Go Blog !

Sony Rolly with Bluetooth

2009-02-10T22:06:00.000-08:00

The rolling egg that fancies itself a robot is back, with an update in the form of the Rolly SEP-50BT. Compared to its predecessor the Rolly SEP-10BT, this new dancing fool has double the memory at 2GB along with Bluetooth.

Which means that it can now be controlled from a cellphone, PC etc. It comes bundled with ‘Rolly Remote’, software that lets you control the movement of your Rolly. In fact you can control up to 7 Rolly’s from the PC. The new Rolly will be available in pink and limited edition black for about $350 on November 21 in Japan.

Tana Toraja

2009-02-01T20:46:00.000-08:00

Tana Toraja is a region in Sulawesi Island, Indonesia that looks like a picture postcard of Nature's ideal home. Terraced rice fields carpet the ground, limestone cliffs form the walls, and extraordinary winged, thatched buildings on stilts provide the exotic decor. But the environment is not the only picturesque part of Torajah. Death is also colourful, curious and exquisitely arranged.

Extravagant funeral ceremonies are a social and religious necessity in this Christian-Animist society because families have to impress the gods with the importance of the dead. If not, the soul of the dead person may not be able to enter heaven and will travel the earth instead, causing trouble for the relatives. Families keep the corpse of their kin in their strangely shaped three room houses for two or three years, while they save up for the sumptuous wake.

This fond and funky farewell involves the construction of an entirely new village of bamboo out of town, sometimes with more than a hundred rooms, in which to entertain thousands of guests for up to seven days. A life-size effigy of the dead person is also carved - often topped with the dead one's hair.

Stage One of the event is the transportation of the red and gold covered coffin, and the effigy, from the relatives' home to the funeral village. The coffin and effigy are first put into biers with winged roofs - in the same style as their traditional houses - which then travel to the party on the shoulders of shouting, bouncing, jumping, young men. These and other helpers are fueled by generous quantities of rice, pork, and rice wine drunk from bamboo tubes.

In Stage Two guests arrive at the village to pay their respects to the dead and the living, bringing gifts of live pigs on bamboo poles or water buffalo if they are affluent. Excitement is provided by organised buffalo fights or the escape of pigs and buffalo from captivity, as they run wild through the crowds.

Hundreds of pigs and twenty or more buffalo are killed and eaten during this phase of the celebration.

The buffalo is Toraja's number one status symbol, and some think that the curious shape of the houses mimics buffalo horns, though others believe that it is related to the shape of the ships that brought the original settlers to Indonesia's Sulawesi island. Whatever the reason, the final resting place of the buffalo horns is on front pillars that support local houses.

Apart from eating, drinking, and chatting, guests chant and dance hand-in-hand for hours in a circle around the two biers, a dance that symbolises the human life cycle and at the same time bids farewell to the dead person.

Smoking is popular Indonesia male pastime, and foreign travellers are welcome at this kind of event if they present a carton of cigarettes to the relatives.

Women, on the other hand, chew tobacco, and large amounts of it - so much so that dark brown lumps of tobacco can often be seen protruding grotesquely from their mouths. They are also fond of chewing the narcotic betel nut.

Stage Three is the last day of the funeral when the guests carry the biers for two or three kilometres to the burial site. This will be in a hole cut high in a limestone cliff. Workers climb a bamboo frame, put the coffin into the hole, seal it with stone, then traditionally leave the effigy to guard the body at the entrance to the cave, looking out over the fields of Tana Torajah.

Unfortunately, in the last few years many effigies have been stolen, probably for sale to foreign collectors, so these days the effigies are usually sealed inside the cave with the body.

Nevertheless, there are still many limestone outcrops pocked with holes and dozens of weird, worn faces staring out.

The poor cannot, of course, afford to pay for these kinds of lavish celebrations. They make do with small parties, a minimum of one buffalo , no effigy and coffins left to rot in natural caves. In some favoured spots piles of bones and skulls testify to the many years that this method of burial has been used.

Although the bigger funeral ceremonies are a financial disaster for the families concerned, they play a great part in stabilising and preserving Indonesia's Torajah society.

The wealthier they are, the more spectacular will be their funeral, and the more poor people will be employed and fed for several weeks. The event gives everyone a chance to meet, talk, party and generally blow off steam with guests from all strata of society, in a relaxed atmosphere, while at the same time giving the dead person a rousing send-off and a guaranteed heavenly after-life. Long live Death in Torajah!

So, what do you waiting for? Let's Go visit Indonesia Year 2008 !

Travel to Indonesia

2009-01-25T00:19:00.000-08:00

As the world's largest archipelago (13,677 islands), Indonesia has a huge variety of wonderful landscapes and strange islands, from the terraced rice paddies of Bali to the forests of Sumatra, from bizarre, diverse cultures and traditions of the primitive Dani folk to the weird Torajah buildings and customs.

The people however strangely attired are calm and friendly! The food is wonderful, the wildlife diverse and there is no shortage of activities. Finally, masses of gorgeous, stylish, little ethnic hotels offer chic comfort at the right price.

Where to travel in Indonesia?

Bali

Despite high tourism, Bali maintains a rich and colourful Hindu heritage.Ubud is a relaxed and charming rural town with terrific shabby-chic hotels, beautiful rice terraces, fantastic festivals and excellent arts and crafts. Candi Dasa is one of the best soft beaches nearby, or Kuta for huge expanses of hard sand, frequently rough water, superb restaurants and a wild night life. For more Balinese isolation try travelling 3 hours from Denpasar to northwest coast for black sands, turquoise water, grey rocky outcrops and green paddy fields. There's a lot to do here, including birdwatching in Bali Barat National Park, boating and fishing in Gilimanuk Bay and diving or snorkelling 5 miles offshore at Deer Island.

Java

Yogyakarta is an attractive market town, good for local culture and batik, while Pranmbanan, the world's 8th largest Hindu temple complex is certainly worth a day. Then there's Borobudur, one of the finest Buddhist monuments in S.E Asia. Jakarta, on the other hand, we'd prefer to be hanged than spend another night in Java's unpleasant capital city.

Sulawesi [Tana Toraja]

For some really unique and bizarre indigenous customs [especially the funeral ceremonies], boat-shaped housing, lovely rural landscapes and excellent trekking.

Irian Jaya [Balim Valley]

Strangest of all Indonesia's provinces where the Dani people still retain an ancient culture and men wear penis gourds. Hiking here is often damp and accommodation can be basic [e.g. sleeping on straw next to a mummified body] but you won't forget this place.

Kalimantan [Borneo]

Banjarmasin, floating markets and Dayak people or Pangkalanbun as a base for Tanjung Puting National Park walks and boating.

So, what do you guys waiting for? Go pack your self and enjoy the nature of Indonesia!

Visit Indonesia 2009!

Bringing the Olympics to the PC

2009-01-15T01:10:00.000-08:00

Stage 8H is best known as the place where Saturday Night Live is filmed. This week, though, it's been turned into an ad-hoc data center as part of NBC's efforts to stream thousands of hours of live Olympic coverage over the Internet.

Instead of the usual crop of comedians, NBC will have dozens of people watching every hour of the games, looking for highlights that it can chop up and make available on-demand. It's just one piece of an elaborate arrangement that shuttles the events in Beijing back to the U.S.

From each of the dozens of Olympic venues, a high-definition video feed is delivered over fiber-optic cables to the International Broadcast Center that has been set up in Beijing. A bunch of encoders and Windows Media servers get the video into an Internet-ready format. From there, it travels via satellite to NBC's headquarters in New York.

There, NBC actually adds a one-minute delay, allowing its cadre of live bloggers in Stamford, Conn., and elsewhere to write their text and have the video and commentary synchronized. Once ready, it goes from NBC to Limelight Networks, a content delivery network, which has 1,000 servers just for the live events sending the content to various Internet service providers, who then shuttle the content directly to their customers. (See chart below)

Limelight Chief Strategy Officer Mike Gordon said his company is prepared for this to be the biggest live event the Internet has ever seen. "I would not be surprised at all to get 1 million viewers," he said. "We're certainly prepared for whatever the audience turns out to be."

That said, there is clearly an element of risk in all this, considering NBC's history of live Olympic streaming has been limited to broadcasting a single game, the gold medal ice hockey match in Torino, Italy, two years ago.

"NBC has always taken risks and is always trying to do more than it has in the past," said Perkins Miller, the NBC senior vice president in charge of the Internet push. "It does keep me up at night when I think about streaming 2,200 hours (of live coverage)."

The massive effort has come together in a remarkably short amount of time. Microsoft's deal to power NBCOlympics.com dates back only to January.

NBC had a pretty good idea what they wanted to do and had built some mock-ups of the player prior to deciding to partner with Microsoft.

Initially, they expected to use Adobe's Flash, given that is the standard for video delivered over the Internet these days. But, as they began to hash things out with Microsoft during a series of all-day meetings at NBC's 30 Rockefeller Plaza headquarters, Microsoft was able to show NBC some ways it could do more using its homegrown Silverlight technology.

Silverlight, Microsoft said, would be key to enabling NBC's vision of a "control room" in which a viewer could watch multiple live streams at once.

Even within Microsoft's team, though, there was some apprehension of whether it was doable.

"Can we actually pull this off?" Senior Technical Evangelist Jason Suess recalled thinking. "Is the user's machine going to be able to maintain four connections at one time?"

The key, Suess said in an interview at Microsoft headquarters last week, is using an approach known as adaptive streaming in which the player has the ability to customize the bit rate of the video stream based on a computer's connection and processing power.

By Valentine's Day, they were ready for a test. It was pretty important that the test work out, given that NBC was getting ready to crate up the gear to ship it off to Beijing.

One of the last pieces to fall into place was the advertising. Initially, NBC and Microsoft were hoping to be able to insert full video ads into the live streams, but doing so is tough work.

As of mid-April, they were still struggling with what to do and began considering that perhaps they would have to just rely on companion advertising around the video stream. Then they came up with an idea. Rather than insert full videos into the live streams, what if they stuck a display ad into the video, particularly during dead times in the action.

That, approach, which is ultimately what's being done, solved several issues. It was less bandwidth-intensive than video ads, but still got the advertiser directly in front of the viewer, all without interrupting any of the coverage. The amount of advertising will vary, Suess said; "It depends what is happening in the sports. We just wait for a dead space."

By early May, NBC made the basic player available on the Internet, using a variety of prerecorded Olympic video, and by early June the enhanced Silverlight player was made public as well. The Olympic Trials, at the end of June, offered the companies and the public a chance for a test drive.

At this point, it's come down to a triage of the few remaining known bugs. Each day, the bar is being raised in terms of what is a big enough deal to warrant such a late change. Suess, meanwhile, sent his wife and kids to visit family in New York so he could work 18-hour days.

In an interview last week, Suess said he had been at work until 1 a.m. the night before and gets in every morning by 8 a.m., so he can chat with the folks in Beijing before they sign off for the night.

Suess said he hopes things will be enough under control that he can actually watch some of the games, particularly sailing, of which he is a big fan. "I sure hope so," he said. "When I got involved in this project, that was one of the reasons."

MIT researchers split water to store solar energy

2009-01-02T00:28:00.000-08:00

Nocera and his MIT colleague, Matthew Kanan, on Thursday will publish a technical paper that describes what they claim is a breakthrough in solar energy storage.

The idea is to use the energy from solar photovoltaic panels (or another electricity source) to crack water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen gas. Those gases would be stored and used later in a fuel cell to make electricity when the sun is not shining.

The concept is a closed-loop system: running the hydrogen and water through the fuel cell creates water, which can be captured and used again.

The hope is that within 10 years, a cost-effective system that combines clean energy generation with storage can be engineered and available cheaply to people around the world.

"I'm open-sourcing this to let everybody run with it," he said. "My plan is that when people see it, they'll see it's easy to do and they'll start working it."

Artificial photosynthesis
The core scientific discovery was finding a way to break oxygen out of the water with a relatively inexpensive and benign material, Nocera said. The catalyst--made of a cobalt phosphate--can operate in plain water at atmospheric pressure, giving it more potential than existing methods, he said.

Commercially available electrolyzers already split hydrogen atoms from water. A hydrogen filling station, for example, could use an electric-powered electrolyzer to break off hydrogen from water.

A finished system that MIT researchers envision would separate both hydrogen and oxygen. Once stored, both gases would be fed into a fuel cell using a second catalyst like platinum to make electricity.

John Turner, a research fellow in photoelectric chemistry at the National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL), called the work a "significant result."

But he said that a number of improvements still need to be made before realizing the "hydrogen economy." Right now, systems to produce hydrogen and oxygen from water would require huge amounts of land and materials to make catalysts.

"The initial results look promising but it doesn't answer all the things you need in a catalyst," he said. Turner's research focuses on improving ways of harvesting light energy to crack water molecules.

Using the process of photosynthesis as inspiration, Nocera has spent 25 years researching a way to tap the energy in water molecules' bonds.

He envisions a complete break with existing power distribution infrastructure where each home can produce and store enough electricity to be self-sufficient.

Today, when solar panels generate more electricity than a home is using, the excess is simply fed back into the grid, essentially subtracting from the homeowner's utility bill. In an off-grid application, the excess is put into batteries.

But with radically cheaper storage, remote power plants running on polluting fossil fuels are cut out of the picture altogether.

"It's not totally practical, but because it's easy, people are already all over it," Nocera said. "Being a scientist, I can play outside the rule box."

Active field of work

He said colleagues at MIT's electrical and mechanical engineering departments have already committed to working with the research, which MIT has patented. The work came out of a university-wide energy initiative launched in 2006.

Nocera said that an MIT-Abu Dhabi venture, called Masdar City, to create a self-powering "sustainable city" in the middle east could be a proving ground for the storage method.

On-demand, or "dispatchable," energy storage holds back broader adoption of renewable energy sources like solar and wind. But it is an active area of research and development for centralized power plants.

The newest generation of solar thermal power plants will store hot water or molten salt to provide several hours or even days of electricity. Batteries or pressurized air in underground formations are also considered viable, if niche, technologies for power grid storage.

But wide-scale distributed power generation in people's homes, combined with hydrogen fuel cells, is mostly just a vision at this point.

Turner said that many researchers are pursuing the same goal of cracking water to make hydrogen without losing too much energy in the process. Although existing electrolyzers are expensive, the challenge is devising a system that efficient enough to make energy inexpensively.

"If we're successful, then we'll compete with electrolyzers," he said. "If not, we'll have to find another way to get hydrogen."

See The Cinderella Castle on Google Earth

2008-12-23T02:18:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, Disney and Google announced an initiative that brings Walt Disney World into Google Earth. That means that most of the Manhattan-size group of theme parks is now available to view in 3D in the latest version of Google Earth. The partnership allows users to look up-close at the seemingly endless rides, attractions, shops, lakes, and other features of the various parks that make up Disney World. Here is the screenshoot:

This is the view in Google Earth of Cinderella Castle, the signature structure of both Disney World and Disneyland.

Facebook Opens up With Connect

2008-12-01T02:03:00.000-08:00

Mark Zuckerberg today officially rolled out Facebook Connect, a way for apps not on the Facebook Platform to leverage the Facebook social network. It's an extremely powerful idea, and the demos we saw at the F8 conference were much more impressive than the MySpace Data Availability project that rolled out yesterday.

Facebook Connect allows other Web sites and apps to have their users log in, or authenticate, to the Facebook system, and once logged in, their social network comes with them. The reason it's a bigger deal than Data Availability is that it's two-way. Not only does your Facebook data come to you on the external site, but things you do on the site can be reflected back to your Facebook profile and news feed. Two examples:

Digg: Users on Digg will be able to connect their accounts to the Facebook profiles, and then when they digg a new item, that information will get fed to their Facebook feed, and presumably will be seen by all their Facebook friends. This is one of the best examples of an app exercising the "virtuous circle" of content and community that Zuckerberg discussed in his keynote today.

Movable Type: Facebook Connect will allow commenters on MovableType blogs to log in via Facebook authentication. Comments they leave will get posted to their news feed, which is somewhat cool. What I really like is that when a user posts a comment on a blog, they'll see which of the other people commenting on the item are in their social network.

Other Facebook Connect partners include Amiando, CBS.com, CitySearch, CNET (which I had no idea about until today), CollegeHumor, Disney-ABC Television Group, Evite, Flock, Hulu, Kongregate, Loopt, Plaxo, Radar, Red Bull, Seesmic, Socialthing!, StumbleUpon, The Insider, Twitter, Uber, Vimeo and Xobni.

I was disappointed that Facebook did not announce OpenID support, like MySpace did yesterday (although it only went half-way). Using Facebook as an authentication provider on any and all Web sites is an important development, but it's a shame that the system is proprietary.

More: Liveblog of Mark Zuckerberg's F8 Keynote.

Connect Xbox 360 to PC

2008-09-24T01:56:00.000-07:00

Do you have XBox 360? One of its greatest feature is the ability to connect to your computer or existing home network. Once connected, you can view picture and music files that are stored on any computer that is running Microsoft Windows Media Connect software. Also, if your PC runs Windows Media Center Edition, you can also watch, pause, replay, and record live TV shows, watch recorded TV shows, and watch home videos. Pretty impressive, huh?

Above all, the first thing you should do to connect your XBox 360 console to your PC is download the XBox 360 connectivity software from Microsoft website. Once installed, follow the next steps below, depend on your Windows version.

After you download and run the setup package from the Web site, the installation program will automatically configure and authorize the Xbox 360 console. You can reconnect the Xbox 360 console if you have to, or you can connect an additional Xbox 360 console to a Windows XP-based computer. To do this, follow these steps.

1. On the Xbox 360 console in the Xbox Guide, open the Media section, and then select either Music or Pictures.
2. Select Computers to connect to your Windows-based computer.
3. You are prompted to install the Windows Media Connect software on the Windows XP-based computer. If you have not done so, review the information in the Download connectivity software section. If you have installed the software, select Yes, Continue to continue with the connection.
4. Select the Windows-based computer for the Xbox 360 console to connect to, and then press A to complete the connection.
5. On the Windows XP-based computer, click Start, and then click Control Panel.
6. Click Windows Media Connect or click Sound, Speech, and Audio Devices, and then click Windows Media Connect.
7. Click Devices, and then click to select the Xbox 360 that you are trying to connect.
8. If the Xbox 360 console shows Denied in red, click Allow to authorize the Xbox 360 console.

After you download and then run the setup package as described in the “Download connectivity software” section, the installation program will automatically configure the Xbox 360 console. To reconnect the Xbox 360 console if you have to or to connect an additional Xbox 360 console to a Windows XP Media Center Edition-based computer that already has the Windows Media Center Extender software installed, follow these steps:

1. On the Xbox 360 console in the Xbox Guide, open the Media section, and then select Media Center.
2. If you have not installed the required software on the Windows Media Center Edition-based computer, review the information in the Download connectivity software section.
3. Write down the eight-digit setup key. This key will be used on the Windows Media Center Edition-based computer to complete the setup.
4. Open Xbox 360 Setup for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.
5. Follow the on-screen prompts. When you are prompted, enter the eight-digit setup key that you obtained in step 3.
6. After the Windows XP Media Center Edition-based computer has contacted and confirmed the setup, the setup will be finished.

After the setup files are downloaded to your computer, you can add or remove another Xbox 360 console to the home network by using the Media Center Extender Manager. To do this, follow these steps:

1. On the Windows Media Center-based computer, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to Media Center, and then click Media Center Extender Manager.
2. On the File menu, click Add New Xbox 360.
3. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation.

[ Source ]

LG is going to change their slogan

2008-08-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

The economy going in the crapper is enough to turn any smile into a frown. That’s just as true with LG as it is with the average person. In order to demonstrate that they are down in the dumps and that they feel your pain, LG’s director of marketing plans on downplaying the company’s “Life’s Good” slogan.

Because life is no longer good for many people at the moment. So instead of pretending everything is awesome, the company’s new ads will focus on what their products can do to make life easier. Yep, LG is a real downer. How about the other? Are they going to change their slogan too???

Proxima Car Hybrid Concept

2008-07-20T00:48:00.001-07:00

The Proxima Bike/Car Hybrid Concept looks like a pretty slick and futuristic roadster. The idea is that the Proxima is meant to be a convergence of car and a motorbike. It’s a concept by Alvino Design and it sports 2 tandem seats, but as you look from the front to the rear it changes from a car to a bike. Kind of like an automotive mullet I guess, car in front, bike in back. Looks like a very fast bug.
Superbike detailing merges freely with nuancical car details like the discreet door and help it ideally change from a car to a bike.
With the front wheels positioned considerably apart and the rear wheels bunched together, the Proxima also presents an interesting maneuverability that is sure to thrill both car and bike lovers alike.

Wow what a cool car!

Wii Outsells Xbox 360 in the US

2008-07-20T00:45:00.000-07:00

Nintendo’s Wii has now surpassed the Xbox 360 as the leading console in U.S. homes among the latest generation of video-game players. As of June, U.S. consumers bought nearly 10.9 million Wii consoles since it’s introduction, which makes Nintendo top console dog. In fact, the Wii has been the top-selling console in all but one month in the U.S. since it launched, according to research firm NPD Group Inc.

Nintendo is projecting that worldwide, the Wii’s annual sales will surpass the number of consoles that Sony sells for the first time this fiscal year. The formula seems pretty straightforward. Get people actually in the game with motion control and Miis, appeal to all ages and keep the price somewhat reasonable.

Cyclops's Glasses

2008-07-20T00:41:00.000-07:00

Here’s something you don’t see everyday. It’s a replica of Scott Summers’ visor from ThinkGeek and it’s “authentically duplicated from the actual 20th Century Fox filming prop.” The cool part is that they double as shades with an iridium sunglass lens.

However if you feel that you need to wear this so as not to blast those around you with your powerful eye beams, you may in fact be the real cyclops and should go look for Professor X immediately. It’s available from Thinkgeek for $74.99 and comes with an all metal display box. Soon, you’ll be competing with Wolverine for Jean Grey’s affection.

[Thinkgeek]

Garmin Oregon 400i, 400c, and 400t GPS Navigations

2008-07-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

Finally, here are three new Oregon 400-series GPS navigation, the Oregon 400i, Oregon 400c, and Oregon 400t. All of these satnavs are retailed for $640 and equipped with a sun and moon information, tide tables, and area calculator. However, Oregon 400i is made for the freshwater enthusiasts as it comes with a built-in U.S Inland Lakes and a worldwide imagery basemap. Map detail includes shoreline details, depth contours, boat ramps and mile markers for thousands of lakes in the continental U.S. Other features include an electronic compass, barometric altimeter, and wireless data transfer.

Regarding Garmin Oregon 400c, it is built for the oceans and seas saltwater specialists. It comes with a built-in BlueChart g2 coastal charts which includes shorelines, depth contours, navaids, harbors, marinas, port plans coastal roads for the U.S. and Bahamas. The handheld GPS also supports GPX file format which is used mostly in geocaching. Furthermore, the device sports a 3-inch display, a microSD card slot, a USB interface, and up to 16 hours of usage with 2 AA batteries.

Garmin Oregon 400c is scheduled to hit the store in the third quarter of 2008.

Last but not least, Garmin Oregon 400t specializes itself in topography maps and 3D map views. It is pre-loaded with a detailed maps, complete with national, state and local parks and forests, terrain contours, elevation information, trails, rivers, lakes and points of interest. Other features include a microSD card slot, a USB interface, a 3-inch screen, barometric altimeter, electronic compass, and a rugged IPX7 waterproof case.

Vista Service Guide: PART 1

2008-07-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

Windows Vista has several new services and features that we do not all need. I have gone through the list of services that are running in Windows Vista and compiled a list of services that you can safely disable. Before I get started, it is necessary to understand how to disable services in Windows Vista. Similar to other version of Windows, you will be using the Services MMC. Follow the steps below to get started with the Services applet.

1. Click the Start Button, key in services.msc and hit Enter.
2. To stop and disable a service, just right click on a service and select Properties.
3. Then, in the properties box change the Startup type to Disabled and hit OK. The next time that you restart your computer the service will no longer be able to start.

Now that you know the basics of disabling a service, I can begin going over the services that I have found that can be disabled to increase your system performance. Below is a list of services that can be disabled. Some provide value added features, so if you use a feature associated with the service consider if it is really worth the slight performance gain compared to the usefulness of the feature.

Apple Mobile Device - Provides the interface to Apple mobile devices. If you don’t have any apple hardware but use iTunes, then disable this service.

Diagnostic Policy Service - The Diagnostic Policy Service enables problem detection, troubleshooting and resolution for Windows components. If this service is stopped, diagnostics will no longer function. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

Diagnostic System Host - The Diagnostic System Host service enables problem detection, troubleshooting and resolution for Windows components. If this service is stopped, some diagnostics will no longer function. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

Base Filtering Engine - The Base Filtering Engine (BFE) is a service that manages firewall and Internet Protocol security (IPsec) policies and implements user mode filtering. Stopping or disabling the BFE service will significantly reduce the security of the system. It will also result in unpredictable behavior in IPsec management and firewall applications.

Certificate Propagation - Propagates certificates from smart cards.

Computer Browser - Maintains an updated list of computers on the network and supplies this list to computers designated as browsers. If this service is stopped, this list will not be updated or maintained. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

Desktop Window Manager Session Manager - Provides Desktop Window Manager startup and maintenance services. Disabling this will kill aero glass.

Function Discovery Provider Host - Host process for Function Discovery providers. Detects devices such as Windows Media Center Extenders on your local network.

Function Discovery Resource Publication - Publishes this computer and resources attached to this computer so they can be discovered over the network. If this service is stopped, network resources will no longer be published and they will not be discovered by other computers on the network.

Group Policy Client - The service is responsible for applying settings configured by administrators for the computer and users through the Group Policy component. If the service is stopped or disabled, the settings will not be applied and applications and components will not be manageable through Group Policy. Any components or applications that depend on the Group Policy component might not be functional if the service is stopped or disabled.

IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules - The IKEEXT service hosts the Internet Key Exchange (IKE) and Authenticated Internet Protocol (AuthIP) keying modules. These keying modules are used for authentication and key exchange in Internet Protocol security (IPsec). Stopping or disabling the IKEEXT service will disable IKE and AuthIP key exchange with peer computers. IPsec is typically configured to use IKE or AuthIP; therefore, stopping or disabling the IKEEXT service might result in an IPsec failure and might compromise the security of the system. It is strongly recommended that you have the IKEEXT service running.

IP Helper - Provides automatic IPv6 connectivity over an IPv4 network. If this service is stopped, the machine will only have IPv6 connectivity if it is connected to a native IPv6 network.

Part 3 of the Vista service guide can be found here.

Vista Service Guide: PART 2

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

As I mentioned in Vista Service Guide Part 1, Windows Vista has several new services and features that we do not all need. I have gone through the list of services that are running in Windows Vista and compiled a list of services that you can safely disable. Before I get started, it is necessary to understand how to disable services in Windows Vista. Similar to other version of Windows, you will be using the Services MMC. Follow the steps below to get started with the Services applet.

1. Click the Start Button, key in services.msc and hit Enter.
2. To stop and disable a service, just right click on a service and select Properties.
3. Then, in the properties box change the Startup type to Disabled and hit OK. The next time that you restart your computer the service will no longer be able to start.

Now that you know the basics of disabling a service, I can begin going over the services that I have found that can be disabled to increase your system performance. Below is a list of services that can be disabled. Some provide value added features, so if you use a feature associated with the service consider if it is really worth the slight performance gain compared to the usefulness of the feature.

iPod Service - iPod hardware management services.

IPsec Policy Agent - Internet Protocol security (IPsec) supports network-level peer authentication, data origin authentication, data integrity, data confidentiality (encryption), and replay protection. This service enforces IPsec policies created through the IP Security Policies snap-in or the command-line tool "netsh ipsec". If you stop this service, you may experience network connectivity issues if your policy requires that connections use IPsec. Also,remote management of Windows Firewall is not available when this service is stopped.

Messenger Sharing Folders USN Journal Reader service - Service installed by Messenger to enable sharing scenarios.

Network Location Awareness - Collects and stores configuration information for the network and notifies programs when this information is modified. If this service is stopped, configuration information might be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

NMIndexingService – A component of the Nero CD/DVD burning software that is not needed for burning.

Offline Files - The Offline Files service performs maintenance activities on the Offline Files cache, responds to user logon and logoff events, implements the internals of the public API, and dispatches interesting events to those interested in Offline Files activities and changes in cache state.

ReadyBoost - Provides support for improving system performance using ReadyBoost. If you do not use ReadyBoost, disable this.

Tablet PC Input Service - Enables Tablet PC pen and ink functionality.

Telephony - Provides Telephony API (TAPI) support for programs that control telephony devices on the local computer and, through the LAN, on servers that are also running the service.

Terminal Services – Allows users to connect interactively to a remote computer. Remote Desktop and Terminal Server depend on this service. To prevent remote use of this computer, clear the checkboxes on the Remote tab of the System properties control panel item.

Terminal Services Configuration - Terminal Services Configuration service (TSCS) is responsible for all Terminal Services and Remote Desktop related configuration and session maintenance activities that require SYSTEM context. These include per-session temporary folders, TS themes, and TS certificates.

Terminal Services UserMode Port Redirector - Allows the redirection of Printers/Drives/Ports for RDP connections
You have now finished part 2 of my service guide for Microsoft Windows Vista! If you have not already done so, take a look at Part 1 of the service guide.

You have now finished part 2 of my service guide for Microsoft Windows Vista! If you have not already done so, take a look at Part 1 of the service guide.

Balim Valley

2008-07-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

How would you feel about a place with no classy hotels, little food, no beer and lots of rain? Sounds resistible? What if this same area was chock-full with bizarrely dressed men and women observing weird traditions in an environmentally correct manner? Such a spot is Irian Jaya's Balim Valley in Indonesia, just west of Papua New Guinea, with which it shares a border.

The classic Dani village is a rectangular, muddy plaza, encompassed by a long thatched kitchen, pig pens, one or two mossy huts for the women, and one double-decker hut for all the village men, married or single.

Men wishing to fulfill their conjugal obligations, visit their wives' huts, or take advantage of the ample greenery around the spread. The top floor of the men's hut is also occupied by their mummy. This character, the crouched, smoked, apparently screaming corpse of a long dead chief is dragged out for tourist photos, on receipt of a substantial contribution to the current chief's ‘Buy a Pig Fund'. Pigs, special occasion food only, are either killed slowly and ceremonially by bow and arrow, or exchanged for a wife. Village chiefs often have several of each, and treat them with roughly the same degree of care. Generally there are no grander ambitions than possessing a pig or a wife , although cigarettes are an all-consuming short-term interest.

The staple diet - when pigs are not on the menu - is sweet potatoes cooked over a friction- started fire, in a smoke-choked communal kitchen. Pots, pans and other utensils do not exist, so neither does alcohol, lacking containers for fermentation.

The most colourful and photogenic part of Indonesia's Balim experience is Dani fashion. The well-travelled Dani male, outside the central town of Wamena, wears feathers in his hair, pig fat mixed with soot over the upper body, face and hair, and an enormous, inconvenient, stretch penis gourd. Curly or straight, the koteca is 30 -50 cm long, light brown, and held erect by one string around the waist and one around the testicles. Pig tusks through the nose, war paint, and a bundle of spears are optional extras.

Most females also travel topless; single women in grass skirts,married ones in woven, coloured string skirts, well below the waistline. The only reason that gravity does not complete their undress is that the skirts, given to them by their husbands on their wedding day, are as tight as a tourniquet, hugging the thighs and lower buttocks. All is not revealed, however, since the women also wear a kind of long string bag moored around their scalps, serving both form and function.

Widows plaster orange mud over their torsos and faces for several months after their husbands die. In addition, what at first may seem to be an epidemic of leprosy, turns out to be the result of removing one finger joint for every dead relative. The amputations are initially concentrated on one hand, so eight joints missing on one hand is commonplace. Older women often have all fingers cut down to stumps.

In spite of this self-mutilation, the Dani women still manage to deal with most of the daily chores (potato cultivation, wood collection, cooking) while many men consider themselves overworked if they have to do more than light a fire.

The Dani, like most eccentric ethnic groups overexposed to Western practices, are changing their ways. Out goes the spectacular koteca , in comes tatty shorts, out goes the bare-chested mama, in comes the sad, shabby, sack lady.

Thinks to be Remember !
Indonesia's Balim valley is warm and wet for much of the year. January to March is said to be the most comfortable season. July and August are the busy months; less seats, less rooms, more travelers, more expense.

Wamena, Balim's main town, and the market area in particular, is an agreeable introduction to the Dani, but for the real thing you should travel around the Balim and adjoining valleys, taking at least two or three days, and staying in Dani villages - probably in the men's hut.

An experienced English-speaking guide with some knowledge of Dani language is vital for a full exploration of such an alien environment. Few Dani people speak English, and inter-clan rivalries may affect their information and en-route contacts, so unfortunately some of the best guides are from other islands in Indonesia, such as Sulawesi, and not natives of the culture at all.

Trails are convoluted and often wet and slippery, so a guide and hiking boots are equally usefultravel accessories, though not essential. If you are not wild about having sweet potatoes for three meals a day, critical foodstuffs, such as chocolate and peanut butter can be found in Wamena, supplemented, with luck, by vegetables bought on the trail and cooked by your faithful retainer - in his own pots and pans. Alcohol is not available in any form in the valley.

Kuta, Bali

2008-07-09T15:58:00.000-07:00

Kuta is a town in southern Bali, Indonesia. A former fishing village, it was one of the first towns on Bali to see substantial tourist development, and as a beach resort remains one of Indonesia's major tourist destinations. It is known internationally for its long sandy beach, varied accommodation, many restaurants and bars, and substantial Australian population. It is located near Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport.

Kuta is now the center of an extensive tourist-oriented urban area that merges into the neighboring towns. Legian, to the north, is the commercial hub of Kuta and the site of many restaurants and entertainment spots. Most of the area's big beachfront hotels are in the southern section of Tuban.

Legian and Seminyak are northern extensions of Kuta along Jl. Legian and Jl. Basangkasa. They are somewhat quieter suburbs with cottage-style accommodations, where many of the expat crowd live. Also to the north are Petitenget, Berawa, Canggu, and Seseh - new and quieter continuations of Kuta's beach. They are easy to reach through Abian Timbul or Denpasar and Kerobokan. Several large hotels are located in this area: the Oberoi Bali, Hard Rock Hotel Bali, the Intan Bali Village, the Legian in Petitenget, the Dewata Beach and the Bali Sani Suites in Berawa.

The Balinese Provincial Government have taken the view that the preservation of the Balinese culture, natural resources and wildlife are of primary importance in the development of the island. To this end they have limited tourist development to the peninsula on the extreme southern aspect of the island; Kuta beach is on the western side of this peninsula and Sanur is on the east. To the north of the peninsula no new tourist development is supposedly permitted.

The Beach

To the south, Kuta Beach extends beyond the airport into Jimbaran. Other nearby towns and villages include Seseh (6.4 nm), Denpasar (4.5 nm), Ujung (1.8 nm), Pesanggaran (2.0 nm), Kedunganan (2.9 nm) and Tuban (1.0 nm).

Kuta in addition to being the Sunset Site Number One, with its daily spectacular sunsets, it is also the centre of night life activities in Southern Bali and a shopping mecca, with its lines of shops, boutiques, and galleries. Restaurants line up the streets as well as the Bachfront,Hotels, ranging from a small, inexpensive homestay to a luxurious resort, will ready accomodate you.

The beach of Kuta is one of the first favorite beaches discovered by tourist. On the south, the beach is fenced by the airport’s runway, which gives you a breathtaking landing experience. The beach stretches as far north as the eyes can see. As short walk away north, waves will invite you to test your surfing skill.

Kuta is very short drive away from the airport, and transportation is readily available to take you from and to Kuta to and from anywhere else in Bali. So what do you waiting for? Let's packing your stuff and go Bali "The Paradise Island" !

Visit Indonesia Year 2008

K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 4.0.0

2008-07-08T20:36:00.000-07:00

K-Lite Codec Pack is a collection of codecs and related tools. Codec is short for Compressor-Decompressor. Codecs are needed for encoding and decoding (playing) audio and video. This Codec Pack is designed as a user-friendly solution for playing all your movie files. You should be able to play all the popular movie formats and even some rare formats.

The K-Lite Codec Pack has a couple of major advantages compared to other codec packs: It it always very up-to-date with the latest versions of the codecs; It is very user-friendly and the installation is fully customizable, meaning that you can install only those components that you really want; It has been very well tested, so that the package doesn't contain any conflicting codecs; It is a very complete package, containing everything you need to play your movies; and has different packages.

The K-Lite Mega Codec Pack combines the contents of three codec packs:
* K-Lite Codec Pack Full
* Real Alternative

Download: K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 4.0.0

CPU-Z 1.46 NEW

2008-07-06T05:28:00.000-07:00

CPU-Z is probably the best ever diagnostic tool that provides information on your CPU, including: processor name and vendor, core stepping and process, processor package, internal and external clocks, clock multiplier, partial overclock detection, processor features, supported instructions sets, L1 and L2 cache information, location, size, speed, and technology.
* Core stepping and process.
* Package.
* Core voltage.
* Internal and external clocks, clock multiplier.
* Supported instructions sets.
* Cache information.
* Vendor, model and revision.
* BIOS model and date.
* Chipset (northbridge and southbridge) and sensor.
* Graphic interface.
* Frequency and timings.
* Module(s) specification using SPD (Serial Presence Detect) : vendor, serial number, timings table.

Download: CPU-Z 1.46 New

Duall Boot XP and Vista

2008-07-01T19:42:00.000-07:00

How to dual boot Windows XP and Vista? Dual booting Windows XP and Vista on the same computer will allow you to select from a boot menu what operating sytem you want to run. This menu is shown right after you power on your computer. Setting up both Windows XP and Vista on one computer can be a little ticky depending what operating system you have installed first. The next two sections will help you configure both versions on your computer, depending on what OS you have installed first:

Windows XP is installed

If you want to dual boot XP and Vista and XP is already installed on your computer you will not have to do much work to dual boot vista. Just boot to your Windows Vista install DVD, select a custom install and install Vista on a separate partition or physical drive than where XP is installed. This will leave your XP install intact and automatically install a boot menu with both XP and Vista listed.

Windows Vista is installed

If you were like me and compley reformatted your hard drive and wiped out XP when you installed Vista, your setup is going to be a little more complicated. Follow these steps:

1. Boot up your computer with a Windows XP install CD and install Windows XP to a different partition or physical drive than where Vista is installed. When the setup is finished, your computer will automatically boot into Windows XP. Don’t worry, Windows Vista is still on your computer if you correctly installed XP to a different partition or physical drive.
2. When you installed XP, the Vista Boot Manager was replaced by the Windows XP boot components. The Vista Boot Manager needs to be fixed by using the Windows Vista install DVD. Boot your computer to the Windows Vista install DVD , click Next on the regional settings screen and then click on Repair your computer in the lower left of the window. Select your Windows Vista install and then run the Startup Repair. This will fix the Windows Boot Manager and Vista will once again startup automatically.
3. Now we need to add an entry to the Windows Boot Manger for Windows XP. This is done through Windows Vista. When you are back in Vista, open an administrative level command prompt window and run these commands:

bcdedit /create {ntldr} /d "Windows XP"
bcdedit /set {ntldr} device boot
bcdedit /set {ntldr} path \ntldr
bcdedit /displayorder {ntldr} /addlast
4. Reboot your computer and test out the new boot menu.

Dual boot has now been configured on your computer. You will be able to enjoy the enhancements of Windows Vista without giving up the ability to run older applications that require Windows XP.

Change Vista's Visual Style

2008-07-01T19:35:00.000-07:00

Changing the visual style of Windows is something that has become very popular over the years with Windows XP. In Windows Vista, this is just starting to gain momentum with the release of a few cool hacked visual styles. These alternative visual styles are replacements for the default Aero glass style and offer slight tweaks on the design. Over time there will be more and more higher quality visual styles released for Windows Vista.

If you want to get started, you will need to download the hacked visual style skinning engine files from Rafael Rivera’s site. Rafael has both x86 and x64 versions available. These modified system files remove the requirement for visual style files to be digitally signed by Microsoft.

UPDATE: There is now an automated utility that allows you to patch your visual style skinning engine files with just one click. Click here to check it out.

Make sure you replace all three hacked system files:

* uxtheme.dll
* themeui.dll
* shsvcs.dll

After the skinning engine’s files have been replaced and you have rebooted, you are ready to get started installing third-party visual styles.

Check out these sites for Windows Vista Visual Styles:

* JoeJoe.org
* Neowin
* AeroXP
* deviantArt

Make sure that you download visual styles that are for Windows Vista. XP visual styles will not work in Vista!

Change XP Log On Screen Colors

2008-07-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

Microsoft includes three default "shell styles" with the Windows XP Luna theme: Homestead, Metallic, and NormalColor.

You can see these three styles in the "Welcome to Windows" and "Log On to Windows" screens during logon.

To change the style, open regedit and go to: HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ThemeManager
Change the "ColorName" key value to either "Homestead" or "Metallic". "Homestead" will show the title bars in an olive color. "Metallic" will show them in a silver color.

Log off or reboot to see the change.

Note: this will only work on the original Ctrl+Alt+Del log on screen, not the new Welcome screen.

Change Internet Explorer Logo

2008-07-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

Now I will teach you how to change Internet Explorer Logo (I have changed it, because I was boring with the old logo). This tweak will change the small logo at the top right corner of your browser. Here is the trick:

1. Click Start > Run > Type gpedit.msc
2. Click User Configuration > Windows Setting > Internet Explorer Maintenance > Browser User erface
3. Double click on Custom Logo
4. Click on Customize The Static Logo Bitmaps
5. Click on Browse...
6. Browser for your new Logo
7. click Ok
8. An error will popup ``You have selected to customize a setting but provided no
value. The behavior of this will be to delete the setting. Are you sure you want
too continue?``
9. Click yes

Note: The Logo have to be (22X22) Small and (38X38) Large and have to be bitmap.
When you save your Logo, you have to save in 256 or 16bit color.This Tweak Changes the Small logo at the top right corner of your browser.

1. Click Start > Run > Type gpedit.msc
2. Click User Configuration > Windows Setting > Internet Explorer Maintenance > Browser User Interface
3. Double click on Custom Logo
4. Click on Customize The Static Logo Bitmaps
5. Click on Browse...
6. Browser for your new Logo
7. click Ok
8. An error will popup ``You have selected to customize a setting but provided no
value. The behavior of this will be to delete the setting. Are you sure you want
too continue?``
9. Click yes

Note: The Logo have to be (22X22) Small and (38X38) Large and have to be bitmap.
When you save your Logo, you have to save in 256 or 16bit color.

What a simple trick ?

Change Internet Explorer Title

2008-07-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

In regedit navigate use this key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main

Change (or create) the value of the string "Window Title" to whatever you want on the titlebar of Internet Explorer.

To have no title except the title of the web pages you are browsing do not enter anything for a value.

Create a Shortcut to Switch Users

2008-07-01T03:43:00.000-07:00

Fast user switching has been a very useful feature of Windows for multi-user computers. Dating back to Windows XP, fast user switching allows multiple users to be logged into a computer at once. This is very useful if a user is in the middle of work but another needs to use the computer shortly. Fast user switching will allow the other user to log in while still retaining the other users session. Once the other user is finished the session can be switched back to the original user.

Here it is how to create a shortcut to switch user:

Creating a shortcut to switch the active user is as easy as creating a shortcut to c:\windows\system32\tsdiscon.exe

1. Right click where you want the shortcut to be created and select New and then Shortcut.
2. Copy and paste “c:\windows\system32\tsdiscon.exe” into the location box and hit Next.
3. Give it a name and hit Finish.

Speed Up Your Hard Drive

2008-07-01T03:36:00.000-07:00

The disk defragmenter in Windows Vista was redesigned. I personally do not like the new stripped down interface but one welcome addition is easy defrag scheduling. How to use it ?

Click on the Start Button and type in Disk Defragmenter and hit Enter.

Make sure Run on a schedule is checked as shown above.

Click Modify schedule and configure the settings for your computer use. I like to set mine to Daily and late at night since I normally leave my PC on at night.

Windows 7 Will Ship Earlier

2008-07-01T03:34:00.000-07:00

Microsoft will ship Windows 7 sometime in or near Jan. 2010, according to a letter company senior vice president Bill Veghte sent to Microsoft customers Tuesday.

The letter, sent to enterprise and business customers, will eventually be publicly posted on Microsoft's Web site.

In the letter sent to "Windows Customers" and titled "An Update on the Windows Roadmap," Veghte said "our plan is to deliver Windows 7 approximately three years after the January 2007 general availability launch date of Windows Vista."

Vista has been slowly gaining steam, but is still drawing fire from critics who say it has not lived up to promises.

Veghte went further in addressing customer concerns over application compatibility, which had been a problem shortly after Vista's release.

"You've also let us know you don't want to face the kinds of incompatibility challenges with the next version of Windows you might have experienced early with Windows Vista. As a result, our approach with Windows 7 is to build off the same core architecture as Windows Vista so the investments you and our partners have made in Windows Vista will continue to pay off with Windows 7. Our goal is to ensure the migration process from Windows Vista to Windows 7 is straightforward."

How to Still Buy Windows XP ?

2008-07-01T03:32:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 30th is the last day to buy the retail version of Windows XP. Microsoft will continue to support Windows XP until 2014 but users will no longer be able to purchase it with a new computer or in a retail store.

A little known loophole allows exists that allows end users to still buy Windows XP. Only the retail version has been discontinued. The OEM version sold to system builders will still be available for purchase and can be purchased by anyone that knows where.

If you built an low power computer and want to avoid Vista I have provided links below to where you can buy the OEM version of Windows XP Pro.

Enjoy!

Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP3 English for System Builders 1 Pack CD

Microsoft Stop Selling Windows XP

2008-07-01T03:30:00.000-07:00

Microsoft Corp. is scheduled to stop selling its Windows XP operating system to retailers and major computer makers Monday, despite protests from a slice of PC users who don't want to be forced into using XP's successor, Vista.

Once computers loaded with XP have been cleared from the inventory of PC makers such as Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co., consumers who can't live without the old operating system on their new machine will have to buy Vista Ultimate or Vista Business and then legally "downgrade" to XP.

Microsoft will still allow smaller mom-and-pop PC builder shops to buy XP for resale through the end of January. A version of XP will also remain available for ultra-low-cost PCs such as the Asus Eee PC.

How to Close a Not Responding Program

2008-07-01T03:23:00.000-07:00

Generally, a program may throw the digital equivalent of a temper tantrum and refuse to close.When that happens, you can force it to shut down by using the Task Manager, as follows:...

1. Simultaneously press the Ctrl, Alt, and Delete keys on your keyboard, which opens the Windows Task Manager. (However, if your version of Windows is configured differently, then pressing these keys might open a Windows Security box. In that case, simply click the Task Manager button.)

2. Click the Applications tab.

3. Click the name of the unresponsive program.

4. At the bottom of the Task Manager, click the End Task button.

5. If the troubled program doesn’t close immediately, a message alerts you that the program is not responding. Click the End Now button.

6. If the program still does not respond, or if Windows feels sluggish, then shut down your computer and restart it.

Customize Windows Start Button

2008-07-01T03:17:00.000-07:00

Do you boring with Windows standard Start Button? Do you want it's look different? So this is all you have to do. First you need a tool called "Resource Hacker". This free program allows you to change resources in any .exe file such as "Explorer.exe", which includes the [Start] button's Label. You can find "Resource Hacker" here:

Webpage code:

http://www.angusj.com/resourcehacker/

LINK code:

http://delphi.icm.edu.pl/ftp/tools/ResHack.zip

After you downloaded it, follow the guide here:

Step 1:

-Run "Resource Hacker" and open the file "%windir%\Explorer.exe".
-You see a Tree of all Resources in this file, expand the "String Table"
-Find the "start" and replace it with your own text. then press the [Compile Script] button.
-Save "Explorer.exe" as "MyStart.exe" DONT save it as Explorer.exe, do "save as.." and give it a new name.
-Quit "Resource Hacker".

Step 2:

-Click on the [Start] button and choose the "Run..." item from the start menu. (Or use the shortcut key WinKey+R)
-Type "RegEdit" in the Run "Dialog Box". And then press the [Ok] buton to run the "Registry Editor" program.
-Go to: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\C urrentVersion\Winlogon" and find the "Shell" property.
-Replace value of the "Shell" property to "MyStart.exe".
-Quit "Registry Editor".
-Restart your system.

Note about Registry Editor:
If you did not find the key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\C urrentVersion\Winlogon", you can search the Registry for the "Explorer.exe", to do this use the Edit Menu | Find Next (Ctrl+F).

A handy tool for altering your start button, which makes life much easier, is here:
Code:

http://www.geocities.com/startbtn/ProgOnly.zip

Try it!

DOS Shortcuts

2008-07-01T03:08:00.000-07:00

I have spent my spare time to collect a lot of DOS (Disk Operating System) shortcuts for Windows, here it is!

Accessibility Controls

access.cpl

Add Hardware Wizard

hdwwiz.cpl

.....

Add/Remove Programs

appwiz.cpl

Administrative Tools

control admintools

Automatic Updates

wuaucpl.cpl

Bluetooth Transfer Wizard

fsquirt

Calculator

calc

Certificate Manager

certmgr.msc

Character Map

charmap

Check Disk Utility

chkdsk

Clipboard Viewer

clipbrd

Command Prompt

cmd

Component Services

dcomcnfg

Computer Management

compmgmt.msc

timedate.cpl

ddeshare

Device Manager

devmgmt.msc

Direct X Control Panel (If Installed)*

directx.cpl

Direct X Troubleshooter

dxdiag

Disk Cleanup Utility

cleanmgr

Disk Defragment

dfrg.msc

Disk Management

diskmgmt.msc

Disk Partition Manager

diskpart

Display Properties

control desktop

Display Properties

desk.cpl

Display Properties (w/Appearance Tab Preselected)

control color

Dr. Watson System Troubleshooting Utility

drwtsn32

Driver Verifier Utility

verifier

Event Viewer

eventvwr.msc

File Signature Verification Tool

sigverif

Findfast

findfast.cpl

Folders Properties

control folders

Fonts

control fonts

Fonts Folder

fonts

Free Cell Card Game

freecell

Game Controllers

joy.cpl

Group Policy Editor (XP Prof)

gpedit.msc

Hearts Card Game

mshearts

Iexpress Wizard

iexpress

Indexing Service

ciadv.msc

Internet Properties

inetcpl.cpl

IP Configuration (Display Connection Configuration)

ipconfig /all

IP Configuration (Display DNS Cache Contents)

ipconfig /displaydns

IP Configuration (Delete DNS Cache Contents)

ipconfig /flushdns

IP Configuration (Release All Connections)

ipconfig /release

IP Configuration (Renew All Connections)

ipconfig /renew

IP Configuration (Refreshes DHCP & Re-Registers DNS)

ipconfig /registerdns

IP Configuration (Display DHCP Class ID)

ipconfig /showclassid

IP Configuration (Modifies DHCP Class ID)

ipconfig /setclassid

Java Control Panel (If Installed)

jpicpl32.cpl

Java Control Panel (If Installed)

javaws

Keyboard Properties

control keyboard

Local Security Settings

secpol.msc

Local Users and Groups

lusrmgr.msc

Logs You Out Of Windows

logoff

Microsoft Chat

winchat

Minesweeper Game

winmine

Mouse Properties

control mouse

Mouse Properties

main.cpl

Network Connections

control netconnections

Network Connections

ncpa.cpl

Network Setup Wizard

netsetup.cpl

Notepad

notepad

Nview Desktop Manager (If Installed)

nvtuicpl.cpl

Object Packager

packager

ODBC Data Source Administrator

odbccp32.cpl

On Screen Keyboard

osk

Opens AC3 Filter (If Installed)

ac3filter.cpl

Password Properties

password.cpl

Performance Monitor

perfmon.msc

Performance Monitor

perfmon

Phone and Modem Options

telephon.cpl

Power Configuration

powercfg.cpl

Printers and Faxes

control printers

Printers Folder

printers

Private Character Editor

eudcedit

Quicktime (If Installed)

QuickTime.cpl

Regional Settings

intl.cpl

Registry Editor

regedit

Registry Editor

regedit32

Remote Desktop

mstsc

Removable Storage

ntmsmgr.msc

Removable Storage Operator Requests

ntmsoprq.msc

Resultant Set of Policy (XP Prof)

rsop.msc

Scanners and Cameras

sticpl.cpl

Scheduled Tasks

control schedtasks

Security Center

wscui.cpl

Services

services.msc

Shared Folders

fsmgmt.msc

Shuts Down Windows

shutdown

Sounds and Audio

mmsys.cpl

Spider Solitare Card Game

spider

SQL Client Configuration

cliconfg

System Configuration Editor

sysedit

System Configuration Utility

msconfig

System File Checker Utility (Scan Immediately)

sfc /scannow

System File Checker Utility (Scan Once At Next Boot)

sfc /scanonce

System File Checker Utility (Scan On Every Boot)

sfc /scanboot

System File Checker Utility (Return to Default Setting)

sfc /revert

System File Checker Utility (Purge File Cache)

sfc /purgecache

System File Checker Utility (Set Cache Size to size x)

sfc /cachesize=x

System Properties

sysdm.cpl

Task Manager

taskmgr

Telnet Client

telnet

User Account Management

nusrmgr.cpl

Utility Manager

utilman

Windows Firewall

firewall.cpl

Windows Magnifier

magnify

Windows Management Infrastructure

wmimgmt.msc

Windows System Security Tool

syskey

Windows Update Launches

wupdmgr

Windows XP Tour Wizard

tourstart

Wordpad

write

I hope it is useful for you! If you know more you can add it!

Windows XP SECRETS !

2008-06-28T06:26:00.000-07:00

Windows XP has many secret inside it. But many peoples haven't known it. This fifteen secrets gonna to make you better to use your Windows Computer!

1. Useful key shortcuts available:

- Windows key + D - shows the desktop
- Windows key + M - minimizes all open windows
- Windows key + Shift + M - maximizes all open windows
- Windows key + E - Runs Windows Explorer
- Windows key + R - shows the RUN dialog
- Windows key + F - shows Search window
- Windows key + Break - shows System Properties box
- Windows key + TAB - Go through taskbar applications
- Windows key + PAUSE Display the System Properties dialog box
- Windows key + U Open Utility Manager
- ALT + TAB - Cycle through opened applications
- Hold down CTRL while dragging an item to Copy it
- CTRL + ESC Display the Start menu
- ALT + ENTER View the properties for the selected item
- F4 key Display the Address bar list in My Computer or
- NUM LOCK + Asterisk (*) Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder

2. Lock Windows to protect computer
You can lock Windows to protect the computer when leaving the station easily by creating a shortcut with the path rundll32.exeuser32.dll, LockWorkStation. The Windows key + L is also a shortcut to this feature.

3. Edit sysoc.inf to list all software
To show all software that can be removed from your computer (including protected Windows services), you can manually edit (using notepad for example) the sysoc.inf file located in Windows\inf\. Just remove the word hide next to the software pack.
*Note* - use this at your own risk. Removing critical components of the system will make Windows instable.

4. Windows XP comes with IPv4 and IPv6
Windows XP comes both IPv4 and IPv6 support. To enable IPv6, you can install the protocols needed with the command "ipv6 install" in the command-prompt. Then type ipv6 /? to see the options. The installation will not remove the IPv4 protocols so your current configuration will still work.

5. Access Task Manager with shortcut
To access the Task Manager easier, you can make a shortcut that points to %windir%\system32\taskmgr.exe.

6. Stop treating ZIP files like Folders
If you don't want your Windows XP to treat ZIP files like folders, you can disable this component by running regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll at the command prompt or Run dialog. If you start missing it, you can enable it by typing regsvr32 zipfldr.dll.

7. Run program as diffrent user
You can run a program as a different user. Right click an application and select Run As command.

8. Switch users leaving applications opened
You can switch users leaving the applications opened too (*NOTE* use this only when needed since it could lead to system instability).
Go to Task Manager - processes and end the process explorer.exe. This will end only your session and not all applications. Then go to Applications tab, click New task and type runas /user:domainname\username explorer.exe. A password prompt will appear to login to the desired username. The user's session will start, with all your previously applications running.
I recommend to open first a command-line prompt and type runas /? to see all the options available.

9. Rename multiple files in Windows at once
Rename multiple files in Windows at once. Select them all, right click and select Rename. Enter the desired name. They will be renamed using what you specified, with a number in brackets to distinguish them.

10. Task kill feature in Windows
Windows has a task kill feature similar to Linux. Go to a command prompt and run the command tasklist to see running processes with PID numbers. Then type tskill to end the specific task. This forces an instant closing of the task.

11. Edit features with GPEDIT.MSC
You can edit many features by running gpedit.msc. You can add log on/log off scripts here and many features.

12. Edit accounts in the command prompt
You can edit accounts by running "control userpasswords2" at the command prompt.

13. Use systeminfo.exe to see System Information
You can use the systeminfo.exe command in the command prompt to see System Information, including all Windows updates and hotfixes.

14. Disable system services for maximum performance
There are system services that you can disable to free up the system's load. To access the interface that permits you to make changes to system's services, type services.msc and the command prompt.
This is a list of services that are *usually* useless and can be safely disabled.
Alerter
Application Layer Gateway Service,
Application Management
Automatic Updates
Background Intelligent Transfer
Clipbook
Distributed Link Tracking Client
Distributed Transaction Coordinater
Error Reporting Service
Fast User Switching Compatibility
IMAPI CD-Burning
Indexing Service
IPSEC Services
Messenger
Net Logon
Net Meeting
Remote Desktop Sharing
Network DDE
Network DDE DSDM
Portable Media Serial Number
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager
Remote Registry
Secondary Logon
Smartcard
SSDP Discovery Service
Uninterruptible Power Supply
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Upload Manager
Webclient
Wireless Zero Configuration
WMI Performance Adaptor

*NOTE*: Make sure you don't need them since some applications you're using could depend on them. If you make any application to fail by disabling any of the services, go back and enable it again.

15. Repair Windows XP by using the XP installation CD
If your system failes to start due to an error related to missing HAL.DLL, invalid Boot.ini or any other critical system boot files you can repair this by using the XP installation CD. Simply boot from your XP Setup CD and enter the Recovery Console. Then run "attrib -H -R -S" on the C:\Boot.ini file and delete it. Run "Bootcfg /Rebuild" and then Fixboot.

If you have another secrets about Windows, you can share here!

Rename Recyle Bin

2008-06-28T06:23:00.000-07:00

Do you want to rename your Recycle Bin icon? I will show you the trick. To change the name of the Recycle Bin desktop icon, click Start then goto Run, write Regedit and press Enter. It opens Registry Editor. Now in Registry Editor go to:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/CLSID/{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
and change the name "Recycle Bin" to whatever you want (don't type any quotes). I renamed it Fuc*ing Bin, hehehe..

Start Your Computer Faster

2008-06-28T06:19:00.000-07:00

Does Your computer take a ot of time to start? Well, if the Answer is Yes then this trick is gonna really help you. Here I Will Tell You How To Speed Up Your Boot Process of Windows Xp.

1.Open Notepad and then copy/paste the following code in it :

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters]
?EnablePrefetcher?=dword:00000003

2.Then save the notepad file with any name but make sure to rename its extension .REG , for example: Start.reg

Finally double click on the file and then click Yes. That's all.

Disable Access to Add or Remove Programs

2008-06-28T06:11:00.001-07:00

Disable Access to Add or Remove Programs!, restrict other users from uninstalling any programs. Suppose for security purpose you want to restrict other users from uninstalling any programs.

Just delete all the uninstall links of the programs from the start menu as all most all programs can be removed from control panel > add or remove programs option & then disable access to the add or remove programs itself.

So here's the hack

Start regedit by go to start > run & type in regedit and press enter.

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Policies

Right click on policies & create a new key by selecting new > key.

Name the new key Uninstall

Now select the newly created key ie Uninstall.

Now create a new DWORD value on the right pane of the regedit window

and name it NoAddRemovePrograms and set value to 1.

This should disable your Add or Remove Programs.To re-enable your Add or Remove Programs just set the early created NoAddRemovePrograms keys value to 0.

Stars Wars Movie Inside Windows XP

2008-06-27T00:29:00.000-07:00

Do you know there are Stars Wars Movie hiding inside your Windows XP? Do you want to watch it? Try this magic trick and you will be able to watch it..

You should be connected to the Net!

Go Starts-Programs-Run
Type:
telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl
And hit Enter...
Enjoy the magic...

Hide File in Image

2008-06-27T00:21:00.000-07:00

How to hide file in a image? Is it possible? Yes, absolutely possible! You can hide your file in a image, so you can trick your friend, hahahaha! Do you want to try it? Let's check it out!

1. Gather the file you wish to hide, and the image file, and place them in a folder. For the sake of this demonstration, I will be using C:\New Folder
-The image will hereby be referred to in all examples as fluffy.jpg
-The file will hereby be referred to in all examples as New Text Document.txt

2. Add the file/files you will be injecting into the image into a WinRar .rar or .zip. From here on this will be referred to as (secret.rar)

3. Open command prompt by going to Start > Run > cmd

4. In Command Prompt, navigate to the folder where your two files are by typing
cd location [ex: cd C:\New Folder]

5. Type [copy /b fluffy.jpg + secret.rar fluffy.jpg] (remove the brackets)

Congrats, as far as anyone viewing is concerned, this file looks like a JPEG, acts like a JPEG, and is a JPEG, yet it now contains your file.

In order to view/extract your file, there are two options that you can take

a) Change the file extension from fluffy.jpg to fluffy.rar, then open and your file is there
b) Leave the file extension as is, right click, open with WinRar and your file is there

That's all, so easy huh?

Different Ways to Shutdown PC

2008-06-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

There are so many different ways to turn off your Windows XP computer, let's look at some of them:...

1. The standard approach - click the Start Button with your mouse, then select the Turn Off menu and finally click the Turn Off icon on the Turn Off computer dialog. blink.gif

2. Press Ctrl+Esc key or the Win key and press u two times - the fastest approach.

3. Get the Shutdown utility from Download.com - it add the shut down shortcuts for you. Else create them yourself using approach 4.

4. Create a shutdown shortcut on your desktop. Right click on the desktop, choose New Shortcut and type shutdown -s -t 00 in the area where you are asked to specify the location of the program file. Now you can just double click this icon to turn off the computer. The best location would be your quick launch bar.

5. Press the Win key + R key to open the run window. Type shutdown -s -t 00. [s means shutdown while t means the duration after which you want to initiate the shutdown process].

If some open processes or application won't let you turn off, append a -f switch to force a shut down by closing all active processes.

6. Win+M to minimize all windows and then Alt+F4 to bring the Turn Off computer dialog.

7. Open Windows Task manager (by right clicking the Windows Task bar or Alt+Ctrl+Del) and choose Shut down from the menu. Useful when the Windows are not responding.

8. open task manager--->click on shutdown--->hold the ctrl key and click on Turn off::::::: pc will be turned off in 3 secs.. fastest method other than hard shutdown

The Different Of NTFS and FAT

2008-06-24T07:34:00.000-07:00

NTFS or FAT? That is the question. But unlike the deeper questions of life, this one isn't really all that hard to answer. For most users running Windows XP, NTFS is the obvious choice. It's more powerful and offers security advantages not found in the other file systems. But let's go over the differences among the files systems so we're all clear about the choice. There are essentially three different file systems available in Windows XP: FAT16, short for File Allocation Table, FAT32, and NTFS, short for NT File System...

FAT16
The FAT16 file system was introduced way back with MSDOS in 1981, and it's showing its age. It was designed originally to handle files on a floppy drive, and has had minor modifications over the years so it can handle hard disks, and even file names longer than the original limitation of 8.3 characters, but it's still the lowest common denominator. The biggest advantage of FAT16 is that it is compatible across a wide variety of operating systems, including Windows 95/98/Me, OS/2, Linux, and some versions of UNIX. The biggest problem of FAT16 is that it has a fixed maximum number of clusters per partition, so as hard disks get bigger and bigger, the size of each cluster has to get larger. In a 2GB partition, each cluster is 32 kilobytes, meaning that even the smallest file on the partition will take up 32 KB of space. FAT16 also doesn't support compression, encryption, or advanced security using access control lists.

FAT32
The FAT32 file system, originally introduced in Windows 95 Service Pack 2, is really just an extension of the original FAT16 file system that provides for a much larger number of clusters per partition. As such, it greatly improves the overall disk utilization when compared to a FAT16 file system. However, FAT32 shares all of the other limitations of FAT16, and adds an important additional limitationвЂ?many operating systems that can recognize FAT16 will not work with FAT32 most notably Windows NT, but also Linux and UNIX as well. Now this isn't a problem if you're running FAT32 on a Windows XP computer and sharing your drive out to other computers on your network they don't need to know (and generally don't really care) what your underlying file system is.

The Advantages of NTFS
The NTFS file system, introduced with first version of Windows NT, is a completely different file system from FAT. It provides for greatly increased security, file compression, quotas, and even encryption. It is the default file system for new installations of Windows XP, and if you're doing an upgrade from a previous version of Windows, you'll be asked if you want to convert your existing file systems to NTFS. Don't worry. If you've already upgraded to Windows XP and didn't do the conversion then, it's not a problem. You can convert FAT16 or FAT32 volumes to NTFS at any point. Just remember that you can't easily go back to FAT or FAT32 (without reformatting the drive or partition), not that I think you'll want to.

The NTFS file system is generally not compatible with other operating systems installed on the same computer, nor is it available when you've booted a computer from a floppy disk. For this reason, many system administrators, myself included, used to recommend that users format at least a small partition at the beginning of their main hard disk as FAT. This partition provided a place to store emergency recovery tools or special drivers needed for reinstallation, and was a mechanism for digging yourself out of the hole you'd just dug into. But with the enhanced recovery abilities built into Windows XP (more on that in a future column), I don't think it's necessary or desirable to create that initial FAT partition.

When to Use FAT or FAT32?
If you're running more than one operating system on a single computer, you will definitely need to format some of your volumes as FAT. Any programs or data that need to be accessed by more than one operating system on that computer should be stored on a FAT16 or possibly FAT32 volume. But keep in mind that you have no security for data on a FAT16 or FAT32 volumeвЂ?any one with access to the computer can read, change, or even delete any file that is stored on a FAT16 or FAT32 partition. In many cases, this is even possible over a network. So do not store sensitive files on drives or partitions formatted with FAT file systems.

Delete Undeletable File

2008-06-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

Sometimes files can become corrupt, in which case Windows XP prevents you from deleting them and displays an error message that says the files cannot be deleted because they are currently in use. Even if you reboot your computer and try to delete the files again, usually you see the same error message. To force Windows to delete the files, try the following steps...

To delete common files:

1. Close all open documents and programs that are currently running.

2. Shut down your computer, and then reboot it.

3. Return to Windows and try to delete the file again.

4. If you still can’t get rid of the file, shut down your computer.

5. Turn on your computer and immediately press the F8 key on your
keyboard several times until the Windows Advanced Options Menu
screen appears.

6. Use the up or down arrows on your keyboard to select Safe Mode,
and then press the Enter key.

7. The next screen displays the message “Please select the operating
system to start.” Assuming you have only Windows XP installed on
your system, press the Enter key. If you have more than one operating
system installed, use the up or down arrows on your keyboard to
select Windows XP, then press the Enter key.

8. Windows loads some software, which could take a minute or two.
Depending on how your version of Windows is configured, a login
screen or the Welcome Screen appears. If you see the login screen,
type your account name and password (if you have one), and then
press Enter. If you see the Welcome Screen, click the icon for the
account labeled Administrator or an account that has administrative
privileges, and then type your password (if you have one).

9. A message alerts you that Windows is running in Safe Mode.To
proceed, click the Yes button.

10. You can use Safe Mode in much the same way that you use the
regular Windows mode. Locate the undeletable file, and then try
deleting it again.

11. If you are successful, reboot your computer and return to the regular
Windows mode. If your efforts are not successful, seek the help of a
certified computer professional.

I hope this article useful for you!

How To Clean LCD Monitor

2008-06-23T21:56:00.000-07:00

LCD (Light Crystal Display) monitors are a delicate species, so proper care is essential to their longevity. There are three issues you should be mindful of: damaging the glass, damaging the antiglare coating, and damaging the surrounding parts.

In the absence of manufacturer recommendations, you should clean your screen with water or 50-percent isopropyl alcohol, using either a lint-free cloth or a paper towel. Oily fingerprints on an antiglare coating are tough to clean, but an ammonia-based cleaner like Windex can do the job. Such colvents could damage or discolor the surrounding plastic parts, however, so never spray the screen directly.

Instead, spray onto a cloth, and wipe the screen with your moist towel. Also, never put any pressure on the glass. Besides the risk of breakage, it changes the optical properties of the panel, usually just temporary, but permanent damage is possible.

Secure Your PC

2008-06-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

There are many threat out there which can damaged your computer anytime. Unsecure PC means higher risk of losing your important data. But don't worry, because there are many programs on the web that can provide us with an extra protection.

Here are 8 of them, which I think the best freeware

1. McAfee Rootkit Detective — reveal hidden malware rootkit easily and provide advice on how to deal with them.

2. Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI) — detect potensial security holes on your software and provides the latest secure update for the software.

3. Comodo Firewall Pro — extra protection layer for your PC, block unauthorized access to your computer.

4. Avira AntiVir Personal Edition 8 — protect and scan your PC from malware.

5. ThreatFire AntiVirus — additional protection layer for your antivirus software, add behavioural-analysis protection that can identify Trojan horses and other malware based on their behaviour.

6. Spam Fighter Pro — filter incoming email from spam, works with Outlook, Outlook Express, and Microsoft Mail.

7. TrueCrypt — create a virtual disk on your PC in which you can store and encrypt any data.

8. Spyware Doctor Starter Edition — part of Google Pack, scan your PC from spyware and provide several real-time protection

Enjoy it!

Adding Flash Player Into Firefox Portable Without Installing It

2008-06-23T20:25:00.000-07:00

Firefox 3 is not bundled with Adobe Flash Player, so you must install it manually. In normal Firefox installation the flash extension files should be place in folder %APPDATA%\Mozilla\Plugins\ then for FireFox Portable, all the files should be place in \FirefoxPortable\App\firefox\plugins folder.

So, these are all steps that you need to do:

1. Download Flash Player .xpi version
2. Rename flashplayer-win.xpi into flashplayer-win.zip and extract it using WinZip or 7Zip etc.
3. Copy flashplayer.xpt and NPSWF32.dll files into folder \FirefoxPortable\App\firefox\plugins.After restarting FireFox Portable, just visit any site with Flash on it to test the installation. So easy, right?

2008-06-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

FireFox allow us to install additional small program, usually from 3rd party, called “extension/add on” to extent the browser capability, and here I made a list of my 15 must have FireFox extensions that already help me a lot in my daily blogging activity.

1. AdBlock Plus: Ever been annoyed by all those ads and banners on the internet that often take longer to download than everything else on the page? Install Adblock Plus now and get rid of them.

2. ColorZilla: Advanced Eyedropper, ColorPicker, Page Zoomer and other colorful goodies…

3. DownThemAll: The first and only download manager/accelerator built inside Firefox!

4. Firebug: Firebug integrates with Firefox to put a wealth of development tools at your fingertips while you browse. You can edit, debug, and monitor CSS, HTML, and JavaScript live in any web page…

5. FireFTP: FireFTP is a free, secure, cross-platform FTP client for Mozilla Firefox which provides easy and intuitive access to FTP servers.

6. Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer: If you use Firefox on more than one computer, you’ll want Foxmarks. Install Foxmarks on each computer, and it will work silently in the background to keep your bookmarks synchronized. You can also log in to my.foxmarks.com to manage your bookmarks from any computer.

7. Sage: Sage is a lightweight RSS and Atom feed aggregator extension for Mozilla Firefox. It’s got a lot of what you need and not much of what you don’t…

8. ScribeFire: ScribeFire is a full-featured blog editor that integrates with your browser and lets you easily post to your blog.

9. SearchStatus: Display the Google PageRank, Alexa rank and Compete ranking anywhere in your browser, along with fast keyword density analyser, keyword/nofollow highlighting, backward/related links, Alexa info and more.

10. Shareaholic: Shareaholic allows you to share, bookmark, and e-mail web pages quickly via a wide array of web 2.0 social websites without cluttering up your browser! Shareaholic currently supports: digg, del.icio.us, facebook, foxiewire, friendfeed, google bookmarks, google reader, healthranker, kaboodle, magnolia, mixx, myspace, pownce, reddit, simpy, stumbleupon, streakr, truemors, tumblr, twitter, ycombinator, bzzster, etc.

11. StumbleUpon: StumbleUpon discovers web sites based on your interests, learns what you like and brings you more.

12. Sxipper: Forget your passwords! Sxipper accurately fills in forms, manages passwords and your OpenIDs.

13. Taboo: The cure for tabitis If you keep tons of tabs open because you want to continue reading them later, Taboo is for you. Taboo lets you save a page for later (taking a screenshot, and using the Session Saver code to remember scroll location and form fields).

14. Web Developer: Adds a menu and a toolbar with various web developer tools.

15. YSlow: YSlow analyzes web pages and tells you why they’re slow based on Yahoo’s rules for high performance web sites.

Please feedback if there are any break links. Thank's

Sandra Dewi

2008-06-23T05:42:00.000-07:00

Who did not know Sandra Dewi, the young beauty artist now still was on the rise. After emerging her friensdter, afterwards her fans made mailing list in yahoo, we can see Sandra the goddess has been in Indonesian wikipedia , the salute for Sandra the goddess

There is address sandra dewi in Indonesian wikipedia.

HP iPAQ rx5720 PDA Review

2008-06-23T04:41:00.000-07:00

Now I will review the HP iPAQ 5720 Travel Companion which is an all in one satellite navigation system and PDA. I will cover the PDA side of things and the overall usability of the device.

Here is a brief rundown of the technical specifications:
• Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0
• Pocket PC versions of Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Internet Explorer
• Microsoft Windows Media Player 10
• TomTom NAVIGATOR 6 and integrated GPS receiver
• 3.5” QVGA touch screen panel
• Samsung SC32442 400Mhz processor
• 64Mb RAM
• 1Gb Flash Memory
• Integrated Bluetooth v2.0
• Secure Digital (SDIO) expansion slot

Inside the box you will find the following items:
• HP iPAQ rx5702
• Touch screen stylus
• Carrying case
• Battery
• USB cable
• CD-ROM (includes Outlook 2002 and synchronization software)
• User documentation
• Wall charger
• Car kit – includes windscreen mount, iPAQ holder and car charger

Setup
When the device is first switched on you are guided through a few initial setup screens to get things configured correctly. Setup was straightforward. I installed the iPAQ software on a Windows XP system which already had Microsoft Outlook 2003 installed. The setup was smart enough to detect I already had Outlook installed and so it did not try installing Outlook from the CD-ROM. If you don’t have Outlook already installed on your PC then you are prompted to install Outlook 2002 which is provided on the CD-ROM.

Once setup was complete, it synchronized the Outlook calendar, e-mail inbox and contacts. This process went very smoothly with no problems. You also have the option to create a shared folder on your PC which allows you to synchronize documents between your PC and the iPAQ.
Once the setup process is completed you can then start exploring the iPAQ. The best place to start is the ‘Today’ page. This is the page that is displayed when you first switch on the device. It shows you at a glance the current date and time, your calendar appointments for the day, any unread email messages, battery life indicator, etc.

Usability
You can navigate around the iPAQ using either the provided stylus or by using the buttons on the right-hand side of the screen. People who don’t like using a stylus on the touch screen will welcome these buttons. I found the stylus pretty easy to use and rarely used the buttons.
On the side of the device there are also hot-key buttons to access commonly used functions such as rotating the screen and using the media player. The ability to rotate the screen is useful, especially when using applications like Excel and Word. I found it easier to use these applications when the screen is in portrait mode rather than the default landscape mode.

The 400Mhz processor seemed fast enough for this type of device. Applications loaded quickly and I didn’t observe any sluggishness or undue delays whilst using the device.

Office Software
Outlook is probably the best piece of software on the iPAQ. I found it straightforward to check my emails, manage my appointments and lookup contacts.
I personally found using applications like Excel and Word on this device too fiddly. The screen is just too small to work effectively with any documents, although if you just want to store documents or transfer documents from one PC to another, then it will perform fine.

There are several options available for entering text in applications like Word and Excel. You can either use an on screen keyboard or use one of the handwriting recognition methods. I found the Block Recognizer and Letter Recognizer very difficult to use, the iPAQ had difficulty recognizing my handwriting. I had much greater success using the Transcriber Only method. I found this method much more natural, more closely resembling using a pen on paper, although still a bit fiddly at times.

Connectivity
This device only supports Bluetooth, there is no wireless capability, so bear that in mind before purchasing. This means once you have disconnected the iPAQ from your PC, you are going to be limited in being able to perform tasks like checking for new emails and appointments, etc. unless you have a Bluetooth enabled PC.

If the lack of wireless puts you off, then I recommend you take a look at the next model up, the iPAQ rx5900 which supports wireless. This would give you the option of connecting the iPAQ to a wireless network.

If you only need to synchronize your emails and calendar once a day then the IPAQ rx5702 will perform fine. You could for example, synchronize the iPAQ using the USB cable first thing in the morning, and then check your calendar and new emails on the train whilst commuting into work. For these types of task it will perform great. You could then synchronize the iPAQ again once you arrive at the office.

I found the iPAQ performed well performing these types of tasks. It was useful being able to synchronize my calendar in the morning and then take the device out and about, and get reminders about forthcoming appointments later in the day.

The Bluetooth feature worked well. I had no problem establishing a connection with my mobile phone and transferring documents between the two devices.

Media
The iPAQ also comes with Microsoft Windows Media Player 10 and HP Photosmart Mobile. I encountered no problems managing my audio tracks and photos. It also comes bundled with a couple of games including Solitaire.

iPAQ rx5720 Add-Ons
As mentioned earlier, the iPAQ rx5720 does not support wireless out of the box. Having said that, the iPAQ rx5720 does have a SDIO slot. If you really want wireless capability then you can purchase a wireless card separately and plug it into the SDIO slot. These cards retail in the UK for under £20 so they are not too expensive.

Also, if you find using the stylus too fiddly for entering data then you can purchase a bluetooth keyboard. There are many types on the market but the Brando Bluetooth Smart Keyboard is one possibility.

PDA Summary
Overall this is not a bad PDA device offering easy integration with Outlook on your PC. I found Outlook worked very well with the screen size although you may find power applications like Word and Excel too fiddly to use.

The overall usability of the device is easy to use and it has a good battery life. The lack of wireless may put off power users who want to regularly connect up to a network to synchronize the device. If you only want to synchronize the iPAQ once a day or once a week using a USB cable then it will perform fine. A separate SDIO wireless card can be purchased though to overcome this limitation.

I hope my explanation about the HP iPAQ rx5720 is useful for you, see you in the other Gadgets review.

Makassar, My Lovely City in Indonesia

2008-06-22T23:32:00.000-07:00

Hello readers! I want to tell you about my living place, Makassar, Indonesia.

Makassar is a hot city which very interesting to be visited. Many tourists come to Makassar to enjoy the culture, the nature, and the beauty of city. There are many kinds traditional food, such as coto, konro, pallu basa, pisang epe, and soo on. If you want to go around the city you can take a public transport pete-pete, that is a unique name or the pedicab (becak). Losari beach is a nice place to visit. Many people go there to relax, and have fun. There are a lot kinds of food like pisang epe (epe bananas), es campur (mixed ice), coto, nasi goreng (fried rice), and many more, and you can enjoy the beautiful view of sea and the sunset, what a good place! If you want to enjoy more, just go to Akkarena beach, you can have fun by riding on a banana boats, speed boat, motor boat. There is a coconuts ice, heeeeem…very fresh!

From Makassar you can go to many unique place, like Tana Toraja which is famous for the traditional culture, building and the beauty view. Another is Kahyangan island which very famous with the beach and the with sand. You can enjoy your vacation here, you will not be disappointed! But if you want to visit Makassar, do not forget to bring much sunblock/body lotion because the weather is very hot.

That’s all about Makassar, I hope you are interested in it, maybe in the next time I will tell you the other interesting place in Indonesia.

Come to Indonesia, we welcome you.
Visit Indonesia 2008.

Windows 7

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

Windows 7 (formerly known as Blackcomb and Vienna) is the working name for the next major version of Microsoft Windows as the successor to Windows Vista. Microsoft has announced that it is "scoping Windows 7 development to a three-year timeframe", and that "the specific release date will ultimately be determined by meeting the quality bar." Windows 7 is expected to be released in late 2009. The client versions of Windows 7 will ship in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. A server variant, codenamed Windows Server 7, is also under development.

Microsoft is maintaining a policy of silence concerning discussion of plans and aspirations for Windows 7 as they focus on the release and marketing of Windows Vista, though some early details of various core operating system features have emerged. As a result, little is known about the feature set, though public presentations from company officials have disseminated information about some features. Leaked information from people to whom Milestone 1 (M1) of Windows 7 was shipped also provides some insight into the feature set.

Posting Quality Content

2008-06-22T21:50:00.000-07:00

Webmasters always say content is king. In fact, it is very true that the content in your website will have effect on the traffic of it. The importance of content is that it does not only attract visitors but also help the site to get a better search engine ranking. A natural question to follow is that how exactly the content will help to drive traffic to the website.

You will need informative and interesting content to pre sell the products to the visitors. The content can in fact help to increase the rate of conversion. Usually you will need to write informative articles related to your niche. By doing this, the potential customers will consider you an expert about the products and this will make the process of pre sell a lot more effective.

Since the visitors are consider you as an expert in the niche, they will be inclined to trust what you say on your website. As a result, you can easily persuade them to follow the affiliate links to the merchant site. You may even give visitors information of different products of the same nature so that they will be thinking that you are helping them instead of selling them.

Content can also helps to boost the page ranking of your website in search engines. Search engines will visit your website from time to time. If you can optimize your articles well, you will have a greater chance of getting top positions for the keywords you are targeting at. Getting good positions in search engine will certainly increase the traffic to your website.

You will also need to update your website with fresh content frequently. Keeping the site updated can attract the visitor to come to your site again. I bet you will not re-visit a site which has not been updated for years right. From this you will understand the importance of updating your site.

The fresh content can also help your site to rank better in search engines. The frequency of updating is one of the factors to determine the ranking. Updating regularly will certainly give you unfair advantages over your competitions.

If you can have fresh and informative content in your website, other webmasters may want to link to your website since they also want to provide the visitors of their websites fresh content and informative materials. The back links from these webmasters will again help to boost you search engine ranking.

Writing can be difficult for some of us. If English is not our first language, you may find it even more difficult. It will be even worse if English is your third or forth language. However, you have to overcome that if you would like to stay in the field of affiliate marketing. Once you can overcome it, you will be just one step away from success!

Relationship

2008-05-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

Here you can be my friends, just leave your comment and exchange link with me

THE PHOTOGRAPH

Feedback

2008-05-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!
In this page you can tell me all of your suggestions or your idea for this blog, and you can just shout your comment here, ok!

About Me

2008-05-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

Thank's for visit my blog.

I am just a boy with terrible english language who want to share knowledge and opinion about technology, news, computers, gadgets, hobbies, entertainment and the other things.

I hope my blog is usefull for all of you, and if there are any suggestions for me, please tell me in Feedback page.

Thank you, and please enjoy my blog