Log on to you blogger account, click the Layout link and choose the "Edit HTML" option, now copy and paste the following code inside the template
#navbar-iframe {
height:0px;
visibility:hidden;
display:none
}
Hey, even if you can't get your hands on Vista until next year, you could still make your XP look and act like Microsoft's next OS.
I found lots of tools for converting your existing Windows XP Interface to Vista interface, the best and the safer tool is Vista Transformation Pack. I have installed it on many times on different machines and it worked like a charm, the only problem i faced was, after the "windows updation" some of the existing looks changed from Vista to XP, the main notable change is with the Boot Screen, it changed from Vista to XP.
Vista's new Aeroglass interface isn't just window dressing, it also helps you find data faster and move more quickly between open windows. Luckily, you can add many of Vista's shiny, bright interface elements to XP. For example, Vista will list a file's properties and other metadata in a pane at the bottom of Explorer windows. The freeware utility InfoTip Extension lets you beef up the pop-up info tips you see when you hover over a file icon, customizing the information that appears and even displaying the contents of a text file. Unfortunately, this utility was designed for older versions of Windows and a few of its features don't work in XP. Also, it provides no extra information for MP3, WMA, WMV and other music and video files (which arguably already have pretty good info tips). But, hey, it's still more convenient than opening a file's Properties dialog box.
Vista's new features will also show you a thumbnail preview of open files and applications when you hold the pointer over each taskbar button. Microsoft's Alt-Tab Replacement PowerToy already gives you the keyboard equivalent: after you download and install the program, simply hold the <Alt> key and press <Tab>, as you normally would to switch between running apps, and you'll see a thumbnail preview of each app in succession, though you won't see a preview if the app is minimized. If, for some reason, you don't want the Microsoft version, try TaskSwitchXP and Alt-Tab Thingy--two freebies that do much the same thing, and throw in some extra features as well.
For a very Mac-like way to switch applications, try the US$10 shareware program WinPlosion. As with Mac OS X's Expose feature, moving your pointer to a designated corner will cause all open windows to display in a zoomed-out view; click one to restore the previous view, but with the targeted window in front.
If you're looking for some of the transparency that Vista's interface uses, you can buy tools that apply various see-through effects to Windows (such as the US$20 Actual Transparent Windows from Actual Tools). But, why bother? Freeware can do most of the same tricks sans cost. If you want only your taskbar to have a degree of transparency, check out Transbar from AKSoftware. On the other hand, if you want transparency only for your application windows, the free PowerMenu not only handles that task, but also makes windows stay on top of all others, minimizes them to the taskbar with a single click and changes their processing priority to suit your preferences. If you want to apply transparency to windows and to the taskbar, Vasilios Freeware's TransApps can do both--but little else. Finally, the aforementioned Alt-Tab Thingy can ghost any inactive window so that it becomes partially transparent and also invisible to mouse clicks (the clicks pass through to whatever is underneath). The window returns to full opacity and normal behavior once it becomes active again.
To apply Vista's cool new glasslike sheen to your windows, look no farther than the granddaddy of skinning utilities, WindowBlinds from Stardock, or the equally capable StyleXP from TGT Soft. These programs cost US$20 each and offer a free trial. Last, but not least, you can obtain Desktop Sidebar, a free version of Vista's sidebar feature that displays weather information, stock quotes, RSS feeds and other timely information.
1.1 How Does Your Firewall Rate?
At this site they test all the major firewalls using leak-tests. Now outbound leak-testing is only one criterion for assessing firewall performance indeed some would argue that inbound protection is more important. My view is that both are important as are user friendliness, resource usage, software compatibility and resistance to termination by hostile agents. That said Comodo, Jetico and ZoneAlarm Pro top he list while the Microsoft XP SP2 firewall get the wooden spoon. ZoneAlarm free was another notable poor performer.
| Product | Product Score | Level of Anti-leak Protection | |
|
| Comodo Firewall Pro 2.4.18.184FREE | 9475 | Excellent |
|
| Jetico Personal Firewall 2.0.0.28 beta | 9375 | Excellent |
|
| ZoneAlarm Pro 7.0.337.000 | 8600 | Very good |
|
| Lavasoft Personal Firewall 2.0.1019.7604 (700) | 8500 | Very good |
|
| Kaspersky Internet Security 7.0.0.119 | 8375 | Very good |
|
| Online Armor Personal Firewall 2.0.1.190 | 8000 | Very good |
|
| System Safety Monitor 2.4.0.617 beta | 7975 | Very good |
|
| Jetico Personal Firewall 1.0.1.61 FreewareFREE | 7750 | Very good |
|
| Privatefirewall 5.0.8.11 | 7625 | Very good |
|
| Ghost Security Suite [BETA] 1.110 | 7500 | Very good |
|
| Dynamic Security Agent 1.0.8.8FREE | 7375 | Good |
|
| Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 2007 15.30.1151 | 7000 | Good |
|
| F-Secure Internet Security 2007 7.01.128 | 6625 | Good |
|
| Outpost Firewall PRO 4.0 (1007.591.145) | 6550 | Good |
|
| ProSecurity 1.30 | 6500 | Good |
|
| BlackICE PC Protection 3.6.cpv | 5750 | Poor |
|
| Sunbelt Personal Firewall 4.5.916 | 5200 | Poor |
|
| Look 'n' Stop 2.05p2 | 4800 | Poor |
|
| Safety.Net 3.61.0002FREE | 4000 | Poor |
|
| Norton Internet Security 2007 10.2.0.30 | 3100 | Very poor |
|
| PC Tools Firewall Plus 2.0.0.25FREE | 2625 | Very poor |
|
| Avira Premium Security Suite 7 build 98 | 2450 | Very poor |
|
| SensiveGuard 1.06FREE | 2350 | Very poor |
|
| Sygate Personal Firewall 5.6.2808FREE | 2350 | Very poor |
|
| McAfee Internet Security Suite 2006 8.0 | 2325 | Very poor |
|
| Blink Personal Edition 3.0.8.1496FREE | 2250 | Very poor |
|
| ZoneAlarm Free 7.0.302.000FREE | 1500 | Very poor |
|
| CA Personal Firewall 2007 3.0.0.196 | 1000 | None |
|
| Outpost Firewall Free 1.0.1817.1645FREE | 1000 | None |
|
| BitDefender Internet Security 10.108 | 750 | None |
|
| Norman Personal Firewall 1.42 | 750 | None |
|
| Panda Antivirus + Firewall 2007 6.00.00 | 650 | None |
|
| Filseclab Personal Firewall 3.0.0.8686FREE | 500 | None |
|
| Ashampoo FireWall Pro 1.14 | 500 | None |
|
| AVG Anti-Virus plus Firewall 7.5.431 | 500 | None |
|
| Windows Firewall XP SP2FREE | 0 | None |
http://www.matousec .com/projects/ windows-personal -firewall- analysis/ leak-tests- results.php
1.2 Utilities that Work with Vista
If you use Vista you will already have discovered that many of your favorite freeware and shareware utilities won't work with Vista. At this site they list many utilities that will work. Note: despite the site's name, a good proportion of the products listed are non Vista. Many are also commercial shareware not freeware.
http://www.freevist afiles.com/
1.3 Free Web Based Applications
In recent issues I've mentioned how web based application may one day replace some of the programs currently running on your PC. Here's a list of just some of the products and services available.
http://tinyurl. com/2dztm8 (cogniview.com)
1.4 The Great Defrag Shoot-out
One of the best comparative reviews of defragment utilities I've seen. I don't agree with all the author's comments but hey, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
http://donnedwards. openaccess. co.za/2007/ 04/great- defrag-shootout- part-1.html
1.5 How to Permanently Wipe a Hard Drive
Most users are aware they can securely erase files and drives using free utilities like "Eraser" [1] and "Boot and Nuke" [2] that overwrite the data multiple times. At this site [3], suggested by subscriber Chris Price, they show how you can securely wipe a drive using a little-known feature built into many hard drives.
http://www.heidi. ie/eraser/
http://dban. sourceforge. net/
http://blogs. zdnet.com/ storage/? p=129&tag=nl.e622
1.6 Portable Software Lists
There are lots of these lists; none is complete but here are two of the best. The first covers free software while the second includes commercial products as well.
http://www.portable freeware. com/
http://en.wikipedia .org/wiki/ List_of_portable _software
1.7 Free Online Services Offer RoboForm-like Functionality
1.8 How to Reduce Your Spam
1.9 Free Service Monitors Website and Server Uptime and Performance
1.1 How to Mute Unwanted Website Sounds
Internet Explorer allows you turn off all webpage sound from the Advanced tab within Tools /Internet options however I find this very inconvenient as sometimes you want to listen to web audio. Firefox doesn't even offer an audio mute option at all but there is a free Firefox extension called Stop AutoPlay [2] that is designed specifically for the job. It works by adding a browser button that rather conveniently allows you to play or mute at will. It doesn't stop Flash sound files but if you use FlashMute in addition to Stop AutoPlay you have a pretty complete solution to all unwanted web sound.
[1] http://www.indev. no/?p=projects# flashmute Freeware, Windows 98-XP, 233KB
[2] https://addons. mozilla.org/ en-US/firefox/ addon/1765
1.2 Compress Your Files to the Max
ZIP may the most common algorithm for compressing files but it's far from the most effective. The Open Source 7-ZIP for example offers higher compression for most files but there are specialist archive formats that offer higher still., KGBArchiver V1.21 proved to be a competent well implemented archiver offering 10 different levels of compression using the PAQ algorithm. Archives are created in .kgb format. It also can create self extracting archives, supports ZIP, has drag and drop, a right click context menu and a few other niceties. It's not really a substitute for WinZip or IZArc but a specialist product aimed at those seeking to compress files down to the smallest possible size. Here are the results along with some other popular archive formats for comparison:
 |
At its default setting KGBArchiver performed competently but on average, no better than WinRAR or 7-ZIP. At its "extreme" setting it did a great job at compressing plain text files but struggled to squeeze anything more out of the other file types. The 5.5MB .exe file took nearly 7 minutes and a similar time to extract while by comparison WinZip did it in 4 seconds and WinRAR in 9. Furthermore KGBArchiver consumed computer's entire CPU and memory resources while compressing. So is it worth it? Not for most users. However sysadmins and archivists with large text files to store (and plenty of CPU time) should at least check it out. Freeware, Windows 2000-Vista, 1.02MB
http://kgbarchiver. net
1.3 Free Portable Media Player Tops Its Class
The KMPlayer" that can either be run from a thumb drive or installed. It supports numerous formats including DVD playback. It comes with a whole batch of inbuilt codecs and support for external codecs as well. In the audio area it supports AC3, DTS, LPCM, MP2, MP3, Vorbis, AAC, WMA, ALAC, AMR, QDM2, FLAC, TTA, IMA ADPCM, QCELP, EVRC, RealAudio and more while with video you can play DivX, XviD, Theora, WMV, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, VP3, VP5, VP6, H263(+), H.264(AVC1), CYUY, ASV1/2, VQ1/3, MSVIDC, Cinepak, MS MPEG4 V1/2/3, FFV1, VCR1, FLV1, MSRLE, QTRLE Huffyuv, Digital Video, Indeo3, MJPEG. To have these features available on a thumb drive is quite extraordinary. Freeware, Windows 98-2003, 12.3MB.
http://www.kmplayer .com/forums/ index.php
http://www.kmplayer .com/forums/ showthread. php?t=4704<= Link to download
1.4 Using a USB Drive as a Laptop Replacement
Regular contributor "Briard" takes a break from the world of Linux and instead explores the potential of Windows flash drive computing.
http://www.techsupp ortalert. com/briard_ in_usbland. htm
1.5 Symantec Norton 360:
15 day trial, Windows XP - Vista, 49.4MB.
[1] http://www.symantec .com/norton360/
[2] http://www.pcpro. co.uk/reviews/ 110678/norton- 360.html
[3] http://reviews. cnet.com/ internet- security- and-firewall/ norton-360/ 4505-3667_ 7-32330411. html
[4] http://www.techsupp ortalert. com/review- norton-360. htm
2.0 SECURITY PATCHES, SERVICE RELEASES AND UPDATES
2.1 Microsoft Security News
In the last month a new series of JavaScript related flaws were discovered in Internet Explorer [1]. These flaws could be exploited even if fully patched version of IE 6 and 7 and allow a hostile website to take control of an affected PC. A related flaw was also found in Firefox. As of today these flaws remain unpatched.
These flaws highlight yet again that you cannot rely on regularly applying Windows and other vendor updates to protect your computer when surfing. Always surf in sandbox or with your browser running with reduced rights. See item 2.6 below.
Patch Tuesday the 12th of June saw the release of six security updates from Microsoft, four of which were rated "Critical." The critical updated covered flaws in Windows, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express and Microsoft Mail. Another flaw rated "moderate" affected Vista systems and could allow "non-privileged users to access local user information data stores including administrative passwords contained within the registry and local file system."
Further details of the June updates can be found here [2]. All the updates are distributed automatically via the Microsoft Update Service. Dial-up users in particular need to be aware that these updates are large files and you will need a considerable period of time online for them to download successfully. If you have any doubts whether you have received the updates, then visit the Microsoft Update Service [3] now.
[1] http://lists. grok.org. uk/pipermail/ full-disclosure/ 2007-June/ 063712.html
[2] http://www.microsof t.com/technet/ security/ bulletin/ ms07-jun. mspx
[3] http://update. microsoft. com (Requires IE5 or later)
2.2 Firefox Updated to V2.0.0.4
Mozilla released a performance and security update for Firefox on the 30th of May. The new version 2.0.0.4 has better Vista compatibility and fixes five security flaws one of which was rated as "critical." Also released were the corresponding updates for the older Firefox V1.5, Thunderbird and the SeaMonkey Suite. To my knowledge there are no current exploits in circulation that utilize these flaws however, it is essential that you update now as the malware developers routinely reverse engineer security updates to identify flaws to exploit in unpatched machines. Users with automatic updates enabled should have had the new version automatically delivered and installed. You can check by selecting Help / About from within Firefox. If your version number is less than V2.0.0.4, then update manually from here [1]:
http://www.mozilla. com/firefox/
2.3 No More Updates for Firefox V1.5
Support for the old V1.5 version of Firefox was discontinued by Mozilla at the end of May. V1.5 users should upgrade to V2 as soon as possible any newly discovered flaws in the old version will not be patched. Starting from June 7th users with the automatic update service enabled will be advised of the upgrade. Other users should upgrade manually here:
http://www.mozilla. com/en-US/ firefox/
2.4 Serious Flaw in Yahoo Messenger
A critical buffer overflow flaw was discovered in the popular Yahoo Messenger instant messaging product. The flaw could allow a hostile website to take full control of a vulnerable PC. The flaw affects all versions of Messenger from 5.5.0 through to 8.0.0. All users should upgrade immediately to version 8.1.0.401 available from here [1].
[1] http://messenger. yahoo.com/
2.5 New QuickTime Security Patch Underscores Need to Keep Programs Updated
A patch for QuickTime 7.1.6 was released by Apple on the 29th of May to cover a Java Extensions flaw that could allow a PC to be compromised by simply by visiting a hostile website. Affected systems include Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2, OS X v10.3.9 and v10.4.9. The Windows patch can be downloaded from here [1]. This flaw highlights the need for users to keep all the software on their PC up-to-date not just Windows and Office. You can easily check all your products by using the free service Software Inspector service [2] over at Secunia.
[1] http://www.apple. com/support/ downloads/ securityupdatequ icktime716forwin dows.html
[2] http://secunia. com/software_ inspector/
2.6 How to Protect Your PC Against Hostile Sites, Browser Flaws
Recent reports from Google [1] and Sophos [2] have highlighted the rapid increase the number of hostile websites. These sites use flaws in popular browsers as well as Windows to secretly infect anyone who happens to accidentally visit them. Keeping all your products up-to-date reduces your risk of infection but increasingly these hostile sites are exploiting new or unpatched flaws to attack visitor's computers. It's not hard to protect your PC against these threats: surf from within a sandbox such as Sandboxie or alternatively run your browser with reduced rights. To help you I've written a short how-to guide [3] that's now on my website. If you are not yet using these protective techniques I strongly recommend you read this guide and adopt its recommendations.
[1] http://googleonline security. blogspot. com/
[2] http://www.secureco mputing.net. au/news/53424, number-of- infected- web-pages- soar.aspx
[3] http://www.techsupp ortalert. com/safe- surfing.htm
2.7 Goggle's Security Blog Hints at the Future
Found this blog [1] quite informative, particularly the observation about the potential vulnerability of virtualization based security products. With the appearance of this blog and the recent purchase of the company that makes the GreenBorder sandbox, it looks like something is definitely brewing at Google in the security arena. Then there's the recent announcement of Google Gears [2], a toolkit that allows developers to modify their online applications to work offline as well. My guess is that Google is working on a secure browser for its online apps that also allows offline access through the Google toolbar. Maybe I'm not guessing, just fantasizing :>)
[1] http://googleonline security. blogspot. com/
[2] http://code. google.com/ apis/gears/-
2.8 The Best Windows Backup Software
If you have been looking for a backup program, this is the one.
http://www.backup- software- reviews.com/
2.9 The Best Spyware Detector
If you use Ad-aware or SpyBot you will be surprised just how more effectively SpySweeper detects and protects your PC from Spyware, Trojans, keyloggers and other malicious products. That's why it won the prized "Editor's Choice" award from PC Magazine and is rated "outstanding" by Gizmo Richards, editor of the highly regarded Support Alert newsletter. Spyware has become so serious you can't afford less than the best protection. Install it now before it's too late.
http://www.webroot. com/wb/products/ spysweeper/ index.php? rc=1132
2.10 The Best Remote Access Software
Read the full review here:
http://www.pcsuppor tadvisor. com/best_ remote_access_ software. htm
2.11 The Best Free Kids Craft Projects
Keep your young children engaged and amused with healthy, creative arts and craft activities that won't cost you a cent. Free newsletter packed with easy kids craft projects.
http://kidscraftwee kly.com/
3. 0 OTHER USEFUL STUFF
3.1 Good Deals on USB Flash Drives
[1] http://tinyurl. com/2ck8wx (compuplus.com)
[2] http://www.newegg. com/Product/ Product.aspx? Item=N82E1682022 7145
[3] http://www.buy. com/prod/ kingston- 2gb-datatraveler -usb-2-0- flash-drive/ q/loc/101/ 202743330. html
3.2 Free Utility Helps Your PC Conserve Power
[1] http://co2saver. snap.com/
3.3 Good Guide to Modern Website Design
[1] http://www.webdesig nfromscratch. com/current- style.cfm
[2] http://f6design. com/journal/ 2006/10/21/ the-visual- design-of- web-20
3.4 Useless Waste of Time Department
Here's a great way to mindlessly fritter away a few minutes of your life. Check this site where you can read how others are currently frittering away theirs :>)
http://twitter. com/
Too lazy to install the new Office 2007 or Windows Vista on your machine ? Worried that the new software might break existing stuff on your computer or may not work at all ? Here's something for you - Windows Vista cum Office 2007 inside Windows XP.
Microsoft today released a free combo VHD edition of Windows Vista and Office 2007 Professional which includes Publisher, Excel, Outlook, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access, and Word.
You can download this all-in-one package from Microsoft Download Center and run it on your Windows XP computer without making any modifications by using the free Microsoft Virtual PC software.
Start the Virtual PC software and just open the Windows Vista cum Office 2007 image - the software will run independent of your existing XP SP2 setup and will not alter or install anything on the computer.
Excited ? There's a small catch - though the Office 2007 / Vista image file is free, it is a bit bulky (~2 GB to be exact) and requires addition 10 GB of free hard drive space for running smoothly inside the Virtual PC software.
If you think your Broadband connection can take the load, get the Office 2007 cum Vista installer from microsoft.com/ downloads/ (file available in VHD image format).
Who are these three guys appear on the Vista DVD
These are not the Pics of Bill gates, some other fellows.
1.Start Outlook Express.
2.Click Tools, and then click Options.
3.On the Maintenance tab, click Store Folder.
4.In the Store Location dialog box, copy the store location. To do this, follow these steps:
a. Put the mouse pointer at one end of the box under the Your personal message store is located in the following folder box.
b. Press and hold the left mouse button, and then drag the mouse pointer across the Your personal message store is located in the following folder box.
c. Press CTRL+C to copy the location.
5.Click Cancel, and then click Cancel again to close the dialog box.
Step B: Copy the contents of the Store folder
1.Click Start, click Run, press CTRL+V, and then click OK.
2.On the Edit menu, click Select All.
3.On the Edit menu, click Copy, and then close the window.
Step C: Create a backup folder
1.Right-click any empty area on your desktop, click New, and then click Folder.
2.Type Mail Backup for the folder name, and then press ENTER.
Step D: Paste the contents of the Store folder into the backup folder
1.Double-click the Mail Backup folder to open it.
2.Right-click inside the Mail Backup folder window, and then click Paste.
1.On the File menu, click Export, and then click Address Book.
2.Click Text File (Comma Separated Values), and then click Export.
3.Click Browse.
4.Select the Mail Backup folder that you created.
5.In the File Name box, type address book backup, and then click Save.
6.Click Next.
7.Click to select the check boxes for the fields that you want to export, and then click Finish.
8.Click OK, and then click Close.
1.On the Tools menu, click Accounts.
2.On the Mail tab, click the mail account that you want to export, and then click Export.
3.In the Save In box, select the Mail Backup folder, and then click Save.
4.Repeat these steps for each mail account that you want to export.
5.Click Close.
1.On the Tools menu, click Accounts.
2.On the News tab, click the news account that you want to export, and then click Export.
3.In the Save In box, select the Mail Backup folder, and then click Save.
4.Repeat these steps for each news account that you want to export.
5.Click Close.
How to restore Outlook Express items
Note To restore items when you use multiple identities in Outlook Express, you may have to re-create the identities before you follow these steps. Repeat each step as needed for each identity.1.On the File menu, point to Import, and then click Messages.
2.In the Select an e-mail program to import from box, click Microsoft Outlook Express 5 or Microsoft Outlook Express 6, and then click Next.
3.Click Import mail from an OE5 store directory or Import mail from an OE6 store directory, and then click OK.
4.Click Browse, and then click the Mail Backup folder.
5.Click OK, and then click Next.
6.Click All folders, click Next, and then click Finish.
1.On the File menu, click Import, and then click Other Address Book.
2.Click Text File (Comma Separated Values), and then click Import.
3.Click Browse.
4.Select the Mail Backup folder, click the address book backup.csv file, and then click Open.
5.Click Next, and then click Finish.
6.Click OK, and then click Close.
1.On the Tools menu, click Accounts.
2.On the Mail tab, click Import.
3.In the Look In box, select the Mail Backup folder.
4.Click the mail account that you want to import, and then click Open.
5.Repeat these steps for each mail account that you want to import.
6.Click Close.
1.On the Tools menu, click Accounts.
2.On the News tab, click Import.
3.In the Look In box, select the Mail Backup folder.
4.Click the news account that you want to import, and then click Open.
5.Repeat these steps for each news account that you want to import.
6.Click Close.
What is urinary tract infection?
The urinary tract is made up of the parts of the body that produce, store and get rid of urine. These include the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra.
The kidneys make urine. Urine flows from the kidneys down tubes called the ureters. These tubes bring urine to the bladder. From the bladder, urine exits the body through the urethra.
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection of any part of the urinary tract. It is caused when bacteria invade the urinary tract. Bacteria on the skin or in the area near the anus can enter the urinary tract from the urethra and move up the urinary tract, sometimes as far as the kidneys. Women have a shorter urethra than men, which makes it easier for women to get a UTI. In rare cases, infection can spread by the blood to the urinary tract from other parts of the body.
What are the symptoms of urinary tract infection?
Urinary tract infections can make you feel as if you need to urinate often. They can also make urinating painful. Sometimes, only small amounts of urine come out. At other times, you might not be able to control the flow of urine.
The urine may look cloudy or may have a foul smell. It may contain blood or pus.
If the UTI is in the kidneys, you may have fever and back pain.
What tests are needed?
Your physician may want to perform a test on your urine. This is called a urinalysis. You will need to provide a clean catch urine sample. The steps for getting a clean catch urine sample are:
Your sample will be tested to see if you have a UTI.
Some tests can be done in the physician's office, but others may have to be sent away to a lab. Final results will take a few days but treatment will usually start straight away.
What treatment is needed?
Most UTIs are treated with antibiotics. Antibiotic capsules or pills are usually taken by mouth each day for a few days.
For difficult-to- treat infections, antibiotics may be given by a needle into a vein. Physicians also sometimes treat these infections with antibiotics taken by mouth for weeks instead of days.
If you are given antibiotics, take them as prescribed. Do not stop early even if you feel better.
If you get a lot of UTIs, your physician may want to study your urinary tract more closely. This can be done with ultrasounds, X-rays or other scans. These tests can find problems that make you more likely to get a UTI. Some of these problems can be treated with surgery.
Do
Recovery time
Symptoms should go away in a few days. If they do not, tell your physician.
What can be done to stop it from happening again?
Drink six to eight glasses of water a day can reduce the risk of UTI.
Women can lower their risk of UTIs in a few ways. One is to urinate just before and just after sex. Another is to avoid using a diaphragm or spermacide. These can raise the risk of UTIs. Women who get UTIs often may therefore want to use birth control pills instead of a diaphragm.
For women, wiping from front to back after using the toilet reduces UTIs. Douches and sprays can raise the risk of getting a UTI. Avoid their use. Showers may be better than baths for some women. Wear cotton underwear and avoid tight pants to prevent UTIs.
In general, try to urinate frequently. When urinating, be sure to empty your bladder completely. These actions will help keep the urinary tract clear.
If you develop UTIs often, your physician may give you antibiotics to prevent infection.
This topic provides information about asthma in teens and adults. If you are looking for information about asthma in children age 12 and younger, see the topic Asthma in Children.
Asthma makes it difficult for you to breathe. This can happen only every now and then, or in more severe cases, every day. Asthma may also last throughout your life (a chronic disease), but you can control it through treatment with medications.
Asthma makes it difficult to breathe because it can cause inflammation in your bronchial tubes, which carry air to the lungs. The inflammation usually starts slowly, but over time it can make the muscles that line the bronchial tubes get tight (bronchospasm) . This can cause a blocking or narrowing of your airways, making it difficult to breathe. This is known as an acute asthma episode (also called an attack, flare-up, or exacerbation) .
Acute asthma episodes can happen rarely or often and be mild or severe. Most often, you can take care of symptoms at home by using an asthma action plan, which is a written plan that tells you which medicines you need to use and when you should call a health professional. If you have a severe acute episode, you may need urgent care. These acute asthma episodes can even cause death, but that is rare.
Even if you have few acute asthma episodes, you still have inflammation in your airways that needs treatment. If the inflammation is not controlled, asthma could lead to permanent changes in the bronchial tubes and harm your lungs.
Although there is no cure for asthma, with treatment you can control your symptoms and prevent further damage to your lungs.
We don't know what causes asthma. But here are some of the things that can cause the inflammation in your airways that can lead to asthma and acute asthma episodes:
Symptoms of asthma can be mild or severe. You may have no symptoms; severe, daily symptoms; or something in between. How often you have symptoms can also change. Symptoms of asthma may include:
Many people have symptoms that become worse at night (nocturnal asthma).
No one test can diagnose asthma. Your health professional will diagnose asthma using spirometry, as well as your medical history, a physical exam, and lab tests.
Spirometry measures how quickly you can move air in and out of your lungs and how much air you move. The test can help your health professional decide whether asthma is causing your airflow to decrease and by how much. The test can also show how well your lungs work when you're not having asthma symptoms and measure how well your lungs respond to treatment with medication.
While taking your medical history, your health professional will ask about your symptoms and when they occur. A physical exam will not find signs of asthma unless you are having symptoms. Your health professional will listen to your chest for signs of reduced airflow in the bronchial tubes and will look for signs of sinus problems or allergies.
A chest X-ray may be done to see whether another disease is causing your symptoms. Blood tests may show that you have allergies that could cause asthma episodes. If your health professional thinks you may have asthma related to allergies, skin testing may be done to identify them.
You will need routine checkups with your health professional to keep track of your asthma and decide on treatment.
You can treat asthma with medications, especially inhaled corticosteroids, which prevent or control airway inflammation, and beta 2 -agonists, which make the airways larger (dilate). You usually work with your health professional to form a daily treatment plan and an asthma action plan. These plans help you to:
A common herbal extract available in health food stores can greatly reduce urinary tract infections and could potentially enhance the ability of antibiotics to kill the bacteria that cause 90 percent of infections in the bladder. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center, in a series of experiments in mice, believe they have also discovered why many urinary tract infections in the bladder return even after treatment with antibiotics.
They found that some bacteria hide in cells lining the bladder, where they cannot be reached by antibiotics. But they also found that forskolin, an extract from the Indian coleus plant, flushes out hiding colonies of bacteria, making them susceptible to antibiotic treatment. "After customary antibiotic treatment, the vast majority of the bacteria are either killed by the antibiotics or eliminated during urination," Abraham said. "However, there are small numbers of bacteria that survive antibiotic treatment because they sneak into the lining of the bladder, waiting for the opportunity, after antibiotic treatment, to come out and start multiplying again." The researchers found that forskalin has the ability to force the bacteria out of their niches and into the urine, where they can be killed by antibiotics. Abraham said that forskalin's action makes intuitive sense, since the herb is known to rev up certain cellular activity. This heightened activity in the bladder causes the specialized pouches to "flush out" their contents -- in this case, the hiding E. coli. "This herb has been used in Asia for centuries for a wide variety of ailments," Abraham said. "However, one of its constant uses has been for treating painful urination."
Today, forskalin is added to bodybuilding products and marketed for its ability to increase lean body and bone mass, as well as to increase testosterone levels. The herb also has been claimed to be an effective weight-loss aid.
Latin Name : Coleus forskohlii Family : Lamiaceae Sanskrit Name : Makandi Common Name : Coleus, Mainmul, Karpuravali Parts Used : Roots Coleus forskohlii is part of the mint family of plants and has long been cultivated in India, Thailand and parts of SE Asia as a spice and as a condiment for heart ailments and stomach cramps. The roots of the plant are a natural source of forskolin, the only plant-derived compound presently known to directly stimulate the enzyme adenylate cyclase, and subsequently cyclic AMP.
Cyclic AMP levels cause several physiological and biochemical effects such as : - Inhibition of platelet activation and degranulation. - Inhibition of mast cell degranulation and release of histamine and other allergic compounds. - Increased force of contraction of the heart muscle. - Relaxation of the arteries and other smooth muscles, vasodilation. - Increased insulin secretion. - Increased thyroid function (and therefore metabolic rate). - Reduced adipose assimilation and increased lipolysis of fats.
ACTION : Anti-glaucoma, Anti-platelet, Bronchospasmolyltic , Cardiotonic, Hypotensive, Anti aging, Anti allergic, Smooth muscle and arterial relaxant, Antiasthmatic.
A new study from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute suggests that a commonly used herbal supplement, triphala, has cancer-fighting properties that prevent or slow the growth of pancreatic cancer tumors implanted in mice. The study found that an extract of triphala, the dried and powdered fruits of three plants, caused pancreatic cancer cells to die through a process called apoptosis -- the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted or unneeded cells. This process often is faulty in cancer cells. Results of the study, are being presented in a late-breaking session at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, April 14-18, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Triphala, one of the most popular herbal preparations in the world, is used for the treatment of intestinal-related disorders. It is typically taken with water and thought to promote appetite and digestion and to increase the number of red blood cells.
"We discovered that triphala fed orally to mice with human pancreatic tumors was an extremely effective inhibitor of the cancer process, inducing apoptosis in cancer cells," said Sanjay K. Srivastava, Ph.D., lead investigator and assistant professor, department of pharmacology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "Triphala triggered the cancerous cells to die off and significantly reduced the size of the tumors without causing any toxic side effects."
Dr. Srivastava and colleagues fed mice grafted with human pancreatic tumors 1 to 2 milligrams of triphala for five days a week and then compared tumor size and levels of apoptotic proteins in the tumors to a control group of mice that received normal saline only. They found that the mice that received triphala had increased levels of proteins associated with apoptosis and significantly smaller tumor sizes when compared to the control group. Triphala-treated tumors were half the size of tumors in untreated mice. Further testing revealed that triphala activated tumor-suppressor genes, resulting in the generation of proteins that support apoptosis, but did not negatively affect normal pancreatic cells.
"Our results demonstrate that triphala has strong anticancer properties given its ability to induce apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells without damaging normal pancreatic cells," said Dr. Srivastava. "With follow-up studies, we hope to demonstrate its potential use as a novel agent for the prevention and treatment of pancreatic cancer," said Dr. Srivastava. Pancreatic cancer is the fifth-leading cause of cancer death in the United States and is one of the most aggressive cancers, with an extremely poor prognosis.
Magnetic levitation is the use of magnetic fields to levitate a (usually) metallic object. Manipulating magnetic fields and controlling their forces can levitate an object.
In this process an object is suspended above another with no other support but magnetic fields.
The electromagnetic force is used to counteract the effects of gravitation. But it has also been proved that it is not possible to levitate using static, macroscopic, `classical' electromagnetic fields.
The forces acting on an object in any combination of gravitational, electrostatic, and magnetostatic fields will make the object's position unstable.
The reason a permanent magnet suspended above another magnet is unstable is because the levitated magnet will easily overturn and the force will become attractive. If the levitated magnet is rotated, the gyroscopic forces can prevent the magnet from overturning.
Several possibilities exist to make levitation viable.
It is possible to levitate superconductors and other diamagnetic materials, which magnetise in the opposite sense to a magnetic field in which they are placed.
A superconductor is perfectly diamagnetic which means it expels a magnetic field (Meissner-Ochsenfel d effect). Other diamagnetic materials are commonplace and can also be levitated in a magnetic field if it is strong enough.Diamagnetism is a very weak form of magnetism that is only exhibited in the presence of an external magnetic field.
The induced magnetic moment is very small and in a direction opposite to that of the applied field. When placed between the poles of a strong electromagnet, diamagnetic materials are attracted towards regions where the magnetic field is weak.
Diamagnetism can be used to levitate light pieces of pyrolytic graphite or bismuth above a moderately strong permanent magnet. As water is predominantly diamagnetic, this property has been used to levitate water droplets and even live animals, such as a grasshopper and a frog.
Superconductors are perfect diamagnets and when placed in an external magnetic field expel the field lines from their interiors (better than a diamagnet). The magnet is held at a fixed distance from the superconductor or vice versa. This is the principle in place behind EDS (electrodynamic suspension) maglev trains. The EDS system relies on superconducting magnets.
A maglev is a train, which is suspended in air above the track, and propelled forward using magnetism. Because of the lack of physical contact between the track and vehicle, the only friction is that between the carriages and air. So maglev trains can travel at very high speeds (650 km/h) with reasonable energy consumption and noise levels
yPen - An Online Text Notebook, Simple but Useful
Do not confuse yPen with sophisticated notebook applications like Google Notebook or the more feature-rich Zoho Notebook.
yPen, like other online clipboards, is just a quick tool for creating text notes online inside a neat and minimal interface.
No registration or browser add-ons required - just type (or copy-paste) the text in the available space and it stays there forever.
You can access your text notes via a unique URL. And there's no save button, everything you type is automatically saved.
yPen is different from other note-taking applications in the sense that it sports a tabbed interface and therefore several text clippings can be entered on the same webpage organized as tabs (equivalent to sections or pages in Microsoft OneNote 2007)
For developers, yPen also has an API to create or read yPen notes inside your application or widget.
Others:
mynoteIT:http://www.mynoteit .com/index. php
Notefish: http://www.notefish .com/
GoogleNoteBook: http://www.google. com/notebook/
Notezz: http://www.notezz. com/
Stikkit: http://www.stikkit. com/
Yahoo!Notepad:Yahoo
ZohoNotebook: http://notebook. zoho.com/ nb/login. jsp
While compact discs (CDs) are remarkably durable, it’s nearly impossible to prevent scratches and scuffs from occurring from time to time. The resulting damage can be either a skip in your favorite Bob Marley track or, in the case of data CDs, the loss of that spreadsheet you worked on for two weeks. Don’t despair—repair! While commercial CD repair kits and CD refinishing machines are available, you may be able to repair the damage on your own with products you already have.
Asus debuts Tri-band PDA phone
Asus India has entered the communication segment with the launch of its P535 tri-band PDA phone in India.
The P535 tri-band PDA phone features full wireless functionality, Global Positioning System (GPS), and a high quality auto-focus camera, all in one compact form factor, says Asus.
And, the PDA phone is targeted at business professionals and high-end technology users, according to the company.
Andrew Tsui, Managing Director of Asus India, said, "We now aspire to successfully enter the communications segment with the introduction of the P535 PDA phone, which will complement our 3C philosophy of providing products in the computers, communications, and consumer electronics space."
The P535 offers push email, Internet access, and off-site synchronization of calendar and contact information over wireless or mobile GPRS networks. With the P535, users can view and edit Office documents as well.
The phone features an integrated auto-focus 2.0-megapixel camera that doubles as a business card scanner; Asus' proprietary Secret Folder software through which users can encrypt and protect sensitive information; and the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system.
Other features include a 2.8-inch display, 256MB Nand Flash ROM and 64MB SDRAM memory, 2.5 to 5 hours of talk time, Bluetooth version 2.0, USB 1.1, MiniSD card slot, and 2.5mm Audio Jack.
The P535 PDA phone is available for around Rs 37,800, along with a one-year warranty through Neoteric Informatique (Asus' distributor) . The company has announced an inaugural offer of a free 1GB Mini SD card with every P535 purchased.
For the first time since life evolved, one species is now altering the physical, chemical, and biological features of the planet on a geological scale. Scientists tell us of a litany of ecological disasters—climate change, toxic pollution, species extinction, marine depletion, deforestation— the depressing list can paralyze one with hopelessness and despair. Fear can motivate immediate action in the short-run, but hope can be sustained.
And that hope rests on all of us.
Remember some things u got to do to save this earth:
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1. Never Add To the population. We all like children, but remember there are more than enough human beings, do not add any more. And if you add to the population, u actually do two wrong things- one is you are going to make ur child suffer on a bad earth and also ur child will be an additional burden for the resources.
2. U can marry, but please do not add to the population. Please plant a tree instead. and marry if it is only really required. Marriages are a burden, please live ur life alone. and do all things to protect earth.
3. Never use any resource more than required
4. Try and live simple lives, just stop ur cars, use public transport. Use bike only if ur work demands it, but do bike pooling too. those who have cars do car pooling.
5. Be simple, as simple as possible.
6. First preference should be environment protection, all other things come later. Since without the earth there is no human rights, women rights, child rights etc. And without earth there is no use of ur money. So protect earth today.
7. I see many friends not switching off their computers even at night, since i can see their Gmail accounts still glowing. This is bad. Please switch off ur computer, television, and all equipments when not in use. do not put anything on standby mode. Please use CFL bulbs and tubelights instead of normal bulbs.
8. Use bucket water to take bath, never use a shower. never leave ur taps open.
9. As far as possible take cold water baths, never use hot water to take bath. Cold water is good for ur body and also saves energy.
10. Be a vegetarian as far as possible. try to eat less meat.
11. never use light in the mornings, use minimum electricity.
12. travel only if necessary, use telephones and Internet to communicate, don't move around undauntedly.
13. dont conduct seminars and workshops if not required. seminars and workshops add to global warming and is a waste of time. most of the seminars speak the same thing. so have a programs only if required.
Remember, I am speaking based on ground realities,
Kerala and Karnataka coast has already seen two to three Sea Intrusions two weeks back before monsoon. And all the sea intrusions are due to global warming.
the coasts are getting eaten up very fast.
if the current rate continues, within next five years the NH 17 and NH 47 will soon be under the sea and soon the maps of Kerala would have to be redrawn. remember Kerala is mostly below sea level in many places.
this will result in serious human rights issues. many of our friends on the coast will become refugees in their own land.
do u want to see this happen?
tsunami could kill only 20,000 people, but remember this will kill millions and also displace many from their homes. this is the way nature will evict people. all CRZ and CMZ will be meaningless when the sea will share borders with the western ghats in about 10 yrs from now. it is serious.
In many other places it is going to serious drought. like bangalore will suffer for drinking water and people will have to migrate. let us stop this destruction.
so please please do ur bit if u care for your own people around the world.
take care
have a green day
Climate change poses an unprecedented threat to the world and its wildlife, from rare species to the landscape itself. Some of the planet's most breathtaking features now face an uncertain future, as this gallery from Conservation International testifies.
Frogs and toads are declining worldwide due to a mysterious fungal disease epidemic. In the Andean tropical mountains, scientists have documented the extinction of 67 percent of Tropical American harlequin toads. Evidence shows that climate change has increased the occurrence of the fungal disease killing these frogs. As Alan Pounds, a leading researcher of the amphibian decline, has said: “The fungus is the bullet that killed the toads, but climate change pulled the trigger.”
Gulf of Chiriqui, Panama
Hydrocoral was declared extinct before scientists even had given it a name. In 1991 it was thought to be gone forever as a result of a massive ocean warming event in 1982-83. A small colony was rediscovered in 1993, but was then killed by a subsequent ocean warming event. The status of this species is uncertain.
Northwest South Africa
Aloe dichotoma, the quiver tree, is declining across much of its range due to warming and drying. This unique species was used by the San or “Bushman” people to craft quivers for arrows. Its succulent branches are nearly hollow but it hasn't been able to hold enough water to stave off climate change.
Monteverde Cloud Forest
The cloud forest in Monteverde, Costa Rica is changing: clouds are moving higher up mountain slopes and conditions are drying. One species, the golden toad (Bufo periglens), is already extinct. Many other amphibians have undergone huge declines. Birds are migrating upslope, and toucans from lower elevations are driving resplendent quetzals to higher and higher elevations by preying on their nests.
Antarctic
There has been a 10-fold crash in the krill population in the Antarctic since 1950, likely due to decreases in the algae krill feed on. The algae grow on the underside of sea ice, but as sea ice melts due to climate change, there is less algae krill to form the base of the Antarctic marine food web, so species from whales to penguins are at risk due to krill population declines.
Raja Ampat Islands
Raja Ampat's marine habitats naturally experience some of the largest ocean temperature variations in this region. To date, however, they have exhibited an exceptional resilience to the stresses associated with climate change. These marine habitats, particularly the coral reefs, are therefore likely to be some of the most resilient in the region. They provide refuge for marine wildlife and will be central to the repopulation of species in nearby areas that prove less resilient to climate change.
Pacific Islands
Coral reefs have been compared to underwater rain forests: they are full of life. Twenty percent have been destroyed; another 60 percent are severely threatened by climate change. Losing reefs is equal to losing about $375 billion dollars yearly and will jeopardize the food and economic security of about 30 million people. Since most coral reefs are found in tropical waters of developing countries, people already in poverty will be most affected.
The Amazon
The frequency of natural fires is increasing in the Amazon due to longer and more severe droughts throughout this massive region. In turn, the future of many plant species that are rare throughout the Amazon is under threat. Scientists predict that if current trends in climate change continue, 43 percent of representative plant species now living in the Amazon will disappear in 80 years.
Papua New Guinea
New Guinea’s extraordinary tropical montane biodiversity wilderness, as well as its extensive coral reefs, will suffer serious impacts from global climate change, including rising sea levels, sea water warming, atmospheric warming, erratic wind patterns, and altered rainfall patterns. Some impacts already are evident. In 1997-98, drought encompassed the entire island and small fires quickly spread throughout the dry flammable forests, giving the indication of having an untold effect on wildlife.
Nepal
Glaciers around the world are shrinking at a dramatic rate. Rapid melting of Himalayan glaciers in parts of India, Nepal, and China will cause flooding and avalanches. As climate change progresses, and meltwater from glaciers disappears, the loss of agricultural productivity dependent on this water source will affect the food security of more than one-sixth the world’s population living in valleys below major mountain ranges.
China
Ten percent of the world’s population, about 643 million people, live in coastal areas. Coastal areas are at great risk from sea-level rise, which is projected to increase dramatically – anywhere from one to six meters – this century. Coastal cities, agriculture, livelihoods, and infrastructure will be affected. China is among 10 countries with the largest number of people vulnerable to sea level rise.
The Congo
Populations near the equator are subject to severe swings in precipitation, resulting in flooding and drought cycles. This will affect local production negatively, especially in subsistence sectors at low latitudes.
Changed your mind about which browser you want as your default browser -- the browser that opens when you click on HTML files, when you type an URL into the Windows "Start | Run" input box, etc.?
During the installation process, both Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator browsers will ask whether you want them to be your default browser. Here's how you could change the default browser once a browser is installed on the system:
Internet Explorer: 6.x, 5.x, 4.x
Mozilla: Firefox 1.x, Firebird 0.x, Mozilla 1.x
Opera: 7.x
Internet Explorer 6.x and 5.x:
Tools | Internet Options" from the main menu in Explorer.
Programs" tab.
Internet Explorer should check to see whether it is the default browser" option.
OK".
Would you like to make [Internet Explorer] your default browser?" prompt appears, click "
Yes" to make Explorer the default browser.
View | Internet Options" from the main menu in Explorer.
Programs" tab.
Internet Explorer should check to see whether it is the default browser" option.
OK".
Would you like to make [Internet Explorer] your default browser?" prompt appears, click "
Yes" to make Explorer the default browser.
Edit | Preferences" from the main menu in Mozilla.
Navigator" tab/section.
Set Default Browser" button.
OK".
Tools | Options" from the main menu in Firefox.
General" tab/section.
Firefox should check to see if it is the default browser when starting" option.
OK".
Would you like to make [Firefox] your default browser?" prompt appears, click "
Yes" to make Firefox the default browser.
Tools | Options" from the main menu in Firebird.
General" tab/section.
Set Default Browser" button.
OK".
Edit | Preferences" from the main menu in Netscape.
Navigator" tab/section.
Set Default Browser" button.
OK".
Netscape 7.x is not currently set as your default browser. Would you like to make it your default browser?" prompt appears, click "
Yes" to make Netscape the default browser.
Netscape Navigator/Communicator 4.x:
user_pref("browser.wfe.ignore_def_check", false);
Would you like to make [Communicator] your default browser?" prompt appears, click "
Yes" to make Communicator the default browser.
File | Preferences" from the main menu in Opera.
Default Application" tab.
Check if Opera is default browser on startup" option.
OK".
Would you like to use Opera as your default application for viewing web pages?" prompt appears, click "
Yes" to make Opera the default browser.
Orbit Downloader isn't just any ordinary download manager; beyond standard features like pause and resume, it's also extremely well-suited to downloading video files. For that reason, it's being called a "rich media downloader". What does that mean exactly?
Almost any kind of video or music content that you can see or hear in your browser can be downloaded using Orbit.
Videos that are streamed using the Real (rstp://) and Windows Media (mms://) protocols along with Flash videos on sites like YouTube and Dailymotion can all be easily downloaded with Orbit. Files hosted on sites like Rapidshare and Megaupload are also supported.
Orbit works with all major browsers including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, and Maxthon. The best part is that it's completely free.
To download a video embedded in a webpage, just hover your mouse over it, and a small button with the word "GetIt" will appear. Click on it, and you'll see a bunch of options for saving the video.
If you're trying to download a YouTube or other Flash video, select "Get FLV Video" and choose a directory to save it to. If it's a RealVideo file, choose "Get Streaming Media File" and so on. That's all there is to it.
Orbit Downloader has basically beaten the forthcoming version of RealPlayer,which also supports easy downloading of content from video sharing sites, to the punch and surpassed its capabilities to boot.
Download Orbit Downloader
Nitro PDF Desktop 1.77 Nitro PDF Desktop provides basic PDF-creation and editing capabilities at a fraction of the price of Adobe Acrobat Standard. Nitro PDF automatically places buttons in three popular Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) for single-click conversion to PDF, convert to PDF and e-mail, and program-specific settings. It also lets you convert printable files to PDFs by right-clicking on them in My Computer or Windows Explorer. (Price: $99, File Size: 20 MB, 30 day Trial available)
ScanSoft PDF Converter Professional 3 Convert PDF to word document, PDF to Excel and a handy single-click process that lets you fill out any PDF form. In addition to the main application, the setup installs two other modules, PDF Create! Assistant and PDF Converter Assistant. PDF Create! Assistant lets you batch-convert selected files and file types to PDF, while PDF Converter Assistant handles file conversions from PDF, and can be used to tweak file settings prior to converting.
There are tons of free alternatives available and some claim to as powerful as Acrobat Distiller.
1. OpenOffice - Directly print documents to PDF without any third-party plugin.
2. PrimoPDF - A completely free PDF Converter Tool. You can print to PDF from virtually any Windows application. This is a full application and not a trial version. There are no watermarks in the PDF files.
3. PDFCreator - Creates a virtual printer that will print all formats to PDF from any application.
4. Cutewriter - CutePDF Writer installs itself as a "printer subsystem". With it you can create a PDF by combining various text and image files, or edit an existing one. You can also combine or extract PDFs, and add backgrounds, letterheads, and forms to them. Basic security options include password protection and watermarks.
5. PostScript-to- PDF converter - Very powerful but for geeks. ps2pdf is a work-alike for nearly all the functionality (but not the user interface) of Adobe's Acrobat Distiller product: it converts PostScript files to Portable Document Format (PDF) files. Many users report that the combination of ps2pdf with Acrobat is superior to using a generic PostScript viewer (psview or ghostview), particularly for documents with many pages where the navigational support in PDF files reduces the overhead involved in navigating conventional PostScript documents.
6. Adobe CreatePDF - A free service from Adobe that allows you to convert MS office documents to PDF online. You upload the file to Adobe webserver or point a webpage URL and the resulting PDF is sent to you by email or can be downloaded directly from Adobe site. PS2PDF is another similar service - upload a postscript compatible file to and then click on the resulting link that contains the generated PDF.
Note that the free Adobe service limits each PDF to 100MB and 50 uploaded pages, and it times out after 10 minutes of processing per file, a limiting factor if you work with complicated files containing high-resolution images.
7. A little technical solution: Use AFPL Ghostscript to create PDF and GSview to view and edit PDF files.
8. PDF995 - The pdf995 suite of products - Pdf995, PdfEdit995, and Signature995 is a complete solution for your document publishing needs. It provides ease of use, flexibility in format, and industry-standard security- and all at no cost to you. Its easy-to-use interface helps you to create PDF files by simply selecting the "print" command from any application, creating documents which can be viewed on any computer with a PDF viewer.
9. FPDF is a PHP class which allows to generate PDF files with pure PHP, that is to say without using the PDFlib library. The advantage is that PDFlib requires a fee for a commercial usage. FPDF requires no extension (except zlib to activate compression) and works with PHP4 and PHP5.
10. NovaPDF - Converts any type of printable document (DOC, XLS, PPT, HTML, EML, TXT..) into PDF files. Password protect the PDF files you create with 40-bit and 128-bit encryption levels, set different printing resolutions (from 72 dpi to 2400 dpi), NovaPDF support shared network printing. Supports ZIP and JPEG compression methods. You can define different profiles, each with its own settings for page size, resolution, fonts, compression, document info and save settings. NovaPDF also provide PDF SDK for integrating PDF print functions in software applications.
11. PDF Online PDF Online (formerly goBCL / goHTM) is web-based server solution that offers free document conversion into PDF and HTML formats. Create PDF for free, PDF software programming, PDF toolkit, convert to PDF and HTML, PDF converter, PDF api, PDF SDK / COM and PDF server batch process. PDF Online lets you submit documents from your web browser. PDF Online then processes your document and, within minutes, generates and emails you an accurate PDF or HTML (complete with JPEG files) representation of your document.
PDF, or Portable Document Format, is a unique, cross-platform file format that allows for precise representation of documents. There are certain advantage of PDF over other document formats. By converting to PDF, you can rest assured that your users will see your documents exactly as you intended, with all the fonts, formatting, and graphics intact. Rapidly becoming the de facto standard for electronic document distribution, PDF also enables you to add features like security, bookmark navigation, web optimization, and more.
HP Smart Print 2.0 has released a free IE add-on for saving webpages as Adobe PDF files. It also gives you the option to print content from several websites into one PDF file.
Unlike other HTML to PDF convertors which install as a virtual print driver on your system, this HP PDF utility is built on the lines of a "scrapbook" application.
With the smart selection mode turned on, your cursor on the webpage converts into a crosshair - select portions of the webpage that you would like to save as PDF and they are automatically added to the clippings bin on the right.
Once you are done selecting the objects that have to saved as PDF, click the print button and you get an option to either send the printing job to your physical printer or save that as an Adobe PDF file locally.
The addon will automatically determine the best layout that wastes the least amount of paper. If you don't like the layout, change it manually. You can even resize objects.
HP Web Printing | Download IE Add-on [7.4 MB]
Source : Rediff
The Income Tax department has come out with eight new tax return forms. Of these, the ITR-1 (Income tax returns-1) and ITR-2 (Income tax returns-2) forms are most relevant for salaried individuals.
These two forms have come into effect from May 14, 2007, for filing tax returns for the financial year 2006-07.
ITR-1 is applicable to those individuals who have earned only salary and interest income during the financial year. ITR-2 is applicable to those who have other types of non-business incomes, such as income from house property, capital gains, etc.
Note: Those individuals claiming deduction on interest on housing loans would be required to file ITR-2 only.
Neither of the forms require the taxpayers to prepare the controversial cash flow statement (a statement of your income and expenditure for a year). The new forms have been made annexure free. What this means is you are not required to attach any documents to the tax return. Not even Form 16!
You will have the following options to file your tax returns:
Online filing of returns by those who do not have a digital signature. Such taxpayers will be required to submit a one-page duly signed verification form, Form ITR V, with the concerned income tax office.
Manual filing of paper return form.
Manual filing of bar coded return form.
Now, let's look at the important features of the ITR-1 and ITR-2 forms.
ITR-1
ITR-1 is relatively simpler and similar to the Saral Form, the Form 2D. Two versions of ITR-1 have been introduced. One is two-pager and the other is a three-pager. The only difference between these two versions is the latter is more spacious than former. Content-wise, both versions are identical.
Since you do not have to attach Form 16 to the tax return form, you will need to fill in certain details that appear in your Form 16 here.
One important aspect of the new form is that taxpayers are required to mention the amount of certain types of high value transactions carried out by them. These transactions are already being reported to the tax authorities through Annual Information Return filed by various agencies such as banks, credit card companies, mutual funds, RBI, property registrars, etc.
This section should be carefully filled in. Incorrect reporting of such transactions may trigger scrutiny of your tax return by the Income Tax department.
Under this section, the taxpayers are required to mention the transaction amount of the following:
Nature and value of transaction
Remarks
Cash deposits totalling Rs 10 lakhs or more in a year in any savings account.
The important point here is that this clause is applicable if the total of all cash deposits during the financial year in a saving account is Rs 10 lakh or more.
Payments totalling Rs 2 lakhs or more in the year made against bills raised in respect of a credit card.
The important point here is that this clause is applicable if the total of all payments during the year for a credit card is Rs 2 lakh or more.
Let me explain: if you have used three credit cards during the FY 2006-07 and you pay a total of Rs. 1.9 lakhs against the first credit card, Rs. 1.4 lakhs against the second credit card and Rs 50,000 against the third credit card, then you need not report anything since you did not pay Rs 2 lakhs or more against a single credit card.
However, in FY 2006-07, if you pay total Rs 2.2 lakhs against the first credit card, Rs 2.7 lakhs against the second credit card and Rs 1 lakh against 3rd credit card, then you need to mention an amount of Rs 4.9 lakhs under this item. This is the total amount of payments against those credit cards whose total payment is Rs 2 lacs or more!
Payment of Rs 2 lakhs or more for acquiring units of a mutual fund.
This clause is applicable only if the amount of a single payment towards acquiring units of a fund is Rs 2 lakh or more.
Payment of Rs 5 lakhs or more for acquiring bonds or debentures issued by a company or an institution.
This clause is applicable only if the amount of a single payment towards acquiring bonds or debentures of a company is Rs 5 lakh or more.
Payment of Rs 1 lakh or more for acquiring shares issued by a company.
This clause is applicable only if the amount of a single payment towards acquiring shares issued by a company is Rs 1 lakh or more. This would cover payment of Rs 1 lakh or more made for IPO application or for obtaining shares under ESOP scheme.
Purchase property valued at Rs 30 lakhs or more.
This clause is applicable only if the value, as considered by registration authorities at the time of purchase, of any immovable property bought by the taxpayer is Rs 30 lakh or more. The clause is not applicable if the transaction value is less than Rs 30 lakh.
Sale of property valued at Rs 30 lakh or more.
This clause is applicable only if the value, as considered by registration authorities at the time of sale, of any immovable property sold by the taxpayer is Rs 30 lakh or more. The clause is not applicable if the transaction value is less than Rs 30 lakhs.
Payment of an amount or amounts aggregating to Rs 5 lakhs or more in a year for bonds issued by the Reserve Bank of India.
This clause is applicable if the aggregate of all payments towards purchase of RBI bonds exceeds Rs 5 lakh in a financial year.
ITR-2
ITR-2 is more comprehensive and seeks more detailed information.
Some of the important schedules in ITR 2 are:
Schedule S on salary income
This requires the taxpayers to divide their salary income into:
1. Salary (Excluding all allowances, perquisites and profit in lieu of salary)
2. Allowances exempt under Section 10 such as HRA, LTA, conveyance, medical reimbursement, etc.
3. Allowances not exempt such as shift allowance, special allowance, taxable portion of HRA/ LTA, etc.
4. Value of perquisites in the form of rent free accommodation or interest free loans, etc.
5. Profits in lieu of salary
The amount of items 2, 4 and 5 is generally mentioned in the Form 16 itself. However, many taxpayers will have to work out the amounts under items 1 and 3 by themselves. The amount under the first head would include only the basic salary. The amount under the third head would include gross salary as mentioned in Form 16 minus amounts under 1 and 2.
Schedule HP for Income from House Property
Taxpayers are required to mention the full address of each of the properties owned by them. They are also required to mention the name and the PAN (mentioning of tenant's PAN has, however, been kept optional) of the tenant.
A detailed computation statement is required to be filled in for each of the properties owned by the taxpayer. The form enables the taxpayers to fill in the details of upto two residential properties. If a taxpayer owns more than two houses then s/he may have to attach an annexure to provide complete details.
Schedule CYLA for current year losses adjusted
Details of income after set off of current year losses are required to be furnished in a tabular format. For most taxpayers this would apply since the setoff of loss from properties (arising due to interest on housing loan) against salary income has to be shown in this schedule.
Schedule AIR for transactions reported through annual information return
This is the same as what we discussed for ITR-1in the table above.
To summarise
~ What taxpayers would like the most is the fact that the tax returns are annexure free.
~ Enhanced use of technology would help the tax department to find the tax evaders more easily. Honest taxpayers may benefit since tax rates may go down if the compliance level increases.
~ The two-paged ITR-1 is relatively simpler. However, the six-paged ITR-2, which would be applicable to all the individuals owning a house, is relatively complex. Those filing ITR-2 are more likely to seek professional assistance in preparing their tax returns.
Wikifortio is a free file uploading service like Rapidshare or YouSendit that alllows users to upload and share files upto 100 MB in size.
Wikifortio has one advantage over Rapidshare - there's no waiting time and the site is free of any popup or under advertising.
The file begins to download almost immediately when the recipient clicks the download link. The site is now used for hosting and distributing software from GiveawayOfTheDay. com.
WikiFortio.com - Store your big files on-line.
There's however a downside - uploaded files are automatically deleted from Wikifortio servers after five days. And the website makes no mention about the developers and their business model.
DivShare is an online file hosting service like Rapidshare or Megaupload but offers some very unique advantages:
» The uploaded files stay online forever. [Rapidshare deletes the file after some period of inactivity]
» You can upload unlimited number of files and each file size can be as large as 200 MB. [Rapidshare has a 100 MB limit]
» The interface is pretty clean, very fast and intuitive.
» DivShare automatically creates an image gallery of all the pictures that you upload to their web servers.
Now, here's some great news for bloggers, especially those who are on the Wordpress platform.
You can host your files on DivShare and link them in your blog posts. That saves precious storage space on your server and since the files will be served from DivShare, you save on those monthly bandwidth bills as well.
Co-founder David Altschul just informed that DivShare has launched a Wordpress plugin that allows you to upload files directly from your "Write a Post" page to your DivShare account, and insert them into your post with a single click.
Wondering what's their business model ? Not sure but are already using Adsense to monetize their website and who knows, a pro version may be in the works for uploading files even greater than 200 MB.
The company plans to make the Gears technology available for free as "open source" software, meaning other developers are free to use and enhance the software in their own products
Google Inc. said on Wednesday it had created Web software that runs both online, and offline, marking a sea change for the Internet industry by letting users work on planes, trains, spotty connections and even in the most remote locations.
The technology, called Google Gears, would allow users of computers, phones and other devices to manipulate Web services like e-mail, online calendars or news readers whether online, intermittently connected to the Web or completely offline.
Google plans to make the Gears technology available for free as "open source" software, meaning other developers are free to use and enhance the software in their own products. The technology also allows developers to build Internet search and indexing of Web pages into their own software applications.
FAQ: http://code. google.com/ support/bin/ topic.py? topic=11628
Microsoft today released a new version of Windows Live Writer 1.0 (beta 2). This WYSIWYG blog editing software is a vast improvement over the previous version and a must-have upgrade.
There's an inline spell checker (so readers will complain less about spelling errors), support for HTML tables and a reminder option that will make sure you don't post stuff without adding appropriate titles and categories / tags.
Blogger users will love the support for labels. Wordpress fans can now compose static pages or add new categories right inside WLW without logging into Wordpress Dashboard.
Like Microsoft Word or Excel, you have a new "Paste Special" function that lets you copy-paste stuff into WLW with or without formatting.
Your old plugins will still work in the new release of Windows Live Writer. The Temporary Post issue now occurs only if you enable Web Preview for your blog posts.
Writer synchronizes drafts on your blog with changes you make when you're offline, so you don't have to worry about reconciling different versions.
There's another useful change - Windows Live Writer now allows you to upload images without applying borders or drop shadows, something which was not possible with the previous version.
The new Vista style look-n-feel of the WLW interface is also very refreshing.
Unfortunately, Blogger users will still have to depend up Picasa or Blogger Web Editor for uploading pictures since the Blogger Picture API is not yet integrated with Windows Live Writer. Expect that to change in the coming release.
Download WL_Writer.exe [5.4 MB]
Most Useful Windows Live Writer Plugins
Wish to enhance your blogging experience with Windows Live Writer ? Here are some very useful plug-ins that will supercharge your copy of Windows Live Writer.
Blog This - This is like the Tumble bookmarklet for quick blogging - select some text on a web page in IE or Firefox and click the Blog This button - it will launch a new blog post prepopulated with the title, text snippet and URL of the current webpage.
Insert Video - Use this to quickly embed video clips from YouTube, Google Video or Myspace Videos into your blog posts. Just type the URL of the video and the plugin will generate the code for you.
Flickr4Writer - If you are a Flickr member, this plugin will help you browse your Flickr photos and insert them into your blog posts.
Social Bookmarks - Add social bookmarking icons (like digg, del.icio.us, furl, yahoo!) in your blog posts that will allow readers to save or share your articles on these social sites.
Screen Captures - This is like an offline version of Picnik Screen Capture. Specify a webpage URL and this plugin will insert a screenshot of that page in your blog post that you can later resize or apply image effects.
Syntax Highlighter - Recommended for geeks and developers who frequently share code on their blogs. This plugin will highlight the code syntax and language specific keywords in various colors.
WebSnapr - Allows you to insert thumbnail images of web pages in your blog posts similar to ones that you see on Alexa or Snap.com
Insert Code - It formats a snippet of text in a number of programming languages such as C#, HTML or JavaScript. Makes the source code more readable.
For additional Windows Live Writer plugins, please visit the Live Gallery and the excellent WLWPlugins.com. Want to write your own Windows Writer Plugin ? Try this useful guide by Keyyan Nayyeri (uses C#).
Aviation turbine fuels are used for powering jet and turbo-prop engine aircraft. Kerosene was used to fuel the first turbine engines. Kerosene-type fuel was chosen as having the best combination of properties.
As the primary function of aviation turbine fuel (jet fuel) is to power an aircraft, energy content and combustion quality are key fuel performance properties. Other significant performance properties are stability, lubricity, fluidity, volatility, non-corrosivity, and cleanliness. Besides providing a source of energy, fuel is also used as a hydraulic fluid in engine control systems and as a coolant for certain fuel system components.
However, compared to a kerosene-type fuel, other type fuels like used in motor vehicles were found to have operational disadvantages due to their higher volatility:
Greater losses due to evaporation at high altitudes.
Greater risk of fire during handling on the ground.
Crashes of planes fuelled with wide-cut fuel were less survivable.
Lighter (less dense) fuels, such as gasoline, have higher heating values on a weight basis: whereas heavier (more dense) fuels, like diesel, have higher heating values on a volume basis. Since space is at a premium in most aircraft, the amount of energy contained in a give quantity of fuel is important. A fuel with high volumetric energy content maximises the energy that can be stored in a fixed volume and thus provides the longest flight range.
There are currently two main grades of turbine fuel in use in civil commercial aviation: jet A-1 and jet A, both are kerosene type fuels. There is another grade of jet fuel, jet B which is a wide cut kerosene (a blend of gasoline and kerosene) but it is rarely used except in very cold climates.
Jet A-1 is a kerosene grade of fuel suitable for most turbine engine aircraft. It is produced to a stringent internationally agreed standard, has a flash point above 38 degrees centigrade (100 degrees Fahrenheit) and a freeze point maximum of minus 47 degrees Centigrade.
Jet A is a similar kerosene type of fuel, produced and normally only available in the U.S. It has the same flash point as Jet A-1 but a higher maximum freeze point (minus 40 degrees centigrade).
Jet B is a distillate covering the naphtha and kerosene fractions. It can be used as an alternative to jet A-1 but because it is more difficult to handle (higher flammability) , there is only significant demand in very cold climates where its better cold weather performance is important.
Two important factors that determine the speed of a computer are the amount of data that the Central Processing Unit can process in a given period of time and the CPU's clock speed.
The speed at which a CPU executes instructions is called the clock rate.
Every system contains an internal clock that regulates the rate at which instructions are executed and synchronizes all the various computer components. The CPU requires a fixed number of clock ticks to execute each instruction.
The faster the clock, the more instructions the CPU can execute per second. Clock speeds are expressed in megahertz MHz or gigahertz GHz. Mega means million and hertz means times per second, 200 MHz is 200 million times per second (and 200 GHz is 200 billion times per second).
The internal architecture of a CPU has as much to do with a CPU's performance as the clock speed. One common architecture is parallel processing. For example, while an instruction is being executed, the next instruction can be fetched from memory and decoded.
Instruction Prefetching is another idea where the CPU fetches the next instruction beforehand and places it in a queue for the execution unit to use the same.
The overall speed of a computer is also affected by the speed and size of the instruction/ data bus. The instruction/ data bus is the pathway for data communications between the computer's CPU and the various components in the computer.
The computer's bus has a certain size or width called the data path which is measured in bits and the speed of the bus is measured in MHz.
The larger the bus width and/or the faster the bus speed, the more data that can travel on it in a given amount of time.
Another factor affecting the speed is the size of the primary memory and cache. Increasing the size of the primary memory will speed up the performance if you run several applications at the same time or work with large files and documents. Cache is a small amount (normally less than 1 MegaByte) of high-speed memory residing on or close to the CPU. Cache memory supplies the CPU with the most frequently requested data and instructions.
Finally, effective interfacing of Input-Output devices to the CPU also increases the speed. Systems today use direct memory access (DMA) hardware wherein I/O device acts as a master and transfers large number of data to/from memory without intervention by the CPU
Electrochemical cells and batteries are identified generally as primary and secondary batteries. The primary batteries cannot be easily or effectively re-charged electrically and hence are discharged (used) and discarded. The electrochemical reactions in primary cells are not easily reversible. When the battery delivers current (during use) the active materials undergo changes and the active materials slowly will become inactive because the discharged active materials can't deliver current. In secondary batteries (example., lead-acid) the reactions are said to be reversible because once the battery is used, the inactive materials can be converted back to active materials by re-charging and the battery will be again ready for use.
These systems are also called as `storage batteries'. (example., lead-acid, nickel-cadmium) In the primary category, for example., zn-carbon cells, the anode is zinc and cathode is manganese dioxide. During discharge (when battery in use), the simplified reaction can be written as (the actual electrochemical process is more complicated)
Zn + 2 MnO{-2} ZnO + Mn{-2}O{-3}
Discharge (delivers current)
The discharged products (right hand side) cannot be formed back into original active materials (left hand side) by passing current in an opposite direction (charging). It is said to be `irreversible'
Where as in secondary batteries, for example., lead-acid, the active materials can be formed back after discharge (use) and it will be ready for use again after charge.
Pb + PbO{-2} + 2H{-2}SO{-4}
Technically some primary batteries can be recharged for several cycles but may not deliver full capacity and may have poor charge retention after recharge. Generally the cells are not designed for that type of use. The life of a secondary battery (lead-acid or nickel-cadmium) may vary from 200-1200 cycles (one cycle represents one discharge and charge) depending on its design parameters.
There are plenty of steps you can take to cut down on allergens in your home. Time to open the windows and get cleaning...
Some basic rules
Take the following immediate actions to cut down on allergens in your home:
House dust mites
Household dust is a great breeding ground for house dust mites and may also contain animal dander and mould or mildew spores. There are various ways to keep a lid on house dust mites:
The most beneficial action you can take is to buy barrier covers for your bedding
The most beneficial action you can take is to buy barrier covers for your bedding. These are designed to prevent house dust mites and their tiny droppings escaping from your pillows, mattresses and duvets. They are made from a soft micro-porous material, which is comfortable to sleep on. And wash your sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases once a week in a hot wash (60ﾃつｰC), then iron your sheets and bedclothes with a hot iron, which will help to kill mites.
If your child is unhappy about giving up soft toys, machine wash them instead in a hot wash once a fortnight. Then place the toys in the freezer for 24 hours after which they should be thoroughly dried.
On a final note, acarosides are chemicals that kill house dust mites. They are expensive and only offer temporary benefit, and the dead mites still have to be removed from carpets and furnishings by intensive vacuuming.
Pets in the home
Another priority is to remove pets from the home. If this is too traumatic, then try the following:
Keep pets outside as much as possible or limit them to one room only, preferably one without carpeting.
Don't allow pets into bedrooms, as dander can remain airborne for long periods. The cat dander allergen can also be carried on clothing to school or work.
Wash your pets regularly - fortnightly if possible.
Female animals produce less allergen and castration will reduce the production of allergen by male cats and dogs.
If you are allergic to cats and are visiting the home of a cat owner, ask them not to dust, sweep or vacuum on the day you arrive. Disturbing the dust could make your allergy worse as stirred-up cat allergen can remain in the air for over 24 hours. You might want to take anti-histamine medication if entering a cat-inhabited home.
Information on Windows Hacking. This is for learning purposes only.
Warning: Using default settings, a wireless router allows anyone with any knowledge to easily connect to your network and use your internet connection and do what they will with your computers. But there are safe ways to use these devices. Enabling encryption, turning off ssid broadcasting, Mac address filtering, and changing your router's password are a must. High speed internet is a must. Buy the wireless router and any other necessary devices to connect to the router, such as pcmcia cards for laptops, usb devices, etc.
You may come across a situation in which your windows XP PC fails to reboot, and the most accepted solution to that problem is to re-format the Hard Disk. Before formatting, you should backup your files. If your computer is password protected, you won't be able to access them from outside, so here is a method for getting around this.
These instructions will assist you in installing memory (RAM) into your computer.
This free VoIP software lets you place phone calls to other users anywhere in the world and call landlines and mobile phones for a fee. You can also set up free conference calls.
Gizmo's interface is compact and rectangular, with tabs on the top just below the Menu bar and a series of ancillary commands like Chat and Add Contact available at the bottom ( very similar to skype) . There are very few differences between Gizmo's design and its biggest competitor's, and a little originality could've gone a long way here.
Calling Cards
Upon registration, your account will be credited with 0.25 cents. If you need additional calling cards, you can buy it directly thru online.
When we take a medication, it is absorbed from various parts of our gut — some get absorbed in the stomach, some pass through the stomach into the intestines and get absorbed there.
The most important reason for timing a medication that is taken orally is to maximise its absorption so that more of the medication goes through the stomach into the blood.
Many medicines get absorbed better when food is not present and hence are taken on an empty stomach (an example is the hormone thyroxine which must be taken first thing in the morning). A few actually get absorbed better when food is present — an example of this is the antibiotic azithromycin. Some drugs are taken specifically with or after food because this may reduce the side effects of the drug on the stomach.
For example pain medications and certain antibiotics all can irritate the lining of the stomach and therefore are best taken with or after food. Some drugs work in the wall of the stomach to reduce the absorption of food and this is the desired therapeutic effect — an example of this is the anti-diabetic drug called acarbose.
This drug must be taken with the first bite of food. Similarly other oral anti-diabetic drugs and the injection insulin are taken before food because that is when they need to act — just after you eat a meal. The long and short of it is that the timing of a drug has important effects on its absorption, action, potency and even side effects and it is a good idea not to leave the doctor's office without being sure when you should be taking your medicine
An Operating System (OS) is a program that acts as an intermediary between a user of a computer and the computer hardware.
Depending on the storage device being used, computers can store information in several physical forms. Each device has its own characteristics and physical organization, and hence different views of information are created. To unify all these views of information, a uniform logical view called a file is created.
A file is a contiguous set of data. It is the job of the OS to map this sequence of data into physical devices. The part of the OS responsible for this is the file system.
So the main task of the file system is to free the users of the details of storing of information in the physical devices. That is, when the storage device is changed, from disk to CD for example, the user still sees the same information.
In the most basic form, a file system consists of two distinct parts: a collection of files and a directory structure. The directory structure organizes and provides information about all the files in the system.
Every file has certain attributes like its name, location (its address in the file system), size, access control information (whether the file can be read or written to or only executed etc), type (whether it is just a collection of data or has other special instructions) , time, date and user identification.
If file A is to be copied to file B, then first a new file called B is created, next the contents of A are read and finally, this is written to B.
For this to happen, three steps are necessary. First, space must be found for B in the file system. Second, an entry for B must be made in the directory. The directory records the name of B and the location of B in the file system. Third, a request is sent to the OS to read the contents of A.
The OS finds the location information of A from the directory and reads the contents. Now to write to B, the OS again searches the directory for the address of B. Finally the content of A is written onto the space provided for B.
On the other hand if a file deletion is to take place, the process is much simpler. If file A is to be deleted, the OS just searches the directory for the named file.
Having found the entry, the space occupied by A is released so that it can be used by other files and the directory entry is erased.
As can be seen, the operations involved while copying a file are much more than those involved while deleting a file.
Display of colours by a CD can be understood in terms of the working of a plane optical reflection grating. It is a flat optical device whose surface is ruled (striped) with a set of closely and uniformly spaced lines, such that light is reflected by the gaps and absorbed by the lines. , When light falls on a plane reflection grating, it is scattered in all directions by each of its reflecting stripes. These waves from individual gaps are termed wavelets. When we look at the grating from a distance, wavelets from different stripes travel different distances to reach the retina of our eye. Their crests (or troughs) do not reach a given point at the same time. Usually crests of some wavelets and troughs of others reach a point. Troughs have the property of partially or totally nullifying crests and vice versa, depending on their strengths. In this case the wavelets are said to interfere destructively.
But for certain orientations of the grating, it so happens that troughs (or crests) of all wavelets reach a point together, enhancing the effect of each other. The wavelets are then said to interfere constructively. Ordinarily, when light falls on a grating, wavelets corresponding to all wavelengths (or colours) are sent out by the reflecting gaps. Since the conditions of constructive interference hold good only for some particular wavelength, light intensity at the receiving point is exceptionally high only for that wavelength. Light from the grating from the related direction is thus rich in the corresponding colour. Similarly light from slightly different direction is rich in another colour. A CD has a data recording track, which spirals from its outer periphery to the inner circular boundary. This takes many tens of thousand rounds about the CD's centre. When examined along a radius of the CD, it is found to have a structure similar to that of a reflection grating — a set of almost straight tracks running perpendicular to the radius and separated by gaps. Therefore, like a grating the CD also displays colours.
1. GMail
http://gmail.google.com
GMail offers POP/SMTP access to its email. Here are the settings:
POP server: pop.gmail.com.
Port: 995.
Require SSL: Yes.
User name: your Gmail email address.
Make sure your user name includes both your Gmail account name and "@gmail.com". If your Gmail account name is "aneesh.attingal", for example, type "aneesh.attingal@gmail.com" as the user name.
Password: your Gmail password.
SMTP server: smtp.gmail.com.
Port: 465.
Require SSL/STARTTLS: Yes.
Require SMTP authentication: Yes.
User name: your Gmail email address.
Password: your Gmail password.
GMX is a very good and RELIABLE email provider. Since GMX is the biggest provider of free email in Germany it is for sure here to stay. Note: Unfortunately GMX discontinued their English language service lately. They now only maintain the German user interface. Tip: You can use a free Online translation services or a dictionary for help with the German sign-up form. We think that GMX is so good, it is worth the sign-up trouble!
Recent change: Their signup forms do not allow American postal addresses anymore, but accept any valid address from Germany, Austria or Switzerland that you find on the web. Once you entered a German postal address you can use the account from anywhere in the world.
POP3: pop.gmx.net
SMTP: mail.gmx.net
3.BlueBottle
http://www.bluebottle.com/
Bluebottle offers Webmail / POP3 / SMTP Access with 250MB storage and a huge 10 MB maximum attachments size.
Easy setup and works ok - and that is more than you can expect with most free email services. Note that the free account has a 500 KB size limit for email messages.
POP3: pop.hotpop.com,
SMTP: mail.hotpop.com
