you don't violate any of them).

Start a blog.
Blogs are very popular and search engines love them because they provide constantly new and fresh content. Your blog would be a great place to talk about what you are up to that day. So if you spent some time today buying new parts for your plane you could write about where you found them, how much they cost you, why you chose those parts, anything really goes.

The really great part about this is that you can point links from your blog back to your website, so when the search engine stops by to grab and index your latest content, it will also stop by your website and you will start seeing very targeted traffic heading your way.

Write articles.
Writing articles isn't hard and can be a great source of fresh, new traffic to your website. There are a lot of ezines on any topic out there and there are also a lot of directories where you can share your article.

Basically, what you do is write an article and then add a small resource box that links back to your website (just like a signature) and then let other ezine publishers know that you are allowing them to print your article in their ezine. And many publishers go to the article directories to find new content for their newsletter and even their websites. And since there are
websites and ezine newsletters on any imaginable topic out there, you can't lose. Write an article every couple of days and post it in the directories (even one a week or every two weeks will start getting you traffic). Very soon you will find new traffic coming from search engines, newsletters and websites.

Best of all, these five simple tips will bring targeted traffic, meaning the visitors are coming to you because they are interested in what you wrote.

So there you have it. Whether you have a simple and basic Work at Home Business or a significant Internet Marketing enterprise you can benefit from these five easy and simple ways to advertise and drive traffic to your website at absolutely no cost.

Starting an Internet Home Based Business? You Must Know These Things

2008-07-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

If you are starting an internet home based business from scratch, this article might be helpful to you.

A lot of people have realized that their 9-5 jobs are not what they want to do for their entire life so they started searching a way out, "starting an internet home based business."

Do you know 90% of home based businesses fail within the first 2 years? Why? Because most of the people who are eager to start an internet home based business have the wrong mindset. They think they're on the path to get rich quick. Building a business requires a plan, immediate actions, consistency, and commitment.

Do you have a business plan on starting everything up? What is your business budget? What benefits can you gain from starting a home based business online? Are you a doer who takes massive actions immediately?

Can you spare enough time out from your full-time job to consistently do what's need to be done to build your home business? Can you dedicate yourself and commit to making your home based business work for you no matter what?

If you answer most of the above questions wrong, you might as well go to monster.com and find a better job.

Bear in mind that, you're the CEO of your business, you're an entrepreneur, you're the top boss of your business. What do most of the successful entrepreneurs have in common? They will do whatever it takes to achieve their business success, their goal, and their dream. Want me to say more? They do not ever give up.

How many self-help books or business success books you've read in the past that all say the same thing, don't give up, just keep going? That's right, building a successful home based business on the internet is about your mindset and how you handle your emotion to get you going and take actions.

You must be prepared to go through trials and errors before you can see yourself being successful. These trials and errors are your best teachers who teach you things that you will never learn from anywhere else.

Don't encounter your teachers. Find the ultimate solution to your problems. You should always try to become a better problem solver and solutions thinker. If at times, you can't find the solution to your problems, seek help.

Internet is an information industry; you can always find help from getting involved in various forums or online community. Or you can consult someone who already had the success in your industry.

There are more things that I want you to know about. A well developed business plan will save you money, time and energy. Writing your own business plan is not as hard as you think, it could be a very simple action steps that you want to take in the next 5 days.

To begin your plan, try writing your goals down and follow up with the actions you think you need to take to reach this goal. This is a very simple step you can do it now. Yes, right now!

Eric Su is a professional internet marketer and network marketer. Are you looking for a home based business opportunity?

How to Plan a Product Launch

2008-07-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

When you’re in sales, you’re always driven to think of ways on how you can get your products nearer your target market. When you have such an amazing product, the next step is to formulate an ingenious strategy by which you can best disseminate the info that you have the solution to your client’s problems.

One of the most wide-ranging and effective business strategies is to conduct a product launch. Introducing a product is costly, but if the product launch is done strategically, you’ll find that you can easily convert this expense into sales. Consider these tips on holding a product launch.

Study the selling points of your product. There’s no doubt that your product is amazing, but the challenge is how you can make the consumers think the same. Identify all the selling points of your product and rate them from strongest to weakest. Categorize the selling points according to the type of client. Where the product is food, for example, you should concentrate on presenting the product’s selling points on health benefits if your target market are the health buffs.

Have a message which you will convey clearly. All campaigns should be consistent with one clear message. In all your advertising materials — fliers, posters, TV ads, or radio plugs, make sure that your message is clear. The best way to achieve product recall is to have a product identity. Tell your customers exactly why they need your product.

Planning the launch. It’s a big event, so make sure everything is perfect - the venue, the attendees, the program, the food, etc. Write a list of people who should be there - VIPs, the press, some common people. Make a head count of these and consider a bit of spillover just in case some of your invitees would bring other with them. Based on this estimate secure a venue that would accommodate everyone. Make sure that the layout of the venue would allow for the smooth flow of foot traffic. Contact a caterer and plan for refreshments to cover all attendees.

Be prepared for questions. Don’t rush the launch because you will have to check about a lot of things before you can make the big announcement. When will your product be available? How much is the suggested retail price? Who are your designated outlets? These are only but a few questions which need answers before you broadcast. If your expertise does not include events organizing and management, it would be best to hire professionals.

8 Ways to Boost Your IT Career in 2008

2008-07-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

Source : http://www.lifespy.com/

Firefox Quick Tip: Deal with ‘Server Not Found’ Pages with ErrorZilla

2008-07-11T01:31:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize for the lack of tech articles for LifeSpy. I’m currently blogging for AutoJab as well and we’re trying to expand our horizons for that blog as well. The thing is, focus can be a bit of a problem. Tech posts need time and attention, so are car posts. Trying to stay on top of those areas means that I have to read through at least a hundred articles a day. Anyway, I know it’s not much of an excuse but I apologize still.

Another reason why there is a lack of daily Firefox quick tips (it has been months since) is that 3 is just around the corner and we’ve pretty much covered a lot of ground for 2. Still, once in a while, we see some gems that we have failed to pick up along the way and one of those would be ErrorZilla.

It’s an add-on that modifies your ‘Server Not Found’ pages to add some buttons that would help you locate cached versions of the page. Say for example, you’re researching about a very important topic and unfortunately for you, the server where the page is located is long dead or is having hiccups. While there are tools like Google Cache and Wayback Machine to help find cached pages, ErrorZilla brings those functionalities to you within the error page. They’re just a click away.

Download ErrorZilla add-on here.

Steps in the risk management process

2008-07-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

Establish the context

Establishing the context involves

Identification of risk in a selected domain of interest
Planning the remainder of the process.
Mapping out the following:

the social scope of risk management
the identity and objectives of stakeholders
the basis upon which risks will be evaluated, constraints.

Defining a framework for the activity and an agenda for identification.
Developing an analysis of risks involved in the process.
Mitigation of risks using available technological, human and organizational resources.

Identification

After establishing the context, the next step in the process of managing risk is to identify potential risks. Risks are about events that, when triggered, cause problems. Hence, risk identification can start with the source of problems, or with the problem itself.

Source analysis Risk sources may be internal or external to the system that is the target of risk management. Examples of risk sources are: stakeholders of a project, employees of a company or the weather over an airport.
Problem analysis Risks are related to identified threats. For example: the threat of losing money, the threat of abuse of privacy information or the threat of accidents and casualties. The threats may exist with various entities, most important with shareholders, customers and legislative bodies such as the government.

When either source or problem is known, the events that a source may trigger or the events that can lead to a problem can be investigated. For example: stakeholders withdrawing during a project may endanger funding of the project; privacy information may be stolen by employees even within a closed network; lightning striking a Boeing 747 during takeoff may make all people onboard immediate casualties.

The chosen method of identifying risks may depend on culture, industry practice and compliance. The identification methods are formed by templates or the development of templates for identifying source, problem or event. Common risk identification methods are:

Objectives-based risk identification Organizations and project teams have objectives. Any event that may endanger achieving an objective partly or completely is identified as risk.
Scenario-based risk identification In scenario analysis different scenarios are created. The scenarios may be the alternative ways to achieve an objective, or an analysis of the interaction of forces in, for example, a market or battle. Any event that triggers an undesired scenario alternative is identified as risk - see Futures Studies for methodology used by Futurists.
Taxonomy-based risk identification The taxonomy in taxonomy-based risk identification is a breakdown of possible risk sources. Based on the taxonomy and knowledge of best practices, a questionnaire is compiled. The answers to the questions reveal risks. Taxonomy-based risk identification in software industry can be found in CMU/SEI-93-TR-6.
Common-risk Checking In several industries lists with known risks are available. Each risk in the list can be checked for application to a particular situation. An example of known risks in the software industry is the Common Vulnerability and Exposures list found at http://cve.mitre.org.
Risk Charting This method combines the above approaches by listing Resources at risk, Threats to those resources Modifying Factors which may increase or reduce the risk and Consequences it is wished to avoid. Creating a matrix under these headings enables a variety of approaches. One can begin with resources and consider the threats they are exposed to and the consequences of each. Alternatively one can start with the threats and examine which resources they would affect, or one can begin with the consequences and determine which combination of threats and resources would be involved to bring them about.

Assessment

Once risks have been identified, they must then be assessed as to their potential severity of loss and to the probability of occurrence. These quantities can be either simple to measure, in the case of the value of a lost building, or impossible to know for sure in the case of the probability of an unlikely event occurring. Therefore, in the assessment process it is critical to make the best educated guesses possible in order to properly prioritize the implementation of the risk management plan.

The fundamental difficulty in risk assessment is determining the rate of occurrence since statistical information is not available on all kinds of past incidents. Furthermore, evaluating the severity of the consequences (impact) is often quite difficult for immaterial assets. Asset valuation is another question that needs to be addressed. Thus, best educated opinions and available statistics are the primary sources of information. Nevertheless, risk assessment should produce such information for the management of the organization that the primary risks are easy to understand and that the risk management decisions may be prioritized. Thus, there have been several theories and attempts to quantify risks. Numerous different risk formulae exist, but perhaps the most widely accepted formula for risk quantification is:

Rate of occurrence multiplied by the impact of the event equals risk

Later research has shown that the financial benefits of risk management are less dependent on the formula used but are more dependent on the frequency and how risk assessment is performed.

In business it is imperative to be able to present the findings of risk assessments in financial terms. Robert Courtney Jr. (IBM, 1970) proposed a formula for presenting risks in financial terms. The Courtney formula was accepted as the official risk analysis method for the US governmental agencies. The formula proposes calculation of ALE (annualised loss expectancy) and compares the expected loss value to the security control implementation costs (cost-benefit analysis).

Potential risk treatments

Once risks have been identified and assessed, all techniques to manage the risk fall into one or more of these four major categories:^[1]

Avoidance (elimination)
Reduction (mitigation)
Retention (acceptance)
Transfer (buying insurance)

Ideal use of these strategies may not be possible. Some of them may involve trade-offs that are not acceptable to the organization or person making the risk management decisions. Another source, from the US Department of Defense, Defense Acquisition University, calls these categories ACAT, for Avoid, Control, Accept, or Transfer. This use of the ACAT acronym is reminiscent of another ACAT (for Acquisition Category) used in US Defense industry procurements, in which Risk Management figures prominently in decision making and planning.

ADAPT: a knowledge-based decision support system for producing zoning schemes

2008-06-26T06:37:00.000-07:00

Abstract. Few computer programs have been devised to assist local government planners draw up zoning schemes, despite the ubiquity of zoning schemes for expressing land-use plans. When one program, LUPLAN, representative of a broader class of plan-evaluation programs, was used to produce a zoning scheme, it was found to be fundamentally unsuited to what is essentially a political task. Perhaps the major difficulty lay in the reduction in LUPLAN of what is a highly complex decisionmaking task to a series of numerical manipulations. The ADAPT program, which has been specifically designed to overcome this and other problems, leaves most of the decisionmaking to the planner, but assists by providing relevant knowledge and data about each conflict-choice situation as it arises, and by keeping a record of decisions made and their underlying reasons. The reasons for the development of ADAPT are reminiscent of those that have led to the recent development of decision support systems (DSSs) for organizational management purposes, and many of the techniques used by ADAPT are similar to those used in knowledge-based systems. DSSs and knowledge-based systems are both described in some detail since they form a basis on which ADAPT, and similar decision-aiding programs, can be further developed.

Cite as:
Davis J R, Grant I W, 1987, "ADAPT: a knowledge-based decision support system for producing zoning schemes" Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design 14(1) 53 – 66

ABSTRACT - Web-Based Production Information System on PT BINA ILMU Surabaya

2008-06-26T06:31:00.000-07:00

The aim of the Tugas Akhir is to make a web-based production information system on PT BINA ILMU Surabaya which covers receiving print order, order printing process, and material stock analysis, order and reception.

Method used to make the web-based production information system on PT BINA ILMU at first step is by analyzing the system from the printing production, and then designing the system and database. Data Flow Diagram (DFD) and hierarchy chart making are processes used to design the system. While Conceptual Data Model (CDM) consist of 16 master tables, 4 transaction tables and 10 supported tables which generated into the Physical Data Model (PDM) is used to make the database, whose result is transformated to the database with supporting software MySQL. The next process is designing the input and output form and also the algorithm script program. At the last section is implementing the algorithm program which folded into the program using PHP 5. Web-Based Information System Production there is a feature of maintain primary data such as adding, editing and also erasing a data like customer’s record, employee’s record and complement material’s record and others.

By making this design system a number of fundamental issues on information system PT BINA ILMU has been solved. To facilitate material furnish analysis process provided by graphic facility and feed report. This web-based production information system can quickly and accurately gives some reports such as commander of production order and material orderings report because all data which required have integrated in database.

Self service software

2008-06-24T23:46:00.000-07:00

Self service software is a subset within the Knowledge Management software category and which contains a range of software that specializes in the way information, process rules and logic are collected, framed within an organized taxonomy, and accessed through decision support interviews. Self-service software allows people to secure answers to their inquiries and/or needs through an automated interview fashion instead of traditional search approaches.

Self Service Software Functionality
Self service software allows authors (typically subject matter experts) to readily automate the deployment of, the timeliness of, and compliance around a variety of processes with which they are involved in communicating without having to physically address the questions, needs, and solicitations of end users who are inquiring about the particular process being automated.
Self service software primarily addresses closed-loop inquiries whereby the author emulates a variety of known (finite) questions and related (known) responses on hand or required steps that must be addressed to derive and deliver a final answer or directive. Often the author using such software codifies such known processes and steps then generates (publishes) end-user facing applications which can encompass a variety of code bases and platforms.
Self service software is sometimes referred to decision support software and even expert systems. It is typically categorized as a sub-topic within the knowledge management software category. Self service software allows individuals and companies alike to tailor and address customer support, technical support and employee support inquiries and needs in an on-demand fashion where the person with a question (need) can interface with the author's generated application via a computer, a handheld device, a kiosk, register, or other machine type to secure their answers as if they were directly interacting (talking to) the author.
References
• Bontis, N., Dragonetti, N., Jacobsen, K. and G. Roos. (1999) "The Knowledge Toolbox: A review of the tools available to measure and manage intangible resources", European Management Journal, 17, 4, 391-402. 1

Create a risk management plan

2008-06-22T23:20:00.000-07:00

Select appropriate controls or countermeasures to measure each risk. Risk mitigation needs to be approved by the appropriate level of management. For example, a risk concerning the image of the organization should have top management decision behind it whereas IT management would have the authority to decide on computer virus risks.

The risk management plan should propose applicable and effective security controls for managing the risks. For example, an observed high risk of computer viruses could be mitigated by acquiring and implementing antivirus software. A good risk management plan should contain a schedule for control implementation and responsible persons for those actions.

According to ISO/IEC 27001, the stage immediately after completion of the Risk Assessment phase consists of preparing a Risk Treatment Plan, which should document the decisions about how each of the identified risks should be handled. Mitigation of risks often means selection of Security Controls, which should be documented in a Statement of Applicability, which identifies which particular control objectives and controls from the standard have been selected, and why.

Implementation

Follow all of the planned methods for mitigating the effect of the risks. Purchase insurance policies for the risks that have been decided to be transferred to an insurer, avoid all risks that can be avoided without sacrificing the entity's goals, reduce others, and retain the rest.

Review and evaluation of the plan

Initial risk management plans will never be perfect. Practice, experience, and actual loss results will necessitate changes in the plan and contribute information to allow possible different decisions to be made in dealing with the risks being faced.

Risk analysis results and management plans should be updated periodically. There are two primary reasons for this:

to evaluate whether the previously selected security controls are still applicable and effective, and
to evaluate the possible risk level changes in the business environment. For example, information risks are a good example of rapidly changing business environment.

Removable Hard Disk Drives

2008-06-22T21:43:00.001-07:00

Although any hard drive can obviously be removed, the term removable hard disk drive refers to hard drives designed to be removed and reinstalled easily, without opening the case or disconnecting and reconnecting cables. There are two distinct types of removable hard disk drives:

Cartridge-based drives

Cartridge-based drives such as the Iomega Jaz and Castlewood ORB use a self-contained, sealed cartridge about the size of a thick 3.5-inch floppy disk. The cartridge contains only the disk itself. The head mechanism resides in the drive. You insert the disk into the drive much as you would a floppy disk. Inserting the disk causes a shutter on the disk to open, allowing the drive's head mechanism to read and write the disk. The Iomega Peerless system instead uses a cartridge that is essentially the HDA (head-disk assembly) of a standard hard drive. Cartridge-based units are available in internal and external versions, using IDE, parallel port, SCSI, USB, PC Card, or FireWire interfaces.

Cartridge-based drives have always been niche products, but are now obsolete in practical terms. Their raison d'être, transferring moderately large data sets between systems, is now better served by a DVD writer or similar industry-standard writable optical drives. For most purposes, cartridge-based drives are now too small, slow, proprietary, and expensive. The Castlewood ORB is the only cartridge-based drive that remains in production.

Frame/carrier-based drives

These drives are actually just modified drive bays that allow a standard hard drive mounted in a carrier assembly to be inserted and removed easily. The frame resides permanently in an external drive bay, and is connected permanently to power and to the IDE interface or SCSI host adapter. The carrier assembly contains power and data cables, which remain permanently attached to the hard drive. The rear of the carrier assembly contains a custom connector that routes power and data signals from the frame. The connector that mates the carrier to the frame is designed for durability, and is typically rated for 2,000 to 50,000 insertions and removals.

These devices are simply physical modifications that allow easy removal and insertion, so the system sees the drive as just another hard disk drive because it is just another hard disk drive. Frame/carrier assemblies are available for any hard disk interface, from IDE to Ultra320 SCSI. More sophisticated units support such functions as hot-swapping, sparing, and RAID, if your host adapter, drivers, and operating system also support those functions.

External Hard Disk Drives

External hard drives are a related class of storage device but do not qualify as true removable hard disk drives. They are similar to removable hard disk drives in that they allow large amounts of data to be moved between systems. They are dissimilar in that they do not use removable media.

External SCSI drives have been around for years, of course, but they have always been a niche product. External Plug and Play drives with USB or FireWire interfaces (or both) are becoming increasingly popular, particularly with notebooks. In effect, these devices are simply standard IDE hard drives in an external enclosure with a USB or FireWire interface.

The drives perform as you would expect a modern IDE hard drive to perform. In the past, the problem was the interface. FireWire was fast enough to use as a hard disk interface, but few computers had FireWire ports and the cost of adding FireWire to both a PC and notebook made this solution quite expensive. USB 1.1 was ubiquitous but too slow for reasonable hard drive performance. In 2002 systems began shipping with USB 2.0 interfaces, which are more than fast enough to support any current hard drive.

Pioneered by Maxtor with its Personal Storage 3000-series drives, external USB 2.0 hard drives proliferated as USB 2.0 became common. Competing models are available from Maxtor, Western Digital, Iomega, CMS, QPS, and others with capacities as high as 250 GB or more. Although these drives can be used just like any other hard drive, they are marketed as backup/archive solutions. Makers generally bundle software such as Dantz Retrospect that allows backing up your internal hard drive to the external drive with just the push of a button. As the drive fills up, it's an easy matter to delete old backup data to make room for new. We have serious concerns about using an external hard drive as your only backup solution, but it's undeniable that these drives make backing up fast and easy.

USB Communications

2008-06-22T21:26:00.000-07:00

The first PCs shipped in 1981 used serial ports and parallel ports to connect external peripherals. Although the RS-232 serial and Centronics parallel technologies had improved gradually over the years, by the mid-'90s those technologies had reached their limits. In terms of connectivity to external devices, the PC of 1995 differed very little from the PC of 1981; the ports were a bit faster, perhaps, but they were fundamentally similar.

In the interim, the bandwidth needs of external peripherals had increased greatly. Character-mode dot-matrix and daisy-wheel printers had given way to graphic-mode page printers. Modems were pushing the throughput limitations of RS-232. Also, it was obvious that emerging categories of external peripherals—such as digital cameras, CD writers, tape drives, and other external storage devices—would require much more bandwidth than standard serial or parallel connections could provide. Neither was bandwidth the only limitation. Serial and parallel ports have the following drawbacks for connecting external peripherals:

Low bandwidth

Standard serial ports top out at 115 Kb/s, and parallel ports at 500 Kb/s to 2 Mb/s. Although these speeds are adequate for low-speed peripherals, they are unacceptably slow for hi-speed peripherals.

Point-to-point connections

Standard serial and parallel ports dedicate a port to each device. Because there is a practical limit to the number of serial ports and parallel ports that can be installed in a PC, the number and type of external devices that can be connected are limited.

Resource demands

Each serial or parallel port occupies scarce system resources, in particular an IRQ. A PC has only 16 IRQ lines, most of which are already occupied. It is often impossible to install the required number of serial or parallel ports because insufficient interrupts are available.

Ease-of-use issues

Connecting devices to serial or parallel ports may be complex and trouble-prone because cable pinouts and port configurations are not well-standardized. Serial ports in particular accept a wide variety of different cables, none of which is likely to be interchangeable with any other. Parallel ports use more standardized cable pinouts, but various parallel devices may require different port configurations. In particular, attempting to daisy-chain parallel devices via pass-through ports often introduces incompatibilities. Also, serial and parallel ports are always located on the rear of the computer, which makes connecting and disconnecting them inconvenient.

What PCs really needed was a fast bus-based scheme that allowed multiple devices to be daisy-chained together from a single port on the PC. SCSI had the potential to fulfill this need, but its high cost and complexity made it a nonstarter for that purpose. IEEE-1394, also called FireWire, might have been suitable, but FireWire is a proprietary Apple technology with, at the time, high licensing costs that motherboard and peripheral makers refused to pay. The PC industry had long been aware of the need for better external peripheral connectivity, but it was not until 1996 that vendors finally began to address it. Their solution is called Universal Serial Bus (USB).

USB is aptly named. It is universal because every modern PC or motherboard includes USB and because USB allows you to connect almost any type of peripheral, including modems, printers, speakers, keyboards, scanners, mice, joysticks, external drives, and digital cameras. It is serial in that it uses serial communication protocols on a single data pair. It is a logical bus (although the physical topology is a tiered star) that allows up to 127 devices to be daisy-chained on a single pair of conductors.

One convenient way to think about USB is as an outside-the-box Plug-and-Play bus. All connected USB devices are managed by the USB Host Controller Interface (HCI) in the PC, and all devices share the IRQ assigned to that HCI. Devices can (in theory, at least) be plugged or unplugged without rebooting the computer.

Although nearly all PCs and motherboards made since 1997 have USB ports, for a long time those ports were nearly useless, for three reasons:

· USB requires native operating system support to provide full functionality. Until Windows 98 and Windows 2000 began to proliferate, that support was lacking. Windows NT 4 and early Windows 95 releases have no USB support, although a few peripheral makers provided custom drivers to allow their devices to work under these operating systems. Windows 95 OSR 2.1 introduced limited support for a few USB devices, but using USB under Windows 95 is an exercise in frustration. Windows 98/98SE/Me/2000/XP support USB 1.1. Windows XP supports USB 2.0 natively if SP1 or later is applied, although you may need to download the latest release of the USB 2.0 driver from the Windows Update site. Even with the latest service pack installed, Windows 2000 does not support USB 2.0 directly, although you can download native Windows 2000 USB 2.0 drivers from the Windows Update site. For more information about USB 2.0 support under Windows 2000 and Windows XP, see Knowledge Base articles 319973 and 312370, respectively. The Linux kernel has included USB support since 2.2.18. The Linux 2.4.20 or later kernel supports USB 2.0 directly.

Only Windows 2000 and XP officially support USB 2.0, but many PCI USB 2.0 interface cards are available that include Windows 9X USB 2.0 drivers supplied by the hardware vendor. The only PCI USB 2.0 interface card we have used is the Adaptec USB2connect, which operates properly with the supplied drivers. But our readers report that many other brands of PCI USB 2.0 adapter cards provide fast, reliable USB 2.0 support under Windows 9X.

· USB peripherals were hard to find prior to 1999, and were often more expensive than versions that used legacy interfaces. By 2000, that situation had reversed itself, with USB peripherals readily available and often cheaper than peripherals with legacy interfaces. As of July 2003, nearly all mainstream external peripherals use the USB interface, and old-style serial and parallel peripherals are becoming hard to find.

· Early USB ports and peripherals often exhibited incompatibilities and other strange behavior. Removing a connected peripheral might crash your system, or a newly connected device might require a reboot to be recognized. Some peripherals demanded that their drivers be reinstalled every time they were disconnected and then reconnected. Some peripherals drew so much power that other devices on that USB port would cease operating or the system would refuse to boot until the offending device was disconnected. And so on. In fact, these conflicts and incompatibilities remain a problem with more recent USB interfaces and devices, although the problems are less severe. As of July 2003, it appears that the teething pains USB experienced during its early days have largely been overcome, although even some very recent motherboards and chipsets continue to cause problems.

Despite these problems, by mid-2000 USB had achieved critical mass. With Windows 98/SE/Me and Windows 2000 available and USB peripherals shipping in volume, USB transitioned from a developing standard with great potential into a real-world solution, albeit a flawed one. USB has now largely replaced the legacy connectors that clutter the back of recent PCs.

Legacy-reduced motherboards that began shipping in 2000 replaced or supplemented serial and parallel ports with additional USB ports—usually four rather than the previously standard two. Legacy-free motherboards provide nothing but USB ports for connecting external peripherals (other than perhaps video), and are usually equipped with six USB ports—four at the rear and two on the front panel. A few legacy-free motherboards also include IEEE-1394 (FireWire) ports. Most external peripherals now have only a USB interface, as serial and parallel peripherals now teeter on the edge between obsolescent and obsolete.

Despite its slow start and the nagging problems that still sometimes plague it, USB has moved from being the wave of the future to being the current standard. This chapter tells you what you need to know about USB.

To See A Knowledge Based Society in Indonesia

2008-06-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

Onno W. Purbo
(onno@indo.net.id)

A simple vision, “to see a knowledge based society in Indonesia”, has been the base of most of my activities in the last ten (10) years. It is a challenging endeavor to be pursued.

Back in early 1990, while completing my Ph.D degree in EECS at University of Waterloo, Canada, Internet is in its infancy. Computer based discussion groups & share resources over the network were a common mode interaction in network platform. Study abroad with heavy network exposure has broadened my view on various aspect of technology as well as social, culture & life.

Being a licensed ham radio with callsign YC1DAV/VE3 has opened an opportunity to explore various alternatives in implementing a TCP/IP network over the radio based on VE3UOW the club station at University of Waterloo, Canada. Interaction with Indonesian YB colleagues was done via amateur store and forward message on 300bps network & sometimes via amateur low earth orbit satellite. Knowledge gain in VE-land is distributed back to Indonesia via the slow radio network, but it provides sufficient ingredient for my fellow YB-land ham radio to start digging the technology & working on building the network lead by Robby YB1BG, Ben YB0EBS, YB1HR, YB2SV etc.

Merging these two (2) experiences, it was clearly shown the impact of knowledge transparency run on information / digital platform towards the society empowerment. Education level & open system has significantly shown its power on society empowerment. In most cases, community based technologies may be a challenge to the inefficient incumbent operators. Transparency in technology & knowledge on IT would be the major key in building community based technology & networking to create information access infrastructure for the Indonesian people to gain knowledge & information needed to move towards the knowledge based society. These ideas & way of thinking have gradually accumulated into a clear vision, strong motivation & direction of my future life.

In 1993, after the completion of my Ph.D degree, I served as one of the young lecturer at Institute of Technology in Bandung (ITB). I worked with the students to build the TCP/IP based radio 1200bps network among schools, various institutions in Indonesia as part of the early Internet in Indonesia. No funding is received from ITB, World Bank, Indonesian Government all are self-financed. Consequently, used 286 machines, homebrew radio modem connected to handheld 144Mhz transceiver would be common configuration among us. An amateur radio KA9Q NOS software is used to serve the mail server on a 286 machine. Free access to the Internet was provided by University of Indonesia (http://www.ui.ac.id) & Ministry of Science & Technology (http://www.iptek.net.id). Knowledge distribution is the key in expanding the network, give away all documents & software (including the source code) for free is common among us. It provides significant motivation for others (close to hundred institutions & personal node) to join the bandwagon of the early Indonesian Internet. It’s free anyway.

In 1995, FreeBSD & Linux was deployed to serve as major network OS on our servers & routers. Campus MAN is build at ITB, as expected, no money from Gov’t & institution were used most of the funding was self-financed by the society as demand grows. Thus, demand created supply strategy is used rather than supply created demand as it costs much less & suits for community based development approach. As expected in some cases, we had to face the authoritarianism from the campus authority as we bypass their bureaucratic network.

Knowledge sharing & interaction among us was mostly done through various Internet mailing lists. The early major mailing list server in Indonesia was hosted at ITB run on majordomo@itb.ac.id. Currently, most of knowledge sharing & cyber community building in Indonesia are done through yahoogroups.com based mailing lists.

Experienced gain in implementing community-based network was published in many articles & papers in various Indonesian media. Knowledge was disseminated generously in various seminars & workshops. Currently, on the average of 3-5 seminars on Internet / week is organized & would be a hectic activity for those who gives talk on Internet. Most (if not all) of our papers, articles, slides since the early ’90 can be downloaded for free from various sites such as http://www.bogor.net/idkf/ & http://louis.idaman.com/idkf/. Copyleft noticed is attached to enable others who have no access to the physical meeting occasions to gain the knowledge.

In September 1996, our group leads the connection of ITB to Asia Internet Interconnection Initiatives (AI3) lead by WIDE Project in Japan. A Ku-Band ground station was installed for the first time in Indonesia to get 2 Mbps Internet access to WIDE Network as part of Asia Pacific Advanced Network (APAN) part of Asia Pacific Information Infrastructure (APII) & connected directly to StarTAP & Internet 2 in the US. Heavy Internet research activities were performed. The broadband Internet access in our research network is used to expand it to integrate various universities & schools in Indonesia. More than 20 institutions joined at their own expense with no significant funding from the Gov’t. In addition to international conference papers, most of the research results were published in popular Internet books written in Indonesian languages. Currently, close to 20 books on Internet have been published by our group (Computer Network Research Group ITB) & helps the Indonesian to under Internet technology.

In 1999, ITB asked me to lead the ITB’s main library. It is a challenging task as the average salary of their ~90 staff is only US$20-30 / month. While trying hard to increase staff income via various self-finance seminar activities, injecting network culture into the staffs & building the infrastructure – a big picture of “knowledge management” is emerged. Provide a free access to the computer facilities at the center, the students start playing with it & gradually build the ITB Digital Library at no expense from the institute. Lead by Ismail Fahmi (my ex student) of Knowledge Management Research Group ITB, Ganesha Digital Library is now connecting more than 20 other digital libraries in Indonesia & received funding approx. CAN$60.000 from IDRC Canada. It is their aim to accumulate knowledge generated in Indonesia & make the knowledge cycle more efficient as it would be one of the main ingredient toward the building of knowledge based society.

In February 2000, I resigned as a lecturer at ITB & Indonesian civil servant. I would like to dedicate my life to educate the Indonesian people not limited to few students at ITB. Since then, I work for no one & spent my time at home writing articles, active on the mailing lists & give talks. Focus is set towards the Internet access infrastructure for the Indonesian people as it would be the most strategic entry point to enable the society in gaining access to information & knowledge. High telecommunication tariff, expensive computing facilities, lack of knowledge in IT would be the major barrier for common people in accessing the Internet.

Internet sharing technology such as the one used in Internet Café would be the most ideal solution for most part of Indonesia. Several books in Internet café technology were published. More detailed information such as its simple business plan (in Excel) was distributed for free. Community is build based on Internet mailing lists, such as asosiasi-warnet@yahoogroups.com, asosiasi-warnet-broadband@yahoogroups.com, indowli@yahoogroups.com. These interactions really help raise the number of Internet café in Indonesia to ~2500 (in early 2001) from less than 100 in 1999. An investment of less than US$10.000 most of the time will be paid off in less than one (1) year. Investors, online media & dotcommers are now looking at Internet café as main alternative knowing the 60-70% internet users out side Jakarta accessing Internet through these facilities. Myohdotcom, for example, is planning to invest on ~6000 Internet café in Indonesia.

Due to expensive & low quality telco’s infrastructure, some of these Internet cafés are now using wireless broadband 2-11Mbps based on 2.4GHz. Currently, ~200-300 Indonesian Internet cafes are using the 2.4GHz 2-11Mbps infrastructure. Some even cooperate among them to buy a direct international Internet bandwidth via satellite such as via Interpacket, GlobalOne etc. Thus, no slow & expensive service from the incumbent operator is used. In early 1998, the 2.4GHz technology is developed by my students at CNRG ITB & is distributed through various media.

I understand, the effort is still in its infancy. Currently, with ~2 million Indonesian Internet users in Indonesia out of 200 million population, the task ahead of me to realize the vision is not easy. People’s education would be the primary strategy. Self-funding scheme would assure the sustainability of the movement. At least five (5) awards have been awarded thus far. I believe God will always help those who do good deeds.

I am fortunate enough to be able to life this far & share my knowledge to others with no permanent jobs (my choice of life). While living happily with my wife Lina & our five (5) children Ito, Reza, Atik, Darry & Dsaq in our tiny & simple house.