Know UR Ledge

Six healthy habits for using laptops

2013-05-11T19:50:00.000+05:30

Six healthy habits for using laptops

1 Sit on a chair at a desk. this is especially important if using a laptop for longer than 30 minutes.

2 Keep a good posture. Adjust the chair and laptop for a “neutral” posture. this means ankles, knees, hips and elbows are at about 90-degree angles and hands are in line with wrists.

3 Relax arms, neck and shoulders. most muscle strain centres on arms, neck and shoulders so try to keep these relaxed. typing and using the mouse should be light, and hands and arms rested when not typing.

4 Don’t sit too close to the screen. Sit about arm’s length from the screen, depending on individual eye conditions.

5 Take regular breaks. take five minutes out of every 30 minutes to rest both eyes and muscles. Stand and walk or change position to do other things like reading. look at an object about 10 metres away for 20 seconds.

6 Make sure there’s enough light. Work where lighting is sufficient and make sure your screen is free from glare.

BandWidth Explained

2013-05-11T16:50:00.001+05:30

BandWidth Explained

Most hosting companies offer a variety of bandwidth options in their plans. So exactly what is bandwidth as it relates to web hosting? Put simply, bandwidth is the amount of traffic that is allowed to occur between your web site and the rest of the internet. The amount of bandwidth a hosting company can provide is determined by their network connections, both internal to their data center and external to the public internet.

Network Connectivity

The internet, in the most simplest of terms, is a group of millions of computers connected by networks. These connections within the internet can be large or small depending upon the cabling and equipment that is used at a particular internet location. It is the size of each network connection that determines how much bandwidth is available. For example, if you use a DSL connection to connect to the internet, you have 1.54 Mega bits (Mb) of bandwidth. Bandwidth therefore is measured in bits (a single 0 or 1). Bits are grouped in bytes which form words, text, and other information that is transferred between your computer and the internet.

If you have a DSL connection to the internet, you have dedicated bandwidth between your computer and your internet provider. But your internet provider may have thousands of DSL connections to their location. All of these connection aggregate at your internet provider who then has their own dedicated connection to the internet (or multiple connections) which is much larger than your single connection. They must have enough bandwidth to serve your computing needs as well as all of their other customers. So while you have a 1.54Mb connection to your internet provider, your internet provider may have a 255Mb connection to the internet so it can accommodate your needs and up to 166 other users (255/1.54).

Traffic

A very simple analogy to use to understand bandwidth and traffic is to think of highways and cars. Bandwidth is the number of lanes on the highway and traffic is the number of cars on the highway. If you are the only car on a highway, you can travel very quickly. If you are stuck in the middle of rush hour, you may travel very slowly since all of the lanes are being used up.

Traffic is simply the number of bits that are transferred on network connections. It is easiest to understand traffic using examples. One Gigabyte is 2 to the 30th power (1,073,741,824) bytes. One gigabyte is equal to 1,024 megabytes. To put this in perspective, it takes one byte to store one character. Imagine 100 file cabinets in a building, each of these cabinets holds 1000 folders. Each folder has 100 papers. Each paper contains 100 characters - A GB is all the characters in the building. An MP3 song is about 4MB, the same song in wav format is about 40MB, a full length movie can be 800MB to 1000MB (1000MB = 1GB).

If you were to transfer this MP3 song from a web site to your computer, you would create 4MB of traffic between the web site you are downloading from and your computer. Depending upon the network connection between the web site and the internet, the transfer may occur very quickly, or it could take time if other people are also downloading files at the same time. If, for example, the web site you download from has a 10MB connection to the internet, and you are the only person accessing that web site to download your MP3, your 4MB file will be the only traffic on that web site. However, if three people are all downloading that same MP at the same time, 12MB (3 x 4MB) of traffic has been created. Because in this example, the host only has 10MB of bandwidth, someone will have to wait. The network equipment at the hosting company will cycle through each person downloading the file and transfer a small portion at a time so each person's file transfer can take place, but the transfer for everyone downloading the file will be slower. If 100 people all came to the site and downloaded the MP3 at the same time, the transfers would be extremely slow. If the host wanted to decrease the time it took to download files simultaneously, it could increase the bandwidth of their internet connection (at a cost due to upgrading equipment).

Hosting Bandwidth

In the example above, we discussed traffic in terms of downloading an MP3 file. However, each time you visit a web site, you are creating traffic, because in order to view that web page on your computer, the web page is first downloaded to your computer (between the web site and you) which is then displayed using your browser software (Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc.) . The page itself is simply a file that creates traffic just like the MP3 file in the example above (however, a web page is usually much smaller than a music file).

A web page may be very small or large depending upon the amount of text and the number and quality of images integrated within the web page. For example, the home page for CNN.com is about 200KB (200 Kilobytes = 200,000 bytes = 1,600,000 bits). This is typically large for a web page. In comparison, Yahoo's home page is about 70KB.

How Much Bandwidth Is Enough?

It depends (don't you hate that answer). But in truth, it does. Since bandwidth is a significant determinant of hosting plan prices, you should take time to determine just how much is right for you. Almost all hosting plans have bandwidth requirements measured in months, so you need to estimate the amount of bandwidth that will be required by your site on a monthly basis

If you do not intend to provide file download capability from your site, the formula for calculating bandwidth is fairly straightforward:

Average Daily Visitors x Average Page Views x Average Page Size x 31 x Fudge Factor.

If you intend to allow people to download files from your site, your bandwidth calculation should be:

[(Average Daily Visitors x Average Page Views x Average Page Size) + (Average Daily File Downloads x Average File Size)] x 31 x Fudge Factor.

Let us examine each item in the formula:

Average Daily Visitors - The number of people you expect to visit your site, on average, each day. Depending upon how you market your site, this number could be from 1 to 1,000,000.

Average Page Views - On average, the number of web pages you expect a person to view. If you have 50 web pages in your web site, an average person may only view 5 of those pages each time they visit.

Average Page Size - The average size of your web pages, in Kilobytes (KB). If you have already designed your site, you can calculate this directly.

Average Daily File Downloads - The number of downloads you expect to occur on your site. This is a function of the numbers of visitors and how many times a visitor downloads a file, on average, each day.

Average File Size - Average file size of files that are downloadable from your site. Similar to your web pages, if you already know which files can be downloaded, you can calculate this directly.

Fudge Factor - A number greater than 1. Using 1.5 would be safe, which assumes that your estimate is off by 50%. However, if you were very unsure, you could use 2 or 3 to ensure that your bandwidth requirements are more than met.

Usually, hosting plans offer bandwidth in terms of Gigabytes (GB) per month. This is why our formula takes daily averages and multiplies them by 31.

Summary

Most personal or small business sites will not need more than 1GB of bandwidth per month. If you have a web site that is composed of static web pages and you expect little traffic to your site on a daily basis, go with a low bandwidth plan. If you go over the amount of bandwidth allocated in your plan, your hosting company could charge you over usage fees, so if you think the traffic to your site will be significant, you may want to go through the calculations above to estimate the amount of bandwidth required in a hosting plan.

74 Car Care Tips

2013-03-20T17:46:00.000+05:30

74 Car Care Tips

A car is an expensive investment, so knowing how to keep your vehicle in tip-top shape can save you tons of money. Overall, the cost of owning a car is a lot higher than many might think - there is the cost of car insurance, taxes, interest on the car loan, repairs, fuel costs, and the cost of the vehicle itself. By implementing all or some of these car care tips, you can begin to save a significant amount of time and money.

Just a little time spent on research can save you future repairs and tons of money. You don’t need to be mechanically savvy to detect common vehicle problems. You just need to be able to use your sense of smell and sight.

Operating Your Car

1. Be patient during the break-in period
You've bought your dream car and now you want to make it last at long as possible in top condition. Here are some things to remember as you pull it out of the dealer's lot:
# During the break-in period, typically the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km), keep your speed under 55 mph (88 kpm) or to the speed recommended by your car's manufacturer.
# Avoid heavy loads on the drive train, such as towing trailers, and loading the roof rack or trunk with heavy construction materials.
# Do not allow your new car to idle for long periods - this is good advice for the life of your car, but especially during breaking. The oil pressure generated by doing so may not be sending oil to every part of your engine.
# Use only light to medium acceleration, keeping the engine rpms below 3,000 for the first few hours of driving.

2. Drive with care everyday
# Being car considerate shouldn't stop after the break-in. Drive with care every day and your car will reward you with longer intervals without repair. Do not race your car's engine during start-up.This is a quick way to add years of wear to your engine, especially if it's cold outside.
# Accelerate slowly when you begin your drive.The most wear to the engine and drive train occurs in the first ten to twenty minutes of operation.
# Warming the engine by letting it idle in the driveway is not a smart idea.The engine doesn't operate at its peak temperature, resulting in incomplete fuel combustion, soot deposits on cylinder walls, oil contamination, and ultimately damaged components.
# Put less strain on your engine and automatic transmission by shifting to neutral at red lights. Otherwise, the engine is still working to push the car even while it's stopped.
# Avoid driving at high speeds and accelerating quickly, especially when it's very hot or very cold outside. Such driving behavior will result in more frequent repairs.
# Extend the life of your tires with careful driving. Observe posted speed limits. Avoid fast starts, stops, and turns. Avoid potholes and objects on the road. Don't run over curbs or hit the tire against the curb when parking. And, of course, don't burn rubber.
# When turning your steering wheel, don't hold it in an extreme right or left position for more than a few seconds. Doing so can damage the power-steering pump.
# Consolidate your short driving trips. Most of the wear and tear -- as well as the pollution your car generates -- takes place in the first few minutes of driving. Doing several errands at once, during low traffic hours if possible, will keep your engine happier longer.

3. Buy gas at reputable service stations
Ask whether the gas you buy is filtered at the pump and if the station has a policy about changing the pump filters regularly. If you get a song and dance, find another gas station. Some stations don't have pump filters, making you more vulnerable to dirty gasoline. Other stations may not mix alcohol and fuel properly -- or worse, water down their product. Find a station you trust and stick to it.

4. Don't fill up if you see the tanker
If you happen to see a gasoline tanker filling the tanks at your local gas station, come back another day or go to a different station. As the station's underground tanks are being filled, the turbulence can stir up sediment. Sediment in your gas can clog fuel filters and fuel injectors, causing poor performance and possibly necessitating repairs.

5. Go easy when you're stuck
When stuck in mud or snow, don't make the problem worse by damaging an expensive component. Gently rocking in an attempt to free the car is fine. But if it looks as though you're really stuck, don't keep at it. Throwing your car from forward to reverse repeatedly, as well as spinning tires at high speeds, can generate lots of heat and spell trouble for transmissions, clutches, and differentials. It may be cheaper in the long run to call the tow truck rather than risk big repair bills down the road. It's a good idea to carry a traction aid in the trunk, such as sand, gravel, or cat litter.

6. Lighten up your key chain
Does your car key share a chain with a dozen or more other keys? That's a pretty heavy load hanging off the car key when it's in the ignition.The weight, combined with bouncing while you drive, can wear out the tumblers inside the ignition and eventually lead to ignition switch failure.To add years of service to your ignition switch, purchase a lightweight key chain that allows you to separate your ignition key from the others. Drive with only the ignition key in your ignition. If your ignition key "sticks" when you try to turn on the car, it's a warning that your ignition switch is about to fail. Replace it before you get stranded.

7. Choose a good car insurer
Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, disaster inevitably strikes -- typically in the form of an accident. Make sure that your car will be repaired to the best possible standard by finding an insurer that will pay for parts from the original manufacturer and guarantee the repairs it authorizes.

8. Keep an auto log
Keep a pad and pencil in the glove compartment and use them to record your gas fill-ups and mileage. If you notice that your gas mileage worsens, mention it to your service man. It may be an early warning sign that something is wrong with your car.

9. Preserve your car during long-term storage
If you are not going to use your car for more than a month, store it properly to prevent unnecessary damage and repairs upon your return.
* Fill the gas tank to help prevent condensation from accumulating in the gas tank. Add a fuel stabilizer and drive the car around a bit to distribute the additive to engine parts.
* Wash and wax the car thoroughly to protect the finish.
* Place a vapor barrier on your garage floor. A 4-mil polyethylene drop cloth will do.
* Disengage the parking brake to help avoid brake corrosion.
* Put the car on jack stands to take the weight of the vehicle off the wheels and tires.
* Disconnect and remove the battery to keep it from draining. Place the battery on a trickletype charger. Or periodically drain the battery, using a small light bulb, and then recharge it with a low-volt charger.
* Plug the tailpipe with a rag to prevent moist air from infiltrating into it.

Car Interior

10. Park in the shade
Of course, a garage is always the ideal place to park your car. But if one isn't available, minimize interior damage from UV sunlight and heat by always trying to park your car in the shade. If no shade is available or if you find parking under a tree results in bird droppings, use a car shade to minimize the sun's impact. As a bonus, you'll have a cooler car to step into on hot sunny days. Car shades come in two basic types: those that you unfold and place on the front windshield and rear window, or pleated types that attach to the windshield posts (with adhesive), window frames (with Velcro), or the windows themselves (with suction cups).

11. Clean the inside, too
Vacuum and sponge your interior every time you wash your car. Dirt particles are abrasive, and spilled liquids, such as soda, can be corrosive.Vacuum your interior thoroughly with a powerful vacuum (small cordless models are generally too weak). Use the appropriate wand heads when vacuuming. The bare metal wand can mar and scratch surfaces. Sponge vinyl surfaces clean with a solution of mild detergent and water.

12. Clean dash gauges carefully
Use a soft damp cloth to lightly wipe dust from the clear plastic lenses on your dashboard. Too much pressure will scratch them. Too many scratches can make it difficult to read your gauges under certain lighting conditions.

13. Let floor mats take winter's beating
Use floor mats to protect carpeting. The best type for controlling salt, slush, and mud in winter are rubber waffle style mats. They stay in place, don't allow the water to seep through, and are easy to wash clean. Carpet-style mats are helpful, too. Shake, vacuum, or wash as needed; replace them as they wear through.

14. Blast mats with the hose
When washing your car, drag out the rubber or carpet floor mats and blast them with the hose.This will dislodge dirt particles that, if allowed to build up, will grind holes in your mats. Let the mats dry thoroughly in the sun before rein stalling them.

15. For stubborn carpet or mat stains
After vacuuming floor mats or interior carpeting, apply foam rug cleaner to resistant stains as directed by the maker. Work the foam into a few square feet at a time, using a wet sponge or brush. Vacuum when dry.

16. Preserve door and window seals
Wipe a rubber protectant (such as Armor-All) or silicone on door and window weatherstripping to keep it in good condition. Don't use an oil based product, such as WD-40, because the oil will damage the rubber. Regular cleaning and treatment of your car's weatherstripping will also lessen the likelihood of your door sticking to its rubber seal in cold weather, a common cause of damage to the rubber.

17. Fix bad weatherstripping immediately
If your weatherstripping is letting rainwater leak into the interior of your car, take a look at it and decide if you can repair it or if it needs to be replaced. Small leaks can be handled with brush-on seam sealers. Resecure loose sections, not otherwise damaged, with trim adhesive. Torn sections may be repaired with special caulking available at auto parts stores. You may also be able to extend the life of worn-but-intact sections by inserting foam rods, available at automotive stores, into the hollow section of the weatherstripping. If you decide to replace entire sections of gasket, don't simply buy generic stuff such as you'd use around the house. Buy a product that matches your car's original weatherstripping -- it's available in a wide variety of profiles from dealerships and automotive mail-order catalogues.

18. Keep leather from drying out and cracking
Leather cars seats are durable and don't require a lot of maintenance. After a few years, however, the seats can become soiled. Use a leather cleaner to remove dirt and stains.Then apply a leather protectant formulated for pigmented or top-coated grain leather (the leather used for most leather car upholstery). Protectants will resist stains and make the upholstery easier to clean in the future. Choose a protectant that includes conditioners to keep your leather supple.

19. Use upholstery cleaners on soiled seats
The same upholstery cleaners you use at home can be used on your car's upholstery. Use them sparingly, however, to avoid saturating the fabric. Use a clean cloth to wipe away the foam. On velour seats, brush the fibers gently to avoid matting them and to preserve the original texture of the fabric.

20. Renew fabric upholstery
Spraying fabric car seats and carpets with a fabric protectant, such as Scotchgard, will make them resist dirt and stains, and make them easier to clean. Thoroughly clean the fabrics before using one of these products and then test the product on an inconspicuous place to be sure the treatment will not discolor the fabric.

21. Place a towel under baby seats
All manner of food bits and liquids can accumulate under a baby seat, where they can permanently stain the upholstery. Place a sheet of heavy plastic and an absorbent towel under the seat to prevent damage, and re-secure the seat according to the manufacturer's directions.

Car Exterior

22. Protect car paint from the sun
Paint does more than make your vehicle look great. It's also the first line of defense against rusted body panels. Of course, the best way to protect the paint is to park the car in a garage. If that is not possible, park in the shade or purchase a car cover. The sun's ultraviolet rays break down paint and cause it to fade. Some car covers protect your car from more than sun, moisture, bird droppings, and dust -- they also have a thin layer of cushioning that will guard against light impact, such as from a tipped bicycle or small falling tree branch.

23. Touch up nicks sooner rather than later
Touch-up paint won't adhere well to rust. So be sure to keep some matching touch-up paint on hand so you can touch up any minor nicks, often found around door edges, before rust has a chance to form.

24. Tape saves light covers
A cracked taillight or turn-signal cover, if left alone, may allow your light compartment to fill with water and cause some real damage. A good short-term fix is to tape over the crack. Use the red or orange tape that's made for this purpose.You can purchase it at many automotive parts stores.

25. Avoid light fixture problems
When changing a bad bulb, clean dirty or corroded sockets with fine steel wool or a small wire brush.Wipe the socket clean of debris before installing the new light bulb.

26. Fix small windshield chips
Got a rock chip, crack, or ding in your windshield? Bring your car to a windshield repair shop. For far less cost than replacing the windshield, they can fix chips and cracks, even quite long ones. The repairs not only keep the chips and cracks from spreading and restore structural integrity, they also improve clarity.

27. Fill with washer fluid only
Don't add water to the windshield washer reservoir. It won't clean as well as washer fluid, and it may freeze in cold weather and damage the system. Don't try to run your windshield washer system once you suspect there's no more fluid in the tank, or you may damage the washer fluid pump.

28. Fix the washer fluid tank
Cracked washer-deicer fluid tanks are fairly common once a car is of a certain age. A good remedy -- until you can buy a new tank or find one at the junkyard -- is to insert a plastic freezer bag into the tank and fill it with the washer fluid.

29. Don't try to carry too much
Never exceed your car's roof load specifications or weight limits.You can find them in your vehicle owner's manual. Check the weight limitation of your roof rack as well. Typically the range is from 150 to 200 pounds (68 to 90 kg). That's the equivalent of eighteen 8-foot 2 x 4s (2.4-meter 38 x 89s) or three sheets of 3/4-inch (17-mm) plywood. If you have to deliver a heavy load from the home or garden center, consider having it delivered. It will save wear and tear on you as well as your car.

30. Keep an old blanket handy
Protect your car's roof from scratches with an old blanket before tying lumber, bicycles, or luggage to your roof rack.

31. Secure loads to avoid dents and scratches
The beginning of the end for the finish on many cars and trucks -- and for wagon and hatchback interiors for that matter -- is an improperly stowed load. Invest in the appropriate racks for bicycles, cargo, and luggage. A good trick to keep tall objects from sliding around in a pick-up truck bed is to use a shower curtain rod (or two) as a brace. Just push the cargo against the front wall of the truck bed and install the rod behind it. Twist to secure. Cargo nets will also help keep objects from banging around and damaging a truck bed.

32. Inspect wheel-well splashguards
These guards, however flimsy on many of today's cars, help keep water and winter's salty slush from splashing up into the engine compartment, where it can damage sensitive electrical components. Unfortunately, these guards tear off easily -- sometimes without the driver knowing it. Check for damage to these guards when you wash your car. Re-secure with the appropriate fasteners or replace as needed. As added protection from splashed-up muck, slush, and debris, install mud flaps (also called splash guards) on your vehicle.

33. Wash in winter, too
If you rarely wash your car during messy winter weather, you are not alone.The cars you see on the road make it obvious that lots of folks figure,"Why bother? The car is going to look awful the next time I drive it." The problem with this thinking is that washing is more important in the winter than other times of the year. All that sand, slush, and ice mixed with road salt is exactly what makes your car rust.The fastest corrosion occurs when the temperature repeatedly rises above and then falls below freezing. Especially during the messy months, be sure to rinse the undercarriage and hard-to-reach areas that are susceptible to rust, such as the bumpers and inside the wheel wells. If the temperature outside is going to stay above freezing long enough for your car and driveway to dry, fill a bucket with warm water and tackle the job at home. If not, pay a visit to your local car wash and be sure they dry the car thoroughly.

34. Wax to protect your car's paint job
No way around it! Waxing your car is work. But it's satisfying work that will help keep your car looking new. Car wax preserves paint by slowing oxidation and forming a barrier against bird droppings, sap, and pollution. Plus driving a nice shiny car is just plain fun.
Here's what to do to ensure the maximum in protection:
* Liquid and spray waxes are tempting to use -- they make the car shiny with less work than rubbing in paste wax. But there's still no beating paste wax for the hardest, longest-lasting finish. Look for paste with a high carnauba wax content.
* Apply a thin, even coat of wax to the car's surfaces with a damp sponge. Avoid applying too much, or it will be difficult to remove and some residue will inevitably mar your finish.
* To avoid fine scratches, use a clean, soft cotton or microfiber cloth to remove wax once it has dried.
* Apply an extra coat of wax to the nose and hood. The wax film in these areas wears away quickly.

35. Give your car a new skin
New self-adhering urethane films have been developed to protect the most vulnerable painted areas on your car from stone chips and other minor abrasions.You can wash and wax these surfaces, just as you would the rest of the paint job. While it's best to have these films professionally installed, you can peel them off yourself. One product is made by 3M, and you can learn more by going to 3m.com and searching for Scotchgard Paint Protection Film Solutions.

36. Don't let tools mar your car's finish
If you plan to service and make repairs to your car, invest in a fender cover. It drapes over your fender, providing a safe place to rest your tools without causing scratches. It will also prevent your belt buckle from marring your paint as you lean into the engine compartment to work.

Tires, Wheels, and Brakes

37. Keep the caps on
You step out into driveway ready to start your morning commute only to discover a flat tire. How in the heck did that happen overnight? If the tire valve is missing its cap, the culprit might be a leaky valve. Those little caps keep out dirt and moisture that can cause leaks, so be sure to keep caps on all your tire valves. Another tip: When you replace tires, remind the tire shop that you expect new valves with the tires.

38. Maintain proper inflation
Under-inflated tires are a tire salesman's best friend. They create excessive heat and stress that can lead to tire failure. If you want to get every last mile out of your tires, get yourself a tire pressure gauge and use it at least once a month (more in hot weather) to keep your tires inflated to the recommendation in the vehicle's owner's manual. Check tires when they are cold (driven for less than one mile) for an accurate reading.

39. Beware the wet thumb
If you top off your tires at a service station, check to see if there's moisture coming from the air pump. Simply depress the pin inside the inflator valve with your thumbnail. If your thumb gets wet, advise the station manager that his tanks need to be drained and go to a different station. Moisture, trapped inside a tire, can cause pressure variations and corrode rims.

40. Check for uneven wear
Check tires for uneven wear. If you've maintained tire inflation properly, uneven wear may indicate the need for a wheel realignment. It can also mean improperly operating brakes or shocks, a bent wheel, internal tire damage, or worn bushings.

41. Check tread for safety
Most states require tires to be replaced when they have worn down to 1/16-inch (1.5 mm) of remaining tire depth.Tires sold in North America are required to have "wear bars" molded into them to make it easy to see when tire replacement is legally required. However, if you'll be driving in the rain, you should change your tires when there is 1/8-inch (3 mm) of tread left. Otherwise, water may not escape from under your tires fast enough and you risk hydroplaning -- a dangerous situation in which your car loses traction and literally floats on the water. Stick an American quarter between the treads in several places. If part of Washington's head is always covered, you have enough tread to drive in the rain. If you drive in snow, you'll need at least 3/16-inch (5 mm) of tread to get adequate traction. Stick an American penny between the treads. If the top of the Lincoln Memorial is always covered, you're ready for winter driving.

42. Rotate your tires
Rotating your tires helps to distribute tire wear evenly and ensures that you'll get the maximum road life out of them. The first rotation is especially important.Your owner's manual should specify both rotation period and pattern. If not, rotate your tires every 6,000 to 7,500 miles (9,700 to 12,000 km) -- your tire dealer should know the correct pattern of tire rotation.

43. When temperatures affect tire inflation
When outside temperatures drop or soar, tires tend to lose pressure. A drop of 10 degrees F (6 degrees C), in fact, will decrease a tire's air pressure by 1 or 2 pounds.Tires can lose even more air in hot weather. Under-inflated tires can result in accelerated wear and poor driving performance. If you live in a place where temperatures vary a lot, check your tire pressure often and add air as needed.

44. Buy used tires
If you own a car that you plan to drive only for another year, the last thing you want to do is to buy a new set of tires. If it's time to replace those tires though, it's really time. Rather than hesitate, buy a set of used tires. Call local tire dealers to see what's available. You'll be surprised by how much wear is left in tires that are turned in by image-conscious car owners. Have your tire size handy.

45. Use wheel cleaner
Your car's wheels are down there on the road, taking the brunt of road dirt. Add in the dust that wears off your brake pads and you've got a formula for stains that are tough to remove when you wash your vehicle. Car-washing liquid won't do the job.You need a wheel cleaner specifically formulated to remove such stains. Be sure to buy the correct formulation. Some cleaners are designed for metal wheels, and others for painted or clear-coated wheels.The metal wheel cleaners come in various formulations as well, depending upon whether your metal wheel has a satin, aluminum, or chrome finish. Protect metal wheels with wheel polish, painted wheels with a coat of wax.

46. Lube your lug nuts
Lug nuts, if not lubricated occasionally, can seize or "freeze" to the studs due to corrosion. Repairing them can be expensive. Having to call a tow truck for a flat you can't remove is even more expensive.The next time you change or rotate your tires, pick up some anti-seize lubricant at your local auto supply store. Clean the stud threads with a wire brush and wipe them with the lubricant. It's formulated to prevent the lug nuts (spark plugs, too) from seizing and won't allow them to loosen as you drive, the way other lubricants might. If a lug nut does freeze to a stud, try spraying the nut and stud with WD-40 or Liquid Wrench. Allow it to penetrate for 10 or 20 minutes. Use a heat gun to apply heat.Then use a ratchet wrench to remove the lug.

47. Hang on to your hubcaps
Clang, clang, clang! There goes your hubcap,rolling off to destination unknown. Hubcaps, wheel covers, and center caps can pop off your car's wheels as you're driving if they were not reinstalled correctly, have loosened over time, or if they were damaged by being jammed against a curb while parking. Here are some things you can do to keep these expensive parts on the car:
* If your older metal hubcap has loosened, remove it and pry the metal clips outward slightly. This should fix the problem.
* Newer plastic-type hubcaps and some wheel covers are usually held in place by a retaining wire ring that snaps into tabs on the wheel. When installing such a cap or cover, take care that you do not bend or break the tabs.
* One way to make sure your expensive hubcaps aren't damaged by a repair shop is to remove them yourself before taking your car in for a repair that requires wheel removal, such as a brake job or new tires. When reinstalling hubcaps, rest the hubcap in place and then tap it gently with a rubber mallet. Don't hit the hubcap hard, or you might break the clips underneath. If you prefer to have your repair person remove the covers, check to make sure they were reinstalled properly.They should look even and flush.

48. Have wheel alignment checked
Have your car's wheel alignment checked every 30,000 miles (48,000 km), or as recommended in your owner's manual. Also have it checked after buying new tires and when you replace a rack-and-pinion steering unit or other steering parts. Improper tire alignment will shorten the life of your tires as well as cause poor handling. If your steering is stiffer than normal or the vehicle pulls to one side, you probably have an alignment problem.

49. Top off your brake fluid
Check brake fluid monthly.Wipe dirt from the master cylinder lid before you open it. If you need fluid, add the type recommended by your car's maker. Never substitute other fluids, such as transmission or power-steering fluid. And don't use brake fluid from a previously opened container. Once exposed to air, brake fluid absorbs moisture and contaminates easily.

50. Care for anti-lock brakes
An anti-lock brake system is sensitive to moisture, which can ruin the expensive ABS pump and rot the brake lines from the inside. Since brake fluid attracts moisture, it should be "bled" or purged at least every three years, or as specified in your owner's manual.

Car Engine and Other Systems

51. Check engine oil at every other fill-up
For an accurate reading, follow this procedure:
* Run or drive your car for about 15 minutes to warm the oil; then park the car in a level place.Turn off the engine and wait 15 minutes to allow the oil in the engine to drain back to the oil pan.
* Remove the dipstick and wipe it clean with a paper towel or rag. Reinsert the dipstick, being sure to push it in all the way, then pull it out again to check the oil level. It should be somewhere between the hash marks on the dipstick.
* Add the type and amount of oil as specified in your owner's manual, if necessary.

52. Change oil frequently
Your dad knew that frequent oil changes were key to keeping his Buick on the road another year. And while owner's manuals for today's cars recommend increasing long intervals between oil changes, the fact remains -- frequent changes flush abrasive dirt and metal particles out of the engine, prolonging its life. Most owner's manuals recommend a more frequent interval for "severe conditions." To maximize the life of your engine, follow the severe intervals recommendations, especially if drive regularly in stop-and-go traffic.

53. Avoid overfilling your crankcase with oil
Don't overfill your engine crankcase with oil. If you do, the oil can rise into the crankshaft, where air bubbles will get churned into the oil.Your oil pump can't do a good job of circulating oil with air bubbles. The result can be overheating and stress on engine components. Overfilling can also foul your sparkplugs. In fact, overfilling is a bad idea with all automotive fluids.

54. Wipe oil pan plug clean
If you do your own oil changes, clean the drain plug and washer with rags before reinstalling your oil pan. Some plugs are magnetized to trap metal particles.

55. Don't forget the filters
There are several filters (the main ones are oil, fuel, transmission, and air) important to preserving your car engine, and they should be changed according to the schedule in your owner's manual or as follows:
* Change the oil filter at least at every other oil change -- every change is even better because the old filter contains nearly a quart of dirty oil that will remain with the new, clean oil. If you change your oil yourself, wipe the filter threads with an anti-seize lubricant, available at auto supply stores.
* Check the air filter every two months and replace it when dirty or as part of a tune-up. Air filters are generally easier to get to than oil filters.You find them under the big metal lid in a carbureted engine or in a rectangular box in a fuelinjected engine -- check your owner's manual for the exact location. Extend the life of air filters by blowing them clean with compressed air.
* Despite claims by makers and dealers that some newer fuel filters never need changing, it's smart to have it done once a year. A clogged fuel filter will cause poor engine performance (hesitation and starting difficulties) and is an early warning that there may be corrosion in your gas tank.
* Change your transmission fluid filter after the first 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of driving and every 25,000 miles (40,000 km) or two year thereafter. (See "Maintain your transmission," at right.)

56. Don't forget the PCV valve
The PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) valve is an emissions control device on older cars -- check your service manual to see if your car has one.The valve recirculates partially burned gases from the engine's crankcase to the combustion chamber. Important to a properly functioning engine, the valve should be changed every 30,000 miles (48,000 km) or as specified in your owner's manual. In addition to helping you get the most from a tank of gasoline, it helps to prevent the buildup of harmful sludge and corrosion.When replacing your PCV valve, be sure you use the correct one or you may damage your engine.

57. Heavier is not always better
Use the oil viscosity grade that's recommended in your owner's manual for the temperature range you expect for the coming season. Lighter grades (lower viscosity, such as SAE 5W-30), often specified for today's smaller car engines, will deliver easier starts and better engine protection in winter and improved gas mileage throughout the year, thanks to less internal engine friction. Do not use a heavy grade of oil in cold winter climes or you will risk damage to your engine.

58. Maintain your transmission
Change automatic transmission fluid and filter after the first 5,000 miles (8,000 km) and after every 25,000 miles (40,000 km) or two years thereafter, or as recommended in your owner's manual. If you use your vehicle for towing, change the fluid and filter every year. For manual transmissions, change the lubricant (motor oil or gear oil, depending on the car) after the first 5,000 miles and after every 50,000 (80,000 km) thereafter. Use synthetic motor oil or gear lube for longer transmission life unless the manufacturer recommends otherwise.

59. Consider adding oil coolers
If you plan to do a lot of towing and your vehicle is not already equipped with coolers, consider having them added. Aftermarket engine oil and transmission fluid coolers are simple, low-cost addons that operate on the same principle as your car's radiator. The fluid flows through them, and many small fins absorb and dissipate heat. Cooler operating temperatures of engine oil and transmission fluid can add significantly to the life of your engine and transmission.

60. Spark plugs do need changing
The advent of electronic ignition and on-board computers has eliminated the need for regular tune-ups, but you still need to change your spark plugs. Many manufacturers recommend changing plugs every 30,000 or 40,000 miles (48,000 or 64,000 km) to ensure good fuel mileage and engine performance. Some new cars come with long-life plugs (sometimes called double platinum plugs) that can last for 100,000 miles (160,000 km). If your car isn't so equipped, make the switch after 30,000 miles. The extra cost is only a few dollars per spark plug. While you're at it, change your spark plug wires as well. Their typical life is 50,000 miles (80,000 km). Deteriorated wires can cause those high-tech new spark plugs to foul.

61. Avoid hose hassles
Check the hoses under your hood every month or two to avoid the hassle of a broken hose while you're on the road. With the car cool and off, squeeze the hoses. If they are hard or make a crunching sound, replace them. Ditto if they are extremely soft or sticky.With the car warm but off, examine hoses for bulges and collapsed sections. If you find any, the hose walls are weak, and it's time to replace the hose. Never drive with a ruptured coolant hose, or you are liable to overheat the engine and damage it. Other hoses are crucial to operation of your power brakes and cruise-control systems.

62. Test drive-belt tension
Check the tension and condition of your drive belt (or, with many cars, multiple belts) every month. Belts that are too tight can wear out the bearings in accessory components, such as AC compressor, water pump, and power-steering pump. Belts that are too loose will wear out faster and may fail prematurely. Perform your examination before you start the car to avoid injury due to a hot belt or moving engine part. Check for tension by pressing in the center of the belt's longest exposed run while holding a ruler next to it. If you can depress the belt 1/ 2 to 1 inch (13 to 25 mm), but not more or less, the tension is good. If not, adjust the belt tension yourself according to your car's service manual, or have your dealer or auto repair service do it. Also check for belt damage, such as glazing (often due to oil leakage), fraying, and cracks. If you spot damage, have the belt checked by a pro and replaced if necessary.

63. Don't forget the timing belt
On many cars, it's the belt you can't see that is the most critical. If your manual says, as many do, that you should replace the timing belt at 50,000 miiles, do it! A failed timing belt can, depending on engine type, cause thousands of dollars worth of damage to your engine.

64. Clean your engine
There are several reasons to wash your engine at least every year or two. A clean engine will run cooler than a dirty one. You'll be more apt to tackle routine belt and hose checks and the like if you know you won't get covered with grime every time you do so. A clean engine will also make it much easier to spot leaks and to service components. Remember to protect sensitive engine components -- including the air intake, distributor, and electrical parts -- with plastic bags before getting started. Use dishwashing liquid or other grease-cutting detergents and a bristle brush to scrub engine and components surfaces. Rinse thoroughly. Heavy-duty engine cleaning products are available at automotive parts stores. Follow the directions carefully.You may also have your engine professionally steam cleaned.

AC, Car Battery and More

65. Run your AC in winter
To keep your car's air-conditioning system fit for the next warm season, run it a few times throughout the winter. This will prevent moving parts in the compressor from seizing. Also, circulating the refrigerant will help keep the seals soft and pliant.

66. Maintain your car's battery
Maybe the manufacturer says your battery is maintenancefree, but don't you believe it! Check your battery regularly to extend its life and avoid the hassle of being stranded with a dead battery.
* Begin with the simple: keeping your battery clean. A dirty case can actually cause current to drain.Wipe with a damp rag. Use a mild detergent if necessary.
* Next, clean the battery posts or terminals. Loosen and remove the negative cable (black or minus sign) first, then the red positive cable. Use a brass wire battery brush dipped in a paste made from a few tablespoons of baking soda and a little water.
* Inspect the battery case for damage, such as cracks or bulges -- signs that a battery needs to be replaced.
* Reinstall the cables, positive first, and coat the terminals and clamps with a thin coating of grease to prevent new corrosion.

67. Some batteries need water
If your battery has vent caps, remove them to check the level of the electrolyte. It should rise 1/2 inch (13 mm) above the battery's top plates. If it doesn't, use distilled water to raise the level to 1/4 or 3/8 inch (6 or 10 mm) below the bottom of the vent cap. Don't use tap water, as it may contain minerals that can damage your battery. Mechanics should check your battery as a part of your regularly scheduled maintenance, but they often skip the procedure. Be sure to ask to have it done.

68. Be kind to your battery
If you inadvertently leave your lights on and drain your battery, take the following precautions to prevent damage to the battery and the starter when jump-starting your car:
* Don't risk causing the battery to explode. With both cars off, connect a positive cable end to the positive battery terminal of the dead battery.
* Connect the other positive cable end to the positive terminal of the source battery.
* Connect a negative cable end to the negative terminal of the source battery.
* Attach the remaining negative cable to unpainted metal on the car engine (as far from the dead battery as possible).
* Wait a few minutes and try to start the disabled car. If it doesn't start, start the source car and then try starting the dead one again.
* When the car starts, be careful to disconnect the cables in the reverse order.
* If the car still doesn't start, don't keep trying to charge it or you are liable to damage the starter. Bring the battery to an automotive shop to see if it can be recharged.
* Even if you're successful, ensure a full recharge by hooking up the battery to a charger overnight or by driving the car for 5 or 10 miles (8 to 16 km).

69. Seal a leaky radiator
Save the high expense of a new radiator by trying to seal a leak with a radiator sealer, such as Alumaseal from Gold Eagle Co. Available in powder or liquid form, the product circulates in the radiator until it gets to the hole, where it sets up and fills the hole upon contact with the air. Alumaseal may be used to stop heater core leaks as well.

70. Dilute your coolant
Your cooling system needs both coolant- antifreeze and water, so don't pour undiluted coolant into your cooling system. Dilute it with water to the commonly recommended 50-50 ratio. Similarly, don't use straight water in your system either.The coolant protects against corrosion and freezing.The water ensures good heat transfer from the coolant to the radiator.

71. Keep your cool
Check the coolant-antifreeze level weekly that shows on the translucent coolant-antifreeze overflow tank. If low, fill to the maximum fill mark on the tank with a 50-50 solution of coolant-antifreeze and water. Some coolant manufacturers now sell premixed coolant and water for the motorist who wants a quick and easy way to top off.

72. Don't forget to flush
Coolant-antifreeze eventually degrades and becomes contaminated. Flush it from your cooling system as recommended in your manual (typically every two years; every five years for newer coolants). Failing to do so can damage your radiator, clog your heater core, and cause the thermostat and water pump to fail.

73. Don't mix coolants
Avoid mixing coolants that are different in color. If your coolant is pink, don't add a green formulation to it. Otherwise, you'll end up with a thick solution that won't do its job. Use only the coolant specified in your owner's manual.

74. Check power-steering fluid
Check the power-steering fluid once a month with the car warmed up. If the level is low, have the hoses and pump inspected for leaks. In addition to making your car difficult to steer, low power-steering fluid will damage the power-steering pump. Be sure to use the power steering fluid recommended for you car.

Source:
http://www.readersdigeststore.com/

Top 10 Health Tips for Men

2013-03-03T13:50:00.001+05:30

Top 10 Health Tips for Men

When it comes to health care, we men are like ostriches. We bury our heads in the sand. We are much less likely than women to visit our doctors regularly, take symptoms seriously and live a healthful lifestyle. Maybe that’s one reason why women have a seven-year average survival advantage on us!
Yet it’s obviously important that men of all ages become more proactive about their health. And an easy way to start is to follow these 10 basic steps to maintaining health and vitality.

1. Eliminate "White Foods" from Your Diet. White flour, white sugar and other processed foods are not only devoid of vitamins and minerals, but they’ve also been stripped of their natural fibre. As a result, they rapidly drive up blood sugar levels, which contributes to weight gain, diabetes and a host of other health problems. Avoid breads and baked goods made with white flour, sugar-laden sodas and snack foods. Instead, focus on eating fibre-rich fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains.

2. Stay Away from Dangerous Trans Fats. While it’s important to reduce your overall fat intake, it’s even more important to watch the types of fat you eat. Deep-fried foods and anything made with hydrogenated oils (margarine, peanut butter, shortening, store-bought pastries and cookies) contain trans fats that raise your risk of heart disease. Eat only healthful fats, such as olive oil and the omega-3 oils found in salmon and other cold-water fish, which actually protect against heart disease.

3. Take a Potent Daily Multivitamin and Mineral Supplement. Although there is no substitute for a good diet, I am convinced that for optimal nutrition, you need to take a high-potency multivitamin and mineral supplement. Even if you are eating right, it’s unlikely that your food contains all the nutrients you need. Poor soil quality, storage, processing and cooking deplete our food of vitamins and minerals. Taking a high quality daily supplement is "health insurance" against possible deficiencies.

4. Include Weight Training in Your Exercise Routine. Aerobic exercise is great for cardiovascular conditioning, but it’s vastly inferior to weight training in attacking the "flab factor." Recent research has shown that as little as once-weekly resistance exercise can improve muscle strength. Even the busiest or laziest among us can find the time and energy for that. Join a gym, consult a personal trainer or ask an experienced friend to show you the ropes.

5. Maintain Your Optimal Weight. Current statistics suggest that half of us are losing the battle of the bulge, but maintaining a healthy weight is one of the best things you can do for yourself. You’ll look better, feel better and reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and other major killers. I know this is easier said than done, but if you just follow the four steps above, you’ll be well on your way.

6. Drink Alcohol Only in Moderation. You’ve probably heard of the "French Paradox," and that drinking wine protects against heart disease. Repeated studies have shown that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol (all kinds) protects not only against heart disease, but also lowers risk of death from all causes. Remember that moderation is key. While one to two drinks a day are protective, excess alcohol consumption is devastating to health. And for some, one drink is too many.

7. Protect Your Prostate. Around the age of 40, the prostate gland begins a growth spurt that results in symptoms such as frequent nighttime urination. The good news is that this condition, known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, can be prevented or reversed by taking extracts of two herbs: saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) and pygeum (Pygeum africanum). Dozens of studies have shown that these herbs work in improving urinary flow without adverse side-effects. Suggested doses are 160 to 320 milligrams of saw palmetto and 40 to 80 mg of pygeum daily.

8. Reduce .Your Risk of Prostate Cancer. Experts estimate that 80 per cent of all cancers can be prevented by making healthy lifestyle choices. Avoid saturated and trans fats, which may fuel prostate cancer growth, and incorporate protective foods, such as soy, green tea and tomatoes, into your diet. Soy contains isoflavones with specific anti-cancer activity. Green tea is rich in polyphenols that inhibit the formation of cancer-causing compounds and block the growth of prostate cancer cells. And tomatoes, particularly cooked tomato products, are an excellent source of lycopene, which is linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer. In addition, make sure your daily nutritional supplement contains high doses of the antioxidant selenium (200 micrograms) and vitamin E (800 IU), which have been shown to dramatically lower the risk of prostate cancer.

9. Maintain Vigorous Sexual Function. Most cases of erectile dysfunction (impotence) have a physical cause: You’re just not getting enough blood to the area in question. To improve overall circulation, follow the diet, exercise and supplement recommendations above. If you’re taking drugs, review them with your doctor, as many can worsen erectile function and impair libido. Smoking also significantly impairs erectile function. Several herbs have been shown to improve sexual function. Ginkgo biloba increases blood flow to the penis, and Panax ginseng, oats, horny goat weed, maca and seroctin improve libido.

10. Maintain Close Relationships. Another thing women seem to do better than men is maintain close relationships. Make a point to strengthen ties with your family and friends. Volunteer work, religious ties, even pets–anything that keeps you involved with others–reduces stress and enhances health.

Take charge of your health by incorporating these 10 steps into your life. The rewards of optimal health and well-being will be well worth your efforts.

Men’s Longevity "To Do" List

1. Eliminate "white foods" from your diet.
2. Stay away from dangerous trans fats.
3. Take a daily vitamin-mineral supplement.
4. Incorporate weight training in your exercise routine.
5. Maintain your optimal weight.
6. Drink alcohol only in moderation.
7. Protect your prostate.
8. Reduce your risk of prostate cancer.
9. Maintain vigorous sexual function.
10. Maintain close relationships.

Funny Computer Pranks 50 in 1 - AIO

2013-03-03T12:19:00.002+05:30

Funny Computer Pranks 50 in 1 - AIO

The products listed here were not designed in any way to damage the end user's machine, and have been written for entertainment purposes only.
Warning!!! These pranks may be detected by an antivirus as a joke or malicious program!!!
Examples:
Add/Remove v1.00
Pretends to remove all of the software from your machine using the standard Windows

Add/Remove Programs.
Add/Remove is a prank program that makes it appear that all of your software on your computer is being removed using the Windows Add/Remove Program feature. This gag is so real, it will shock the most experienced user. If you are looking for a great gag to play on someone, this prank is a must download. It is so realistic, because it displays all of the software that is installed on the computer it is ran from. When you first run Add/Remove there is no other option but OK, and as soon as you click on that the fun begins.
Random Burper v1.00
This hidden software will randomly play disgusting burp sounds every minute.
Random Burper is just that, a hidden software program that will play gross burp sounds randomly every minute until closed. There are many different burp sounds that our software has to choose from, listen long enough and you might even hear a small fart. Our software has an added feature of turning the internal Windows volume to maximum just before burping, then restoring it back to the original settings. Place Random Burper on an unsuspecting office worker and watch them become red with embarrassment. This is a must have prank to play on that conservative worker in your office.

The products included here were not designed in any way to damage the end users machine, and have been written for entertainment purposes only.
01- AddRemove v1.00
02- Avoid v1.01
03- Back Pack Prank
04- Blue Screen of Death Prank
05- Bomb v1.02
06- Buttons Prank
07- Click Me v1.01
08- ClickStart v1.00
09- Clippy v1.00
10- Copy Cursor v1.00
11- Crazy Num Caps Scroll v1.04
12- Cursor Fun v1.01
13- Dirty Mouse v1.00
14- DownHoax v1.02
15- Email Fun v1.00
16- Enhance Your Mouse Prank
17- Exit P Prank
18- Fake Delete v3.05
19- Fake Format v1.05
20- Fake Shutdown v1.00
21- Fake Start Menu 95 v1.00
22- Flasher v1.00
23- Flip It v1.00
24- Floppy Madness v1.00
25- Follow Me v1.00
26- Gas Gripe v1.00
27- HeadAche v1.01
28- Image Capture Prank
29- IQ Test Prank
30- Message Manager Lite v1.06
31- Mouse Droppings v1.00
32- Mouse Move v1.00
33- MouseClicks v1.00
34- Password Prank v1.00
35- Pirated Software v1.00
36- Popup Prank v1.00
37- Print Me v1.00
38- Program - WAV Launcher v1.07
39- Random Burper v1.00
40- Relationship Test Prank
41- ReplaceKeys v1.00
42- Rotate v1.00
43- Screen Screw v1.00
44- Shakedown v1.00
45- Show - Hide Desktop v1.00
46- Swap Mouse Buttons Prank
47- The Finger v1.01
48- Time Traveler v1.00
49- Windows Wordpad Prank
50- Y2K Joke v2.00

Installation
Unpack, Use
Enjoy
http://www.mediafire.com/?dctzetx9grf16lq

Some Appetizing Drinks

2013-02-03T12:38:00.004+05:30

Some Appetizing Drinks

General Tips for Serving Drinks
1. Stemware - Anything seems more appetizing in a cocktail glass
2. Garnish - Add a slice of lemon or sugar to the rim of a glass to add some style
3. Finish - Serve with a seasonal napkin or an appetizer for even more appeal

A). Cranberry Sparkle
Garnishing this drink with a mint leaf will, without a doubt, attract repeat business!
Ingredients:
1/3 cup 100% cranberry juice Sugar
1/4 cup passion fruit juice
1/4 cup soda water
Squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice
Mint leaf (optional)

Directions:
1.Pour 1/3 cup cranberry juice into pitcher
2.Sweeten lightly with sugar (to taste)
3.Add 1/4 cup passion fruit juice and 1/4 cup soda water
4.Squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice
5.Place a halved slice of lemon or lime on the rim of the glass and insert a mint leaf into the slice.

B).Shirley Temple
The Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii, claims to have invented the Shirley Temple (also known as a Grenadine Lemonade) cocktail in the 1930s. It was named for the famous child actress Shirley Temple, who often visited the hotel.

Ingredients:
Crushed ice
3/4 cup ginger ale
1 1/2 teaspoons grenadine
Orange slice
Maraschino cherry

Directions:
1.Pour ginger ale over crushed ice
2.Top with grenadine
3.Garnish with an orange slice and cherry
For a Roy Rogers (another classic non-alcoholic drink), substitute caffeine-free pop for the ginger ale.

C). Virgin Mary
A non-alcoholic version of the Bloody Mary, also known as a Bloody Shame in England and Australia.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup tomato juice
1/3 cup cranberry juice
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
1 teaspoon lime juice
Ground pepper
Celery stick

Directions:
1.Pour all ingredients over crushed ice
2.Stir to combine flavours
3.Garnish with a celery stick
Substitute a cilantro sprig, lime wedge or pickle for the celery stick.

D). Winter Warmer
The cinnamon stick in this cocktail is a friendly reminder of the holiday season.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup pear nectar
1/4 cup cranberry juice
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Lemon
Cinnamon stick

Directions:
1.Pour the pear nectar, cranberry juice, and lemon juice over crushed ice
2.Empty into a glass
3.Place a lemon slice on a cinnamon stick and add to the glass.

E). Virgin Margarita
A great way to cool o!in the summer!
Ingredients:
1/3 cup sweet and sour mix
1/8 cup lime juice
1/8 cup orange juice

Directions:
1.Combine ingredients and pour over crushed ice.

F). Soda Shop Cola
Soda Shop Cola is a delicious cherry flavoured cola drink.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup cola
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 teaspoon cherry juice
Lemon

Directions:
1.Fill glass with ice
2.Add cherry juice and vanilla extract
3.Top with cola and lemon slice.

G). Coco Colada
A Coco Colada (or virgin Pina Colada) is a non-alcoholic version of the Frozen Piña Colada. This refreshing blended mocktail is perfect for summer afternoons.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup piña colada mix
Orange

Directions:
1.In a blender, add 1/2 cup ice, pineapple juice
and piña colada mix
2.Blend until slushy and pour in to glass
3.Top with an orange wheel

H). Cardinal Punch
Ingredients:
1/4 cup cranberry juice
1/4 cup ginger ale
1/8 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Orange and lemon

Directions:
1.Add all juices into a glass half filled with ice and ginger ale
2.Add a slice of orange and lemon to decorate

Top Ten Tweaks in MS Windows 7

2013-01-17T17:13:00.000+05:30

Top Ten Tweaks in MS Windows 7

In the sense of this topic and my belief, "tweaking" is doing something to make Windows work better, either by changing the "safe default" to something that utilizes the hardware more, turning some component on or, most frequently, turning some unwanted component off and or/deleting files/reg entries.

While with OS-es up to XP I could get the job (of clean install + updates+ installing few most needed programs + calming down) done in 3 days, with 7 I'm satisfied and confident in the OS installation only after 3 weeks or more. Of course, that time will go down with experience, but it will never approach the time XP requires.

So here goes my list, from best to "less best, but still pretty good":

1. Install SSD - OK, I break my criterium with the first item, but I think it absolutely made most difference - on a 5400 laptop HDD, Windows 7 was unbearable, but even on a crappy first gen SSD it can be lived with. Other tweaks help, but this is the biggest quantum leap.

2. Use "Install Wim Tweak" / "DISM remove components" (Also pre-install "liters", of which I use Windows 7 Toolkit) - a great help to speed up cleaning, but of course, even though some dependencies are mapped, we're still a long way from a "safe" preset or list for everyone.

3. Turn off "Startup Event Trace Sessions" in "Computer Management -> performance -> Data Collector Sets" - The speeedup is noticeable immediately (OK, after reboot), at the expense of losing functionality that might or might not be needed.

4. Remove unneeded foreign language fonts - yeah, it still makes a big difference.

5. With the help of Sysinternals Autoruns and/or Nirsoft's ActiveXHelper, FileTypesMan, MimeView, RegDllView, ShellExtensionsView remove unnecessary things (Now you know why it takes me weeks to complete this.

6. Tweak services, of course.

7 Turn off IPv6 protocols (they are still not widely used today, but it might be needed someday). I noticed some speedup (maybe it's all in my head?).

8. Take ownership of files/reg keys - not a tweak in itself , but a skill that every Win7 tweaker must learn.

9. Plain old Reg tweaks - I can't really single out one or few that is/are most important and made most of the difference because there are simply too many of them (my XP tweaks folder is 300 KB, the new one for 7 is addidional 150 KB on top of that - many of the old ones still apply).

10 Boot tracing with Process Monitor - it's not the tracing that is important, it's deciphering and hunting for the undocumented registry entries that's fun for me. I strongly believe that it's better to "tell" windows what you want - leaving registry entries unpopulated is simply not an option for me. Of course, you have to find the default, which is not always easy to do or obvious, but it is still rewarding IMO.So, that's it. I hope this will bring some useful discussion.

The 10 Commandments of the Mafia

2013-01-15T09:42:00.004+05:30

The 10 Commandments of the Mafia

Hierarchy of a Cosa Nostra clan.

The Italian mafia was founded in Italy in the 1800's, originally as a group of resistance fighters. Their power grew and evolved over time into the idea of organized crime that it is today. The Italian mafia, as it operates in Italy is still very powerful. The traditional organized crime syndicate relied on muscle, direct threat, fear, ignorance and overt acts of violence to achieve its goals. People are not as ignorant today and are more aware of organized crime. Has organized crime declined, or is it just hiding behind the Armani and a well-paid team of lawyers? Today's organized crime has become more "respectable" in that it is more subtle and works the system to its advantage. They are also taking advantage of technology.

1. No one can present himself directly to another of our friends. There must be a third person to do it.
Don't go around telling you're in the organization, idiot. If you have a "friend" who knows another "friend" then it's ok; secrecy.

2. Never look at the wives of friends.
Business is business, don't mess personal life with it, hmkay?

3. Never be seen with cops.
It's not fashionable for a gentleman of our kind, you see.

4. Don't go to pubs and clubs.
Don't complain about your job when you're drunk. At least don't do it in public, moron.

5. Always being available for Cosa Nostra is a duty - even if your wife is about to give birth.
We support your family by giving you a job. You're on duty, whenever we want.

6. Appointments must be absolutely respected.
And you won't have another interview, understood?

7. Wives must be treated with respect.
Business is men's stuff. You are free to "complain" to your business counterpart but don't touch his family. Actually this has changed since bosses wifes started to take control of the "family business" while husbands are in prison.

8. When asked for any information, the answer must be the truth.
If we are asking, that is.

9. Money cannot be appropriated if it belongs to others or to other families.
Our "friends" and affiliated groups (families). We don't want to mess with each other, right? It's more profitable to mess with others.

10. People Who Can't Be Part of Cosa Nostra:
- Anyone who has a close relative in the police.
- Anyone with a two-timing relative in the family.
(two-timing as traitor, giving information to the authorities etc)
- Anyone who behaves badly and doesn't hold to moral values
(respect to the organization and its values)
Check the army/police requirements; pretty much the same applies to any organized armed group.

(Note: When the word "family" is referenced, it means the Mafia family.)

Pie Tips

2013-01-06T18:28:00.005+05:30

Pie Tips

There are tricks to making perfect pie crusts. The first is maintaining the correct balance of ingredients and the second is temperature.Pie crusts are a mixture of flour, fat, and water. The best recipes seem to have a common ratio of these ingredients: 1/4 cup water to 1/2 cup fat to 2 1/2 cups flour. (The flour should be measured by spooning the flour into the measure, not scooping it. Scooping packs the flour and overloads the formula.) Add a teaspoon of salt and you have a recipe for a double crust.

1. Apple pie has better flavor ifa little salt is sprinkled on the apples before the top crust is put in place.
2. Fruit pies can be frozen unbaked or baked, but the former is preferred as the crust will be more tender and the fruit flavour will be true.
3. When freezing an unbaked pie, add an additional tablespoon of thickener to absorb the extra juices. If it is a closed double crust pie, do not put the vents in the top crust. Use freezer wrap.
4. When baking a frozen pie, do not thaw. Cut the vents in the top crust and bake at 350 F for approximately 20 minutes more than required in the recipe.
5. When freezing a baked fruit pie, cool and use freezer wrap. When it comes time to bake, thaw for an hour and then bake at 350 F for 30 minutes, then reduce heat if overbrowning and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.
6. For a flaky pie crust, add creamor milk instead of water.
7. Store your rolling pin in the freezer. A frozen rolling pin makes rolling out pastry dough much easier.
8. Avoid soggy crusts by:

rubbing the bottom of the pie plate with butter before adding the dough.
sprinkling a small amount of sugar overthe crust before adding the filling.
sprinkling breadcrumbs on the crust before adding the filling.
brushing the pie crust with egg white, followed by a light sprinkling of flour.

9. Sprinkle buttermilk pancake mix on the counter top before rolling out pastry dough. It will make a tastier pie crust.
10. Pie crust is flakier if the dough is made and stored in the refrigerator for 1 day prior to use.
11. If you preheat your oven to 475 F, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 F for baking, you'll prevent the shell from shrinking.
12. Meringue will not shrink during baking if it is touching the edges of the piecrust.

Household Hints

2013-01-03T00:13:00.001+05:30

Household Hints

1. Spray plastic food containers with non-stick cooking spray to prevent tomato based products like paste or sauce from staining.
2. If your oven racks no longer slide in and out easily, rub the outer edge of the rack with petroleum jelly.
3. To brighten copper pots that have become blackened over open flames, use a mixture of salt and lemon juice and then rinse with tepid water.
4. Turn the lid from a shoe box upside down and set your toaster in it to prevent crumbs from scattering over your kitchen counter. You can cover the lid with a decorative adhesive or wall paper to match your kitchen decor.
5. Remove burned on food from baking dishes by applying a liberal amount of baking soda to the burnt food, then cover with water. Let sit for a few hours, and wipe clean.
6. For an inexpensive copper cleaner, mix 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
7. Use a paste made from baking soda and water to remove coffee and tea stains from china or porcelain.
8. A box of baking soda in the refrigerator or freezer takes away odors and keeps them fresh. Replace box about every two months.
9. Don't throw out "old " baking soda. Use it to refresh sink drains and old garbage cans. Pour in the baking soda, then rinse with hot water.
10.Make silver polish with 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Rub into silver with a clean cloth. Rinse thoroughly and dry with a soft clean cloth.
11.Place a piece of chalk in your silver chest to prevent tarnishing.
12.Rust marks on linoleum can be removed with lemon juice.
13.A paste made of salt and olive oil will remove heat rings from furniture. Apply this to the ring and allow to stand for at least one hour.
14.Use a drop of baby oil to add shine to a stainless steel sink or chrome appliances.
15.Use ketchup to clean copper. Rub it on, then rinse off the residue with warm soapy water.
16.To remove crayon marks from walls and painted furniture, sprinkle baking soda on a damp cloth and rub gently. Wipe dry.
17.Attach a stick-on air freshener to one of the blades on your ceiling fan. Turn the fan on to a low setting, to circulate the fragrance.
18.Try rubbing furniture polish on the top of your ceiling fan blades to minimize dust from settling on these hard to reach places.
19.To remove the smell of cigarette smoke or cigar smoke from a room within minutes, dip a small towel in equal amounts of vinegar and water. Ring out the towel and wave it around the room.
20.Pour a small amount of clean fine sand-like cat litter into ashtrays to extinguish cigars and cigarettes quickly. Clean-up will be easier and odors will be reduced.

Health, Beauty, & First Aid Tips

2012-12-30T00:43:00.002+05:30

Health, Beauty, & First Aid Tips

1. Use coffee filters to clean eyeglasses. They will not scratch.
2. To keep eyeglasses from slipping, dab a little deodorant on the bridge of your nose.
3. Make your own antacid with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in a glass of water.
4. To make rough skin soft, use the white of an egg. Just rub a little into the skin at bedtime and wash off in the morning.
5. Make your skin silky soft by adding 1/2 cup of baking soda to your bath water.
6. Make your own facial with equal amounts of milk and honey, along with enough cornstarch to make a paste. Apply to your face for 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water.
7. Highlight brown or red hair by rinsing with coffee.
8. Prevent split ends by treating hair with 1 tablespoon of honey and 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Warm the mixture and rub into hair. Soak a towel in hot water, wring it out and wrap hair for 20 minutes. Shampoo and rinse.
9. Remove paint from your hair with a small amount of baby oil, then wash as usual.
10.Make your own bubble bath with 2 cups of corn oil, 3 tablespoons of shampoo and a small amount of perfume. Mix in a blender at high speed.
11. Soothe those tired, aching feet with a foot soak made from 3 tablespoons of baking soda in a basin of warm water.
12. Use vegetable oil to soften skin before removing a splinter.
13. Use corn oil to remove oil-based paint from your skin.
14. Apply a small amount of white glue over a splinter wound. Let it dry, then remove it. The splinter should stick to the glue.
15. Ease the pain of a grease burn with vanilla extract.
16. To ease the pain of a burn, apply the white of an egg to the affected area. The egg white acts as a cooling gel and will "set" over the burn, until you can get medical attention.
17. Use a small amount of toothpaste to relieve the itch of a mosquito bite.
18. Use toothpaste to remove stubborn smells like onion or fish from your hands.
19. Joggers can prevent chafing of the inner thighs and upper arms by slathering them in petroleum jelly.
20. To stop the pain of a bee sting, cover the sting with a paste made from 1/4 teaspoon meat tenderizer and enough water (1 - 2 teaspoons) to make a paste.
21. Relieve the itch of insect bites with 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Apply to the affected area and let dry.
22. To ease the pain of a sunburn, make a paste with cornstarch and water and apply to the affected area.
23. To ease the removal of an adhesive bandage, use a hair dryer on a low to medium setting to soften the adhesive.
24. Add 1/8 teaspoon of dried ginger to a cup of hot water for a soothing drink to settle an upset stomach.
25. To ease the discomfort of a cough due to a cold, dissolve 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in a 6-8 ounce glass of warm water and sip.
26. For a quick and effective heat or ice pack, fill an old sock with uncooked rice. Secure the end and place the sock in the freezer or microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. If you heat it be sure to allow it to cool before applying to the skin.

Cookie Tips

2012-12-27T12:17:00.001+05:30

Cookie Tips

1. It is best to use unsalted butter or to reduce the amount of salt in the recipe.
2. Have all the ingredients at room temperature.
3. Cookie sheets should fit in the oven with at least 2 inches around all sides (including between the sheets) so there is good air circulation. Otherwise, the bottom of the cookies will burn before the tops have baked.
4. It's better to place cookie dough on a cool pan rather than a warm one, as the dough will melt and affect the shape of the cookies.
5. Always remove cookies immediately with a spatula and let them cool on racks, unless the recipe says to cool the cookies on the cookie sheets.
6. Always store crisp cookies in airtight containers. Moist cookies tend to become soggy if stored in airtight containers.
7. For some recipes, a fine sprinkling of sugar over the top of the cookie is required. An easy way of achieving an even coating is to put the sugar in a small fine screen strainer and shake it over the cookies.
8. If you sprinkle a layer of white sugar in the bottom of the cookie jar, cookies will stay fresh and crisp for a longer period of time.
9. Use leftover frozen juice containers to store refrigerator cookie dough. It will give you a perfectly uniform shape for slicing.

Bathroom Tips

2012-12-27T10:48:00.000+05:30

Bathroom Tips

1. To remove toilet bowl stains, sprinkle orange juice crystals in the toilet bowl and leave for a couple of hours. It will remove the stain and leave a clean fresh fragrance.
2. Use denture cleaning tablets to clean toilets. Drop one in the bowl and let it sit over night. Flush it away in the morning.
3. Soak vinyl shower curtains in salt water to prevent mildew.
4. Use old pantyhose to clean bathtub rings.
5. Used dryer sheets are great for polishing chrome bathroom fixtures.
6. Pit a piece of steel wool soap pad in your bathroom or shower drain to catch hair.
7. White vinegar applied with a damp sponge will remove soap scum from shower doors or tiled walls.
8. Use liquid fabric softener on a sponge or cloth to remove water stains and restore
the shine to bathroom sink and tub fixtures.

Top 18 Baking Tips

2012-12-27T09:08:00.000+05:30

Top 18 Baking Tips

1. Remember when shopping read labels carefully. Anything ending in "ose" is a sugar.
2. Always remember, too much baking powder is just as disastrous in baking as too little. Try to be exact.
3. For lighter and faster rising dough and batters, substitute the liquid from the recipe with powdered milk and water.
4. Spray your counter top with non-stick cooking spray before rolling out dough to prevent sticking of dough.
5. Storing plastic wrap in the fridge prevents it from sticking together and makes it easier to tear.
6. When making icing, try creaming with shortening instead of butter and add a few drops of vinegar. The icing will not harden and will be easy to cut.
7. Test baking soda for freshness by adding a spoonful of soda to a cup of vinegar or lemon juice. If it "fizzes" it's still active.
8. If you forgot to grease your baking pan, place a damp cloth beneath it for a few minutes then the baked item can be easily removed.
9. To keep muffin papers in place while you fill them, rub the bottom of the muffin tin cups with shortening before you put the papers in place.
10. Use an ice cream scoop to pour muffin batter into muffin cups. This will ensure all muffins are uniform in size.
11. Make a quick and easy whipped topping by adding a sliced banana to one beaten egg white. Beat the two together until mixture is stiff.
12. For fluffier whipped cream, add a teaspoon of honey as you whip, followed by a little icing sugar.
13. Glass and ceramic baking dishes retain heat better, allowing you to reduce oven temperature by up to 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
14. To keep the crust from getting too hard when baking bread or dark fruit cake, place a small dish of water in the oven while cooking.
15. When baking a milk pudding, place the dish in a pan of water in the oven to prevent the pudding from burning or boiling over.
16. An entire batch of bread dough can be frozen to be baked at a later date. Mix the dough, wrap and freeze or let it rise once, punch it down and then wrap and freeze. When it thaws, put it in bread pans for the second rise and then bake.
17. To give dinner rolls and buns that "just baked" freshness, fill a brown paper bag with water, then pour it out immediately. Fill the bag with the rolls or buns, rolling the top of the bag to close. Place it in a low temperature oven for 5 -10 minutes. They will then have that "fresh from the oven" taste.
18. Freeze water in muffin tins or bundy pans to make ice for punch bowls.

150 Interesting Facts

2012-12-19T19:12:00.000+05:30

150 Interesting Facts

1. Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
2. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
3. There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
4. The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.
5. A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.

6. There are more chickens than people in the world.
7. Two-thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey.
8. The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."
9. On a Canadian two dollar bill, the flag flying over the Parliament building is an American flag.
10. All of the clocks in the movie "Pulp Fiction" are stuck on 4:20.

11. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.
12. "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".
13. All 50 States are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill.
14. Almonds are a member of the peach family.
15. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.

16. Maine is the only State whose name is just one syllable.
17. There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
18. The characters "Bert" and "Ernie" on Sesame Street were named after "Bert the cop" and "Ernie the taxi driver" in Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life."
19. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
20. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

21. Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
22. In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10.
23. Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.
24. Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula."
25. A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.

26. A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
27. A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.
28. It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
29. The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world.
30. In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.

31. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
32. Mr. Rogers is an ordained minister.
33. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.
34. There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.
35. "Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.

36. People pay other people for suggesting good domain names
37. California has issued at least 6 drivers licenses to people named Jesus Christ.
38. Kangaroos can not walk backwards.
39. 'Jedi' is an official religion, with over 70,000 followers, in Australia.
40. According to a recent survey, more than half of British adults have had sex in a public place!

41. Most alcoholic beverages contain all 13 minerals necessary to sustain human life.
42. Nachos is the food most craved by pregnant women.
43. Each year, 24,000 Americans are bitten by rats!
44. Most dreams last only 5 to 20 minutes.
45. The hair of an adult man or woman can stretch 25 percent of its length without breaking.

46. On average, the life span of an American dollar bill is eighteen months.
47. Non-dairy creamer is flammable.
48. The first domain name ever registered was Symbolics.com.
49. Americans collectively eat one hundred pounds of chocolate every second.
50. U.S. President Calvin Coolidge liked to eat breakfast while having his head rubbed with Vaseline.

51. When a giraffe's baby is born it falls from a height of six feet, normally without being hurt.
52. Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.
53. The creator of the NIKE Swoosh symbol was paid only $35 for the design.
54. How does a shark find fish? It can hear their hearts beating.
55. Penguins can convert salt water into fresh water.

56. In ten minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all the world's nuclear weapons combined!
57. The IRS employees tax manual has instructions for collecting taxes after a nuclear war.
58. During WWII, because a lot of players were called to duty, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles combined to become The Steagles.
59. Nearly 22,000 checks will be deducted from the wrong account over the next hour.
60. More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call.

61. There are more fatal car accidents in July than any other month.
62. There are more bacteria in your mouth than there are people in the world.
63. More than 2 million documents will be lost by the IRS this year.
64. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.
65. Washington, D.C. has one lawyer for every 19 residents!

66. Avocados have more protein than any other fruit.
67. The average car produces a pound of pollution every 25 miles!
68. Cranberries are sorted for ripeness by bouncing them; a fully ripened cranberry can be dribbled like a basketball.
69. In 1980, a Las Vegas hospital suspended workers for betting on when patients would die!
70. The most powerful electric eel is found in the rivers of Brazil, Columbia, Venezuela, and Peru, and produces a shock of 400-650 volts.

71. If the population of China walked past you in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.
72. Antarctica is the only land on our planet that is not owned by any country.
73. In India, people are legally allowed to marry a dog!
74. You are more likely to get attacked by a cow than a shark.
75. Half of all identity thieves are either relatives, friends, or neighbors of their victims.

76. One in three male motorists picks their nose while driving.
77. If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.
78. If you fart consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.
79. A pig's orgasm lasts for 30 minutes.
80. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.

81. Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.
82. The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
83. Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do.
84. The ant can lift 50 times its own weight, can pull 30 times its own weight and always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.
85. Polar bears are left handed.

86. The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds.
87. The flea can jump 350 times its body length.
88. A cockroach will live nine days without it's head, before it starves to death.
89. The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off.
90. Some lions mate over 50 times a day.

91. Butterflies taste with their feet.
92. An ostrich's eye is bigger than it's brain.
93. Starfish don't have brains.
94. Mosquito repellents don't repel. They hide you. The spray blocks the mosquito's sensors so they don't know you're there.
95. Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least 6 feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.

96. The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as substitute for blood plasma.
97. No piece of paper can be folded in half more than 7 times.
98. Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.
99. You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.
100. Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty years of age or older.

101. The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.
102. The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache.
103. A Boeing 747s wingspan is longer than the Wright brother's first flight.
104. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating 1 olive from each salad served in first-class.
105. Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

106. Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.
107. The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.
108. Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin.
109. The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer.
110. Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than all of the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.

111. Marilyn Monroe had six toes. (rumor)
112. All US Presidents have worn glasses. Some just didn't like being seen wearing them in public.
113. Walt Disney was afraid of mice.
114. Pearls melt in vinegar.
115. Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married.

116. The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.
117. It is possible to lead a cow upstairs...but not downstairs.
118. A duck's quack doesn't echo and no one knows why. (Or does it?
119. The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases.
120. Richard Millhouse Nixon was the first US president whose name contains all the letters from the word 'criminal.' The second was William Jefferson Clinton.

121. Turtles can breathe through their butts.
122. Butterflies taste with their feet.
123. In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all of the world's nuclear weapons combined.
124. On average, 100 people choke to death on ball-point pens every year.
125. On average people fear spiders more than they do death.

126. Ninety percent of New York City cabbies are recently arrived immigrants.
127. Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.
128. Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.
129. Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
130. It's physically impossible for you to lick your elbow. (or can you?

131. The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.
132. A snail can sleep for three years.
133. No word in the English language rhymes with 'MONTH.'
134. Average life span of a major league baseball: 7 pitches.
135. Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing. SCARY!!!

136. The electric chair was invented by a dentist.
137. All polar bears are left handed.
138. In ancient Egypt, priests plucked every hair from their bodies,including their eyebrows and eyelashes.
139. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
140. Typewriter is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.

141. 'Go', is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.
142. If Barbie were life-size, her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet, two inches tall. Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts.
143. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.
144. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.
145. In Greene, new york, you cannot walk backwards and eat peanuts on teh sidewalk during a concert.

146. In Hardford, Connecut, you may not, under any circumstances, cross the street walking on your hands.
147. In ancient Egypt, killing a cat was a crime punishable by death.
148. In ancient Greece, where the mouse was sacred to Apollo, mice were sometimes devoured by temple priests.
149. In Bangladesh, kids as young as 15 cam be jailed for cheating on their finals.
150. In Calama, a town in the Atacama Desert of Chile, it has never rained.

Fun Facts About Corn

2012-12-08T21:40:00.001+05:30

Fun Facts About Corn

1. Farmers grow corn on every continent except Antarctica.

2. One bushel of corn will sweeten more than 400 cans of Coca-Cola.

3. There are about 800 kernels in 16 rows on each ear of corn.

4. The corncob (ear) is actually part of the corn plant’s flower.

5. The main ingredient in most dry pet food is corn.

6. Corn is America's number one field crop. Corn leads all other crops in value and volume of production.

7. A pound of corn consists of approximately 1,300 kernels.

8. Corn is used to produce fuel alcohol. Fuel alcohol makes gasoline burn cleaner, reducing air pollution, and it doesn't pollute the water.

9. Most of the corn grown in the United States is used to feed cattle, hogs, sheep, and poultry.

10. Corn is used in processed foods and industrial products, such as cornstarch and plastics.

A Kernel of Corn History

Ears of corn have been found in caves in Mexico that date back seven to eight thousand years.

By the time Christopher Columbus reached the New World, corn grew from Southern Canada to the Andes Mountains in South America.

The Native Americans gave corn to Christopher Columbus, who brought it back to Spain. Once in Europe, corn spread quickly throughout the world.

The Indians taught American settlers how to cultivate corn and use the alkali from wood ash to turn it into hominy. The hominy was cooked, broken into grits, or ground into meal for making porridge, cake, and bread.

The Mojave Indians of Colorado and California were farmers who grew and harvested corn.

Top 10 Facts About Mandarin Goby

2012-12-02T11:59:00.002+05:30

Top 10 Facts About Mandarin Goby

Description: Blue or green scale-less body with orange wavy lines; bright red tail with blue edging.
Habitat: Indo-Pacific, Phillipines and westward to Australia.

1. In the wild, the Mandarin Goby is a carnivore that constantly scans live rock for small crustaceans such as copepods.
2. They lack scales and possess a skin thick with mucus that helps them stay immune to parasitic fish diseases.
3. Its maximum size is four inches.
4. This fish is also known as Blue Mandarin Goby, Mandarin or Psychedelic Mandarin and so named for its vivid colors that evoke the robes of an Imperial Chinese ruler.
5. The Mandarin Goby is not goby but a member of the Dragonet subfamily of fish.
6. Males of the Blue Mandarin Goby may be distinguished from females by their larger size and more elongated dorsal spine that is only rarely displayed.
7. This fish has the most attractive or bizarre coloration of commonly kept reef fish and is one of the most likely to perish in the average reef tank. They are finicky eaters.
8. They are capable of “perching” themselves on their pelvic fins.
9. Mandarinfish are reef dwellers, preferring sheltered lagoons and inshore reefs.
10. The Mandarin Goby is a peaceful and slow moving fish.

Lion, Tiger, Bear - Unlikely Trio

2012-12-02T09:53:00.000+05:30

Lion, Tiger, Bear - Unlikely Trio

They make an unlikely trio, but Baloo the bear, Leo the lion and Shere Khan the tiger have forged an unusually strong bond.Considering that they would be mortal enemies if they ever were to meet in the wild, it is stunning to see their unique and genuine friendship in these intimate pictures.Rescued eight years ago during a police drugs raid in Atlanta, Georgia, the three friends were only cubs at the time at barely two months old.

Titanboa - The Biggest Snake in History

2012-12-02T09:34:00.000+05:30

Titanboa - The Biggest Snake in History

Titanoboa Replica On Display At Grand Central Terminal

“Titanoboa is a genus of snake that lived approximately 58–60 million years ago, during the Paleocene epoch, a 10-million-year period immediately following the dinosaur extinction event. The only known species is the Titanoboa cerrejonensis, the largest snake ever discovered, which supplanted the previous record holder, Gigantophis.
By comparing the sizes and shapes of its fossilized vertebrae to those of extant snakes, researchers estimated T. cerrejonensis reached a maximum length of 12 to 15 m (40 to 50 ft), weighed about 1,135 kg (2,500 lb), and measured about 1 m (3 ft) in diameter at the thickest part of the body.
The largest eight of the 28 T. cerrejonensis snakes found were between 12 and 15 m (40 and 50 ft) in length. In comparison, the largest extant snakes are the Python reticulatus, which measures up to 8.7 metres (29 ft) long, and the green or common anaconda, which measures up to 5.21 metres (17 ft) long and is considered the heaviest snake on Earth. At the other end of the scale, the smallest extant snake is Leptotyphlops carlae, with a length of about 10 centimetres (4 in).
In 2009, the fossils of 28 individual T. cerrejonensis were found in the Cerrejón Formation of the coal mines of Cerrejón in La Guajira, Colombia. Prior to this discovery, few fossils of Paleocene-epoch vertebrates had been found in ancient tropical environments of South America. The snake was discovered on an expedition by a team of international scientists led by Jonathan Bloch, a University of Florida vertebrate paleontologist, and Carlos Jaramillo, a paleobotanist from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama”. - Wikipedia

Photos: Attendees view a replica of the prehistoric Titanoboa, the largest snake to ever live, on display at Grand Central Terminal on March 23, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

Some Strange Portraits

2012-12-01T10:14:00.002+05:30

Some Strange Portraits

Travis Louie’s paintings are inspired by 19th-century portrait photographs. Instead of people, however, his subjects are goofy-looking monsters. His work is beyond mere art for children, however. There is a refined eeriness to his pieces that give them depth and an elusive quality that really makes them stand out.
Source: http://www.travislouie.com/paintings

A Brief History Of Zero

2012-11-25T22:06:00.001+05:30

A Brief History Of Zero

Initially, the zero as a number was not available. There was the idea of empty space, which may be thought of conceptually as similar to zero. Babylonians around 700 BC used three hooks to denote an empty place in the positional notation. They used a symbol sort of like a “Y” for one, and a symbol sort of like “<” for ten.

Greek mathematicians made some unique contributions to mathematics. The interesting feature is that Greek mathematics is mostly based on geometry. Euclid wrote a book on number theory named Elements, but that was completely based on geometry. The newer system of Greek mathematics, which is more than 2000 years old, used Greek letters for 1 to 9, 10 to 90, and 100 to 900. 1 was written as ‘A’ (alpha), 10 as ‘I’ (iota), and 100 as ‘Π’ (rho). They did use a limited place system, so ‘111’ was written as ‘ΠIA’. For 1000 and above they used a mark such as ‘,’ or ‘/’ before the number of thousands. So, ‘1000’ is ‘,A’ or ‘/A’ , and ten thousand is ‘,I’ or ‘/I’.

Greek astronomers might have felt the need for empty space and began to use the symbol ‘O’. It is not clear why they favoured the particular notation. It may be related with the first letter of the Greek word for nothing namely ouden or it may come from obol, a coin of almost no value.

Roman numerals for 1, 10, 100, and 1000 are I, X, C, and M. It is interesting that Greeks or Romans relied more on the Abacus that they used to perform arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, division, or multiplication and they may not have thought of any operation related with zero. in early history of most of Greek and Roman civilisations, there is no concrete evidence of zero or its use. This may be due to conceptual difficulty to figure out something, which would represent nothingness.

Aryabhata

Around AD 650, the use of zero as a number came into Indian mathematics. The Indians used a place value system and zero was used to denote an empty place. In fact there is evidence of an empty placeholder in positional numbers from as early as AD 200 in India. Around AD 500 Aryabhata devised a number system, which had no zero as a positional system, but used it to denote empty space. There is evidence that a dot had been used in earlier Indian manuscripts to denote an empty place in positional notation. For example, to represent ‘100’ it would be two dots after 1.

In AD 628, Brahmagupta wrote Brahmasphutasiddhanta (The Opening of the Universe), and attempted to give the rules for arithmetic involving zero and negative numbers. He explained that given a number, if you subtract it from itself you obtain zero. He gave the following rules for addition, which involve zero: The sum of zero and a negative number is negative, the sum of a positive number and zero is positive; the sum of zero and zero is zero. Similarly, he gave the correct rules for subtraction also.

Brahmagupta then said that any number when multiplied by zero is zero, but when it comes to zero, he gave some rules that were not correct. But remember, when the concept was just developing, it is quite usual that he would make mistakes. So it was an excellent attempt to visualise number system in the light of negative numbers, zero and positive numbers.

In AD 830, Mahavira wrote Ganita Sara Samgraha (Collections of Mathematics Briefings), which was designed as an update of Brahmagupta’s book. He correctly stated the multiplication rules for zero, but again gave incorrect rule for division by zero.

Bhaskara

After 500 years of Brahmagupta, Bhaskara tried to solve the problem of division by stating that any number divided by zero as infinity. Well, conceptually though it is still incorrect, but Bhaskara did correctly state other properties of zero, such as square of zero is zero and square root of zero is also zero. So Indian mathematicians developed the concept of zero and stated different mathematical operations involved with zero.

The Islamic and Arabic mathematicians took the ideas of the Indian mathematicians to further west. Al-Khwarizmi described the Indian place value system of numerals based on zero and other numerals. Ibn Ezra, in the 12th century, wrote The Book of the Number, which spread the concepts of the Indian numeral symbols and decimal fractions to Europe.

In 1247 the Chinese mathematician Ch’in Chiu-Shao wrote Mathematical Treatise in Nine Sections, which used the symbol ‘O’ for zero. In 1303, Chu Shih-Chieh wrote Jade Mirror of the Four Elements, which again used the symbol ‘O’ for zero.

Leonardo Fibonacci

In around 1200, Leonardo Fibonacci wrote Liber Abaci where he described the nine Indian symbols together with the sign ‘0’. However, the concept of zero took some time for acceptance. It is only around 1600 that zero began to come into widespread use after encountering a lot of support and criticism from mathematicians of the world.

The word zero probably came from the Sanskrit word for shunyam or the Hindi equivalent of shunya. The word shunyam was translated to Arabic as al-sifer. Fibonacci mentioned it as cifra from which we have obtained our present cipher, meaning empty space. From this original Italian word or from alteration of Medieval Latin zephirum, the present word zero might have originated.

TEN COMMANDMENTS OF MARRIAGE

2012-11-10T09:22:00.000+05:30

TEN COMMANDMENTS OF MARRIAGE

Marriage is the sum of all its many parts. If any of those parts is missing, the marriage is missing something essential. Here are those necessary parts.

1. Friendship
Ideally, before you marry you become friends. You really take the time and make the effort to get to know one another. In time that friendship begins to take on an innocent intimacy because you feel free to discuss personal issues you would only talk about to a true friend.

2. Relationship
Over time the friendship develops into a relationship. You begin to know one another more closely and, in time, there is an exclusivity about the two of you and others know that you are together and becoming one.

3. Love
As the relationship grows, love replaces like and there is sentimentality about the relationship that goes beyond acquaintance and becomes longing and need. You want to spend all your time together.

4. Commitment
Becoming engaged signals a commitment, one to the other, which, at the proper time, is solemnized with a ceremony meaningful to both parties and you have now become husband and wife with every intention of making the bond inseparable and permanent.

5. Fidelity
This is what you pledge when you marry forsaking all others and having an exclusive relationship wherein there is trust, constancy, shared vision and unquestionable loyalty to your mate.

6. Individuality
Each of you bring your own, individual and unique strengths and weaknesses into the marriage. While the act of marrying implies a melding of these, you each fell in love with the individual you are now married to and while a marriage is full of compromise, each must retain the individuality that made you fall in love in the first place.

7. Independence
Each of you must be available for the other to lean on occasionally but not to smother. Ideally, when times are difficult you lean together to combine your strengths. Neither should be wholly dependent upon the other but each should be able to depend on the other. Maintain the delightful independence which brought you together while working together for the common good.

8. Equality
Each of you must give 100% to the marriage and to each other, and more. No one of you is more important in or to the marriage than the other. Neither of you is subservient to the other. Both of you have equal responsibilities and equal rights within the marriage and your lives together.

9. Mutuality
In all things you must present a combined front to the world. There will be many things that may wear on or tear at your relationship but if you face them, strong and united, they can never prevail against you.

10.Spirituality
Whatever your independent and individual beliefs, marriage is a uniting of the spirit as much as it is of the flesh. If you have no spiritual belief in and bond to your marriage, you will be lacking that which sets us aside from the beasts of the field.

In the bible there is a passage about the first and great commandment and a second that is like unto it. In marriage, the first and great commandment is "Put your marriage first." The second is, indeed, like unto it. "Put everyone and everything else second to your marriage." Children come, grow and go. Parents pass on. Siblings and other relatives scatter. Friends relocate or you may grow beyond them, or them beyond you. Jobs and the people in them change. In the end, all you have to totally rely on is yourselves, and all that within the framework of your marriage.

Bullfighting is it a tradition or a tragedy?

2012-11-08T12:02:00.000+05:30

Bullfighting is it a tradition or a tragedy?

This polemical tradition has provoked world wide debates concerning animal welfare. This sport is protected in countries such as Mexico and Spain, where it is excluded from animal welfare laws. Even the European Community has declared bullfighting a protected activity. Many argue bullfighting is a form of art, a cultural tradition. Others see it as an act of violence and cruelty towards animals. As globalization and the awareness of the need for animal welfare increases, bullfighting is becoming more unpopular, especially in Western societies. However, do other societies have the right to impose their values and ethical views on others, and stop bullfighting, or will the societies that support this activity prohibit it themselves?

Human nature has always been drawn to violence. The Romans and Greeks glorified public violence. Nowadays, violent movies and wrestling fulfill society's craving for violence. However, Bullfighting origins are linked to the religious ceremonies of the Iberian tribes which later evolved into “corridas”, or bullfighting as we know it today.

The phenomenon of catharsis, along with tradition and now tourism, is what has kept this custom alive. Some even consider it “a symbol of something genuinely Spanish”; or the “triumph of human cunning over brute force”; or the “dramatic ballet dance with death”. But do those romantic sentiments towards bullfighting and a long tradition justify an animal’s humiliation and suffering?

There are no official figures to show how the tourism industry has directly or indirectly impacted bullfighting, but it is known that major tourist resorts along the Spanish coasts, have bullrings specially built for this market. According to PETA, approximately 35,000 bulls world wide die in the bull ring. The animal is tormented and literally butchered alive, meanwhile a crowd cheers the graceful Matador.Spanish and Mexican bullfight advertisers lure American tourists with mystique. They claim the fight is festive, artistic, and a fair competition between skill and force. What they do not reveal is that the bull never has a chance to defend himself,much less survive.

Many prominent former bullfighters report that the bull is intentionally debilitated with tranquilizers and laxatives, beatings to the kidneys, petroleum jelly rubbed into their eyes to blur vision, heavy weights hung around their neck for weeks before the fight, and confinement in darkness for hours before being released into the bright arena.

An increase of animal awareness has influenced bullfighting. There are now other less violent versions such as the bloodless Portuguese style. In this modified style the bull is not killed in the arena, but it is still tortured and tormented.

Animal cruelty should be condemned and not be tolerated, without exceptions. Animals, especially large animals, are seen more as property rather than companions. If the bullfighting is to be abolished, it is necessary to start educating the societies that supports this blood sport. Education is the key rather than aggressively imposing “foreign” values. Therefore, it is vital to target the young generations to speed up the process. Therefore, international organizations which are in favor of animal welfare could fund such education efforts, which hopefully will have an impact on future generations. It might sound idealistic, but I think it is the only solution. This educational process might take generations to eradicate bullfighting. However, it is a long-term solution, and other pro animal welfare projects or movements might come out of this if it is carried out effectively. Bloody or bloodless, bullfighting is a senseless, degrading spectacle that has no place in a civilized society

How to make a computer faster

2012-10-27T18:05:00.000+05:30

How to make a computer faster

By following a few simple guidelines, you can maintain your computer, help increase your PC speed, and help keep it running smoothly. This article discusses how to use the tools available in Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP Service Pack 3 to help make your computer faster, maintain your computer efficiently, and help safeguard your privacy when you're online. If you need further assistance, just give us a call and we can help you out.
Note: Some of the tools mentioned in this article require you to be logged on as an administrator. If you aren't logged on as an administrator, you can only change settings that apply to your user account.

1. Remove spyware, and help protect your computer from viruses Spyware collects personal information without letting you know and without asking for permission.

From the websites you visit to user names and passwords, spyware can put you and your confidential information at risk. In addition to privacy concerns, spyware can hamper your computer's performance. To combat spyware, you might want to consider using the PC safety scan from Windows Live OneCare. This scan is a free service that helps check for and remove viruses.

Download Microsoft Security Essentials for free to help guard your system in the future from viruses, spyware, adware, and other malicious software (also known as malware). Microsoft Security Essentials acts as a spyware removal tool and includes automatic updates to help keep your system protected from emerging threats.

The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool is another utility that checks computers running Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 for infections by specific, prevalent malicious software,including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom, and helps remove any infection found.

2. Free up disk space
The Disk Cleanup tool helps you to free up space on your hard disk to improve the performance of your computer. The tool identifies files that you can safely delete and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.
Use Disk Cleanup to:

Remove temporary Internet files.

Delete downloaded program files, such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets.

Empty the Recycle Bin.

Remove Windows temporary files, such as error reports.

Delete optional Windows components that you don't use.

Delete installed programs that you no longer use.

Remove unused restore points and shadow copies from System Restore.
Tip: Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of space because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later.
To use Disk Cleanup:

Windows 7 users
1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.
2. When Disk Cleanup has calculated how much space you can free up, in theDisk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list.
3. Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then clickOK.
4. For more options, such as cleaning up System Restore and Shadow copy files, under Description, click Clean up system files, and then click the More Options tab.
5. When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, clickYes. After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk Cleanup dialog box closes, leaving your computer cleaner, performing better, and potentially increasing your PC speed.

Windows XP users
1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.

2. In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list.

3. Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then clickOK.

4. When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, clickYes. After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk Cleanup dialog box closes, leaving your computer cleaner and potentially performing better.

3. Speed up access to data
Disk fragmentation slows the overall performance of your system. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk as a file is opened (to piece it back together). The response time can be significantly longer.

Disk Defragmenter (sometimes shortened to Defrag by users) is a Windows utility that consolidates fragmented files and folders on your computer's hard disk so that each occupies a single space on the disk. With your files stored neatly end to end, without fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk speeds up.

When to run Disk Defragmenter
In addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals (weekly is optimal), there are other times you should run it, too, such as when:

You add a large number of files.

Your free disk space totals 15 percent or less.

You install new programs or a new version of the Windows operating system.

To use Disk Defragmenter:

Windows 7 users
1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.

2. In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, click the drives that you want to defragment, and then click the Analyze disk button. After the disk is analyzed, a dialog box appears, letting you know whether you should defragment the analyzed drives.
Tip: You should analyze a volume before defragmenting it to get an estimate of how long the defragmentation process will take.

3. To defragment the selected drive or drives, click the Defragment diskbutton. In the Current status area, under the Progress column, you can monitor the process as it happens. After the defragmentation is complete, Disk Defragmenter displays the results.
4. To display detailed information about the defragmented disk or partition, click View Report.
5. To close the View Report dialog box, click Close.
6. You can also schedule the Disk Defragmenter to run automatically. (Your computer might even be set up this way by default.) Under Schedule, it reads Scheduled defragmentation is turned on and then displays the time of day and frequency of defragmentation. If you want to turn off automatic defragmentation or to change the time or frequency, clickConfigure schedule (or Turn on Schedule, if it is not currently configured to run automatically). Change the settings, and then click OK.
7. To close the Disk Defragmenter utility, on the title bar of the window, click the Close button.

Running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter on a regular basis is a proven way to help keep your computer running quickly and efficiently. If you'd like to learn how to schedule these tools and others to run automatically, please read Speed up your PC: Automate your computer maintenance schedule.

Windows XP users
1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.

2. In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, click the drives that you want to defragment and then click the Analyze button. After the disk is analyzed, a dialog box appears, letting you know whether you should defragment the analyzed drives.
Tip: You should analyze a volume before defragmenting it to get an estimate of how long the defragmentation process will take.

3. To defragment the selected drive or drives, click the Defragment button.
Note:
In Windows Vista, there is no
graphical user interface to demonstrate the progress but your hard drive is still being defragmented.

After the defragmentation is complete, Disk Defragmenter displays the results.
4. To display detailed information about the defragmented disk or partition, click View Report.
5. To close the View Report dialog box, click Close.
6. To close the Disk Defragmenter utility, on the title bar of the window, click the Close button.

Running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter on a regular basis is a proven way to help keep your computer running quickly and efficiently. If you'd like to learn how to schedule these tools and others to run automatically, please read Speed up your PC: Automate your computer maintenance schedule.

4. Detect and repair disk errors

In addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of your computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility. As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult or even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors and scans for file system errors to see whether certain files or folders are misplaced. If you use your computer daily, you should run this utility once a week to help prevent data loss.

Run the Error Checking utility:
1. Close all open files.
2. Click Start, and then click Computer.
3. In the Computer window (My Computer in Windows XP), right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.
4. In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.
5. Click the Check Now button.
6. In the Check Disk dialog box (called Error-checking in Windows 7), select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.
7. If bad sectors are found, choose to fix them.
Tip: Only select the "Automatically fix file system errors" check box if you think that your disk contains bad sectors.

5. Learn about ReadyBoost

If you're using Windows 7 or Windows Vista, you can use ReadyBoost to speed up your

system. A new concept in adding memory to a system, it allows you to use non-volatile flash memory like a USB flash drive or a memory card to improve performance without having to add additional memory.

6. Upgrade to Windows 7

If you try all the previous remedies and your computer still isn't as fast as you would like it to be, you may want to consider updating to Windows 7. If the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor determines that your computer can't run Windows 7 and you still have the need for speed, it might be time for a new computer.

7. Clean Up the Registry

A cluttered registry is one of the main reasons you’re computer may become slower.The registry is basically a part of an operating system that holds information about every software and hardware on a computer. Sometimes softwares that are uninstalled or removed incorrectly, leave behind invalid entries in the system registry. After many installs and uninstalls, the registry becomes cluttered with unnecessary information which results in the slowing down of the computer.

To get rid of this problem scan your registry on a regular basis with a registry cleaner like RegEdit or Registry Fix. Registry cleaners are able to remove these invalid entries and declutter the registry allowing the OS to access the registry and get information more quickly.

8. Remove Unnecessary Start Up Programs and Services

Whenever a computer boots up, it has instructions to load softwares and services.Some programs and services set themselves to start up automatically when you boot up your computer. When a large number of programs run at startup, it results in a longer boot up time. These programs also run in the background and use precious system resources which could be better utilized by more important programs. You can also use TuneUp Utilities 2012 to fix these problems.

To stop these programs from starting up at boot, you can use a utility within windows called MSCONFIG.

To run MSCONFIG, click on the Start Menu and click on run. In the box, type msconfig and hit “Enter”. You can also check our tutorial on decreasing boot time with MSCONFIG.

9. Uninstall Unused Programs

Over a period of time you might have downloaded many programs most of which you do not use anymore and are just sitting there taking up hard disk space. Do your pc a favour and get rid of them. You won’t notice an instant boost in speed, but it will help in keeping your hard disk uncluttered. You can remove unwanted programs from your system by a single click.

To uninstall programs go to Control Panel > Programs and Features / Add Remove Programs.Browse through the list of programs and uninstall the ones you won’t be using anymore. By going our tutorial on problems in uninstalling a program ,you can uninstall almost anything from your computer.

10. Remove Desktop Icons and Wallpaper

Windows uses a fair amount of system memory to display each of the icons and wallpaper on your desktop.

To give your pc a boost, clean up your desktop by removing shortcut icons to programs you don’t use regularly. Move the files and folders to a disk drive in My Computer and arrange them properly.

Replacing your desktop wallpaper with a blank one with also help free up additional memory.

11. Use Light Weight Programs

Minimizing the use of system resources is a key factor in speeding up your computer.

Therefore it would make sense to use light weight programs since they require far less resources to run. For example, choose a media player like VLC which plays most media formats and does not hog up much memory like Windows Media Player or Winamp.

12. Reinstall Your Operating System

If you still find your computer sluggish after trying the above mentioned steps then you could try reinstalling your operating system as a last resort. A fresh installation is free from errors and infections and you should see an increase in your pc performance.

Remember to backup all your important data before you opt for a reinstall.

Speeding up your computer is not so difficult as it seems. The steps mentioned above are easy to do and won’t take much time to perform. Its worth trying out each of them before going out and buying expensive hardware.

Ten Commandments For Good manners

2012-10-24T21:49:00.000+05:30

Ten Commandments For Good manners

1. Be Thyself.
Good Manners begin with a good sense of self. Unless you are true to yourself, you can never be true to others. You are unique. Don't try to shape your personality to meet circumstances. Be natural, and the world will respect you for what you are.

2. Say "Thank You."
Thanking others is a way of praising them and is one of the keys to having good manners. Send thank-you notes whenever someone does something nice for you, or telephone to express your gratitude. This simple act will help build lasting relationships. When someone gives you a compliment, the best response is a simple "thank you." And don't forget "Please," "Excuse me," and "You're welcome," which are other marks of good manners.

3. Give Compliments.
A fundamental rule of good manners is to give. Think about what you can give to others, and remember that the most precious gifts cost nothing. When you meet someone, you can always think of a genuine compliment to give. A "Hello" or "How are you?" is not enough. You can also give your undivided attention and interest to others. You can be generous with words of praise, warm greetings, sympathy, love, or other good news.

4. Not be Boastful, Arrogant or Loud.
Always exercise restraint and good taste. Your voice, your behavior and even your clothing should reflect understated elegance. Only a small person brags about accomplishments; a well-mannered person has no need for self advertisement. Let your deeds speak for themselves.

5. Listen Before Speaking.
Respect for others is a prerequisite of good manners. Listening to others is a way to show respect. There is no worse company than a person that does not listen. Be genuinely interested in others; learn their names, and encourage them to talk about themselves. Never interrupt. Look them in the eye, and listen carefully. The listener learns and thereby gains.

6. Speak with Kindness and Caution.
Before speaking to others, consider what effect your words will have. Pause and weigh your words carefully and say them with a quality of softness. A slip of the tongue can inflict needless hurt. Also, remember the language of the body (your posture and your mannerisms) is as important as the language of words.

7. Not Criticize or Complain.
A person with good manners is above criticizing others or complaining about circumstances. Negativity is any form is to be avoided. If you hear gossip, don't join in, be indifferent to it. If you disagree with others, do so respectfully.

8. Be Punctual.
Appreciate the value of time, yours and others. If you make an appointment, arrive on time. If you must be late, call first. Never arrive early for a social engagement; your host may still be getting dressed! Don't overstay your welcome. Lingering good-byes merely cause frustration and can ruin an otherwise good time. A quick, simple exit at the proper time is usually appreciated.

9. Not Embarrass Others.
Treat others as you would like to be treated, and think of how you can put them at ease. The feelings of other people can be as fragile as fine crystal. Never demean anyone with rude jokes or an unwelcome nickname. Be considerate. In conversation, never ask embarrassing questions such as how much was paid for a new item or about matters of the heart. It's always good manners to think of others first.

10. Act and Look Your Best.
Each day dress as if it were your only chance to shine. A smile should top your list of accessories. Your home, car and workplace should reflect your best. They should be tidy, neat and well organized. Table manners are important too. Observe rules of proper conduct, such as not speaking with food in your mouth and not eating until the host has been seated. Eat slowly, enjoying each bite.Savor the moments when good friends, good conversation and good manners bring about the best life has to offer.