Wouldn't you know it? The organizations who scream the loudest about how anauthorized copies are "theft" and how "piracy" is destroying their industries are just as likely to get caught making unauthorized copies themselves. In the past, for example, we've pointed out that the MPAA was using software
Monday, March 31, 2008
Guess who is using unauthorized software ...
Sony BMG Caught Pirating Software - mike masnick
Wouldn't you know it? The organizations who scream the loudest about how anauthorized copies are "theft" and how "piracy" is destroying their industries are just as likely to get caught making unauthorized copies themselves. In the past, for example, we've pointed out that the MPAA was using software in an unauthorized manner, and also that it had made unauthorized copies of a movie, against the demands of the movie's producer. Now, we find out (via Slashdot) that Sony BMG has been caught in a BSA raid with a ton of unauthorized software -- potentially up to 47% of the software at the offices. Now, I tend to think that BSA raids are highly questionable, but if it's true that Sony BMG is using unauthorized software, the company has some explaining to do. It's one of the major labels and has been a huge supporter of the RIAA's "anti-piracy" campaign. For a company so adamantly against piracy, it seems rather telling that it can't live up to its own standards. Considering the RIAA has been pushing for Congress to increase the statutory fines for copyright infringement, perhaps Sony would like to set a good example and pay at the high end of the range.
Wouldn't you know it? The organizations who scream the loudest about how anauthorized copies are "theft" and how "piracy" is destroying their industries are just as likely to get caught making unauthorized copies themselves. In the past, for example, we've pointed out that the MPAA was using software
More Muslims than Catholics
Islam has overtaken Roman Catholicism as the biggest single religious denomination in the world, the Vatican said on Sunday.
Monsignor Vittorio Formenti, who compiled the Vatican's newly-released 2008 yearbook of statistics, said Muslims made up 19.2 percent of the world's population and Catholics 17.4 percent.
"For the first time in history we are no longer at the top: the Muslims have overtaken us," Formenti told Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano in an interview, saying the data referred to 2006.
He said that if all Christian groups were considered, including Orthodox churches, Anglicans and Protestants, then Christians made up 33 percent of the world's population -- or about 2 billion people.
The Vatican recently put the number of Catholics in the world at 1.13 billion people. It did not provide a figure for Muslims, generally estimated at around 1.3 billion.
Formenti said that while the number of Catholics as a proportion of the world's population was fairly stable, the percentage of Muslims was growing because of higher birth rates.
Full Article
Monsignor Vittorio Formenti, who compiled the Vatican's newly-released 2008 yearbook of statistics, said Muslims made up 19.2 percent of the world's population and Catholics 17.4 percent.
"For the first time in history we are no longer at the top: the Muslims have overtaken us," Formenti told Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano in an interview, saying the data referred to 2006.
He said that if all Christian groups were considered, including Orthodox churches, Anglicans and Protestants, then Christians made up 33 percent of the world's population -- or about 2 billion people.
The Vatican recently put the number of Catholics in the world at 1.13 billion people. It did not provide a figure for Muslims, generally estimated at around 1.3 billion.
Formenti said that while the number of Catholics as a proportion of the world's population was fairly stable, the percentage of Muslims was growing because of higher birth rates.
Full Article
When you "smell" troubles
Research shows odors linked with negative experiences are more easily recalled -- a handy survival trait. The discovery could shed light on disorders such as post-traumatic stress syndrome.
From the Associated Press
March 29, 2008
Know how a whiff of certain odors can take you back in time, to either a great memory or bad one?
It turns out that emotion plays an even bigger role with the nose than previously believed and that your sense of smell actually can sharpen when something bad happens.
Researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois proved the surprising connection by giving volunteers electric shocks while they sniffed novel odors.
The discovery, reported in Friday's edition of the journal Science, helps explain how our senses can steer us clear of danger. More intriguing, it could shed light on disorders such as post-traumatic stress syndrome.
The research team recruited 12 healthy young adults. The volunteers repeatedly smelled sets of laboratory chemicals with odors distinctly different from ones in everyday life. An "oily, grassy" smell is the best description that lead researcher Wen Li, a Northwestern postdoctoral fellow in neuroscience, could give.
Two of the bottles in a set contained the same substance. A third bottle had a slightly different scent that normally would be indistinguishable. By chance, the volunteers correctly guessed the odd odor about one-third of the time.
Full Article
From the Associated Press
March 29, 2008
Know how a whiff of certain odors can take you back in time, to either a great memory or bad one?
It turns out that emotion plays an even bigger role with the nose than previously believed and that your sense of smell actually can sharpen when something bad happens.
Researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois proved the surprising connection by giving volunteers electric shocks while they sniffed novel odors.
The discovery, reported in Friday's edition of the journal Science, helps explain how our senses can steer us clear of danger. More intriguing, it could shed light on disorders such as post-traumatic stress syndrome.
The research team recruited 12 healthy young adults. The volunteers repeatedly smelled sets of laboratory chemicals with odors distinctly different from ones in everyday life. An "oily, grassy" smell is the best description that lead researcher Wen Li, a Northwestern postdoctoral fellow in neuroscience, could give.
Two of the bottles in a set contained the same substance. A third bottle had a slightly different scent that normally would be indistinguishable. By chance, the volunteers correctly guessed the odd odor about one-third of the time.
Full Article
Ebola defeated
One of the world’s deadliest diseases, caused by the Ebola virus, may finally be preventable thanks to US and Canadian researchers, who have successfully tested several Ebola vaccines in primates and are now looking to adapt them for human use.
Dr Anthony Sanchez, from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia is presenting an overview of Ebola vaccine development today (Monday 31 March 2008) at the Society for General Microbiology’s 162nd meeting being held this week at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
“The biothreat posed by Ebola virus cannot be overlooked. We are seeing more and more naturally occurring human outbreaks of this deadly disease. With worldwide air travel and tourism the virus can now be transported to and from remote regions of the world. And it has huge potential as a possible weapon of bioterrorism”, says Dr Sanchez. “We desperately need a protective vaccine”.
So far, there have been over 1500 cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in humans. Illness starts abruptly and symptoms include fever, headache, sore throat, weakness, joint and muscle aches, diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach pain. A rash, red eyes and bleeding may also occur. Ebola haemorrhagic fever can have a mortality rate of around 90% in humans.
Because Ebola virus is so dangerous, producing and testing a vaccine is extremely challenging for the scientists. One significant factor slowing down progress has been that there are only a very limited number of high containment facilities with staff capable and authorised to conduct the research.
“Ebola virus is a Biosafety Level 4 threat, along with many other haemorrhagic fever viruses”, says Dr Sanchez. “As well as the difficulty in getting the right staff and facilities, vaccines for viruses like Ebola, Marburg and Lassa fever have been difficult to produce because simple ‘killed’ viruses that just trigger an antibody response from the blood are not effective. For these viruses we need to get a cell-mediated response, which involves our bodies producing killer T-cells before immunity is strong enough to prevent or clear an infection.”
Full Article
Dr Anthony Sanchez, from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia is presenting an overview of Ebola vaccine development today (Monday 31 March 2008) at the Society for General Microbiology’s 162nd meeting being held this week at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
“The biothreat posed by Ebola virus cannot be overlooked. We are seeing more and more naturally occurring human outbreaks of this deadly disease. With worldwide air travel and tourism the virus can now be transported to and from remote regions of the world. And it has huge potential as a possible weapon of bioterrorism”, says Dr Sanchez. “We desperately need a protective vaccine”.
So far, there have been over 1500 cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in humans. Illness starts abruptly and symptoms include fever, headache, sore throat, weakness, joint and muscle aches, diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach pain. A rash, red eyes and bleeding may also occur. Ebola haemorrhagic fever can have a mortality rate of around 90% in humans.
Because Ebola virus is so dangerous, producing and testing a vaccine is extremely challenging for the scientists. One significant factor slowing down progress has been that there are only a very limited number of high containment facilities with staff capable and authorised to conduct the research.
“Ebola virus is a Biosafety Level 4 threat, along with many other haemorrhagic fever viruses”, says Dr Sanchez. “As well as the difficulty in getting the right staff and facilities, vaccines for viruses like Ebola, Marburg and Lassa fever have been difficult to produce because simple ‘killed’ viruses that just trigger an antibody response from the blood are not effective. For these viruses we need to get a cell-mediated response, which involves our bodies producing killer T-cells before immunity is strong enough to prevent or clear an infection.”
Full Article
Monday, March 24, 2008
Wires? No, Laser Beams
Sun Microsystems is trying to do for computing what all the king’s horses and men failed to do for Humpty Dumpty. For decades, the semiconductor industry has broken silicon wafers into smaller chips to improve manufacturing yields.
Now Sun has found a way to reconnect the chips so they can communicate with each other at such high speeds that computer designers can build a new generation of computers that are faster, more energy-efficient and more compact.
The computer maker, which is based in Santa Clara, Calif., plans to announce on Monday that it has received a $44 million contract from the Pentagon to explore the high-risk idea of replacing the wires between computer chips with laser beams.
The technology, part of a field of computer science known as silicon photonics, would eradicate the most daunting bottleneck facing today’s supercomputer designers: moving information rapidly to solve problems that require hundreds or thousands of processors.
Full Article
Now Sun has found a way to reconnect the chips so they can communicate with each other at such high speeds that computer designers can build a new generation of computers that are faster, more energy-efficient and more compact.
The computer maker, which is based in Santa Clara, Calif., plans to announce on Monday that it has received a $44 million contract from the Pentagon to explore the high-risk idea of replacing the wires between computer chips with laser beams.
The technology, part of a field of computer science known as silicon photonics, would eradicate the most daunting bottleneck facing today’s supercomputer designers: moving information rapidly to solve problems that require hundreds or thousands of processors.
Full Article
WiMAX may not work
Australia’s first WiMAX operator, Hervey Bay’s Buzz Broadband, has closed its network, with the CEO labeling the technology as a “disaster” that “failed miserably.”
In an astonishing tirade to an international WiMAX conference audience in Bangkok yesterday afternoon, CEO Garth Freeman slammed the technology, saying its non-line of sight performance was “non-existent” beyond just 2 kilometres from the base station, indoor performance decayed at just 400m and that latency rates reached as high as 1000 milliseconds. Poor latency and jitter made it unacceptable for many Internet applications and specifically VoIP, which Buzz has employed as the main selling point to induce people to shed their use of incumbent services.
Freeman highlighted his presentation with a warning to delegates, saying “WiMAX may not work.” He said that the technology was still “mired in opportunistic hype,” pointing to the fact most deployments were still in trials, that it was largely used by start-up carriers and was supported by “second-tier vendors”, which he contrasted with HSPA with 154 commercial networks already in operation and support from top tier vendors.
What made Freeman’s presentation most extraordinary was that just 12 months ago he fronted the same event with a generally positive appraisal of the platform which at that stage he had deployed just a few months before. At the time, Freeman said that his company had signed 10% of its 55,000 user target market in just two months, a market share that rose to 25%, on the back of an advertising campaign that highlighted value VoIP prices.
Full Article
In an astonishing tirade to an international WiMAX conference audience in Bangkok yesterday afternoon, CEO Garth Freeman slammed the technology, saying its non-line of sight performance was “non-existent” beyond just 2 kilometres from the base station, indoor performance decayed at just 400m and that latency rates reached as high as 1000 milliseconds. Poor latency and jitter made it unacceptable for many Internet applications and specifically VoIP, which Buzz has employed as the main selling point to induce people to shed their use of incumbent services.
Freeman highlighted his presentation with a warning to delegates, saying “WiMAX may not work.” He said that the technology was still “mired in opportunistic hype,” pointing to the fact most deployments were still in trials, that it was largely used by start-up carriers and was supported by “second-tier vendors”, which he contrasted with HSPA with 154 commercial networks already in operation and support from top tier vendors.
What made Freeman’s presentation most extraordinary was that just 12 months ago he fronted the same event with a generally positive appraisal of the platform which at that stage he had deployed just a few months before. At the time, Freeman said that his company had signed 10% of its 55,000 user target market in just two months, a market share that rose to 25%, on the back of an advertising campaign that highlighted value VoIP prices.
Full Article
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Copyright is dead
No wonder they call Economics the Dismal Science. At the Internet Video Policy Symposium in Washington yesterday (co-sponsored by Content Agenda), a chorus line of academic economists postulated that content owners face a far more difficult challenge than they know in monetizing their content on the Internet, and that the odds that we can build our way out of the current debate over how to manage scarce online capacity are virtually nil.
The most enthusiastically glum was Gerry Faulhaber, a professor at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and the former chief economist for the FCC. According to Faulhaber, copyright is a dead letter.
"Copyright is a very big issue in the legal world today, but in the business world, when you talk to consumers about protecting copyrights, it's a dead issue," he said. "It's gone. If you have a business model based on copyright, forget it."
According to Faulhaber, the "world of open piracy," created by digital technology will always thwart content owners seeking to leverage the monopoly granted to them by copyright law.
"The music industry is yet to figure this out," he said. "The current iTunes model is probably the best they can do. In both movies and music this is likely to result in substantially lower revenue for content owners." The movie studios will have an even tougher time than the music companies, according to Faulhaber, because some of the monetization models that can work for music--such as advertising-- probably won't work for full-length movies.
The likely result? "Content providers will have to hook up with the conduit guys," Faulhaber said. "They're the only ones in a position to monetize content online because they can control its distribution."
Faulhaber was also gloomy about resolving the current stand-off over the allocation of bandwidth.
"Video takes lots and lots of bandwidth, and bandwidth is not cheap,"
he said. "If bandwidth were cheap, the business would be attracting new entrants, which clearly it isn't."
David Farber
The most enthusiastically glum was Gerry Faulhaber, a professor at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and the former chief economist for the FCC. According to Faulhaber, copyright is a dead letter.
"Copyright is a very big issue in the legal world today, but in the business world, when you talk to consumers about protecting copyrights, it's a dead issue," he said. "It's gone. If you have a business model based on copyright, forget it."
According to Faulhaber, the "world of open piracy," created by digital technology will always thwart content owners seeking to leverage the monopoly granted to them by copyright law.
"The music industry is yet to figure this out," he said. "The current iTunes model is probably the best they can do. In both movies and music this is likely to result in substantially lower revenue for content owners." The movie studios will have an even tougher time than the music companies, according to Faulhaber, because some of the monetization models that can work for music--such as advertising-- probably won't work for full-length movies.
The likely result? "Content providers will have to hook up with the conduit guys," Faulhaber said. "They're the only ones in a position to monetize content online because they can control its distribution."
Faulhaber was also gloomy about resolving the current stand-off over the allocation of bandwidth.
"Video takes lots and lots of bandwidth, and bandwidth is not cheap,"
he said. "If bandwidth were cheap, the business would be attracting new entrants, which clearly it isn't."
David Farber
Thursday, March 20, 2008
How to avoid going bankruptcy
How to avoid going bankruptcy:
1) Make debts you are sure you will be able to repay.
Which is easier said than done.
Everybody is 100% sure to be successful when beginning a business.
Otherwise he wouldn't.
But from being sure and actually being, there are a lot of unpredictable and sometimes unavoidable events.
It is also easier to happen than to forecast ending up in a situation with no real prospect of paying off all your debts.
2) Avoid panicking and ask help where help can be given.
That means not from a friend or relative , but from a professional.
Since debts are the most frequent situation of today, they are usually more prepared to give the right advice and really helping to begin again.
3)Look out for the best Debt Management.
4) A good Debt Management means to plan the way to pay back all your debts, working out what you can realistically afford to pay back over a period of time.
This is just the beginning, but every success has the right beginning.
5) The plan must be realistic and can last up to 3-5 years.
Realistic, because you have to convince at least three-quarters of your creditors.
If you are able to maintain the regular monthly payments, you can come clear of debts and debt free.
6) At this point you will be smart enough to understand how far you can go.
And if you still do not, there is always a second chance...
1) Make debts you are sure you will be able to repay.
Which is easier said than done.
Everybody is 100% sure to be successful when beginning a business.
Otherwise he wouldn't.
But from being sure and actually being, there are a lot of unpredictable and sometimes unavoidable events.
It is also easier to happen than to forecast ending up in a situation with no real prospect of paying off all your debts.
2) Avoid panicking and ask help where help can be given.
That means not from a friend or relative , but from a professional.
Since debts are the most frequent situation of today, they are usually more prepared to give the right advice and really helping to begin again.
3)Look out for the best Debt Management.
4) A good Debt Management means to plan the way to pay back all your debts, working out what you can realistically afford to pay back over a period of time.
This is just the beginning, but every success has the right beginning.
5) The plan must be realistic and can last up to 3-5 years.
Realistic, because you have to convince at least three-quarters of your creditors.
If you are able to maintain the regular monthly payments, you can come clear of debts and debt free.
6) At this point you will be smart enough to understand how far you can go.
And if you still do not, there is always a second chance...
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Many Rhythms, one Music
Between speaking and singing, between rhythm and beat, there you can find the Hip Hop.
The Hip Hop culture was born in the 70s, in New York, mostly among African Americans and Latinos.
Hip Hop music is a part of Hip Hop culture.
The DJ began using the percussion break instead of disco songs for their audiences to dance to.
The "microphone jockey" began speaking between songs, inviting people to dance, telling jokes and stories.
This got more stylized and was called "rapping".
Soon Hip Hop became a commercial music genre and Rap became a part of American music.
Around 2000 became a popular music and spread all over the world.
If you are a fan, or you just want to know something more about it, you can join the
hip hop forums, where you can discuss about Hip Hop and Rap, promote all your announcements, or other business related to it, or just comment and leave your feedbacks and suggestions.
The Hip Hop culture was born in the 70s, in New York, mostly among African Americans and Latinos.
Hip Hop music is a part of Hip Hop culture.
The DJ began using the percussion break instead of disco songs for their audiences to dance to.
The "microphone jockey" began speaking between songs, inviting people to dance, telling jokes and stories.
This got more stylized and was called "rapping".
Soon Hip Hop became a commercial music genre and Rap became a part of American music.
Around 2000 became a popular music and spread all over the world.
If you are a fan, or you just want to know something more about it, you can join the
hip hop forums, where you can discuss about Hip Hop and Rap, promote all your announcements, or other business related to it, or just comment and leave your feedbacks and suggestions.
Monday, March 17, 2008
What is happiness?
If asked to define what happiness is I used to answer:
Happiness is finally getting rid of a hurting pair of shoes...
But I collected a few definitions I like:
Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting
what you get... (James L)
Happiness is not about what happens to you; it's about your
attitude to what happens to you.
I am always happy. If I am alone, walking down a
street in Rome , I am happy. I feel loved. In fact. I
feel so happy sometimes that it is overwhelming and
almost makes me dizzy
'Happiness is wanting what you have in your life,
right now...' (Deepam)
Happiness is an inside job
And I would add:
Happiness is what we do not have.
If we have it, it's just normality...
Happiness is finally getting rid of a hurting pair of shoes...
But I collected a few definitions I like:
Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting
what you get... (James L)
Happiness is not about what happens to you; it's about your
attitude to what happens to you.
I am always happy. If I am alone, walking down a
street in Rome , I am happy. I feel loved. In fact. I
feel so happy sometimes that it is overwhelming and
almost makes me dizzy
'Happiness is wanting what you have in your life,
right now...' (Deepam)
Happiness is an inside job
And I would add:
Happiness is what we do not have.
If we have it, it's just normality...
When one of the two or both cheat
"Some sociologists have argued that 'being faithful' is the central, defining norm of marriage," said Paul Amato, a professor of sociology at Penn State. "Although marriage implies multiple obligations, the obligation to be sexually faithful to one's spouse seems to carry the most weight."
The prevalence of marital infidelity and extramarital sex varies widely depending on the definition of infidelity used and the survey referenced, ranging from about 10 percent of couples to more than half.
A 1994 study by sociologist Edward Lauman found that 10 percent to 11 percent of spouses had cheated in the prior year. Over a lifetime, that study revealed about 18 percent of women and 24 percent of men reported an extramarital affair.
While Americans have become much more accepting of premarital sex during the past several decades, they still view extramarital sex as somewhat intolerable, Amato said.
When deciding whether to go the divorce route or follow the winding roads of marriage-repair, many factors come into play. In addition to cheating for different reasons, men and women react differently to an unfaithful spouse.
"Typical reactions from both sexes include becoming enraged, sad, humiliated, and depressed," said David Buss, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. "There are large individual differences within each sex; men tend to focus more heavily on the sexual aspects of the infidelity; women more on the emotional aspects."
These differences may have deep evolutionary roots. "From a man's perspective, sexual infidelity historically jeopardized his paternity certainty -- 'mama's baby, papa's maybe,'" Buss said. "Male sexual jealousy is, among other things, an adaptation designed to solve the problem of genetic cuckoldry."
Women, on the other hand, are 100-percent certain they are the mothers of their children. And the most upsetting acts of infidelity from a female perspective involve the emotional ties their husbands may have formed with the significant or insignificant others. They are more likely to forgive their husbands if the affair "meant nothing" and involved no emotional intimacy. Overall, women are more likely than men to forgive a cheating spouse.
"So one-night stands and use of prostitutes is less threatening than is a long-term, emotionally bonded extramarital relationship," Amato told LiveScience. "Wives are more likely to forgive their husbands if their husbands were not 'in love' with the other woman."
"Women are more likely to take into account their children, their economics, their general survival," Schwartz said. "Men are just crushed or upset about what happened to them. They won't think as quickly about their children as the first or second issue; but they will eventually consider that."
"Men are less willing to forgive," said Ruth Houston, founder of www.InfidelityAdvice.com and author of "Is He Cheating on You? - 829 Telltale Signs." She added, "Men view infidelity as a statement about their manhood, so it's such an affront to him that most men cannot get over this hurdle."
"Wives are also less likely to consider divorce if they are economically dependent on their husbands, have children or hold strong religious views," Amato said. "Nevertheless, most wives at least consider the option of divorce. And, in fact, infidelity is the marital problem most likely to lead to divorce."
Full Article
The prevalence of marital infidelity and extramarital sex varies widely depending on the definition of infidelity used and the survey referenced, ranging from about 10 percent of couples to more than half.
A 1994 study by sociologist Edward Lauman found that 10 percent to 11 percent of spouses had cheated in the prior year. Over a lifetime, that study revealed about 18 percent of women and 24 percent of men reported an extramarital affair.
While Americans have become much more accepting of premarital sex during the past several decades, they still view extramarital sex as somewhat intolerable, Amato said.
When deciding whether to go the divorce route or follow the winding roads of marriage-repair, many factors come into play. In addition to cheating for different reasons, men and women react differently to an unfaithful spouse.
"Typical reactions from both sexes include becoming enraged, sad, humiliated, and depressed," said David Buss, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. "There are large individual differences within each sex; men tend to focus more heavily on the sexual aspects of the infidelity; women more on the emotional aspects."
These differences may have deep evolutionary roots. "From a man's perspective, sexual infidelity historically jeopardized his paternity certainty -- 'mama's baby, papa's maybe,'" Buss said. "Male sexual jealousy is, among other things, an adaptation designed to solve the problem of genetic cuckoldry."
Women, on the other hand, are 100-percent certain they are the mothers of their children. And the most upsetting acts of infidelity from a female perspective involve the emotional ties their husbands may have formed with the significant or insignificant others. They are more likely to forgive their husbands if the affair "meant nothing" and involved no emotional intimacy. Overall, women are more likely than men to forgive a cheating spouse.
"So one-night stands and use of prostitutes is less threatening than is a long-term, emotionally bonded extramarital relationship," Amato told LiveScience. "Wives are more likely to forgive their husbands if their husbands were not 'in love' with the other woman."
"Women are more likely to take into account their children, their economics, their general survival," Schwartz said. "Men are just crushed or upset about what happened to them. They won't think as quickly about their children as the first or second issue; but they will eventually consider that."
"Men are less willing to forgive," said Ruth Houston, founder of www.InfidelityAdvice.com and author of "Is He Cheating on You? - 829 Telltale Signs." She added, "Men view infidelity as a statement about their manhood, so it's such an affront to him that most men cannot get over this hurdle."
"Wives are also less likely to consider divorce if they are economically dependent on their husbands, have children or hold strong religious views," Amato said. "Nevertheless, most wives at least consider the option of divorce. And, in fact, infidelity is the marital problem most likely to lead to divorce."
Full Article
Is there still a meaning for the word Privacy?
The creator of the web has said consumers need to be protected against systems which can track their activity on the internet.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee told BBC News he would change his internet provider if it introduced such a system.
Plans by leading internet providers to use Phorm, a company which tracks web activity to create personalised adverts, have sparked controversy.
Sir Tim said he did not want his ISP to track which websites he visited.
"I want to know if I look up a whole lot of books about some form
of cancer that that's not going to get to my insurance company
and I'm going to find my insurance premium is going to go up by 5%
because they've figured I'm looking at those books," he said.
Sir Tim said his data and web history belonged to him.
He said: "It's mine - you can't have it. If you want to use it for
something, then you have to negotiate with me. I have to agree,
I have to understand what I'm getting in return."
Full Article
Sir Tim Berners-Lee told BBC News he would change his internet provider if it introduced such a system.
Plans by leading internet providers to use Phorm, a company which tracks web activity to create personalised adverts, have sparked controversy.
Sir Tim said he did not want his ISP to track which websites he visited.
"I want to know if I look up a whole lot of books about some form
of cancer that that's not going to get to my insurance company
and I'm going to find my insurance premium is going to go up by 5%
because they've figured I'm looking at those books," he said.
Sir Tim said his data and web history belonged to him.
He said: "It's mine - you can't have it. If you want to use it for
something, then you have to negotiate with me. I have to agree,
I have to understand what I'm getting in return."
Full Article
Backup problems?
As I am fed up with creating CDs and/or DVDs saving my critical and important data, I was always waiting for a service like this, offering
- fully automated Remote backup
- continuous backup of my modified files every 10 minutes
- easy drag n drop file restore
- all done in a secure way with encryption
- web based views of backup logs and summary
And this all for free with 2 GB of space.
If I need more, I can upgrade to the Pro version for a small fee of just USD 49.50 per year and 50 GB space.
There is also a version for small businesses, which covers all their needs for just USD 99.50 per year.
Have a look at Online Backup, it pays off...
- fully automated Remote backup
- continuous backup of my modified files every 10 minutes
- easy drag n drop file restore
- all done in a secure way with encryption
- web based views of backup logs and summary
And this all for free with 2 GB of space.
If I need more, I can upgrade to the Pro version for a small fee of just USD 49.50 per year and 50 GB space.
There is also a version for small businesses, which covers all their needs for just USD 99.50 per year.
Have a look at Online Backup, it pays off...
Griffin and Phoenix
Cancer is what is looming ahead of ALL of us.
Who didn't suffer a loss of a loved one thanks to a tumour?
In this particular movie IS VERY ACTUAL.
The non actual is the story behind.
Can we still find friendship and love in this everyday life?
If we can, then also death won't be that terrible as it can look.
What matters is life and living.
Death is unavoidable and sooner or later we have to face it.
But living as if we knew we have, and still be able to enjoy life, that is the secret recipe of this movie.
Don't live as if everyday you live was the last one.
Live as somebody who knows that the joy of life is in what you can reach and in love and friendship.
We are born alone, we die alone, that is why we should succeed in sharing our loneliness, at least for the time we live...
Patrizia The Movie Whisperer
Who didn't suffer a loss of a loved one thanks to a tumour?
In this particular movie IS VERY ACTUAL.
The non actual is the story behind.
Can we still find friendship and love in this everyday life?
If we can, then also death won't be that terrible as it can look.
What matters is life and living.
Death is unavoidable and sooner or later we have to face it.
But living as if we knew we have, and still be able to enjoy life, that is the secret recipe of this movie.
Don't live as if everyday you live was the last one.
Live as somebody who knows that the joy of life is in what you can reach and in love and friendship.
We are born alone, we die alone, that is why we should succeed in sharing our loneliness, at least for the time we live...
Patrizia The Movie Whisperer
The Lake House
Very unusual story.
Unusual because impossible, but nevertheless intriguing.
Good sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves.
Dramatic romance, love story without the story, just the written love.
The king of the film is the Glass House on the lake.
No privacy, but like living on the lake with all the comfort of a house.
Who wouldn't like it?
When it snows, you see the snow falling on your head and it stops just a few centimters before falling on you.
You see the stars from your bed and also the first rays of light.
The sudden death frees the Director to explain how you could live in two different years.
But a dream doesn't need to have an explanation, does it?
Patrizia The Movie Whisperer
Unusual because impossible, but nevertheless intriguing.
Good sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves.
Dramatic romance, love story without the story, just the written love.
The king of the film is the Glass House on the lake.
No privacy, but like living on the lake with all the comfort of a house.
Who wouldn't like it?
When it snows, you see the snow falling on your head and it stops just a few centimters before falling on you.
You see the stars from your bed and also the first rays of light.
The sudden death frees the Director to explain how you could live in two different years.
But a dream doesn't need to have an explanation, does it?
Patrizia The Movie Whisperer
Movie and Music Industry
"Back in high school I used to drive to a friend's house to copy cassette tapes. Would a reasonable response to this piracy have been to place a toll (voluntary or not) on all roads, since they might be used to transport illegally copyrighted material? The Internet is just today's highway, and its used for a lot more than illegally copying music.
If the music industry wants to offer $5/month unlimited licenses to users enabling them to freely copy any material that is a separate issue. But why tie the license to the transport mechanism ? It is possible to copy material without using the Internet, and if I actually bought a license I would expect to be able to copy material using any medium I chose."
Vanu Bose [vanu@vanu.com]
There is nothing wrong or nothing right.
It is just a way to get still something out of a market that is disappearing.
Or at least that doesn't produce as much revenues as it did before.
Once you could see a movie just in a movie theatre.
You paid, you saw it, you went away and if you wanted to see it a second time you paid again.
Technology came with Videotapes.
You rented a movie, you paid and you saw it as much as you liked and you paid in base of the time you kept the cassette.
But parallel to the movie industry there is the hardware industry that saw the big chance to make big profits in making VideoTape recorders. You rented the movie, you copied it and paid just for the time you needed it.
Then the copy travelled around.
With the Internet the travels are shorter, easier and more alluring because "global".
Instead of a circle of few friends you have millions.
And this is the beginning of the end of rentals, videos, dvds and so on...
You still go to the teather to see a high definition movie.
But how long?
There are hardware and projectors not too expensive anymore and if you are lucky to have a big room, you have the real thing in YOUR OWN HOME.
There are two possible solutions.
Either the Police does nothing else than fining and prosecuting violators (but a fair thing would mean to sue ALL the violators and that would mean the collapse of Justice) or being an actor is going to become a job like many others.
Not a million dollars for a movie, but a month salary.
Technology can help producers to lower the cost of directing and recording a movie to the minimum.
There will be many more broadcasters than today and the cost of a movie won't be anymore millions. Of course also the revenue.
IT WILL BECOME just a normal JOB.
You will earn by commercials in the movie, or sponsored films or any other way to come back to expenses and ROI.
Why not? Also a few dollars fee from the ones willing to download from a LEGAL SERVER.
One thing is for sure, the Stars of tomorrow won't be motivated by the earnings, that is for sure.
If the music industry wants to offer $5/month unlimited licenses to users enabling them to freely copy any material that is a separate issue. But why tie the license to the transport mechanism ? It is possible to copy material without using the Internet, and if I actually bought a license I would expect to be able to copy material using any medium I chose."
Vanu Bose [vanu@vanu.com]
There is nothing wrong or nothing right.
It is just a way to get still something out of a market that is disappearing.
Or at least that doesn't produce as much revenues as it did before.
Once you could see a movie just in a movie theatre.
You paid, you saw it, you went away and if you wanted to see it a second time you paid again.
Technology came with Videotapes.
You rented a movie, you paid and you saw it as much as you liked and you paid in base of the time you kept the cassette.
But parallel to the movie industry there is the hardware industry that saw the big chance to make big profits in making VideoTape recorders. You rented the movie, you copied it and paid just for the time you needed it.
Then the copy travelled around.
With the Internet the travels are shorter, easier and more alluring because "global".
Instead of a circle of few friends you have millions.
And this is the beginning of the end of rentals, videos, dvds and so on...
You still go to the teather to see a high definition movie.
But how long?
There are hardware and projectors not too expensive anymore and if you are lucky to have a big room, you have the real thing in YOUR OWN HOME.
There are two possible solutions.
Either the Police does nothing else than fining and prosecuting violators (but a fair thing would mean to sue ALL the violators and that would mean the collapse of Justice) or being an actor is going to become a job like many others.
Not a million dollars for a movie, but a month salary.
Technology can help producers to lower the cost of directing and recording a movie to the minimum.
There will be many more broadcasters than today and the cost of a movie won't be anymore millions. Of course also the revenue.
IT WILL BECOME just a normal JOB.
You will earn by commercials in the movie, or sponsored films or any other way to come back to expenses and ROI.
Why not? Also a few dollars fee from the ones willing to download from a LEGAL SERVER.
One thing is for sure, the Stars of tomorrow won't be motivated by the earnings, that is for sure.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
With a price of $300 the laptop won't be anymore a Staus Symbol
Since The ASUS Eee PC got super popular, competitors have been coming out of the woodwork, including Elonex, Everex, ECS, Acer, MSI, HP and others. Most of these companies have introduced aggressive pricing, but have struggled to approach ASUS's $400 entry-level price point. Now, another "killer" is planning an under-$300 laptop.
The company is Norhtec, a systems integrator based in Thailand, of all places, that specializes in tiny servers. The company is working on what they call the Gecko Laptop.
Full Article
The company is Norhtec, a systems integrator based in Thailand, of all places, that specializes in tiny servers. The company is working on what they call the Gecko Laptop.
Full Article
He, She, It, on the Internet they are just "Surfers"
"The number of young people who openly identify as transgendered has grown for a few reasons. Some parents of young children who are “gender nonconforming” — usually children who identify psychologically with the opposite sex but also children who have hermaphroditic traits, like indeterminate sex organs — now allow their kids to choose whether they are referred to as “he” or “she” and whether to wear boys’ or girls’ clothing. And some of these parents, under a doctor’s supervision, have even begun to administer hormone blockers to prevent the arrival of secondary sex characteristics until a “gender variant” child is old enough to make permanent choices. The Internet also offers greater access to information about transmale and gender-variant identities. "
The New York Times
The Internet as a Real Democratic Land is the virtual place where real people live.
Every kind of them.
Here we are all just "Humans" or better "Surfers" of any gender.
The Internet is the place where the Future comes sooner than life, because it is faster, it is easier, it is the "global" land.
The New York Times
The Internet as a Real Democratic Land is the virtual place where real people live.
Every kind of them.
Here we are all just "Humans" or better "Surfers" of any gender.
The Internet is the place where the Future comes sooner than life, because it is faster, it is easier, it is the "global" land.
Heartland
Where is heartland?
May be much closer than you think.
Thanks to technology most of the things we used to do have become easier and faster and I would even arrive to say that sometimes technology has made possible the impossible.
You just need to know the right website and it will be very easy to find a date with a single woman or man.
Once people married and that used to be forever, in good or bad.
Now a days it is mostly in good, because when bad comes (and it always come) most of us decide to be single again.
But that lasts till we realize how nice it was not being a single and we start looking again.
To find a single it is mostly a matter of how than of when and if.
To find the RIGHT single, Miss X or Mister Y more a matter of choosing the right Dating Site than a matter of luck.
So, what do we all have to do in order to find the Perfect Match?
Even if finding the person to share our life is number first on the list, usually comes on the last in our daily life.
But choosing the right date website can help us to have an active social life and a flourishing career without jeopardizing any of the two.
You just need a computer and an Internet connection.
This of course is the first step, finding is not getting.
You have good chances, but still need something more...
I find it easier to write emails to a person I do not personally know than meeting somebody and having to keep alive a conversation.
And it is also full of mystery and exciting to have a virtual relationship with somebody you actually never met...even better than a blind date.
But if you are still too shy to make the first move, let Date.com do it for you.
You just need to sign in to become a member, you will receive some e-mails that will introduce you to other compatible singles based on shared preferences. They will also send the same introduction to the other party.
And it is done!
From this point on it is JUST UP TO YOU...
May be much closer than you think.
Thanks to technology most of the things we used to do have become easier and faster and I would even arrive to say that sometimes technology has made possible the impossible.
You just need to know the right website and it will be very easy to find a date with a single woman or man.
Once people married and that used to be forever, in good or bad.
Now a days it is mostly in good, because when bad comes (and it always come) most of us decide to be single again.
But that lasts till we realize how nice it was not being a single and we start looking again.
To find a single it is mostly a matter of how than of when and if.
To find the RIGHT single, Miss X or Mister Y more a matter of choosing the right Dating Site than a matter of luck.
So, what do we all have to do in order to find the Perfect Match?
Even if finding the person to share our life is number first on the list, usually comes on the last in our daily life.
But choosing the right date website can help us to have an active social life and a flourishing career without jeopardizing any of the two.
You just need a computer and an Internet connection.
This of course is the first step, finding is not getting.
You have good chances, but still need something more...
I find it easier to write emails to a person I do not personally know than meeting somebody and having to keep alive a conversation.
And it is also full of mystery and exciting to have a virtual relationship with somebody you actually never met...even better than a blind date.
But if you are still too shy to make the first move, let Date.com do it for you.
You just need to sign in to become a member, you will receive some e-mails that will introduce you to other compatible singles based on shared preferences. They will also send the same introduction to the other party.
And it is done!
From this point on it is JUST UP TO YOU...
Friday, March 14, 2008
Where prostitution meets technology
It may be the world's oldest profession, but prostitution is using some 21st-century tricks.
The prostitution scandal involving New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer lays bare some of the inner workings of modern-day sex work: text messaging to clock in the client, electronic fund transfers, a Web site featuring color photos, prices and rankings.
There's always been a distinction between indoor and street-level prostitution, and advances in technology have increasingly separated the two, said Ronald Weitzer, author of "Sex for Sale: Prostitution, Pornography and the Sex Industry."
Not only can prostitutes and escort services now run more efficient businesses, but they can leverage word-of-mouth advertising in new ways to build their brands and troll for clients. Online social communities built around the escort and sex worker industries can solidify customer loyalty.
"It's commercial, but it's also social, so people do really form relationships," says Audacia Ray, author of "Naked on the Internet: Hookups, Downloads, and Cashing in on Internet Sexploration" and a former sex worker.
"Clients become buddies," she said.
There are a host of online message boards where clients or potential clients can discuss, rate and exchange information about individual women.
Full Article
The prostitution scandal involving New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer lays bare some of the inner workings of modern-day sex work: text messaging to clock in the client, electronic fund transfers, a Web site featuring color photos, prices and rankings.
There's always been a distinction between indoor and street-level prostitution, and advances in technology have increasingly separated the two, said Ronald Weitzer, author of "Sex for Sale: Prostitution, Pornography and the Sex Industry."
Not only can prostitutes and escort services now run more efficient businesses, but they can leverage word-of-mouth advertising in new ways to build their brands and troll for clients. Online social communities built around the escort and sex worker industries can solidify customer loyalty.
"It's commercial, but it's also social, so people do really form relationships," says Audacia Ray, author of "Naked on the Internet: Hookups, Downloads, and Cashing in on Internet Sexploration" and a former sex worker.
"Clients become buddies," she said.
There are a host of online message boards where clients or potential clients can discuss, rate and exchange information about individual women.
Full Article
How to stop a bullet
Scientists have figured out how to stop a bullet, albeit a very tiny one, in mid-air.
US researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have built a so-called coilgun that works in reverse, stopping atom- and molecule-sized bullets in flight.
The research, which sounds like something from an X-Men movie, could eventually help measure the mass of one of the most elusive and ubiquitous particles in the universe, the neutrino.
The study appears in the journal Physical Review Letters.
"What motivated this was weapons research," says Mark Raizen, a professor of physics and one of the study's authors.
"It's not often that weapons technology leads to basic research."
Coilguns are a standard feature of science fiction, but the military's attempts to make such weapons practical have yet to succeed.
Conventional guns use chemical explosives to create hot gas, which propels lead bullets down a barrel.
But a coilgun accelerates a magnetic projectile, usually iron-based, with a series of coiled wires that create a strong magnetic field.
There is no physical contact between the projectile and the coils. Only a few materials the size of real bullets are magnetic.
"[But] when you look at individual atoms, just about everything is magnetic," says Raizen.
The coilgun consists of 64 hand-made units and is powered by its own capacitor.
Full Article
US researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have built a so-called coilgun that works in reverse, stopping atom- and molecule-sized bullets in flight.
The research, which sounds like something from an X-Men movie, could eventually help measure the mass of one of the most elusive and ubiquitous particles in the universe, the neutrino.
The study appears in the journal Physical Review Letters.
"What motivated this was weapons research," says Mark Raizen, a professor of physics and one of the study's authors.
"It's not often that weapons technology leads to basic research."
Coilguns are a standard feature of science fiction, but the military's attempts to make such weapons practical have yet to succeed.
Conventional guns use chemical explosives to create hot gas, which propels lead bullets down a barrel.
But a coilgun accelerates a magnetic projectile, usually iron-based, with a series of coiled wires that create a strong magnetic field.
There is no physical contact between the projectile and the coils. Only a few materials the size of real bullets are magnetic.
"[But] when you look at individual atoms, just about everything is magnetic," says Raizen.
The coilgun consists of 64 hand-made units and is powered by its own capacitor.
Full Article
By the way, you'll need water
It's a longstanding joke among people who sell land. The closing is over, signatures secured, the deed transferred, and after a final handshake, this off-hand comment is delivered over-the-shoulder:
By the way, you'll need water.
That's become the story of corn ethanol in the US, and it's no laughing matter.
Last year's energy bill requires 36 billion gallons of annual biofuels production by 2022 -- probably about half of them from corn. The measure, largely a giant gift to agribusiness interests, appeared to address both environmental and energy security issues, while really doing neither. And now what's surfacing is a threat to the nation's water security.
The question of water, like oil supply, takes us deep underground, where deposits of sand, gravel and silt store water in ancient aquifers. This supply of groundwater, which is what half of the nation relies on for drinking, is not inexhaustible.
Full Artile
By the way, you'll need water.
That's become the story of corn ethanol in the US, and it's no laughing matter.
Last year's energy bill requires 36 billion gallons of annual biofuels production by 2022 -- probably about half of them from corn. The measure, largely a giant gift to agribusiness interests, appeared to address both environmental and energy security issues, while really doing neither. And now what's surfacing is a threat to the nation's water security.
The question of water, like oil supply, takes us deep underground, where deposits of sand, gravel and silt store water in ancient aquifers. This supply of groundwater, which is what half of the nation relies on for drinking, is not inexhaustible.
Full Artile
A new type of cheap Solar Cells
Cheap and easy-to-make dye-sensitized solar cells are still in the early stages of commercial production. Meanwhile, their inventor, Michael Gratzel, is working on more advanced versions of them. In a paper published in the online edition of Angewandte Chemie, Gratzel, a chemistry professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland, presents a version of dye-sensitized cells that could be more robust and even cheaper to make than current versions.
Dye-sensitized solar cells consist of titanium oxide nanocrystals that are coated with light-absorbing dye molecules and immersed in an electrolyte solution, which is sandwiched between two glass plates or embedded in plastic. Light striking the dye frees electrons and creates "holes"--the areas of positive charge that result when electrons are lost. The semiconducting titanium dioxide particles collect the electrons and transfer them to an external circuit, producing an electric current.
These solar cells are cheaper to make than conventional silicon photovoltaic panels. In principle, they could be used to make power-generating windows and building facades, and they could even be incorporated into clothing.
Full Article
Dye-sensitized solar cells consist of titanium oxide nanocrystals that are coated with light-absorbing dye molecules and immersed in an electrolyte solution, which is sandwiched between two glass plates or embedded in plastic. Light striking the dye frees electrons and creates "holes"--the areas of positive charge that result when electrons are lost. The semiconducting titanium dioxide particles collect the electrons and transfer them to an external circuit, producing an electric current.
These solar cells are cheaper to make than conventional silicon photovoltaic panels. In principle, they could be used to make power-generating windows and building facades, and they could even be incorporated into clothing.
Full Article
It's Semantic Web Time for Yahoo
Yahoo’s embrace of all things open continues today - expect an announcement in an hour or so that they are expanding their Open Search Platform that we wrote about last month.
In that previous announcement, Yahoo talked about their plans to allow third parties to alter and enhance search results with structured data that may be useful to users. Today, they’ll give more details on the developer platform and will announce support for a number of semantic web standards.
What does all this mean? It means we can expect the web to get itself organized, in a hurry. At stake is a significant amount of traffic from Yahoo search, and anyone else that may choose to build applications on top of this data.
Yahoo’s support for semantic web standards like RDF and microformats is exactly the incentive websites need to adopt them. Instead of semantic silos scattered across the Web (think Twine), Yahoo will be pulling all the semantic information together when available, as a search engine should. Until now, there were few applications that demanded properly structured data from third parties. That changes today.
Full Article
In that previous announcement, Yahoo talked about their plans to allow third parties to alter and enhance search results with structured data that may be useful to users. Today, they’ll give more details on the developer platform and will announce support for a number of semantic web standards.
What does all this mean? It means we can expect the web to get itself organized, in a hurry. At stake is a significant amount of traffic from Yahoo search, and anyone else that may choose to build applications on top of this data.
Yahoo’s support for semantic web standards like RDF and microformats is exactly the incentive websites need to adopt them. Instead of semantic silos scattered across the Web (think Twine), Yahoo will be pulling all the semantic information together when available, as a search engine should. Until now, there were few applications that demanded properly structured data from third parties. That changes today.
Full Article
It's Recession Time
Economists in the latest Wall Street Journal forecasting survey are increasingly certain the U.S. has slid into recession, a view reinforced by new data showing a sharp drop in retail sales last month.
"The evidence is now beyond a reasonable doubt," said Scott Anderson of Wells Fargo & Co.
The Commerce Department said yesterday that retail sales fell 0.6% in February; sales excluding the volatile auto and auto-parts categories fell 0.2%. The declines reflect a sharp slowdown in consumer spending, which accounts for more than 70% of U.S. economic activity, as Americans grapple with high gasoline and food costs and declines in home values and other asset prices.
The survey marked a precipitous shift toward pessimism from the previous survey, conducted five weeks earlier. The economists now expect nonfarm payrolls to grow by an average of just 9,000 jobs a month for the next 12 months -- down from a previously expected 48,500. Twenty economists expect payrolls to shrink outright. On average, the economists predicted the unemployment rate will be 5.5% in December, up from the current 4.8%.
Full Article
"The evidence is now beyond a reasonable doubt," said Scott Anderson of Wells Fargo & Co.
The Commerce Department said yesterday that retail sales fell 0.6% in February; sales excluding the volatile auto and auto-parts categories fell 0.2%. The declines reflect a sharp slowdown in consumer spending, which accounts for more than 70% of U.S. economic activity, as Americans grapple with high gasoline and food costs and declines in home values and other asset prices.
The survey marked a precipitous shift toward pessimism from the previous survey, conducted five weeks earlier. The economists now expect nonfarm payrolls to grow by an average of just 9,000 jobs a month for the next 12 months -- down from a previously expected 48,500. Twenty economists expect payrolls to shrink outright. On average, the economists predicted the unemployment rate will be 5.5% in December, up from the current 4.8%.
Full Article
Short man syndrome
It is said to have motivated Napoleon, spurred on Mussolini and driven Attila the Hun.
Now scientists may finally have proof for the "short man syndrome" - the phenomenon where tiny men overcompensate for their lack of height through acts of aggression.
A new scientific study has shown that shorter men are more likely to be jealous husbands and boyfriends than their taller counterparts.
Controversy over short man syndrome - or the Napoleon Complex - has raged for years.
Supporters of the syndrome say that society's obsession with height forces small men to overcompensate by becoming chippy, more aggressive and - in extreme cases - lust power.
The new findings come from two studies carried out at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
Full Article
Now scientists may finally have proof for the "short man syndrome" - the phenomenon where tiny men overcompensate for their lack of height through acts of aggression.
A new scientific study has shown that shorter men are more likely to be jealous husbands and boyfriends than their taller counterparts.
Controversy over short man syndrome - or the Napoleon Complex - has raged for years.
Supporters of the syndrome say that society's obsession with height forces small men to overcompensate by becoming chippy, more aggressive and - in extreme cases - lust power.
The new findings come from two studies carried out at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
Full Article
Music industry proposes a piracy surcharge on ISPs
Music industry proposes a piracy surcharge on ISPs Wired Magazine By
Frank Rose
Digital-strategy consultant Jim Griffin thinks ISPs should be made to collect a music surcharge from broadband users to compensate the copyright holders.
Having failed to stop piracy by suing internet users, the music industry is for the first time seriously considering a file sharing surcharge that internet service providers would collect from users.
In recent months, some of the major labels have warmed to a pitch by Jim Griffin, one of the idea's chief proponents, to seek an extra fee on broadband connections and to use the money to compensate rights holders for music that's shared online. Griffin, who consults on digital strategy for three of the four majors, will argue his case at what promises to be a heated discussion Friday at South by Southwest.
"It's monetizing the anarchy," says Peter Jenner, head of the International Music Manager's Forum, who plans to join Griffin on the panel.
Griffin's idea is to collect a fee from internet service providers something like $5 per user per month -- and put it into a pool that would be used to compensate songwriters, performers, publishers and music labels. A collecting agency would divvy up the money according to artists' popularity on P2P sites, just as ASCAP and BMI pay songwriters for broadcasts and live performances of their work.
Frank Rose
Digital-strategy consultant Jim Griffin thinks ISPs should be made to collect a music surcharge from broadband users to compensate the copyright holders.
Having failed to stop piracy by suing internet users, the music industry is for the first time seriously considering a file sharing surcharge that internet service providers would collect from users.
In recent months, some of the major labels have warmed to a pitch by Jim Griffin, one of the idea's chief proponents, to seek an extra fee on broadband connections and to use the money to compensate rights holders for music that's shared online. Griffin, who consults on digital strategy for three of the four majors, will argue his case at what promises to be a heated discussion Friday at South by Southwest.
"It's monetizing the anarchy," says Peter Jenner, head of the International Music Manager's Forum, who plans to join Griffin on the panel.
Griffin's idea is to collect a fee from internet service providers something like $5 per user per month -- and put it into a pool that would be used to compensate songwriters, performers, publishers and music labels. A collecting agency would divvy up the money according to artists' popularity on P2P sites, just as ASCAP and BMI pay songwriters for broadcasts and live performances of their work.
First rule of the Market: when the offer is higher than the demand prices go down
"The reality is that people who bought houses with little or no money down are not really owners in the financial sense even though they appear on the deed; they are renters with an option to buy. When prices went up, almost everyone exercised that option, at least in part, although many preserved their renter status by diligently withdrawing every dollar of equity in a refinancing or a home equity loan.
Now that prices are down, people both don’t want to and can’t afford to exercise their options to buy. If you had an option to buy a stock at 80 and it was trading at seventy, you obviously wouldn’t want to exercise the option. Surprise Wall Street, Main Street doesn’t want to buy a $400,000 house for $600,000 when prices are falling and the market is glutted. Mr. and Ms. Main Street don’t want to do that even if they live in the house. Maybe – if they can – they’ll keep paying the rent; maybe they’ll go somewhere cheaper.
Walkawayplan.com offers people help in escaping an underwater mortgage with minimal damage to their credit and other assets (they say, I don’t know anything about them first hand). It’s good that buyers have some leverage in dealing with the banks whether this outfit is helpful or not." Tom Evslin
When two parties commit, one on giving money and the other on taking it and repaying in a certain amount of time, it should be a pair commitment in the sense that while the Lender cannot take back house and loan in the case of an upgrade of the property, so the other shouldn't be able to just walk away.
That would be possible if the contract didn't admit in the case of insolvency that the Lender should get back the property instead of the money.
The whole business was OK as long as the property value was going up.
They were both safe, because in any case the asset would have been a bigger value than the money.
But it occurred what lenders were not prepared for, because it never happened.
Usually with a devaluated currency the price of houses goes up.
In a normal market situation.
But if you inflate the market offering a higher number of properties than the request, as with any other item, the price goes down.
That is why in every economy the competition is good because keeps the prices down.
In this case the first need is to end this game.
And the only way is lowering the offer.
Which will happen naturally the moment the builders will realize that the price of the house they are going to build will be lower than the cost.
For that we will have to wait some time, in certain areas.
Prices are more likely to go up in big cities or in good locations, because there is no alternative (in central NY you do not find anymore land to build).
So, what we can forecast is that this business will NATURALLY end, when, we do not know.
The question is: is it worth to kill the game or just let the prices war find its natural end?
The answer very much depends on which side you are (borrower or lender).
Now that prices are down, people both don’t want to and can’t afford to exercise their options to buy. If you had an option to buy a stock at 80 and it was trading at seventy, you obviously wouldn’t want to exercise the option. Surprise Wall Street, Main Street doesn’t want to buy a $400,000 house for $600,000 when prices are falling and the market is glutted. Mr. and Ms. Main Street don’t want to do that even if they live in the house. Maybe – if they can – they’ll keep paying the rent; maybe they’ll go somewhere cheaper.
Walkawayplan.com offers people help in escaping an underwater mortgage with minimal damage to their credit and other assets (they say, I don’t know anything about them first hand). It’s good that buyers have some leverage in dealing with the banks whether this outfit is helpful or not." Tom Evslin
When two parties commit, one on giving money and the other on taking it and repaying in a certain amount of time, it should be a pair commitment in the sense that while the Lender cannot take back house and loan in the case of an upgrade of the property, so the other shouldn't be able to just walk away.
That would be possible if the contract didn't admit in the case of insolvency that the Lender should get back the property instead of the money.
The whole business was OK as long as the property value was going up.
They were both safe, because in any case the asset would have been a bigger value than the money.
But it occurred what lenders were not prepared for, because it never happened.
Usually with a devaluated currency the price of houses goes up.
In a normal market situation.
But if you inflate the market offering a higher number of properties than the request, as with any other item, the price goes down.
That is why in every economy the competition is good because keeps the prices down.
In this case the first need is to end this game.
And the only way is lowering the offer.
Which will happen naturally the moment the builders will realize that the price of the house they are going to build will be lower than the cost.
For that we will have to wait some time, in certain areas.
Prices are more likely to go up in big cities or in good locations, because there is no alternative (in central NY you do not find anymore land to build).
So, what we can forecast is that this business will NATURALLY end, when, we do not know.
The question is: is it worth to kill the game or just let the prices war find its natural end?
The answer very much depends on which side you are (borrower or lender).
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Need Ink? Grab a deal.
Since the first days I could own a colour printer my dream has always been to be able to find such a cheap ink that I could print ALL what I wanted.
That was a big issue at that time, because, I still remember, the ink cartridges where so expensive I used to avoid the images with a lot of the same colour.
Because that meant I was going to need to recharge my printer sooner than what I would have liked, and the recharge was usually not so cheap.
Things have changed a lot.
Now a days you can find many websites with good quality, good price ink.
Where to find them?
At Inkjet Deals you can easily find not only discount ink websites' addresses, but also coupons and discounts.
For example at Carrot Ink Coupons Cheap inkjet cartridges doesn't mean low quality, but discount prices.
And you can really save with Carrot Ink coupons, discount codes, promotional sales and online coupon code offers.
What if you're looking for cheap laser toner or fax supplies for your fax machine?
Inkgrabber Coupons, together with discounter toner, offers free shipping on orders over $75 and satisfaction guarantee.
What I also like of that website is the fact they have articles and tips on how to make the best out of your ink and of course of your printer, tips on conserving ink, or suggestions how to solve your printing problems.
So, if you Need Ink, just Grab a deal.
That was a big issue at that time, because, I still remember, the ink cartridges where so expensive I used to avoid the images with a lot of the same colour.
Because that meant I was going to need to recharge my printer sooner than what I would have liked, and the recharge was usually not so cheap.
Things have changed a lot.
Now a days you can find many websites with good quality, good price ink.
Where to find them?
At Inkjet Deals you can easily find not only discount ink websites' addresses, but also coupons and discounts.
For example at Carrot Ink Coupons Cheap inkjet cartridges doesn't mean low quality, but discount prices.
And you can really save with Carrot Ink coupons, discount codes, promotional sales and online coupon code offers.
What if you're looking for cheap laser toner or fax supplies for your fax machine?
Inkgrabber Coupons, together with discounter toner, offers free shipping on orders over $75 and satisfaction guarantee.
What I also like of that website is the fact they have articles and tips on how to make the best out of your ink and of course of your printer, tips on conserving ink, or suggestions how to solve your printing problems.
So, if you Need Ink, just Grab a deal.
How to better post
These are some blogging tips I agree with.
From The Net Before You
1.Data Mining
Use traffic stats of your site to learn what your users are looking for . Data Mining helps you in telling you what you should offer to your readers .
2.Experiment
Spice up your blog by periodically telling your readers not only what your blog focuses on but everything that is related with .
For Example - If i have a blog on iPhone , I would also keep a check on other competing phones and review them up on my blog .
3.Opinion Matters
Being frank and unbiased is key to success . Your readers should feel that whatever you talk about is in their's interest and not yours .
4.Competition
If you have a new blog and try to judge other people's opinions then thats not a good idea .
You would be criticized .
It would show up inexperience at your side .
5.Research
The more you research the more information you tend to share with your readers . It's the EXTRA part that should distinguish your blog from others .
6.Quality
Just forget the quality versus quantity. Rather move over to posting only when you have something that you write with passion.
About point 3
You do not necessarily need to write in the interest of your readers.
You will never be able to do so.
At least NOT in all readers'.
But you have to post your opinion and ask for theirs' opinion.
About point 4
Explaining your opinions and having different opinions IS ALWAYS a good idea.
That is how very often a dialogue begins.
From The Net Before You
1.Data Mining
Use traffic stats of your site to learn what your users are looking for . Data Mining helps you in telling you what you should offer to your readers .
2.Experiment
Spice up your blog by periodically telling your readers not only what your blog focuses on but everything that is related with .
For Example - If i have a blog on iPhone , I would also keep a check on other competing phones and review them up on my blog .
3.Opinion Matters
Being frank and unbiased is key to success . Your readers should feel that whatever you talk about is in their's interest and not yours .
4.Competition
If you have a new blog and try to judge other people's opinions then thats not a good idea .
You would be criticized .
It would show up inexperience at your side .
5.Research
The more you research the more information you tend to share with your readers . It's the EXTRA part that should distinguish your blog from others .
6.Quality
Just forget the quality versus quantity. Rather move over to posting only when you have something that you write with passion.
About point 3
You do not necessarily need to write in the interest of your readers.
You will never be able to do so.
At least NOT in all readers'.
But you have to post your opinion and ask for theirs' opinion.
About point 4
Explaining your opinions and having different opinions IS ALWAYS a good idea.
That is how very often a dialogue begins.
Plastic without oil
Plastic has changed little since its heyday in the 1960s. It's still ubiquitous, oil based, and dirty as hell for the environment. Makes you wonder what we've been doing all these years.
For one thing, not listening enough to chemist Geoffrey Coates. In his lab at Cornell University, he's been reinventing plastic. Making it environmentally friendly and biodegradable -- with orange peels.
The key is limonene, a citrusy-smelling chemical compound made from orange rinds that when oxidized and mixed with carbon dioxide and a catalyst can be turned into a solid plastic. The final product can be made into anything from Saran wrap to medical packaging to beer bottles and naturally biodegrades in just a few months. And because it can be produced using recycled CO2 from carbon-spewing factories, simply making Coates's plastic can help the environment.
Since 1999, when Coates and his colleagues first began experimenting with limonene, they've discovered a number of other natural materials, such as pine trees and soybeans, that can be manipulated into biodegradable polymers as well. And more recently, they've been experimenting with artificially creating polyhydroxybutyrate, a polypropylene-like plastic that is naturally produced by bacteria.
While Coates's natural polymers are more expensive to produce than most current plastics, he stresses that this isn't just another radical innovation that will never make it out of the lab. Novomer, a company he cofounded in 2004, will see its green plastics used in high-end electronics in the next couple of years. Once production is scaled up, less-expensive mainstream consumer products such as food containers will follow soon after.
Doug Cantor
For one thing, not listening enough to chemist Geoffrey Coates. In his lab at Cornell University, he's been reinventing plastic. Making it environmentally friendly and biodegradable -- with orange peels.
The key is limonene, a citrusy-smelling chemical compound made from orange rinds that when oxidized and mixed with carbon dioxide and a catalyst can be turned into a solid plastic. The final product can be made into anything from Saran wrap to medical packaging to beer bottles and naturally biodegrades in just a few months. And because it can be produced using recycled CO2 from carbon-spewing factories, simply making Coates's plastic can help the environment.
Since 1999, when Coates and his colleagues first began experimenting with limonene, they've discovered a number of other natural materials, such as pine trees and soybeans, that can be manipulated into biodegradable polymers as well. And more recently, they've been experimenting with artificially creating polyhydroxybutyrate, a polypropylene-like plastic that is naturally produced by bacteria.
While Coates's natural polymers are more expensive to produce than most current plastics, he stresses that this isn't just another radical innovation that will never make it out of the lab. Novomer, a company he cofounded in 2004, will see its green plastics used in high-end electronics in the next couple of years. Once production is scaled up, less-expensive mainstream consumer products such as food containers will follow soon after.
Doug Cantor
Health problems? Bupa can help you
Being healthy is a matter of lifestyle.
And that includes a good diet, good exercise, regular living.
It probably takes less than what you think.
It's a matter of getting used to live in a certain way, which includes regular exercising.
For example, spending a few minutes a day with something like exercise balls such as the phisio roll, which is a is a peanut-shaped vinyl ball used to strengthen or re-educate your muscles, or improve your balance and co-ordination.
This, with the appropriate exercise will keep you in shape.
Another secret to avoid health problems is frequently monitoring your blood pressure.
In order to do so it is convenient to have a Blood Pressure Monitor always ready to use, and of course regularly use it.
Another good help to feel in shape also when you have headache is using the TENS Machines, instead of a pain relief like pills or any other pharmacological aid.
They can be quite effective also for pain relief from pains and injuries.
Well, as it goes, nothing comes with nothing and if you want a good quality life it pays to train to it.
And that includes a good diet, good exercise, regular living.
It probably takes less than what you think.
It's a matter of getting used to live in a certain way, which includes regular exercising.
For example, spending a few minutes a day with something like exercise balls such as the phisio roll, which is a is a peanut-shaped vinyl ball used to strengthen or re-educate your muscles, or improve your balance and co-ordination.
This, with the appropriate exercise will keep you in shape.
Another secret to avoid health problems is frequently monitoring your blood pressure.
In order to do so it is convenient to have a Blood Pressure Monitor always ready to use, and of course regularly use it.
Another good help to feel in shape also when you have headache is using the TENS Machines, instead of a pain relief like pills or any other pharmacological aid.
They can be quite effective also for pain relief from pains and injuries.
Well, as it goes, nothing comes with nothing and if you want a good quality life it pays to train to it.
Technology doesn't come from US anymore
The US has lost its position as the world's primary engine of technology innovation, according to a report by the World Economic Forum.
The US is now ranked seventh in the body's league table measuring the impact of technology on the development of nations.
A deterioration of the political and regulatory environment in the US prompted the fall, the report said.
The top spot went for the first time to Denmark, followed by Sweden.
Innovation
Countries were judged on the integration of technology in business, the infrastructure available, government policy favourable for fostering a culture of innovation and progress and leadership in promoting the usage of the latest information technology tools.
The Networked Readiness Index, the sixth of its kind published by the World Economic Forum with Insead, the Paris-based business school, scrutinised progress in 122 economies worldwide.
Despite losing its top position, the US still maintained a strong focus on innovation, driven by one of the world's best tertiary education systems and its high degree of co-operation with industry, the report said.
Full Article
The US is now ranked seventh in the body's league table measuring the impact of technology on the development of nations.
A deterioration of the political and regulatory environment in the US prompted the fall, the report said.
The top spot went for the first time to Denmark, followed by Sweden.
Innovation
Countries were judged on the integration of technology in business, the infrastructure available, government policy favourable for fostering a culture of innovation and progress and leadership in promoting the usage of the latest information technology tools.
The Networked Readiness Index, the sixth of its kind published by the World Economic Forum with Insead, the Paris-based business school, scrutinised progress in 122 economies worldwide.
Despite losing its top position, the US still maintained a strong focus on innovation, driven by one of the world's best tertiary education systems and its high degree of co-operation with industry, the report said.
Full Article
Online courses: the future of education
The web has democratized a lot of things since its birth, including the learning previously available only with a hefty tuition check.
College site Education Portal has a handy list of the colleges that offer the most comprehensive course material online, including open-course trailblazers like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University, and programs like Stanford's lecture podcasts on iTunes U.
You can't get a sheepskin for free, but you can further your knowledge and training for less than even the cost of a book. For way more college-based free learning, check out Wendy's comprehensive guide to the .edu underground.
College site Education Portal has a handy list of the colleges that offer the most comprehensive course material online, including open-course trailblazers like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University, and programs like Stanford's lecture podcasts on iTunes U.
You can't get a sheepskin for free, but you can further your knowledge and training for less than even the cost of a book. For way more college-based free learning, check out Wendy's comprehensive guide to the .edu underground.
Where quality meets price
Storage memory is the component that makes low power electronics so flexible, and could make a huge difference in your life.
Ever lost data?
Ever regretted while saving on Computer Memory Deal you choose the cheap Computer Memory and realized too late that it doesn't make sense to save if that means less quality, especially when it comes to you everyday job tools?
I admit, quite often in the name of a better ROI, I decide to spend less, while spending less is most of the time choosing less quality.
And I admit, I always regret it when it is too late.
But sometimes you can save and still Get a Deal on Memory .
You just have to be careful and see what you buy and where you buy it.
For example Memory Deal only specializes in genuine factory original modules which means the best quality. Every Memory Deal module is the same quality grade that top OEMs like HP, IBM and Dell specify.
So, if you want to save and still make a good bargain, you should choose something from them.
You can check their prices and compare and will see that good quality costs a little bit more, but pays more.
Ever lost data?
Ever regretted while saving on Computer Memory Deal you choose the cheap Computer Memory and realized too late that it doesn't make sense to save if that means less quality, especially when it comes to you everyday job tools?
I admit, quite often in the name of a better ROI, I decide to spend less, while spending less is most of the time choosing less quality.
And I admit, I always regret it when it is too late.
But sometimes you can save and still Get a Deal on Memory .
You just have to be careful and see what you buy and where you buy it.
For example Memory Deal only specializes in genuine factory original modules which means the best quality. Every Memory Deal module is the same quality grade that top OEMs like HP, IBM and Dell specify.
So, if you want to save and still make a good bargain, you should choose something from them.
You can check their prices and compare and will see that good quality costs a little bit more, but pays more.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Commercial Mortgages
What do I think about mortgages?
I am sure I think exactly as 99,99% of the people do: Welcome!
Because it is: own today and pay tomorrow.
And the important of the two is owning today.
Because that means you own what you need and you have a motivation more to work and make money and a chance more too.
Especially when it comes to commercial mortgages.
Sometimes being successful is just a matter of how much money you can invest and the right lender can really make a big difference in your life.
Of course it is also (it is mostly) a matter of how you invest the money.
But, if you are good, if you want to be successful, this sometimes is the right way to begin.
For example you have a good business, but for money reasons, it is in the wrong place.
You will never be able to earn enough to be in the right one.
Make a mortgage and your dream can come true.
You can make the right revenue and invest part of it paying back the sum you borrowed.
The secret is in finding the right adviser to get the commercial mortgage at the lowest possible interest rates.
Sometimes banks are too slow and require detailed accounts and a business plan.
Today's business life requires a faster process and less paper work.
If you live in the UK and need any kind of UK commercial mortgages, you can find all your answers at Business Mortgages.co.uk.
They have solutions for every need, even in case of bad credit, and more than anything, they have a competitive product that they can arrange quickly, often giving a conditional offer within hours.
I am sure I think exactly as 99,99% of the people do: Welcome!
Because it is: own today and pay tomorrow.
And the important of the two is owning today.
Because that means you own what you need and you have a motivation more to work and make money and a chance more too.
Especially when it comes to commercial mortgages.
Sometimes being successful is just a matter of how much money you can invest and the right lender can really make a big difference in your life.
Of course it is also (it is mostly) a matter of how you invest the money.
But, if you are good, if you want to be successful, this sometimes is the right way to begin.
For example you have a good business, but for money reasons, it is in the wrong place.
You will never be able to earn enough to be in the right one.
Make a mortgage and your dream can come true.
You can make the right revenue and invest part of it paying back the sum you borrowed.
The secret is in finding the right adviser to get the commercial mortgage at the lowest possible interest rates.
Sometimes banks are too slow and require detailed accounts and a business plan.
Today's business life requires a faster process and less paper work.
If you live in the UK and need any kind of UK commercial mortgages, you can find all your answers at Business Mortgages.co.uk.
They have solutions for every need, even in case of bad credit, and more than anything, they have a competitive product that they can arrange quickly, often giving a conditional offer within hours.
The open secret of why economy stinks
The flow of blood may be ebbing, but the flood of money into the Iraq war is steadily rising, new analyses show. In 2008, its sixth year, the war will cost approximately $12 billion a month, triple the "burn" rate of its earliest years, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz and co-author Linda J. Bilmes report in a new book.
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Beyond 2008, working with "best-case" and "realistic-moderate" scenarios, they project the Iraq and Afghan wars, including long-term U.S. military occupations of those countries, will cost the U.S. budget between $1.7 trillion and $2.7 trillion — or more — by 2017.
Interest on money borrowed to pay those costs could alone add $816 billion to that bottom line, they say.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has done its own projections and comes in lower, forecasting a cumulative cost by 2017 of $1.2 trillion to $1.7 trillion for the two wars, with Iraq generally accounting for three-quarters of the costs.
Full Article
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Beyond 2008, working with "best-case" and "realistic-moderate" scenarios, they project the Iraq and Afghan wars, including long-term U.S. military occupations of those countries, will cost the U.S. budget between $1.7 trillion and $2.7 trillion — or more — by 2017.
Interest on money borrowed to pay those costs could alone add $816 billion to that bottom line, they say.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has done its own projections and comes in lower, forecasting a cumulative cost by 2017 of $1.2 trillion to $1.7 trillion for the two wars, with Iraq generally accounting for three-quarters of the costs.
Full Article
Transform your stay in London in a unique experience
Where could you find the most luxurious, most glamorous, most "place to be" than in central London?
In the very heart of the city, a few minutes walk from Piccadilly Circus, close to the most sought of attractions of London, what you could define the boutique hotel london:
Radisson Edwardian Hampshire Hotel.
It offers 124 sumptuously decorated bedrooms, with classic marble bathrooms and the best designer furniture.
It combines the modern touch to the classic mahogany-panelled walls hung with famous paintings, wireless internet access and advanced telephone systems (personal telephone numbers and mobile phones on request) with dedicated staff and classic furnished meeting rooms.
So, if you are looking for a luxury london hotel, you cannot find anything better than this.
Elegance, location, sumptuous wining and dining, there is no better place to host VIP meetings, formal lunches and dinners or special wedding receptions.
There is no better way to transform your stay in London in a unique experience.
In the very heart of the city, a few minutes walk from Piccadilly Circus, close to the most sought of attractions of London, what you could define the boutique hotel london:
Radisson Edwardian Hampshire Hotel.
It offers 124 sumptuously decorated bedrooms, with classic marble bathrooms and the best designer furniture.
It combines the modern touch to the classic mahogany-panelled walls hung with famous paintings, wireless internet access and advanced telephone systems (personal telephone numbers and mobile phones on request) with dedicated staff and classic furnished meeting rooms.
So, if you are looking for a luxury london hotel, you cannot find anything better than this.
Elegance, location, sumptuous wining and dining, there is no better place to host VIP meetings, formal lunches and dinners or special wedding receptions.
There is no better way to transform your stay in London in a unique experience.
Spamming and spitting
Welcome to Spamming land over Internet Telephony.
It’s the latest craze for spammers and it’s causing headaches for VoIP providers like Skype.
SPIT is SPAM on VoIP.
Subscribers receive actual unsolicited telephone calls offering typical SPAM type products like organ enlargement or weight loss pitches.
The difference is that SPIT can be much more damaging to a VoIP providers network because of the large bandwidth bottlenecks it can create.
If not kept in check, SPIT can cause serious quality of service problems for VoIP providers, leading to a potential competitive disadvantage.
It’s the latest craze for spammers and it’s causing headaches for VoIP providers like Skype.
SPIT is SPAM on VoIP.
Subscribers receive actual unsolicited telephone calls offering typical SPAM type products like organ enlargement or weight loss pitches.
The difference is that SPIT can be much more damaging to a VoIP providers network because of the large bandwidth bottlenecks it can create.
If not kept in check, SPIT can cause serious quality of service problems for VoIP providers, leading to a potential competitive disadvantage.
Fishes don't like it hot
When seas get hot, fish get lost - March 07, 2008
Researchers examining Australian damselfish have found small fry with asymmetrical ear bones are less likely to make it back to their reef homes after a stint out at sea (research paper, press release). This could be because fish at sea listen for the sounds of home in order to navigate (see the BBC coverage for more on this angle).
Stress factors such as temperature and acidity will probably increase the number of fish with funny ears, they say. Increased acidity reduces the amount of calcium around for making ear bones, and having to regulate internal pH against changing water pH will also have a negative impact (Reuters, New Scientist).
As warmer and more acidic oceans are likely to result from global warming, more fish are going to be swimming around lost.
Full Article
Researchers examining Australian damselfish have found small fry with asymmetrical ear bones are less likely to make it back to their reef homes after a stint out at sea (research paper, press release). This could be because fish at sea listen for the sounds of home in order to navigate (see the BBC coverage for more on this angle).
Stress factors such as temperature and acidity will probably increase the number of fish with funny ears, they say. Increased acidity reduces the amount of calcium around for making ear bones, and having to regulate internal pH against changing water pH will also have a negative impact (Reuters, New Scientist).
As warmer and more acidic oceans are likely to result from global warming, more fish are going to be swimming around lost.
Full Article
Prison is a business
Financiers, real-estate agents and car salesmen might be suffering from America's economic malaise, but bulging jails have triggered a profit boom for corrections companies.
The United States leads the world in the number of people it incarcerates and government figures show the country's prison population grew by three percent to a record 2.3 million inmates in 2006.
Harsher sentencing policies have put more criminals behind bars and prison management firms such as the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and The GEO Group are racing to build new jails or expand existing facilities to house more convicted felons.
CCA, the largest US private prison operator, is spending 205 million dollars to build a new prison in Eloy, Arizona, to house 3,060 prisoners. It is also constructing a 105-million-dollar jail near Natchez, Mississippi, to hold 1,668 inmates.
"As states struggle with overcrowded facilities, growing populations and no meaningful supply of beds coming online, they are finding that private correction companies, such as CCA, can deliver beds more quickly and less expensively than they can develop themselves," CCA's chief executive John Ferguson said in an email to AFP.
CCA's profits swelled to 35 million dollars in the fourth quarter of last year, rising from 32 million in the same period of 2006, as revenues jumped to 382 million dollars.
Full Article
The United States leads the world in the number of people it incarcerates and government figures show the country's prison population grew by three percent to a record 2.3 million inmates in 2006.
Harsher sentencing policies have put more criminals behind bars and prison management firms such as the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and The GEO Group are racing to build new jails or expand existing facilities to house more convicted felons.
CCA, the largest US private prison operator, is spending 205 million dollars to build a new prison in Eloy, Arizona, to house 3,060 prisoners. It is also constructing a 105-million-dollar jail near Natchez, Mississippi, to hold 1,668 inmates.
"As states struggle with overcrowded facilities, growing populations and no meaningful supply of beds coming online, they are finding that private correction companies, such as CCA, can deliver beds more quickly and less expensively than they can develop themselves," CCA's chief executive John Ferguson said in an email to AFP.
CCA's profits swelled to 35 million dollars in the fourth quarter of last year, rising from 32 million in the same period of 2006, as revenues jumped to 382 million dollars.
Full Article
When Mushrooms come to our help
Fight Oil Spills with Mushrooms
In the war against ocean pollution, environmentalists have a new ally in mushrooms. As nature’s morticians, mushrooms have the unique ability to take dead things and make them pretty again by turning decomposed matter into nutrients. In fact, they’re so adept at tearing down and rebuilding chemical compounds that even oil spills are no match for their natural abilities.
In November 2007, when an oil tanker sprang a leak in San Francisco Bay, 58,000 gallons of oil seeped into the water and beaches. A group of local activists decided to take the cleanup into their own hands, using a technique originally developed to dispose of used motor oil. They headed for the shore and laid out mats made of human hair that were covered in oyster mushrooms. The hair quickly soaked up all the oil, while the mushrooms digested the dangerous chemicals. Within 12 weeks, only harmless compost remained. Although technically illegal (the EPA and the Coast Guard prefer leaving toxic waste to trained cleaning squads), the hair-and-mushroom technique was a success. Actually, the process is so simple and cost-effective that grassroots organizations and local governments are encouraging federal officials to use it as a way to clean up contaminated soil on old factory sites and hurricane-damaged areas of New Orleans.
Full Article
In the war against ocean pollution, environmentalists have a new ally in mushrooms. As nature’s morticians, mushrooms have the unique ability to take dead things and make them pretty again by turning decomposed matter into nutrients. In fact, they’re so adept at tearing down and rebuilding chemical compounds that even oil spills are no match for their natural abilities.
In November 2007, when an oil tanker sprang a leak in San Francisco Bay, 58,000 gallons of oil seeped into the water and beaches. A group of local activists decided to take the cleanup into their own hands, using a technique originally developed to dispose of used motor oil. They headed for the shore and laid out mats made of human hair that were covered in oyster mushrooms. The hair quickly soaked up all the oil, while the mushrooms digested the dangerous chemicals. Within 12 weeks, only harmless compost remained. Although technically illegal (the EPA and the Coast Guard prefer leaving toxic waste to trained cleaning squads), the hair-and-mushroom technique was a success. Actually, the process is so simple and cost-effective that grassroots organizations and local governments are encouraging federal officials to use it as a way to clean up contaminated soil on old factory sites and hurricane-damaged areas of New Orleans.
Full Article
Old doesn't mean useless
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — On a recent Saturday afternoon, John Toppel, a retired Hewlett-Packard sales manager, did not spend his leisure time golfing or mowing the lawn. He spent it at a local electronics store extolling the virtues of H.P. laptop computers to customers.
He was not paid by the store or by Hewlett-Packard, for that matter. Mr. Toppel, 62, left the technology company four years ago, but he remains a volunteer cheerleader for H.P., one of thousands of its retirees whom the company is trying to galvanize into an auxiliary army of senior marketers, good-will ambassadors and volunteer sales people. None of them get paid; they do it, they say, because of their affection for the company.
“I feel like I have two marriages: a wonderful marriage at home for 36 years and a wonderful marriage at H.P.,” Mr. Toppel said. “I guess that’s now a former marriage, but I still have strong feelings for it.”
Across the country, companies are making use of retirees as part-time or temporary workers. They are taking advantage of not only their expertise, but also their desire to stay involved and engaged with the world through work.
Full Article
He was not paid by the store or by Hewlett-Packard, for that matter. Mr. Toppel, 62, left the technology company four years ago, but he remains a volunteer cheerleader for H.P., one of thousands of its retirees whom the company is trying to galvanize into an auxiliary army of senior marketers, good-will ambassadors and volunteer sales people. None of them get paid; they do it, they say, because of their affection for the company.
“I feel like I have two marriages: a wonderful marriage at home for 36 years and a wonderful marriage at H.P.,” Mr. Toppel said. “I guess that’s now a former marriage, but I still have strong feelings for it.”
Across the country, companies are making use of retirees as part-time or temporary workers. They are taking advantage of not only their expertise, but also their desire to stay involved and engaged with the world through work.
Full Article
Monday, March 10, 2008
Corporate Manslaughter Act
4 workers a day per 300 (taking off a few holidays) come more or less to 1200 dead workers each year. If you survive the traffic (20 dead each day) and get to the building site you can’t complain. You’ve increased your chances of survival.
Dying while working is a contradiction of terms. Those deaths should not occure. Four dead a day for the company mean just a lower cost in preventing safety, but not the coffins.
There are also accidents that don’t end in death, but can cause irreversible damage. There are a million a year, a great round number.
Easy to remember. I understand that Iraq is important, that Afghanistan is fundamental, that Kosovo is on the agenda. But slaughter at work, isn’t that more important?
It is important to have the Corporate Manslaughter Act which is the dedicated resource centre to assist in the preparation for the long awaited Corporate Manslaughter Act coming into effect on 6th April 2008.
Only 3 weeks and 5 days to go ...don't miss it, it is too important...
Dying while working is a contradiction of terms. Those deaths should not occure. Four dead a day for the company mean just a lower cost in preventing safety, but not the coffins.
There are also accidents that don’t end in death, but can cause irreversible damage. There are a million a year, a great round number.
Easy to remember. I understand that Iraq is important, that Afghanistan is fundamental, that Kosovo is on the agenda. But slaughter at work, isn’t that more important?
It is important to have the Corporate Manslaughter Act which is the dedicated resource centre to assist in the preparation for the long awaited Corporate Manslaughter Act coming into effect on 6th April 2008.
Only 3 weeks and 5 days to go ...don't miss it, it is too important...
Saturday, March 08, 2008
A Good Year
I love old mansions, a little less old mansions in France.
But nevertheless if I had had to choose between London and that mansion (even thought I love London too) I wouldn't have needed much to decide for France.
But an investment broker addicted to fast money, born crook, grown up bastard, had just one choice: a fast and profitable sale.
Well, at this point, there wouldn't have been any need to make a movie out of it.
A movie is like wine, you have to sip slowly to appreciate the colour, the bouquet and the taste.
A then, just then, you can say I like it or not.
You learn nothing from winning, very often something from losing, the important you do not make a habit of it.
Max lost half property to the unexpected arrival of a cousin, but gained wisdom and may be happiness with a new love....
Patrizia The Movie Whisperer
But nevertheless if I had had to choose between London and that mansion (even thought I love London too) I wouldn't have needed much to decide for France.
But an investment broker addicted to fast money, born crook, grown up bastard, had just one choice: a fast and profitable sale.
Well, at this point, there wouldn't have been any need to make a movie out of it.
A movie is like wine, you have to sip slowly to appreciate the colour, the bouquet and the taste.
A then, just then, you can say I like it or not.
You learn nothing from winning, very often something from losing, the important you do not make a habit of it.
Max lost half property to the unexpected arrival of a cousin, but gained wisdom and may be happiness with a new love....
Patrizia The Movie Whisperer
Friday, March 07, 2008
Quality and price
For me saving is everything.
Very seldom I lose a good bargain.
I love the Internet also for this: there is no other place where you can shop and find the best the market can offer.
I say the best, because saving is not spending less.
Saving is spending less for the same quality.
Which is something you should ALWAYS keep in mind.
So, if you have a Canon printer, where can you find the best canon ink cartridges?
And the best for me means the best quality at the lowest price.
At 999inks you can find all the types of ink cartridges you can dream, for every printer and you pay much less than in any other place.
And they also have Office supplies, including DVDs (very good price too), printing paper and all you need.
That is also important for me, because when I buy I usually LOVE to save on shipment, and so I try to buy all what I need from the same supplier.
Well, before ordering ink online, it pays to visit their website and compare prices...
Very seldom I lose a good bargain.
I love the Internet also for this: there is no other place where you can shop and find the best the market can offer.
I say the best, because saving is not spending less.
Saving is spending less for the same quality.
Which is something you should ALWAYS keep in mind.
So, if you have a Canon printer, where can you find the best canon ink cartridges?
And the best for me means the best quality at the lowest price.
At 999inks you can find all the types of ink cartridges you can dream, for every printer and you pay much less than in any other place.
And they also have Office supplies, including DVDs (very good price too), printing paper and all you need.
That is also important for me, because when I buy I usually LOVE to save on shipment, and so I try to buy all what I need from the same supplier.
Well, before ordering ink online, it pays to visit their website and compare prices...
Solar power? Print it
This year could bring the Silicon Valley-funded renaissance in solar power we've all been waiting for. First, San Jose-based Nanosolar began delivering its affordable thin-film solar coating, followed by a construction boom in American solar thermal power plants—essentially the reflective equivalent of geothermal power. Now, for the first time, the solar cell revolution is arriving by droplet.
Konarka Technologies, the Massachusetts-based company we first recognized with a 2005 Breakthrough Award for its affordable Power Plastic solar film, said this week that it has successfully manufactured those thin solar cells using an inkjet printer. In addition to decreasing production costs because it relies on existing inkjet technology, the printable Power Plastic cells can be applied to a range of small-scale, highly variable power opportunities, from indoor sensors to small RFID installations.
With printers now capable of producing solar cells, other companies might be able to use plastics and other colors in developing new kinds of power-packing film. But the inkjet process is just one of several different manufacturing techniques Konarka has been busy demonstrating for its solar collectors over the last three years. "Compared to current PV technologies, the Power Plastic has an advantage in flexibility, greater sensitivity to low light and versatility," Konarka president and CEO Rick Hess says of the film cells, which are fused from liquid containing semiconducting polymers.
Full Article
Konarka Technologies, the Massachusetts-based company we first recognized with a 2005 Breakthrough Award for its affordable Power Plastic solar film, said this week that it has successfully manufactured those thin solar cells using an inkjet printer. In addition to decreasing production costs because it relies on existing inkjet technology, the printable Power Plastic cells can be applied to a range of small-scale, highly variable power opportunities, from indoor sensors to small RFID installations.
With printers now capable of producing solar cells, other companies might be able to use plastics and other colors in developing new kinds of power-packing film. But the inkjet process is just one of several different manufacturing techniques Konarka has been busy demonstrating for its solar collectors over the last three years. "Compared to current PV technologies, the Power Plastic has an advantage in flexibility, greater sensitivity to low light and versatility," Konarka president and CEO Rick Hess says of the film cells, which are fused from liquid containing semiconducting polymers.
Full Article
Designer rings
As any woman, I love jewellery.
But I adore rings.
And nothing allures me more than diamonds.
Their sparkling rainbow of colours when you show a well cut diamond in the light has a magic touch for me.
As if you could catch the whole light in a small spot.
But of course it MUST be a real diamond and also done with artistic craftsmanship.
There is a huge difference between a normal ring and one hand crafted by an expert artisan.
And if you mean your engagement forever you should also invest in a ring that will LAST forever.
That is why Tacori's Designer Engagement Rings are unique, elegant, glamorous and stylish.
That is the reason why they have been featured in TV shows like Desperate Housewives and Extreme Makeover and by celebrities like Ashanti and Christina Applegate.
And you can choose the type and size that better fits your needs (and your pocket of course).
But you can be sure that it will last as long as (may be much more)your love.
But I adore rings.
And nothing allures me more than diamonds.
Their sparkling rainbow of colours when you show a well cut diamond in the light has a magic touch for me.
As if you could catch the whole light in a small spot.
But of course it MUST be a real diamond and also done with artistic craftsmanship.
There is a huge difference between a normal ring and one hand crafted by an expert artisan.
And if you mean your engagement forever you should also invest in a ring that will LAST forever.
That is why Tacori's Designer Engagement Rings are unique, elegant, glamorous and stylish.
That is the reason why they have been featured in TV shows like Desperate Housewives and Extreme Makeover and by celebrities like Ashanti and Christina Applegate.
And you can choose the type and size that better fits your needs (and your pocket of course).
But you can be sure that it will last as long as (may be much more)your love.
Something's Gotta Give
Nicholson plays his usual part of a half misanthropist who is an old age playboy and Diane Keaton the prude mother that surprisingly rediscovers sex at 56, but it is not sex, it's love.
A little bit confusing with mothers and daughters who swap boy friends and fathers that marry their wife's college friend's daughters and young men (doctors) who fall in love for twenty years older women.
But in the end, nature prevails and people come to terms with their age (and illnesses) and choice of partners.
Lesson of the movie: do not mix up with too young partners and do not abuse Viagra.
Technology is good, but abused could kill you (heart attack).
Love is what makes the world go on and people sleep eight hours.
Between sex and love, love is , as usual, the winner and Something's Gotta Give.
Patrizia The Movie Whisperer
A little bit confusing with mothers and daughters who swap boy friends and fathers that marry their wife's college friend's daughters and young men (doctors) who fall in love for twenty years older women.
But in the end, nature prevails and people come to terms with their age (and illnesses) and choice of partners.
Lesson of the movie: do not mix up with too young partners and do not abuse Viagra.
Technology is good, but abused could kill you (heart attack).
Love is what makes the world go on and people sleep eight hours.
Between sex and love, love is , as usual, the winner and Something's Gotta Give.
Patrizia The Movie Whisperer
Learn from many Fortune 100 companies...
Anybody who has to deal with a lot of email every day knows how painful it can be to administer all the accounts and servers as well as all the archives.
Finally there is software available which helps a lot to handle all these necessary tasks in an easy and effective way - called email archiving services.
Whatever your policies and rules are (group based, account based, content based), there is a solution for all of them.
You also can search for criterias in the mail subject, body and even the attachments.
All known viruses can be eliminated before they can harm your computers while opening infected messages.
Sometimes it is important to know where all your physical mail files are (PST etc.) –
it is a children’s game with these utilities.
There are also features which help you to save storage space as you can automatically zip attachments of a certain size.
Depending on the rules set up you also can move less important mail content to slower and cheaper drives/devices instead of occupying expensive space on high level drives.
Important is also that
- this software runs platform independent
- it has not to be installed on the server
- you can run everything from your workstation
To find out all the features which could be important to your needs, you can ask for a 30 day trial.
Finally there is software available which helps a lot to handle all these necessary tasks in an easy and effective way - called email archiving services.
Whatever your policies and rules are (group based, account based, content based), there is a solution for all of them.
You also can search for criterias in the mail subject, body and even the attachments.
All known viruses can be eliminated before they can harm your computers while opening infected messages.
Sometimes it is important to know where all your physical mail files are (PST etc.) –
it is a children’s game with these utilities.
There are also features which help you to save storage space as you can automatically zip attachments of a certain size.
Depending on the rules set up you also can move less important mail content to slower and cheaper drives/devices instead of occupying expensive space on high level drives.
Important is also that
- this software runs platform independent
- it has not to be installed on the server
- you can run everything from your workstation
To find out all the features which could be important to your needs, you can ask for a 30 day trial.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
When technology marries underwear
The issue of fancy men's underwear is still threatening to undermine this great country.
Andrew Christian has unveiled his new, horrific men's underwear with Flashback Butt-Lifting and Contouring Technology. He promises that it "gives men the illusion of having a sought-after "bubble butt" without having to spend hours in the gym."
Great John Wayne's ghost, is a bubble butt now sought-after among men?!?
An actual quote from the designer, who is suspected by me to be working with the terrorists: "Surprisingly, I was actually inspired to create this technology while at the gym and seeing how hard men work on exercising their buttocks.
I just knew that there had to be a way to achieve similar results by simply wearing underwear." Good. God. After the jump, before and after pictures of the new underwear technology at work. We beg you, do not be seduced.
Full Article
Andrew Christian has unveiled his new, horrific men's underwear with Flashback Butt-Lifting and Contouring Technology. He promises that it "gives men the illusion of having a sought-after "bubble butt" without having to spend hours in the gym."
Great John Wayne's ghost, is a bubble butt now sought-after among men?!?
An actual quote from the designer, who is suspected by me to be working with the terrorists: "Surprisingly, I was actually inspired to create this technology while at the gym and seeing how hard men work on exercising their buttocks.
I just knew that there had to be a way to achieve similar results by simply wearing underwear." Good. God. After the jump, before and after pictures of the new underwear technology at work. We beg you, do not be seduced.
Full Article
A way to avoid Critical Data Theft
The whole point of disk encryption products is to protect the data on a computer drive if the computer is lost or stolen or illegally accessed, that is, if physical security is breached.
In this case a good Data Encryption Software would be an invaluable help.
Data security is getting a big problem and needs a good solution for both big and small companies.
But while the first can afford costly and sophisticated software, the second face the problem of expensive IT infrastructure.
AlertBoot has the right answer with a comprehensive, web-based suite of data security tools for companies and organizations of any size and can provide an integrated suite of managed services and the same industry-leading encryption with pre-boot authentication revolutionized by SafeBoot Mobile Data Security — the worldwide leader in encryption and data security.
Furthermore IT administrators can remotely batch upgrade all encrypted machines in the field and control them.
In a few words, AlertBoot can maximize the ROI of every company lowering to the minimum the cost of management and security because it offers the following features:
Easy to sign up.
Quick to encrypt.
Painless to manage.
All for one low monthly cost per user.
So, if you need more data security do not wait anymore…
In this case a good Data Encryption Software would be an invaluable help.
Data security is getting a big problem and needs a good solution for both big and small companies.
But while the first can afford costly and sophisticated software, the second face the problem of expensive IT infrastructure.
AlertBoot has the right answer with a comprehensive, web-based suite of data security tools for companies and organizations of any size and can provide an integrated suite of managed services and the same industry-leading encryption with pre-boot authentication revolutionized by SafeBoot Mobile Data Security — the worldwide leader in encryption and data security.
Furthermore IT administrators can remotely batch upgrade all encrypted machines in the field and control them.
In a few words, AlertBoot can maximize the ROI of every company lowering to the minimum the cost of management and security because it offers the following features:
Easy to sign up.
Quick to encrypt.
Painless to manage.
All for one low monthly cost per user.
So, if you need more data security do not wait anymore…
Brilliant syllogism
A scientist worked for years trying to teach a cockroach to respond to verbal commands. Eventually he succeeded in getting it to leap over his finger whenever he told it to jump.
Once it had learned this, he pulled off its front legs.
When he then commanded the cockroach to jump again, it took a deep breath and just managed to clear the man's finger.
He then pulled off the middle legs and on the command to jump it just managed to stagger over.
Finally he pulled off the back legs.
But when told to jump, the cockroach just lay there, legless.
Conclusion: when all a cockroach’s legs are removed, deafness occurs.
Once it had learned this, he pulled off its front legs.
When he then commanded the cockroach to jump again, it took a deep breath and just managed to clear the man's finger.
He then pulled off the middle legs and on the command to jump it just managed to stagger over.
Finally he pulled off the back legs.
But when told to jump, the cockroach just lay there, legless.
Conclusion: when all a cockroach’s legs are removed, deafness occurs.
Vegas online casino
Once people used to go to Las Vegas for gambling.
Now they go to Las Vegas to spend some time in a nice place, with nice weather and see where people used to go gambling.
Because, if you want to gamble, you have better places to go and easily reachable too.
What about an online casino?
32 Vegas are among the best online casinos.
And it pays off to go to their website for many reasons.
They can display more than 80 casino games, which includes all the most popular games like black jack, roulette, baccarat, slot machines, poker, game of the dice and others.
Besides to attract visitors vegas casino offers a lot of bonuses, like 25% of the whole invested money, which becomes 320% the third deposit.
A 50 Euro bonus if you bring online another player and for the opening of his first deposit.
They cannot assure you will win a lot of money, but you can be sure you will have a lot of fun...
Now they go to Las Vegas to spend some time in a nice place, with nice weather and see where people used to go gambling.
Because, if you want to gamble, you have better places to go and easily reachable too.
What about an online casino?
32 Vegas are among the best online casinos.
And it pays off to go to their website for many reasons.
They can display more than 80 casino games, which includes all the most popular games like black jack, roulette, baccarat, slot machines, poker, game of the dice and others.
Besides to attract visitors vegas casino offers a lot of bonuses, like 25% of the whole invested money, which becomes 320% the third deposit.
A 50 Euro bonus if you bring online another player and for the opening of his first deposit.
They cannot assure you will win a lot of money, but you can be sure you will have a lot of fun...
How much change can we really stand?
"To avoid that deadly outcome, the new president will have to be equipped with a realistic vision of what this society can actually do to survive the discontinuities that circumstances present. This will require him to confront the prevailing delusion that the US can become "energy independent" in the sense that we can run WalMart on something other than oil from foreign lands.
We're about to find out how much "change" the public can really stand."
JK
I guess that the bearing possibilities of human nature are almost limitless.
As we got easily used to the "better" we will need to get used to the "worse".
And if the better was a useless bunch of unuseless things welcome the worse.
If that means we won't be able to look at TV, if we will be obliged to do more physical work in order to save and get warm, if we will be obliged to take a bus or a train, to wake up earlier, to say good bye to a bar's coffee or an ice cream, or a weekly dinner out.
If we will spend our holidays repainting our house, learning how to be a plumber or an electrician, or a hair dresser, or learning to wash and keep our clothes so that they will last more, if we won't be able to afford ten new outfits every season,(and throwing away the good old ones, just because they are "out of fashion"), WELCOME WORSE.
If we will learn that the important is to "LIVE" and not to "POSSESS", WELCOME WORSE.
I, personally, am already living in the "WORSE" way and, to be honest, do not miss the "BETTER".
We're about to find out how much "change" the public can really stand."
JK
I guess that the bearing possibilities of human nature are almost limitless.
As we got easily used to the "better" we will need to get used to the "worse".
And if the better was a useless bunch of unuseless things welcome the worse.
If that means we won't be able to look at TV, if we will be obliged to do more physical work in order to save and get warm, if we will be obliged to take a bus or a train, to wake up earlier, to say good bye to a bar's coffee or an ice cream, or a weekly dinner out.
If we will spend our holidays repainting our house, learning how to be a plumber or an electrician, or a hair dresser, or learning to wash and keep our clothes so that they will last more, if we won't be able to afford ten new outfits every season,(and throwing away the good old ones, just because they are "out of fashion"), WELCOME WORSE.
If we will learn that the important is to "LIVE" and not to "POSSESS", WELCOME WORSE.
I, personally, am already living in the "WORSE" way and, to be honest, do not miss the "BETTER".
Money is the measure of every call
That is terribly true, especially if you happen to go on vacation in far away, with no infrastructures, countries.
There begins the dilemma: Will I call home or won't I?
You can always call "collect", but then, when the bill arrives, you go into the five phases:
Disillusionment
Panic
Search for the guilty
Punishment of the innocent
Praise for the non-participants
And you HAVE TO PAY.
So, why not trying to use calling cards?
An example.
If you happen to be in Botswana (I fail to understand what anyone would do in Bostwana) which happens to be a very far away place, you pay 3.3¢/Minute.
Or from Egypt - 5.0¢/Minute.
I would prefer spending 2.0 ¢/Minute more and being in Egypt, but if you really want to save, and you plan to call a lot you could go as far as Zimbabwe which is only 1.0¢/Minute, even less than many people would pay calling New York from Washington DC.
You can find calling cards for 153 countries, check here , where you can go and call home or being called and stay on the phone as long as you like.
What is the joy to see the pyramids, if you cannot call home and say how they look, or how you feel?
There begins the dilemma: Will I call home or won't I?
You can always call "collect", but then, when the bill arrives, you go into the five phases:
Disillusionment
Panic
Search for the guilty
Punishment of the innocent
Praise for the non-participants
And you HAVE TO PAY.
So, why not trying to use calling cards?
An example.
If you happen to be in Botswana (I fail to understand what anyone would do in Bostwana) which happens to be a very far away place, you pay 3.3¢/Minute.
Or from Egypt - 5.0¢/Minute.
I would prefer spending 2.0 ¢/Minute more and being in Egypt, but if you really want to save, and you plan to call a lot you could go as far as Zimbabwe which is only 1.0¢/Minute, even less than many people would pay calling New York from Washington DC.
You can find calling cards for 153 countries, check here , where you can go and call home or being called and stay on the phone as long as you like.
What is the joy to see the pyramids, if you cannot call home and say how they look, or how you feel?
Thanks piracy for boosting the Movie Industry 5.4% in 2007
Piracy is so bad, according to the MPAA, that we need special legislation to target the dastardly college pirates who are destroying the business. It's so bad that Weekly Reader subscribers will learn about the $7 billion a year "lost" to Internet piracy. It's so bad that the MPAA wants ISPs to ignore years of common carrier law and the promises of "safe harbor" and start filtering their traffic, looking for copyright violations.
The real world isn't quite this simple, of course. It turns out that the MPAA's college numbers were off by a factor of three, a revelation that came after years of hiding the study's methodology but continuing to lobby Congress with its numbers. There's no possible way that the MPAA can truly know what it "lost" to piracy, either, as it has no real idea what percentage of downloads would have resulted in sales. And, with the notable exception of AT&T, no other major US ISP has publicly entertained the idea of filtering traffic.
Certainly the MPAA has the right to fight illegal downloads of its material, and it certainly has the right to go after those making a profit by ripping off its DVDs. But the rhetoric around "piracy" (a term used far too broadly) simply doesn't fit with reality. If piracy is killing the movie business, it's doing so in exactly the same way that home taping killed the music business in the 1980s.
Swapping movies over the Internet was more of a niche practice back in 2001 as bandwidth constraints made it impractical for many. Certainly it's much simpler now, and advanced P2P protocols like BitTorrent (combined with free trackers like The Pirate Bay) make it relatively simple. But the movie business did $9.63 billion at theaters alone in 2007, a substantial increase over 2001's $8.13 billion. US box office has also risen for the last two years, and international growth rates have been much higher and more constant.
DVD piracy and file-swapping pose problems for the industry, no doubt about it, but the entire issue deserves to have the rhetoric scaled back a bit. As Dan Glickman, the MPAA boss, admitted, "Ultimately, we got our Hollywood ending. Once again, diverse, quality films and the timeless allure of the movie house proved a winning combination with consumers around the world."
So break out the champagne (for the MPAA execs) and the dog biscuits (for Lucky & Flo); home taping didn't kill the music business, and file-swapping isn't destroying theatrical revenue.
Full Article
The real world isn't quite this simple, of course. It turns out that the MPAA's college numbers were off by a factor of three, a revelation that came after years of hiding the study's methodology but continuing to lobby Congress with its numbers. There's no possible way that the MPAA can truly know what it "lost" to piracy, either, as it has no real idea what percentage of downloads would have resulted in sales. And, with the notable exception of AT&T, no other major US ISP has publicly entertained the idea of filtering traffic.
Certainly the MPAA has the right to fight illegal downloads of its material, and it certainly has the right to go after those making a profit by ripping off its DVDs. But the rhetoric around "piracy" (a term used far too broadly) simply doesn't fit with reality. If piracy is killing the movie business, it's doing so in exactly the same way that home taping killed the music business in the 1980s.
Swapping movies over the Internet was more of a niche practice back in 2001 as bandwidth constraints made it impractical for many. Certainly it's much simpler now, and advanced P2P protocols like BitTorrent (combined with free trackers like The Pirate Bay) make it relatively simple. But the movie business did $9.63 billion at theaters alone in 2007, a substantial increase over 2001's $8.13 billion. US box office has also risen for the last two years, and international growth rates have been much higher and more constant.
DVD piracy and file-swapping pose problems for the industry, no doubt about it, but the entire issue deserves to have the rhetoric scaled back a bit. As Dan Glickman, the MPAA boss, admitted, "Ultimately, we got our Hollywood ending. Once again, diverse, quality films and the timeless allure of the movie house proved a winning combination with consumers around the world."
So break out the champagne (for the MPAA execs) and the dog biscuits (for Lucky & Flo); home taping didn't kill the music business, and file-swapping isn't destroying theatrical revenue.
Full Article
The little Miss Sunshine
Hard to find in reality a family so unblessed.
The grandfather is a drug addict, the wife's brother a broken gay who tries suicide, the son mute since years for reaching the goal to become a pilot and later finds out he will never be able to because he is colours blind, the father who tries desperately to prove that losing in life is just a matter of not believing in oneself and inconsequentially goes bankruptcy.
All together they travel 800 miles in an old family van to bring the daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant "Little Miss Sunshine".
Hard to believe the van breaks on the road, the father dies for an overdose, while they manage to arrive a few minutes later, when the admission to the contest is closed.
In the name of the strength of the "winning spirit" the father, on his knees, manages to be able to admit the small daughter, who, trained by the sex obsessed grandpa performs in an indecent dance.
Conclusion: they have to agree to "no any more pageant in California" to get out free of charges.
It is a true elegy to the "in spite of", and the proof that, whatever you believe, life is hard and luck or no luck, it is not enough to believe to fulfil your dreams.
Defeat of goals, but victory of family's love.
Patrizia The Movie Whisperer
The grandfather is a drug addict, the wife's brother a broken gay who tries suicide, the son mute since years for reaching the goal to become a pilot and later finds out he will never be able to because he is colours blind, the father who tries desperately to prove that losing in life is just a matter of not believing in oneself and inconsequentially goes bankruptcy.
All together they travel 800 miles in an old family van to bring the daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant "Little Miss Sunshine".
Hard to believe the van breaks on the road, the father dies for an overdose, while they manage to arrive a few minutes later, when the admission to the contest is closed.
In the name of the strength of the "winning spirit" the father, on his knees, manages to be able to admit the small daughter, who, trained by the sex obsessed grandpa performs in an indecent dance.
Conclusion: they have to agree to "no any more pageant in California" to get out free of charges.
It is a true elegy to the "in spite of", and the proof that, whatever you believe, life is hard and luck or no luck, it is not enough to believe to fulfil your dreams.
Defeat of goals, but victory of family's love.
Patrizia The Movie Whisperer
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
The music of the wind
One of the sounds I love is the sound, better, the music of the wind.
How can you listen to it?
With a wind chime.
It is something you usually hang out of your home, made by hollow or solid metal or wooden tubes, meant to be played by the wind.
They can be made also with other materials like bamboo, and be a good example of fine crafter's work like the beautiful wind chimes of Unique Outdoor.
The ones I like best are the glass type.
They remind me of the old crystal "Drops Lamps" and the sound is quite "ethereal".
There is nothing nicer than closing your eyes and dreaming at their music, while sitting in your garden.
And the loveliness of their song comes with the beauty of their stained glass.
The rainbow of colours sparkling with the sun's rays is the perfect match of the lovely sound.
How can you listen to it?
With a wind chime.
It is something you usually hang out of your home, made by hollow or solid metal or wooden tubes, meant to be played by the wind.
They can be made also with other materials like bamboo, and be a good example of fine crafter's work like the beautiful wind chimes of Unique Outdoor.
The ones I like best are the glass type.
They remind me of the old crystal "Drops Lamps" and the sound is quite "ethereal".
There is nothing nicer than closing your eyes and dreaming at their music, while sitting in your garden.
And the loveliness of their song comes with the beauty of their stained glass.
The rainbow of colours sparkling with the sun's rays is the perfect match of the lovely sound.
Google: the value lies in the page view
"Google's corporate philosophy is based on the model which brought them success: organizing and giving away other people's content, creating space for advertisements in the process.
The enormous success Google found with that model in the search engine business spurred it to try and impose it in every arena. In the Google worldview, content is individually valueless.
No one page is more important than the next; the value lies in the page view. And a page view is a page view, regardless of whether the page in question has a picture of a cat, a single link to another site, or the full text of Freakonomics. When all you're selling is ad space, the value shifts from the content to the viewer.
And ultimately the content is valued at nothing. And here, finally, is the larger problem posed by Google's actions. Books are not in any important sense user-centric. Whether or not a book has readers matters little. Books stand on their own, over time, as ideas and creations. In the world of books, it is the ideas and the authors that matter most, not the readers.
That is why the copyright exists in the first place, to protect the value of these created works, a value which Google is trying mightily to deny.
As much as any other American business, Google is the corporate embodiment of the Internet's first principles. And as with so much else on the Internet, the promise of Google Book Search lies somewhere off on the horizon, while the dangers it poses today are very real."
Hiawatha Bray
Technology Reporter
Boston Globe
The enormous success Google found with that model in the search engine business spurred it to try and impose it in every arena. In the Google worldview, content is individually valueless.
No one page is more important than the next; the value lies in the page view. And a page view is a page view, regardless of whether the page in question has a picture of a cat, a single link to another site, or the full text of Freakonomics. When all you're selling is ad space, the value shifts from the content to the viewer.
And ultimately the content is valued at nothing. And here, finally, is the larger problem posed by Google's actions. Books are not in any important sense user-centric. Whether or not a book has readers matters little. Books stand on their own, over time, as ideas and creations. In the world of books, it is the ideas and the authors that matter most, not the readers.
That is why the copyright exists in the first place, to protect the value of these created works, a value which Google is trying mightily to deny.
As much as any other American business, Google is the corporate embodiment of the Internet's first principles. And as with so much else on the Internet, the promise of Google Book Search lies somewhere off on the horizon, while the dangers it poses today are very real."
Hiawatha Bray
Technology Reporter
Boston Globe
A Wave of the Watch List, and Speech Disappears
By ADAM LIPTAK
Published: March 4, 2008
Steve Marshall is an English travel agent. He lives in Spain, and he sells trips to Europeans who want to go to sunny places, including Cuba. In October, about 80 of his Web sites stopped working, thanks to the United States government...
It turned out, though, that Mr. Marshall’s Web sites had been put on a Treasury Department blacklist and, as a consequence, his American domain name registrar, eNom Inc., had disabled them. Mr. Marshall said eNom told him it did so after a call from the Treasury Department; the company, based in Bellevue, Wash., says it learned that the sites were on the blacklist through a blog.
Either way, there is no dispute that eNom shut down Mr. Marshall’s sites without notifying him and has refused to release the domain names to him....
Susan Crawford, a visiting law professor at Yale and a leading authority on Internet law, said the fact that many large domain name registrars are based in the United States gives the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, control “over a great deal of speech — none of which may be actually hosted in the U.S., about the U.S. or conflicting with any U.S. rights.”
“OFAC apparently has the power to order that this speech disappear,”
Published: March 4, 2008
Steve Marshall is an English travel agent. He lives in Spain, and he sells trips to Europeans who want to go to sunny places, including Cuba. In October, about 80 of his Web sites stopped working, thanks to the United States government...
It turned out, though, that Mr. Marshall’s Web sites had been put on a Treasury Department blacklist and, as a consequence, his American domain name registrar, eNom Inc., had disabled them. Mr. Marshall said eNom told him it did so after a call from the Treasury Department; the company, based in Bellevue, Wash., says it learned that the sites were on the blacklist through a blog.
Either way, there is no dispute that eNom shut down Mr. Marshall’s sites without notifying him and has refused to release the domain names to him....
Susan Crawford, a visiting law professor at Yale and a leading authority on Internet law, said the fact that many large domain name registrars are based in the United States gives the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, control “over a great deal of speech — none of which may be actually hosted in the U.S., about the U.S. or conflicting with any U.S. rights.”
“OFAC apparently has the power to order that this speech disappear,”
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
The Blue Brain project
A computer simulation of the upper layer of a rat brain neocortical column.
Here neurons light up in a "global excitatory state" of blues and yellows.
Courtesy of Alain Herzog/EPFL
In the basement of a university in Lausanne, Switzerland sit four black boxes, each about the size of a refrigerator, and filled with 2,000 IBM microchips stacked in repeating rows. Together they form the processing core of a machine that can handle 22.8 trillion operations per second. It contains no moving parts and is eerily silent. When the computer is turned on, the only thing you can hear is the continuous sigh of the massive air conditioner. This is Blue Brain.
The name of the supercomputer is literal: Each of its microchips has been programmed to act just like a real neuron in a real brain. The behavior of the computer replicates, with shocking precision, the cellular events unfolding inside a mind. "This is the first model of the brain that has been built from the bottom-up," says Henry Markram, a neuroscientist at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the director of the Blue Brain project. "There are lots of models out there, but this is the only one that is totally biologically accurate. We began with the most basic facts about the brain and just worked from there."
Before the Blue Brain project launched, Markram had likened it to the Human Genome Project, a comparison that some found ridiculous and others dismissed as mere self-promotion. When he launched the project in the summer of 2005, as a joint venture with IBM, there was still no shortage of skepticism.
Scientists criticized the project as an expensive pipedream, a blatant waste of money and talent. Neuroscience didn't need a supercomputer, they argued; it needed more molecular biologists. Terry Sejnowski, an eminent computational neuroscientist at the Salk Institute, declared that Blue Brain was "bound to fail," for the mind remained too mysterious to model. But Markram's attitude was very different. "I wanted to model the brain because we didn't understand it," he says. "The best way to figure out how something works is to try to build it from scratch."
The Blue Brain project is now at a crucial juncture. The first phase of the project—"the feasibility phase"—is coming to a close. The skeptics, for the most part, have been proven wrong. It took less than two years for the Blue Brain supercomputer to accurately simulate a neocortical column, which is a tiny slice of brain containing approximately 10,000 neurons, with about 30 million synaptic connections between them.
"The column has been built and it runs," Markram says. "Now we just have to scale it up." Blue Brain scientists are confident that, at some point in the next few years, they will be able to start simulating an entire brain. "If we build this brain right, it will do everything," Markram says. I ask him if that includes
selfconsciousness: Is it really possible to put a ghost into a machine? "When I say everything, I mean everything," he says, and a mischievous smile spreads across his face.
Henry Markram is tall and slim. He wears jeans and tailored shirts. He has an aquiline nose and a lustrous mop of dirty blond hair that he likes to run his hands through when contemplating a difficult problem. He has a talent for speaking in eloquent soundbites, so that the most grandiose conjectures ("In ten years, this computer will be talking to us.") are tossed off with a casual air. If it weren't for his bloodshot, blue eyes—"I don't sleep much,"
he admits—Markram could pass for a European playboy.
But the playboy is actually a lab rat. Markram starts working around nine in the morning, and usually doesn't leave his office until the campus is deserted and the lab doors are locked. Before he began developing Blue Brain, Markram was best known for his painstaking studies of cellular connectivity, which one scientist described to me as "beautiful stuff...and yet it must have been experimental hell." He trained under Dr. Bert Sakmann, who won a Nobel Prize for pioneering the patch clamp technique, allowing scientists to monitor the flux of voltage within an individual brain cell, or neuron, for the first time. (This involves piercing the membrane of a neuron with an invisibly sharp glass pipette.) Markram's technical innovation was "patching" multiple neurons at the same time, so that he could eavesdrop on their interactions. This experimental breakthrough promised to shed light on one of the enduring mysteries of the brain, which is how billions of discrete cells weave themselves into functional networks. In a series of elegant papers published in the late 1990s, Markram was able to show that these electrical conversations were incredibly precise. If, for example, he delayed a neuron's natural firing time by just a few milliseconds, the entire sequence of events was disrupted. The connected cells became strangers to one another.
When Markram looked closer at the electrical language of neurons, he realized that he was staring at a code he couldn't break. "I would observe the cells and I would think, 'We are never going to understand the brain.' Here is the simplest possible circuit—just two neurons connected to each other—and I still couldn't make sense of it. It was still too complicated."
Neuroscience is a reductionist science. It describes the brain in terms of its physical details, dissecting the mind into the smallest possible parts.
This process has been phenomenally successful. Over the last 50 years, scientists have managed to uncover a seemingly endless list of molecules, enzymes, pathways, and genes. The mind has been revealed as a Byzantine machine. According to Markram, however, this scientific approach has exhausted itself. "I think that reductionism peaked five years ago," he says.
"This doesn't mean we've completed the reductionist project, far from it.
There is still so much that we don't know about the brain. But now we have a different, and perhaps even harder, problem. We're literally drowning in data. We have lots of scientists who spend their life working out important details, but we have virtually no idea how all these details connect together. Blue Brain is about showing people the whole."
In other words, the Blue Brain project isn't just a model of a neural circuit. Markram hopes that it represents a whole new kind of neuroscience.
"You need to look at the history of physics," he says. "From Copernicus to Einstein, the big breakthroughs always came from conceptual models.
They are what integrated all the facts so that they made sense. You can have all the data in the world, but without a model the data will never be enough."
Here neurons light up in a "global excitatory state" of blues and yellows.
Courtesy of Alain Herzog/EPFL
In the basement of a university in Lausanne, Switzerland sit four black boxes, each about the size of a refrigerator, and filled with 2,000 IBM microchips stacked in repeating rows. Together they form the processing core of a machine that can handle 22.8 trillion operations per second. It contains no moving parts and is eerily silent. When the computer is turned on, the only thing you can hear is the continuous sigh of the massive air conditioner. This is Blue Brain.
The name of the supercomputer is literal: Each of its microchips has been programmed to act just like a real neuron in a real brain. The behavior of the computer replicates, with shocking precision, the cellular events unfolding inside a mind. "This is the first model of the brain that has been built from the bottom-up," says Henry Markram, a neuroscientist at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the director of the Blue Brain project. "There are lots of models out there, but this is the only one that is totally biologically accurate. We began with the most basic facts about the brain and just worked from there."
Before the Blue Brain project launched, Markram had likened it to the Human Genome Project, a comparison that some found ridiculous and others dismissed as mere self-promotion. When he launched the project in the summer of 2005, as a joint venture with IBM, there was still no shortage of skepticism.
Scientists criticized the project as an expensive pipedream, a blatant waste of money and talent. Neuroscience didn't need a supercomputer, they argued; it needed more molecular biologists. Terry Sejnowski, an eminent computational neuroscientist at the Salk Institute, declared that Blue Brain was "bound to fail," for the mind remained too mysterious to model. But Markram's attitude was very different. "I wanted to model the brain because we didn't understand it," he says. "The best way to figure out how something works is to try to build it from scratch."
The Blue Brain project is now at a crucial juncture. The first phase of the project—"the feasibility phase"—is coming to a close. The skeptics, for the most part, have been proven wrong. It took less than two years for the Blue Brain supercomputer to accurately simulate a neocortical column, which is a tiny slice of brain containing approximately 10,000 neurons, with about 30 million synaptic connections between them.
"The column has been built and it runs," Markram says. "Now we just have to scale it up." Blue Brain scientists are confident that, at some point in the next few years, they will be able to start simulating an entire brain. "If we build this brain right, it will do everything," Markram says. I ask him if that includes
selfconsciousness: Is it really possible to put a ghost into a machine? "When I say everything, I mean everything," he says, and a mischievous smile spreads across his face.
Henry Markram is tall and slim. He wears jeans and tailored shirts. He has an aquiline nose and a lustrous mop of dirty blond hair that he likes to run his hands through when contemplating a difficult problem. He has a talent for speaking in eloquent soundbites, so that the most grandiose conjectures ("In ten years, this computer will be talking to us.") are tossed off with a casual air. If it weren't for his bloodshot, blue eyes—"I don't sleep much,"
he admits—Markram could pass for a European playboy.
But the playboy is actually a lab rat. Markram starts working around nine in the morning, and usually doesn't leave his office until the campus is deserted and the lab doors are locked. Before he began developing Blue Brain, Markram was best known for his painstaking studies of cellular connectivity, which one scientist described to me as "beautiful stuff...and yet it must have been experimental hell." He trained under Dr. Bert Sakmann, who won a Nobel Prize for pioneering the patch clamp technique, allowing scientists to monitor the flux of voltage within an individual brain cell, or neuron, for the first time. (This involves piercing the membrane of a neuron with an invisibly sharp glass pipette.) Markram's technical innovation was "patching" multiple neurons at the same time, so that he could eavesdrop on their interactions. This experimental breakthrough promised to shed light on one of the enduring mysteries of the brain, which is how billions of discrete cells weave themselves into functional networks. In a series of elegant papers published in the late 1990s, Markram was able to show that these electrical conversations were incredibly precise. If, for example, he delayed a neuron's natural firing time by just a few milliseconds, the entire sequence of events was disrupted. The connected cells became strangers to one another.
When Markram looked closer at the electrical language of neurons, he realized that he was staring at a code he couldn't break. "I would observe the cells and I would think, 'We are never going to understand the brain.' Here is the simplest possible circuit—just two neurons connected to each other—and I still couldn't make sense of it. It was still too complicated."
Neuroscience is a reductionist science. It describes the brain in terms of its physical details, dissecting the mind into the smallest possible parts.
This process has been phenomenally successful. Over the last 50 years, scientists have managed to uncover a seemingly endless list of molecules, enzymes, pathways, and genes. The mind has been revealed as a Byzantine machine. According to Markram, however, this scientific approach has exhausted itself. "I think that reductionism peaked five years ago," he says.
"This doesn't mean we've completed the reductionist project, far from it.
There is still so much that we don't know about the brain. But now we have a different, and perhaps even harder, problem. We're literally drowning in data. We have lots of scientists who spend their life working out important details, but we have virtually no idea how all these details connect together. Blue Brain is about showing people the whole."
In other words, the Blue Brain project isn't just a model of a neural circuit. Markram hopes that it represents a whole new kind of neuroscience.
"You need to look at the history of physics," he says. "From Copernicus to Einstein, the big breakthroughs always came from conceptual models.
They are what integrated all the facts so that they made sense. You can have all the data in the world, but without a model the data will never be enough."
Do you need Online Storage?
Do you need online storage?
You do not need to search any longer, because I have the right answer.
If you have a lot of data in your IT environment you know that important data has to be in a safe and secure place.
To follow this requirement you would have to do some tasks in a regulary manner, but to do a daily backup could be rather "painful".
Another problem doing the backups by your own is that you never have enough storage material such as magnetic tapes or Hard drives.
And so, why not passing this task to an experienced and reliable partner?
Have a look at iBackup.
They offer everything you need to release you from this boring task.
All data types, including your databases and mail server data, can be backed up in a secure way.
And it is very simple and easy to handle.
You also can combine this with IBackups Online Storage features, which allow you to access all of your data from anywhere on the globe via the Internet.
You don’t have to learn something new, because it is like having another Hard drive in your PC or in your network environment.
You can specify who will be allowed to access the data – just open a user account and specify the rights for online access.
If you need more, there are many additional features and options available.
Got interested ? Why not ask for a interactive demo ?
You do not need to search any longer, because I have the right answer.
If you have a lot of data in your IT environment you know that important data has to be in a safe and secure place.
To follow this requirement you would have to do some tasks in a regulary manner, but to do a daily backup could be rather "painful".
Another problem doing the backups by your own is that you never have enough storage material such as magnetic tapes or Hard drives.
And so, why not passing this task to an experienced and reliable partner?
Have a look at iBackup.
They offer everything you need to release you from this boring task.
All data types, including your databases and mail server data, can be backed up in a secure way.
And it is very simple and easy to handle.
You also can combine this with IBackups Online Storage features, which allow you to access all of your data from anywhere on the globe via the Internet.
You don’t have to learn something new, because it is like having another Hard drive in your PC or in your network environment.
You can specify who will be allowed to access the data – just open a user account and specify the rights for online access.
If you need more, there are many additional features and options available.
Got interested ? Why not ask for a interactive demo ?
The Brave One
Jody Foster struggles to recover from a brutal attack by setting out on a mission for revenge.
The perfect mirror of today's society.
The legal illegality and the not working justice has brought to this.
The illegal that becomes and is accepted as legal, at least morally.
The problem is that we invented civilisation and democracy to avoid that justice was on the side of the physically strong, we accomplished to create a society where justice is still on the strong's side.
Where the strong is usually not the one who carries a gun, but the one who carries power (money and political power).
Big corporations lose just in movies.
In reality the weak is still the weak, with nothing at his side.
Out of anger, poverty, distress, lack of hope in a better future, we have seen our big cities becoming the concentration camps of violent, aggressive, ready to everything (because they have nothing to lose) people.
And the only way to survive is very often a gun.
The one who pulls the trigger first is the winner.
Providing he knows how to shoot.
A perfect Jody Foster (one of my favourite actress) makes a good movie out of an original story.
Unusual because it legalizes what hypocrisy denies.
Are we going into this?
I guess the answer is yes. From a virtual world we will slowly arrive to reality.
May be next generation.
Then, of course, after going backward to un civilisation, we will come back to a civilized society, where Courts should take the place of guns.
It could work, if it wouldn't be a farce.
But, I am sceptical about it, because Historia is NEVER magistra vitae.
Patrizia The Movie Whisperer
The perfect mirror of today's society.
The legal illegality and the not working justice has brought to this.
The illegal that becomes and is accepted as legal, at least morally.
The problem is that we invented civilisation and democracy to avoid that justice was on the side of the physically strong, we accomplished to create a society where justice is still on the strong's side.
Where the strong is usually not the one who carries a gun, but the one who carries power (money and political power).
Big corporations lose just in movies.
In reality the weak is still the weak, with nothing at his side.
Out of anger, poverty, distress, lack of hope in a better future, we have seen our big cities becoming the concentration camps of violent, aggressive, ready to everything (because they have nothing to lose) people.
And the only way to survive is very often a gun.
The one who pulls the trigger first is the winner.
Providing he knows how to shoot.
A perfect Jody Foster (one of my favourite actress) makes a good movie out of an original story.
Unusual because it legalizes what hypocrisy denies.
Are we going into this?
I guess the answer is yes. From a virtual world we will slowly arrive to reality.
May be next generation.
Then, of course, after going backward to un civilisation, we will come back to a civilized society, where Courts should take the place of guns.
It could work, if it wouldn't be a farce.
But, I am sceptical about it, because Historia is NEVER magistra vitae.
Patrizia The Movie Whisperer
Monday, March 03, 2008
A shortcut to happiness
Success is like women: when you get it, is just normality, and in most cases normality gets boring and sometimes a burden.
This movie shows the dilemma we confront everyday: how to reach happiness, what is happiness.
Happiness is what we do not have.
Stone wanted success so badly he was even willing to give his soul for it.
But, once reached fame and fortune, he realizes they do not bring happiness and wants back his soul.
"He was cheated" Hopkins says, "into believing that richness and fame would bring him happiness" "the contract has no value".
"There is no shortcut to happiness".
"Change in expectations is a generational thing, experts say. People who grew up during the Depression were happy to have a job and stuck with one for a lifetime. Many members of generations X and Y were raised in a different light. They expect a buffet of opportunities and are peeved when they don't materialize."
But if they do it is even worse.
They are not what expected.
There are two tragedies in life: one is not being able to get what we want and the second, even greater is getting it...( I do not remember the exact words of Oscar Wilde)
The contract is declared invalid, for the happy ending's sake.
In reality there is a shortcut to happiness, the fault is NOT SEEING IT.
Patrizia The Movie Whisperer
This movie shows the dilemma we confront everyday: how to reach happiness, what is happiness.
Happiness is what we do not have.
Stone wanted success so badly he was even willing to give his soul for it.
But, once reached fame and fortune, he realizes they do not bring happiness and wants back his soul.
"He was cheated" Hopkins says, "into believing that richness and fame would bring him happiness" "the contract has no value".
"There is no shortcut to happiness".
"Change in expectations is a generational thing, experts say. People who grew up during the Depression were happy to have a job and stuck with one for a lifetime. Many members of generations X and Y were raised in a different light. They expect a buffet of opportunities and are peeved when they don't materialize."
But if they do it is even worse.
They are not what expected.
There are two tragedies in life: one is not being able to get what we want and the second, even greater is getting it...( I do not remember the exact words of Oscar Wilde)
The contract is declared invalid, for the happy ending's sake.
In reality there is a shortcut to happiness, the fault is NOT SEEING IT.
Patrizia The Movie Whisperer
There is no goal which is not worth dreaming for
We want what we want and we want it now. No delay. No aggravation. No hassle, pain-free, our way, right away. We're a highly technical society in a land of plenty. We place a premium on efficiency and convenience. Tiny annoyances and inconveniences foul our moods and affect our behaviors. Why? And how can we get past these trivialities?
Consider this paradox: Things are becoming more instantaneous in an era when delays are rampant and increasing. There are faster flights and cars but more people in airplanes and on the roads.
What has happened, even though companies are improving service, is that "customer expectations are continuing to rise," says Roger Nunley, managing director of the Customer Care Institute in Atlanta. This can be attributed to "consumers doing business online, where they get instant gratification and quick turnarounds. That's quickly becoming the standard expectation."
The ascent of narcissism and entitlement is dramatic.
"What we really have is a culture that has increasingly emphasized feeling good about yourself and favoring the individual over the group,"
Feeling entitled to something you aren't getting leads to frustration, which leads to bratty behavior and confrontation.
"We have enough big things to be upset about, and people are losing their minds over small things," she says. "Frustration leads to aggression. If you don't let yourself get frustrated in the first place, then you don't get so angry and you don't blow things out of proportion."
Stress also fuels bratty behavior. It makes us impatient and irritable from the get-go.
Change in expectations is a generational thing, experts say. People who grew up during the Depression were happy to have a job and stuck with one for a lifetime. Many members of generations X and Y were raised in a different light. They expect a buffet of opportunities and are peeved when they don't materialize.
Clinical experiments show that people who express gratitude in some form every day live more-content lives, and they record lower levels of narcissism and entitlement.
Do you want empty highways, no lines, a promotion and limousine conveyance to your birthday party? Fine. But don't expect them. Focus on your reliable car, your good health, your job stability or the fact that you're in a position to celebrate a birthday at all.
Washington Post
Happiness is out there, you just have to ba able to grab it.
Considering what you have, wanting more, but working for it.
Happiness is not IN the GOAL, it is dreaming and working for it.
It is good to give people goals and expectations, it is even better to teach them how to fulfill their expectations and reach their goals.
But the best is teach people "TO LIVE"
Consider this paradox: Things are becoming more instantaneous in an era when delays are rampant and increasing. There are faster flights and cars but more people in airplanes and on the roads.
What has happened, even though companies are improving service, is that "customer expectations are continuing to rise," says Roger Nunley, managing director of the Customer Care Institute in Atlanta. This can be attributed to "consumers doing business online, where they get instant gratification and quick turnarounds. That's quickly becoming the standard expectation."
The ascent of narcissism and entitlement is dramatic.
"What we really have is a culture that has increasingly emphasized feeling good about yourself and favoring the individual over the group,"
Feeling entitled to something you aren't getting leads to frustration, which leads to bratty behavior and confrontation.
"We have enough big things to be upset about, and people are losing their minds over small things," she says. "Frustration leads to aggression. If you don't let yourself get frustrated in the first place, then you don't get so angry and you don't blow things out of proportion."
Stress also fuels bratty behavior. It makes us impatient and irritable from the get-go.
Change in expectations is a generational thing, experts say. People who grew up during the Depression were happy to have a job and stuck with one for a lifetime. Many members of generations X and Y were raised in a different light. They expect a buffet of opportunities and are peeved when they don't materialize.
Clinical experiments show that people who express gratitude in some form every day live more-content lives, and they record lower levels of narcissism and entitlement.
Do you want empty highways, no lines, a promotion and limousine conveyance to your birthday party? Fine. But don't expect them. Focus on your reliable car, your good health, your job stability or the fact that you're in a position to celebrate a birthday at all.
Washington Post
Happiness is out there, you just have to ba able to grab it.
Considering what you have, wanting more, but working for it.
Happiness is not IN the GOAL, it is dreaming and working for it.
It is good to give people goals and expectations, it is even better to teach them how to fulfill their expectations and reach their goals.
But the best is teach people "TO LIVE"
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