While computers are now an important part of the lives of human beings, there was a time where computers did not exist. Knowing the history of computers and how much progression has been made can help you understand just how complicated and innovative the creation of computers really is.

Unlike most devices, the computer is one of the few inventions that does not have one specific inventor. Throughout the development of the computer, many people have added their creations to the list required to make a computer work. Some of the inventions have been different types of computers, and some of them were parts required to allow computers to be developed further.

The Beginning

Perhaps the most significant date in the history of computers is the year 1936. It was in this year that the first “computer” was developed. It was created by Konrad Zuse and dubbed the Z1 Computer. This computer stands as the first as it was the first system to be fully programmable. There were devices prior to this, but none had the computing power that sets it apart from other electronics.

It wasn’t until 1942 that any business saw profit and opportunity in computers. This first company was called ABC computers, owned and operated by John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry. Two years later, the Harvard Mark I computer was developed, furthering the science of computing.

Over the course of the next few years, inventors all over the world began to search more into the study of computers, and how to improve upon them. Those next ten years say the introduction of the transistor, which would become a vital part of the inner workings of the computer, the ENIAC 1 computer, as well as many other types of systems. The ENIAC 1 is perhaps one of the most interesting, as it required 20,000 vacuum tubes to operate. It was a massive machine, and started the revolution to build smaller and faster computers.

The age of computers was forever altered by the introduction of International Business Machines, or IBM, into the computing industry in 1953. This company, over the course of computer history, has been a major player in the development of new systems and servers for public and private use. This introduction brought about the first real signs of competition within computing history, which helped to spur faster and better development of computers. Their first contribution was the IBM 701 EDPM Computer.

A Programming Language Evolves

A year later, the first successful high level programming language was created. This was a programming language not written in ‘assembly’ or binary, which are considered very low level languages. FORTRAN was written so that more people could begin to program computers easily.

The year 1955, the Bank of America, coupled with Stanford Research Institute and General Electric, saw the creation of the first computers for use in banks. The MICR, or Magnetic Ink Character Recognition, coupled with the actual computer, the ERMA, was a breakthrough for the banking industry. It wasn’t until 1959 that the pair of systems were put into use in actual banks.

During 1958, one of the most important breakthroughs in computer history occurred, the creation of the integrated circuit. This device, also known as the chip, is one of the base requirements for modern computer systems. On every motherboard and card within a computer system, are many chips that contain information on what the boards and cards do. Without these chips, the systems as we know them today cannot function.

Gaming, Mice, & the Internet

For many computer users now, games are a vital part of the computing experience. 1962 saw the creation of the first computer game, which was created by Steve Russel and MIT, which was dubbed Spacewar.

The mouse, one of the most basic components of modern computers, was created in 1964 by Douglass Engelbart. It obtained its name from the “tail” leading out of the device.

One of the most important aspects of computers today was invented in 1969. ARPA net was the original Internet, which provided the foundation for the Internet that we know today. This development would result in the evolution of knowledge and business across the entire planet.

It wasn’t until 1970 that Intel entered the scene with the first dynamic RAM chip, which resulted in an explosion of computer science innovation.

On the heels of the RAM chip was the first microprocessor, which was also designed by Intel. These two components, in addition to the chip developed in 1958, would number among the core components of modern computers.

A year later, the floppy disk was created, gaining its name from the flexibility of the storage unit. This was the first step in allowing most people to transfer bits of data between unconnected computers.

The first networking card was created in 1973, allowing data transfer between connected computers. This is similar to the Internet, but allows for the computers to connect without use of the Internet.

Household PC’s Emerge

The next three years were very important for computers. This is when companies began to develop systems for the average consumer. The Scelbi, Mark-8 Altair, IBM 5100, Apple I and II, TRS-80, and the Commodore Pet computers were the forerunners in this area. While expensive, these machines started the trend for computers within common households.

One of the most major breathroughs in computer software occurred in 1978 with the release of the VisiCalc Spreadsheet program. All development costs were paid for within a two week period of time, which makes this one of the most successful programs in computer history.

1979 was perhaps one of the most important years for the home computer user. This is the year that WordStar, the first word processing program, was released to the public for sale. This drastically altered the usefulness of computers for the everyday user.

The IBM Home computer quickly helped revolutionize the consumer market in 1981, as it was affordable for home owners and standard consumers. 1981 also saw the the mega-giant Microsoft enter the scene with the MS-DOS operating system. This operating system utterly changed computing forever, as it was easy enough for everyone to learn.

The Competition Begins : Apple vs. Microsoft

Computers saw yet another vital change during the year of 1983. The Apple Lisa computer was the first with a graphical user interface, or a GUI. Most modern programs contain a GUI, which allows them to be easy to use and pleasing for the eyes. This marked the beginning of the out dating of most text based only programs.

Beyond this point in computer history, many changes and alterations have occurred, from the Apple-Microsoft wars, to the developing of microcomputers and a variety of computer breakthroughs that have become an accepted part of our daily lives. Without the initial first steps of computer history, none of this would have been possible.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

VoIP has become extremely popular with the general public. TV and online adverts, news and paper headlines have aired this new technology heavily recently, furthering its overall success. If somehow you’ve managed to miss all this hype surrounding this recent computer related communications revolution the abreviation VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol or Voice over IP. This technology enables the user to talk with a phone/microphone over the world wide web connection.

Normal phone bills can be minimised by using VoIP since it boasts extremely low rates, considerably lower than conventional telephone, whether the calls being made are local or to the other side of the world. Large corporations are taking advantage of this fact massively by installing the necessary software and equipment, loosing the old requirement for traditional conference calls, many faxes etc, whilst incorporating such media tools as streaming video applications. The recent explosion in VoIP use has hidden the fact that this technology has been around for many years waiting to become economically viable.

In terms of families now wanting to give this exciting new improvement on phone communication a go, mostly this concept is a full gone conclusion people are going stir crazy about it. Do they believe all the hype about how it will hugely improve their everyday lives? Is this technology really as impressive, reliable and affordable as is often touted by the sales pitchers? Any unanswered questions alongside possibilities you may not have realised yet are provided here in this article aimed at furthering your understanding of this new VoIP technology. Once you’ve read everything here you may be more inclined to get out there and purchase then test run this communications system.

Initially an internet connection to your residence must be present! This connection must be a high speed one, any of the following varieties i.e. satellite, cable or DSL, not 56K dial up. VoIP can only function properly and transform into your new calling station by following this important advice. Quality loss is just far too significant when attempting to use slower connections such as 56K dial ups. These now fairly antiquated connections simply don’t have the speed or capacity required to transfer calls digitally. If DSL happens to be your choice of broadband service, and you’re hoping to replace your existing phone service with VoIP, a company known as SpeakEasy has just recently created a VoIP product that does’nt require any already installed phone line.

The second most important requirement is a ‘gateway’, needing to be connected between your ethernet modem and computer. Your phone line needs to be plugged into this VoIP gateway to then enable calling to be high quality, unhindered by any potential computer problems that may occur. Many computers have a variety of momentary unpredictable problems, e.g. slow memory or crashes which could significantly reduce quality calling time.

Adapters are available so that VoIP can fit any phone, old/ existing or new. Typically the promoters of VoIP provide sell adapters to reduce the time you may spend shopping around for one. Albeit a great money saving plan, not buying a new phone will probably mean you miss out on the next big VoIP move, video usage in combination with VoIP on phones, a trend that looks set to blow up everywhere. A company known as Packet8 VoIP sells a great video phone in addition to their usual services.

Phone services that have VoIP included typically contain the whole range of great offers and gadgets the current phone services provide. Details cover such aspects as three way calling, voice messaging, your own VoIP telephone number and call waiting.

Key aspects associated with this brazen new feature-full phone technology that you should be aware of are that local 911 emergency coverage exists. This feature may come as an additional extra charge on top of the basic package, hitting your wallet on a monthly basis. Don’t commit to a calling contract until you have ironed out all the costs associated with what ever deal you choose.

Lastly, remember that electricity is the fuel your VoIP system uses and the occasional power cut will unfortunately put a stop to its functioning, momentarily. This is the one small aspect that traditional phone calls don’t have to contend with, due in part to them containing their own small power supplies.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

The Internet revolution has given rise to innovations such as telecommuting and E-commerce web sites, which now allow individuals to work right at the comfort of their homes. However, working at home has its drawbacks, as there are a number of distractions that you can find at home. In response to this, most people who work at home choose to build a home office or they redecorate their work area to achieve an office atmosphere, which would help them focus on their work.

Office furniture

One of the most important elements that can help in creating an office atmosphere is to pick the right office furniture, which should be both comfortable and designed to increase efficiency. To be able to get these types of furniture, there are a number of things you should consider when you purchase them. One of these considerations is the ability of the furniture to blend in your workspace. This is because picking out furniture whose color or theme clashes with your color scheme can be very distracting since seeing a piece of furniture that sticks out in the room can be annoying.

Another very important consideration is that you should only pick furniture that is ergonomically designed. This is because such types of furniture can increase your efficiency and can help you prevent disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome. In addition to this, you should also prioritize comfort over style since the comfort you feel on these kinds of furniture can also increase your efficiency. However, you should also be careful in buying furniture that may be too comfortable since they may become a distraction if they encourage napping instead of doing work. Lastly and more importantly, you should also consider the cost of the furniture you are buying. If you wish to save on your purchases, you may opt to buy from second hand stores or from offices who may be closing down or who may be selling their used office furniture.

In buying furniture for your home office, there are a number of things that you should consider, which can help you buy the right type of furniture that can help you to be more productive and more efficient. Doing so involves picking out furniture that gives a considerable amount of comfort and convenience, which can help you avoid the numerous distractions that working at home entails.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Home computer furniture is one of the most important purchases in every household especially if you spend most of the time on the computer. For you to be able to get the most out of your PC experience, you need to choose the right furniture like getting a comfortable chair and wide table.

Since the Internet, revolution has given rise to innovations like e-commerce and telecommunications, more and more individuals in the comfort of their homes. With the quest for knowledge, many homemakers and children look at the web for practical tips for their cooking recipes and studies. Therefore, the need for a comfortable workplace has increased. The most important thing among all the computer furniture is the chair; it must not be too low or too high. If it is too hard or too foamy, then you may experience backaches.

If you were doing business, you would most likely be looking for an extra room to store your computer and a place to focus on your work without getting too much distraction. Therefore, for you to complete the components of your home computer furniture, you must have a shelf that will hold your central processing unit (CPU). The keyboard tray should have its own place under the surface of the desk or it could be sliding into its own drawer. Printers, monitors, scanners, photocopiers and other peripheral devices or accessories should also have ample places of their own. Leveling of the monitor is very important to prevent eyesight and back injury.

Another consideration should be space that you can allot for your home computer furniture. Everything should be measured accurately to avoid the problem in lack of space and you will be able to add anything you desire later on. Most training materials and important documents are still backed up through CD’s and DVD’s and they deserve shelving. An organized storage of these discs will prove to be helpful if you will look for them later.

Buying the necessary furniture can be a problem to some but the most important thing to remember is to consider your needs; your current setup and how your new home computer furniture will match your home decor. After it has been installed and seems to be working well, you need to properly maintain it so it could last longer. Dusting is an essential practice to prevent the inner workings of your computer system from being damaged. It may be tempting at times to eat around your computer but for you to keep it longer, you need to avoid this habit. With all the proper care and maintenance, you will be able to work comfortably within you home.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

There are thousands of people who would love to escape the drudgery of their nine-to-five jobs and to find a way to run their own home-based opportunities. Many of those people understand that the most lucrative way to start a home business is to work online. However, the bulk of that population continues to clock in every day.

Why? There are many reasons why people are reluctant to make the break from being a “mere employee” to becoming their own boss. It could be a matter of security, an upbringing that constantly reinforced the “necessity” of being a “good worker,” peer pressure or one of many other possible matters that keep them tied to a lifestyle they don’t enjoy. One of the most common explanations, however, is that people believe they lack the necessary technical skills to make a living with an online home business.

There are thousands of people right now who believe their lack of computer know-how prevents them from tapping into the massive online marketplace. They feel as though the fact they lack a computer science degree renders them unable to get the job done.

As a coach and mentor, that misconception bothers me a great deal. The fact of the matter is that there are ways to build successful online home based businesses without having a great deal of computer expertise. You don’t need to be a web design guru or a master of programming to make a living online.

In fact, some of the best home based business opportunities are designed with simplicity in mind. These proven programs have a low barrier to entry with respect to technical know-how. You don’t have to be a computer wizard to use these almost fully-automated systems to your advantage. They are ready to use “right off the rack” and don’t require a great deal of advanced learning or knowledge.

The best of these programs can continue to grow as the user’s knowledge base grows, too. They are the kind of opportunities that grow with you–not the kind that you soon outgrow.

Have you let worries about the computer learning curve hold you back from starting your own home based business? If so, stop worrying about whether or not you can handle the technical aspects and, instead, begin looking for automated systems that provide great opportunities for prosperity without requiring extensive computer or internet knowledge.

Many people have found a way to make a living online without having any more knowledge than the average at-home computer user. Not every online home business success story has a background in technology or a knack for writing code.

Of course, there are some rudimentary basics you will need to know. However, you ARE reading this article, and that shows that you probably know those fundamentals.

Don’t let the fact that you didn’t go to technical school to study computer programming stop you from finding a profitable future with a home based online business. In all honesty, the best moneymaking opportunities don’t require that kind of specialized expertise!

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

The need for people who can repair electronic equipment and computers is booming. In our modern society, computers are used in every field of business and practically every home, and qualified technicians are in great demand. For those interested in computer repair training, it is essential to carefully review the prospective vocational or technical school curriculum. Comprehensive computer repair programs will offer professional certification to future computer technicians.

Vocational schools and online computer repair schools offer training programs that are quite diverse in nature, including telecommunication systems, televisions, radar systems, industrial equipment, climate control systems, and medical diagnostic equipment. Students taking computer repair classes (also known as Electronic and Computer Repair) must learn the vital skills needed to install, maintain, and repair office and factory computers, home computers, hospital computer systems, and all other types of computers and PCs.

Aspiring technicians may seek training that results in either certification or an associate degree. A certified computer repair technician may earn between $20,000 and $36,000 per year. Many graduates of computer repair training will choose to spend a few years in an apprenticeship to gain additional knowledge and skills that can help advance a career in computer technology.

If you are interested in learning more about Computer Repair Training and accredited Computer Schools and Online Computer Schools, research our website and begin your computer training today!

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Would you like to know how to fix the computer speed and how to change it?

Providing you have a good understanding of computer technology and also feel confident to install new CPU’s and mother boards then it is perfectly possible to fix your computers speed.
You see your CPU which may be running at 500mxh. is connected to your FSB. The FSB allows the CPU to talk to the computer. This is controlled by your BIOS which is the software that is responsible for starting up your computer System.

STILL WITH ME.

No… don’t worry, you see there are easier ways to fix the computer speed and how to change it.

Do you turn on your PC and then go for a cup of coffee while it boots up? Does it take forever to log on to your systems and are you day dreaming as you wait for your computer to open application or documents. Is surfing the Internet more like paddling in your local park? Do you tell your friend that you don’t do music, video or pictures on your computer because it takes up to much memory (you really mean it will take to long to down load).Any of these familiar. Well you are not alone. In a recent study, over 91% of home computers owners have the same sort of issues.

Have you kept a record of all the programs that you have either down loaded or installed on your computer? If you are any thing like me then you can probably only remember the last must have program that you installed. You see a lot of these programs will automatically be pinned to your start up memory. So as you start up your computer you may have up to 25 programs running in the background trying to load. No wonder you computer is so slow. Your PC just cannot cope.

Now don’t get disheartened you don’t have to go and invest your hard earned cash on new computer just yet. All most all of the problems I have described can be fixed on your computer. You see you your computer keeps a record of every thing you do on your PC. Every time you open, edit or delete a file, surf the net look at pictures, play games. When you down load software or install or even uninstall software you computer is keeping a record of what actions you are carrying out. This record is kept in the computers registry, and this registry will eventually become clogged and slow down your computer speed…

You don’t have to go to the expense of buying and then installing a new CPU or upgrade your mother board to repair all these problems. You could instead take a look at some software that has been developed especially for these problems. This soft ware will run a registry check will check to see what is going on in the back ground on your computer. It will stop unessential programs from running on start up making you PC boot just like new. Also clean up your registry files so that they are more manageable by your computer. You will be amazed at the difference that this simple easily installed computer program will make to your PC.

The more advanced of these program will actually perform a free scan on your computer so you don’t even have to purchase any thing up front before you see the results. You will then have a much better idea of how to fix the computer speed and how to change it.

Did you know that over 91% of home computer run slower than there owners would like Can you put up with your slow computer any longer. Discover how you can have you computer back up and running again super quick on start up, and loading applications. A joy to surf, play games and start to build that music library that you have been promising your self. All this without having to invest a lot of your hard earned salary on a new computer.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Probably the first thing you want to think about before you start spending any money on getting a home recording facility together is, why do I want to record at home?

You probably already know the reason, but the clearer you are about this the better your results will be.

Do you want to just pick up your guitar on a whim and record the latest idea that’s passing by? Do you intend to record an album in its entirety at home and release it? Do you want to make podcasts to broadcast on the web? Do you want to ‘flesh out’ your musical ideas to get an idea of how the final product might sound. All are valid reasons for having your own home recording setup. Each one also suggests a particular amount of money you will need to spend to get the result you desire, and the amount of effort you need to expend making it happen.

What you will need.

From a basic standpoint you will need some way to record your performance or ideas – this could be into a Personal Computer[PC] or mac or onto a stand alone recorder. You’ll also need someway of getting the performance into the recording medium – whether that be via microphone or a piano keyboard. You will also need to find some way to ‘deliver’ your product – via mp3 mix/cd or podcast. All factors to consider as you set up you home studio.

What is best; Computer recording or stand alone?

I will confess that in my opinion and experience, the simplest and most effective way to record anything at home is with a stand alone recorder. Several years ago I recorded an entire album using Fostex DMT8, 8 tracks to do the lot- including backing vocals guitars and eveything. To those of you unfamiliar with what I mean by stand alone recorder then have a look at units from Fostex, Yamaha, Roland and others. In general they have a built in hard drive or media card which records data that you produce as a result of recording yourself. This can be as simple as engaging a ‘record’ button and playing or singing. There’s no fuss involved with this. Some of them also allow you to burn a CD at the end of the process so you can amaze your friends! There can be disadvantages as I will discuss later, but depending on your final aims as discussed earlier, you will make allowances for any shortcomings.

Recording onto a pc or Mac takes us into a more complex word, so if you’re not computer savvy, or prepared to engage in a long and sometimes frustrating journey I’d go with the stand alone unit.

Why is it more difficult to record into a PC?

Recoding into a PC has a minimum of 3 steps:

Input device-microphone/keyboard/turntable
Sound card-converts your ‘real world’ sound into computer language.
Recording software-does the job of ‘capturing’ your performance.

Once you have got your recording chain set up then it ‘can’ be as easy as using a stand alone unit, but to get to that point you have to deal with a number of factors-the #1 bugbear of most home computer recording nuts is a friendly tike called ‘latency’ .

Latency: ‘ something that is revealed later’.

For those not in the know, latency can be compared to hearing your voice echoing back from a canyon, heloooo-hellllllloooo. There is a gap between when you yell and when you hear your voice returned. If you plug in a microphone and set up your recording software and say the ubiquitous ‘hello’ you will get a similar effect!

Unless you invest in a super high end recording system such as ‘Pro Tools HD’, then this is something you need to work with as a home computer recording aficionado.

The reason we encounter latency is that the computer needs time to convert the analogue [physical sounds via electricity] into digital data; ones and naughts. With a good sound card this can take between 7 and 15 milliseconds [ yep that's 15 thousandths of a second] and then about the same number of milliseconds to convert it from a digital signal back into an electrical analogue system that we can usefully use to hear the sound coming out of the computer. Bare in mind that our ear ‘notices’ a sound as an echo at around the 50 millisecond mark [ more on this later] – so if we have a sound card with 25millisecond [ms] input delay and 25 ms output delay then our ear will perceive it as an echo- not much good to play along with as we will be out of time.

That’s pretty useless you might shriek, so how do people manage to do all this computer recording stuff at home? A-ha. Those clever people who make sound cards m-audio, Presonus, Yamaha etc have done something very clever, they instigated a process called ‘direct monitoring’.

Direct monitoring allows us to hear the incoming sound at its source- straight after you have plugged it in- instead of through the computer where you will pick up a substantive delay. You can still listen ‘though the computer’ if you choose, but in my experience it’s pretty distracting especially with large latency times. The other thing that your clever software program/soundcard combo will do is to record your new track in time with the others by making allowances for the current latency times.

In summary; For ease of use and less technology hassles get a stand alone hard disk recorder. For more complex productions consider getting a computer/soundcard/software combo, but be prepared for a sharp learning curve.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

One of the major promises that Microsoft and a lot of computer manufacturings have been making for years is to provide a PC type device that could integrate the home entertainment system with the home computer system. Now there’s good chance that this promise has finally reached fruition with the introduction of the Dell XPS 410 with ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner. There have been a lot of computer systems that have served as an attempt to meld the home entertainment system with the home computer dating back to the early nineteen nineties, but most of them have failed to catch on in any really big way. There are a number of common explanations for this, but the barriers have really all come down to the fact that people generally think of the computer as being a tool for getting work done that has its place in the home office while the TV and stereo systems are for relaxation and have their places in the living room. This has been reinforced over the years by the fact that computers tend to be much more complicated and difficult to set up and use than home entertainment equipment.

Quite a lot has changed over the past decade and a half though. While home computers have become increasingly user friendly and computer games and the Internet have made the home computer more of a medium for recreation, computer equipment has been sneaking its way into the home entertainment center. This can be seen in the fact that so much TV is transmitted over digital signals and when you get right down to it, Digital Video Recorders are just computers in diguise.

Now though, the Dell XPS 410 with ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner presents a realistic and well designed system that might just be what combines the home entertainment system with the home computer system for a wide variety of Americans. That’s because the Dell XPS 410 is the first mainstream computer system that has a digital tuner built into it. The inclusion of a digital tuner means that the Dell XPS 410 can serve as a digital video recorder, a task that its large hard drive and software based around the new Windows Vista operating system from Microsoft, not only make possible, but also make easy to use. To make the XPS 410 even better, it also has the ability to display and record High Definition TV content!

The Dell XPS 410 doesn’t just stop with its ability to display and record standard definition TV and HDTV from a digital cable feed. This system is also equipped with a Blu-ray drive that makes it possible to watch movies in High Definition Television format off of discs the same size as a conventional DVD or a compact disc. This combination of a Blu-ray player and a DVR is a big step forward. (No word yet on how well the Blu-ray drive plays with Microsoft software considering the fact that Microsoft supports the rival HD-DVD high def disc format.)

While we’re currently looking at a prototype of this system, it seems to be going in precisely the right direction.

A leader in technology reporting, Julia Hall has published articles about the latest digital devices and gadgets for over ten years. After graduating from MIT with a degree in electrical engineering, Julia turned down huge salaries from some of the most recognized fortune 500 companies in the world to pursue his dream of becoming a leading consumer advocate. Julia uses her expertise to cut through the too good to be true deals offered by high tech companies to reveal the real steals and the real duds that we’re bombarded with daily. If you enjoy staying on the cutting edge of whether for business or pleasure, but find yourself occasionally confused by the overwhelming information out there let Julia be your guide.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Broadband access to the Internet is becoming more and more of a necessity all the time in order to be effective in business and our personal lives. However, getting access- and maintaining that access wherever you go- isn’t always the easiest thing in the world to do. In some places getting on the Internet at a high speed is easy to do. For example, your office probably has a T1 connection, or if it’s a small business it may have a cable based high speed Internet connection or maybe even some form of DSL. If you take your work on the road with you; bookstores, coffee shops, hotel rooms, airports, libraries, and even some fast food restaurants can all offer wireless hot spots. But sometimes you need to connect to the Internet from other places like your car, a client’s home, or even the beach. There is a solution to this dilemma, and it’s the same solution that most mobile phones use to access the Internet. It’s called a 3G network and Cingular has an array of products that allow you to access what’s essentially a wide area, broadband wireless hot spot.

The most basic way to access the 3G network is to get a special wireless card that fits into an open slot in your lap top computer. With this option you’ll be able to get on the Internet when you have line of sight of a cell phone tower rather than just within the range of a wireless router. This greatly increases the number of areas in which you can get on the Internet. You’ll be able to access files form servers at work, program your DVR to record a great new TV show that you just heard about, check up on your home computer, and possibly even use a VOIP service through this kind of broadband connection in order to save money. (Though Cingular does let you bundle voice services with its 3G Internet access services.

Another way that you can get onto the 3G network is to simply connect your phone to your laptop and use it as a cellular modem. There are several ways to do this, but the major requirement in addition to the phone and the laptop is the service plan, special software- which is free to download- and some way of connecting the phone and the laptop. While you may use a USB cable or a serial cable, in some cases you’ll be able to use an infrared connection or Bluetooth technology for even more convenience!

Perhaps the most convenient way to take advantage of the 3G network is to have the cellular modem hardware built into your laptop itself. Right now you can get Dell and Sony laptops among others with 3G cellular modems built into them. Of course that’s probably the easiest way to get access to the Internet through your laptop no matter where you take it. That’s because anytime you try to install a new device in you’re laptop you can’t be one hundred percent sure that it will work, and even if you know how to coax it into working, there’s no guarantee that it will work smoothly. Having it installed in the factory will eliminate a lot of hassle.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

This is a question that MOST home computer users (Mac or PC) HAVE NOT asked themselves.

How do I backup my computer & What data do I need to backup?

In a business setting there are unlimited options that IT professionals have access to in order to backup up corporate data. Home users have many of those same options, but are completely unnecessary due to the amount of data that home users will be backing up.

When you backup a computer there are many different ways to do it and many files & folders that can be backed up. For this article we are only going to focus on the actually data files (word, excel, mp3’s, jpegs, etc.), and NOT everything else, such as the applications folder, the program files folder etc.

For a home user there is no need to backup everything on your entire hard drive. That will just take up too much time & get too expensive.

I suggest saving all of you data files to 1 spot, if you are a Microsoft Windows user, most software packages default saving your data to the My Documents folder. If you are a Mac user it defaults to only God knows where! Actually it usually defaults to the desktop).

Make a folder & name it something meaningful.

Call it something you will remember, like “Computer Backup” or “My Backup Files” or “Hey Stupid, Back Me Up!”

Next make sure you save all your important files to that folder. I repeat, put any data file in that folder that you work on and wish to save. You can default many of your files to save in that folder so you do not have to worry about clicking & dragging to the folder. If you are truly interested in getting FREE instructions on how to do that, visit one of my 2 sites listed in my bio and contact me through them. I will get back to you ASAP.

Once you have saved all your important files in that one folder, we have to decide how to physically move (copy) that folder off your existing computer hard drive. I have outlined 3 different ways this can be done, in no particular order of importance.

Your first option would be to purchase a USB Key (thumb drive etc, whatever you want to call it). These devices are an extremely cheap form of backup device. Purchase one at your local Best Buy, CompUSA, Radio Shack or online at Amazon. Bring it home, plug it in to your PC (or if you have a Mac, plug it in and pray the Mac recognizes it). The USB Key will be assigned a letter (ie E: ) in My Computer (Windows) or will show up as a mounted drive on the Mac. Open the USB Key up and copy and paste your “Computer Backup” folder to the drive. Once it is done copying, remove it from the computer and you have a safe data backup off of your existing computer hard drive.

Another computer backup idea would be to purchase an external hard drive (fire wire or USB cable) and plug that into your computer. You will need to treat the external hard drive just like the USB Key solution. The only difference is that there is more space available on the external hard drive than the USB Key. You can also purchase an internal hard drive and have it installed or if you are just purchasing a new computer, you can add one for a small amount of money. This will be treated just like your original hard drive, it will have a letter assigned to it (ie C or D) or it will be mounted to your desktop (Macs). The only problem is if your computer crashes you will need to contact an IT Professional or someone who can access that hard drive & reconstruct your OS.

The third idea for a computer backup solution would be to simply burn the data to a CD or DVD. This solution may take a little longer, depending on how much data you are backing up at once. It may also turn out to be the most expensive, of course depending on how many times you backup per month, week, etc.

There are many ways to perform a backup of your data on your home computer. I have outlined the 3 easiest & least expensive solutions for you to try.

You would be surprised how many people have actually never thought of backing up their data on their home computer. While working in the private business sector, supporting residential & commercial clients, I encountered 2 -3 customers per week who lost important files due to not having a proper computer backup plan in place.

Take action now! Save yourself heartache & frustration. Follow one of these three solutions TODAY! If you have more questions please visit one of my sites below or shoot me an email.

Good Luck.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

If you are looking for a convenient way to earn professional certification in computer repair, an online computer repair school may be the answer to your quest. Online schools allow you to study at your own pace for a diploma, certificate, or even a college degree in computer technology and computer repair, and you won’t have to give up your current job or meet any strict deadlines. Class is always in session, making online computer repair schools a safe bet for busy individuals.

Computer repair schools teach the technical and mechanical skills necessary for a career in the field. Studies cover the repair of computers and other electronic devices found in businesses and in homes everywhere. Students learn about installation, maintenance, and repair of office and home PCs as well as telecommunication systems, televisions, radar systems, industrial equipment, climate control systems, and medical diagnostic equipment.

Many campus-based computer repair schools also offer online diplomas and certification via the Internet. Students may opt to obtain Associate of Science (AS) degrees, Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees, and even Master of Science (MS) degrees from online computer repair schools. Graduates can sometimes choose a year or so of apprenticeship that will allow them to gain specialized knowledge and skills in computer sciences, giving students an additional opportunity to advance their career into major electronic systems.

Basic training in computer repair can also prepare you for further study, should you choose to move into advanced areas such as computer programming, software engineering, computer system analysis, information technology, or other career fields of electronics and engineering.

Online computer repair schools prepare graduates for jobs that will earn incomes of $20,000 to $30,000 in the first year of employment. Extensive experience and branching out into a specific field of electronics repair can eventually provide an even higher income.

If you are interested in learning more about Online Computer Repair Schools and other programs of study, please search our site for more information and resources.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

One of the factors of the modern world that has made home business so readily possible for the average Tom, Dick, or Harry is undoubtedly the internet-ready home computer. With direct and unbridled access to the rest of the world right from the comfort of your living room, there is, for many people, no longer any reason to waste the time and energy it takes to go into work at an office. And it’s not just employees who can stay at home; even small business franchise owners can run their operation entirely from a home office. For those who are interested in pursuing a career in this budding home market, here are 10 home based computer & internet businesses for sale that may be just your ticket.

1. WSI Internet

For 7 years straight, this franchise business has topped Entrepreneur Magazine’s list of the best computer & internet franchises, and more than 1500 franchisees around the globe would freely agree with their decision. This is potentially the world’s most trusted name in internet marketing consultation for small and mid-sized businesses, and the sizes of the various WSI Internet franchises are as varied as the clients that they serve, ranging from one-man, work at home operations to multi-employee outfits with their own office space. Whatever a franchisee wants to do, he has the room to do so with WSI Internet.

2. Nerd Force IT

A champion of the computer repair world, Nerd Force IT is an opportunity for a computer-savvy entrepreneur to begin an IT service business without having to start from scratch. With a full battery of training in business operation, marketing services, a call center and 24hr helpdesk for clients, and nearby technicians to help when business gets too heavy or you run into a computer issue you can’t solve, you have the opportunity to run your own business without ever having to go it alone.

3. Vehicle Tracking Solutions

There are very few companies that supply corporate car fleets with GPS tracking equipment and software, but this is one of them. As salesmen, Vehicle Tracking Solutions franchisees are in the business of tapping a huge market of companies with vehicles, only about 7% of which are currently equipped with similar tracking technology. And because business comes via sales to new clients and maintenance to old clients, there’s never a risk of losing cash flow.

4. L & W Investigations

Working from home from a computer doesn’t mean that you can’t actively pursue justice as a career, and L & W Investigations is proof of that. Working with insurance companies and law firms, L & W Investigations franchisees use the tools provided by the franchisor, as well as a team of investigators, to dig up the truth in cases of insurance fraud.

5. American Business Systems LLC

Medical billing is a big business, and one that often drives doctors crazy, because 30% of the time they don’t receive payment from insurance agencies, and even when they do, it can take up to 4 months for their payment to get to them. American Business Systems LLC, however, has developed a software system that brings the delay down to only 7-10 days and reduces the number of lost payments to only 7%. Franchisees do the work of billing from home, or wherever else they have access to a computer and the internet, and it won’t be long before the government mandates online billing, so the perfect time to get in on the business is now.

6. eSpider Squad

With so much of everyday life and business being translated to the internet, it’s no wonder that web marketing, website construction, and search engine optimization should be such a big deal to today’s businesses, but many smaller businesses haven’t quite caught up with that move to the web. eSpider Squad work from home franchisees turn that around by serving as the bridge between clients and a staff of central eSpider Squad web developers.

7. DVDNow

Vending machines are nothing new, but vending machines that shell out DVD rentals are, and DVDNow is one of the few American business opportunities that specialize in this up and coming business of entertainment and convenience. The beauty of the business is that it’s entirely automated; meaning that aside from putting in new releases and collecting deposited money, franchisees can sit back and let the machines make money for them.

8. The Photo Archival Company

If you like computers and photography, then this is the business for you. Clients hire The Photo Archival Company franchisees to take their old photos, digital pictures, and home videos and compile them into various digital and analog formats for collection and viewing purposes.

9. Virtuoso Music

This is where computers and music meet. Franchisees work within the local community to bring music instructors together with people who want to learn to play an instrument. They find tutees for local music classes, schedule appointments for independent tutors, communicate with clients, plan out community musical events like concerts and bar mitzvahs, and much more, all from behind their home computer screen.

10. Strategic Research Network

Companies of all shapes and sizes are looking for information. Whether they want contact info for potential job candidates or information on a competing company’s clients, it’s easier to hire an outside group to do the ground work than it is to have an in-house division to attend to it. And since franchisees who are a part of this home based business are the best at digging up information online, they are the outside group of choice when companies need some info-gathering.

All of these businesses provide great opportunities to make some money from the comfort of your own home with nothing but a computer and a modem. And the best part about them is the training that you receive. Regardless of your prior experience with computers, any one of these franchisors can teach you how to make your living the way they have.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

A quote you may recall: Advances in computer technology and the Internet have changed the way America works, learns, and communicates. The Internet has become an integral part of America’s economic, political, and social life. ~Bill Clinton. The author neglected to include that technology is an integral part of parenting and education. We as parents need to take advantage of the technology to better keep track of our kids.

Here are three tips of how to track your kids using technology.

1) Did you know you can keep track of your kids with a cell phone? More than one cell phone company offers this feature. I am going to tell you a little about the Verizon set up. With today’s technology of GPS (Global Positioning System) you can identify where your child is with a special plan called the “Chaperone” plan. Selected phones are required. Yet, this technology is amazing to me. You can visit the Verizon Wireless web site for more information. So, as your teenager spreads his or her wings, track them with your cell phone!

2) Many school districts have implemented a grading program in which we as parents can access our students’ progress at the click of the button. For any first grade through twelfth grade student, a website and access code is provided to parents to learn a child’s grades at any time of the parent’s convenience. If you are unaware of this information, contact your school administration and ask about this possibility. Now, your child cannot hide his academic accomplishments or challenges!

3) Schools are always adopting an updated technology oriented program. For example, a new math program my school adopted has a web site for parents and students. Your child has the opportunity to “play” on the computer math games specifically matched to the skills currently being learned in the classroom. Also, when your child has home work and needs a math tool, the web site may also have fun interactive and easy to use tools for your child. For example, the Macmillan/McGraw-Heath has a tool chest. If your child needs to practice making patterns, a pattern block program allows the child to build and create on the computer screen. As a parent, you can view what tools your child is using and see in a concrete way how well your child is learning. This also allows you to ask your child questions and track how your child progresses. This is the web site, McMillan/Mcgraw-Hill which you can see the example I have given.

For other school programs which may be designed like this one, contact your child’s teacher. This is just one example. Just think, you can take your child to a safe web site designed just for his or her learning level and have fun.

As we increase our understanding of learning, we can be more of the parent we desire for our children. We can reach forward and make a difference one day at a time. A quote to consider: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” (Margaret Mead)

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Computer users know that with their desktop comes a clutter of cords and plugs. When adding other hardware and components it is a good idea to consider going wireless. The best way to start off with using wireless components are computer speakers.

This new technology of wireless computer speakers will allow you to put your speakers in different areas of your room. You no longer need to have them clutter up your computer desk. These days you will have several choices when it comes to wireless speakers for you home pc. Each system with have different features and options to consider.

Some may prefer to position their speakers towards the front of the room while others prefer to place them towards the back of the room. When it comes to these computer wireless speakers you will have many choices to consider. Many of these speaker packages will vary on how many speakers come with each system.

Some of the high end ones will include up to seven speakers for a total surround sound experience. This type of system can really bring out the sound from your movies, video games, and music. You can also opt for the five speaker version which can also give you that theatrical experience with a couple less speakers. For you basic wireless pc speaker setup you can buy the 3 speaker setup which is good for your everyday music and video playback.

When it’s time to make your purchase you need to figure out which wireless system will work with your home computer. Some older computers may not be able to work with these newer wireless speakers. You should also consider in getting a system that utilizes Bluetooth technology so that obstructions that may be in your room will not affect the signal. Once you purchase a set of wireless speakers you will notice the great sound quality that these speakers produce. You can now enjoy your music collection and movies on your computer with greater clarity and sound.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

A good businessman will gladly accept wise counsel wherever and whenever he can get it, especially amidst a global economy elbow-deep in recession. Most methods that businesses use to stay afloat in recession involve increasing cash flow and decreasing expenses. As it happens, that is not a business strategy that is only useful in times of economic meltdown, but rather it’s the goal of most businesses all the time. Therefore, any wise advice a franchise businessman can pick up and put to use in recession will likely be useful in good financial seasons as well.

For those in computer franchises, trying to keep their heads above water, here are 10 bits of wisdom from those who have gone before you.

#1) Do What You Love

If you’re already well into your own IT franchise business, it may be too late to put this gem to work for you, but if you’re just looking into a business opportunity, this is essential to success and satisfaction: do what you love to do. It’s become sort of a cliché notion in recent years, but if you would be doing the work even if you didn’t get paid for it, it’s the perfect job for you; one that you won’t bail on when times get hard.

#2) Start While Still Employed

The last thing any new franchisee wants is to leave a current job, open a new business, and find that the market is doing so poorly that it may be a few months before turning a profit. With a franchise, that may be a rare event, but the fear can still be a reality, so don’t hesitate to ease yourself into a new profession by working part-time until it begins to take flight. Some franchises allow for part-time involvement, which will give you time to make a smooth and financially solid transition from one job into the next.

#3) Keep Your Skills Up-to-Date

The big issue in the tech industry is that it’s always on the move: growing, adapting, and evolving. It’s a hard industry to keep up with, but when you work in the field, you have to; otherwise you and your business become obsolete and risk being thrown onto the scrap heap. If for instance you operate a TeamLogicIT home based business, in order to constantly address your clients’ IT repair and protection needs, it’s vital to know what kind of new equipment is out, what new threats exist, and the best new repair practices. The franchisor often works to keep franchisees abreast of changes, but staying on top of industry magazines, websites, and manuals is a good idea too.

#4) Find Out What You’re Worth

A great mistake that many self-employed IT professionals make is not knowing what the practical value of their service is and, therefore, either charging clients too much or too little. Study businesses similar to yours and see what the going rate for your kind of work is so that you’re not turning clients away with outrageously high prices or killing your business with unrealistically low ones.

#5) Get Advantages Wherever Possible

Don’t forget that in recession, just as you are lowering prices to keep clients, your vendors need to do the same with you. It’s perfectly alright to ask them for special discounts on the equipment and parts that you need for operating your Computer Troubleshooters computer repair and retail shop. And if you can manage deals with local newspapers, trading IT services for advertising, do that too. Don’t be afraid to ask for deals and discounts on anything possible.

#6) Market to Your Area

Nerds We Can Fix That, a quintessential work from home computer repair business, is much like almost all franchises in that it comes complete with national advertising already at work and a fully established local marketing plan. Whether your franchise comes equipped with all that or not, it’s always a good idea to seek out more ways to market yourself in your area. The more people see your business name, the more business you’ll get.

#7) Always Carry Yourself Professionally

Especially when you operate a home business, it’s very easy to forget to keep a professional demeanor when you interact with a client. Though your primary work goal is to fix the customer’s technical dilemma, you are not serving the computer you’re working on; you’re serving the human client. As such, your intent is to please him, which includes proving to him that you’re a mature businessman, not just an oversized teenager who can crack open a computer tower.

#8) Hire People with Complementary Skills

When operating any kind of IT business, it’s important to hire people who can do what you can’t. This is the very reason that Nerd Force franchisees with no previous IT experience work with a staff of trained technicians who actually make the house calls; their skills complement the franchisee’s business leadership.

#9) Don’t Neglect Your People Skills

Working with computers takes very little charm or charisma, especially if you work at home, but working with people requires a lot of both. Even if you’re the one fixing machines every day, do whatever it takes to keep from losing your ability to relate to other human beings. People are the ones who pay you, not the computers.

#10) Prepare for the Bad Days

In the midst of recession, today might be a bad day, but it’s always possible for tomorrow to be worse, so don’t let up on saving money and prepping the business to survive a hypothetically disastrous day.

People in all industries are just a little shaky in light of the recession, but it seems that many tech professionals agree that this period of economic decline is not likely to damage the technology industry because so many other businesses rely on technology to survive. Put some of these IT business practices to use and there will likely be many years of success ahead of you.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

There are a lot of different services and companies out there that can provide you with various types of TV services. We’re all familiar with them. They provide TV over cables or over satellite signals, and many claim to be able to deliver TV over fiber optics (although that’s really just another form of cable TV). These companies also offer lots of extras that can be added onto their services. These extras include things like digital video recorders and various kinds of Interactive TV services.

One thing that a lot of people aren’t widely aware of though is that they can get a lot of these special features and technologies on their own without paying a company to provide those services to them. Of course anyone who wants to have TV programming that’s fairly current will have to subscribe to some kind of a service to bring it into their home, those who are computer literate, enjoy tinkering, and are creative with their tinkering and computer literacy can take a lot of control over how they watch TV while minimizing their reliance on the companies that provide the extras

The best type of product that allows self sufficient people to take control over how they watch TV is a stand alone digital video recorder. It’s actually a lot more accurate the call stand alone digital video recorders “media centers” instead of DVR’s. That’s because these devices tend to be much more like home computer systems than any other type of set top box. A digital video recorder is basically some modern TV electronics and a computer hard drive, all of which is controlled by some kind of operating system. A lot like a computer. These stand alone media centers take the resemblance of a digital video recorder to a computer a step farther. These media centers often contain a DVD player/burner and an operating system that can be accessed on the TV screen to the same extent that a computer’s operating system can be accessed. These devices also often have Ethernet ports, USB ports, and PS2 ports for keyboards and mice.

There are several implications to the similarity that stand alone DVR’s have to computers. The first is that it means that the TV screen can be used as a computer screen with all that implies. You’ll be able to surf the Internet from your couch and get work done on your TV. The fact that all of the video that’s recorded by the unit is placed on the computer’s hard drive means that you can manipulate it just like you would any other video on your computer. You can edit it to eliminate commercials and then burn it onto DVD’s for archiving. You can also tie these systems into your home stereo system for listening to music downloaded from the Internet.

If you have a fast enough Internet connection, these systems may even allow you to download the movies that you want to see and stream your favorite TV shows over the Internet. While it will be the rare person who actually willingly gives up their TV subscription in order to watch TV over the Internet, media centers definitely make it possible!

If you’re the type of person who wants complete control over how you watch TV, than a media center may be exactly what you need.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

This question is asked more and more as the pace of technological change has accelerated. Greater speed, power, inter-connectedness etc. can produce all sorts of obvious benefits. We visit distant places quickly and cheaply thanks to jet airplanes. We have access to cheap, reliable power in our homes and in our cars. With the computer revolution, we can create, manage, transfer and store vast amounts of data in ways that would have been unimaginable to earlier generations.

But with those benefits have come come very serious drawbacks. The jet that can whisk you to Hawaii or Paris can also be used to kill thousands of people and inflict billions of dollars of damage. Cheap power is often generated by unsafe, polluting plants. Computer technology and the internet can be used to invade out privacy and spread false information around the world at the click of a mouse.

“What is the best use of technology?” is certainly an important question, one that probably deserves a good deal more attention. But there is another, related, question that is rarely asked, one that may ultimately be far more important:

“How do we make the best use ourselves as we live our lives employing these new technologies?”

Take our interaction with computers. I first saw computers being routinely used in the mid-1960s by ticket agents in airports. A third of a century later, they are everywhere – at work, in schools, at home.

By the early 1980’s there was increasing talk of Video Display Terminal (VDT) problems with eyes, neck pain etc. Terms like repetitive stress injury(RSI) and carpal tunnel syndrome entered our everyday language. It became commonplace to see people walking around with special braces for their lower arms and wrists. Surgery is increasingly a last resort.

Why did this happen? Was it faulty computer and furniture design? This is what ergonomists have argued and a whole industry has sprung up to re-design the work environment to make injuries less likely. Countless magazine and newspaper articles give ergonomically-inspired advice on proper sitting, screen and keyboard placement etc.

But the RSI epidemic continues unabated nonetheless. Why?

I believe the principal reason is our failure to look closely at ourselves and how we function as we go through life – our failure to ask ourselves “How am I using myself as I drive, as I walk, as I clean the dishes? As I use my computer?”

The best ergonomic design will do nothing to prevent RSI if we are using ourselves badly. And if we are using ourselves well, we can function without undue strain even in difficult, awkward situations. Ergonomic solutions are not useless but they are only a part of the solution.

So how can you learn to use yourself more efficiently? Is there a proven method one can learn?

The work of F. Matthias Alexander, today commonly referred to as the Alexander Technique, is just such a method. It has a long history of helping people with precisely the sort of stress-related issues that more and more people today are facing. The whole question of how we use ourselves is precisely what Alexander spend his life’s work on. Indeed his third book was titled “The Use of the Self”.

The introductions to this and two other books by Alexander were written by Professor John Dewey. Dewey was America’s most famous philosopher and a leading proponent of the school of philosophy known as Pragmatism. He was also very influential in the development of American education in the first part of the last century. He is sometimes called “The father of American education.”

Dewey knew from firsthand experience that Alexander’s ideas and teaching method (today carried on my thousands of teachers worldwide) was of the utmost importance to us all as we faced the challenges of rapid technological change.

In his 1932 introduction to “The Use of the Self” he wrote:

“In the present state of the world, it is evident that the control we have gained of physical energies, heat, light, electricity, etc., without having first secured control of our use of ourselves is a perilous affair. Without the control of our use of ourselves, our use of other things is blind; it may lead to anything.”

“If there can be developed a technique which will enable individuals really to secure the right use of themselves, then the factor upon which depends the final use of all other forms of energy will be brought under control. Mr. Alexander has evolved this technique.”

This wasn’t just an abstract notion with Dewey. In his book “Freedom to Change”, the late Frank Pierce Jones of Tufts University wrote of a conversation he had with Dewey a few years before he died:

“(Dewey) said that he had been taken by (the Alexander Technique) first because it provided a demonstration of the unity of mind and body. He thought that the demonstration had struck him more forcibly than it might have struck someone who got the sensory experience easily and quickly, because he was such a slow learner. He had always been physically awkward, he said, and performed all actions too quickly and impulsively and without thought. ‘Thought’ in his case was saved for ‘mental’ activity, which had always been easy for him. It was a revelation to discover that thought could be applied with equal advantage to everyday movements.

“The greatest benefit he got from lessons, Dewey said, was the ability to stop and think before acting. Physically, he noted an improvement first in his vision and then in breathing. Before he had lessons, his ribs had been very rigid. Now they had a marked elasticity which doctors still commented on, though he was close to eighty-eight.”

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

With the technology boom stirring up new waves every day, computers have taken a residence in the daily lives of most people, both young and old. There are many options ranging from hand held devices, netbooks, laptop notebooks and the tried and true personal computer. Though it seems that it is becoming the norm to carry a computer of some sort at all times, these portable devices cannot perform with the same strength and agility that a home desktop computer can at the same price point. Picking out a desktop computer may seem like old hat, but just as the face of laptops and netbooks are changing, so is the function of the traditional desk top.

Before picking out a desktop, one must first determine the purpose and use for the computer and the performance that will be expected of it. For business use or media use, memory and processing needs to be bigger and faster in comparison to a home computer, which is used mostly for viewing pictures, surfing the web, playing music and creating documents. If gaming however is on the agenda, a faster computer is recommended, as screen lag can become a problem in slower technology. The number of central processors in the computer determines much of these ratios. Though a single is perfectly fine for normal home use, two or more gives a desktop the ability to handle more programs at one time, with speed and efficiency.

Memory and hard drive space are two more components to review before purchasing a desktop computer. Just a few years ago, measuring with gigabytes blew the minds of many techies. Now, terabytes are breaking onto the scene with more to offer than ever before. However, for the average home user, a 500 GB hard drive and 1 GB of memory is more than enough space to perform and operate everyday functions.

Once processing speed and memory are taken care of, it’s important to consider the available add-on options and features. Most windows operating PC’s will offer a trial version of Microsoft Office, though many consumers purchase this package before ever getting their computer out of the box. Anti-Virus software is a must, considering identity theft is through the roof. Other additions could include a DVD burner, Blu-ray player, digital sound, web cam, graphics card, wireless mouse, wireless keyboard, multiple USB ports, card readers or an over-sized monitor. It is no longer unusual to see a twenty-one inch monitor on a desktop computer.

For the novice, purchasing a desktop can be overwhelming. Make sure to shop around and compare prices, as there are specials run daily not only in brick and mortar stores, but on Internet websites and stores as well. Whether online, or in the store, it is important to purchase a computer with full understanding of the purchase, including warranty information and return policies. The desktop is far from obsolete, and is in a market all its own. With competition increasing daily, efficiency and aesthetic appeal are constantly growing, making consumers happier with their choice to purchase a desktop computer.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Businesses, especially larger businesses, and academic institutions have long enjoyed the luxury of having computer networks with shared folders. This shared folders can be a great resource when it comes to sharing data among different users or allowing users to move fluidly among different work stations. That’s because these shared folders are accessible from any computer. For example, if an employee wants to share a document with another employee, instead of taking the trouble to send it as an email attachment or putting it on a floppy disc or USB drive and carrying it over to the other computer, it can just be dragged and dropped from its own folder to the shared folder on the computer’s desktop. Then employee number two can just pull it out of the shared folder and use it on his or her own computer. This also makes it easy to back up files- again, just drag and drop the file that needs to be backed up into the shared folder. It’s even possible to have multiple shared folders, one for collaborative projects, on for random documents that need to be backed up, and one for each individual employee to make it easy for employees to switch work stations are all possibilities.

Now, thanks to Hewlett Packard’s media vault, it’s possible to have the same kind of networking in your home. The media vault is essentially a server that can be tied into your home computer network. It serves as a repository for backing up data and sharing documents in different folders just like is mentioned above. Like the kind of a server you’d find as part of a well done local area network in a business, the Media Vault can even be administered in such a way as to make it so that less computer literate members of a household can’t accidentally delete important documents.

Unlike a lot of the servers used in the business world the Media Vault is very user friendly. For example, it’s easy to have all of the shared folders mapped out on each computer on the network. It’s also easy to back up various kinds of files to prevent data loss.

If data back up is really the order of the day, it’s also very easy to install a RAID array in the empty port of the Media Vault. While the empty port is designed to add capacity by installing another hard drive, a RAID array will automatically back up whatever is on the first drive for an extra level of protection against the failure of one of the drives. Of course it’s also possible to add another hard drive.

The Media Vault comes in two versions. One has a storage capacity of three hundred gigabytes and the other can store as much as five hundred gigabytes of data. Of course, it’s possible to expand the larger model up to a total of one point two terabytes!

The real beauty of the Media Vaults is that they can stream music and video to home entertainment system components with the right adapters. This will allow you to watch Internet video on your living room TV screen and to listen to digital music on your home stereo system. In other words, HP’s Media Vaults go way beyond the normal capacities of home computer networks!

A leader in reporting, Julia Hall has published articles about the latest digital devices and gadgets for over ten years. After graduating from MIT with a degree in electrical engineering, Julia turned down huge salaries from some of the most recognized fortune 500 companies in the world to pursue his dream of becoming a leading consumer advocate. Julia uses her expertise to cut through the too good to be true deals offered by high tech companies to reveal the real steals and the real duds that we’re bombarded with daily. If you enjoy staying on the cutting edge of technology, whether for business or pleasure, but find yourself occasionally confused by the overwhelming information out there let Julia be your guide.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Once, the thought was that only businesses had a need to use computers. Therefore, computer literacy was not necessary or required of the layperson. The average person only needed to learn and do what their corporate or organizational bosses told them.

Outside of work, a desktop (personal) computer was simply the next new electronic gadget for the home. A personal computer was for convenience and fun, and not a necessary requirement of everyday living.

Now days, if you lack computer knowledge and skills you may start to suffer low self-esteem, especially when you see the young and the elderly possessing such skill and knowledge.

You now find the use of computer technology in almost everything you do – all day, everyday. In fact, some high-end automobiles seem to require more than a little understanding of computer technology in order to understand the car’s operational and programming functions.

Banks and other financial institutions may soon require some activities to take place on-line (for example, receiving e-bank statements), or you will pay a fee for an alternate method such as postal mail.

The younger you are the more difficulties you will experience in the future, if you do not possess a working (and constantly increasing) knowledge of computers. Improve your computer literacy and your self-esteem will certainly improve.

Those in the fifty plus generation, due to longer life expectancy, may also have trouble if they do not become computer literate.

In addition to self-esteem and lifestyle reasons, there are two other reasons why you should become computer literate.

Mental Health:

Studying computers will stimulate and challenge your mind. Learning all about computers will force your mind into a higher level of mental activity. In so doing, you strengthen brain cells and nerve connections. As a result, you maintain a higher level of mental alertness longer into your later years. Vigorously exercising your mind, regardless of age, is necessary for long-term mental health, and for living a more vigorous and fulfilling life.

Increase your computer literacy. Create a desire to learn all you can about computers. You could start by taking a class at a senior plus center or the continuing education division of a local college or university, or simply self teach. It is never too late to start.

Money:

a) The more you know about computers the more valuable you become to your employer. Your increased value could lead to job security and perhaps promotional opportunities.

b) Earn extra income by helping others with their computer problems. More and more people are buying computers. A fast growing trend is the need for inexpensive home visits to assist people (an aging population) with understanding computers, solving a wide range of computer problems, setting up a home computer network, and internet security.

Now you have it! Whether you become computer literate for reasons of lifestyle, mental health, to make money, to improve your self-esteem, or any other reason, you ultimately benefit. You cannot lose.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

The universal acceptance of computers into our daily lives, both at work and at home, has decreased the image of computer users as being “geeks.” The word geek itself has evolved a bit – going from meaning a socially inept person who gets along better with computers than people, to someone who is an expert with computers, a guru even. In fact, many computer service companies utilize the name geek in their nomenclature because of this new meaning.

Not everyone who is proficient in using a computer is a geek, but there are people out there who are so interested in computers and so well versed in them, they wear the title geek with pride. Many of these people may not have had formal training. They’ve been playing with computer hardware, or software since they were ten years old. So what should you do if you have this kind of computer knowledge? A few years ago, it was very easy to get a well paying computer job, without any post secondary education. Advances in technology, the dot-com implosion and wider acceptance of technology doesn’t make it so easy any more. The good news is, you don’t need a four year degree to secure a well paying job in the computer field. Even if you’re not a self professed computer geek, if you have an interest in a computer career, here are some good fields to study.

Computer Networking

Computer networking jobs entail designing, repairing and maintaining PC networks, usually in a business setting. There is no industry standard for software, but Microsoft dominates, with Novell taking a distant second place. Cisco dominates the category in hardware routers. Courses of study available include A+ (basic computer hardware), MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer), MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator), Novell Netware and Cisco Certification.

Career positions in this category include network design, network administration and network security. Depending on the employer, a computer networking professional may do all, or some of these duties.

Computer Security

Computer security is another growing field. Many businesses have created networks, websites and become reliant on computer technology, without employing safeguards to protect their data. There are many malevolent computer geeks out there who attack systems, or software for fun, curiosity or profit. Data extortion is now a common organized crime method for the Russian mafia!

Security violations have created new careers in network security and software development. Courses of study are mainly in Microsoft products and software development languages like Visual Basic, C++, .net, compiler and assembly languages.

Career positions in this category include network security, software programming, web design, web development and website administration (server side).

Databases

The acceptance of computers into business has created a great demand for databases. Almost every industry has a need for databases for marketing, client retention and daily operations. Industries such as banking, insurance, hospitals and utilities absolutely rely on them. Terrorism threats have created new laws, like the Patriot Act, that require a database of all foreign nationals who enter the country.

Creation of these databases relies on software, mainly developed by Oracle for large scale databases, Microsoft SQL for web based applications and Microsoft Access for smaller scale and custom applications.

Jobs in the database category include data architects, database administrators and information systems managers.

The information age has created a wealth of career opportunities for computer geeks, elevating their status as knowledgeable professionals and compensating them well financially. If you’re a computer geek, or would like to become one, a career in any of these professions can be obtained in less than two years of study. www.top-colleges.com.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Have you considered installing a security system in your home? If you haven’t, you may be amazed at the high-tech capability these systems now offer. Take a second look, if you’re interested in adding security, insurance savings and value to your home.

Some of the most exciting ways home security systems have improved over the past few years have to do with digital technology. For example, because cellular phones are replacing landline phones in many households, it was necessary to develop a way for those homes to be monitored by an alarm system.

The issue is that traditional security systems transmit signals to a monitoring station via a telephone line. Most major alarm system companies, such as Honeywell, now offer digital cellular transmitters to transmit your alarm signal either when your land line phone service has been interrupted or in households with cellular service only.

Something else you may be wondering about, with most major telephone service carriers moving away from analog equipment, is the ability of home security systems to interface with digital telephone networks. The alarm system industry has once again kept up with the times and this shift in technology is built into modern systems.

If you’re considering a security system, you can also be reassured by the sophisticated computer networks supporting today’s home security companies. Home security firms practice some of the best systems redundancy and backup measures in any industry.

Whether they’re communicating with emergency personnel or monitoring thousands of homes, the cutting edge computer technology these companies employ insures a net of safety for their customers.

Another development that opens the door to home alarm system monitoring for more homes comes through wireless technology. In homes where attic access prevents hardwiring upper floors for a home alarm system, wireless technology allows those inaccessible areas to be monitored.

One more way today’s high-tech alarm systems have become a possibility for more homeowners is through the advent of “pet immune” capability. With most major alarm systems, this amazing technology allows pets under forty pounds to roam freely through a home that’s fully secured. Major alarm system manufacturers even offer upgrades that accommodate larger animals.

Here’s what all this means to you, a homeowner in today’s fast-changing world: the security alarm industry is committed to staying up-to-date so you’ll be protected. From the minute you set your alarm system, state-of-the-art technology is guarding you and your home. That makes installing a security system one of the smartest long-term investments you can make.

Whether you live in an urban metropolis like Houston or Chicago, or you’re nestled into a quiet suburban home, installing a home security system increases the value of your home while giving you peace of mind. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! What you’ll find is that today’s high-tech combinations of burglar and fire protection offer dependable digital technology built with the future in mind.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Computers are an amazing piece of technology that has completely changed the ways that we live. With computers, we can now do things that were once unthinkable.

We can order groceries from home, purchase airline tickets, interact with people, meet future spouses, play games, listen to music, watch movies, and a million other things.

Unfortunately, with ever evolving better technologies to enhance the computer experience, one must keep up with ever evolving computer technology.

Computers are something that can very easily be upgraded. RAM, Hard Drives, and other hardware pieces are fairly easy to remove and replace with updated technology. But why just settle for upgrades?

Computers are becoming so cheap that one can easily buy a brand new computer for sometimes cheaper than it would cost for an upgrade. A new computer will speed up just about every process and activity that you may do on a computer. Games will load and play faster, CDs and DVDs can be burned easily, Windows will load up applications quicker, etc.

If you don’t want to buy a new computer, there are several options one can do to make their current computer faster. You can delete temp files to clean up hard drive space and then defrag your hard drive.

To delete temp files:

1. Open Internet Explorer and click on Tools
2. Click on Internet Options
3. On the General Tab, in the middle of the screen, click on Delete Files
4. You may also want to check the box “Delete all offline content”
5. Click on OK and wait for the hourglass icon to stop after it deletes the temporary internet files
6. You can now click on Delete Cookies and click OK to delete cookies that websites have placed on your hard drive.

To clear the Internet History in IE:

1. Open Internet Explorer and click on Tools
2. Click on Internet Options
3. On the General Tab, in the middle of the screen, click on Clear History
4. Click OK

To clean up other temporary files on your computer in Windows 98 or higher:

1. Click Start, Programs (or All Programs), Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup
2. Choose the correct drive usually C:
3. Check the boxes in the list and delete the files

After this is done, if you’d like to defrag, you can do this:

1. Open My Computer.
2. Right-click the local disk volume that you want to defragment, and then click Properties.
3. On the Tools tab, click Defragment Now.
4. Click Defragment.

There are literally dozens of other ways to speed up your computer. But deleting temp files and defragging is one easy way to speed up your hard drive. If you want that doing these tricks doesn’t really help, then you can always buy a new computer, for real cheap.

Another tip to speed up your computer, that does cost some money, is to run ScanDisk. This will find any problems with your hard drives and / or Windows and will help run you computer more smoothly.

1. Press the Start button.
2. Click My Computer.
3. Highlight the disk which you want to scan for bad sector on the list of Hard Disk Drives.
4. Open the File menu and select Properties
5. Select the Tools tab.
6. Click the Check Now button.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

The multimedia technology has brought numerous exciting career options in this age of information technology. One of such vocations is video game design which has become very much popular today. This article offers glimpses on the field of computer technology and various related courses that make video game creation possible.

It is everybody’s desire to have a career, where there is a fair combination of work and fun. Summer computer camps offer such opportunity and video game design program is one of such fine field where you can experience the fun while working.

As parents, you must have noticed that after finishing their home-work, children do not like to waste a single moment to play. It is because of technology that they have started playing video games. In addition to this, their curiosities of knowing something more does not stop them think of creating and designing video games for themselves. Many camps have therefore started running video game design programs to meet the interest of children.

If you go deep into how these video games are designed then the first thing you can do is to find out the summer camps that offer such types of computer-based courses. As video game design is made possible because of computer technology, computer camps can rightly be the preferred option of your search.

Video game design is not created by a single expert alone; it is definitely a team work. The team may include animators and character artists who are responsible for developing characters required in the game. They prepare 3-D objects and elements so that the game looks like real. These characters work and play in the game by computer programming like C++ or Java. After that, there are level designers who create diverse levels in the game. Sound editors then give sound-effects to the game. The menu of the game is designed by the interface designers. In this way, such different artists play key-role in the making of a video game!

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

People who buy computers are forever caught in the upgrade loop. By the time you open the box on a new computer, the thing becomes obsolete. This is because computers and related equipment are constantly undergoing upgrades.

This fact can cause a pretty hefty hit to the wallet if you plan to keep up with the ever expanding demands of computer technology. This can be especially true if you need to buy a desktop, laptop or other items for a small business.

There is however, a solution to this maddening cycle.

Computer Equipment leasing

Although leasing computer equipment can be more expensive in some ways than buying a system, in other ways, it is extremely beneficial.

The major advantages

- You can stay on the cutting edge of computer technology. Leases last between 3-5ears which is the basic cycle of IT related upgrading.

- You can replace faulty equipment and have it serviced, something you may not be able to do with a computer that you own.

- Leased computers come with 1 800 Call Center numbers. In other words, if something happens to your computer you can call to have an IT tech walk you through fixing the problem. With an outright purchase you have to pay for this service. With a lease, the feature generally comes with the computer.

- You won’t have to worry about depreciation factors, since you would be cycling the computer every 3-5 years depending on your leasing agreement.

- You will be able to try different computers, programs and brands, even swapping out certain items, like monitors or printers, at your discretion.

- You can spread out payments over time as opposed to paying a lump sum of money all at once.

- Depending on the agreement, you can get your computer or equipment replaced if something happens to it.

How to lease computer equipment

Now that you’re interested in leasing equipment, you wonder how to get started. Well, the first thing you may wish to do is perform an online search for a company that offers this service. Once located, you can call them for direct quotes.

If you want to lease a specific brand, you can also call the manufacturer first to see if they offer “direct leasing”.

What to expect

Most leasing firms offer a contract where a monthly fee is established. The fee will depend on how many months the computer is leased for. Obviously, leasing will be more expensive in the long run, but when you consider the add-on’s you are getting, the extra fee is well worth it.

Be sure to ask about various options, such as if you’ll have the ability to upgrade or renew your computer at the end of the lease agreement. New terms may be established at that time.

Types of equipment leased

There are several different types of equipment besides computers that can be leased for your business or home office. The equipment you choose will depend on your needs and wants at the time of leasing.

The items most often leased are:

- PC and MAC desktops

- Notebooks and lap tops

- Monitors and

- Printers

Parts and accessories can also be leased depending on the company and the contract. All items could be subject to warranties.

Home and Business offices benefit

Whether you are a small business or a telecommuter with an in home office, you can greatly benefit from leasing equipment as opposed to purchasing a computer outright. Before you make a final decision in this regard, make sure you shop around for the best deal. Ask questions and do your homework, taking nothing for granted.

By taking time to get exactly what you want from a computer lease arrangement, you’ll obtain an office that is ever expanding, keeping you ahead of the game in your chose field.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Computers and the internet are becoming more relevant to distance learning (and traditional) courses, but some of the tools available for today’s distance courses are not particularly futuristic or advanced. By looking at synchronous and asynchronous technologies, this article aims to give an overview of all the ways students can be taught and instructed on distance learning courses today.

The two primary synchronous methods for distance learning are Videoconferencing and Web Conferencing. Videoconferencing in education allows two sets of people (usually a lecturer and group, or two groups, or one on one) to see each other and communicate in real time. In simple terms these are very similar to traditional conferences, lectures, or seminars, but the method is notable for the savings made on travel and the great distances that can be crossed with little delay. Additionally, with the advent of broadband, videoconferencing is now often done over the internet.

Web conferencing is similar, though with less of a focus on speaking and seeing others and instead using an instant message style format. The principals are the same, but web conferencing is often preferred today due to the technology being cheaper (no cameras or microphones), and a speedier connection between users.

Today, one of the regarded benefits of distance learning is the fact that the student can complete his/her studies where and when she wants to. Consequently, courses have been adapted to accommodate asynchronous technologies. In the past, audio and video cassettes containing instructions by institutions and lecturers were posted to students, however today, equivalent instruction can be e-mailed as easily with the necessary media, photos, or texts attached.

Further asynchronous advancements have been made with the introduction of forums and wikis to distance education. Forums are instantly communal and very simple to use, allowing work to be viewed and discussed easily. Separate threads can be established by each user and can concern texts, problems, classes, and fun issues – as well as being easy to monitor by a teacher or lecturer. Wikis follow a similar principal, but are typically intended for available viewing of outside users. They can be a good incentive for students to work together and maintain an informative collection of simple factual web pages, with the intention of teaching students to strive in the quality of their work – particularly when they know it can be viewed by the public.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

In the fast breeding world of computer technology where each new day brings something new to the world in IT, it is extremely essential to make sure that one stays well versed with technology so as to avail quality support. In the World Wide Web, where one can manage huge database with a click of a mouse, getting the best computer helps in remaining at the top of one’s business. In the online world of business, computer has facilitated easy Ecommerce solution that provides a great platform to both buyer and seller. In case one is planning to buy a new desktop computer or a laptop for home or office use, one can check out from a huge range of computers that come with state of the art technology and advanced software solution that makes it must have utility.

While going for the laptop, it is essential to keep 5 basic points in mind such as its size, hard drive, memory configuration, network connectivity and last but not the least its price. For all those who are looking for lightweight laptops, size is the most essential feature that has leads to portability and ultra lightweight design. For frequent users who store huge amount of data in their computer, one can go for enhanced hard drive that supports easy storage of database.

For music lovers love to store their music collection on their computer, one can go for 60 GB or a bigger hard drive as per one’s like. Similarly, the memory of RAM configuration depends upon the utility. In terms of price, it depends upon the kind of features installed in the laptop. Well, if you are going for desktop computer, it is essential to have a clear idea about the use- home or office. Once one has a clear idea about the requirement, one can go forth with the purchase of the desktop. With the arrival of fast processors, make sure you get the best quality and fast speed processor. In terms of operating system, Windows XP or Vista can be best accompaniment to your computer. One should always remember that RAM and operating system is the backbone of a perfect system, so while choosing computer, make sure you know about its system integration that includes both software and hardware.

In terms of price, same as in the case of laptop, a desktop PC comes can be costly depending upon its software and hardware integration. So, the next time you plan to purchase a new computer, make sure you look for the best software and hardware integration that helps you in finding the best computer or laptop at affordable price. One can check out online buyers to know more about various branded computers and make an easy estimate of its price. This helps in comparing the price and choosing the best computer at an affordable price. In case of assembled solutions, it is essential to verify the originality of the computer accessories so as to buy a genuine product.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

By the time your child is a toddler, he has probably figured out how to turn on the television, DVD player, and your home computer, and imitates you by banging on the keyboard. Toddlers love to “talk” on the telephone and point the remote control at anything, and can’t escape the flood of technology that is present in our society today. Since you cannot keep this technology from young children, how do you go about teaching your children how to use it? What age is appropriate for teaching children about technology, and what are the benefits?

Infants and Toddlers

There is an abundance of technological toys available for even the youngest of children, including interactive language-teaching tools, but they may not be developmentally appropriate for the younger-than-pre-school set. In fact, the

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reports that “while a market for computer software designed specifically for toddlers and young children continues to grow, little is known about the actual impact of this new technology on children’s developing minds and bodies.” While it probably doesn’t hurt to expose your child to safe technological toys, as a parent, you should consider whether there is any real benefit to replacing your reading to and talking to your little one with technology. Because human interaction is crucial, and you need to assist your child in developing his social skills, technology may be inappropriate at this age.

Three to Eight Year Olds

As children get older, though, parents should think of technology as a tool, one in an array of learning materials that children may use, but that parents control. Remind your child that there are many benefits to technology, but that, without active human participation, the benefits are negligible.

Determine the difference in active learning, in which a child interacts with software, and passive learning, in which children are presented with the on-screen equivalent of a fill-in-the-blank worksheet. Technology that encourages active learning is much more likely to teach children new skills.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), offers some excellent suggestions for determining what software is good for children. If the software “uses pictures and spoken instructions rather than written ones so that children will not need to ask for help, [allows] children [to] control the level of difficulty, the pace and direction of the program,” and “children receive quick feedback, so they stay interested,” then you’ve likely found a suitable program that will engage your children and build their computer literacy and verbal literacy skills. Look for software that encourages children to use their imagination and that appeals to their sense of sight and sound.

Keep a Balance

Because you are a parent, you are your child’s first teacher, and you have a great deal of influence over what your child learns. Stay involved in the sorts of computer activities in which your child participates. There are many websites out there designed for children, and many of them have superb learning games that keep children engaged and sharpen their skills.

Technology should be part of a balance, though, of a larger learning environment. While your child will enter an academic and work world in which technology is an integral part, and he should be exposed to technology as part of his education, don’t let technology use come at the expense of reading, social interaction, and physical exercise.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

For centuries, the systems of communications throughout the world have been
swiftly evolving.

In the 1400s, the printing press created the ability for mass publication
and circulation of literature, opening the door for the Christian gospel to
reach around the world through books, tracts and the Bible itself. During
the late 1800s, the telegraph and telephone were invented, further spreading
the opportunities for Christian evangelism. In the mid 20th century, radio
and television further advanced that possibility. Now, in the 21st century,
we can literally reach millions live through streaming video. For the
Christian evangelist, there is a truly awesome marriage of religion and
technology.

Bishop E. Bernard Jordan, Founder and Chief Prelate of Zoe Ministries, is a
paradigm of this shift from the pew to cyberspace. From the simple input of
information into a database, to carrying religion into all of the world
through technological advances such as live streaming, Bishop Jordan has
moved his ministry from drawing hundreds of people to the pews of the local
church, to drawing millions of people to witness and experience his
prophetic ministry through the wonder of computer technology.

His parishioners now have access to the prophetic ministry 24 hours a day,
seven days a week, whether through teachings and messages concerning God,
spirituality and prophecy, or through the ability to purchase books,
teachings and music. According to the Bishop, “Because of the blessing
that computer and internet technology represents, my parishioners are now
only a ‘click’ away from God; they are only a ‘click’ away from the
prophetic word.” His outreach is truly interactive via special Faith Chat
sessions during live services on Sundays, Tuesday evenings, and Thursday
evenings.

Whether it is Jane Danielsen of Denmark, who views the live streaming
telecasts weekly, Lillian Holmgaard of Denmark, who gathers people together
in her community around the computer to view the live telecasts; Carl Ameho
from South Korea who views the telecast several times throughout his day to
experience the power of prophecy or Frans Zegers of the Netherlands who
faithfully views the Power of Prophecy telecast, Bishop Jordan’s
parishioners are in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Africa
and throughout the world.

There is a growing need for leaders in the Church to expand their ministry
and to reach larger groups of people all around the world. The world is
waiting eagerly to hear the spiritual truths that have been burning in the
hearts and minds of many pastors, preachers, evangelists and prophets.
People are in need of an answer, yet the fact is many do not want to
physically go to church. Yet these people are hungry for the word of God.
Therefore, spiritual leaders of all faiths must now open their minds to the
use of the Internet, live streaming and other advanced forms of technology
to get their message to the world.

If Jesus, Buddha or Mohammed were to bring their message in this day, they
would use the most advanced means of technology available to communicate
their message to as many people as they could reach.

There is a growing concern in urban America about the accessibility of this
powerful and relatively inexpensive technology. Only 25% of
African-Americans appear to be functional in the information age. This
alarming figure can be attributed mainly to the fact that there are more
black males in prison than in college. Many are blue collar workers, whose
jobs limit their access in the arena of technology. Perhaps religion could
possibly bring more exposure to the importance of computers and advanced
technology to a community that has been frozen out of the information age.
If they know that their favorite preacher is available on the Internet via
live streaming, and they have the ability to interact with him/her from the
comfort of their home, what a milestone that could be! With the ability to
download sermon messages at no charge, make online donations, and personally
interact with the preacher by way of the Internet.

In the last five years, Zoe Ministries has lost 80 percent of its local
congregation (pew members), but has doubled its revenue through the faithful
partners worldwide who access the ministry through the most powerful means
of technology available, the Internet. Religion and technology must make
sense. Both areas must merge if we are going to reach the world with the
gospel. To those who espouse this philosophy, the 21st century will become
an age where technology is integrated into religion by allowing people to
have their religious experience by way of the Internet. A “soul” used to be
defined as the person we could see, but now we are discovering that a “soul”
is the person whom we cannot see.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

People in the high-tech industries don’t like to demonstrate knowledge of older technology. In some circles of the computer field such knowledge actually carries a stigma!

There are valid arguments for using NEW technology whenever possible. Older technology at whatever level is a mixture of elegance and crudeness, with old questions answered and new questions left unanswered, problems left unsolved. Newer technology answers some of those new questions, solves some of those problems, and so it makes sense to move on from there instead of living and working as though those questions were never answered. It just makes common sense to move beyond early stages of development when the opportunity is there, and especially if the marketplace demands it. Most young people (and a lot of old people, too) tend to take this view, and lace it with scorn for the old.

As a result, some people will avoid mention of older stuff except in a disparaging sentence.

How far should we carry this attitude? Is E = mc² (discovered about 80 years ago) out of date? Is c² = a² + b² (determined around 2,500 years ago) old-fashioned? Or are these timeless principles? Granted, these are abstractions (rather than technology), but so is Object-Oriented logic.

Campers sometimes use gaslights on their trips through woods. In a gaslight a piece of material is burned to an ash, and the ash glows brightly as gas burns in it. I saw streetlights on a historic street on Boston’s Beacon Hill that used gas in that way. I remember thinking, “Amazing! We can actually get that much light, without electricity!” I had to catch myself and realize that my thinking was strangely upside-down. A hundred years ago with the introduction of the incandescent bulb people were thinking, “Amazing! That light that can be produced without flame, without oil or gas!” This was considered progress. And I looked at it backwards, with the same sense of wonder!

Though I’d worked in computer programming for years for big companies, my first home computer was a crude second-hand laptop, and my first exposure to the Internet was at a very low baud rate with very limited resources. But I gained a pretty good reputation with some educated people on a few newsgroups because these people considered my postings to be well-reasoned, well-thought-out, and well-expressed. Given the overwhelming number of posts with bad spelling, bad grammar, bad ideas, and good ideas expressed in bad ways with poor communication, these people considered my writing to be a breath of fresh air (I just know that some of my flame-prone colleagues will take issue with that statement). I did what I could using limited resources. We don’t have to look far to see more examples of people doing just that. Old mainframe programs may contain “spaghetti code” and heavy use of language features now considered “verboten,” but the programs also contain creative coding that managed space and run-time economically back in days when those resources were scarce and expensive. Japanese in past generations built thin paper houses to stretch their extremely limited natural resources. When I see people with what I call “Starship” computers with tremendous resources — superfast processors, huge RAM, superhuge capacity hard drives, advanced and versatile programs, and wizardlike peripherals — yet lack basic communication skills, basic historical and cultural knowledge, the essential elements of a classical education, I’m appalled. I actually have more respect and admiration for someone who accomplishes great feats with knowledge, insights, and intuitive leaps using crude, limited resources than I have for semi-literate people with generous resources at their disposal.

To support older ideas, let’s note that Isaac Newton was asked how he’d made his discoveries and accomplishments; despite the nasty things Stephen Hawking says about him, he humbly answered, “I stood on the shoulders of giants.” Even though what he did surpassed the deeds of his predecessors, he regarded them with respect, realizing that he couldn’t have reached so high without their support.

While older technology is relatively crude, it does do the job for which it was designed. There are many long-standing software applications and systems that continue to do useful work. Information technology not as sophisticated as today’s state of the art made it possible for companies to do business on a mega scale unheard of previously. Computer data-gathering and interpreting years ago made it possible to map the ocean floor, produce chromosomal maps, and really primitive computers used in the paleolithic 1960s made it possible for men to go to the moon and come back alive with pieces of it.

In his book “Small is Beautiful,” E. F. Shumacher wrote about the limits of the world’s resources, that not everybody in the world could live like a “little American” because of those limits. He suggested that less developed nations could get along well on intermediate technologies. But Schumacher threw light on a kind of ignorance many of us have, a limiting premise that if a problem can’t be solved using the latest technology, it can’t be solved — it just seems to make common sense that earlier technologies cannot solve problems if later technologies can’t.

We tend to think of technological advancement as an ordinal progression, rather than an expansion in different directions. CD-R burner drives are preferred over zip disks in desktop computers as the compact disks have greater storage capacity, but that doesn’t mean that zip drives are a more primitive technology. (Actually, files can be stored more quickly on a zip disk than on a CD, no special software is required to write the files, and the zip disk is in a sturdy casing that protects it from damage unlike the CD.) Computer pioneers John Mauchley and J. Presper Eckert, inventors of the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer), had plans to produce concurrent computer processors, but serial processors took off and concurrent processors fell by the wayside; that doesn’t mean that concurrent processing is an old-fashioned, primitive, or inferior concept (ironically, serial or Von Neumann processor-based programs may PRETEND to be concurrent processors through use of semaphores, mutexes, critical sections, etc.).

At this writing, Visual Studio .NET is a rising technological advancement in increasing demand in companies. It automatically provides the interfaces for modules written in different languages so they can interact, an ability that could otherwise be provided only by COM (Component Object Modeling). It enables people to develop software more quickly than with previous development environments. Yet this wonderful “new” development seems to be based on language principles that have been around for more than three decades and which were introduced over 25 years ago in Digital Equipment Corporation’s VAX computer. Perhaps we ought to call it “primitive”?

And if you don’t mind my getting science-fictionish, an episode of classic “Star Trek” (notice that “classic” is the new euphemism for “old”?) had the Enterprise’s landing party go to an Earth colony where the inhabitants were dying of radiation-induced aging. The landing party too started to age, except for Ensign Pavel Chekov. Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy remembered that Chekov entered a building, saw an extremely aged dead body, and ran out in fright. McCoy made the connection that adrenaline shot through Chekov’s system and made him resistant to radiation. Dr. Janet Wallace said that another medicine, hironaline, was used in radiation treatment instead, but “Bones” said that adrenaline was used in earlier radiation treatment research. A serum containing adrenaline was given to the surviving agers and they were restored to their proper biological ages. A recommendation was made to the Federation scientific community to include adrenaline in further studies on radiation.

The point is that not all old ideas are useless, primitive, nor naïve, and not all new ideas are better. Sometimes an idea is abandoned because of economics (greater market share for an idea that’s not as good), and sometimes a good idea just doesn’t have the charm or allure of a lesser idea.

Wilfred D. DeVoe is a software developer/programmer who has worked in both full-time permanent and consulting roles in public and private sectors. He holds Bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science (Boston University) and Psychology (Salem State College). His education and interests give him a unique perspective he likes to share with colleagues and interested people.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

While computers are now an important part of the lives of human beings, there was a time where computers did not exist. Knowing the history of computers and how much progression has been made can help you understand just how complicated and innovative the creation of computers really is.

Unlike most devices, the computer is one of the few inventions that does not have one specific inventor. Throughout the development of the computer, many people have added their creations to the list required to make a computer work. Some of the inventions have been different types of computers, and some of them were parts required to allow computers to be developed further.

The Beginning

Perhaps the most significant date in the history of computers is the year 1936. It was in this year that the first “computer” was developed. It was created by Konrad Zuse and dubbed the Z1 Computer. This computer stands as the first as it was the first system to be fully programmable. There were devices prior to this, but none had the computing power that sets it apart from other electronics.

It wasn’t until 1942 that any business saw profit and opportunity in computers. This first company was called ABC computers, owned and operated by John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry. Two years later, the Harvard Mark I computer was developed, furthering the science of computing.

Over the course of the next few years, inventors all over the world began to search more into the study of computers, and how to improve upon them. Those next ten years say the introduction of the transistor, which would become a vital part of the inner workings of the computer, the ENIAC 1 computer, as well as many other types of systems. The ENIAC 1 is perhaps one of the most interesting, as it required 20,000 vacuum tubes to operate. It was a massive machine, and started the revolution to build smaller and faster computers.

The age of computers was forever altered by the introduction of International Business Machines, or IBM, into the computing industry in 1953. This company, over the course of computer history, has been a major player in the development of new systems and servers for public and private use. This introduction brought about the first real signs of competition within computing history, which helped to spur faster and better development of computers. Their first contribution was the IBM 701 EDPM Computer.

A Programming Language Evolves

A year later, the first successful high level programming language was created. This was a programming language not written in ‘assembly’ or binary, which are considered very low level languages. FORTRAN was written so that more people could begin to program computers easily.

The year 1955, the Bank of America, coupled with Stanford Research Institute and General Electric, saw the creation of the first computers for use in banks. The MICR, or Magnetic Ink Character Recognition, coupled with the actual computer, the ERMA, was a breakthrough for the banking industry. It wasn’t until 1959 that the pair of systems were put into use in actual banks.

During 1958, one of the most important breakthroughs in computer history occurred, the creation of the integrated circuit. This device, also known as the chip, is one of the base requirements for modern computer systems. On every motherboard and card within a computer system, are many chips that contain information on what the boards and cards do. Without these chips, the systems as we know them today cannot function.

Gaming, Mice, & the Internet

For many computer users now, games are a vital part of the computing experience. 1962 saw the creation of the first computer game, which was created by Steve Russel and MIT, which was dubbed Spacewar.

The mouse, one of the most basic components of modern computers, was created in 1964 by Douglass Engelbart. It obtained its name from the “tail” leading out of the device.

One of the most important aspects of computers today was invented in 1969. ARPA net was the original Internet, which provided the foundation for the Internet that we know today. This development would result in the evolution of knowledge and business across the entire planet.

It wasn’t until 1970 that Intel entered the scene with the first dynamic RAM chip, which resulted in an explosion of computer science innovation.

On the heels of the RAM chip was the first microprocessor, which was also designed by Intel. These two components, in addition to the chip developed in 1958, would number among the core components of modern computers.

A year later, the floppy disk was created, gaining its name from the flexibility of the storage unit. This was the first step in allowing most people to transfer bits of data between unconnected computers.

The first networking card was created in 1973, allowing data transfer between connected computers. This is similar to the Internet, but allows for the computers to connect without use of the Internet.

Household PC’s Emerge

The next three years were very important for computers. This is when companies began to develop systems for the average consumer. The Scelbi, Mark-8 Altair, IBM 5100, Apple I and II, TRS-80, and the Commodore Pet computers were the forerunners in this area. While expensive, these machines started the trend for computers within common households.

One of the most major breathroughs in computer software occurred in 1978 with the release of the VisiCalc Spreadsheet program. All development costs were paid for within a two week period of time, which makes this one of the most successful programs in computer history.

1979 was perhaps one of the most important years for the home computer user. This is the year that WordStar, the first word processing program, was released to the public for sale. This drastically altered the usefulness of computers for the everyday user.

The IBM Home computer quickly helped revolutionize the consumer market in 1981, as it was affordable for home owners and standard consumers. 1981 also saw the the mega-giant Microsoft enter the scene with the MS-DOS operating system. This operating system utterly changed computing forever, as it was easy enough for everyone to learn.

The Competition Begins : Apple vs. Microsoft

Computers saw yet another vital change during the year of 1983. The Apple Lisa computer was the first with a graphical user interface, or a GUI. Most modern programs contain a GUI, which allows them to be easy to use and pleasing for the eyes. This marked the beginning of the out dating of most text based only programs.

Beyond this point in computer history, many changes and alterations have occurred, from the Apple-Microsoft wars, to the developing of microcomputers and a variety of computer breakthroughs that have become an accepted part of our daily lives. Without the initial first steps of computer history, none of this would have been possible.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Living in a home where all the devices can be controlled by a single control panel or a small remote control is not an idea from the movies. It is very much a reality. You would remember that televisions and computers were once believed to be the products of fiction. Today, you can fully automate your house and control your devices with the help of a single control panel.

Many people have installed home automation systems in their houses. The technology has proved to be a blessing for those who lead busy lives and has made their lives more comfortable and secure. You can use your home automation system to control each and every electronic appliance in your house.

Previously, home automation systems were not wireless. They were controlled by a hard-wired control panel. Thanks to advancement in the field of computer technology, wireless home automation systems are now available in the market to enhance the quality of life of people.

Automation manufacturers have now integrated wireless technology in their home automation solutions. Some of us have already used hard-wired automation systems. Now, just consider the benefits of wireless technology integrated into a home automation system.

A home automation system comprise three parts: a computer-like microprocessor, a structure wiring, and a connection center. A professional usually does the structured wiring and connects it to the connection center, within which the microprocessor is located. The microprocessor, which you control, in turn controls the entire automation system. The microprocessor has only one function–communicate with the devices in your house. It translates your commands in a language that your home devices can understand.

A wireless home automation system uses a touch screen wireless control panel, which you can carry with you. Consider the following scenario. You are watching a movie, and you suddenly remembered that you have left the kitchen lights on. You don’t have to get up and go to the kitchen, thereby interrupting your movie-watching experience. Simply touch an icon on your touch screen wireless control panel, and the lights in your kitchen will go off.

Certain home automation systems can be programed to respond to your voice. It records your voice first, and thereafter, obeys all your spoken commands. Besides the touch screen wireless control panel, you will be able to control your devices through your voice alone. Simply use a command and your computer will record and store it. When you give the same command again, your computer will match your voice with the stored recording, and will instantly turn off or turn on the respective lights or electronic device or watering system.

You can now connect your home automation system to the Internet. Irrespective of where you are, you can access the devices in your house via the Internet. For example, if you are caught in traffic, you can turn on your PDA, go online, and through the Internet, you can turn on your air conditioning to cool the temperature of your house, the music system to play your favorite music, and the coffee maker to make a cup of hot coffee for you. Once you reach home, you will find your home set to the perfect temperature while your favorite music greets your ears and a cup of freshly brewed coffee waits for you.

With a wireless home automation system, you can control what happens in your house irrespective of where you are. Home automations of the future might bring more wonders. Maybe future home automations will integrate robot technology, and one day, you will have your own personal robot to do all your work for you. Your robot might even have a hot dinner ready for you by the time you come home from work.

Technology has made life safe,secure, and easy. You can live in a “home of the future” today itself. Simply install a wireless home automation system.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Computer technology is being used in every aspect of life today. From educational facilities to businesses, and even in the home computer technology is prevalent throughout society. There seem to be no boundaries; computers are used by both the young and old, male and female, learned and unlearned.

For these reasons, children should be exposed to computer technology as early in life as possible. Planting technology seeds in young children will help them prepare for their future and become familiar with the influence of technology on our society.

Learning about Technology at School

Most public and private schools have computers and offer computer-focused classes to help children learn how to use a computer. In a middle-to-upper class area, a school might offer not only computer classes, but also have computers in other classes for the students to use on a daily basis to write reports, take tests, etc. Some even have online computers for learning about the Internet. These students are able to use the computer often and gain skills in the process.

Unfortunately, not all educational facilities are created equal. In poor areas, schools are often limited in their technological resources. They might offer a few computer classes, but computers are not a part of the every day learning process. These students may graduate having little or no computer skills.

All Graduates Face the Same Technology-based Job Market

It’s important that children from all walks of life gain computer skills through school or home because they will all face the same job market as they become adults. They will all be competing in a technology-focused job market that demands computer skills as a minimum employment requirement.

College Benefits

Planting technology seeds in children will benefit them tremendously when they are ready for college. Many college courses are taught with the assumption that a student already has basic computer skills. Those without computer skills will be required to learn computer basics while in college. This may limit their ability to enroll in other classes that may have helped them secure a higher-paying job. Students who already have basic computer skills can enroll in the classes they want without a handicap.

Improving Skills in English, Math, Typing and Other Subjects

Children with a computer in their home can take advantage of software that will help them improve their learning skills. Fun exercises are used to help kids learn as they play. Parents can join in and spend quality time with their child. A computer in the home can help with homework as well.

Internet Technology Benefits

Children can also benefit from learning Internet technology skills from a young age. Parents and schools have the ability to teach children the good qualities of the Internet and how it can be used for research, business and other helpful purposes.

Teaching children about technology from a young age offers many benefits for them and society as a whole. Technology is here, and it’s not going away. The more skills children can learn today, the better equipped they will be to face the future.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Our modern reliance on computer technology has opened a vast field of employment for those with training in Information Technology (IT), and online information technology schools can give you an edge over the competition. With a few months of online training in information technology, you could become a well-qualified computer information technician.

The study of computer information science has become widespread to meet the demand for information technicians, and there are many online information technology schools in operation around the US and Canada. I.T. training via distance learning has to be the most convenient computer education ever! Imagine learning the various functions of an information technician online, at your own pace, from your own home. You can learn how the UNIX operating system functions, how to write computer programs using C++ or Java, design efficient network systems, manage computer databases, and much more.

The best part about online information technology schools is the relaxed pace and flexible study times. Online schools for information technology are open 24 hours a day, allowing students to download books, tests, and assignments at their leisure and convenience. Take your time or accelerate your education in computer information science; online schools leave it up to you to determine your own timeline.

Online information technology schools offer a range of degrees in computer information technology, such as the Associate of Science (AS), Bachelor of Science (BS) or Master of Science (MS). If you are just starting out, you can take an online course in information technology to get certificates such as the Executive Graduate Certificate or Undergraduate Certificate in Information Systems with an emphasis in Computer Information Technology, among others.

And, if you are searching for a profession that offers an excellent salary range, you will soon discover that online information technology schools can put you right where you want to be. Depending on the extent of information technology training and experience, graduates can confidently demand salaries as high as $55,000 to $112,000 per year.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

In the future, the home entertainment center will probably be replaced by more of a home information center. The home information center would blend access to information and entertainment in such a way as to make it possible to access movies, listen to music, make video phone calls or normal phone calls, play video games, surf the Internet, enjoy virtual reality, read and answer email, and utilize a variety of productivity software programs all from the same room in your home. In short, the home computer and the home entertainment system will become one.

There has been technology capable of doing all of these things on the market for years. They’re generally marketed as media center PC’s or other as other similar names. The most recent mainstream product that attempts to make this marriage of the computer and the home entertainment center is Intel’s Viiv chip set running higher end versions of Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system. The Viiv technology can act as a TV receiver and Windows Vista can manage video in the form of digital video recording.

There have been a couple of impediments to getting Americans to invest in home information centers in the past. Historically, Americans have wanted to keep the easy to use home entertainment system components in the living room, while sequestering the relatively difficult to use home computer systems to the home office or study. As computer systems have gotten easier to use, people seem to be less interested in maintaining this boundary, but nonetheless there still is that boundary because of older prejudices. The other impediment is the high price of these systems- a factor that’s even worse when you consider how quickly computer systems become obsolete!

One development that has probably helped to bridge the gap between home computer systems and home entertainment systems is the Digital Video Recorder. The Digital Video Recorder helps to break down this prejudice because it is essentially a computer, yet it’s easier to use than many of the home entertainment system components of the past.

One product that brings the home computer system into the living room under the guise of a DVR is the Monolith Media Center. The Monolith Media Center is marketed as a DVR, but when you look at the details of what it can do, it becomes very obvious that it is in fact a home computer with a lot of features added on. The Monolith MC comes with multiple TV tuners that can handle standard definition television as well as HDTV and relies on a free version of an on screen program guide so that no subscription is necessary like with other DVR’s such as the TiVo. This device can also play audio through your home stereo system.

The real beauty of the Monolith MC is the amount of control that it gives its users. For example, it can get video just like a normal TV receiver through a TV service provider or it can download video from the Internet or it can play video off of DVD’s in its built in DVD player. When recording video from a TV signal it can store that video on its hard drive in standard MPEG-2 format or in the space saving MPEG-4 format. It can also copy video from its hard drive onto DVD’s that can then be played on other devices.

The Monolith MC also has full computer capability because it runs the Ubuntu Linux operations system with tons of productivity software, web browsers, and even games. This could be the exact technology needed to bridge the gap between the computer and the TV.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

In recent years, more people have been taking advantage of innovative technological developments that allows them to create a spectacular home theater system. When creating your own home theater, you have a variety of features to choose from such as the video projector. If you are designing and building a home theater, you have to consider what type of projector you should acquire.

There are three types of main home theater projectors that include LCD, DLP or LCoS. LCD projectors consist of two types: models that utilize a single LCD to produce the picture, and models that use a blend of three LCDs. The difference between the two is that the projectors that utilize three LCDs normally create higher contrast pictures and higher quality color distribution.

The benefit of using DLP projectors is that they create richer colors and higher contrast ratios. Quality DLP projectors use three DLP chips to create the picture which allows the projectors to determine greater degrees of color and shade. DLP projectors normally cost more than LCD models

LCoS utilize liquid crystals to produce the picture. LCoS projectors are well known for creating the best quality images. LCoS models are more expensive than DLP and LCD models.

If you are mainly using HDTV programming, most experts will advise that you use a 16:9 projector on a 16:9 screen. This combination will give the best picture viewing. Most people will select a 16:9 screen as it fits with many different movie formats. Many DVD movies are wider than 16:9. When you play these movies on a 16:9 screen, there will be black bars on the top and bottom of the screen. In this instance, you may want to use a 4:3 format screen.

The best benefit of having a 4:3 screen is that it will usually permit you to display the largest picture. The 4:3 screen format provides one with more square footage of the total screen area for any particular screen width. This is useful when watching older films in a large format. If you are going to create a home theater for large scale 4:3 display, experts recommend, “that you use either a 4:3 projector or a 16:9 projector with a powered zoom lens of at least 1.3x zoom range.”

Before you select a video projector, you should mark on your wall where the screen will be located. You can then position your seat to determine what size screen will be suitable. You can take such considerations as the distance you will be sitting away from the screen and the best spot where you won’t be straining your eyes or working them to view the picture. The size of the image on the screen will be chosen on the basis of how comfortable you are with viewing the picture. You do not want to have to be moving your eyes back and forth and up and down to watch a movie.

Everyone has their own preferences on viewing screens. The greatest benefit of creating your own home theater system own home theater is that you can customize the projector and screen to meet your own personal needs. It is important to consult with a salesperson and read reviews about projectors for help with choosing the most ideal projector for your home theater system.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

We all hate getting up in the morning just to fight traffic and get to a job we hate, well most of us anyway. Rushing to the office and being in the office environment can be very overwhelming and stressful. There are always different options and opportunities out there that you can take advantage of. Most of these opportunities allow you to work from home and prevent the frustration of being in the office all day.

You can easily setup a website that produces extra income for you. Even if you don’t know a lot about the web or technology you can have one setup within hours. Once you get the hang of it, you can setup more and more sites until you have your very own empire! By following a proven strategy you can be very beneficial financially. One of the best online money making methods that I know of is combining article marketing and affiliate marketing.

The cool thing is that you don’t need any type of formal training to get started. You can get started with just your computer and your willingness to learn. The reason affiliate marketing is so popular because you don’t have to setup a website or have a product of your own. To get sales all you need to do is leverage article writing to get visitors to your site.

There are also other ways to work from home such as data entry positions, where companies pay you to enter data into different programs for them.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Different house protection firms make all types of protection products ranging from the least to the most expensive ones. However, all of these products are tailored to suit the needs of all kinds of people. When purchasing one, the basic background information that would be communicated in a solid telephone conversation is not as good as seeing the products and actually using them or being demonstrated to. It is always good to purchase a product that you have seen working.

Today’s home security system manufacturers make sure that their products flow in bulk to avoid shortage of supplies. With technology catching up with the people, most manufactures are falling short of supplying the actual product. For this reason people are ending up buying products that may be rendered obsolete in a few years.

The supplies they make, range from protection covers to the fuses that are used in most the most commonly used products of protection which include the circuit boards, wires among others. To ensure a constant customer base home security system manufacturers ensure that their products are of high standard and are also affordable to their clients. At the same time they include after sales services as a way of retaining their clients.

Home security system manufacturers are available in all regions of the world and each strives to provide the most effective products as a way of attracting more clients. This has in turn, seen the development of more advanced products as the different companies try to outdo each other in terms of quality. This in turn gives you a wide choice of companies to choose from.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

There are many legitimate companies that have thousands of real, genuine jobs that can be done completely online. Most of these companies have an email alert feature, which sends new jobs straight to your inbox every single day! You can literally have the jobs come to you. You just decide how much time you can afford to dedicate to make extra money, or work full time for several companies, or just one. The variables are endless. Either way, you can pick and choose whichever ones you want to do, and you are working from the comfort of your own home.

You can make money for yourself from companies and people who just want you to research a topic, write in a forum, send email responses, or post a few sentences on a blog, just to name a few. Other online jobs include proofreading, accounting, administrative support, audio cd creation, editing, excel spreadsheets, and order processing. You can get paid well to do these simple tasks that companies and webmasters don’t have time to do.

Almost anything you do on the computer can be a job that pays you money. More of these jobs are file uploads, personal assistant, photo enhancer, quality assurance, search advertising, posting ads, search engine optimization, simple searches, sorting or indexing, telemarketing, transcription, virtual assistant, writing letters in Microsoft Word, writing articles in forums and in blogs, medical research, legal research, bookkeeping, coding, and website programming. There are also many courses you can take online to obtain the skills you need to start a home office.

I believe the old fashioned way of going to work to a physical location every day is changing because of the technology that is available today. The benefits to an employer who hires employees that telecommute from their homes are very beneficial. While working from home, employers can stay in constant communication with their employee, either by instant message, email, voice over internet and also web cameras.

The employer can still be in control of the employees attendance on the job, and can even request a certain amount of the work performed to be sent to them every half hour. They can also contract the work out, thereby eliminating payroll tax filing. They would not have to offer benefits, such as health insurance, because basically, the employee is a self contractor, and not an actual employee of the business. Workman’s compensation and unemployment insurance premiums would also not be affected, because an employer is not required to provide a contractor with these types of insurance. The benefits to an employer are tremendous.

The benefits to the employee who is working from his home has many perks, also. First, he does not have to deal with traffic every day, which is a big plus in large cities. He does not have to pay for gas to go to work. He does not have to buy office attire, and can wear anything he wants in his home. He can pretty much make his own schedule, and work whenever he wants to with most of the telecommute jobs. He can also self contract himself out to several employers, not just one. However, the employee who works from his home will have to pay his own taxes, and get his own health, life, disability, and unemployment insurance.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

The security products industry relies upon technologies that are continually evolving and improving, such as safety systems, software and monitors. Successful and competitive intelligence gathering begins with a thorough knowledge of the industry participants, and insight into the direction that security technology is evolving. Experts have conducted competitive intelligence gathering exercises for home security equipment manufacturers and investors in the safety gadgets industry.

The best home security protects us from bad intentioned people. Since time in memorial, the best surveillance over people’s abodes has been recorded in security firms, and has been widely used to deter or apprehend dangerous people who may want to invade houses. Experts have spent many years being directly involved in all facets of the home security, including sales and marketing, management of these monitoring products, new product development, procurement and financial analysis.

Monitoring security technology has been touted as a revolutionary method for inventory control; product identification and authentication and many other uses. Home security products and services have even been touted as the eventual replacement for the common old fashioned ways of safety products. Experts can account on these products with excellent credentials as a knowledge source for a wide range of best safety systems. Organizations also prepare for seminars to educate people on the major topic concerning home securities national wide.

In addition, security companies have developed a strong experience base in security analysis, cost justification of products and services, return on investment model building and the education and training of the most current staff members. If you need more information on the same, you could contact these firms or check out more information on their web sites.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

There are currently over 24 million people working from home and each and every day the list grows larger. Everybody makes the decision to work at home for a large variety of reasons; here are some of the most popular.

10. Be your own boss.

Within the high pressure working conditions found in the cut throat modern office environment today, employees are taking a stand and walking away from the stressful life they are placed under. To work for yourself gives you total freedom and the drive to succeed.

9. No Alarm Clock

No longer do you have to report to your office at 9.00a.m., you can choose your own hours. Release the stress and tension and throw that alarm clock to the wall.

8. No morning and evening commute

Save all those hours spent travelling to and from work, plus save on those high gas prices and lower your car maintenance costs.

7. No business start up expenses

All you need to work from home is your computer and an internet connection, no business office rent to pay, no expensive outlay, no staff.

6. Nothing too Complicated

Business employees in today’s modern office are usually highly trained in computer internet technology, this experience makes it far easier for you to adapt to an online business set up at home.

5. Work from Home or Anywhere in the World

Once you have set up your online business to run on autopilot you have the enviable position to be able to just log in and check your internet accounts from anywhere.

4. Travel & Vacation to Suit You

No longer do you have to go crawling to the boss, desperately seeking some time off. Now you can escape whenever and to wherever you please.

3. More Time with the Family

Employees today complain that they are spending long hours at work, coupled with very long commutes to and from the office. All of this time takes them away from their family and friends. By working at home you have the added benefit of seeing your children grow up and releases more time for fun and relaxation with friends.

2. Opportunity to Increase Earnings.

There is nothing to compare with the chance to earn money by running your own business. With everything in life, the harder you work, the greater the rewards. Obviously there is no guarantee as to the amount of money your can earn on the internet, in all business ventures some people will earn more than others. However it is interesting to note that whenever those lists of the world’s richest people are compiled, not one of them is ever an employee. They are always business owners.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

1. Clean the inside

Over the course of time, the insides of computers can become filled with dust and dirt that will eventually cause hardware failure. Dust especially gathers around fans and the motherboard. Cleaning every 2-3 months will work wonders.

2. Clean the outside

If you dust and wipe down the outside of your computer, many times it prevents some of the dust and dirt from getting inside. Many times the dust sits on the exterior of the machine and finds its way inside over time.

3. Get proper maintenance

I would compare computers to cars in this area. Would you own a car for 3-4 years and never get the oil changed? I didn’t think so. The same thing should be true of a computer. If you’re not tech savvy, you need to have a computer professional or someone who is more computer literate run some scans and inspect your computer.

4. Get to know your computer

Many times errors can be prevented by becoming aware of what your computer can and can’t do. It helps if you know how much hard drive space you have, how much memory you have, what operating system you have, etc.

5. Stay in the loop

Working with clients has taught me a very important lesson. If you are not continually learning about new technologies and trends, you may miss some money-saving tips or alerts that IT professionals may know about. Reading technical articles, joining computer newsletters, and having your computer regularly audited can keep you in the loop.

6. Use the internet wisely

It is a dangerous world out there and everyone is not on the internet for the same reasons as you. Identity theft is a growing crime and there are many other users who intend to steal from you. If something doesn’t seem right, follow your gut instinct and avoid the situation. Also, viruses can destroy your computer hardware and cause you to incur more expenses than necessary.

7. Ask questions

Many mistakes can be avoided by asking questions. We have all heard it hundreds of times, “No question is a stupid question”. This holds true, especially in the ever-advancing world of computers and technology.

Devin Dabney is a computer consultant, author, and entrepreneur who is the founder and CEO of DabneyWorks Computer Consulting. DabneyWorks provides remote and in-person computer assistance , website design and auditing, and business consultation.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

If you’ve wondered how your teenager can “do homework” while talking on the phone, instant messaging and watching TV all at the same time – you’re not alone. Lots of parents and stepparents are asking how to handle a generation that is media-saturated.

A new study of 8-18 year olds by the Kaiser Foundation portrays “Generation M” as always wired to media. Four hours a day are spent with television and nearly 2 hours with music. Nearly seventy per cent of all kids have a television in their bedroom and thirty-one per cent have a computer. Today’s youth are efficient multi-taskers – cramming 8 ½ hours of media exposure into only 6 ½ hours.

Even though ratings systems have been put in place to help parents monitor children and media use, few of them are using them. Only 6% of kids said their parents use the V-chip. Only 10% of children said their parents check video ratings and 14% check music ratings scores.

And they are using that laxity to access media meant for older audiences. Forty-five per cent of them went to an R-rated movie without their parents. 31% of them pretended to be older to get into a website, 20% listened to music that they know their parents would not approve of. Sixty-five per cent of seventh to twelfth grade students have played the violent and mature-rated “Grand Theft Auto” video game. A little more than half said that their family has no rules about TV watching, even though it is the most common form of media accessed by today’s kids.

When my husband and I got married, the first dispute we had about our new home was not over who would mow the lawn or wash the dishes – but whether or not the kids would have TVs in their bedrooms. Asking his ex-wife to tighten up how her household ran was not an option. We ended up compromising – we got the house rules we wanted in exchange for the TVs. With the kids spending much of their time in a “no media rules” home, we felt it better to push engagement and dialogue with them – because the media floodgate was already wide open.

In an ideal co-parenting world, both households sharing joint custody of the kids would have the same rules about media use. These rules would be agreed on ahead of time by the parents and enforced by everyone, including the stepparents. But If you’re like us and know the other household the kids live in won’t make its rules consistent with yours, you have to come up with a creative solution that addresses reality.

We took a two-pronged approach to the kids and media use – strategic positioning and dialogue. Conveniently, no cell phones will work in our house, limiting chatting with friends to the land lines or the one public computer. We make a point of talking to the kids about television shows and movies. Like most, we don’t use the V-chip, but we check ratings on music and movies.

The computer the kids use to Instant Message their friends sits in the living room in a high-traffic zone by the big screen TV – a guaranteed kid magnet that is easily monitored and promises no privacy. If they are chatting online we ask whom they are talking to and what they are talking about. My husband periodically asks them what web sites they visit and talks to them about their surfing and chatting. It’s not nosy – it’s just asking.

And we do have rules about what’s appropriate content and when people can go online. A few times a year we deliberately pack the whole crew up for a weekend camping trip – and leave Instant Messaging at home.

If you want to get a leash on your child’s media use – the solution may not be to shut it off – which will only make them access the media where you can’t see it – but to start talking instead.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Do you remember your life before you had a computer in it? It seems like forever ago, but in reality it was not that long ago when we did not have a PC in our home. In fact, much of the population can still remember a time in their lives before they had a computer in the home. There are some that are too young and have never lived in a time with no computer while there are yet others who have lived the majority of their lives without a computer and will die that way.

While the uPComing generation will have never lived in a time when Twitter, Facebook, eBay and Google did not exist, there has been just such a time in history. There was also a time in history that a microwave and computers did not exist too.

Do you remember sitting at the table using the typewriter to do your school report? Oh yeah, those were good times. That was when “delete” meant having a bottle of white out. In fact, now that I say that I wonder how the white out business has been going since the invention of the computer and the delete button on a computer’s keyboard.

PCs are very much a part of our lives on a daily basis now. While they are designed to make our lives a lot easier and more productive, they can be the opposite if we let them.

You can tell a lot about your own self discipline by the amount of time that you spend on a computer in your free time. It may seem easy on paper to limit out use, but the amount of information out there on all kinds of subjects can be hard to resist for a lot of people. It is not bad to learn, but if it comes at the cost of doing the other things that we should be doing and getting done then it can be a bad thing. If you find yourself on your computer a bit too much, then it might be time to evaluate just where you are spending your time and how you can make necessary adjustments.

When kept in the proper balance, our PCs can help us to be more organized and more productive. They can make a lot of aspects of our lives a lot easier. Whether doing research, writing, or staying connected, they can be a major contributor to the success of our lives. However, if we do not, they can eat up a lot of time.

By making a few rules, you can learn to take control of your time again rather than the computer controlling you. One rule that I use is to place the computer and the things that I want or need to do on the computer in a prioritized list with all of the other things that I need to do. Another rule is to set a limit on how much free time I use the computer for.

It is important to take strong control with our computer time so that we can make them work for us. PCs are constantly changing and that makes it easier for us to be connected to them non-stop. With some control, we can make sure that they are used to save us time rather than take up more time in our lives.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Before you can even decide what make of computer you want, whether it is a Dell, Mac or Hewlett Packard…you need to answer this burning question. Will your next computer be a laptop or a desktop PC?

In order to answer this question you need to do your research. You need to familiarize yourself with both laptops and PCs. The reason that I say this is because as with all purchasing decisions there are pros and cons to whatever decision you make. In order to make the most informed decision as to which choice will be your next computer, you need to not only look into the advantages and disadvantages of each of them but you also need to make sure that you apply these pros and cons to your individual circumstances.

So what exactly are these pros and cons?

If you are looking into desktop PCs you will see that they are usually cheaper than laptops and for the money that you are paying you will get a lot more hardware/software. You get a faster computer at a lower price. That’s the main reason many gamers tend to opt for desktop PCs over laptops as they are more suited to gaming and audio/video applications. However, recent developments have meant that there are now laptops coming out that have been primarily designed for gamers. The performance gap is narrowing swiftly.

While laptop prices are falling, they are generally more expensive than PCs because of their design aspect but mainly because they haven’t been around as long as PCs. Generally over time, electronic goods such as TVs, DVD players, computers… usually come down in price as makers recoup their initial manufacturing costs.

Another plus point for a PC comes in the fact that they are easily upgradable. If you want to upgrade the graphics card to a more powerful one you can. If you want to change or add another hard drive then go right ahead. With a laptop however, they may require professional installation and in many cases you are unable to upgrade or add to the technology that appears within it. They are a lot more troublesome to deal with when it comes to modifying or repairing them.

Despite these advantages that the PC holds over the laptop hasn’t stop the popularity of laptops from growing and expanding. There are in fact now more laptops being brought than desktops and this is a trend that is set to increase.

One of the main advantages that exist with laptops is the fact that they are portable. Many people now need a laptop in order to stay more productive. They allow you to access files and data at anytime and from any location, which is a necessity for many people due to our fast paced and on the go society. Also thanks to Wi-Fi wireless networks the connectivity of laptops are amazing. You are able to gain easy access to the Internet while you remain mobile.

Another pro to having a laptop as your next computer as oppose to a desktop PC is the fact that with a laptop you have low power consumption. The reason for this is that laptops are several times more power-efficient than desktops. A typical laptop uses 20-90 W, compared to 100-800 W for desktops. I feel that this is an important feature, especially for businesses that run hundreds of personal computers as it could ensure that you have a multitude of potential savings. It is also helpful to homes where there is a computer running 24/7 such as a home media server or print server.

Nor should you ignore the aesthetic appeal of the laptop. They have great style and design which makes them attractive to potential buyers. Gaming laptops are especially decked out with flashy decor and pizazz; while you should never buy a computer for its looks, many people do just that!

These are just a few examples of the pros and cons that are associated with laptops and desktop PCs. There are good and bad points for each option, so depending on what you need your computer for you may opt for a laptop or you may opt for a PC. The most important thing is that you make your choice based on your needs to ensure that you get the most out of your computer. Satisfy your own needs first and you won’t be disappointed with your final choice.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

The saying “You can achieve what ever your mind can imagine” is a well known phrase
in the self improvement and motivational domain. It meant to say that you can achieve
your vision. This is something that is not scientifically proven. As a result we try
to convince ourself and others that it works through case studies and experiences.
The outcome is the mountain of self improvement materials that try to show us how to
do this correctly and and list of convincing examples to show it work.

But this time I am writing about something that is closer to home.
It is about actual advancement in mind or brain technology.
It is about what your mind or brain can achieve, in different sense.
Instead of trying to convince yourself that it would happen sometime in the future,
this time you can actually see it happens right in front of your eyes.

Off course I am talking about controlling a computer keyboard to type using your brain.
Not about how you can be better person and become rich through vision…

How this,I am referring to the keyboard thing, works ? You might ask.

Theoretically it is not that hard. Actual implementation is different story.
It is done by analyzing our brain wave.
What a group of scientists in Brown University found is that there are specific brain wave
patterns associated with each of the letters on the keyboard.
What they do is just tapping the pattern from one scalp, process it through a decoding
software that map it into the letter that the person is thinking off.
Once the decoding is done, the rest is done through the normal electronic data
gathering and these data are fed to the computer.

With this is proven and implemented successfully, we are closer to our goal
to get rid off the last cumbersome hurdle of smaller computers and handphones
- the need for decent size keyboard as an input device.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Global Positioning systems (or GPS) technology is becoming an increasingly popular means by which parents can accurately determine the location of their children at any given moment. By utilizing an array of satellites originally deployed by the government for security uses, GPS systems can literally pinpoint the exact location of anyone carrying the appropriate locator chip.

This allows parents to outfit their children with the GPS technology and to then have the power to monitor their whereabouts if any concerns should arise. The possible safety advantages offered by a GPS child monitoring system are substantial and parents are beginning to embrace the technology as it become increasingly “mainstream” and available.

A diverse group of systems is being offered, all with potential benefits to users. Coming in everything from simple wristwatches, the GPS devices are relatively unobtrusive and easy for the child to wear. The only downside is that these wrist units while effective, offer greater risk of being lost or forgotten by children who are not used to wearing a watch on a day-to-day basis.

Cell phones are another GPS chip repository. These units are very popular with children and are less likely to be lost or forgotten at home. As a result, many parents are giving their children cell phones, which serve a dual purpose – allows the parent to call the child, and allows a child to be tracked.

At least one manufacturer offers GPS tracking systems via a chip housed in a plastic sleeve that fits around the cell phone. The cell phone solution is ideal for certain ages of children. For instance, in very young children, it would make no sense. In this instance, other options need to be explored.

This is where book bags, backpacks, and GPS-enabled lunch boxes might be a better option. All these products are currently being rolled off the assembly line ready for retail purchase for children who take them to school and return home, but do not tend to go much further. In other words, you can track very young children with these products. While a cell phone would not be suitable, these other options would fit perfectly.

GPS technology is popping up in necklaces and jewelry like charms and offered as other options for parents to consider. As this technology expands in the near future, there is promised even more tracking tools so that parents will be able to select the tool that is best suited to their child’s needs and age.

While any type of GPS tool would be effective in locating children, one of the most important things to consider is what type of GPS device you choose. You want it to be reliable and effective with a track record you can review. Secondary would be the pricing structure.

Good performance levels should be established for the product, and it is very necessary to choose a device that matches the child in question. You cannot track a child who will not wear or will lose the device. Therefore, you need to take into account the lifestyle of the child when choosing the tracking device.

What leaves your competitors wondering why they’re getting their butts whooped and why your home office is so productive. Get the insiders scoop from the experts that bring you the latest in new technology.

If your home office is not with the times, then you need to get articles on the latest new technology at the site dedicated to the modern business and tech world SwitchSystems.

KC Kudra is Webmaster for eWritingPad, a published author, an SEO expert in the field of directories and parent of four boys. The writing bug first hit as a teenager writing short stories and poetry. You can often find him giving design ideas and writing content for various websites. The Internet gives an outlet to so many writers to get their writing out to an audience of like-minded people and really expands your world.

KC helps his wife with technical aspects of website design and SEO for her website business and is a contributor of articles, and content writing. KC is a modern day Renaissance man with an overwhelming desire to excel at whatever he dose and to do it with passion. His real love is cooking and recipe making for her recipe websites and he loves making new dishes for their four young sons.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Now more than ever, the home offices and home based businesses that are sprouting up across the United States can have all of the conveniences of their big business competition. There are a whole host of cool tools that home offices can use that will increase your productivity and enhance your professional image. These tools are so good that people that do business with you may never even know that you are working from home.

One such tool is Internet fax. Internet fax allows you to send and receive faxes on your computer. When a fax is received it is attached to an email. The files come in as either .tiff or .pdf files, either of which can be easily viewed with free software that is most likely already on your computer. The incoming Internet faxes do not interfere with your existing phone lines and therefore you do not need a separate line for phone and fax. This also eliminates an even worse scenario of having a shared line for phone and fax that needs to be toggled every time a fax is expected.

Sending faxes is just as easy. Faxes can be sent either straight from a word processor, using similar steps already used to print documents, or from an online interface. Either way, Internet fax makes it convenient for people that work from home to get their faxes out quickly and easily.

The top 3 benefits of Internet fax for a home office include:

* Increased office organization and decreased costs by getting rid of bulky fax machines that need toner, paper and maintenance.
* Increased efficiency since sending and receiving faxes can be done without even leaving your desk.
* Enhanced professional image due to the 24/7 availability of your fax number (without having to switch the line from phone to fax and back again.)

Another great tool that allows home based businesses increased productivity and enhanced professional image is the virtual PBX. While this technology has been a round for awhile now, it is really making a surge in popularity due to the increase in people working from home.

A virtual PBX is a phone system complete with automated main menu greetings, multiple voice mailboxes and extensions, faxing, email delivery of voice and fax messages and more but without any hardware or software required. Calls are forwarded to you wherever you have programmed the system to reach you. The phone systems are all run and housed by a virtual PBX provider and therefore you can have all the same conveniences and outward professional appearance as a larger company, but without the expensive and cumbersome equipment and maintenance.

The top 3 benefits of a virtual PBX for a home office include:

* Projection of a professional image due to the automated main menu greeting and multiple extensions.
* Efficiency of consolidating and unifying all communications to one place. Voice, fax, and email messages all to your computer.
* Flexibility of having calls forwarded to you anywhere you wish and the ability to change it on the go.

These are just two of the great tools available for home offices today. The home office revolution has been creating a need for technologies such as this and providers are rising to meet those needs. With tools like Internet fax and virtual PBX, most consumers would be hard put to say whether the company they are working with is a home office or a large company.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Setting up a home office is one of the most important tasks you will face when you make the decision to work from your own home. Your home office can be a corner of your kitchen or living room or, if space permits, a former spare bedroom.

Size is less important that functionality. When deciding on where to set up the nerve center of your business, there are some factors you need to consider.

Is There Enough Lighting Available?

Proper lighting is extremely important. Spending hours at a time in a dimly lit workspace can create eyestrain that, after long periods of time, this could lead to serious problems with your vision.

Electrical Outlets Should Be Considered

You want to take into consideration electrical outlets available for the equipment that you will be using day-to-day. At the very least, today’s modern home office has a light, computer, telephone, answering machine, monitor, scanner, printer and speakers (optional but still nice to have). You may also add a radio/CD/MP3 player that will need to be powered. Make sure you have enough electrical outlets to power your home office adequately so that you do not have play plug switch on equipment.

Is the area well ventilated and dust free?

All of that computer equipment needs to “breath” to remain cool and functioning properly. If you have ever, “fried” a computer you know how important it is to keep the fan clean and dust free.

Telephone Access Is another Consideration

In addition to having a telephone handy for business purposes, you will also require telephone access for your modem. You may also consider a separate telephone line for your business. It is much easier to track your telephone business expenses for tax purposes if you have a separate phone line.

As well, if you are on dialup Internet access, you will need two phone lines so that your clients have access to you during business hours and can leave messages while you are away. If you have teenagers in the house, it is a definite that you will need a separate telephone line that is only in your home office or they may never get through. For a few extra dollars, you will have peace of mind in this area.

Have You Considered Internet Access?

Most modern home offices will have a decent Internet connection – DSL or Broadband. Gone are the days when dialup access was sufficient, and while it can still be done, most home office business have a fast Internet connection. You may be already DSL-ready and only need to call your telephone company to get it started.

If you already have a broadband connection, make sure you have access to the cable connection where you are located. If you choose to go with a wireless connection to your broadband access, be sure and secure and encrypt it with WPA encryption and not WEP. WEP encryption was hacked about 10 years ago, and if you are doing secure transactions online, spring for a wireless modem/router with the latest encryption available. Better still, you might want to stick with straight cabling for faster speed and safety.

If you take advantage of a nearby WiFi hotspot where you can go wireless, be sure and avoid making purchases or conducting unencrypted transactions while wireless on a public wireless connection. If you go wireless at home, make sure you have encrypted your connection and you should be just fine. With all of these decisions made, you will have the basics for starting the setup of your home office organization.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Without a doubt, the technological advances in recent decades have been the most potent catalysts for our culture’s return to working at home, because since the advent of the internet, the entire face of home based business has changed. There is now plenty of freedom in many industries to work from home because a person can do so while staying in touch with business associates, regardless of where in the world they are. In fact, the internet has made it possible for businesspeople to not only keep contact with existing clients and coworkers but also to find new ones, which means that business owners no longer even need to concern themselves with finding office space if they so choose. If working on your computer from the comfort of your own home sounds like an appealing business concept, browse the following list of some of the hottest computer & internet franchises available today and see if one of them is right for you.

Vehicle Tracking Solutions

This is one business that is all about technology and remote communication. Marketing without physical borders, franchisees with this home business sell GPS vehicle tracking systems to businesses with vehicle fleets that they have to manage and track. Whether the client is a large corporation that provides executives with company cars that must be kept track of or a shipping company with delivery truck drivers that need to be kept to task, Vehicle Tracking Solutions provides what client companies need: the hardware and software that can chart the location of vehicles anywhere. One of the only businesses that sells this kind of merchandise and the associated service, Vehicle Tracking Solutions franchisees have access to all the necessary avenues of marketing and sales in an almost entirely untapped market, making this a great franchise opportunity.

Virtuoso Music

No matter how far we travel into the virtual world of the internet, mankind will never be able to leave the wood and brass of real musical instruments behind, and as long as there is music, Virtuoso Music franchisees will have clients. Whether clients find the company via the internet or another advertising touch point, the primary work of the Virtuoso Music work at home franchisee is to link music instructors with students in his local community, serving as a liaison between people who otherwise may not ever cross paths. Similarly, franchisees also serve as the go-to person for local musical events ranging from bar mitzvahs to recitals and concerts. Given a proven business model designed to get the business moving from the get-go, franchisees are also provided with ongoing check-ins from the franchisor to continually refine all aspects of the business.

L&W Investigations

Having just expanded from an independent operation to a franchise business, L&W Investigations is a one-of-a-kind internet-based business that specializes in the investigation of insurance fraud claims. Equipped with expert training, ongoing support, and professional-grade investigation systems, franchisees have no need to come to the table with past investigation experience; they only have to come with the desire to provide their clients with fast, efficient, unrivaled service and results. To date, there are 30 locations established in 23 states, so the timing is still perfect to get in on this opportunity at the ground floor.

WSI Internet

Now in its 11th year of business, Wsi Internet has spent the last 7 of those years at the top of Entrepreneur Magazine’s top computer & internet franchises, proving that this 1500-franchisee-strong business is one of the most dominant names in internet marketing consultation. Whether franchisees decide to run their franchises from home or an office, by themselves or with others, the franchisor’s system for finding and serving the needs of small and mid-sized business clients is always a successful one. Because the business model has been proven so many times for so many different businesses, the only thing that a franchisee must bring to the table is the drive to succeed and the diligence to follow the franchisor’s directions and methods.

Air Advantage

Of all the things to come along and make the internet even more convenient and helpful than it already was, one of the greatest additions has been wireless connectivity, but to date, not everyone has access to it. Actually, one of the least internet-connected populations in the United States is rural America, because lines simply haven’t reached that far, but Air Advantage is trying to change that. Acclaimed by the US Chamber of Commerce, this company has developed a way to extend wireless internet technology into the farthest reaches of unconnected American rural areas. Having just gained a lot of ground in Michigan, the technology and business structure have been adapted to make national expansion possible for franchisees who are ready to be the forerunners of what is likely to be a nationwide success.

Not all home business opportunities fully capitalize on the business possibilities of the internet, but these certainly do. If using the technology currently available to you to its utmost as you gain financial independence is of value to you, any one of these fine franchises is a wonderful way to accomplish that. So sit down, pull up a laptop, and get to work.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Built in wireless capabilities are becoming almost standard equipment on most laptop and home computers these days for a couple of reasons. One of the primary reasons is cost. Adding wireless capacity is so inexpensive that it would be silly for the manufacturers not to add it. The perceived value of any machine with wireless capacity far exceeds the cost to add it. Wireless is the wave of the future, so if the manufacturers want to stay ahead of the technology curve they need to add it to all but there most basic models.

If you’re like most people you probably can’t even check how much memory your computer has, let-alone if your computer is wireless enabled. Throw in the fact that you may not even know what wireless networking is and it’s easy to ignore even trying to determine if your computer has that capacity.

However, since you bought your computer you’ve probably heard more and more about “going wireless” because it’s becoming the hip thing to do. If that’s the case with you or I’ve simply peaked your imagination then read a bit more because I’ve outlined a few things you can to do to check if your computer has wireless capabilities.

Laptops – Intel Centrino Mobile Technology

Computer manufacturers do less than a perfect job at explaining what this means but if you if your laptop came with this built in then that’s good news for you! In a nutshell, it means that your laptop has wireless networking built right in and you don’t have to do a thing. Intel Centrino Mobile Technology is a marketing name for a combination of the Intel Pentium M processor and Intel’s’ Pro Wireless card.

If you have Intel Centrino Mobile Technology then your computer should have a “Centrino” sticker on it somewhere. If you can’t find a sticker but you suspect you had one at one time then simply do the following. Right click on your “My Computer” icon. It’s probably on your desktop but if not then go to your Start Menu, find My Computer, right-click and select Properties. When the menu opens look at what it says after or under the word Computer.

On a side note, Intel Centrino Mobile Technology also increases battery life and allows manufacturers to build computers smaller. If you can’t find anything referring to Intel Centrino Mobile Technology under the word Computer — don’t worry because as long as your laptop has a free card slot, installing wireless is a piece of cake.

Desktop Computers

If you’re not sure whether or not your desktop computer has a wireless connection, the easiest thing to do is to simply turn it around and look for a small aerial sticking out of the back towards the bottom. If it’s there then you are wireless enabled. On the other hand, if there’s nothing then it’s still possible that you have a wireless device in the computer, especially if you purchased anytime in 2005 or beyond. However, because it’s not the best idea (unless you’ve done it before) to try and open up your computer to check something I’ll show you a way to check, if your wireless enabled, using Windows.

Using Windows to Check Wireless Capacity

Rather than messing with your computers hardware to verify what you’ve got installed, you can just as easily check using your Windows’ Device Manager. To use it, right click My Computer / Choose Manage / and then click Device Manager.

After you click Device Manager a list of everything you can install will appear on the right half of the screen. Take a look under Network adapters and ignore anything that says 10/100 or Ethernet because they are simply normal network connections — not wireless ones. If there’s anything else there, it could be a wireless device.

If you think you have a wireless device, but it has a yellow warning sign alongside its name in the Device Manager, you should take a look at it to see what’s wrong by double clicking on it. Windows should then tell you why the device is not working at the moment and may even suggest that you go through its troubleshooter program. Do that before you do anything else.

If it turns out to be a driver problem, you should insert the driver CD that came with your computer. If you can’t find the driver CD that came with your computer – don’t worry because you should be able to find and then download the appropriate driver online. The first step would be to go to website of your computers manufacturer and do a search for the name of the wireless device that showed up in your Device Manager. Once you find the correct driver simply download it and follow the instructions.

After all this (actually about 5 minutes) you may discover that you don’t have a wireless enabled computer — oh well, those are the breaks. However, it’s clearly better to find out your computers wireless capacity now — before you go out and buy some wireless equipment and then realize that you didn’t even need it.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Making some extra money by working at home sounds great, doesn’t it? Choose your own hours, work as much or as little as you want to, fit it all around your other commitments – it sounds wonderful! And it can be, if you give very careful consideration to what I call “The 3 Stooges of Home Business.” This article is the third in a series of three articles.

Please be aware that these articles offer you only my own personal experiences and opinions. This particular article focuses on the concept of buying a “turn-key computer business.”

If you have been investigating the possibility of starting a home computer business for very long, you have probably seen several websites promoting “business in a box, ” “automatic profit system,” “turn-key business,” “plug-in system,” “free website,” etc.

Basically, they are all offering you some variation of a “system” that is all set up, ready to go, and you just “turn it on” and start watching money fly into your bank account.

How I wish that were true! I’ve actually bought three of those “instant profit systems.” And I’m writing this article to tell you – I was extremely disappointed in them all. I actually felt intentionally ripped off by one of them. No, I’m not going to name names – I think that’s pretty disrespectful. Besides, what felt like a rip-off to me, might work great for someone else.

But here’s what I found.

One of the “free websites” was supposed to let me use it as a template in which I could review home business products, and make recommendation to readers about what I thought were the three best products.

It sounded great. I wouldn’t have to learn any website design technology – I could just “fill in the blanks” with what I believed to be great home business products. Then all I would have to do (which is actually an enormous task) was get people to look at my website (called “traffic” on the internet).

I would earn money when people followed my recommendations and bought one of the products I had chosen.

Guess what? The website was designed so that the #1 recommendation was always that very same product. So, let’s say I bought Joe’s Free Website. When I went to “fill in the blanks” with what I thought were great products that I had identified, Joe’s Free Website was forced to always be my “top” recommendation. The whole thing was designed so that I couldn’t change that.

So, what I would be doing was spending my time and money to send people to a website that strongly recommended that product that I just bought! Guess who was going to be making a lot of money from that devious plan. Not me!

Here’s another one. I also bought a “turn-key” website, that I was supposed to just “plug in” and let it start churning out big money for me. Again, my “job” was to get lots of people to visit my website and buy one just like it.

The very next thing that happened was that I started getting almost daily emails telling me that in order to really “max out” the effectiveness of my website, I should buy various up-grades for it (which, by the way, re-billed to my credit card every month for a total of over $100 monthly). Yeah, I did that too. When I finally realized that none of it was working for me, it took most of a year to get all those automatic monthly re-bills canceled.

This particular product has sold literally thousands of these websites that are, of course, all identical. My “new” website was no different from the thousands of other websites that other people had bought. One of the “recommended upgrades” was to change the color scheme on the pre-made website to make it “stand out from all the others.” You guessed it! They would change the color for me – and it would only cost me $75!

It was about then that I started to wise up. Should I be embarrassed to tell you about all the promises that I fell for? Probably. But I was really desperate.

So – does this mean that the “turn-key,” “automatic profits” products are all rip-offs, and you should avoid them all like the plague?

Probably not. I think it does mean that you should very carefully investigate any such product that you are considering buying. Here are some things I would do, given the benefits of 20/20 hindsight.

There is a phrase that is widely used in the internet business community, which is that you must do your “due diligence.” That basically means: Do your homework.

Read the sales website very carefully. Be sure you understand what you will be buying. Look for a link that allows you to cancel your account later if you choose to. Look for “contact us” information. If you have to search the entire website, and finally find it in small print in some unlikely place, you might wonder about that. Look for a “help” link. Actually write to the help desk, and ask any specific questions you have about the product and exactly how it works. If you get no answer, an automated answer, or an evasive answer, consider that to be valuable information to you. Carefully read guarantee and refund information.

Whenever you buy any information product on the internet, be sure to save your receipt and keep track of it. You will almost certainly need the information on your receipt if you ever decide to request a refund for the product. In addition, be careful to keep track of time. Once their stated refund period has expired, any company can quite fairly refuse to return your money.

In summary, I believe that there are no “fool-proof” systems out there. Remember what your mother said: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!”

Reprint Rights: You are free to copy this article and reprint it as long as you adhere to the following requirements. You must reprint this entire article, exactly as it is now, with no changes. You must include in your reprinting the full Resource box at the end of this article. You must not change the title or the content of the article in any way. You must reprint this article in such a way that all links are active and linkable with no syntax changes. You must follow all requirements regarding spam, disallowed topics, etc. You must include the following article source credit below the article with an active link.

CindyAnn Williams is a self-taught, successful internet affiliate marketer who began her internet business with absolutely no knowledge of affiliate marketing. She has built her business by trial and error, always trying again after every dead end, and learning from every mistake. CindyAnn’s goal is to share what she has learned to help other people who want to become successful affiliate marketers avoid the many mistakes she made along the bumpy and often detour-filled road to affiliate marketing success.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Everyone yearns to be financially independent. But sometimes, life puts hurdles in your path towards seeking a fortune. Your family is your priority and you do not want to neglect your home in favor of a high flying career with megabucks accruing in your bank account. Now, don’t let your family stand in the way of your financial freedom. Learn how to make money from home with the help of a work at home job.

There is a myth that a work at home job needs computer skills. Sure, a work at home computer job is easy to come by, but there are other more innovative options available to you. These options not only help you to make money at home, they will also give you creative satisfaction.

Make Money At Home: The Creative Route

Look around your home and notice the small and unique touches that you have put in it. The intricate flower arrangements, the embroidered cushions, and the hand painted pots can be converted into opportunities to make money at home. If you are musically inclined, start music classes in your spare time and make money at home.

Other common talents that help you make money at home are baking, crafts, dress-making, and painting. These not only serve as an alternative to a work at home job by helping you to make money at home, it also helps you to derive some creative satisfaction.

A Work At Home Job Is the Key to Financial Freedom

The technology revolution has resulted in making the concept of work at home job a reality. Today many organizations have realized that an employee seeking a work at home job can be as productive as an employee working at their premises. If you have prior experience and the necessary contacts, a work at home job is your key to make money at home.

Companies with whom you have been associated can be approached for assignments. Short-term assignments can become a fulltime work at home job if you are a diligent worker. Some examples of professionals in a work at home job are research analysts, typists, proof readers, and writers.

A Work At Home Computer Job: The Problem of Plenty

A work at home job is synonymous to a work at home computer job. This is because of the popularity and reach of the Internet and the ease with which people have been using the opportunities available on the Internet. With basic computer skills, the required hardware, and an Internet connection a work at home computer job becomes a reality.

A work at home computer job like data entry requires only a basic knowledge of computers and a reasonable typing speed. Some jobs like website design and graphic design require creativity and the technical know-how. But if you have the skill this is one work at home computer job that pays you well. Article writing, copywriting, translation, and transcription services also provide you enough opportunities if you are on the lookout for a work at home computer job.

More Opportunities to Make Money At Home

There are more such opportunities to make money at home. You should know where to look and how to convert ideas and concepts in to money making propositions. This is in no way an easy task. It requires loads of hard work, perseverance, and time. With online business firms becoming a reality, how to make money from home is a question that will not remain unanswered.

Hundreds of sites tell you how to make money from home. Schemes claiming to make you a millionaire within months abound. Before you fall for the get-rich-quick schemes, remember that there are no short cuts. Do enough research by browsing the various ‘Learn how to start an online business’ articles. These tips will help you to choose a good option and will help you to earn without compromising your other priorities.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Seems like not that long ago television screens were housed in small walnut cabinets in our living rooms, and computers were so large they required suites of space in office buildings. As one technology has grown, another shrinks in size. The question becomes, how do you fit these technological wonders into your home?

We are fortunate to have gotten past the age of gargantuan television sets whose size and weight bowed even the heartiest shelving unit. Now we can enjoy the largest viewing screens without the weight or bulk. The challenge becomes where do you put it?

The simplest solution is to hang the television screen on the wall. In many households this modern convenience is turned on more hours than off. You’ll enjoy a continuously changing display of artful images for the wall. If your décor is modern, the minimalist black frame of the television is just the look you want. For a more traditional room décor, you’re still in luck. Picture frames, designed especially for televisions, are now available in your choice of wood tones and colors to coordinate with the style of your room.

What if you don’t want the television to be the focal point? Simply surround the screen with a wall of cabinetry. The television, either hanging on the wall or setting on a cabinet below, flanked by two tall bookcases will blend more easily into the room decor. A cabinet or valance that spans the bookcases above the screen creates a truly built in look. The storage provided by the cabinets houses other electronic equipment and open shelves give you options for interesting decorative displays of accessories, plants and photos.

Visually pull the wall grouping of cabinets toward your seating area by using an area rug that extends beyond your sofa and chairs toward the wall unit. Here’s your opportunity to blend the décor of the cabinetry with the other furniture. Use a contemporary area rug for a clean, casual look. For a more traditional feel, select an Oriental rug if you like a formal look, or the cozy warmth a braided area rug.

Computer technology has become so small and compact; anywhere you sit can become your office. For a more productive alternative, carve out a designated work space for your desktop or laptop computer.

A separate room or office space may be your ideal, but not always a practical alternative in a busy household. However, it’s easy to create a space within a space in almost any room. First choose which room. Living room, dining room or bedroom spaces usually have a corner or a wall, away from the traffic area that is large enough for small desk or table and chair.

To define your space, use a small area rug below the furniture. Not only will this mark your territory, it will psychologically act as your creative landing pad while you work.

If the kids are also using the computer select a fun color for the rug like red or yellow that accents your décor. They’ll look forward to homework time in this special space.

Add an appropriate desk lamp, a decorative cup for pens and pencils, and favorite photos for inspiration next to your computer. If you’re limited on desk top space, the computer’s printer could go below the desk surface on a lower table, stool or hassock. Your computer time, for business or pleasure, will be more productive and you’ll enjoy the benefits of having a separate work space of your own.

Technology, an integral part of our daily lives, has moved into our home spaces as well. Those large screens, monitors and assorted electronic hardware and media need not look out of place. Embrace your home technology with creative space solutions.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

The technology of computer science and its development mirrors the growing number of newer fields and many sub disciplines. Generally computer science deals with anything that has to do with computers. However, due to the ultra fast, technical development and rapid growth within the last couple of decades, computer science today covers many more subjects than just computers. There are so many sub fields involved like, general computer science, media informatics, technical computer sciences, networking, internet and such like.

The diversified field of Computer technology or more specifically the core discipline of computer science also deals with the sub disciplines like theories of programming languages, artificial intelligence, communication technology, databases, soft-ware engineering and bioinformatics.

Computer Science and this technology are interlinked to every aspect of today’s modern life and really provide extended help in finding progressive solutions to everyday problems. It also fills the gaps in our knowledge. Access to information is quite easy due to the fact that internet a progeny of computer technology is providing vast and interactive services to the entire world. The world is in turn becoming a global village, the distances of communication among friends and family having been virtually eliminated. The internet provides web services of different sorts such as, social networking services, chatting services which give real time interaction to users and portals providing free lance business opportunities. Moreover with the help of modern day e-commerce facilities businesses are on an upward curve of success.

Users of internet can locate the web sites of interests in a number of easy ways. There is a variety of online content available in easy access to the common man; merchants, online banking opportunities, educational and government entities and companies listed with trade and organization names. They can also surf the net with the assistance of various web related search engines, which work magic just like genies!

Advances in the computer technology have made greater efficiencies on the hard ware side as well. Most modern day computers are now general purpose computers and they feature a high degree of programming flexibility.

As computing technology has shifted from a stand alone activity to conduct increasingly over networks, the way computers work has changed as well. Most computers used in business, and many used in the home, no longer operate in the old self contained fashion.

It seems that every one was caught by the speed how millions of people using internet started buying things online. This development posed important challenges and has implications for the technological framework of the internet.
Where, there are so many diversities found in the computer technology, software development stands as an inherently functional enterprise. Software provides the instructions that enable a computer to perform the tasks to serve the user’s needs. Soft- wares can actually control anything from the relatively simple operation of a clock to the highly complex operation of an airplane.

In the end, it would suffice to say that the computer science is about exploring the limitations of us the humans and gaining knowledge about expanding our horizons.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Every time the computer industry tries to make inroads into the home entertainment center by offering products that are designed to use the home TV screen as a computer screen, consumers offer a lot of resistance. Yet, the computer industry persists as evidenced by Intel’s Viiv technology and the fact that the media center version of Microsoft’s Windows XP operating system and several versions of the Vista operating system are designed to make computers a part of the home entertainment center.

While consumers have been busy resisting the incursion of the home computer into the home entertainment center, computer equipment has been sneaking in anyway. This covert incursion can be seen in the form of newer forms of TV technology. DVD players, digital TV converters, satellite receivers, DVR’s, and video gaming systems are all computers in some form or another.

One of the side effects of having all of this new technology so thoroughly computerizes is that there is an unprecedented level of compatibility between computers and the Internet, and the home entertainment center. For example, there are a variety of devices that take advantage of Internet connections to provide their users with more options. The TiVo is a good example of this. TiVos download their program guide information from the Internet and are even capable of being programmed to record specific TV shows from another location over the Internet. Some of the newer TiVos are even capable of downloading movies from the Internet to be shown on TV sets.

Other devices that can do this include some versions of Sony HDTV sets, the Vudu, the Slingbox, Microsoft’s Xbox 360, and several others. The Apple TV can fetch video from the home computer(which can get the video from the Internet or from a digital video camera), and the ability to download movies directly from the Internet is expected to be coming soon to the Play Station 3 from Sony.

Another interesting result of the overlap between computers and TV is the introduction of portable video devices. A portable video device is a hand held, battery powered portable device that can store video on a built in data storage system and then display it on a TV screen or its built in screen. These devices come in a variety of sizes and capacities. For example, there are versions with only two gigabytes of storage space and such small screens that you have to wonder why anyone gave them the capacity to play video. At the other end of the extreme are devices that have amply sized screens, the ability to store over a hundred hours of video, access the web over a WiFi connection, and even record video that’s being played off of other devices and store it on their own hard disks. The data storage systems use either flash memory or more conventional hard disks, and the screens can either be conventional LCD technology or energy saving OLED screens. Some of these devices can even download video from some Digital Video Recorders if all of the compatibility issues are taken care of.

All of these devices show the benefits that computer technology can have when applied to home entertainment.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

RAM is an acronym for Random Access Memory. RAM is an important part of any computer system. RAM is memory to hold frequently used bits of data for the computer to access in an efficient manner. Accessing RAM as opposed to the hard disk is a lot easier and quicker for a computer.

RAM is essential for several different applications, but more so for some than others. For example encoding video would take up a large amount of RAM as it is RAM intensive. Database applications also use up a lot of RAM due to the amount of data involved. Surfing the web and using word or powerpoint for example would not use much RAM at all. The question you need to ask is do you need the upgraded RAM. If you don’t then save your money. If you do please read on.

There are several options to choose from when upgrading RAM. The first is the size of RAM you want to purchase. They come in 256mb, 512mb, 1gig and 2gig varieties. Just as a quick reference 1gig of RAM will be enough for most things you want to do, 2gig might be overkill.

Once you pick the size of the RAM you want you have to choose the type of RAM. There are two main types of RAM. DDR and DDR2. What you have to take into account when buying the RAM is which type your motherboard will support. Most new Intel motherboards will take DDR2 as this is the latest technology. At present AMD boards are not compatible with DDR2 so if you have an AMD board then you will have to buy DDR RAM.

Once you buy the RAM then you have to install it. Installing RAM is really quite simple. Firstly you need to remove the case in order to be able to get to the motherboard. Once this is done you simple need to put the RAM into one of the free slots on your motherboard. Something to take note of would be the particular slot you put the RAM in. Some motherboards can be particularly fussy so read the user manual of your motherboard before upgrading the RAM.

There you have it, improving the speed of your computer by upgrading the RAM is very simple and can be very effective.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Life’s becoming a little more difficult for lawbreakers, thanks to some new digital technologies. For example, British researchers have developed a fingerprint compression technology that transmits prints from a crime scene to a fingerprint bureau in a fraction of the typical four to 20 minutes. The same researchers are working on a technology to identify shoe impressions taken from crime scenes-a procedure currently done manually.

Police in Richmond, Virginia, are introducing data mining, predictive analysis and business intelligence tools to respond more rapidly to a crime, and possibly to prevent future crime from occurring. LAPD police are using video surveillance and criminal recognition software to get a bird’s-eye view of activities in a crime-riddled area.

CompStat

Various technologies are gaining prominence, such as the somewhat controversial but highly regarded CompStat. CompStat assists law enforcement organizations in collecting and organizing crime information quickly. This, in turn, allows officials to identify emerging patterns in criminal activity, and allows police agencies to deploy resources more effectively.

According to BlogHouston.net , proponents describe this technology as an “advanced statistical analysis of crime aimed at preventing future crime.”

This award-winning program is said to have reduced crime rates through increased police accountability. Various law enforcement agencies across the United States, including the NYPD and the LYPD, use this program to analyze data and plan crime-prevention tactics. The program apparently played a key role in the well-documented reduction in crime enjoyed by New York City under the hand of former mayor Rudy Giuliani.

In With the Old

Sometimes harnessing the power of crime-fighting technologies involves using older technologies in new and inventive ways. For example, in late 2006, New York City announced plans to equip 911 call centers to receive digital images and digital videos sent from cell phones and computers. When citizens report a crime in progress, they can simultaneously send pictures or video of the crime scene, the perpetrator or the victim.

The digital imagery provides emergency response workers and law enforcement teams with a better understanding of the situation, and is likely to offer information not provided by panicked callers. The response teams can therefore better access the preferred approach to handling the incident. Empowering citizens to use everyday technology in this way was a world first, according to Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

In a similar vein, the New York City is combating domestic violence in part through the MapInfo Professional mapping software application. This tool allows law enforcement personnel to better visualize relationships between data and geography.

The city is also using MapInfo’s Mapmaker tool for mapping and analyzing data and adding geographic coordinates to database records. A city spokesperson reported that he had imported miscellaneous, city-based data-such as roadmaps, English proficiency ratings and homicide rates-into MapInfo, and then overlaid that over a map of the city to display patterns and trends.

The information generated by these tools assists the city in deciding how resources should be allocated. It also reveals information about an area’s cultural makeup and languages most often spoken in that community. Knowing where domestic violence victims live and the language they speak allows law enforcement officers to better communicate with victims.

Real-Life Success

These and other forensic technologies translate into real-life success stories that impact upon our lives in ways we could not have imagined 20 years ago. For example, in San Jose in October, a man driving a stolen Toyota kidnapped a 12-year-old girl. The girl escaped and reported the incident to the police. The kidnapper abandoned the Toyota. Some hours later, a patrol car using license-plate recognition technology passed the Toyota. “Stolen car” remarked the technology’s computer-generated voice. The police officer discovered evidence in the Toyota that led to the arrest of the kidnapper.

Europe and Britain have used license-plate recognition technology for more than 20 years, but it is relatively new on the scene in the United States. The police have been able to enter license plates into a computer manually, but this technology lets them scan the plate of every car they pass. An officer can now check as many as 12,000 plates per shift, instead of the 50 that could be done manually. Although the technology raises concerns with privacy watchdogs, it is difficult to argue that any privacy violation occurred in this example.

In another interesting and recent development, Thai researchers used nanotechnology to develop a set of eyeglasses that easily detect invisible traces of bodily fluids left at a crime scene. The scientists applied nano crystallized indium osynitride to glass or plastic lenses. These special lenses can filter light waves of various lengths, and allow the user to see invisible traces of saliva, sperm, blood and lymph immediately.

The current technology-a forensic light source-also allows investigators to see traces that cannot be seen with the naked eye. However, this is an awkward and time-consuming procedure, since forensic teams must check separately for each type of fluid. Once the new technology is patented and commercialized, it will dramatically speed up this process.

Closer to home, researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia have found a mathematical solution that can separate one sound from another in a recording of a noisy environment. In what is referred to as the “cocktail party” problem, sound editing technologies have been unable to separate one voice from many voices in busy environments, such as the cocktail party example, or in a crowded mall. Researchers in the past have separated voices, but could not reproduce the voice’s characteristics.

Current technologies are not completely reliable because they confuse voices with other voices with similar pitches. With the new mathematical solution and assistance from computer programmers, the researchers hope to develop a software application that will allow law enforcement agencies or the Department of Homeland Security to isolate voices or sounds with reliability.

Sadly, though, there’s a flip side to all this good news. In an interview with Computerworld magazine, Frank Abagnale, the notorious (former) criminal depicted in the movie Catch Me if you Can , remarked that it would be 4,000 times easier for him to commit his crimes today than it was 40 years ago-and that today he probably wouldn’t go to prison for it.

“Technology breeds crime-it always has, it always will,” he is reported to have said.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

In recent years, the computer has become an indispensable part of human life. It has also tremendously influenced the activities, attitudes and the way masses think all over the world. Nowadays, most households have a computer. But, those who do not own one can get high tech computers for rental. Home computer rentals are a cost effective approach to access the latest technology for personal and professional use.

Depending on the need, you can rent any type, model, brand and number of computers for your home. There are countless companies that provide home computers for rental. Aardvark and Capital Computer Rental are two of the prominent companies dealing with home computer rentals. Most computer rental companies operate online, to meet the immediate demands of customers. Today, almost all top brands such as Intel, Dell, Compaq, Toshiba and Apple can be availed on rental for household purposes.

The main benefit of home computer rentals is that you get the opportunity to use recent models and the latest operating systems. Thus, you need not upgrade or change your home computer with the rapid changes in the market. Home computer rentals also avoid all the hassles of computer maintenance.

Depending on the need, computers can be obtained for short term and long term rentals. Rates will be based on the period and model of the rental. Generally, laptop computers are more expensive than desktop computers. The differences in rental rates are marginal from one company to another. It is always recommended to consider the duration while renting a computer for household use. Purchasing a computer will be a better option than renting it for a long period. For example, the rental cost of a Pentium 4 desktop computer is around $149 for a week; for a year or a month, the rate will be much higher. But a Pentium 4 desktop computer may be bought for around $4,000.

As the cost of new computers is drastically coming down, home computer rentals are only good for short term household purposes.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

With the advancement in technology many people are habitual of doing many important activities and processes through personal computer in different forms. For example the people do e-banking, utility bill transactions, and editing office work etc. So in this situation many hackers do hack and put their influence also on home computer security the most important information through locking the computer. After hacking, the professional hackers can also blackmail the people for their necessary needs. Different types of hacking and lock breaking codes are used in this way. Thus need of home computer security arises front of us.

Protection Of Soft Form Information And Home Computer Security

Different steps can be adopted for the strict check form lost of data present in computer by hackers who can also affect home computer security. It has been observed from last decade that day by day cyber crime rate is increasing, and many people even different government authorities have been affected by this problem. There are also some cases that the much secret security information present in computer workstations of different companies becomes lost due to illegal cyber crime. In this state, many companies are going to adopt the protection of firewalls and different security software. Now cyber law is working efficiently to pursue for any illegal action taken by cyber criminals. Similarly, home computer security is also affected.

One should brows through different websites, which can provide guidance in order to save our computer from any incoming danger. Normally some websites regularly update about any incoming innovation in this direction. As today most of Internet communication is through data subscriber lines giving more upstream and downstream data rate as compared to other medias, so it is very easy to find out the solution of facing problem through different sites at real time on hour of need. As similar to this problem, home computer security is also influenced by such hazards.

Precautionary Measures

By using different tips and adopting precautionary measures related to home computer security one can protect his or her personal computer from being theft of utmost important soft form data. To hold home computer security strong, people should not pay bills using their credit cards etc on Internet as it can give a path for hackers to hack and steal our credit card numbers by which they can use our facility. Also many people do online shopping through different resources, which become so much vulnerable sometimes that situation becomes like it is useless to cry over spilt milk. Hence it is better that one should not show his cards first as it can facilitate others to do gambling by making strong the home computer security.

The best remedy for this problem is that peoples should not float their personal information like codes of different bank cards, bank account number information and utility bills information etc on line, so that no one can hack these information. Therefore by using above mentioned steps people can really feel calm and peace while doing any activity on computer by confirming the home computer security.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

From the beginning of time, man realised that he needed to take stock of his possessions in order to make informed decisions and be in control of his environment. His possessions were not many, a few goats or sheep, a dog, two spears and an axe, maybe a few wives and an increasing number of children. Now the only computing equipment at his disposal then was his ten fingers and ten toes, but the word ten, or one, did not exist in his vocabulary. He would allocate one finger to each goat, one to each rabbit he caught, and so on. Now, the fingers and toes allocated to the rabbits and goats were easy to deal with but had their own problems because it was difficult to remember which fingers or toes had been used to represent something, and which ones were still unallocated.

And as the number of goats increased beyond his ten fingers and his ten toes, he found himself in a serious computational dilemma. Computer people today call this an overflow – memory size exceeded. Our resourceful ancient ancestor quickly found a way around this problem by resorting to the use of sticks and stones to extend the capacity of his computing system. That turned out to be a stroke of genius because that is when rules governing addition and subtraction of digits became clearly defined. When a new goat is born, put one more stone to the pile of stones, when a new lamb is born, put one more stick to the pile of sticks. When the ancestor, or a jackal, ate one sheep he removed one stick; and when he decided to eat all his goats, he would throw away all his stones after eating, not before, to avoid confusion. Nothing could be more elegant. Much later, mathematicians discovered that they could also use this process and called it addition and subtraction.

These sticks and stones form the building blocks of a computer as we know it today. The same sticks and stones that our ancestors used several thousands of years ago are still there, miniaturised and disguised as integrated circuits, inside the modern computer. Our ancient man, who used to shuffle his sticks and stones as he carried out his calculations, is also still there inside the modern computer, reduced to some operating system and application software.
So really, nothing much has changed since the beginning of time, except of course the fact that whereas the sticks and stones technology was available for free, modern technology, like everything else, is not so free. My next few articles will trace the stages in computer technology development from the Stone Age to the present.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Over the past decade, there has been a phenomenal amount of crossover between computer technology and TV technology. This is especially surprising given the fact that most Americans have largely rejected the idea of a living room computer. However, most of the computer technology that has found its way into the living room hasn’t had the overt appearance of a personal computer.

The earliest example of an acceptable piece of computer equipment in the home entertainment center (that wasn’t a video game platform) was the digital TV receiver. The widespread use of these devices actually dates back to the early nineteen nineties when satellite TV became economically viable for typical households. By all outward appearances, it would have been easy to blur digital TV receivers together with any other set top box, but underneath it all was the fact that they converted digital data to the sounds and images that made up TV.

The DVD player was a much more obvious example of the blurring between computer and TV technologies. After all, by the time that DVD players became common, CD-ROM drives had been on computers for years. Since both are optical drives, and computers and DVD players loaded their discs in similar ways, the resemblance was pretty plain. Of course, CD’s had been in stereo systems and computers for years, so people were already used to seeing the resemblance there.

The next major change was the digital video recorder. DVR’s as these devices are more commonly known, can record video onto computer hard disks and then play that video back later. Most models also automatically record whatever the viewer is watching live in order to enable the pausing and rewinding of live TV. Among the advantages that DVR’s have over VCR’s is an ease of programming that none of the manufacturers of VCR’s ever got right. Another advantage of DVR technology is an ability to watch recorded programs in any order. That’s because a hard disk doesn’t store video sequentially like a video tape does. In other words, a video file can simply be accessed without the time wasted cuing through other videos.

Over the years, computers have also taken on a number of the same capabilities that’s previously only been reserved for TV sets. For example, it’s been possible to buy a special TV tuner that can be installed in a computer for years. These devices allow computers users to watch TV right on their computer screens. These days though, this capability is standard on many computers to some extent. For example, most modern computers can display streaming Internet video on their screens and laptop computers have been used to watch DVD’s for years. There are also now special adapters available that contain a TV tuner and connect to laptop computers through a USB port so that users of laptop computers can watch TV on the screens of their laptops.

The most obvious hybrid between computers and TV equipment is the media center computer. These devices are DVD players, DVR’s, digital receivers, and Internet browsing machines all combined into a single unit. They’re likely to be the future of TV technology.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

For quite a while now, the computer industry has been trying to bring computer technology into more and more different parts of the home. While the benefits to having access to a home computer in every room of the house can be pretty obvious, consumers have largely rejected technology that would do such a thing. This can be best seen in the repeated pushes (and failures) by the computer industry to make the home computer part of the home entertainment system. In the past, these computers were basically designed to use the living room TV set, instead of a conventional computer monitor- to display their desktops and graphics. The home stereo system would also act as the computer’s speakers, and the keyboard and mouse would connect to the computer wirelessly. The general idea was that the user of such a system would be able to surf the Internet, write email, and get work done all from the comfort of his or her favorite couch or easy chair. Unfortunately, the idea of making the PC part of the home entertainment center hasn’t really caught on among mainstream consumers despite the repeated efforts of the computer industry.

Two technologies that are reaching their maturity are likely to change this situation though. One is the increasing capacity of computer systems to handle video and the other is the increasing capacity of networks to transmit the large amounts of data that make up video. Wireless home networks are already popular in many homes and new technology is making it increasingly feasible to transmit video over wireless networks.

There are a number of devices that are springing up to take advantage of this new found ability to transmit video wirelessly in order to make it- along with other types of media- accessible throughout the house. One of these devices is the Touchsmart PC from Hewlett Packard. The dominating feature of this device is a 19 inch touch screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio that will detect touch and allow users to point directly to the icons and menus that they want to access. In a sense the entire screen is like a huge version of the pointer pad on a laptop computer. The Touchsmart PC also comes with a separate mouse and a keyboard that are stored beneath the screen when not in use, but are both wireless to that they can be taken across the room to be used.

The main idea of the the Touchsmart PC is that it will be used in higher traffic areas of the house like the kitchen. That way when members of the family are in the kitchen to cook or eat a meal they’ll be able to quickly and easily access video, music, digital photos, or the Internet. Some of this media could be stored on the Touchsmart PC’s hard drive, accessed from another computer’s hard drive (like possibly HP’s media vault), or of course the Internet. With a price tag of almost $1800 the Touchsmart PC may be a tough sell as a device for most families to buy just as a convenience.

This type of machine, along with others like it that will surely be coming soon, will push the limits of how and where people will enjoy different types of media in their homes in the near future.

A leader in technology reporting, Julia Hall has published articles about the latest digital devices and gadgets for over ten years. After graduating from MIT with a degree in electrical engineering, Julia turned down huge salaries from some of the most recognized fortune 500 companies in the world to pursue her dream of becoming a leading consumer advocate. Julia uses her expertise to cut through the too good to be true deals offered by high tech companies to reveal the real steals and the real duds that we’re bombarded with daily. If you enjoy staying on the cutting edge of technology, whether for business or pleasure, but find yourself occasionally confused by the overwhelming information out there let Julia be your guide.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Technology is a broad concept dealing with our knowledge and use of tools and crafts to adapt to and control our enviornment. Today it is hard to keep up with all the new technology available to us. As a “baby boomer” I find myself behind the times. My children, and in some instances my grandchildren, know more than I do about computer and internet technology. I have decided to explore the world that is available to us through use of the internet and our computers. It is my hope to share what I find.

Recent technological developments, including the printing press, telephone, and internet allow us to interact on a global scale. One way to do this is through Weblogs, better known as “blogs”. Most of my friends don’t know abouts blogs and neither did I until recently. Now I have created my own blog and am posting regularly to it. I am also reading other blogs and enjoying a new avenue of knowledge and companionship. Imagine my surprise to discover that not only can blogging be educational and entertaining, but it can be used to create income.

My husband works offshore and watches what everyone else wishes to watch on TV. He now watches what he wants on his computer. I found that if you have internet access at home, in a motel room, or even internet satellite service on your RV you can enjoy unlimited programming anywhere. We travel regularly and have found limited TV programming in motel rooms. We won’t have to miss our regular program any more. If you have internet access at home, in a motel room, or even internet satellite service on your RV you can enjoy unlimited programming anywhere.

You can find almost anything you want on the internet. You can shop from the comfort of your home and have your products delivered to you front door. My 75 year old mother was remodeling a small house and we needed handicapped accessories. No problem, I found her many items to choose from. My daughters find it much easier and less hectic to Christmas shop on line.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

With the advent of technology, life is becoming relatively easy to handle. In fact, so easy has it become such that we are now able to take control of ourselves and do some of the things that required that we hire professionals to do them for us. Remember those times that required you to hire a guard to provide security for your home? Well now, those days are long gone and now you can make use of high tech gadgets to protect your house, family or property.

The use of computers has got amazing results that cannot be explained in a nut shell. Home computer security is just one of the many uses of computers. When we talk of these machines, lets not limit ourselves to our desktops or laptops. Let us talk of a general computerized software system that is characterized by a number of different gadgets that you can find in the market today.

Provision of home security through the use of computers can be done through buying gadgets like alarms which work by giving out a siren in times of danger. They come in varied shapes, sizes and specifications, all meant to suit your needs and to deliver the best unto you. There are even those sensors that work by detecting any motion within the compound. The only disadvantage is that they will give out a siren even when it is just a dog passing by.

Other home security gadgets that work through computerization include cameras. Cameras allow you to keep an eye over your home because they record every activity as it takes place anywhere, anytime. It is therefore up to you to choose the best location that you want to place it and there you are. Invest in these things and be safe.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Achieve financial freedom by staying at home. It’s becoming a the thing to do these days. Your able to set your own work schedules and stay at home with the kids. With the advancement of technology it makes it easy to work from home and earn an income online. The days where you have to go door to door and make cold calls to people and businesses are long gone.

Door to door selling and cold calls were replaced by internet advertising. This is a plus because it creates a bunch of jobs for people like me and you! It’s possible for just about anyone to earn an income online. If you have special computer talents, you can work from home. Remember you have to stay focused day to devote time to your home business. Stay motivated to make your business successful and to build a solid lasting income.

A work from home computer job has the potential to bring in a lot of income. It all depends on if you want to go part time or full time, set your goals and you can easily make good money by staying at home. Always seek new information online about getting started. Knowledge builds confidence and confidence equals success. Find a niche to work in and create a plan to dominating that niche.

Once you have everything setup you can basically sit back and manage your business. By spending a lot of time and learning the skills necessary to run a business you will be well on your way.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

If you take a quick look online, you will find there are home computer jobs available in large quantities. Because of the advanced technology of the Internet, more companies are hiring people to do the work out of their homes. They save money by not having to pay for any employee benefits and you get to work out of your home. What you must realize, however, is that almost anyone can do these jobs. Most require very little technical skills.

One of the main home computer jobs that you will find online are jobs in data entry or typing. With a simple download of the companies required software, you can earn your money from your own home. No more rushing to work and long commutes. You can simply choose the data entry jobs you want and once you secure a few repeat clients, you may have all the work you need.

To start looking for jobs at home that you can do on the computer, do a quick search in some of the online job boards. Some of these jobs are with reputable companies and will continually provide you with as much work as you can handle. You can also go onto some of the job bidding sites, where you place a bid on a specific job. Keep in mind, though, when bidding for any job, keep your rates fair and always provide quality work to keep them coming back to you.

One of the greatest aspects of working on computer jobs at your home is that the hours are flexible. You can work a schedule that you find suits you best. If this means staying up until two in the morning to complete a job, so be it. No one is going to tell you what hours you have to work and how many hours you have to put in each week.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

There are many possibilities that people don’t know about when it comes to joining a work from home computer business. This type of business involves the combination of a home based business opportunity of being able to promote it using the power of a computer. For those of you who might not know already this is a very powerful combination that you can utilize to achieve success.

There were many ways to promote when it comes to being part of a home based business but thanks to the new technology you are able to use the power of a computer to promote your business and reach out more people.

Many of the people that started doing this started calling themselves a work from home computer business and this is how this term came about. So if you’re into computers and are familiar with how to use them on the Internet in this kind of opportunity is definitely for you. The reason that the old ways of promoting a home based business did not work for many people was simply because many people which is approach their friends and family which are people that do not an interest in business for the most part.

The importance of a work from home computer business is that you are able to put yourself in front of those people who are already seeking what you’re offering. This is a very important concept to understand because is how business works and the reason why the Internet is so powerful.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

As technology advances it seems that the number of people who want to work from home keeps growing and growing. I am probably safe to say that the number of ‘work from home’ job opportunities keeps growing as well. Let’s take a look at the work at home computer tech. Being a work at home computer tech generally only happens if you are employed by a company that has remote employees. In this case the technician would most likely be supporting software so they are considered to be software or application technicians. There are several software companies and corporations that do have work at home computer techs, and software application techs. There are several different kinds of software out there, here are just a few: software for medical facilities, dental facilities, credit card processing software, security and several other kinds of software for just about anything. The list goes on and on.

There are computer techs that work on the actual machines. For these computer techs it is much harder for them to be a work at home computer tech. They actually need the equipment at their fingertips in order to do their job. Being a computer tech would entail having to leave the house to go to where the machine is located or to pick it up and bring it back to their house to work on the machine.

For a work at home computer tech, I would have to say that most of the technicians are most likely employed by a company or corporation that has remote employees. These companies or corporations may have bought out a smaller software company that is located in a different state. They may have downsized the remote office, to have the employees work from home. Employees that can work from home actually save the company the overhead of having to have an office for the workers to report too.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

We live in the age of global communication and connectivity. Could you imagine 10 years ago if you had told someone you’d be sitting in a coffee shop, connected to a world wide network, with no wires connected to your laptop, reading the latest news or even playing a game with your friends?

They would have suggested that you are mad! Fortunately, that is not the case and we do live in a world where global communications are standard and almost everyone has their own permanent connection to the internet via broadband.

What if, via this worldwide communications network, you could not only read the latest news or do your grocery shopping online; you could actually remotely control your PC at home! Think about this for a minute, what would this allow you to do? Would it allow you to remotely use any applications you may have installed at home, such as accountancy applications, spreadsheets or documents? Allow you to check any downloads you may have progressing at home? Check on emails that only come in to your email client? The possibilities really are endless. There is a solution at hand, and in this article I will focus on using the inbuilt features of Microsoft Windows XP Professional, namely, Remote Desktop.

If you have never used remote desktop before, don’t be worried. It’s a simple feature that does what is says, presents you with your desktop via a client. If you look in Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> Communications, you will see a Remote Desktop Client application.

Using this application, you can enter a computer name or IP address to connect to. You can even map your home computers hard drives as well, so that they appear in windows explorer, and even print to the printer beside you, from your home computer, over the internet!

Try it at home if you have two computers. You need to make sure that Remote Desktop is enabled first, and this can be done by selecting System from Control Panel, selecting the remote tab, and ensuring that “Allow users to connect remotely to this computer” is enabled. If you plan to do this at home, take note of the “Full computer name”, as this is what you will need to enter into the remote desktop client to connect to this computer.

I know you are worried about security at this point, but don’t worry – we’ll address that later.

Now, if you do have two computers at home, try it and see what happens! You should be presented with the familiar login box, and once logged in – ta-da! You are now on the desktop of the other computer, using the remote desktop application on your local computer!

Now – what if this functionality could be extended; so that you can connect to your home PC from anywhere in the world provided you are connected to the internet? Fortunately, this can be done! There are seven steps that we need to do in order to achieve this.

1. Ensure that your computer will accept remote desktop requests

2. Make sure your password is strong!

3. Note down your IP addresses

4. Change the port number that remote desktop responds on (this will aid with security)

5. Ensure any local firewalls are not blocking the Remote Desktop Port.

6. Create the necessary port forwarding rules on your home router

7. Sign up to a Dynamic DNS service (ignore if you have a static IP address from your ISP)

Let me explain these steps and how to perform each one.

1. Ensure your computer will accept remote desktop requests. As above, you need to select the System icon from Control Panel, and, from the remote tab, ensure that “Allow users to connect remotely to this computer” is enabled.

2. Make sure you password is strong! If your password is not very secure, make sure you change it so that it has at least 8 characters, at least one uppercase character and at least one symbol. One way to do this is to use symbols/numbers as a substitute for letters. For example, say I wanted my password to be the name of my son, Benjamin. Instead of using Benjamin as my password, I could use 83nj@m1n! , which as you can see, is a lot more secure than Benjamin.

3. Note down your IP addresses. We need to make a note of your internal and external IP addresses. To do this, go to Start -> Run and type cmd . Then click OK. Type ipconfig and look for the IP address entry. In this example, we will use 192.168.01. This is your internal IP address. Now browse to http://www.whatismyip.com Take a note of your IP address, in this example, we will use 1.2.3.4. This is your external IP address.

Things will get a bit techy from this point on. The tasks we need to perform are pretty straight forward, however, if you have any questions, please ask a technical friend first or consult online help from the internet as an error in the below steps could cause your computer to malfunction or cause you internet connectivity problems.

4. Change the port number that remote desktop responds on. This will require you editing the registry. Go to Start -> Run and type regedit . Then click OK and you will be presented with the Windows Registry. I won’t get into detail about the registry now, there are books as thick as encyclopaedias written on the windows registry, suffice to say, if you don’t know what you are doing, don’t mess around with it!

Now, if you browse through the tree to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlTerminal ServerWinstationsRDP-Tcp. Once there, look for an entry in the right hand pane called “PortNumber”. Double click this entry and select decimal. Now, this will be 3389 by default. Make sure you change this to a number of your choosing, above 1024 and below 65534. In this case, lets you 23456. I highly recommend making this number as obscure as possible to avoid people discovering an open port via portscan! Click OK, and close down Registry Editor.

One caveat to this, what port you decide to use, may affect the usability of this feature. Some companies will block ports that are not in common use, so 23456 will be blocked. Other companies allow all ports, as do most home users. If you choose a common port, such as port 80 or 443, it may allow you more access from secure networks, however will allow hackers to more easily see your PC on the internet.

Even using a higher port number will still render you vulnerable to certain attacks, however, the risk is severely minimised when using a higher port number. I and a number of colleagues have used this technology for a number of years without incident; however remember when allowing any connectivity over the internet, there is always a risk! This choice in functionality is up to you.

5. Ensure any local firewalls are not blocking the Remote Desktop Port. This step will most likely requiring you to check the instructions with your particular desktop firewall product. What you will need to do here is ensure that anyone is allowed to connect to the port number used above. This is usually in the form of a firewall rule and looks similar to the below:

Allow Anyone using protocol TCP 23456 in both directions to connect to My computer. Once again, this will require consulting your desktop firewall instructions.

Now, before we go any further we need to make sure this change has taken effect. Reboot your computer, and, if you have another computer on your LAN, try and remote desktop to your computer with the “:portnumber” at the end, for example. Mycomputer:23456, or your IP address, 192.168.0.1:23456. Make sure this works before continuing or else the next steps will not work.

6. Create the necessary port forwarding rules on your home router. This step will depend on your particular home router. You will need to connect to this and define a port forwarding rule similar to the following:

Allow anyone -> Using Port TCP 23456 (substitute for your port number above) to connect to 192.168.0.1 (substitute for your internal IP address). You may need to consult the manual for your router regarding port forwarding for this. You may need to define a particular protocol or server for TCP 23456 (substitute for your particular port number above). This is the hardest step of all so it may take you a while to achieve.

7. Sign up to a Dynamic DNS service (ignore if you have a static IP address from your ISP). If you know your external IP address will never change, ignore this step. If however, you have a dynamic IP from your ISP, you will need to perform this step.

This step is to ensure that if you external IP address changes, it will be registered on the internet so you can still connect to your PC. The best service I have found to use is www.dyndns.com.

Sign up here and enter a hostname that you would like to use, ie, myname.dyndns.com. Follow the instructions here to ensure that your external IP address is always updated on the internet.

8. Finally, you are ready to go. If you have completed all the steps above successfully, you’ll want to test this out. The best choice will be to go to a friend’s house with home broadband, and test connecting in. Once connected to the internet, load up your remote desktop client, and enter either you external IP address or DNS name, eg 1.2.3.4:23456 or myname.dyndns.com:23456.

Chances are this may not work the first time, so, I have included below tests that you can perform at each stage to determine where the problem may be.

1. Ensure that your computer will accept remote desktops requests. The best way to check this is to go to Start -> Run and type cmd . Then type “telnet 127.0.0.1 portnumber” ie, “telnet 127.0.0.1 23456”. This should return a blank cmd window if successful, and an error if unsuccessful. If this is successful, move on to the next step. If this is unsuccessful, make sure Remote Desktop Connections to you PC are enabled and the port number is correct. You can do this by typing “telnet 127.0.0.1 3389” in the same cmd window as before, and if this is successful, your remote desktop port number has not yet changed. You may need to reboot your PC or check the above registry entry.

2. Make sure your password is strong! This test I will leave to you to ensure your password is correct.

3. Note down your IP addresses. Make sure that all your IP addresses are correct!

4. Change the port number that remote desktop responds on. You can check this has been set successfully by going to Start -> Run and type cmd . Then type “telnet 127.0.0.1 portnumber” ie, “telnet 127.0.0.1 23456”. This should return a blank cmd window if successful, and an error if unsuccessful. If this is successful, move on to the next step. If this is unsuccessful, make sure Remote Desktop Connections to you PC are enabled and the port number is correct. You can do this by typing “telnet 127.0.0.1 3389” in the same cmd window as before, and if this is successful, your remote desktop port number has not yet changed. You may need to reboot your PC or check the above registry entry.

5. Ensure any local firewalls are not blocking the Remote Desktop Port. The best way to test this functionality, if you can, is to use a PC on your LAN. From a PC on the same network as yours, type “telnet ”, ie “telnet 192.168.0.1 23456”. If you receive a blank cmd window, then this is working OK. If you receive an error, and all the above tests are successful, then this indicates that something on your PC is blocking this connection. You will need to look at any local firewalls that may be preventing this access (including the inbuilt Microsoft Firewall).

If this step works, also ensure that your local firewall is not just allowing computer on your local network and nothing else to connect. I stress again, make sure you read the instructions that came with your desktop firewall.

6. Create the necessary port forwarding rules on your home router. This is the most problematic part of the process. To check this, you will need to be on another broadband connection. Once connected, navigate to Start -> Run and type cmd . Then type “telnet ” ie, “telnet 1.2.3.4 23456”. Once again, this should return a blank cmd window if successful and an error if unsuccessful. If all the tests above have been successful, and this command is unsuccessful, then this problem indicates there is an issue on the router port forwarding the Remote Desktop request. Ensure that you have read the manual and port forwarded this successfully.

7. Sign up to a Dynamic DNS service. You can test this simply by performing the same command as above. If “telnet externalip portnumber” works, and “telnet myname.dyndns.com portnumber” does not, then there is a problem with this service. From a cmd window, type ping myname.dyndns.com and see if it returns a reply. If not, then you will need to check the online help with regards to this service.

That should be it; you should now be able to connect to your home PC from almost any internet connection. Remember you can use advanced features of the remote desktop client such as connecting your local drives, printers etc.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

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With today computer technology at the fingertips of millions, some cell phone users are creating their own ring tones. Staying current with their minded buddies is why people go to laptop shopping on the Internet. If you think about it, this has become so much more advanced, since the introduction of the first dinosaur models! In this day and age, the temptation to rely on it too much is always there. Well there are several publications dealing with computers that will regularly review products such as registry repair software and give feedback on the pros and cons of each product. In this modern era and the advent of the Internet, it has become much easier to search for and qualify targeted leads. A computers and business software are interdependent, with computers becoming more advanced with each new software addition. And is a growing career field and these jobs are available all over the world. This makes a Computers Science degree flexible in the respect that wherever there is a company, there is a need for computer technology degree employees.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

We regularly hear reports about the cost to the software industry of software piracy, but are the claims to be taken at face value? Statistics are notoriously biased towards what the author is trying to say.

Types of Software:

There are three basic types of software, although these do have their own subsections, as will be discussed later:

1. Commercial software, purchased with a licence for one or more computers. This generally is coupled with some form of support and regular updates to patch errors etc. Sometimes a new version of the software is offered at a reduced rate as “update”. This type of software is generally relatively expensive and is often designed to cover specific industrial purposes. The big exception is the various sets of “office” software, which are designed for use in the commercial environment, but can naturally be equally used for various tasks at home. The most common application in this category is, of course, text editing. Most of the other classic “office” applications, such as calculations and data bases are only of limited use in the domestic environment, although they will be used in some cases, particularly now that the more computer-literate generation is growing.

2. Simplified or “lite” versions of the commercial software. These are intended principally for small businesses and enterprises that do not need the complete capabilities of, say, a 3-D modelling system, but must be able to view such documentation and prepare compatible drawings. Again, the “office” environment was a long time not represented in this sector, but has recently started to be available. These will also come with a single or multiple, but limited licence and now mostly be registered with the manufacturer.

3. Free or “open source” software. This is designed for general distribution and has no particular limitations as to use, except that it may not be changed in any way. Naturally, such software has its limitations, but may serve very adequately for many purposes. Practically all types of software are to be found in this category. One notable application distributes the software to read its documents freely, but charges for the software to produce the documents. This policy is arguably the motor behind its ride to a position as industry standard, since you can always be certain that he receiver can decipher whatever is sent, without long discussions about compatibility and versions.

Clearly, there can be no piracy of products that fall into the third category, except for changing of the code or reuse of the code for other purposes, but this does not appear to be a major issue at the moment, so we will concentrate our attention on the first two categories.

Both of these categories contain software that is copied and distributed either free of charge or for a nominal fee. Naturally, the full versions of the software are preferred, but the simplified versions are also to be found, depending on what is available.

Types of Software Pirate

This puts our software pirates into two categories of their own:

1. Those who knowingly use a copy of software “borrowed” from work or supplied by friends, who probably acquired it by the same means.

2. Those who prepare copies of software from an original and sell it at a low price through internet auctions or on market stands. Their customers may, in many cases, be unaware that the software has been pirated and simply be pleased to acquire a software package at a bargain price. Some will be quite well aware of the actual source, but still prepared to take this means of saving money.

Composition of the Groups:

So who is to be found in these two groups?

1. This group is very widely ranged and consists of school children, people practicing at home with the company software, various private persons with an interest in computers who will try anything that is free and, possibly, very small businesses. Many schools will supply their students with copies of software licensed for the school to enable them to complete homework or learn to use it for technical subjects. A student finishing a technical school with little or no knowledge of the technical software used in their industry will not easily find employment, so a blind eye is turned in many schools to this practice. Schoolwork is often required to be written on computer these days, and again, this is only really possible if some form of text software is available. Those who use company software at home to play with or for their children to complete homework are also a large group. The computer has become a part of our lifestyle in the western hemisphere, and many people are interested in the possibilities opened by the modern generation of powerful number-crunchers. The days of mainframe computers costing hundreds of thousands of dollars is not gone, but the small computer in a network has taken over in many areas, so the professional software that would earlier have required a mainframe connection and a whole basement full of equipment will now run happily on a home computer. There may be a loss of speed, but who cares? The vast majority of these people know full well that what they are doing is not allowed, but consider this as a very minor matter, and would laugh at any suggestion that they should purchase the software officially. The few companies that also do this are saving money that they probably do not have, despite being aware of the risks.

2. The group of people who copy software and distribute it for sale as being genuine are working simply for profit, taking advantage of the simplicity of the process and the high prices of genuine software. The general public is not aware of the penalties for this type of action and is often unsure about recognising the genuine article. Other items in the consumer market are available from many manufacturers as basically identical products, so why should this not be the case with software? Very many are simply duped into buying what they see as a cheap alternative to a brand-marked product.

Costs of Software Piracy:

So what are the real costs to the software companies?

In most cases, school and college students would not be in a position to pay the costs for the expensive commercial software they use in technical subjects, and the schools and colleges are not in a position to supply this to them free of charge. Most schools have licences for software to be used on the premises, but this is not available for the students at home. Theoretically, they will use the computers at school to complete work and practice, but this is generally not possible due to a lack of resources, or classrooms locked because of vandalism. The only way to solve the problem is for the schools to simply distribute the software to their students on the basis of it being only for their use. There is no licence and no direct upgrade possible. Generally, although illegal, this system works quite well. Schools try to copy upgrades and patches for their students, mostly successfully. The snag to the matter is that we educate people in that this is perfectly acceptable practice, despite it being illegal. No-one would think of insisting or even checking that drop-out students erase the software and no longer use it, but this is probably fairly well assured by the fact that they have dropped out in the first place!

Solutions to Software Piracy:

Student Software:

Low-Cost Software:

One of the best-known software companies has recently started to sell a slightly simplified version of their software in a student package, stating that this is not for commercial use. Naturally, this is being distributed to everybody without regard to their true status as student or not! Nevertheless it is a definite move in the right direction. Providing an affordable alternative is the first step towards a solution for this problem. The quality is good and it contains all the usual features that are needed.

Other companies also offer free software for student use, but this is in most cases pitifully inadequate and simply not up to the job and no preparation for later commercial practice. It remains to be seen how far the availability of reasonably priced student software will affect sales of the commercial product. One of the factors presumably behind this move is the general attitude that the present software is perfectly adequate and can be used for a length of time without being replaced. Since many software houses have distanced themselves from the idea of upgrade software for older versions at a reduced price, this attitude will probably cause sales of the full commercial software to be limited to new systems, and not as an improvement on older systems.

The new wave of student software is probably intended to bridge this gap somewhat by providing extra revenue. Whether the fears of the others that the production of a student version at greatly reduced price will cut into their sales of the full, commercial version will prove to be correct, or the alternative view that these are complementary products will prevail will remain to be seen.

Benefits of Student Use:

It is undoubtedly true that someone who has trained on one type of software will tend to remain loyal to it as far as company policies allow and that this is a definite motivation to purchase a type of software, hence the policy of the schools is unlikely to be challenged or mentioned publicly. Nevertheless, there is no reason for forcing our youth into criminal activity! Providing a solution that allows people to use these applications during training legally should be a priority for the software houses that will bring some revenue in the short term, and possibly more in the long term. One of the problems in the computer branch has always been the emphasis on short term results and quick profits, but this attitude will have to change soon to allow for these factors.

“Fun ” Use:

Again, the people who use the company software at home for fun cannot really be seen as a risk to the profits of a software company. They would simply spend their time otherwise in the evenings if they did not have this possibility! The matter only then becomes problematic when they begin producing work privately for other companies. This would then definitely be a matter for concern, both for the producers of the software and other companies in the same branch, who have to calculate the costs of software into their prices.

Geographical Factors:

The problem is also geographically different. Most of the software packages originate, at least on paper, from the United States. The prices in Europe tend to be 1.5 to 2 times higher, without considering sales tax of any type, which is generally higher in most European countries. Whilst this may not be of consequence for the run of low-cost software, it is a significant difference when complex design or technical applications are considered. This price differential is often explained by higher support costs or translation costs, but these factors alone cannot be the complete reason. A change in this policy would probably help to reduce the level of use of copies in the commercial field at least. Splitting software packages into easily-upgraded elements would also enable small companies to purchase what they need immediately and then add the extra features in time as and when necessary.

Reasons for Software Piracy:

Software piracy is legally a crime, but it is a crime that is still acceptable in our society. Very little has been done to combat it for a number of reasons. One reason is that it is almost universal amongst users of computers. Many people “need” an application once per year and do not wish to pay the sometimes horrendous cost for the commercial licences. Companies have made no real attempt to combat it until now, since this is a form of free advertising, and the benefits of having it available to students have been mentioned above. It is only now, when the earning curve start to tip downhill that this is seen as a threat to company existence. In reality it is relatively simple to make something extremely difficult to copy. Impossibility is a dream in the computer world these days!

Concluding Remarks:

That criminal activity should be hindered and software piracy is, broadly speaking, theft, is quite correct, but the solution is not just to seek out and punish wrong-doers, but to find a solution for all these groups of people who, for one reason or other, wish to use the software, but cannot, or will not, find the means of paying the present market cost. An imaginative solution to this problem could well be the break-through that a company needs to make itself known in every household, provided the product is correct

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Following a great success in my first article of The Billionaire Story, I feel motivated in writing a sequel. In this part two series of the billionaire story, I would like to share with you three most outstanding people that have shaped the business world.

The Apple Story

Steven Paul (Steve) Jobs was responsible for building Apple Computer twice, as well as for rescuing Pixar Animation Studios and turning it into one of the world’s most successful motion picture studios. He was a hands-on manager, who studied even the minutest details of his products, with the heart and eye of an artist. His insistence on high-quality, good-looking products struck a chord with many people who appreciated the beauty of Apple products, resulting in such fabulous successes as the Macintosh computer and the iPod portable music system. These successes often reshaped how consumers viewed technology and also reshaped the technology itself.

Jobs was adopted in February 1955 by Paul and Clara Jobs, who were indulgent parents. They were so focused on their son’s needs that they even moved from Mountain View, California, to Los Altos, California, in 1968, to put Jobs in a new school because he said that he could not get along with the children in his old school. He was an odd student, out of step with both classmates and teachers, with a mind that looked at science from unusual angles. He preferred to spend his time with older students rather than ones his own age, including Stephen Wozniak, an electronics genius four years older than Jobs.

In 1972 Jobs attended Reed College, in Portland, Oregon, dropping out after one semester. He hung around the school for about a year longer, before submitting a résumé that greatly inflated his electronics experience to Atari, a pioneer in video gaming. After saving up enough money to pay his way, he left Atari and journeyed with friends to India to search for enlightenment. He shaved his head and walked through what he saw to be appalling poverty. He soon left India believing that Thomas Edison had done more for the betterment of humanity than all the gurus in the world. In 1975 he joined the Homebrew computer club, which included Wozniak among its members. Wozniak had discovered that a toy in Cap’n Crunch cereal boxes made the same tones that telephone companies used for long-distance switching. Soon, with Jobs’s help, he was making small blue boxes that could be used with telephones to circumvent the safeguards of telephone companies and make free long-distance calls. It was Jobs who turned this into a business venture by selling the boxes to college students.

Wozniak was an electronics enthusiast. He enjoyed making gadgets and then sharing his inventions with anyone who was interested, without concern for patents or profit. It was Jobs who soon saw the potential marketability of Wozniak’s circuit board combined with the microprocessor chips. In 1975 he and Wozniak became partners, and Jobs gave their enterprise the name “Apple.” They designed their simple computer in Jobs’s bedroom. When more space was needed, Jobs’s father cleared out his home’s garage, where Jobs and Wozniak cobbled together their combination of a circuit board, a microprocessor, a video screen, and Jobs’s most important contribution, a typewriter-style keyboard. The inventors called it the Apple I.

Jobs had already discovered a local electronics storeowner who wanted 50 personal computers to sell to college students, who were the bulk of electronics enthusiasts. Jobs and Wozniak gave the Apple I the whimsical price of $666.66 and ended up selling more than 600 of them, making $774,000. The Apple I was a hobbyist’s machine, a clumsy-looking beast of wires and boards that invited tinkering. The partners wanted to build something more sophisticated and easier to use-making technology easier to use would become essential to Jobs’s views for building his companies. In 1977 the former Intel executive Mike Markkula, a venture capitalist, invested in Apple, becoming its chairman of the board and bringing in outsiders to help govern the company. Jobs persuaded a successful publicist, Regis McKenna, to join Apple. That year the Apple II was introduced. It took only about four hours for a purchaser to set it up and have it running, and it could run some business programs, reducing to minutes from hours certain accounting tasks. With a canny sales campaign created by McKenna, and Jobs’s own magnetic personality helping persuade corporate buyers, the Apple II became the first successful mass-market personal computer.

Jobs had to have been a concern for McKenna: Jobs had long hair and a scruffy beard, and he usually wore jeans when meeting the conservatively dressed businessmen who had the power to order dozens of Apple IIs at a time. But Jobs was charismatic. When he spoke of what his machines could do and of the future the machines would shape, he created what came to be known as his “reality distortion field.” His power to persuade was remarkable, and he often had potential customers vying for his attention. He was soon perceived to be a visionary genius that foresaw how to marry high-technology electronics and everyday business.

According to Forbes magazine, Steve jobs estimated net worth is at US $4 billion in 2007.

The Hutchinson Whampoa Story

The wealthiest man in Asia, Li Ka-shing was nicknamed “Superman” in Hong Kong, where his global empire was based. His political and financial influence, as derived from his diverse holdings, which included real estate, ports, telecommunications, finance, infrastructure, and biotechnology, led AsiaWeek to call him “the most powerful man in Asia” in 2000. Born in mainland China, Li came to Hong Kong as a poor immigrant in 1940 and launched his career making and exporting plastic flowers.

Although his father was the head of a primary school in Guangdong province, Li had little opportunity for formal education. He was 12 years old in 1940 when his family fled the Japanese invasion of China. Within three years of their arrival in Hong Kong, his father had died, and the teenage Li was helping to support the family by selling plastic watchbands and belts.

Li proved to be a capable salesman and started his own plastics factory in Hong Kong in 1950. By 1958 he had a flourishing business manufacturing plastic flowers and was ready to expand. He named the firm Cheung Kong Industries, after the Cheung Kong River-also known as the Yangtze-the longest river in China. The name was reportedly an allusion to both the river’s many tributaries and the need for business alliances.

By 1958, when his landlord raised its rent, Li had enough cash to purchase his factory. This would be the first of many investments in real estate; by the 1960s Cheung Kong had transformed into a property development and management company. Li’s strategy was to avoid debt by raising capital before building, both through the formation of joint ventures with landowners and by pre-selling apartments to friends and colleagues. As such Cheung Kong could incur fewer risks while still earning profits for both Li and his co-investors, fueling rapid growth. The company, renamed Cheung Kong Holdings in 1971, had its initial public offering in 1972. By 1979 Li was Hong Kong’s largest private landlord.

Once again success led Li to expand his corporate efforts in a new direction, this time through the acquisition of one of the oldest British “hongs,” or trading companies. Hutchison Whampoa had been created in 1977 by a merger between the financially troubled Hutchison International, founded in 1880, and Hongkong and Whampoa Dock, which had been the first registered company in Hong Kong when it was founded in 1861. In 1979 Li bought 23 percent of Hutchison Whampoa from Hongkong & Shanghai Bank, becoming the first Chinese to control one of the old British companies that had long dominated Hong Kong’s economy.

Forbes magazine estimated his fortune at US$23 billion, making him the 9th richest man in the world.

The Dell Story

Michael Dell defied conventional wisdom-that consumers would not purchase computer equipment over the telephone-and built a billion-dollar company doing just that. Through his direct method of offering low-cost, custom-configured personal computers direct to customers, Dell changed the competitive dynamic of the computer industry. Notable for a natural business talent coupled with a willingness to share power, Dell carried the company through rapid growth and economic difficulties. He innovated operating processes, took risks, learned through his mistakes, and built Dell Inc. from a college dormitory operation to a global corporation. Along the way Dell became one of the wealthiest Americans and the youngest CEO of a company on the Fortune 500 list of largest American companies.

Dell understood the meaning of “business opportunity” early in life, as his mother’s profession, stockbroker, frequently raised discussions of business and economic affairs at the family dinner table. So when he began to collect stamps at age 12 and noticed prices rising, Dell recognized a business opportunity. He determined the most profitable way to sell stamps would be to bypass the auctioneer and sell direct to collectors. He compiled a 12-page catalog of his and his friends’ stamps and advertised in a stamp collectors’ magazine. In this first business venture Dell earned $2000.

Dell further developed his business acumen at the age of 16, when he sold newspaper subscriptions for the Houston Post. The inefficiency of cold-calling prompted Dell to find better marketing methods. He determined that the people most likely to subscribe were newly married couples and people who had moved. He obtained lists of marriage license applicants and mortgage applicants then used his Apple II computer to address sales letters to people on these lists. The approach succeeded so well that Dell earned $18,000 the first year and had bought a BMW automobile by the time he went to college. In the back seat of that BMW, Dell carried three personal computers, the seeds of PC’s Limited and Dell Computer Corporation.

Dell’s fascination with computers began with exposure to a data processor in junior high school then to computers at the local Radio Shack store. After much persuasion, Dell’s parents allowed him to use savings to buy an Apple II computer at the age of 15. To the fury of his parents, upon arriving home Dell dismantled the computer to see how it operated. The following year, in 1981, Dell bought an IBM desktop computer and learned how to upgrade and add new components. With insight that IBM-compatible computers would become the choice of business, Dell began to buy, upgrade, and resell personal computers for friends and acquaintances, eventually purchasing components at wholesale rates from distributors. Exposure to the computer industry fostered Dell’s desire to start a computer business. In June 1982 he skipped classes for most of a week to attend the National Computer Conference. After saving money to buy a hard disk drive (not standard equipment at the time), Dell communicated with other computer enthusiasts on a bulletin board system and learned how the industry operated. He found dealers sold computers for $3,000 and made $1,000 gross profit, yet he could purchase components for less than $700.

Dell determined that he could compete with retail computer dealers by selling direct to consumers at a lower price and offering better technical service, but his parents had another idea-that Dell should become a physician. Dell went to the University of Texas at Austin in fall 1983. While he attended to premed studies, Dell continued to upgrade and resell computers, finding customers among students and local business-people through word-of-mouth. By the time his parents made a surprise visit in November to address poor class attendance, Dell knew he wanted to compete with IBM. An attempt to be the good son and study premed lasted approximately three weeks, then Dell returned to upgrading computers. In early 1984 Dell registered PC’s Limited with the state of Texas and moved to a two-bedroom condominium. Between word-of-mouth referrals and a small advertisement in the local newspaper, PC’s Limited sold between $50,000 and $80,000 per month in computers, add-on components, and upgrade kits. The week before final examinations in May 1983 Dell incorporated the company as Dell Computer Corporation with the state-required minimum of $1,000 capital. He never returned to college.

Today, Forbes estimated Michael Dell at US$15 billion dollars, remarkable achievement for a dropout.

I believe everyone has a chance for success, whether you are high school dropout or a PHD graduate, you can chose what kind of life you want to lead, you can chose who you want to become.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

If you want to relocate to a tech-savvy city—a city that offers great prospects for technology talent—then you’ll love the seven cities listed below. Each of the 7 cities below have above-average brainpower (smart populations), great technology infrastructure, and a growing technology job sector.

1. Seattle, WA – Forty seven percent of Seattle’s population holds a bachelor’s degree or higher, making Seattle the “brain-iest” city in the U.S. Seattle is well-known for its technology infrastructure (wireless city), and growing tech industry. Microsoft and Nintendo are both located in Redmond, just outside of Seattle. Notable technology companies located within (or nearby) Seattle include Real Networks, Tmobile, Amazon, Clearwire, Infopop, Zillow.com, and Expedia.com. Just like San Jose and San Francisco, Seattle seems to attract many internet startups.

2. Austin, TX – Like Seattle, more than 40% of Austin’s population holds a bachelor’s degree. This is one of the highest percentages in the nation. Austin is the state capital and attracts talent from The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A& M University (Texas A&M is located in neighboring College Station). The weather is warm and sunny in Austin, and Texas has no state income tax. Notable technology/engineering companies headquartered in Austin include Dell Computers, National Instruments, and Austin Semiconductors.

3. San Francisco Bay Area, CA – San Francisco has always attracted people with intellectual and technology talent. Forty-five percent of San Francisco’s residents hold bachelor’s degrees, second only to Seattle, and The City by the Bay ranks third for its concentration of graduate and professional degrees. The infamous dot-com era began in San Francisco, and to this day, many internet and software companies are headquartered in the Bay Area. Notable companies include: BitTorrent, Craigslist, Blogspot, Digg, Google, Linden Lab (Second Life), Salesforce.com, Typepad, Technorati, Cnet, SBC Communications, and Sega.

4. Raleigh-Durham, NC – Raleigh-Durham, also known as “The Triangle,” attracts some the brightest minds due to its proximity to 3 major universities (Duke University, NC State, UNC-Chapel Hill), and Research Triangle Park—a well-known biotech, business and research center. 44% of Raleigh residents age 25 and older hold bachelor’s degrees. Notable companies in the Triangle area include: Cisco, IBM, Lenovo, SAS, Progress Energy, NetApp, and RBC Centura.

5. Atlanta, GA – Atlanta is rapidly becoming one of the fastest growing metropolitan cities in the Southeast and is a virtual hotbed for technology workers. Forty-two percent of Atlanta residents hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, and Atlanta is home to Georgia Tech and Georgia State. Notable companies headquartered in Atlanta include: AT&T, CNN, Cox Communications, Lucent Technologies, Data General, Hewlett-Packard, Earthlink, Home Depot, Delta Airlines, Lockheed Martin (in Marietta), Siemens, SunTrust Bank, Equifax, and Web.com.

6. Colorado Springs, CO – Colorado can be described as a small-scale Seattle—a rapidly growing technology center that is attracting highly educated workers. Colorado Springs is known for its aerospace research and military installations including the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD), Fort Peterson Air Force Base, and The U.S. Air Force Academy. This mountain city has the lowest percentage of high school dropouts. (It is one of just two places with a dropout rate below 10 percent.) Notable companies in Colorado Springs include: Hewlett-Packard and 17 other major electronics companies which combined employ over 10,000 people. Other companies with a presence in the city include Oracle, T. Rowe Price, Progressive Insurance, and Amtel.

7. Washington, D.C. – It’s no surprise that Washington D.C. has a strong technology industry since the city is home to the federal government, world-renown research institutes, lobbying firms, and one of the highest concentrations of law offices. More than one-fifth of D.C. residents have graduate or professional degrees, and notable companies in D.C. include: XM Satellite Radio, Carlyle Group, CSPAN, Lincoln Group, Allbritton Communications Company, and Blue State Digital.

Are these the only options for top technology cities? Of course not – here are some other top technology cities and top “smart” cities Explore your options, and see which city is the right fit for you.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

A laptop computer or simply laptop (also notebook computer or notebook) is a small mobile personal computer, usually weighing from one to three kilograms, depending on size, materials and other factors.

While the terms “laptop” and “notebook” are often used interchangeably, “laptop” is the older term, introduced in 1983 with the Gavilan SC. “Notebook computer” is a later coinage, which was used to differentiate smaller devices such as those of the Compaq LTE series in 1989, which were, in contrast to previous laptops, the approximate size of an A4 paper sheet.[1] Either term is often used improperly: due to heat and other issues, many laptops are inappropriate for use on one’s lap, and most are not the size of an A4 sheet. Although, some older portable computers, such as the Macintosh Portable and certain Zenith TurbosPort models, were sometimes described as “laptops”, their size and weight were too great for this category.

Laptops usually run on a single battery or from an external AC/DC adapter which can charge the battery while also supplying power to the computer itself.

An Acer laptop with touchpadAs personal computers, laptops are capable of the same tasks as a desktop PC, although they are typically less powerful for the same price. They contain components that are similar to their desktop counterparts and perform the same functions, but are miniaturized and optimized for mobile use and efficient power consumption. Laptops usually have liquid crystal displays and most of them use different memory modules for their RAM (for instance, SO-DIMM in lieu of the larger DIMMs). In addition to a built-in keyboard, they may utilize a touchpad (also known as a trackpad) or a pointing stick for input, though an external keyboard or mouse can usually be attached.

Categories
Terms sometimes used for subtypes of laptop computers include:

Ultraportables
Laptops with screens typically less than 12 inches diagonally and a weight of less than 1.7kg. Their primary audience is usually business travellers, who need small, light laptops. Ultraportables are often very expensive and house power-saving CPUs and almost always have integrated graphics.
Thin-and-lights
Laptops usually weighing in between 1.8kg and 2.8kg with a screen size of between 12 and 14 inches diagonally.
Medium-sized laptops
These usually have screens of 15 – 15.4 inches diagonally and a weight of around 3-3.5kg. They usually sacrifice a little computing power for smaller dimensions and longer battery life, although the length and width are usually determined by the screen size.
Desktop replacement computers
Powerful laptops meant to be mainly used in a fixed location and infrequently carried out due to their weight and size; the latter provides more space for powerful components and a big screen, usually measuring 15 inches or more. Desktop replacements tend to have limited battery life, rarely exceeding three hours, because the hardware does not optimize power efficiency.
History
Before laptop/notebook computers were technically feasible, similar ideas had been proposed, most notably Alan Kay’s Dynabook concept, developed at Xerox PARC in the early 1970s.

The first commercially available portable computer was the Osborne 1 in 1981, which used the CP/M operating system. Although it was large and heavy compared to today’s laptops, with a tiny CRT monitor, it had a near-revolutionary impact on business, as professionals were able to take their computer and data with them for the first time. This and other “luggables” were inspired by what was probably the first portable computer, the Xerox NoteTaker, again developed at Xerox PARC, in 1976; however, only ten prototypes were built. The Osborne was about the size of a portable sewing machine, and importantly could be carried on a commercial aircraft. However, it was not possible to run the Osborne on batteries; it had to be plugged in.

A more enduring success was the Compaq Portable, the first product from Compaq, introduced in 1983, by which time the IBM Personal Computer had become the standard platform. Although scarcely more portable than the Osborne machines, and also requiring AC power to run, it ran MS-DOS and was the first true IBM clone (IBM’s own later Portable Computer, which arrived in 1984, was notably less IBM PC-compatible than the Compaq[citation needed]).

Another significant machine announced in 1981, although first sold widely in 1983, was the Epson HX-20. A simple handheld computer, it featured a full-transit 68-key keyboard, rechargable nickel-cadmium batteries, a small (120 x 32-pixel) dot-matrix LCD display with 4 lines of text, 20 characters per line text mode, a 24 column dot matrix printer, a Microsoft BASIC interpreter, and 16 kB of RAM (expandable to 32 kB).

However, arguably the first true laptop was the GRiD Compass 1101, designed by Bill Moggridge in 1979-1980, and released in 1982. Enclosed in a magnesium case, it introduced the now familiar clamshell design, in which the flat display folded shut against the keyboard. The computer could be run from batteries, and was equipped with a 320×200-pixel plasma display and 384 kilobyte bubble memory. It was not IBM-compatible, and its high price (US$ 10,000) limited it to specialized applications. However, it was used heavily by the U.S. military, and by NASA on the Space Shuttle during the 1980s. The GRiD’s manufacturer subsequently earned significant returns on its patent rights as its innovations became commonplace. GRiD Systems Corp. was later bought by Tandy (RadioShack).

Two other noteworthy early laptops were the Sharp PC-5000 and the Gavilan SC, announced in 1983 but first sold in 1984. The Gavilan was notably the first computer to be marketed as a “laptop”. It was also equipped with a pioneering touchpad-like pointing device, installed on a panel above the keyboard. Like the GRiD Compass, the Gavilan and the Sharp were housed in clamshell cases, but they were partly IBM-compatible, although primarily running their own system software. Both had LCD displays, and could connect to optional external printers.

The year 1983 also saw the launch of what was probably the biggest-selling early laptop, the Kyocera Kyotronic 85, which owed much to the design of the previous Epson HX-20. Although it was at first a slow seller in Japan, it was quickly licensed by Tandy Corporation, Olivetti, and NEC, which saw its potential and marketed it respectively as TRS-80 Model 100 line (or Tandy 100), Olivetti M-10, NEC PC-8201.[2] The machines ran on standard AA batteries. The Tandy’s built-in programs, including a BASIC interpreter, a text editor, and a terminal program, were supplied by Microsoft, and are thought to have been written in part by Bill Gates himself. The computer was not a clamshell, but provided a tiltable 8×40-character LCD screen above a full-travel keyboard. With its internal modem, it was a highly portable communications terminal. Due to its portability, good battery life (and ease of replacement), reliability (it had no moving parts), and low price (as little as US$ 300), the model was highly regarded, becoming a favorite among journalists. It weighed less than 2 kg with dimensions of 30 × 21.5 × 4.5 cm (12 × 8.5 × 1.75 inches). Initial specifications included 8 kilobyte of RAM (expandable to 24 kB) and a 3 MHz processor. The machine was in fact about the size of a paper notebook, but the term had yet to come into use and it was generally described as a “portable” computer.

Among the first commercial IBM-compatible laptops were the IBM PC Convertible, introduced in 1986, and two Toshiba models, the T1000 and T1200, introduced in 1987. Although limited floppy-based DOS machines, with the operating system stored in read-only memory, the Toshiba models were small and light enough to be carried in a backpack, and could be run off lead-acid batteries. These also introduced the now-standard “resume” feature to DOS-based machines: the computer could be paused between sessions, without having to be restarted each time.

The first laptops successful on a large scale came in large part due to a Request For Proposal (RFP) by the U.S. Air Force in 1987. This contract would eventually lead to the purchase of over 200,000 laptops. Competition to supply this contract was fiercely contested and the major PC companies of the time; IBM, Toshiba, Compaq, NEC, and Zenith Data Systems (ZDS), rushed to develop laptops in an attempt to win this deal. ZDS, which had earlier won a landmark deal with the IRS for its Z-171, was awarded this contract for its SupersPort series. The SupersPort series was originally launched with an Intel 8086 processor, dual floppy disk drives, a backlit, blue and white STN LCD screen, and a NiCD battery pack. Later models featured an Intel 80286 processor and a 20MB hard disk drive. On the strength of this deal, ZDS became the world’s largest laptop supplier in 1987 and 1988.

ZDS partnered with Tottori Sanyo in the design and manufacturing of these laptops. This relationship is notable because it was the first deal between a major brand and an Asian OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). At the time, Compaq, IBM, Toshiba, NEC, etc. all designed and manufactured their own machines. However, after the success of the ZDS offering other relationships, like Compaq and Citizen, soon followed. At this time the quality of Japanese engineering and manufacturing in conjunction with the strength of the dollar relative to the yen (typically about 130 Yen = $1) drove most brands to suppliers in Japan. Companies such as Sanyo, Tottori Sanyo, Citizen, and Casio were all heavily involved in this business as OEMs. However, by the mid-1990s a weakening dollar and the rising viability of Taiwanese OEMs such as Acer, Quanta, Compal, Twinhead, and Chicony lead the supply base to rapidly shift from Japan to Taiwan. Additionally, brands which were more nimble and relied less on internal engineering such as Gateway, Dell and Micron began to rise quickly to leadership positions. Combinations such as Dell/Compal and Gateway/Quanta eventually became powerhouse partnerships and greatly contributed to the prominence of Taiwanese OEMs as the center of PC manufacturing from about 1995 onward.

Another notable computer was the Cambridge Z88, designed by Clive Sinclair, introduced in 1988. About the size of an A4 sheet of paper as well, it ran on standard batteries, and contained basic spreadsheet, word processing, and communications programs. It anticipated the future miniaturization of the portable computer; and, as a ROM-based machine with a small display, can — like the TRS-80 Model 100 — also be seen as a forerunner of the personal digital assistant.

By the end of the 1980s, laptop computers were becoming popular among business people. The NEC Ultralite, released in mid-1989, was perhaps the first notebook computer, weighing just over 2 kg; in lieu of a floppy or hard drive, it contained a 2 megabyte RAM drive, but this reduced its utility as well as its size. The first notebook computers to include hard drives were those of the Compaq LTE series, introduced toward the end of that year. Truly the size of a notebook, they also featured backlit displays with CGA resolutions (though not CGA colors).

The Macintosh Portable, Apple’s first attempt at a battery-powered computerThe first Apple Computer machine designed to be used on the go was the 1989 Macintosh Portable (although an LCD screen had been an option for the transportable Apple IIc in 1984). Actually a “luggable”, the Mac Portable was praised for its clear active matrix display and long battery life, but was a poor seller due to its bulk. In the absence of a true Apple laptop, several compatible machines such as the Outbound Laptop were available for Mac users; however, for copyright reasons, the user had to supply a set of Mac ROMs, which usually meant having to buy a new or used Macintosh as well.

The Apple PowerBook series, introduced in October 1991, pioneered changes that are now de facto standards on laptops, such as the placement of the keyboard, room for palm rest, and the inclusion of a built-in pointing device (a trackball). The following year, IBM released its Thinkpad 700C, featuring a similar design (though with a distinctive red TrackPoint pointing device).

Later PowerBooks introduced the first 256-color displays (PowerBook 165c, 1993), and first true touchpad, first 16-bit sound recording, and first built-in Ethernet network adapter (PowerBook 500, 1994).

The summer of 1995 was a significant turning point in the history of notebook computing. In August of that year Microsoft introduced Windows 95. It was the first time that Microsoft had placed much of the power management control in the operating system. Prior to this point each brand used custom BIOS, drivers and in some cases, ASICs, to optimize the battery life of its machines. This move by Microsoft was controversial in the eyes of notebook designers because it greatly reduced their ability to innovate; however, it did serve its role in simplifying and stabilizing certain aspects of notebook design. Windows 95 also ushered in the importance of the CD-ROM in mobile computing and initiated the shift to the Intel Pentium processor as the base platform for notebooks. The Gateway Solo was the first notebook introduced with a Pentium processor and a CD-ROM. By also featuring a removeable hard disk drive and floppy drive it was the first three-spindle (optical, floppy, and hard disk drive) notebook computer. The Gateway Solo was extremely successful within the consumer segment of the market. In roughly the same time period the Dell Latitude, Toshiba Satellite, and IBM Thinkpad were reaching great success with Pentium-based two-spindle (hard disk and floppy disk drive) systems directed toward the corporate market.

An old (1997) Micron laptopAs technology improved during the 1990s, the usefulness and popularity of laptops increased. Correspondingly prices went down. Several developments specific to laptops were quickly implemented, improving usability and performance. Among them were:

* Improved battery technology. The heavy lead-acid batteries were replaced with lighter and more efficient technologies, first nickel cadmium or NiCD, then nickel metal hydride (NiMH) and then lithium ion battery and lithium polymer.
* Power-saving processors. While laptops in 1991 were limited to the 80286 processor because of the energy demands of the more powerful 80386, the introduction of the Intel 386SL processor, designed for the specific power needs of laptops, marked the point at which laptop needs were included in CPU design. The 386SL integrated a 386SX core with a memory controller and this was paired with an I/O chip to create the SL chipset. It was more integrated than any previous solution although its cost was higher. It was heavily adopted by the major notebook brands of the time. Intel followed this with the 486SL chipset which used the same architecture. However, Intel had to abandon this design approach as it introduced its Pentium series. Early versions of the mobile Pentium required TAB mounting (also used in LCD manufacturing) and this initially limited the number of companies capable of supplying notebooks. However, Intel did eventually migrate to more standard chip packaging. One limitation of notebooks has always been the difficulty in upgrading the processor which is a common attribute of desktops. Intel did try to solve this problem with the introduction of the MMC for mobile computing. The MMC was a standard module upon which the CPU and external cache memory could sit. It gave the notebook buyer the potential to upgrade his CPU at a later date, eased the manufacturing process some, and was also used in some cases to skirt U.S. import duties as the CPU could be added to the chassis after it arrived in the U.S. Intel stuck with MMC for a few generations but ultimately could not maintain the appropriate speed and data integrity to the memory subsystem through the MMC connector.
* Improved liquid crystal displays, in particular active-matrix TFT (Thin-Flim Transitor) LCD technology. Early laptop screens were black and white, blue and white, or grayscale, STN (Super Twist Nematic) passive-matrix LCDs prone to heavy shadows, ghosting and blurry movement (some portable computer screens were sharper monochrome plasma displays, but these drew too much current to be powered by batteries). Color STN screens were used for some time although their viewing quality was poor. By about 1991 , two new color LCD techologies hit the mainstream market in a big way; Dual STN and TFT. The Dual STN screens solved many of the viewing problems of STN at a very affordable price and the TFT screens offered excellent viewing quality although initially at a steep price. DSTN continued to offer a significant cost advantage over TFT until the mid-90s before the cost delta dropped to the point that DSTN was no longer used in notebooks. Improvements in production technology meant displays became larger, sharper, had higher native resolutions, faster response time and could display color with great accuracy, making them an acceptable substitute for a traditional CRT monitor.
* Improved hard disk technology. Early laptops and portables had only floppy disk drives. As thin, high-capacity hard disk drives with higher reliability and shock resistance and lower power consumption became available, users could store their work on laptop computers and take it with them. The 3.5″ HDD was created initially as a response to the needs of notebook designers that needed smaller, lower power consumption products. As pressure to continue to shrink the notebook size even further, the 2.5″ HDD was introduced.
* Improved connectivity. Internal modems and standard serial, parallel, and PS/2 ports on IBM PC-compatible laptops made it easier to work away from home; the addition of network adapters and, from 1997, USB, as well as, from 1999, Wi-Fi, made laptops as easy to use with peripherals as a desktop computer.

The $100 laptop

A first generation prototype of the $100 laptop
In 2005, faculty members from the MIT Media Lab including Nicholas Negroponte introduced the $100 laptop and the One Laptop Per Child project. The aim is to design, manufacture, and distribute laptops that are sufficiently inexpensive to provide every child in the world access to knowledge and modern forms of education. The laptops are to be sold to governments and issued to children by schools. These equipments, of which many prototypes have already been presented, will be rugged, Linux-based, and so energy efficient that a hand-cranking dynamo can alone provide sufficient power for operation (although this hand-crank has since been removed). Ad-hoc wireless mesh networking may be used to allow many machines to share a single Internet connection.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

With a reasonable price tag of around $900, the new Dell Inspiron 545 is one of the best budget desktops to ever come out of the Texas-based company’s kitchen. This device has enough power to be able to serve as a home’s primary computer system. Here’s an in-depth look at the Inspiron 545.

The Look

The Inspiron 545 pretty much looks like any other standard desktop computer, with a sleek and shiny mini tower on board. However, customers will be glad to know that they can choose from eight different and wonderful color schemes to fully customize the Inspiron 545 – Formula Red, Flamingo Pink, Plum Purple, Tangerine Orange, Spring Green, True Blue, Pure White, and Piano Black. Inside its massive mini tower is an Intel-powered Quad Core Q9400 processor combined with an amazing 8GB of memory. The Inspiron 545 will also be equipped with several PCI card slots for upgrades on a variety of peripherals, from graphics cards to TV tuners. Already built-in on the device is a DVD burner, as well as an additional slot for a secondary optical drive.

Feature-Packed

Expect the Inspiron 545 to be bundled with a monitor that will be up to par with its impressive features. Take for instance the S2309 widescreen monitor (from Dell as well) that has a 23-inch screen and a ratio of 16:9. This amazing monitor will be compatible with HD videos of up to 1920 x 1080 pixels in resolution which means that users will be able to watch 1080p-quality videos on their Inspiron 545. However, some notable absences include an HDTV tuner as well as a Blu-ray player. Nonetheless, users can easily upgrade the Inspiron 545 with these add-ons either through a third-party vendor or from the Dell website itself. The Inspiron 545’s 300W power supply is more than enough to ensure that these upgrades will work without a hitch.

The Inspiron 545 will also come with a 750GB SATA hard drive that is more than enough space to store those HD movies.

The Performance

As mentioned earlier, the Inspiron 545 will be sporting an excellent combination of 8GB of memory and a Q9400 processor. This is top of the line stuff which ensures that the Inspiron 545 will be able to meet the multitasking demands of today’s PC users. This powerful combo will also allow the Inspiron 545 to work smoothly when it comes to the more complex tasks such as video transcoding or photo editing. Based on a few tests, the Inspiron 545 was actually able to outperform other systems with dual core processors such as the famed Apple iMac.

Some critics are claiming that one of the weakest elements of the Inspiron 545 is its Intel GMA 3100 graphics processor. Although it is more than capable of handling simpler 3D tasks such as Vista’s Aero effects, problems arise when it comes to graphic-intensive 3D games. Nonetheless, the PCIe x16 card slot will provide ample space for users to add a more capable 3D graphics card on the Inspiron 545.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

This article will discuss the differences between the Linux and Windows operating software’s; we discuss some of the pro’s and con’s of each system.

Let us first start out with a general overview of the Linux operating system. Linux at its most basic form is a computer kernel. The Kernel is the underlying computer code, used to communicate with hardware, and other system software, it also runs all of the basic functions of the computer.

The Linux Kernel is an operating system, which runs on a wide variety of hardware and for a variety of purposes. Linux is capable of running on devices as simple as a wrist watch, or a cell phone, but it can also run on a home computer using, for example Intel, or AMD processors, and its even capable of running on high end servers using Sun Sparc CPU’s or IBM power PC processors. Some Linux distro’s can only run one processor, while others can run many at once.

Common uses for Linux include that of a home desktop computing system, or more commonly for a server application, such as use as a web server, or mail server. You can even use Linux as a dedicated firewall to help protect other machines that are on the same network.

A programmer student named Linus Torvalds first made Linux as a variant of the Unix operating system in 1991. Linus Torvalds made Linux open source with the GNU (GPL) (General Public License), so other programmers could download the source code free of charge and alter it any way they see fit. Thousands of coders throughout the world began downloading and altering the source code of Linux, applying patches, and bug fixes, and other improvements, to make the OS better and better. Over the years Linux has gone from a simple text based clone of Unix, to a powerful operating software, with full-featured desktop environments, and unprecedented portability, and a variety of uses. Most of the original Unix code has also been gradually written out of Linux over the years.

As a result of Linux being open source software, there is no one version of Linux; instead there are many different versions or distributions of Linux, that are suited for a variety of different users and task. Some Distributions of Linux include Gentoo, and Slackware, which due to the lack of a complete graphical environment is best, suited for Linux experts, programmers, and other users that know their way around a command prompt. Distributions that lack a graphical environment are best suited for older computers lacking the processing power necessary to process graphics, or for computers performing processor intensive task, where it is desirable to have all of the system resources focused on the task at hand, rather than wasting resources by processing graphics. Other Linux distributions aim at making the computing experience as easy as possible. Distributions such as Ubuntu, or Linspire make Linux far easier to use, by offering full-featured graphical environments that help eliminate the need for a command prompt. Of course the downside of ease of use is less configurability, and wasted system resources on graphics processing. Other distributions such as Suse try to find a common ground between ease of use and configurability.

“Linux has two parts, they include the Kernel mentioned previously, and in most circumstances it will also include a graphical user interface, which runs atop the Kernel” reference #3. In most cases the user will communicate with the computer via the graphical user interface. (ref #6) Some of the more common graphical environments that can run on Linux include the following. The KDE GUI (Graphical user interface). Matthias Ettrich developed KDE in 1996. He wanted a GUI for the Unix desktop that would make all of the applications look and feel alike. He also wanted a desktop environment for Unix that would be easier to use than the ones available at the time. KDE is a free open source project, with millions of coders working on it throughout the world, but it also has some commercial support from companies such as Novell, Troltech, and Mandriva. KDE aims to make an easy to use desktop environment without sacrificing configurability. Windows users might note that KDE has a similar look to Windows. Another popular GUI is (ref #7) GNOME. GNOME puts a heavy emphasis on simplicity, and user ability. Much like KDE GNOME is open source and is free to download. One notable feature of GNOME is the fact that it supports many different languages; GNOME supports over 100 different languages. Gnome is license under the LGPL license (lesser general public license). The license allows applications written for GNOME to use a much wider set of licenses, including some commercial applications. The name GNOME stands for GNU Network object model environment. GNOME’s look and feel is similar to that of other desktop environments. Fluxbox is another example of a Linux GUI. With less of an emphasis on ease of use and eye candy, Fluxbox aims to be a very lightweight, and a more efficient user of system resources. The interface has only a taskbar and a menu bar, which is accessed by right clicking over the desktop. Fluxbox is most popular for use with older computers that have a limited abundance of system resources.

Although most Linux distributions offer a graphical environment, to simplify the user experience, they all also offer a way for more technically involved users to directly communicate with the Kernel via a shell or command line. The command line allows you to run the computer without a GUI, by executing commands from a text-based interface. An advantage of using the command prompt is it uses less system resources and enables your computer to focus more of its energy on the task at hand. Examples of commands include the cd command for changing your directory, or the halt command for shutting down your system, or the reboot command for restarting the computer ect.

Now that we are more familiar with the Linux operating system, we can note the many ways in which Linux differs from the worlds most popular OS, Microsoft Windows. From this point forward we will discuss some of the more prominent ways in which Linux deferrers from Windows.

For starters there is only one company that releases a Windows operating system, and that company is Microsoft. All versions of Windows, weather Windows XP Home, Business, or Vista, all updates, security patches, and service patches for Windows comes from Microsoft. With Linux on the other hand there is not one company that releases it. Linux has millions of coders and companies throughout the world, volunteering their time to work on patches, updates, newer versions, and software applications. Although some companies, charge for TECH support, and others charge for their distribution of Linux, by packaging it with non-free software, you will always be able to get the Linux Kernel for free, and you can get full-featured Linux desktops with all the necessary applications for general use, for free as well. The vendors that charge money for their distribution of Linux are also required to release a free version in order to comply with the GPL License agreement. With Microsoft Windows on the other hand you have to pay Microsoft for the software, and you will also have to pay for most of the applications that you will use.

Windows and Linux also differ on TECH support issues. Windows is backed by the Microsoft Corporation, which means that if you have an issue with any of their products the company should resolve it. For example if Microsoft Windows is not working right, then you should be able to call Microsoft and make use of their TECH support to fix the issue. TECH support is usually included with the purchase of the product for a certain amount of time, maybe a two year period, and from there on you may be charged for the service. Although IBM backs their Linux products, for the most part if you use Linux you are on your own. If you have a problem with Ubuntu Linux you cannot call Ubuntu and expect any help. Despite the lack of professional help, you can however receive good TECH advice, from the thousands or millions of Linux forums that are on the web. You ca also get great help from social networking sites such as Myspace, by posting questions in the many Linux groups. You can usually receive responses for your questions in a matter of hours form many qualified people.

Configurability is another key difference between the two operating software’s. Although Windows offers its control panel to help users configure the computer to their liking, it does not match the configuring options that Linux provides especially if you are a real TECH savvy user. In Linux the Kernel is open source, so if you have the know how, you can modify it in virtually any way that you see fit. Also Linux offers a variety of Graphical environments to further suit your needs. As mentioned earlier Linux is capable of running full-featured graphical environments like KDE, or more lightweight and resource friendly GUI’s like Fluxbox, or Blackbox, to suit users with older computers. There are also versions of Linux that are designed to emulate the Windows look and feel as closely as possible. Distributions such as Linspire are best suited for users that are migrating over from the Windows world. There are also distributions that include no graphical environment at all to better suit users that need to squeeze out all of the computing power that they can get for various computing activities, and for users that are more advanced than others. All of this configurability can be problematic sometimes, as you will have to make a decision on which desktop is right for you, and to make things easier on yourself you will need to only install applications that are native to your distribution and graphical environment.

(ref #1) The cost effectiveness of Linux is another way it separates itself from Windows. For home use Linux is cheap and in most cases completely free, while Windows varies in cost depending on which version you buy. With Linux most of the applications will also be free, however for Windows in the majority of cases you are suppose to pay for the applications. For most cases, with Linux there is no need to enter a product activation key when performing an installation, you are free to install it on as many computers as you’d like. With Windows you are only allowed to install it on one computer and Microsoft uses product activation software to enforce this rule. When installing Window’s you must enter a product activation key, which will expire after so many uses. If you wish too, you can purchase Linux from a variety of vendors, which will include a boxed set of CDs, Manuals, and TECH support for around 40-130$. Of course If you purchase a high-end version of Linux used for servers it may cost any where from 400$- 2000$. “In 2002 computer world magazine quoted the chief technology architect at Merrill Lynch in New York, as saying “the cost of running Linux is typically a tenth of the cost of running Unix or Windows alternatively.” (ref#1)

(ref #1) Installation of Windows is generally easier, than installing Linux. “With Windows XP there are three main ways to install. There is a clean install, in which you install Windows on a blank hard drive. There is also an upgrade install, in which you start with an older version of Windows and “upgrade” to a newer one. An advantage of upgrading is that all of the files on the older system should remain intact throughout the process. You can also perform a repair install, in which case you are installing the same version of Windows on top of itself in order to fix a damaged version of Windows. There is also a recovery, which Technically is not an install; it is used to restore a copy of Windows back to its factory settings. The disadvantage of recovering Windows is the fact that you will loose all of your data, which resides on the damaged copy of Windows.” (ref#1) Also with Windows you can rest assured that your hardware will most likely be supported by the operating software, although this is not much of a problem with Linux you cant be sure if Linux will support all of your hardware. With Linux installation varies greatly from Distro to Distro. You may be presented with a graphical installer or it may be a text-based installer, these variations make Linux a bit more difficult and unpredictable to install than is Windows, (although the difficulty is disappearing). You may perform a clean install of Linux or dual boot it, to co-exist with another operation software. With Linux rather than having to buy an upgrade Cd, you can install updates by downloading and then installing them while your desktop is running. With Linux it is also not necessary to reboot your computer after most upgrades, It is only necessary to reboot after an upgrade to the kernel. It is also possible to run Linux without ever needing to install it on a hard drive; there are many distributions of Linux that will allow you to run it straight off of a live cd. The advantage of this is that you do not need to alter your system in order to try Linux. You can run Linux off of the CD so you do not have to damage your Windows partition. Other advantages include the ability to rescue a broken Linux system. If your Linux computer will not boot, then you may insert a live cd and boot off it, so you can repair the damaged version of Linux. Also you may use a Linux live cd to recover files from a damaged Windows computer that will no longer boot up. Since Linux is capable of reading NTFS files you may copy files form a Windows computer to a USB flash drive or floppy drive ect.

Another major difference between Linux and Windows is the applications that you will use with either OS. Windows includes a much wider abundance of commercially backed applications than does Linux. It is much easier to find the software that you are looking for with Windows than it is with Linux, because so many software vendors make their products compatible with Windows only. With Linux you will for the most part be forced to let go of the familiar applications that you have grown accustomed to with Windows, in favor of lesser-known open source apps that are made for Linux. Applications such as Microsoft office, Outlook, Internet Explorer, Adobe Creative suite, and chat clients such as MSN messenger, do not work natively with Linux. Although with Linux you can get Microsoft office and Adobe creative suite to work using software from codeWeavers called cross Over Office. Instead of using these applications you will need to use Linux apps such as open office, The Gimp Image Editor, The ThunderBird email client, Instead of the MSN messenger you can use the GAIM messenger, and you can use Firefox as your web browser. Also with Linux it can be difficult to install software even if it is made for Linux. This is due to the fact that Linux has so many different versions. Software that is made to install on one version probably will require some configuration in order to install on another version. An example would be if you were trying to install software that was made for the KDE graphical environment, on the GNOME GUI, This app would not easily install on the GNOME GUI, and would require some configuring on your part to successfully install it.

The type of hard ware that Linux and windows runs on also causes them to differ. Linux will run on many different hardware platforms, from Intel and AMD chips, to computers running IBM power Pc processors. Linux will run on the slowest 386 machines to the biggest mainframes on the planet, newer versions of Windows will not run on the same amount of hardware as Linux. Linux can even be configured to run on apples, Ipod’s, or smart phones. A disadvantage of Linux is when it comes to using hardware devices such as Printers, Scanners, or Digital camera’s. Where as the driver software for these devices will often be easily available for Windows, with Linux you are for the most part left on your own to find drivers for these devices. Most Linux users will find comfort in the fact that drivers for the latest hardware are constantly being written by coders throughout the world and are usually very quickly made available.

(ref #1) One of the most notable differences between the two operating software’s is Windows legendary problems with malicious code, known as Viruses and Spy ware. Viruses, Spy-ware and a general lack of security are the biggest problems facing the Windows community. Under Windows Viruses and Spy-ware have the ability to execute themselves with little or no input from the user. This makes guarding against them a constant concern for any Windows user. Windows users are forced to employ third party anti virus software to help limit the possibility of the computer being rendered useless by malicious code. Anti virus software often has the negative side effect of hogging system resources, thus slowing down your entire computer, also most anti virus software requires that you pay a subscription service, and that you constantly download updates in order to stay ahead of the intruders. With Linux on the other hand problems with viruses are practically non-existent, and in reality you do not even need virus protection for your Linux machine. One reason why Viruses and Spy-ware are not a problem for Linux is simply due to the fact that there are far fewer being made for Linux. A more important reason is that running a virus on a Linux machine is more difficult and requires a lot more input from the user. With Windows you may accidentally run and execute a virus, by opening an email attachment, or by double clicking on a file that contains malicious code. However with Linux a virus would need to run in the terminal, which requires the user to give the file execute permissions, and then open it in the terminal. And in order to cause any real damage to the system the user would have to log in as root, by typing a user name and password before running the virus. Foe example to run a virus that is embedded in an email attachment the user would have to, open the attachment, then save it, then right click the file and chose properties form the menu, in properties they can give it execute permissions, they would then be able to open the file in the terminal to run the virus. And even then the user would only be able to damage his or her home folder, all other users data will be left untouched, and all root system files would also remain untouched, because Linux would require a root password to make changes to these files. The only way the user can damage the whole computer would be if he or she logged in as root user by providing the root user name and password to the terminal before running the virus. Unlike Windows in Linux an executable file cannot run automatically, It needs to be given execute permissions manually this significantly improves security. In Linux the only realistic reason you would need virus protection is if you share files with Windows users, and that is to protect them not you, so you are not to accidentally pass a virus to the Windows computer that you are sharing files with.

The above was a general over view of some differences between the Windows operating system, and Linux. To recap we started with the fact that Windows has only one vendor that releases the software, while Linux comes from millions of different coders throughout the world. We also commented on the fact that the Linux Kernel and much of the applications used with it are completely free of charge, where as with windows you are forced to pay for most of the software. Unlike Widows Linux is often lacking in professional Tech support, and Linux users are often left on their own to solve Technical issues. Linux users can either pay for Tech support or rely on the many Linux Forums and groups available on the Internet. Due to the fact that the kernel is open source, Linux has a huge advantage over Windows in configurability. You can configure Linux to run almost any way you see fit by manipulating the Kernel. Installing the Windows Operating software and applications is easier due to the fact that it has a universal installer. Also finding applications for Windows is easier because of its popularity most apps are available for Windows only, and are made easily available. Linux will run on a greater variety of hard ware than does Windows, from mainframe super computers running multiple IBM Power PC Chips, to a small laptop running an AMD processor. And of course the biggest difference in this writer’s opinion is the fact that Linux does not suffer from an onslaught of Viruses and other malicious code, unlike Windows which is plagued by countless number of malicious code that can easily destroy your system if not properly guarded against.

In conclusion we will conclude that the Linux OS really is the superior software. Other than a few minor nuisances, linux out performs Windows in most categories. The fact that Linux is more secure is the tipping point, that tilts the scales in the favor of Linux. Windows simply suffers from far to many security vulnerabilities for it to be considered the better over all desktop environment.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

You may be used to using vacuums that are wired, but there are also new types that are emerging in the market today in the form of cordless vacuums that are normally most useful when cleaning small spaces including computers, televisions as well as the interiors of an automobile. The advantage to using cordless vacuums is that they are very flexible in their operations, and being portable, can be borne everywhere that one goes and there are also no messy cables to deal with.

Rechargeable Batteries – If you choose to purchase cordless vacuums you will generally find that they operate on twelve or even twenty-four volt DC batteries which can be recharged and charging time is approximately ten or twelve hours using an 110 volt AC electric current. To know if its batteries are running low, many of the cordless vacuums have an indicator that comes on when the battery is running low on power, and to increase the operational life of cordless vacuums, there is also a function to automatically shutdown the system thus preserving batteries from becoming damaged.

When you use cordless vacuums, you will be impressed with their lightness of weight and they usually have components that includes the tiny electric motor powered by DC current, fans for suction as well as a bag to collect garbage which is placed ahead of the suction fan so that it can collect whatever material is sucked in. A notable feature of the suction pump is its low power consumption, which is in any case lower than what direct AC driven vacuums consume, which is great if you want to suck in lightweight things including particles of dust, dead skins, small pieces of paper as also crumbs of food and also whatever is laying about on the seats of your car or on cushions.

If you want to clean out your mobile phone, or your palmtop, or even other small devices that operate electronically such as MP3 players, PDAs as well as your desktop PC, then the cordless vacuum is immensely handy since it does not have a high level of suction that is in fact, just enough for these devices and their circuits, and also various other components so that there is no damage caused to the functioning of such delicate components.

With portability a major feature of the cordless vacuums and their comparatively easy usage, cordless vacuums are now finding increasing usage in domestic homes and also in the smaller offices, and it is important that before you decide to buy cordless vacuums you should have made a proper assessment of how much time is needed for them to be worked on single charge, which in most instances should not be less than about three or four hours. After that, you can expect many good days of cleaning using your cordless vacuums.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Computers and the internet are becoming more relevant to distance learning (and traditional) courses, but some of the tools available for today’s distance courses are not particularly futuristic or advanced. By looking at synchronous and asynchronous technologies, this article aims to give an overview of all the ways students can be taught and instructed on distance learning courses today.

The two primary synchronous methods for distance learning are Videoconferencing and Web Conferencing. Videoconferencing in education allows two sets of people (usually a lecturer and group, or two groups, or one on one) to see each other and communicate in real time. In simple terms these are very similar to traditional conferences, lectures, or seminars, but the method is notable for the savings made on travel and the great distances that can be crossed with little delay. Additionally, with the advent of broadband, videoconferencing is now often done over the internet.

Web conferencing is similar, though with less of a focus on speaking and seeing others and instead using an instant message style format. The principals are the same, but web conferencing is often preferred today due to the technology being cheaper (no cameras or microphones), and a speedier connection between users.

Today, one of the regarded benefits of distance learning is the fact that the student can complete his/her studies where and when she wants to. Consequently, courses have been adapted to accommodate asynchronous technologies. In the past, audio and video cassettes containing instructions by institutions and lecturers were posted to students, however today, equivalent instruction can be e-mailed as easily with the necessary media, photos, or texts attached.

Further asynchronous advancements have been made with the introduction of forums and wikis to distance education. Forums are instantly communal and very simple to use, allowing work to be viewed and discussed easily. Separate threads can be established by each user and can concern texts, problems, classes, and fun issues – as well as being easy to monitor by a teacher or lecturer. Wikis follow a similar principal, but are typically intended for available viewing of outside users. They can be a good incentive for students to work together and maintain an informative collection of simple factual web pages, with the intention of teaching students to strive in the quality of their work – particularly when they know it can be viewed by the public.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

If paying your mortgage biweekly (every two weeks) cuts about seven years off your pay back schedule, then paying weekly should cut off 14 years, right? If you find a place where that works, let me know and I’ll sign up with you!

Though there are international variations in the way mortgages are calculated, most United States home loans have some common characteristics. Two notable ones are that interest is computed monthly (usually at 1/12th of the annual rate) and that the interest is charged “in arrears,” that is, after it was used. Though these can vary among lenders, most follow this format.

Therefore, your mortgage interest is the same for the month of March with 31 days as it is for February when there are only 28 days. In addition, any payment you make this month will not reduce the interest you owe next month, because of that “arrears” thing. It has already been established you will pay your interest rate times .o8 (1/12th of the rate) times your remaining loan balance.

One more basic to keep in mind: most U.S. lenders want to process your mortgage payment only once a month. Biweekly mortgage plans are usually implemented by companies external to your lender, and provided as a service to you (you pay a fee for the service) and to the bank (there are fewer mortgage defaults since the payment is automatically deducted from your bank account). It’s a win-win-win. Properly implemented, you could pay back a 30-year fixed-rate loan in about 23 years, depending on loan specifics, of course. (For $200,000 at 6%, the technique eliminates nearly $50,000 of mortgage interest.)

I learned about this “hold for full payment” policy the hard way on a remote rental property on which the property taxes were increased. I paid my usual payment to the mortgage company. Next thing I knew, I got a 30-day late notice. A phone call to the mortgage servicing company revealed they weren’t equipped to notify borrowers of property tax increases uploaded to their computers by tax assessment offices. Their method was to wait for the next month’s payment, slice the $28 off needed to supplement the last payment, and carry me forward a month behind from then on. They-and other mortgage companies-are quite rigid about the “no partial payments” thing.

This is why for a biweekly payment plan to work, either an outside party collects your two week’s worth of mortgage principal and interest and holds it for you until they collect the next two weeks’ worth, then combines the two half-payments and delivers them to your bank; or your bank has a system in place, totally at their discretion, for applying your payments. Payments are usually still held and applied monthly, but a rare bank might actually apply the two-week portion when it is received.

The reason the biweekly payment plan works so effectively is that there are 26 two-week periods in a year. Fifty-two divided by two equals twenty-six. I hope by seeing how a biweekly plan actually works-which is a bit different from how most of us are used to thinking they work-the problems with a weekly payment plan become clear.

Lenders are not set up to accept payments four times a month, or 4.2 times a month (the average number of weeks in a month). You could operate your own weekly payment plan, with your year’s payments due divided by 52. You would then set the money aside, not to spend it, until you have collected two (if you are also working with a biweekly service company) or four, if you are doing this completely on your own.

Either way, you are squeezing in an extra month’s payment every year. And the best part about it is-if done correctly-that the 13th lump sum goes to principal only!

To receive a free report called “Warnings About Biweekly Payment Plans,” simply check the box at www.letyourmortgagemakeyourich.com Or you can select the free list of credit card companies that pay rewards points directly to your home loan.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

My mother-in-law is not very good with technology. She understands that computers run the government and that the Internet is great for purchasing figurines on eBay, but that’s about it. Like all tech-proficient son-in-laws before me, I am often my in-law’s foil for computer questions and repair. So, when she came to me demanding that I make her 1996 PC run faster, I knew she wanted me to use all my skills and computer super-powers to forcefully evolve her computer into the new millennium. By taking some very simple, and no-so-well-known cleanup steps both my mother-in-law and I were pleasantly surprised to see the notable improvement in performance. Looking to do the same with your PC? Of course you are!

The first Three steps taken were simple:

1. Run the Disk Cleanup Utility
(Start–>Programs–>Accessories–>SystemTools)

2. Run the Defragmenter Tool
(Start–>Programs–>Accessories–>SystemTools)

3. Scan the main disks for errors
(My ComputerRight-click on C drive–>Properties–>Tools Tab–>”Check Now” button under Error Checking)

The Disk Cleanup Utility should be obvious in nature. Use it to remove pesky files that live in your seldom-to-never accessed portions of your hard drive. These files cause system overhead when performing searches or loading program data. The Defragmenter tool is actually quite old, dating back to the days of DOS when most of the “geeky” stuff was done using that unforgiving command line most home users have come to dread. Defragmenter sort of rearranges the files on your drive to remove gaps that occur naturally over time. Applications may seem to live in one spot conceptually. However the reality of it is that the OS takes portions of unused disk space that actually break up the continuity of the program. Even thought the OS knows where to find both parts of the program’s code to make run without errors, it takes more time to read the instructions from all of the different regions. Finally, use the Disc Scanner/Error checker to find possible flaws in the hard drive that slow down the physical movement.

The next step required software to detect for spyware. After a long, hard search I came to find that three anti-spyware programs seemed to work above all. The first is a program known as Spyware Killer, or by its retail product name, Stopzilla. The programs costs about $20 (with rebate) and was the most comprehensive of all programs I used. Stopzilla found programs running in the background that I would have never spotted myself. The second program is called Spy Doctor. The initial scans are free, however I found that I had to purchase the whole program to make it as effective as Stopzilla, and the price was about $30 instead of $20. The final program I used was the Windows Anti-spyware suite (beta edition). The Windows program ran well, but the beta edition expires and there is no immediate renewal in sight.

The last step I needed to take was to run a Registry Cleaner utility. The registry is a large database used by the Windows operating system to hold information about how your machine should look, behave, and operate. Since my mother-in-law’s computer was almost 10 years old, countless program installations left the registry bloated, and resource-consuming. We found that “Registry Mechanic”, made by the same people who created the Spy Doctor program mentioned above, was the most popular application for the job. The program was simple to follow and the free trial edition was more than enough to smooth out the registry wrinkles. In the end, we were able to almost triple the performance of her PC for little more than $20.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Just how environment-friendly are those computers that tout power-saving features and a lead-free status? Is buying a computer from companies that offer recycling programs better than buying computer hardware from companies that do not?

Computer components and other consumer electronics can contain considerable amounts of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and other harmful chemicals. Computer hardware producers make use of toxins, carcinogens and oil-based paints in their manufacturing process. These toxic substances cannot be completely wiped off from the end-products.

Consumers can bring home tainted computer hardware and expose themselves to these toxins and carcinogens. People with hypersensitivity issues and those with suppressed immune systems can become sick within minutes of sitting next to a computer.

The recycling programs offered by some computer manufacturers, notable Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo, unfortunately do not reverse the health effects of toxin exposure. They are only good in getting rid your old computer components in a safe manner.

This does not mean that EPEAT ratings are useless. They can be very good indicators of how less dangerous one computer can be compared to another unit. The EPEAT or the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool was created by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Greener Electronics Council to recognize computers with fewer health hazards.

The EPEAT uses many criteria to review computers and award them the coveted EPEAT badge. Some of these criteria include toxin content, energy efficiency and the recyclable nature of computer components. A computer’s longevity and membership in a recycling program will also garner a higher rating. Depending on the number of criteria that a computer unit complies with, they are awarded a bronze, silver or, best of all, a gold rating by the EPEAT.

So correct the thought that green computers do not contribute to environmental pollution. They still do, albeit at lower amounts than other computer hardware that are simply built with profits and sales in mind.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Although it’s still in beta mode, the Tablet PC (Tablet Laptop) from Microsoft features the new Windows 7 operating system (OS) along with a host of intuitive features that are truly revolutionizing the computing experience and will potentially change the way we all interface with computers. Here’s a quick background for those of you new to the Tablet PC Laptop. By definition, a Tablet PC has an interactive screen that can be “written” on with a special tablet pen as opposed to using the traditional mouse and keyboard. One it’s most noteworthy features is that anything you write on the Tablet’s screen can be converted to typed text in the font of your choice, or left as is in its original handwritten form.

There are two types of Tablet Laptop to choose from, the slate which is just a touchscreen, and the convertible Tablet PC which has the same touchscreen however it can be ’swiveled’ around or ‘converted’ to become a standard laptop.

The Windows Vista operating system had previously brought about a number of improvements in terms of Tablet PC usage, such as improved handwriting and ink recognition as well as an addition of language capabilities. Windows 7 is supposed to expand further on Vista’s improvements making the world of mobile computing practical as well as productive. With Windows 7 and the touchscreen Microsoft is hoping to permanently transform the way we interface with the computer forever.

Notable Features of the Windows 7 Tablet PC

- Handwritten Math Recognition: New to Windows 7 for Tablet PCs is the handwritten math recognition feature that has been likened to the Equation Writer in Word, but with sophisticated correction tools and containing three separate parts, the main math input panel, the recognition area, and the input control area.

- The Sticky Notes and Corkboard: The Sticky Notes feature of the Windows 7 Tablet PC is accompanied by a virtual corkboard/bulletin board panel that is used to display several sticky notes at a time, allowing the user to easily and quickly browse through several saved notes at once.

- The TIP Feature: Slightly different than in Vista, the TIP feature in Windows 7 is set to keep the tabs on the left side of the screen hidden until the pen is used by default, which can easily be changed under the settings options. Also, TIP now provides helpful animations that offer useful how-to tips such as correcting or deleting a word, among others, as well as the option to hide this animated feature.

- TIP and Internet Explorer 8: The Tablet PC TIP window, together with Internet Explorer 8, has an additional useful benefit in that everything in the address field is already entered for you except for the website’s domain name. Simply ‘ink in’ the site’s domain name in the space provided between the www. and the .com and the field will automatically expand as you write.

Windows 7 and the Tablet Laptop (Tablet PC)

Upon its release, Windows 7 is said to offer an array of options designed to streamline the computing process, making it possible to perform everyday tasks as fast and easy as possible. Developed to be compatible with all of the same device drivers, applications, and hardware as Windows Vista, Windows 7 provides new features that help to better protect privacy and personal data as well as offering a quicker recovery time when problems arise.

Besides improved navigation and a streamlined user’s interface (UI), the operating system will feature a newly designed taskbar that displays icons rather than text information along with several right-click menu options.

Windows 7 is also said to greatly help with battery life, which is an important aspect of the Tablet PC laptop, as the OS is designed to reduced background activities, freeing up the processor for active applications and allowing it to remain in idle mode longer when necessary. And, the new Home Group feature of Windows 7 is said to make the networking process simple, allowing the Tablet PC laptop to share information easier with other home computers on the network.

The Tablet Laptop – A Best Rated Laptops Guide Research is your best solution. Our comprehensive research and reviews will arm you with everything you’ll need to know.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

With a steady increase in small business start-ups, home based businesses and traveling/virtual office businesses – the market for professional Virtual Assistants has grown tremendously. In short, a Virtual Assistant is an independent contracted administrative professional who works remotely for another business. As a Virtual Assistant you will be responsible for having your own equipment, computers, faxes, and telephone lines. You will also be responsible for managing your own expenses and benefits. A Virtual Assistant in essence, is a business providing a service to other businesses.

The ability to work remotely or from home gives the Virtual Assistant the freedom they desire. However it is important to remember that the nature of the VA service demands the utmost in professionalism, reliability and care. If you are considering starting a Virtual Assistant business here are a few things that you will want to keep in mind:

1. What is your Virtual Assistant niche?: There are many types of services that a VA can provide. If you are a skilled medical transcriptions, you may choose to market your services to that industry. There are also generalists who specialize in basic office functions including responding to emails, fielding calls, keeping appointment books, typing and other office functions. Bookkeeping, editing, web design, legal services, Internet marketing, academic research and proof-reading are just a few examples of specialized fields for Virtual Assistants. It is important to be as specific in your services as possible as this will help you map out an effective marketing and advertising plan later on.

2. Is there a need for training?: If you are considering starting a virtual assistant business, then you likely already have the skill set necessary. However this is one industry that will require you to stay constantly abreast of all the latest trends, software, laws and regulations for your industry. You should be proficient in every way that a client may require you to be. This may call for you to take a few certification courses, but it will pay off as it helps you to maintain a competitive edge.

3. What are the legal requirements?: As with any venture, it is important for entrepreneurs to legally establish their business. Starting a home based business isn’t difficult, but be sure to check with your county, state and IRS as tax requirements may vary for this type of service based business.

4. How can I market or advertise my virtual assistant business?: The first order of business is to establish your company website. Your website will count as the first impression that potential clients have of you and your service,so it should be as professional as you are. Your methods of advertising will vary greatly depending on your Virtual Assistant niche. It will be important to advertise both offline and online. Business cards and brochures detailing the services you provide are critical and should be carried with you at all times. You can post classified ads on places like Craigslist or USFreeAds, or pay for print ads in local newspapers and professional journals. Word of mouth is always the most effective way to build not only your business but your reputation as well. Identify notable business owners in your VA niche and offer them 60, 90, or 120 day free trial periods of your service. Even if they decline to hire you full time at the end of the trial offer, ask if they would give you a testimonial that you can use in your advertisements.

5. How much can I expect to make as a Virtual Assistant?: Virtual Assistant rates vary greatly from one niche to another and by experience. Generally speaking – the hourly rate can be anywhere between $25-$75.You will want to put a lot of thought into your price model, with great emphasis being placed on your target demographic. If the businesses in your niche have no need for a $25 per hour administrative assistant – you should reconsider your pricing model. Don’t low ball yourself on one end, and don’t price yourself out of the market on the other end. You should also consider packages that clients can purchase, for example – a flat rate of pay for X number of hours per week.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Sure a reputable desktop computer will have the most cutting edge features as well as the most technologically advanced functionalities on board. However, what makes a truly excellent system is that it should simply be more than just a sum of its parts. Below are three of the best desktop computers of this year that will surely suit every individual’s need – may it be for superior computing capabilities, an excellent multimedia experience, or just to show off one’s style.

The Ephex (Maingear)

With an i7 Intel Core 965 processor, Maingear’s newest desktop computer is definitely one of the fastest PC’s around. However, with this accolade it would only be right that it is also one of the most expensive. At a whopping $4,000, the Ephex is definitely a system fit for those who are looking for the best in the business with price being a non-factor. This extremely overclocked system allows for record-setting performance when it comes to running games and applications. Its tri-SLI 3D graphics cards are also an excellent addition to further boost the Ephex’s performance prowess.

Aside from being extremely expensive, customer support and service might be an issue given that Maingear is not entirely a mainstream brand.

The Vaio JS250J (Sony)

The newest addition to the long line of Vaio computers is the JS250J – another all-in-one-device that is capable of performing a multitude of computing tasks at equally excellent degrees. Much like its predecessors, the Vaio JS250J is also an excellent combination of high performance and top of the line home entertainment features – all this for a lower price than its direct competitors. With a price tag of somewhere in the 1000-dollar region, the Vaio JS250J is also one of a few in this price range that has a built-in Blu-ray player.

Although it may not be as fast as the latest Apple iMac, the Vaio JS250J’s Dual Core E5200 Intel processor (2.5 GHz) is able to hold its own. Along with its 320GB hard drive, the newest Vaio will also have a 4-Gigabyte DDR2 SDRAM to ensure high speed performance.

The 24-inch, 2.8 GHz iMac (Apple)

This latest version of the iMac is an upgrade of the one released by Apple a year ago. This one sees a few major tweaks, none more notable than the improved 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. This enhancement provides relevant gains in the performance of the new iMac. Also, the added option to upgrade the graphics is another welcome addition. This 24-inch-screened powerhouse will still posses the sleek and polished look made popular by its predecessors. No one seems to be complaining as this design still remains as appealing as it was when originally released a few years back.

One of the downsides of the new iMac is that it only provides 90 days of free phone support. This means that iPhone users will need to shed off a few more dollars if they want to continue this service. This cost will be on top of the $1,400 they’ll need to spend in order to get their hands on Steve Job’s latest masterpiece.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

One of the most important features of any home office is a door. You will find that you need to be able to close the door and separate work from home life. Have you seen the ads showing the mother with the kids playing in the background while she casually browses a spreadsheet on her computer? This is not how a successful home based business is run. Business at home or in an office has to be run in a similar fashion. Your home office needs to be free of distractions in order to concentrate on the business at hand.

The next obvious thing you will need is a desk. In my opinion your desk can never be too big. My wife and I work next to each other using two L-shaped desks. Our desks have the ability to be put together either right handed or left handed. This works great for us as I am left handed and my wife is right handed. Together our desks form a “T” shape that offers us a lot of counter space where the 2 branches of the L’s meet. These desks also have overhead shelves to hold books, folders, and anything else we can think of to place there. Shop around and really test out each desk you view. See how the desk will look in your home office and see if it is possible for you to sit behind it for 6-8 hours a day. You should also have an idea of the equipment you will need for your business. Be sure that your desk can accomodate all the equipment you need to run your business. I myself needed a desk that could handle two computer monitors, for my business.

Another key element to being able to put in the long hours at “the office” is a comfy chair. Keep in mind that your rear is going to be in that chair for a long time each day, so it must be comfortable and supportive in order to keep you productive throughout the entire day.

Home Office Equipment

This is going to vary depending upon your business. My Wife and I own a Web Design Company, so our main pieces are our computers. Next on our list was the DSL modem and router to network our computers. This is very helpful in our business as we often need to grab files off of each other’s computer. We also shopped around for a suitable phone system. We decided upon a multi-purpose phone that has a fax machine, cordless phone, and answering machine. Eventhough our business is mostly electronic, you may still have clients that do business the old fashion way which required us to have the fax machine.

Other items to consider might be cabinets in the closet for storing files and paper work. We removed the doors in the closet of our home office which also had the effect of opening up the room.

Deciding on the Right Home Based Business

Deciding what you would like to do is going to be a decision only you can make. Look within yourself, and see what motivates you. Along with analyzing what motivates you, you must also be honest with yourself on whether or not your motivation is a service others would want to pay you to do. Let’s face it, you could love doing something, but if you have no one willing to pay you for it, you don’t have much of a business. Drive and creativity are going to be your best assetts when working from home. It is your job to create new ways of expanding your business, and the drive will prevent you from hitting the snooze button in the morning.

One thing to consider when choosing your home based business is don’t always believe the get rich quick schemes advertised. If it sounds too good to be true it usually is. Remember the only difference between home based business and conventional businesses is the location. A home based business is still going to require conventional business practices like marketing, customer service, and producing a quality service or product.

Like any new business it is going to take time to build up a clientelle or customer base, so you may need to keep your 9-5 at the office until you can afford to go out on your own full-time. You may be in a situation that you have been planning for this and have put some money away to be able to dedicate 100% of your time to your new home based business. Whatever you decide remember there are also going to be some obstacles to overcome.

Home Based Business Obstacles

One of the biggest obstacles to overcome is “closing up shop” at a decent hour. Initially my Wife and I worked nonstop building our business. We worked through most weekends, feeling guilty if we were not in the office. Well let me tell you, this got old really quick. There is nothing wrong with working hard, but you must know when to call it a day. We still go in the office on the weekends, but it is merely for recreation, like visiting our favorite website, or just reading an article online.

Another obsticle we had to overcome was letting the phone ring on the weekends without picking it up. Unlike other businesses, your clients might not see a problem with calling you up on the weekend for something because you work at home. Resist the temptation, it might be one of the factors that leads to early burn-out.

Where do I meet with new clients? This is another necessary part of business. We have found that there are businesses that will allow you to rent an office by the hour, day, week or just about anytime you need. My wife and I lucked out in the fact that ours is just down the street from where we live. Another choice you may want to consider is a local restaurant. Business meetings are conducted all the time while eating in convential businesses, so why not in a home based business.

Some of the other things to consider, are you will need to provide your own health insurance, and if this is your only source of income be sure to be up to date on all the taxes you will need to pay, most notable is self-employment tax. Your home utility bills will go up. We have to leave our computers on all day. That is like leaving two 400 watt light bulbs on all day. Along with the obvious power consumption of our computers and the other office equipment, they produce a lot of heat which requires us to use the AC more in the Summer.

Every business has its own set of requirements, so these considerations and extra expenses should be nothing new.

Home Based Business Rewards

Owning your own business can be very fulfilling. The most attractive part of home based businesses is the low initial start up cost. Most franchises today require huge amounts of working capitol and time just to open the doors. A moderate home business can be as simple as a desk, phone and a computer.

One of the greatest benefits of owning your own home based business is being able to work when you want. Obviously you need to be available when your clients need to reach you, but you also have the freedom to step out for lunch, or maybe you need to run to the store for something. Being in the Web Design industry a lot of our work can get done outside of the normal work day. If family happens to be in town, we are able to visit with them and still get some work done in the evening.

Home based businesses are not right for everyone. If you have the drive and a useful product or service to offer, it might be something to consider. Just be aware of what you are getting into before you tell your current boss where he/she can put their job.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Founded in 1996 and with its headquarters in Santa Clara, California, Netgear is situated within the industry of communications equipment and is the US manufacturer of computer networking equipment as well as other computer hardware. It’s main competitors stand as Linksys and D-link; however Netgear stand as outselling both of these companies.

Some of the notable products it has produced include:

• Platinum II Enclosure, which won the good design award in 2004 from Chicago Athenaeum. This case design was used in most of Netgears consumer products.

• Digital Entertainer Media Reviewers – one of the most used line of digital receivers

• SC101 storage area network device

The products that are produced address the needs of a vast amount of people including homeowners, small businesses and medium businesses. There is now a suite of over 100 products, which are grouped into three sections; Ethernet Networking, Broadband and wireless networking. The products within these sections include switches, adaptors and secure wired and wireless routers and gateways. Also, as a company, they has achieved a net revenue growth each year since starting up.

Netgear are also partners with the following:

Broadband Providers

Netgear has a heritage of innovation and customer-focused success that provides a strong foundation for their complete portfolio of Service Provider and Carrier grade solutions.

PowerShift

Netgear understand how important it is to deliver and support business networking solutions that continue to provide unparalleled value to customers.

All of the products are attractively designed and enable you to connect all your home desktop computers, laptops and games consoles to each other and the Internet. You can also create a network between your computers. A network allows you to share information, applications and resources between you and your family/housemates. In order to create a network you will need one of Netgears routers.

The latest router to be produced and released, to add to a long line is the Netgear FVS114 prosafe VPN firewall with a four port switch. This rooter is the height of technology when it come to the latest in Internet connection. It has one of the highest Internet connection speeds and has a 10/100 mbps WAN port equipped, as well as being able to provide support for up to 253 users.

With this router you are also provided with a CD driver, short network cable and an external PSU. This router can either be installed via the set-up wizard or it can be not manually.

Netgear channels the sale of its products through mediums such as direct market resellers, traditional retailers, which includes 3,900 retail locations across North America including; staples, Best Buy, CompUSA and Office Deport. Netgear also sells its products to international retailers, especially ones situated in the UK and Germany.

You can however also buy products such as routers and adaptors from over the Internet. Web sites such as Amazon and buy.com are regular sellers. As well as this, it also sells its products through broadband service providers.

If you are on the look out for the latest wired or wireless computer technology then look no further than Netgear. With over 100 products currently in their line of work you are bound to find the piece of computer hardware that is right for you and your needs.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Hey Guys! Don’t raise your eyebrows or fear by hearing the word Linux. It is as user friendly as windows. Just take a look at the articles below and all myths about Linux in your mind will disappear.

Introduction to Linux:

It’s a free operating system available to download but you have to pay a tiny bit to mail order it or buy it from a company. Linux came into being about 11 years ago- it was developed by Linux Tornados of Finland along with a group of programmers from the open source software movement.

Linux is growing steadily year after year. With a passionate community backing it, with big companies Like IBM and HP pledging their support for it, it’s no wonder Linux- the wonder operating system for servers of the past, has also made it to the desktops of today.

Linux is based on the commercial OS, UNIX. All the operating systems try to pack in command line management of systems. System administrators of companies use command lines all the times as their lifeline, but it’s not really meant for regulars users.

Tips for Home Users:

* If you want to get comfortable with Linux, you don’t have to let go of windows. Get Linux installed on a separate partition and you can switch between Windows and Linux. For new users who don’t have any computer background learning windows or Linux both takes same time and sitting.
* It is suggested that new PC buyers should get both operating systems installed and should use them equally. If you’re getting Linux for more than 2-3 PCs, you can also get training and support at a small free, if you choose to have it. Else it’s the Linux community on the Net to your rescue.
* You don’t have to be a great computer user to work with Linux. There are Desktop environments that let you work in Linux as you work in Windows. As you work with windows, same is the case with Linux.

Linux hands in decreasing PC prices.

PC prices are already on their way down. And you get more choice with operating systems and applications. From being an OS only computer professionals had heard about, Linux, in a short time, has made a transition into the lucrative and high profile home PC segment.

The PCs bundle the operating system. Linux being a free open source operating system means that the code that runs is open for everyone to see, work with, modify and develop their own innovative applications for it. But this is nothing compared to the money people spend on Operating Systems like windows. And a company bundles Linux and applications based on it with a computer, quite a bit of the PC cost comes down. Presently some branded PC’s coming with Linux are available for Rs: 25000/- onwards.

Linux is better than other OS

Linux users won’t even bat an eyelid before they say an emphasis comes from a deep dislike of Microsoft’s practice of changing the earth for software. But a lot of it comes from the fact they are ready to swear upon-that Linux is more stable. According to a latest survey Web Hosts are using Linux Based Servers for hosting purposes.

One note here though: the free in Linux stands for freedom of choice, to redistribute, to install a feature, freedom to modify the source code. That’s the spirit of Linux being free.

Security:

Linux has a better security support for multi-users, lets you set up a stable server, internet gateways etc, and still lets it-self to be used as a desktop workstation. There are no blue screens and no viruses to speak of. It is rarely attacked by any viruses and there are very less number of viruses written for Linux. It can be given 10+ points on a 10 point scale for security.

Myths about Linux

Installation:

Linux is hard to install, isn’t it? Not really. Most people haven’t ever installed Windows on their computers either-since it comes preloaded. Linux is as easy-some say easier-to install compared to Windows. You can install it through a graphical user interface like Windows. These days Linux Versions are easier to install than Windows. But what really stumps most people in installing Linux on a second partition on their hard disk, when they want to be able to use both operating systems.

A partition is a way of organizing space on your hard disk by creating virtual sections that are separate from each other. Most computers that are running Windows or MS DOS have one large chunk of space holding the OS. This space is the C drive. If you have a large hard disk, it’s likely that it has been divided up into smaller bits called partitions to help you organize your data better. These partitions are usually called D:, E: etc. you could have Linux on any of these.

Windows 98 creates a file system called FAT32 on the entire hard disk, DOS and Win95 use FAT16. Linux has many file systems-on the most popular is ext3. But you could have Linux installed on Fat32 partitions also.

Linux is very difficult and based on text command

Linux has come a long way from being the system of brilliant computer users. It has extremely advanced X Windows systems that have a complete graphical user interface-you know, like Windows. It also has a large number of window manager that let you work with different levels of customization of your desktop.

Linux has a robust character-cell interface where commands need to be typed in. x Windows is a free program that runs with Linux to provide a GUI where the mouse and keyboard can be used extensively. But the X system itself is quite primitive and needs a window manager, or a desktop environment- like GNOME or KDE- to be really usable. Window managers are programs that let you interact with the underlying X system and Linux OS by relaying commands. The popular window managers are Sawfish, Enlightenment, Black box, after step and Window maker.

As for desktop managers, they have their own window manager and other tools that make you feel that you are working in Window! GNOME and KDE are the most popular of these. GNOME stands for GNU Network Model Environment and KDE for K desktop Environment. They have tools that allow drag and drop, have panels and taskbar- almost like clones of windows.

Hardware compatibility problem and few applications that run on Linux

Well, most new distributions will detect and configure your hardware in a jiffy, unless you have some really old or exotic piece of hardware. All hardware are properly detected and their drivers installed. Only Win modems (internal modems driven by Window drivers) face problems.

As for software, there’s plenty. And most of it comes free-free for you to use, modify and configure according to your needs. Almost all excellent software for Linux is free and you don’t lose anything by giving it a try. You get free support on the Net quickly on any query you may have. And you don’t even have to wipe out your Windows. Just get Linux on a different hard disk partition and free to switch between them as you please.

Other packages are commercial and you have to buy the software-but this is mostly for the software and training you need, and not for the software itself. Sometimes, if you have the Windows version (as a doom) you can download a small program that will allow you to play the game in Linux. The games in Linux are of very high quality and features. You’ll enjoy them. Here what’s available?

Office suites: Star Office, Open Office, Applixware, Corel WordPerfect

Graphics: GIMP, Corel Photo paint

Music: XMMS, Free amp, Real Player

Video: MTV, Xine

Games: FreeCiv, Tux racer, Doom, Quake, Heretic, Unreal And the list is growing.

Linux varieties for Home Users:

If there are so many people working on it. There’s likely to be many Linux versions too. Many companies working on Linux have come up with what are called Linux distributions. There are Linux versions that are compiled and packaged and released with additional software.

RedHat: Probably the most popular and in many ways the leading version. It’s currently in version 9. The installation and configuration is easy. A blue curve file manager and the default GNOME desktop make it look simply stunning. It comes with a host of tools that allow usage as a server and as a workstation. The Red Hat Package Manger(RPM) format developed by Red Hat has almost become the defector for software distribution in Linux world. Installing new software is a breeze. It also has an advanced and easy font management system that makes fonts in X Windows look cool.

Mandrake: Mandrake Linux is now in its 10 version. It can be installed on a native Windows Partition using the Lin4Win tool, but this may slow the machine down. It also lets you do a traditional Linux install into its own dedicated partition. Mandrake’s configuration and software installation is painless. It follows a slightly modified RPM architecture called mdk.rpm but most Red Hat software can also be used for Mandrake. The outstanding feature in this version is the collection of window managers-eye-candy freaks will have a great time.

SUSE: From Germany comes the Chameleon, SUSE. Now in its 8.x avatar, it has one of the most extensive software packages compiled, and getting them installed is easy with yast (Yet another Software Tool) which gives a centralized interface from where you can pick and choose the software to be installed. Among other things, SUSE comes with some stunning 3D games that showcase Linux gamming prowess

Corel/Xandross: Corel entered the Linux market with Corel Linux a few years ago. Now it has merged into Xandross OS, which is based on Corel Linux. This is a Debian-type version, and can be installed without much fuss after resizing the Windows partition. Xandross contains Crossover office, which is a refined retail version of WINE that lets you install and run many Microsoft apps.

Windows applications in Linux

Some applications have been ported over to Linux, other run with a program called WINE (Wine is Not an Emulator). Crossover, commercially available software also lets you use your Windows programs on Linux. VMWare is another program that lets you run Windows under Linux. Now many software companies have started developing high end software for Linux.

Bottom Line:

The cool thing about Linux is that most software is free, and you can legitimately use them without worrying about piracy. If you’re worried that Linux won‘t look as pretty as windows can, all you have to do is check out some of the cool Linux interfaces and Window managers. But you don’t find a lot of multimedia titles for Linux. And if you’re into a lot of these, Windows is in the way to go. So if you have a PC that runs both, you can easily switch between the two, and get the best of both worlds.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

If you are struggling to find a job or wanting to change careers and start a new job somewhere else, are you aware of what can possibly show up on your pre-employment background check? For many years, it has been a bit of a mystery as to what can potentially show up on these investigation reports and it can be quite stressful for those who really need a job bad and want to make sure they put everything down about their past.

Just so you know, background checks do not list previous employers despite common belief. What they do show though are any records that have been made public against you including some other “private” info that is a little more difficult to get ahold of naturally.

Things such as prior court judgments, DUI’s, possession of substances, or anything else you may have gone to court for is more than likely to show up. There are some situations where this information doesn’t show up and that’s due to a reporting error where it was never inserted into your file.

Unlike the past, you now have the ability to check your background from your own home computer. For a small fee you can have access to a database that compiles loads of public information and it will let you know exactly what a potential employer will see when they run the same check.

In an economy such as ours, it’s important to make yourself look at favorable as possible when trying to secure a new job.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

Recording music from your home basically involves capturing music onto your computer, and then recording it to CD or your hard drive. Once you have that part done, you’re then free to share with friends, family, people on the street, or sell it for money. The best part is that you don’t need any musical production background or some high priced music producer to get started. With the right software, you can do it from anywhere you want.

Over the last few years, new technology has made recording from your home computer more affordable while being accessible to nearly everybody. Not only is it cheaper and easier that older systems but the quality of the music recordings is as close to studio quality as you’re going to find. Major music software companies are coupling home recording with MySpace and other social site as a great way for bands and musicians to get there stuff out there.

This post will hopefully explain the hardware and software equipment you will need to record your bands music from home and get your music aspirations the kick in the rear it needs.

* Begin with getting yourself a Digital Audio Workstation. The most popular programs for Macs are Logic or Garageband. Regular PC users that use Windows are better off going with Cubase, Pro Tools, Digital Performer, or Reason. Check to see if computer has enough processing power. One gig of RAM should be sufficient for most workstations.
* Go out and find yourself a recording interface or sound card. Make sure it includes inputs for the guitar, microphone, and headphones. A firewire interface is often times your best bet since it can plug directly into the firewire port and you won’t need an AC adapter.
* Now you need to get a Midi controller keyboard which is plugged right into the USB port of your computer. The keyboard won’t make sounds on its on but will triggers software sounds from the computer. Separate Midi and USB port interfaces are sold separately if your current keyboard is not USB compatible since it will need a Midi out port to trigger these software instruments.
* Do yourself a favor and go buy a condenser microphone and a good quality set of headphones. If you plan on singing or recording an acoustic guitar, you’ll need both.
* Now, install the driver software of the recording interface and the keyboard, as well. Once that has finished, you can configure the interface to communicate with the new recording software.
* Have a little bit of fun and mess around a little with different software instruments and loops to learn their characteristics. Loops would be those pre-recorded tracks you hear from beginner musicians that help them sound better than they really are. Most loops consist of drums, synthesizers, and strings.
* Finally, set the balance between right and left speakers, the input level of the instrument, and start recording. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t sound like an expert musician right away. It’s going to take some hard work and practice before you learn the software program and the musical instruments.

“This article is brought to you by Gus Woltmann”.

To start a home-based online business, internet marketing is the most productive way to begin. While many individuals have been looking for a successful home-based business and a successful future for a very long time, the “big break” has always been in front of them with their computer.

Most of these individuals are presently those who have daily nine-to-five jobs, good compensation, and a wide array of benefits – yet finding it difficult to be just an ordinary employee who arrives at their job every morning Monday through Friday, and sometimes on the weekends. If they miss too many days, they find a memorandum reminding them that they have been “unpunctual” recently or they are fired for missing too many days. After entering the office, they find they are faced with the task of finishing unnecessary paperwork, feeling under pressure most of the time, and are under extreme pressure exerted by the supervisor or boss. A day without stress makes a person think about quitting and finding a less stressful job, without any pressure or negative actions from others. Most people feel they have no choice.

Jobs are difficult to find, and if they are available, they do not pay enough, contribute to lots of stress, and decrease family quality time. Nevertheless, there are individuals who will accept these employment positions without hesitation, feeling they have no choice despite these situations. A single job vacancy that becomes available and is advertised, will receive hundreds of applicants, making it an employers’ market. Once an employee gives notice and quits – this is the scenario that will occur.

With so much stress and never enough money, how many individuals feel the desire to leave and become their own boss? How many want to work within their own time schedule? How many want to work in comfortable sweats, pajamas, or make money while wearing their favorite Hawaiian pajama and shirt and drinking a cup of coffee or a coke? How many would like to spend time with the family and go to special events or outings, yet still not loose their job? How many even recognize that they can make and receive an extraordinary income that will exceed their expectations, simply by staying at home and beginning their own business online?

Most nine to five jobs never quite provide enough to pay the bills, an