Toto PC Expert and Technology Daily Updated News Around The Web

Midnight In Paris (2011) DVDRip 300MB

2011-10-09T18:15:00.000+08:00

Plot: A romantic comedy about a family traveling to the French capital for business. The party includes a young engaged couple forced to confront the illusion that a life different from their own is better...

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Girl Walks Into A Bar (2011) HDRIP 300MB

2011-10-09T18:08:00.000+08:00

Plot: A sharp-witted comedy that follows a group of apparent strangers in interlocking stories taking place in ten different bars during the course of one evening throughout Los Angeles..

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Colombiana 2011 HDrip 400mb

2011-10-09T18:05:00.000+08:00

Plot: A young woman, after witnessing her parents’ murder as a child in Bogota, grows up to be a stone-cold assassin.

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Cowboys And Aliens (2011) PPVRIP 400MB

2011-10-09T17:58:00.000+08:00

Plot: A spaceship arrives in Arizona, 1873, to take over the Earth, starting with the Wild West region. A posse of cowboys and natives are all that stand in their way.

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What Makes Windows 8 Wonderful

2011-10-09T11:55:00.000+08:00

Here’s something that makes Windows 8 beautiful, delicious and the OS of future!

1. Innovative Design

Windows 8 is blessed with an intuitive and an innovative design. The design though basically made for touch screen netbooks or a few desktops, runs wonderfully on normal computers i.e. the computers without touch equipment as well.

If you have had a look at the Windows 8 interface, the user interface is totally tile based just like you see in Windows 7 powered mobile phones. The tile based interface is quite attractive, but if I am not wrong you will get a phony experience even in your desktop! Some might like it, while some might not. I somewhat like the interface as it’s something I haven’t ever seen in a desktop, but I am not sure if with time it will prove boring.

2. Security +1

Have you ever seen a computer with a “factory reset” option? Well if you haven’t, you can see it in Windows 8! Windows 8 comes with a factory reset option which refreshes your entire system and takes your computer back to when you had bought it! This ensures that all your personal data is removed and all the bugs or malware which have accidentally entered your PC are removed as well!

Thus, if in future you decide to sell your computer or laptop, Factory reset feature will prove to be a boon!

3. Speed… speeder… speediest!

Windows 8 is awesomely fast! Windows 8 uses less than half amount of memory Windows 7 used. Accordingly the system is very fast and some have even commented that Windows 8 loads in less than 8 seconds! Yeah, you read it right – 8 s-e-c-o-n-d-s!! At first I couldn’t believe it, but seeing the screenshots and the construction of Windows 8, I was forced to believe it!

So one thing that is guaranteed with Windows 8 is SPEED! You can expect a very fast experience even on an older computer with low specifications.

4. App Store?!

Windows 8 has a dedicated app store as well. Just as Android, iTunes Windows 8 comes with an app store! This allows you to take your computing to the next level. The app store will permit you to find the latest applications, install them on your device and start experiencing it immediately! I am soon expecting them to offer coupon apps which presents latest coupons on my desktop for example TRX coupons & diamonds USA coupons. I am sure the future release i.e. public release will boast of many apps!

I am assuming the apps to be very light-weight and thus fast loading. After all the system itself uses less than 300MB RAM!!

5. Runs On Tablets, Notebooks, Laptops & Desktops!

Hardly do we see an OS running on all platforms, fortunately Windows 8 is among them! Windows 8 can run on your old desktop computer, your past time laptop, your present netbook and even your future tablet! Of course, they have to be supported by Windows!

6. Mobile & Computer Mixed?

I somehow think that Microsoft has mixed mobiling with computing and the result is Windows 8! Having image locks, pin code as passwords, sensor support, app marketplace, etc. The interface hardly makes me feel that I am using a desktop! It looks a lot like my Windows 7 powered mobile phone, but it’s attractive!

What do you think? How will people take on Windows 8? Do you think it will attract people or will it just come & go. Do you think Windows 8 is a great competitor to Mac? Do let us know your views. I, Microsoft & Apple all want to hear you say!

Source: Geek4shares

5 Ways Steve Jobs Changed Our Lives

2011-10-08T14:49:00.000+08:00

When Steve Jobs passed away on Wednesday afternoon, the world went into shock. One of the greatest creative and innovative geniuses to ever live was gone. After the shock began to wear off, it was natural to look back on Jobs’ life and realize just how greatly the company he guided changed the world we live in. Here are just five of the biggest things that Steve Jobs brought to us that changed the way we live our everyday lives.

THE PERSONAL COMPUTER

In 1976 when Steve Wozniak built the Apple I and Steve Jobs found a way to make money from it, history was made. For really the first time, people could have a relatively easy to use computer in their home. It was extremely primitive by today’s standards, but that little circuit board that could be connected to a television started a revolution that changed the world. The Woz built it, Jobs sold it, and within a few years; the PC would be one of the most important inventions since the printing press.

THE iPOD & iTUNES

Steve Jobs didn’t invent digital music or the MP3 format, but like everything he had a hand in; he took it to the masses in a way that no one else did before. There wouldn’t be “Podcasts” if not for the iPod, and the iTunes music store completely changed how people buy and experience music. The record industry may hate it, but iTunes and Apple’s MP3 player changed the world of music.


THE iPHONE

Yes, there were smartphones before the iPhone…but the iPhone was the first to get the idea right and again be taken to the masses. Android phones may outsell the iPhone by two-to-one, due the the sheer number of Android handsets out there, but the iPhone is still the standard that everyone wants to kill.

THE iPAD

Like with the iPhone, there were tablets before the iPad. But also like the iPhone, the iPad was really the first tablet to catch on in a big way. The iPad may end up being one of Steve Jobs’ biggest legacies as its bringing computing power into the hands of people who otherwise would be afraid to use a computer. .

PIXAR

When George Lucas decided to not continue on with Lucafilm’s little computer animation division, Steve Jobs saw something special there and entertainment was forever changed. The Toy Story trilogy, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Wall-E. It’s kind of hard to imagine the last twenty years of movies without Pixar, and if not for Steve Jobs; we may not have had those films.

Liv Tyler's Mother Wants to Help Lindsay Lohan

2011-10-08T12:45:00.000+08:00

Liv Tyler's mother wants to take care of Lindsay Lohan for a year.

Bebe Buell wants to help the troubled actress - whose career has floundered amid many legal problems and stints in rehab - turn her life around and thinks she knows what it would take for the 'Machete' star to get back on track.

Bebe said: 'If Lindsay spent a year with me I could turn her around. I could have her winning her first Oscar in two years!'

'The first thing I would do is put 10 pounds on her. She needs a more kittenish quality. She's looking too thin right now. That's not a good look. And she also needs to go back to being a natural red head. The blonde hair doesn't work. It ages her. She's got it all. She's just around people who don't get it.'

Bebe also blasted Lindsay's mother Dina Lohan, saying the showbiz matriarch has failed to take the right actions to help her daughter's problems and has behaved 'disgustingly', which she believes is due to putting her love of money and status first.

Speaking to Steppin' Out magazine, Bebe added: 'What her mother has done with Lindsay is morally wrong and disgusting. She should back off. Lindsay is the one with the talent.

'Dina Lohan's relationship with her daughter Lindsay disturbs me. I don't see a mother and a daughter there.

'If my baby girl got that screwed up I would not allow to make her own decisions. I'm sorry! Anybody can think what they want. But I would abduct my child and I would make sure that I didn't leave her side until she didn't have those problems anymore.

'Lindsay needs to stop going out and not being seen for a while. The mother going with her to events and witnessing her throwing drinks and stuff like that infuriates me! It makes me angry! It's about a lack of education and connection on the mother's part. I don't mean school when I say education. I'm talking about the education of the soul. Some people just aren't elevated. They're not there yet.

'She's driven by money, not spirituality. I gave up the desire for money to be there for my daughter. I feel that's what Dina should be doing. Be there for Lindsay, like I'm there for Liv.'


Liv Tyler's mother Bebe Buell has hit out at Dina Lohan and says she could turn around Lindsay Lohan's life if she looked after her for a year. Source: MSN

Apple Tribute Logo A Web Hit

2011-10-08T09:52:00.000+08:00

When Steve Jobs resigned from Apple in August, 7,000 miles away in Hong Kong, graphic design student Jonathan Mak Long, "shocked" by the CEO's departure, did what he knew best: He created a design to honor the Apple co-founder.

The 19-year-old posted the image, the Apple logo with the bite changed to a profile of Jobs, to his Tumblr blog. Known as Jonathan Mak, he initially received about 80 notes on the image. Then word came this past Wednesday that Jobs had died, after a long battle with cancer. Mak reposted the homage, which this time caught fire on the Web, attracting an almost immediate response of 10,000 likes and reblogs on his Tumblr site and surging to 180,000 -- in one day. Comments included "awesome invention like steve jobs." One thought it should be the "new Apple logo." Another wanted to "use it as a tattoo."

Speaking in fluent English (which he said he learned from watching the TV show "Friends"), the Polytechnic University School of Design student told Yahoo! in a Skype interview that the image was a tribute to Jobs's contributions to the world: "I wanted to commemorate him. He's such an integral part of Apple. I thought it would be fitting to include him in the Apple logo." Long added, "With Jobs gone, Apple is literally missing a piece."

The artist was inspired by the uncompromising personality of the creative genius. He said of Jobs: "He had this vision that he was not afraid to commit to. That's how he broke new ground. His commitment and belief in himself is what inspire me." The designer's vision for his own work is an aesthetic that joins a simple graphic element with a richer meaning, giving the viewer, as he put it, an "a-ha moment."

The cyber tribute that became a hit, and along with attracting media attention, the logo found itself as the preferred profile pic on Ashton Kutcher's Twitter account and on merchandise featured on eBay. While the design prodigy has received several job offers, but he hasn't acted on them; "I'm still a student," he said. The artist has a portfolio of minimalist design, but don't call him an Apple fanboy. "I just got my first MacBook Pro a year ago," he admitted -- and he still doesn't own an iPhone.

Asked whether he'd gotten any response from Apple, Mak said he had emailed CEO Tim Cook but so far hadn't heard back

Trapped at the Airport? Get Sleepbox

2011-10-07T11:55:00.000+08:00

There’s something about airports that make people cranky: getting frisked by TSA, overpriced food options, faraway terminals, delays and the dreaded layover.

SLEEPBOX provides an oasis for weary travelers with its 3.75-square-meter booth, complete with bed and outlets. The design, originated in 2009 from Russia, by architecture firm Arch Group is patented in Russia and Europe and is currently awaiting approval in the U.S..

Its prototype is currently being tested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport, Dezeen reported. The unit is made from ash-veneered medium-density fiberboard but future models might use metal or glass-reinforced plastic instead. Travelers can rent their own tiny hotel room from 30 minutes to several hours. The bed, which measures 2 by 0.6 meters, is equipped with an automatic system that changes the sheets when the client leaves. In addition, SLEEPBOX includes a ventilation system, sound alerts, an LCD TV, luggage storage space and wireless Internet.

SLEEPBOX is designed for all travelers, not just those stuck in airports. Arch Group says other possible locations for these units include railroad stations, expo centers, public and shopping centers, and even on the streets in warm-climate countries. To take a full tour of the SLEEPBOX, see the video below.

The Truth About Steve Jobs Adaption According To His Biological Father

2011-10-07T11:29:00.000+08:00

In the tumult following Steve Jobs’ resignation, the New York Post and others (here’s a good one translated from Arabic) have been digging up interviews with Steve Jobs’ biological father, Abdulfattah John Jandali, who is a Syrian-born Vice President of a casino in Reno, Nevada. He’s an 80-year old workaholic who is trying to avoid retirement at all costs (sounds familiar).

    The Syrian immigrant says he is overcome with guilt for his treatment of Jobs and only learned recently that the child he gave up for adoption was the famous CEO.

    “This might sound strange, though, but I am not prepared, even if either of us was on our deathbeds, to pick up the phone to call him,” Jandali said.

    “Steve will have to do that, as the Syrian pride in me does not want him ever to think I am after his fortune,” he said.

    “Now I just live in hope that, before it is too late, he will reach out to me, because even to have just one coffee with him just once would make me a very happy man,” he said.

    Jandali says although he was in love with his now ex-wife Joanne, her father was a tyrant and would not allow her to marry him since he was from Syria. Joanne then upped and moved to San Francisco to give birth to Jobs without her family or Jandali knowing.

    “She did not want to bring shame onto the family and thought this was the best for everyone.”

It is a pretty emotional story overall. The short of it is that they’ve never talked and, although he has sent Jobs a few emails (haven’t we all?), he’s afraid to call Jobs. Because of this, he fears they never will communicate.

It was our natural inclination to see what this guy looked like but Google images didn’t return anything. Therefore, we decided to dig a little deeper.

Without trying to offend anyone, below are some more public pictures of Jobs’ biological father we found on the net. There is definitely a resemblance!

Steve Jobs' Estranged Father Never Got Phone Call He Waited For

2011-10-07T11:19:00.000+08:00

Steve Jobs' estranged father, who had given up his infant son for adoption, had been hoping that his grown son would call him. That hope died today.

Abdulfattah John Jandali had emailed his son a few times in a tentative effort to make contact. The father never called the son because he feared Jobs would think the dad who had given him up was now after his fortune.

And Jobs never responded to his father's emails.

"I really don't have anything to say," Jandali, vice president at Boomtown Hotel Casino in Reno, Nev., told the International Business Times.

Jandali, a Syrian immigrant, had been quoted by the New York Post recently saying he didn't know until just a few years ago that the baby he and his ex-wife, Joanne Simpson, gave up grew to be Apple's CEO.

Jandali told the Post that had it been his choice, he would have kept the baby. But Simpson's father did not approve of her marrying a Syrian, so she moved to San Francisco to have the baby alone and give him up for adoption.

Steve Jobs Secretive Private Life

Jandali, who is 80, said at the time that he would have been happy to just have a cup of coffee with the son he never knew before it was too late. Stories of Jobs' battle with a form of pancreatic cancer and his liver transplant were public and Jobs' health had deteriorated to the point where he was forced to resign as CEO of Apple.

He was quoted as saying, "This might sound strange, though, but I am not prepared, even if either of us was on our deathbeds, to pick up the phone to call him."

Though he was one of the world's most famous CEOs, Steve Jobs has remained stubbornly private about his personal life, ignoring the media and the public's thirst for knowledge about him ever since he co-founded Apple Computer in 1976.

He was so successful at keeping the details of his life out of the celebrity pages that a Pew poll in June 2010 found that only 41 percent of Americans correctly identified Jobs as head of Apple. A CBS poll that year concluded that 69 percent of Americans didn't know enough about Jobs to have an opinion about him.

Jobs personal life was a story of extremes. Given up for adoption, he created a worldwide giant of a company in his garage, dated movie stars, and had a child out of wedlock who he denied for many years.

Many fans know that Jobs and his wife, Laurene Powell, have been married for more than 20 years; the two were married in a small ceremony in Yosemite National Park in 1991, live in Woodside, Calif., and have three children: Reed Paul, Erin Sienna, and Eve.

9 things you didn’t know about the life of Steve Jobs

2011-10-07T11:06:00.000+08:00


Steve Jobs leans against his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs

For all of his years in the spotlight at the helm of Apple, Steve Jobs in many ways remains an inscrutable figure — even in his death. Fiercely private, Jobs concealed most specifics about his personal life, from his curious family life to the details of his battle with pancreatic cancer — a disease that ultimately claimed him on Wednesday, at the age of 56.

While the CEO and co-founder of Apple steered most interviews away from the public fascination with his private life, there's plenty we know about Jobs the person, beyond the Mac and the iPhone. If anything, the obscure details of his interior life paint a subtler, more nuanced portrait of how one of the finest technology minds of our time grew into the dynamo that we remember him as today.

1. Early life and childhood
Jobs was born in San Francisco on February 24, 1955. He was adopted shortly after his birth and reared near Mountain View, California by a couple named Clara and Paul Jobs. His adoptive father — a term that Jobs openly objected to — was a machinist for a laser company and his mother worked as an accountant.

Later in life, Jobs discovered the identities of his estranged parents. His birth mother, Joanne Simpson, was a graduate student at the time and later a speech pathologist; his biological father, Abdulfattah John Jandali, was a Syrian Muslim who left the country at age 18 and reportedly now serves as the vice president of a Reno, Nevada casino. While Jobs reconnected with Simpson in later years, he and his biological father remained estranged.

2. College dropout
The lead mind behind the most successful company on the planet never graduated from college, in fact, he didn't even get close. After graduating from high school in Cupertino, California — a town now synonymous with 1 Infinite Loop, Apple's headquarters — Jobs enrolled in Reed College in 1972. Jobs stayed at Reed (a liberal arts university in Portland, Oregon) for only one semester, dropping out quickly due to the financial burden the private school's steep tuition placed on his parents.

In his famous 2005 commencement speech to Stanford University, Jobs said of his time at Reed: "It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5 cent deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the seven miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple."

3. Fibbed to his Apple co-founder about a job at Atari
Jobs is well known for his innovations in personal computing, mobile tech, and software, but he also helped create one of the best known video games of all-time. In 1975, Jobs was tapped by Atari to work on the Pong-like game Breakout.

He was reportedly offered $750 for his development work, with the possibility of an extra $100 for each chip eliminated from the game's final design. Jobs recruited Steve Wozniak (later one of Apple's other founders) to help him with the challenge. Wozniak managed to whittle the prototype's design down so much that Atari paid out a $5,000 bonus — but Jobs kept the bonus for himself, and paid his unsuspecting friend only $375, according to Wozniak's own autobiography.

4. The wife he leaves behind
Like the rest of his family life, Jobs kept his marriage out of the public eye. Thinking back on his legacy conjures images of him commanding the stage in his trademark black turtleneck and jeans, and those solo moments are his most iconic. But at home in Palo Alto, Jobs was raising a family with his wife, Laurene, an entrepreneur who attended the University of Pennsylvania's prestigious Wharton business school and later received her MBA at Stanford, where she first met her future husband.

For all of his single-minded dedication to the company he built from the ground up, Jobs actually skipped a meeting to take Laurene on their first date: "I was in the parking lot with the key in the car, and I thought to myself, 'If this is my last night on earth, would I rather spend it at a business meeting or with this woman?' I ran across the parking lot, asked her if she'd have dinner with me. She said yes, we walked into town and we've been together ever since."

In 1991, Jobs and Powell were married in the Ahwahnee Hotel at Yosemite National Park, and the marriage was officiated by Kobin Chino, a Zen Buddhist monk.

5. His sister is a famous author
Later in his life, Jobs crossed paths with his biological sister while seeking the identity of his birth parents. His sister, Mona Simpson (born Mona Jandali), is the well-known author of Anywhere But Here — a story about a mother and daughter that was later adapted into a film starring Natalie Portman and Susan Sarandon.

After reuniting, Jobs and Simpson developed a close relationship. Of his sister, he told a New York Times interviewer: "We're family. She's one of my best friends in the world. I call her and talk to her every couple of days.'' Anywhere But Here is dedicated to "my brother Steve."

6. Celebrity romances
In The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, an unauthorized biography, a friend from Reed reveals that Jobs had a brief fling with folk singer Joan Baez. Baez confirmed the the two were close "briefly," though her romantic connection with Bob Dylan is much better known (Dylan was the Apple icon's favorite musician). The biography also notes that Jobs went out with actress Diane Keaton briefly.

7. His first daughter
When he was 23, Jobs and his high school girlfriend Chris Ann Brennan conceived a daughter, Lisa Brennan Jobs. She was born in 1978, just as Apple began picking up steam in the tech world. He and Brennan never married, and Jobs reportedly denied paternity for some time, going as far as stating that he was sterile in court documents. He went on to father three more children with Laurene Powell. After later mending their relationship, Jobs paid for his first daughter's education at Harvard. She graduated in 2000 and now works as a magazine writer.

8. Alternative lifestyle
In a few interviews, Jobs hinted at his early experience with the psychedelic drug LSD. Of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Jobs said: "I wish him the best, I really do. I just think he and Microsoft are a bit narrow. He'd be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once or gone off to an ashram when he was younger."

The connection has enough weight that Albert Hofmann, the Swiss scientist who first synthesized (and took) LSD, appealed to Jobs for funding for research about the drug's therapeutic use.

In a book interview, Jobs called his experience with the drug "one of the two or three most important things I have done in my life." As Jobs himself has suggested, LSD may have contributed to the "think different" approach that still puts Apple's designs a head above the competition.

Jobs will forever be a visionary, and his personal life also reflects the forward-thinking, alternative approach that vaulted Apple to success. During a trip to India, Jobs visited a well-known ashram and returned to the U.S. as a Zen Buddhist.

Jobs was also a pescetarian who didn't consume most animal products, and didn't eat meat other than fish. A strong believer in Eastern medicine, he sought to treat his own cancer through alternative approaches and specialized diets before reluctantly seeking his first surgery for a cancerous tumor in 2004.

9. His fortune
As the CEO of the world's most valuable brand, Jobs pulled in a comically low annual salary of just $1. While the gesture isn't unheard of in the corporate world — Google's Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Eric Schmidt all pocketed the same 100 penny salary annually — Jobs has kept his salary at $1 since 1997, the year he became Apple's lead executive. Of his salary, Jobs joked in 2007: "I get 50 cents a year for showing up, and the other 50 cents is based on my performance."

In early 2011, Jobs owned 5.5 million shares of Apple. After his death, Apple shares were valued at $377.64 — a roughly 43-fold growth in valuation over the last 10 years that shows no signs of slowing down.

He may only have taken in a single dollar per year, but Jobs leaves behind a vast fortune. The largest chunk of that wealth is the roughly $7 billion from the sale of Pixar to Disney in 2006. In 2011, with an estimated net worth of $8.3 billion, he was the 110th richest person in the world, according to Forbes. If Jobs hadn't sold his shares upon leaving Apple in 1985 (before returning to the company in 1996), he would be the world's fifth richest individual.

While there's no word yet on plans for his estate, Jobs leaves behind three children from his marriage to Laurene Jobs (Reed, Erin, and Eve), as well as his first daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs.

The 21 Greatest PC Mysteries--Solved!

2011-10-06T21:16:00.000+08:00

Modern PCs are certainly marvels of technology--and yet for all their advances, computers still do crazy, inexplicable things. With the average machine, there's enough mystery to keep Sherlock Holmes or Miss Marple hopping for a month--and enough frustration to make the average user want to commit murder most foul.

Computing mysteries tend to be less "Who dunnit?" and more "Why won't it?" For example, you may have puzzled over why Windows obstinately refused to let you delete a stalled print job, or wondered why you couldn't find the file you just downloaded. But worry not: We've rounded up these and other mindbogglers of the PC universe--and solved them for you.

(For explanations and helpful tips, click the links.)

Where did my downloaded files go? Why can't I find them?
Your browser chooses where downloads go, but you can control the process.

Why doesn't my iPad charge when I connect it to my computer?

Your PC's USB port doesn't supply enough juice--but you can still charge your iPad, gradually.

Why does a video play on my desktop but not my laptop?

If a computer doesn't have the specific decoder for a video format, you can't watch the video. Get the right one..

My printer won't print, and Windows won't allow me to cancel or delete print jobs. What's going on?

Usually this is the result of a communication problem between the PC and printer. Get them talking.
I hear beeps when I turn on my PC. What do they mean?

Those beeps come from the BIOS (a piece of software built into the motherboard). Find out what a "beep code" means.

In a folder full of digital images, I often notice a file called Thumbs.db. What is it, and can I safely delete it?

Thumbs.db is a Windows XP system file that contains the thumbnail cache for a particular folder. You can tweak Windows to get it out of your way.

Why does every digital camera--even the one on my smartphone--insist on storing photographs in a folder called DCIM?

DCIM (for Digital Camera IMages) is the default directory structure for digital cameras--and having such a standard is very useful.

My Recycle Bin has disappeared. How do I go about restoring it?

Whether it was a victim of a glitch or never available in the first place, you can follow a few simple directions to restore the Recycle Bin.

Why does Windows sometimes reboot without my permission, and how do I prevent that from happening?

This problem relates to how Windows installs automatic updates. Fortunately, you can make some tweaks.

Where do all these mysterious Web browser toolbars come from, and how do I get rid of them?

Sometimes spyware installs browser toolbars, and sometimes you do it accidentally during software installation.

How did I end up with QuickTime on my PC, and do I need to keep it?

This media-playback software comes bundled with iTunes and installs along with it.
I have Microsoft Word installed on my PC. Why can't I open the .docx files my friend sent me?

If you use Word 2003 or an earlier version of the program, all you need is the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats.

Why won't Windows allow me to delete a certain file?

If Windows refuses to delete a file or folder, some application or process is accessing it.

Why do some programs leave files and folders behind even after I've uninstalled them?

Many programs' uninstallers are ineffective. Use a utility that removes not only the application but also all of the pieces it leaves behind.

Why do Adobe Reader and Java update so frequently? Do I have to allow it?

Most Adobe and Java patches are made to plug security holes, so you should update them--or use alternative software.
Is it absolutely necessary to update Windows?

Yes, you should definitely apply Windows updates for security reasons, but you can take a few steps to cut down Windows' nagging.

Does it matter whether I ‘Safely Remove' devices?

Absolutely: If you ignore Windows' requests to "Safely Remove" your storage media, you could end up with corrupted files, unreadable media, or both.

Windows asks me if I want to enable Sticky Keys. What are they, and how should I use them? The Sticky Keys feature makes certain keyboard functions easier to access.

Why can't I send out a particular file attachment through e-mail? The file is probably too large. Check out free services that let you work around file-size restrictions.

How can I determine whether an unknown Website is safe to visit?

Read our suggestions on figuring out whether a link is safe from malware or other threats before you click it.
What are the .dat files I sometimes receive in e-mail messages, and how do I open them?

Microsoft Outlook uses a modified version of Rich Text Format to preserve fonts and the like, but it often causes problems for the recipient. We have three suggestions for coping.

Goodbye Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T08:29:00.001+08:00

Steve Jobs is dead. The Apple chairman and former CEO who made personal computers, smartphones, tablets, and digital animation mass-market products passed away today. We're going to miss him. Deeply, and personally.

Steven P. Jobs passed away on October 5th, 2011 after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer. He was just 56 years old. We mourn his passing, and wish his family the very best.

Let's address this up front: Gizmodo and Steve Jobs had, at best, a tumultuous relationship. Yet no matter how much he may have hated us, we admired him.

No, that's not quite right. We loved him.

He was the reason many of us got into this industry, or even care about technology at all. He made the computer personal, and the smartphone fun. Bill Gates may have put a computer on every office desk, but it was Steve Jobs who put one in every dorm room and bedroom and living room. And then, years later, he repeated the trick, putting one in every bag and every pocket, thanks to the iPad and iPhone. If you use a computer or smartphone today, it is either one he created, or an imitation of his genius.

He changed the way movies are made, the way music is sold, the way stories are told, the very way we interact with the world around us. He helped us work, and gave us new ways to play. He was a myth made man.

Prior to Steve Jobs, computers were alien to most of us. They were accessible to few people without an engineering degree. Not merely because of their complex operating procedures, but also because they were so cold and so inhuman. Jobs understood that they could be something more than that. That while computers would never be people, he could endow them with humanity. He could transform them into machines that not only anyone could use, but that everyday people would enjoy using thanks to the art of great design. He made them something that would be part of our lives. And he did that again and again.

His life story is familiar, but it deserves repeating. He was given up for adoption by his unmarried parents. He grew up in California, and was very much a product of that place and time. He took drugs. He got into phone hacking. Both were precursers to what would always be his interest: changing the status quo.

In 1976 he started Apple in a garage. Together with Steve Wozniak, he shipped the first true fully-built personal computer, the Apple I. He drove development of the Mac, understanding that it was the future of computers. The great thing that we would all see. He brought in a grown up to run the company. And that grown up forced him out of the company that he built and into the wilderness.

While he was gone, he started NeXT computer. The NeXT operating system would form the underpinnings of Apple's OS X, and iOS.

He also started the best movie studio of the past 30 years. Pixar's films were innovative, to be sure. It pushed the boundaries of CGI to such an extent that even today its early films still look great. But technology is only a tool. As with everything else he understood that great technology alone is not enough. It must be human to have an impact. Pixar movies tell stories. They make grown men cry. That was the impact of Steve Jobs.

He became a family man. He reunited with his biological mother, and his sister, the writer Mona Simpson. He married. He had children. He was, by all accounts, a great dad. It was his role as husband and father that helped drive his second act at Apple.

After his return to Apple, the company began shipping iconic product after iconic product. Products that defined a decade. The iMac, OS X, the iPod, iTunes (which was very good, before it was very bad), the iPhone, the iPad. All of these were deeply human products. They reflected his understanding of how technology was used not only in the workplace, but in the home. In his keynotes, product demos typically showed not executives, but families.

He made Apple into the most valuable company in the world.

He never met his biological father.

He accomplished so many things, in so many fields that it's tempting to compare Jobs to someone from the past. A Thomas Edison or a Ben Franklin or even a Leonardo Da Vinci. We tend to do that because it helps us understand. But it does him a disservice. He was unique. His own person. Our own person.

He was our emblematic genius. In 100 years, when historians talk about the emergence of the age of intelligent machines, it is Steve Jobs they will hold up as the great exemplar of our era.

They will remember his flaws, too. When Atari hired Jobs and Woz to write the code for the iconic Atari game Breakout, the pair earned a $5000 bonus for completing the work, largely done by Woz. But Jobs kept the bonus a secret, and only paid his partner $375. When his daughter Lisa was born in 1978, he spent two years denying he was her father. His denials forced her and her mother to support themselves on welfare. In the workplace he's often been described as temperamental and even petulant. He could be arrogant and unforgiving.

He was not a god. He was simply a man.

Yet for all his faults, he changed the world. He made it better.

He once famously asked of a critic "what have you done that's so great?" For Jobs, the answer to that question was very nearly unlimited.

Our world will be less interesting, less exciting, and less meaningful without him.

Goodbye, Mr. Jobs. We will miss you so very much.

Source: Gizmodo

video platform video management video solutions video player

Lit Motors C1 Motorcycle

2011-10-05T15:40:00.000+08:00

The C-1 enclosed motorcycle from Lit Motors could change the transportation world in a big, big way. Yes, it may be a little early to make that sort of unqualified sweeping statement – the first drivable prototype won't be complete for another six months – but if everything works out as planned, prepare to be impressed, if not amazed.

You see, the two-wheeled all-electric all-wheel-drive C-1 combines the small footprint of a motorcycle with the comforts and safety of an automotive cabin to create an affordable, yet stylish, super-efficient vehicle. And it does it without holes in the bottom to poke your feet through à la Fred Flintstone or the retractable training wheels we've seen on another enclosed motorcycle.

How it accomplishes its magic-like balancing act is really the cool part of this machine's story. It does it with flywheels that deliver 1,300 pound-feet of stabilizing torque. Of course, if the discs always spun strictly on the horizontal, it would be a little tricky to actually turn the C-1 since you need to lean, so the C-1's brain takes the input from the steering wheel and other factors into account and alters its axes accordingly. Neato, huh?

In a phone interview, Lit Motors CEO Daniel Kim told AutoblogGreen that once the company is building in volumes of 10,000 or more units, the price for the C-1 is expected to be around $16,000. That money gives you 0-to-60 in about six to eight seconds and provides a range of 150 miles.

Hit the jump for a nice little video from the company showing how the C-1 works and how it might be integrated into one's cosmopolitan lifestyle (including how it would deal with a computer-simulated broadside attack from a Nissan Leaf) and as well as a bonus clip from Smart Planet featuring Mr. Kim himself discussing his creation.

Electric Bike Off-Roading!

2011-10-05T15:19:00.001+08:00

If you thought off-road mountain biking was fun, why not try the battery-assisted version. Yep, that would be electric bike off-roading, with big ol’ fat tires, courtesy of Fortune Hanebrink, a small bike maker based outta LA. For this week’s episode of GigaOM TV’s Green Overdrive show we go EV off-roading with Kane Fortune, President of Fortune Hanebrink, and one bad-@ass EV off-roader. Check out the video below!

Originally designed as a bike that could ride across the icy Antarctic snow, the Hanebrink all-terrain vehicle has the widest tires in the industry — at least the widest we’ve ever seen. The Fortune Hanebrink crew later added on an on-demand electric system, a 600-watt motor and a battery that turned the vehicle into the first off-road electric bike, with a speed up to 20 mph. For this week’s episode of GigaOM TV’s Green Overdrive show, we go electric off-roading with President Kane Fortune.

Source: Inhabitat

Toilet Motorcycle Runs On Human Poo Power

2011-10-05T15:07:00.000+08:00

Move your butt over, Prius. Japanese toilet manufacturer Toto has a new take on a green driving machine. The Toilet Bike Neo combines a three-wheel motorcycle with a latrine. The kooky contraption runs on biogas.

Biogas is just a fancy way of saying poo power. In case you were wondering where the source of the stool is supposed to come from, the bike's built-in toilet should answer your question. It doesn't leave much to the imagination. Could we get a privacy screen, please?

According to coverage by Spoon & Tamago, the rolling toilet can play music, write messages in the air using residual light imagery, and talk. There's no word on what exactly the toilet says, but I imagine it has an extensive repertoire of potty humor.

The bike appears to have a giant roll of toilet paper mounted at the rear end. There's even a miniature toilet installed above the headlight like a hood ornament. Classy!

In just 6 days the highly anticipated toilet motorcycle will take off on a month-long journey from Kyushu to Tokyo, making stops along the way to show off their new innovation and to educate people on the various green initiatives that TOTO is undertaking. For the last couple days the TOTO blog has been teasing us with renderings and even a blurred out image of the actual toilet motorcycle. But today – finally! – they have revealed their innovation in full form. Behold: Toilet Bike Neo!

Toilet Bike Neo is also equipped with some other cool functions. It uses residual light imagery to write messages in the air as it zooms by (you can see an example by scrolling down to their Sep 26 blog entry). It can also play music to entertain spectators. Finally, the toilet actually talks. This is a technology that TOTO has been equipping many of their new toilets with. For a complete archive of all the new toilet technology, take a look at these fascinating videos, which include fortune-telling, stock-quote-reading, weather-forecasting toilets.

If you’re wondering, how do I catch a glimpse of this fantastic contraption? Well, you’re not alone. The motorcycle doesn’t take off until October 6th so the staff are slowly leaking details. What we know is that the starting point is the TOTO Headquarters in Kitakyushu. It will then head to Nakatsu in Oita prefecture to pay homage to an ass-shaped boulder (yes, they are obviously having a lot of fun with this). From there the motorcycle will hitch a ride on a ferry to Hiroshima, then to Okayama and then to Kobe. After riding around Nara and Kyoto they will hit up Aichi, Shizuoka and then Tokyo. For more details you’ll have to keep checking their blog, where daily updates have been posted.

(From here on is the nerd inside me talking. If you have no interest in Japanese manga, stop reading now.) I couldn’t help but think that this toilet was invented for auto-bike kozo, a fictional character who appears in the manga Dr. Slump – Akira Toriyama’s 1980 pièce de résistance. Accordingly, auto-bike kozo suffers from a rare, yet tragic orphan disease known as I-die-if-I-disembark-my-motorcycle syndrome. Because of this disease he is forced to wear clothing that comes with an opening around his rear (click here for visual) so he never has to take a bathroom break. Auto-bike kozo – your dream just came true.

Source: CNET

Russia Announces Plans For A Space Hotel

2011-10-04T20:04:00.000+08:00

Russia has announced that it plans to open a space hotel by 2016. The facility would accommodate up to seven guests. Developers say hotel guests will be paying around US$170,000 for a five-day stay, plus another $800,000 to ride the space shuttle transfer to the hotel. Food will be delivered from the earth, and warmed up in microwave ovens.

Just getting there will be an adventure in itself – it will take two days aboard a Soyuz rocket – and it won’t exactly be a budget holiday: A five-day stay will cost you £100,000, on top of £500,000 for your journey. The hotel, or the Commercial Space Station to give it its proper name, is due to open by 2016 and, according to those behind it, will be ‘far more comfortable’ than the International Space Station used by astronauts and cosmonauts.

Futuristic: Orbital Technologies has revealed plans for a space hotel, which could be open by 2016

In the weightlessness of space, visitors can choose to have beds that are either vertical or horizontal, while showers will be sealed affairs to stop water going where it shouldn’t (those aboard the International Space Station must make do with sponge baths until they return home).

Tourists, who will be accompanied by experienced crew, will dine on food prepared on Earth and sent up on the rocket, to be reheated in microwave ovens.

The plan is to do away with the freeze-dried tubes of nourishment given to astronauts and replace them with delicacies such as braised veal cheeks with wild mushrooms, white bean puree, potato soup and plum compote.

Space age: The rooms will also act as an emergency bothole for astronauts at the manned space station

Iced tea, mineral water and fruit juices will be available, but alcohol will be strictly prohibited. Toilets will use flowing air instead of water to move waste through the system. Waste water will be recycled, while the air will be filtered to remove odour and bacteria and then returned to the cabin. Sergei Kostenko, chief executive of Orbital Technologies which will construct the hotel, said: ‘Our planned module inside will not remind you of the International Space Station. A hotel should be comfortable inside, and it will be possible to look at the Earth through large portholes.

The hotel will be aimed at wealthy individuals and people working for private companies who want to do research in space.’ Tourists might also find themselves playing host to unexpected guests – there is a plan for the hotel to be used as an emergency bolthole for astronauts aboard the International Space Station if there is a crisis, rather than bringing them all the way back to Earth.

Opening time: Orbital Technologies said it hoped the hotel will be up and running in just five years time. Price: The amount spent on the project has not been revealed, but a five-day stay will cost around £100,000

Source dailymail

10 Photoshop Secrets and Useful Keyboard Shortcuts

2011-10-03T17:53:00.001+08:00

Photoshop is one of the most used designing source used by the professional web designers. It is already known and also proven that using shortcuts increases productivity in very less time. Photoshop is a complex of many tools and features which makes the working on photoshop somewhat hard.

have gathered some collections of photoshop secrets or tricks which can make the designing experience easy and more faster. Keep reading the tricks below and will know how these photoshop secrets can increase your productivity.

Note: This article is written with respect to Mac’s Photoshop. If you are using Windows, Cmd = Ctrl and Opt = Alt.

Drag selection-With the Marquee tool, drag on the document (do not release the mouse yet), now hold down Spacebar, it will let you drag the undefined selection..

Navigate the document left or right-Hold down the Cmd key and scroll up or down allows you to navigate the document left or right. For example, hold down Cmd + scroll up will navigate to right.

Browse the font list-Put your cursor in the font list dropdown, you can browse the font list by pressing arrow Up or Down key.

Scale font size-Select the text that you want to scale the font size, press Cmd + Shift + > or < to increase / decrease font size.

Drag to adjust numberic value-Mouseover the input box, hold down Cmd + drag left or right to increase / decrease. Hold down Cmd + Opt or Shift key and drag can change the value in decimal or 10 interval. This shortcut works in all dialog palettes.

Collapse or expand all layer groups-You can collapse or expand all root-level layer groups by holding down Cmd + click on the triangle icon. Hold down Cmd + Opt + click on the triangle icon will collapse or expand all level layer groups.

Navigate layer blending mode-Opt + Shift + “-” or “+” key allows you to navigate through the blending mode dropdown.

Navigate the tool list-You can navigate through the tool list by pressing Shift + tool shorcut. For example: B = Brush tool, if you press Shift + B again, you will switch to Pencil tool.

Duplicate layer-There are several shortcuts to duplicate layers.1. You can hold down Cmd + Opt + drag to duplicate the active layer.2. Cmd + Opt + arrow keys (Up, Down, Left, Right).3. Cmd + J will duplicate the active layer in exact position.4. Hold down Opt + drag within the Layers palette can also duplicate layers.

Copy visible and paste in a new layer-Press Cmd + Opt + Shift + E will copy the visible layers and paste in a new layer.

Simple Photoshop Shortcut Commands

    Z (Zoom Tool) — This command just brings up the zoom tool, which allows you to zoom in. Like with the hand tool, if you hold down the Alt key, it temporarily switches to the zoom out mode.

    Ctrl + 0 (Fit on Screen) — This is a quick-and-dirty command to get the entire photo in front of your eyes. That’s Ctrl + zero, not the letter “O”.

    B (Brush Tool) — The brush is an extremely useful tool when working with masks, and I’m constantly using this command along with the hand and zoom tools.

    Ctrl + Z (Undo) — Very useful for the little mistakes we all make.

    Tab (Hide/Show Palettes) — Hiding the palettes gives you a little more working room, thus decreasing your need to pan and zoom while editing.

Intermediate Photoshop Shortcut Commands

    [ (Decrease Brush Size) -- Quickly decrease your brush size to get into those tighter spots.

    ] (Increase Brush Size) — Quickly increase your brush size for the larger areas.

    Shift + [ (Decrease Brush Softness) -- Decrease the softness of the brush by 25%.

    Shift + ] (Increase Brush Softness) — Increase the softness of the brush by 25%.

    Shift + 1->0 (Tool Flow) — This works exactly like the opacity changer, but you just have to hold the Shift key down while you hit the numbers.

    Ctrl + Shift + N (New Layer) — This will bring up the new layer dialog box and place a new layer on top of the active layer.

    Ctrl + Alt + Shift + N (New Layer No Dialog) — This command skips the dialog box and just places a new layer on top of the active layer.

    Ctrl + Alt + Shift + K (Show Keyboard Commands) — If you forget any of these commands, or if you want to check on other commands, use this to bring up the help dialog on keyboard shortcuts.

Mechanical Keyboards: Should You Switch?

2011-10-03T16:36:00.000+08:00

Tired of typing on a boring, mushy membrane keyboard? One editor made the switch to a mechanical keyboard a month ago, and hasn't looked back.

Ever stop and think about how your average, everyday PC keyboard doesn't have the same satisfying "click" that it used to? Well, some manufacturers still make mechanical switch keyboards that feel like the classic IBM Model M--and if you spend your work (or play) time typing away on a PC keyboard, it might be worth your while to switch out your membrane keyboard for a mechanical one. Depending on what you use with your PC, a mechanical keyboard could help you type more quickly and more accurately, and it will last far longer than a standard PC pack-in keyboard will.

The classic IBM Model M keyboard

I've been rounding up about a dozen mechanical keyboards for an upcoming PCWorld feature, which means I've spent several weeks playing with some of the best keyboards out there. Here are some of the advantages, disadvantages, and common questions I've encountered over the past month of mechanical keyboarding.
What Is a Mechanical Keyboard?

A mechanical keyboard uses actual, physical switches underneath the keys to determine when the user has pushed a key. Press a key, and you press its switch down. Press the switch down, and the keyboard sends a signal to the PC telling it that you pressed that key.

At first, this design doesn't sound so remarkable. After all, you already have a keyboard, and you can tell when you've pressed a key: You push one down, and a letter pops up on the screen. Take a second, however, to think about how you know you've pressed a key--it's probably because you've pushed the key down as far as it will go, only after which do you see something happen on your PC.

Most keyboards are composed of a set of three plastic membranes, with rubber dome-shaped switches underneath each key. Press a key, and the rubber switch pushes through a hole in the middle membrane to connect the top and bottom membranes, which creates an electrical circuit that causes the keyboard to send the input to your PC. This keyboard design is inexpensive and spill-resistant, but it doesn't give you as much tactile or audible feedback when you press a key, which can change the way you type.

30 Days With a Mechanical Keyboard

Over the past week, I've been lucky enough to spend some quality time with a handful of high-end mechanical keyboards, including the Das Keyboard Model S Professional, the Diatec Filco Majestouch Ninja and Majestouch 2 Camouflage, and the SteelSeries 6Gv2 and 7G.

The Diatech Filco Majestouch 2 Camouflage mechanical keyboard

Of course, each of these keyboards uses different parts and design elements, and each one has a different build quality, layout, and weight. So I'm going to save the side-by-side comparisons for our upcoming mechanical keyboard review roundup, and instead talk about my overall experiences here.

Mechanical keyboards feel very different: I started out by swapping my stock Dell keyboard for the Filco Majestouch Ninja, and the difference between the two was immediately apparent. The Ninja gave me a far more satisfying "thunk" noise when I pressed the keys. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what felt so good about the Ninja, except that when I tried to go back to the Dell keyboard (or any other standard rubber-dome keyboard), it felt mushy.

Many laptop aficionados are big fans of Lenovo laptop keyboards because they offer more tactile response than your average laptop keyboard does. Each key requires a certain amount of force to actuate, and the key does not yield until you push down with enough force. Lenovo keyboards feel "crunchy," for lack of a better word. Each keystroke feels more pronounced and intentional on a Lenovo laptop keyboard than it does on a lesser keyboard, and the increased physical feedback from the keyboard lets your brain know when you've pushed each key hard enough that you can move on to the next one.

Basically, a good mechanical keyboard is to a standard rubber-dome keyboard what a Lenovo laptop keyboard is to a regular old laptop keyboard. No matter what kind of switch your mechanical keyboard uses, each keystroke simply feels more solid than it does on a normal keyboard.

Mechanical keyboards are loud: While the actual volume depends on what kind of switch your keyboard uses, as well as on your typing technique, mechanical keyboards are significantly louder than other kinds of keyboards. Personally, I like the sound--it's an additional form of feedback for each keystroke--but depending on where you're doing your typing, this sound could be a problem. None of my coworkers noticed a significant noise increase after I switched to the mechanical keyboards, but we're often wearing headphones during work anyway.

If you're using your keyboard in a room where someone else can hear you type, they may find it distracting. Some PCWorld readers have reported that they can't even talk on Skype with people while they're typing on a mechanical keyboard because it drowns out the voices. I didn't notice this problem, myself--it depends on your microphone setup--but it's certainly something to be aware of.

Some mechanical keyboards out there advertise lower sound levels as a selling point--the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate, for instance, has a Stealth Edition that uses different mechanical switches that are supposed to be quieter than most. Stay tuned for our upcoming review roundup for our test results.

Mechanical keyboards are heavy: When I pulled the Das Keyboard Model S out of the box, PCWorld's laptops editor Jason Cross commented that it was the kind of keyboard he'd keep on hand in case of a zombie invasion. No joke: These things are heavy--usually about 3 pounds or so. Between the weight and the rubber contact pads on the bottom (which are much bigger than the ones on my Dell keyboard), this thing basically doesn't move from my desk unless I pick it up. And that's nice--I hate it when my keyboard constantly slides around. Obviously, mechanical keyboards aren't designed for portability.

The SteelSeries 6Gv2 mechanical keyboard (and some other gaming gear)

Mechanical keyboards (might) make you type differently: Some mechanical keyboard switches (Cherry MX Blue switches, for example) are designed to give you an audible "click" at the point where each button has actuated. That isn't merely meant to annoy your cubicle neighbors--the idea is that you will learn to stop pressing the button down when you hear the click, not when the button can't go down any further.

At first, I didn't realize that, and my hands were getting tired much more quickly than they usually do while typing, since I was pressing down each key further than necessary. So I tried consciously using less force to type. It took a little doing, but two weeks later I've noticed that I'm typing more lightly, more easily, and maybe just a little bit more quickly--after all, the shorter the distance that each key travels, the less work for my fingers in the same amount of time. That isn't such a big deal for a light computer user; for me, however, it can mean the difference between leaving work on time to catch the early bus or getting stuck in traffic.
Should You Switch?

You don't need to go out and buy a mechanical keyboard for a light-use family PC or a home theater PC, and you won't want to lug one around for your laptop or tablet. But if you're a PC power user and you're willing to shell out a few hundred dollars on a high-end CPU or graphics card, don't cheap out with a pack-in stock keyboard. You might find that moving up from your old rubber-switch keyboard to a nice mechanical model could make your computing more enjoyable overall. And don't forget to check back soon for our upcoming mechanical keyboard roundup!

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/search?qt=keyboards&s=d#tk.srch_art_tag

Australian Women Set Bikini Parade World Record

2011-10-03T11:43:00.000+08:00

Bikini-clad girls set new record
Hundreds join in bikini parade
City makes Guinness World Record

THE Gold Coast is officially the bikini capital of the world after 357 women donned the two-piece to set a new world record.

Bikini-clad women strutting through Surfers Paradise have bolstered the Gold Coast's reputation for producing world-beating women.

Just days after the city welcomed athletes Sally Pearson and Sam Stosur home after incredible sporting feats, hundreds of women joined this morning's Gold Coast Bikini Parade, smashing the standing world record.

Sponsored by the Surfers Paradise Alliance and the Gold Coast Bulletin, the parade needed to attract 332 bodies to beat the record set in the Cayman Islands last year.

Australian Guinness World Record adjudicator Chris Sheedy was on hand to officially declare the record attempt a success.

''Today 361 girls walked through the counter but there had to be a few disqualifications because they were not wearing bikinis,'' he said.

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''Unfortunately for the Cayman Islands they have had their record smashed because 357 walked through the count today.''
Local councillor Susie Douglas (Division 7) said the event was a great way to show off the attractions of the Coast.

''The Guinness Book of Records has a particularly reputable brand and that's the sort of attention we need to attract,'' she said.

Kingdom Of Gladiators (2011) DVDRip 600MB

2011-10-02T22:38:00.000+08:00

So: do you like movies about gladiators? No, that’s not an Airplane reference but a reviewer asking you, the reader, why you’d be at all interested in such a blatant attempt to cash in on the sword and sandals phenomenon that arrived on the heels of the success of films like 300 and their ilk. Even if the idea of a ‘sexed’ up world of swords, warriors and demons does indeed get you hard then you should look elsewhere instead of this dismal excuse for film-making.

In a brief prologue we learn of King Wolfkhan and his desire for a wider rule that leads him to making a pact with a demon: he will become unbeaten in all his battles in exchange for the soul of his first born child. He becomes so consumed with his conquests, the fact that he has put his daughter’s life up for grabs slips his mind and years later, the demon fulfils his side of their bargain and snatches his child (all this is told to us in a pretty unremarkable 2D animation). Three chosen warriors, champions of the local fighting tournaments, are given the task of hunting the demon down to break its hold over the kingdom, saving their world…bored yet? I don’t blame you at all.

Even after the first five minutes you’ll be cursing yourself and your damned sense of curiosity for leading you to pick up this abortion. If you make it past that point without hitting the off button on your remote, than I commend you squire! The production values are pretty much non-existent leaving us with little more than a few extras hired to wander around fields and old castles in shoddy period clothing squawking some of the most hideous dialogue ever committed to paper.

The performances are truly shocking even for this straight to DVD video dungeon that I’m sure even Kim Newman would choose to stay well away from. The only other place you’d see performances of this quality would be to visit your local medieval re-enactment show: actually I hereby apologise and would like to strike that last comment from the record, that would be offensive to those taking part in said re-enactment.

Not all the fault should be focused on the performers here as the director seems to idea of how to frame a simple shot, the editing is so chip-choppy I would be surprised if they just pulled in someone who was in-between putting wedding videos together. In a scene where two characters were engaged in combat – I didn’t really care who they were – you can clearly see two extras in the background, lightly exchanging blows like two ten year olds. Did they even check the rushes for this at all?

For those of with a warped love of Ed Wood style disasters – don’t be fooled. I implore you not to waste your time with this dross and do something a lot more enjoyable with your time, like slam your head in a car door. This is one of those films that will leave you scratching your head at how it ever got a green light at all. Avoid.

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Food And Bewerage In Afghanistan

2011-10-02T09:38:00.000+08:00

Afghan cuisine is like other eastern cuisines – rich and old. But, according to the climate differences, it is not as variable as, for example, Armenian. Anyway, the food there is tasty and nutritious. All the dishes are the same like in other Asian countries, but the technology is national and very different.

That is a contemporary cafeteria in Afghanistan. There you may taste the national cuisine. Afghan cooks can be proud of Shami Kebab, Tas Kebab and many kinds of pilaf. The best pilafs are Kabuli-Pilau and Pilau-e-Shahi (King Pilaf). Also, the Afghan culinary tradition is very tolerant in replacing meat in pilaf. You can change lamb in the meal with every kind of meat, except pork. Yeah, the country is Muslim..

It is impossible to imagine Afghanistan cuisine without tea.

People in that country always drink tea – for every meal and without. The amounts of tea drunk is impressive.

That is ordinary Afghan cafe.

Poor people do not even have a water supply and sewage, so they wash the dishes in a basin. And they change water on rare occasions.

Lots of guests in cafes prefer to sit on their hunkers.

Most commonly people use tea bags. The taste is horrible, it can be killed with big quantities of sugar.

It looks like that. You have to cover it with bread and eat. The best shashlik ever!

The Best Video Advert I've Seen For An AV Product Eset Nod32 v5

2011-10-01T23:03:00.001+08:00

MANILA, Philippines – Slovakia-based ESET recently launch its flagship products ESET Smart Security 5 and ESET NOD32 Antivirus 5, which the company claims has more advanced detection technology and multi-layered security features.

“With the new technologies we are incorporating into the product like ESET Live Grid and our Advanced HIPS, we will be providing an even more comprehensive protection than ever before,” said Richard Marko, chief executive at ESET, in a media statement. “We always strive to deliver technologically advanced products employing the latest innovations at ESET.”

At the moment, Marko said ESET is already working on developing future generations of our security solutions.

Marko said ESET 5 and ESET NOD32 Antivirus 5 offer various new and improved features such as the ESET Live Grid, which is cloud-based reputation and protection technology; a New Removable Media Control, that will include more granular control of external devices; a Parental Control that is available for the Smart Security 5; Advanced Host-based Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS); and a Gamer Mode.

According to regular ESET threat statistics, removable media is now used increasingly to spread viruses and malware. When plugged-in, a USB media can transfer a hidden virus, affecting computers without the need for Internet access.

Marko said the Removable Media Control feature automatically prompts the user to scan the content of all flash drives (USB, SD), Firewire, CDs and DVDs, so that specific threats can be blocked from trying to get through to the system through the media devices.

The company also said gamers will appreciate the Gamer Mode that switches to silent mode and disables pop ups to conserve system resources and enhance the gaming experience.

“Great performance and no effects on game’s quality: these are the two principal points that matter in the selection of AV software – that is why I trust ESET,” said Marcel “k1llsen” Paul, e-sports gamer in the top gaming league ESC in Germany, in a statement.

Chinese ATM Dispenses Gold

2011-10-01T21:32:00.001+08:00

An ATM that dispenses gold instead of cash is the latest gadget for investors in China. China's first gold ATM will start operating during the Chinese National Day holidays, and will dispense blocks of gold in different sizes. "After the outbreak of the financial crisis, everybody in China became very enthusiastic to purchase and invest in gold," Zheng Ruixiang of the Gongmei Group told Reuters. The company plans to operate 2,000 gold ATMs across the country. Similar machines have been introduced in Europe, the Emirates and Las Vegas, but for China the ATM is the first of its kind.

The Chinese government has been encouraging its people to buy gold, lifting an old ban on the investment public’s right to buy it. The popular exchange-traded funds like the SPDR Gold (GLD) ETF and very low interest rates are making it much easier and less costly for private investors to own it as well.

“Chinese people who used to put most of their yearly savings in their bank accounts will see their private assets suffering a rapid decline because the inflation rate is higher than banks’ time-deposit rate. In other words, it is a negative-interest environment,” Liang Da of the National Bureau of Statistics told China Daily.

Per capita incomes in China are rising, and many investors are using gold as a hedge, providing at least a modicum of fundamental support for gold prices long term.

Statistics from the People’s Bank of China show that the savings deposits of China’s urban residents amount to 30.3 trillion yuan ($4.73 trillion) in total, with each person on average possessing 23,000 yuan in savings by the end of 2010. Premier Wen Jiabao said this month that the per capita disposable income in real terms for both urban and rural residents has risen more than 7% from 2010.

China’s first ATM dispensing gold bars and coins was switched on this weekend in Beijing. The World Gold Council said in May that China passed India as the largest gold consumer in the first quarter of 2011. It also said the demand for gold jewelry in China rose 21% in the same period.

“China’s appetite for gold has increased rapidly over the past few years,” Albert Cheng, managing director of the Far East at the World Gold Council told the China Daily in a story published on Monday. “In March 2010, we predicted gold demand in China would double by 2020, but we believe this doubling may in fact be achieved sooner.”

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/video/?hpt=wo_t4#/video/world/2011/09/29/mann-china-gold-atm.cnn