Here is some more good Slovakia Travel tips to share with you. (map of Slovakia) I will be flying there soon but not sure on the date. I plan to visit some other Europe countries while I am there.

Search for Cheap airlines at :

www.skyscanner.net
mobissimo.com
sidestep.com
europebyair.com

http://www1.skyeurope.com

Some good Slovakia tour agencies:

Tatratour
Limba
Slovakia Hiking Tours
IVCO travel
Tatra information board
T-Ski Travel
BKIS - best sightseeing tour of Bratislava

Our lives are filled with multi-purpose technology – cell phones are GPS units, GPS units play MP3s and computer monitors stream television.

Whether you are an efficient multi-tasker or a cramped college co-ed, dual purpose desktops are the ideal solution for any space. With displays housing multiple HDMI inputs for cable, gaming consuls or Blu-Ray™ players, you can easily flip from the June corporate report to Juno. The dual stereo speakers featured in models like the ViewSonic VA2626wm create rich bass sound with realistic clarity for the ultimate entertainment experience. For less than $530 – that’s a little over $20 an inch for a 26-inch screen – you can add your monitor to the list of items that serve more than one purpose.

RICHMOND HILL, ON, July 3, 2008 – ViewSonic® Corp. introduces the latest addition to its complete range of LCDs with the affordable, feature-rich VA2626wm LCD monitor. At less than $530, the 1080p Full HD panel offers a large workspace for the productive multi-tasker and the ultimate viewing experience for movie buffs and gamers.

Multiple inputs, like HDMI, VGA and DVI with HDCP compatibility, allow Blu-Ray™ disc player, cable box, satellite box, or gaming console connections, and quickly take users from work to play.

The entertainment continues with exceptional audio. The 2.5-watt dual stereo speakers, provided by SRS WOW HD, create rich bass sound with realistic clarity, perfect for transitioning from watching the corporate webcast to a Hollywood blockbuster.

The 26-inch display not only provides a large, high definition viewing area with enhanced sound, but also touts additional specifications that have become industry standard for top display performance. A dynamic contrast ratio of 6,000:1 and a native resolution of 1920×1200 produce crisp images, in bright colors that rival more expensive displays in this category.

“We are committed to continuously expanding our display offerings and aim to exceed customer expectations by adding premium features we know our customers demand,” said Colleen Browne, general manager, ViewSonic Canada. “ViewSonic further demonstrates its display leadership by offering innovative technology, versatile offerings and outstanding value.”

Available in July through distributors and solution providers for an estimated street price of $529 CDN, the VA2626wm is backed by ViewSonic’s superior customer support program that includes a three-year limited warranty on parts and labor. Optional four-year or five-year extended warranties are also available. ViewSonic offers toll-free technical support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, excluding major U.S. holidays.

Man, I hate TMNET. My phone line went dead last Friday and as of now, 916am, its still not working. I have left 3 complaints via the TMNET webforms, 10 calls to their customer service and its still down. The funny thing is their technician came to my place last Sat but they did not call me. And I was only 5 mins away having my lunch. Those bunch of idiots. They can make phone calls but did not. Man. I hate this

Update : 3 July 2008. 240pm - TMNET and dial tone works now. Somehow the tel line in my computer room is not working. I have to pull a wire from the living hall into my room. So troublesome. I can’t believe this problem took TMNET 6 days to fix.

Nikon has just announced many exciting new products for the photography enthusiast and professional, including the FX-format D700 Digital SLR, powerful and versatile SB-900 Speedlight, and the new 45mm and 85mm PC-E lenses. Highlights for these products include:

· D700 D-SLR – This 12.1 megapixel, FX-format D-SLR delivers all of the high image quality, unparalleled low-light performance, and speed of the Nikon D3 in a smaller, lighter camera body. Additional highlights include Live View, automatic sensor cleaning, Active D-Lighting, weather sealing against dirt and moisture and the 51 point AF system. Available in late July, estimated selling price will be $2999.95

· PC-E Micro NIKKOR® 45mm f/2.8D ED and PC-E Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/2.8D – Nikon’s newest PC-E lenses give photographers control over tilt and shift to adjust perspective and adjust linear distortion, while providing excellent depth of field control, which makes them idea for shooting buildings or product photography. These two new lenses join the NIKKOR 24mm PC-E lens to give photographers perspective control from wide to medium telephoto. Available in August the new 45mm and 85mm PC-E lenses will have an estimated selling price of $1,799.95 and $1,739.95, respectively.

· SB-900 Speedlight – With an unmatched zoom range of 17-200 feet, and Nikon’s popular wireless capabilities, the intelligent and versatile SB-900 Speedlight takes its place as the new Speedlight flagship. Available in August for an estimated selling price of $499.95.

Looks like the new Mac OS X 10.5.4 update is out for you Mac lovers. The newest version of the operating system – available via the Software Update – contains the usual mix of bug fixes and security updates, addressing issues in AirPort, iCal, Safari, Spaces, Exposé, and just the general OS.

Besides fixing a number of major bugs identified since the release of Mac OS X 10.5.3, the update supposedly paves the way for the future replacement of its .Mac service, MobileMe, which was unveiled by Apple at its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month. Among the more general problems addressed in this update is an Adobe CS3 corruption bug with remote file saves and a chronic shutdown flaw. Also, AirPort appears to have received a tweak that improves reliability on 5GHz 802.11a and 802.11n networks.

Dash Navigation, Inc. , the first Internet-connected automotive GPS device, today became the first GPS provider to wirelessly update customers’ device software over-the-air without requiring them to separately purchase and install upgrades via a PC or DVD download. Later today, Dash drivers will automatically receive the software update over WiFi by simply turning on their Dash Express.

• The June08 Update adds several new features designed to answer customers’ everyday commuting questions such as “Is my route the best option today?” or “Where is the closest coffee shop along my route?” The MyRoute™ and Search Along Route™ product enhancements make the Dash Express even more relevant for everyday commuting.

• The June08 Update also includes a new GPS fix feature called FasterFind™ which dramatically decreases the time it takes for the Dash Express to find its position and start navigating.

• Subscribers of the Dash service receive ongoing software updates throughout the year including historical traffic information from the Dash Driver Network, new features, software improvements and updated maps.

• The June08 Update includes the following new features and enhancements:

· MyRoute – Maps and traditional GPS devices are great navigation tools, but they will never replace local street smarts. Drivers often know the best shortcuts to and from the places that they frequent, but what they really want to know is whether their route is the smartest route today based on current traffic data. Dash is the only GPS that learns routes automatically based on user behavior. With Dash’s new MyRoute feature, as drivers travel from one point to another, the device automatically learns their preferred route. The next time that they drive between the same origin and destination, the first route choice will be a MyRoute, complete with traffic-based arrival time data. Drivers can compare their MyRoute to the computed Dash routes, including traffic detours, and decide which one is optimal.

· Search Along Route – Finding whatever drivers need on the road using Yahoo! Local search just got even easier. With the new Search Along Route feature, Dash drivers can now search for virtually anything they need along their selected route, shortening diversions on the way to their destination. Want to grab a latte on the way to a meeting? Simply do a Yahoo! Local search for “Starbucks” and select “along route” to be presented with the stores that are most conveniently located. Results are displayed with the distance from the current location, the distance from the route and the direction of the destination relative to the selected route.

· FasterFind – With FasterFind powered by SiRFInstantFix technology, Dash Express uses additional over-the-air GPS satellite position information to get a fast GPS fix so Dash drivers can be underway in seconds. Since the Dash Express is connected, the FasterFind file is automatically and wirelessly downloaded at regular intervals providing users with the most accurate GPS satellite position information available. There is no need to connect to a PC or wait to get a GPS fix. FasterFind not only helps drivers get a quick start every time the device is turned on, it also enables a fast GPS fix under difficult conditions such as beneath tree cover and near high-rise buildings.

· Performance Enhancements – Continued system upgrades have enabled significant progress in overall device performance. For instance, the June08 Update increases the speed in which Dash Express draws its maps by more than 50%. It also enables quicker toggling between 2D and 3D map views and smoother map zooming.

· User Interface Improvements – The June08 Update also includes numerous user-requested refinements to the Dash Express interface, making it even more intuitive for daily use. These improvements include tuning the route selection screen to make it easier to select among the multiple route choices, improving the readability of road labels on the map and expanding the night mode color scheme across more menus for glare reduction.

· In conjunction with the first of its kind software update, Dash announced that the Dash Developer Program, launched in May, is off to a great start with over 30 partner and user-created DashApps* that enable consumers to access a wide range of personalized content in their cars – weather, garage sales, real estate listings, speed traps, Twitter – and more!

The company’s newest partner, EveryBlock, collects and publishes neighborhood and block-level news in cities including Chicago, New York and San Francisco. With the EveryBlock DashApp, launched today, drivers in those cities can access a “neighborhood feed,” including public records (e.g., crimes, restaurant inspections, building permits), and user-contributed knowledge (e.g., local photos posted to Flickr) — all filtered geographically according to the vehicle’s current location.

Looks like the Google guys have added a chat function to the new iGoogle interface. Looks kinda slick.

Announced in April, the new version of iGoogle that brings social applications is tested in a small number of randomly selected Google accounts.

The new iGoogle places the tabs on the left-hand side of the page and you can expand the tabs to see the list of gadgets and status information, like the number of unread Gmail messages. There’s a new chat feature borrowed from Gmail that lets you chat with your contacts while visiting iGoogle - that means iGoogle gets a sense of presence because you’ll know when your contacts are online. Since the chat feature will be enabled by default, it’s obvious that Google will be able to add options for sharing items and discussing posts with the contacts that are online.

Here is some slovakia info. I might be going to Kosice and Germany soon……

In 1918 the Slovaks joined the closely related Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II, Czechoslovakia became a Communist nation within Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe. Soviet influence collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once more became free. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on 1 January 1993. Slovakia was invited to join NATO and the EU in 2002.