What's The Future

Stress Inducing Foods to Avoid

2012-02-04T05:54:00.000-08:00

One adjective seems to be fit for most contemporary lifestyles, i.e. stressful.

Nearly every health problem diagnosed today seems to have its roots in stress. Now, it has been established that our eating habits, particularly the kind of food choices we make, can seriously impact our tendency to remain stressed. Just like there are foods that fight stress, some foods are known to induce stress.

1. Refined Sugar Foods

Food items, usually packaged or fast food goodies, packing a high concentration of refine sugar surround us everywhere. Anytime you want to get a quick bite, some form of sweetened beverage or baked item is easily available. All these foods tend to induce an immediate feeling of goodness. This is due to the instant manner in which refined sugar is absorbed—also called a sugar spike. However, the spike is soon followed by a low or a crash where the sugar-induced goodness slowly wears-off, leaving your feeing low, inducing a feeling of being de-energized or irritation. This in turn creates a craving for more sugar, creating a vicious cycle that plays havoc with your mind and drastically raising your calorie intake. It is better to choose naturally sweet foods like fruits, such as apples, mangoes and peaches that are healthier and equally sweet.

2. Packaged Foods High in Preservatives

Packed foods, particularly the cooked variety, or those requiring a greater degree of preservation contain very high amounts of preservatives like MSG apart from sugar and other chemical additives. These compounds tend to raise our blood pressure which in turn is an underlying reason for feeling uneasy and stressed.

3. Caffeine-spiked Foods

If you are a coffee addict, you must have felt the upsurge in your mood you feel every time you sip from a cup full of coffee and the intense deprivation you feel without it. The reason for this is simple—Caffeine is a strong stimulant. Yes, it is natural and having it occasionally is good for your mental health, but being dependent on it means you are making yourself more vulnerable to stress every time you aren't holding a hot simmering cup in your hand.

4. Cholesterol-heavy Foods

Cholesterol is actually one of the most essential nutrients but an excess of it can act as a major health deterrent, i.e. physically and mentally. Cholesterol in high amount tends to thicken the arteries that raises our blood pressure and induces unwanted hormonal changes. Cholesterol-heavy foods like Potato Chips and French Fries induce a greater stress on our digestive system for metabolizing the fats, making it lose out on many essential nutrients that are required for the anti-stress biochemicals, called neurotransmitters, to be synthesized and function properly.

5. Foods Packing Excessive Proteins

The world seems obsessed with eating lots of proteins. However, what people don’t understand it is that unless you are a diehard gymming enthusiast, eating excessive proteins is not good for your psychological health. This is why—serotonin is the main anti-stress hormone in our body. For converting tryptophan into serotonin, we need vitamin B6. However, when excessive protein is eaten, most of this vitamin is engaged for breaking proteins into amino acids. Certain amino acids (like phenylalanine) found in protein-rich foods inhibits synthesis of serotonin. Thus, limit your intake of eggs, protein shakes, fish and chicken unless you are trying to raise your muscle mass.

Social Media Can Kill You

2011-12-05T10:28:00.001-08:00

"The British media is very breathless this morning about a study by Oxford neuroscientist Susan Greenfield which suggests that sites like Facebook are “infantilising the brain.”

The study claims that young people could lose their capacity to empathize with each other if social media trends continue at the current rate. And it comes on the heels of a revelation by the journal Biologist that Twitter could give you cancer! I'm not stressed about it on my own account since I always wear my tinfoil hat when I update my Facebook status, but I'm obviously extremely worried for the children.

Particles found to break speed of light

2011-09-22T22:10:00.002-07:00

(Reuters) - An international team of scientists said on Thursday they had recorded sub-atomic particles traveling faster than light -- a finding that could overturn one of Einstein's long-accepted fundamental laws of the universe.

Antonio Ereditato, spokesman for the researchers, told Reuters that measurements taken over three years showed neutrinos pumped from CERN near Geneva to Gran Sasso in Italy had arrived 60 nanoseconds quicker than light would have done.

"We have high confidence in our results. We have checked and rechecked for anything that could have distorted our measurements but we found nothing," he said. "We now want colleagues to check them independently."

If confirmed, the discovery would undermine Albert Einstein's 1905 theory of special relativity, which says that the speed of light is a "cosmic constant" and that nothing in the universe can travel faster.

That assertion, which has withstood over a century of testing, is one of the key elements of the so-called Standard Model of physics, which attempts to describe the way the universe and everything in it works.

The totally unexpected finding emerged from research by a physicists working on an experiment dubbed OPERA run jointly by the CERN particle research center near Geneva and the Gran Sasso Laboratory in central Italy.

A total of 15,000 beams of neutrinos -- tiny particles that pervade the cosmos -- were fired over a period of 3 years from CERN toward Gran Sasso 730 (500 miles) km away, where they were picked up by giant detectors.

Light would have covered the distance in around 2.4 thousandths of a second, but the neutrinos took 60 nanoseconds -- or 60 billionths of a second -- less than light beams would have taken.

"It is a tiny difference," said Ereditato, who also works at Berne University in Switzerland, "but conceptually it is incredibly important. The finding is so startling that, for the moment, everybody should be very prudent."

Ereditato declined to speculate on what it might mean if other physicists, who will be officially informed of the discovery at a meeting in CERN on Friday, found that OPERA's measurements were correct.

"I just don't want to think of the implications," he told Reuters. "We are scientists and work with what we know."

Much science-fiction literature is based on the idea that, if the light-speed barrier can be overcome, time travel might theoretically become possible.

The existence of the neutrino, an elementary sub-atomic particle with a tiny amount of mass created in radioactive decay or in nuclear reactions such as those in the Sun, was first confirmed in 1934, but it still mystifies researchers.

It can pass through most matter undetected, even over long distances, and without being affected. Millions pass through the human body every day, scientists say.

To reach Gran Sasso, the neutrinos pushed out from a special installation at CERN -- also home to the Large Hadron Collider probing the origins of the universe -- have to pass through water, air and rock.

The underground Italian laboratory, some 120 km (75 miles) to the south of Rome, is the largest of its type in the world for particle physics and cosmic research.

Around 750 scientists from 22 different countries work there, attracted by the possibility of staging experiments in its three massive halls, protected from cosmic rays by some 1,400 metres (4,200 feet) of rock overhead.

Particles found to break speed of light

2011-09-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

Light would have covered the distance in around 2.4 thousandths of a second, but the neutrinos took 60 nanoseconds -- or 60 billionths of a second -- less than light beams would have taken.

"I just don't want to think of the implications," he told Reuters. "We are scientists and work with what we know."

Much science-fiction literature is based on the idea that, if the light-speed barrier can be overcome, time travel might theoretically become possible.

It can pass through most matter undetected, even over long distances, and without being affected. Millions pass through the human body every day, scientists say.

The underground Italian laboratory, some 120 km (75 miles) to the south of Rome, is the largest of its type in the world for particle physics and cosmic research.

Use of Internet affecting our memory, finds study

2011-07-16T08:17:00.001-07:00

To know whether people were more likely to remember information that could be easily retrieved from a computer, Betsy Sparrow, an assistant professor of psychology at Columbia and her collaborators, Daniel M. Wegner of Harvard and Jenny Liu of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, staged different memory experiments, reports the New York Times.

In one experiment where participants typed 40 bits of trivia, the team found that the subjects were significantly more likely to remember information if they thought they would not be able to find it later.

"Participants did not make the effort to remember when they thought they could later look up the trivia statement they had read," wrote the authors.

A second experiment was aimed at determining whether computer accessibility affects precisely what we remember.

"If asked the question whether there are any countries with only one colour in their flag, for example," the researchers wrote, "do we think about flags - or immediately think to go online to find out?"

In this case, participants were asked to remember both the trivia statement itself and which of five computer folders it was saved in. The researchers were surprised to find that people seemed better able to recall the folder.

"That kind of blew my mind," Dr. Sparrow said.

The experiment explores an aspect of what is known as transactive memory - the notion that we rely on our family, friends and co-workers as well as reference material to store information for us.

The Internet's effects on memory are still largely unexplored, Dr. Sparrow said, adding that her experiments had led her to conclude that the Internet has become our primary external storage system.

"Human memory," she said, "is adapting to new communications technology."

Top skincare wonders of 2010

2011-01-31T06:12:00.000-08:00

You want to know more: the science behind products and what they can achieve for you. To woo smart, beautiful women like us, skin and hair care brands are working overtime to come up with products with newer research and ingredients every day. We went to beauty labs and selected the top six skincare innovations of 2010 that will make you younger and more beautiful in days!

The innovation: Gold micro-particles

What is it: Gold as an active is not exactly new in the Indian beauty tradition, considering people ingested gold powder in the old days to improve immunity and give their skin a glow. What's new, however, is that scientists have now found benefits of the minerals in (colloidal) gold. The minerals in gold go under the skin and repair sun damage, and have strong antibacterial properties.

How it works: Pure gold particles in skin can actually reverse the damage caused by free radicals and slow down the oxidation process of cells, thus repairing skin damage. Gold particles also improve the lymphatic drainage of skin, helping remove toxins from the skin and body, thereby improving the skin's natural healing process. According to Dr Pushkar Sona, head of R&D at the Pond's Institute, Shanghai, real gold micro-particles infuse skin with vital nourishment and stimulate its natural regenerative processes. "We spent two years developing a potent new combination of the world's best anti-ageing ingredients in combination with real gold micro-particles to restore youthful radiance over time," he adds.

How best to use it: Since gold particles help reverse skin's oxidation process and fight sun damage, it is best to wear a gold-infused serum on your skin under your regular moisturiser before heading out during the day.

Where to find it: Pond's Gold Radiance Precious Youth Serum with Real Gold Micro-particles and Shahnaz Husain Nature's Gold Beautifying Mask.

The innovation: Pro xylane
What is it: It is a sugar-protein hybrid made from xylose, a sugar extract found in beech trees that defends skin against moisture loss, and strengthens the skin matrix. Xylose is known to stimulate the production of glycoaminoglycans, the molecules responsible for defending skin against water loss. Pro Xylane, a patented ingredient, was first discovered and developed by Lancôme from the L'Oreal group.

How it works: As we age, our skin's cellular matrix becomes loose, thereby reducing its capacity to produce the skin tightening collagen. Pro Xylane provides the extra dose of protein helping boost skin structure. Explaining this active's impact, Richa Singh, marketing head, Garnier, says, "Pro Xylane stimulates the production of skin's natural matrix, made up of protein and sugar, that supports cell structure, and also pulls in more moisture, thus improving skin elasticity."

How best to use it: Pro Xylane helps improve skin texture within seven days of application. Since most of our skin rejuvenation takes place at night, a Pro Xylane-based cream is best used before going to bed.
Where to find it: L'Oreal Paris Derma Genesis Intensive Night Cream, Garnier Age Lift Triactive Triple Action Anti-ageing Cream.

The innovation: Pomegranate, the whole fruit

What is it: It is a common enough fruit and its juices are known to have the most potent anti-oxidants. "However, our research has shown that it is not just the juice but the whole fruit, including the skin and seeds that help slow the skin's ageing process," says Sophie Gasperment, CEO, The Body Shop.

How it works: Pomegranate is known to be a great anti-oxidant. Its juice helps trickfight premature ageing of skin. However, the R&D team at The Body Shop has found that other parts of the fruit such as the skin also have superior moisturising qualities. Aqua porins extracted from the pulp are moisture-boosting molecules that encourage skin cells to retain more water. Pomegranate seed oil is rich in anti-oxidants known to protect against free radicals. The peel has an active ingredient that works like the Vitamin A derivative retinol, known for its skin-revitalising properties.

How best to use it: The serum with pomegranate extracts from the The Body Shop Natrulift Anti-Ageing Range delivers intense results. According to clinical trials by The Body Shop, this is known to give effective results to women with more pronounced signs of ageing within 15 days of usage.

Where to find it: The Body Shop Natrulift Firming Serum.

The innovation: Helioplex

What is it: Developed by Johnson & Johnson-owned Neutrogena, Helioplex is a unique blend of sun protection actives avobenzone and oxybenzone, that offer broad spectrum UV ray protection. Interestingly, this new technology came through when scientists at Neutrogena were working with the two ingredients to provide stability to their sunscreen product.

How it works: It is known that oxybenzone offers UVB protection while avobenzone blocks UVA rays. Helioplex brings the two together to offer complete protection. The properties in the compounds absorb both types of UV rays, altering harmful rays into safe ones. According to Yujin Saito, associate director, Beauty R&D, Asia Pacific, Johnson & Johnson, "While the earlier version of the sunscreen protected skin from UVB rays, it was found that UVA rays were the more harmful ones causing photodamage. So a blend of the two chemicals were created to offer long-term and sustained sun protection."

How best to use it: Like all sunscreens, this also offers best results when applied 20 minutes before stepping out in the sun. Though Helioplex offers protection for a longer time, re-apply in case you are out for long hours in the sun.

Where to find it: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch with Helioplex.

The innovation: Q10plus
What is it: Developed by the Nivea Skincare laboratories in Germany, the Q10plus Anti-Wrinkle System is an improved formulation with an optimised UVA filter system, for advanced wrinkle prevention and protection against skin damage.

How it works: The key ingredient, Q10 is a co-enzyme found naturally within skin cells that plays a dual role as both an energiser and an anti-oxidant. In most women over 30, levels of Q10 dip drastically. As an essential energy provider within the skin cells, the Q10plus formula helps supports cellular metabolism, stimulating processes like skin cell protection and regeneration. Q10plus literally increases what your skin has lost over time with the body's natural anti-ageing defence Q10. The Q10 ingredient penetrates into your skin and acts to increase the energy levels for cell regeneration, leading to smoother skin. The optimised UVA filter system in the Nivea Visage Q10plus range, in addition to SPF 15, also improves anti-wrinkle effects, says Marion Detert of Nivea product development.

How best to use it: Regular use of the day cream, preferably 15 minutes before stepping out in the sun, visibly reduces wrinkles within two weeks of application. Follow it up by massaging the night cream in upward circles on a regular basis before bed-time.

Where to find it: Nivea Visage Q10 Plus Anti-Wrinkle Skincare Collection.

The Innovation: MAP(Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate)

What is it: Vitamin C in the form of ascorbyl acid is a well-known skin rejuvenator that brightens skin and increases its hydration levels. However, it is not a very stable ingredient and the efficacy of Vitamin C-based products erodes faster than others. This is where MAP comes in. Developed by Dermalogica, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate or MAP is a stable version of Vitamin C that gets absorbed directly by the skin and improves its clarity.

How it works: We have developed a powder-to-emulsion formula with MAP which retains its efficacy and makes the Vitamin C derivative more stable. MAP works with a blend of white tea, algae, hyaluronic acid, helping stimulate the skins natural collagen production, says Avni Amlani of Dermalogica India.

How best to use it: MAP can be used as a spot treatment to deal with specific problems or as an all-over treatment to get an even tone and smoother skin. The innovative powder-to-emulsion texture can be applied directly to skin for regular use throughout the day.

Where to find it: Dermalogica MAP-15 Regenerator.

How Saturn's rings and inner moons were formed

2010-12-13T06:45:00.000-08:00

According to a new study, Saturn's rings and inner moons were formed after the collision of a large satellite with the planet.

Saturn's rings are at present 90 to 95 percent water ice. Previous studies suggest that the rings formed when a small satellite was disrupted by an impacting comet.

"This scenario would have likely resulted in rings that were a mixture of rock and ice, rather than the ice-rich rings we see today," said Dr. Robin M. Canup, associate vice president of the SwRI Planetary Science Directorate in Boulder.

But the new study links the formation of the rings to the formation of Saturn's satellites.

Previous studies suggest that that multiple Titan-sized satellites originally formed at Saturn, but as their orbits spiralled into the planet, they were lost.

As they neared Saturn, the heat would cause its ice to melt and its rock to sink to its center. Such a satellite crosses the region of the current B ring, planetary tidal forces strip material from its outer icy layers, while its rocky core remains intact and eventually collides with the planet.

This produces an initial ice ring that is much more massive than Saturn's current rings.

"The new model proposes that the rings are primordial, formed from the same events that left Titan as Saturn's sole large satellite, " said Canup.

"The implication is that the rings and the Saturnian moons interior to and including Tethys share a coupled origin, and are the last remnants of a lost companion satellite to Titan."

During its extended mission, the Cassini spacecraft will measure the rings' current mass and will indirectly measure the pollution rate of the rings.

Your comnputer in 2020

2010-11-24T22:46:00.000-08:00

What's the most fascinating shift that computing is creating in our lives? You might think it's just "smaller, better, faster," but there is an even more dramatic story about how computing is changing who we are as people and a society.

Thanks to the wonders of technology, the idea of managing two distinct lives has become common for many of us. We have always had the first life--our physical existence, the one we can't escape until we die. But today many of us have also adapted a second life. We have long had the opportunity to invent ourselves through media, historically through writing. We could invent a new self. Yet our first lives remained dominant for most of us.

But today this second life has grown with such scale and ubiquity that it now competes with our first life. We do this using all of the digital tools that keep us connected with people we don't actually connect with--using Facebook, e-mail, texting, Twitter, IM and the myriad of other digital media. We can deliberately create a unique version of our self in the digital world.

What's profound is that this new self can take on an outsized importance and fidelity. Most of us know people in these digital worlds that we have never met. Yet we feel as if we know them and are connected to them. The balance between these two lives is rapidly shifting as technology offers ever-richer second life experiences.

This increasing importance of our second lives is making computing even more central to us. Computing no longer means "that PC in the den." Instead computing is an intimate extension of ourselves--something people feel naked without. This phenomenon is being driven by radical changes to the human-computer interface. We've been using a method for interacting with computers that was invented in the 1960s, but over the next 10 years we will see a dramatic change.

What started this trend was a breakthrough in touch-screen technology. Touch allows us to interact with computers in the same way we've been interacting with physical things for millions of years. It's the original interface. Unfortunately using a computer currently requires a proficiency and immersion in the computer's own interface; we must learn to work in the computer's world of scroll bars, list controls, push-buttons, mice and keyboards.

But we don't live there. We exist in a three-dimensional world. Why can't the computer come to our world rather than us to its? The problem with computing today is that it still requires computers. Even with the iPhone, with its beautiful interface, we are still interacting within its world on its terms.

Computers are essentially blind. They are a resource for mountains of information, yet they lack even the most basic context to our physical space. They don't know where they are, who's sitting in front of them or any other basic information about their surroundings. Looking ahead, we will teach a computer to understand and interact with us in our world. S

Stanley Kubrick introduced us to this concept with the intelligent computer HAL in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. The space travelers interacted with HAL not by sitting in front of a workstation, but by just being in the room with the computer. All fears of computers taking over the world aside, today HAL remains a truly provocative idea: the computer having an awareness of itself and the people who interact with it in the 3-D space we live in.

Microsoft's upcoming Project Natal is a powerful example of this. Based on a camera that sees into your living room, the technology lets players control games with their body movements without holding on to any hardware. It allows us to converse with the computer and drives a new idea of mobile computing: not merely smaller devices, but no devices. That is true mobility.

Would it be a stretch to say that this shift is as big as the Internet itself? The Internet was an explosion in the availability of information and connectivity. The other half of the story is how we get to that information, how we use it. This is computing in context, a world where we interact with computers in our own native space, using our own native language--the full range of our verbal and physical gestures and emotions we have spent 60 million years perfecting.

This leads to the notion of the body becoming what computer nerds would call a "node," an active participant in the computing landscape. Many of us already post our physical location online for everyone to see--an obvious example of the potential "nodeness" of people. But apply this to health and we can see a dramatic effect.

There are mass-market examples today, like AirStrip (a product we at Frog Design helped create), which remotely monitors patients in the hospital and sends vital information directly to a doctor's or nurse's smart phone. This is part of a growing market of devices that are attached to the body for monitoring purposes, allowing you to transmit your health data to your doctor or a Web site. Within 10 years, it will be as simple to publish and monitor what's going on with your body as it is to share your Facebook status with the world.

What it means to know something or someone is changing. Picture a world when we can have all the information available about someone on the Internet accessible instantly, not merely through a computer screen, but as a sort of heads-up display, as an overlay to what we normally see. This kind of display has long been the domain of jet pilots and Terminators, but we can easily imagine a future when information-augmented vision is applied to ordinary life.

Just recently an employee relocated to our Austin office from New York and was looking for a home. And like most of us, he was not merely looking for a nice house, but trying to find the right neighborhood, the right street. In the past we would get in our cars and drive to see each of these locations. But he did his exploring through Google Maps--using essentially satellite images and street--to view photos, to virtually fly around the city and walk up and down streets to get a feel for the area.

He was, in essence, house-hunting via satellite. How long will it be before we can see through satellites, no longer having to sit in front of our computers, but by using our very eyes, perhaps choosing alternate views as a sportscaster chooses camera angles for a game.

Fundamentally these changes represent not only evolutions in computing, but changes in us--in our notion of what it means to be human. When computing becomes deeply integrated into our knowing, our thinking, our decision processes, our bodies and even our consciousness, we are forever changed. We are becoming augmented. Our first and second lives will be forever entwined.

A pill to 'extend your life by 10 yrs'!!!!!!!!

2010-11-19T07:08:00.000-08:00

Thu, Nov 18 01:05 PM

Sydney, Nov 18 :

A Harvard Medical School professor believes that the day is not far when just popping a pill could make you live longer and healthier.

Associate Professor of Pathology David Sinclair said his work to activate the sirtuin genes, which control ageing "could expand lifespan by five to 10 healthy years."

It wouldn't stop you getting old, he said, but instead would push back the point at which you become impaired before "hopefully, [you] immediately drop dead," reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
He suggested that activating the sirtuins increases memory and endurance but also slow ageing and alleviate the impact of a high-fat diet.
"If the animal studies are borne out in humans, you would have a pill for arthritis that would prevent Alzheimer's, cardiac arrest, would slow down heart disease and even protect you against cataracts," Sinclair said.
"Within scientific circles this is as cutting edge as stem cell research," he added.
Sinclair also pioneeered the use of resveratrol - and now synthetic compounds up to 10,000 times more potent - which have been shown to slow the ageing process and prevent the onset of many diseases in animals.
However, he admitted that there was a risk because the effects of long-term doses in humans were not known, but no side effects in either animals or humans had been found.

Universe to end in 5 billion years, predict scientists

2010-10-30T10:06:00.001-07:00

Washington, Oct 30 (ANI): Right around the time when Sun is slated to die, the universe too would come to an end-in just five billion years-a new study has predicted.

The prediction comes from the theory of eternal inflation, which says our universe is part of the multiverse.

The problem with a multiverse is that anything that can happen will happen an infinite number of times, and that makes calculating probabilities-such as the odds that Earth-size planets are common-seemingly impossible.

"Normal notions of probability-where you say, Event A happens twice and Event B happens four times, so Event B is twice as likely-don't work, because instead of two and four, you have infinity," National Geographic News quoted Ken Olum of Tufts University in Massachusetts, as saying.

And calculating probabilities in a multiverse wouldn't just be a problem for cosmologists.

"If infinitely many observers throughout the universe win the lottery, on what grounds can one still claim that winning the lottery is unlikely?" theoretical physicist Raphael Bousso of the University of California, Berkeley, and colleagues wrote in the new study.

Physicists have been circumventing this problem using a mathematical approach called geometric cutoffs, which involves taking a finite swath of the multiverse and calculating probabilities based on that limited sample.

But in the new paper, Bousso's team noted that this technique has an unintended and, until now, overlooked consequence.

"You cannot use [cutoffs] as mere mathematical tools that leave no imprint.

"The same cutoff that gave you these nice and possibly correct predictions also predicts the end of time," said Bousso.

In fact, many physicists think eternal inflation is a natural extension of the theory of inflation, which solved some of the problems with the original big bang theory.

Eternal inflation is a next step in inflation theory, and it allows scientists to avoid some other tricky cosmology questions, such as what existed before our universe (answer: other universes) and why our universe appears to have properties fine-tuned for life.

"Although we don't have a theory [to explain the earliest moments of the universe], we have some pretty good ideas about what such a theory would look like ... and these ideas seem to necessarily include other universes," said Charles Lineweaver, an astrophysicist at Australian National University.

If probabilities are to work in a multiverse, there must be actual cutoffs that bring various universes to their ends, study leader said Bousso.

According to the formulas used to calculate cutoffs, a universe that is 13.7 billion years old will reach its cutoff in about 5 billion years, his team concludes.

For most people, the idea that a mathematical tool could be elevated to a real-world event might seem strange, but there are precedents for it in physics.

Scientists think our sun-now a middle-age star at about 4.57 billion years old-will be reaching the end of its life in about five billion years.

At that point in time, the sun will run out of fuel in its core and will start to shed its outer layers of gas, inflating to become a red giant and ultimately a planetary nebula.

Earth's exact fate during this event is unclear, but few scientists would argue that life on the planet could survive the sun's death.

The story was published at the Cornell University website arXiv.org.

Some Tips And Tricks For Your Windows XP

2010-10-30T03:39:00.000-07:00

STOP NOISE IN COPYING AUDIO CD

When using 3rd party burning software (eg, Nero Burning Rom) to copy audio CD,some noise may be heard at the end of each track. To prevent this,try the following method:

1. Enter System Properties\device manager

2. Select IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers

3. Double click on thee CD writer IDE channel

4. Select advance setting

5. Change the transfer mode to 'PIO Only'

6. Restart Computer

DISABLING THE 'UNSIGNED DRIVER' DIALOGS

This option wll disable the screen wich keeps popping up when you try to install 'digitally unsigned drivers'. Normally you can choose to continue the install anyways, but I have had situations where you cannot continue the install.. very annoying.. This is how to fix it:

Click Start - Run

then type: gpedit.msc

then hit enter.

Browse the folder tree to the following location:

User Configuration - Administrative Templates - System

now right-click Code signing for Device drivers and select Properties.

On the Settings tab, either select

- enable, and then select ignore from the appearing listbox..

- or click the disable option. Click apply and Ok and your set!

Alternatively especially for XP Home users:

Open "System" properties (Windows key + pause or Right click 'My Computer' - properties or Control Panel - System).On the Hardware tab click the "Driver Signing" button. In the dialogue that comes up choose "Ignore" to install the new driver anyway.

DMA MODE ON IDE DEVICES VIEWS

Just like Windows 2000, Windows XP still fails to set the DMA mode correctly for the IDE device designated as the slaves on the primary IDE and secondary IDE channels. Most CD-ROMS are capable of supporting DMA mode, but the default in XP is still PIO. Setting it to DMA won't make your CD-ROM faster, but it will consume less CPU cycles. Here's how:

1. Open the Device Manager. One way to do that is to right click on "My Computer", select the Hardware tab, and Select Device Manager.

2. Expand "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" and double-click on "Primary IDE Channel"

3. Under the "Advanced Settings" tab, check the "Device 1" setting. More than likely, your current transfer mode is set to PIO.

4. Set it to "DMA if available".

Repeat the step for the "Secondary IDE Channel" if you have devices attached to it. Reboot.

RESTORING MEDIA PLAYER

To restore Windows Media Player insert the the XP CD into the CD drive (if it autostarts click exit). Open a command window and type the following :

rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection InstallWMP7 132 c:\windows\inf\wmp.inf

RESTORING ACCESS TO CD ROM'S

If you removed CD Burning software, or for some other mystical reason, can not longer access your CD ROM's, in most cases following registry keys needs to be deleted: Locate and delete the UpperFilters and LowerFilters values under the following key in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

DELETING THE INDEX.DAT

Del "C:\Documents and Settings\aeon\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat"

CONTROL PANEL ON THE DESKTOP.

On The Desktop, Right Click Your Mouse Then Choose "New | Folder". Name The Folder As "ControlPanel. {21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}" Without The "Quote Things. And Now You Can Access The Control Panel More Faster Then Before.

CHANGING INTERNET EXPLORER ICON NAME.

Open Registry Editor Then Go To : "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CLSID". You Can See A Few Key Below It.

Now Go To This Key {871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}, Double Click At The Default Value On The Right, Enter Whatever Name You Like.

REMOVING USERNAME IN THE STARTMENU

Open Registry Editor Then Go To : "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer".

On The Right, Make A New Entry With Right Click On Your Mouse Then Choose "New | DWORD Value" Change The Entry's Name Into "NoUserNameInStartMenu", Double Click In The New Entry And Fill The "Value Data" With "1". Press OK, Exit From The Registry Editor. Restart Your Computer.

INTERNET EXPLORER LIGHTING-FAST STARTUP.

Isn't it annoying when you want to go to a new website, or any other site but your homepage, and you have to wait for your 'home' to load? This tweak tells Internet Explorer to simply 'run', without loading any webpages. (If you use a 'blank' page, that is still a page, and slows access. Notice the 'about:blank' in the address bar. The blank html page must still be loaded..). To load IE with 'nothing' [nothing is different than blank]:

1. Right-click on any shortcut you have to IE

[You should create a shortcut out of your desktop IE icon, and delete the original icon]

2. Click Properties

3. Add ' -nohome' [with a space before the dash] after the endquotes in the Target field.

4. Click OK

Fire up IE from your modified shortcut, and be amazed by how fast you are able to use IE!

INTERNET EXPLORER SPEED UP.

Edit your link to start Internet Explorer to have -nohome after it. For Example: "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE" -nohome

This will load internet explorer very fast because it does not load a webpage while it is loading. If you want to go to your homepage after it is loaded, just click on the home button.

SPEED UP BROWSING WITH DNS CATCH.

when you connect to a web site your computer sends information back and forth, this is obvious. Some of this information deals with resolving the site name to an IP address, the stuff that tcp/ip really deals with, not words. This is DNS information and is used so that you will not need to ask for the site location each and every time you visit the site. Although WinXP and win2000 has a pretty efficient DNS cache, you can increase its overall performance by increasing its size. You can do this with the registry entries below:

************begin copy and paste***********

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache\Parameters]

"CacheHashTableBucketSize"=dword:00000001

"CacheHashTableSize"=dword:00000180

"MaxCacheEntryTtlLimit"=dword:0000fa00

"MaxSOACacheEntryTtlLimit"=dword:0000012d

************end copy and paste***********

make a new text file and rename it to dnscache.reg. Then copy and paste the above into it and save it. Then merge it into the registry.

START IEXPLORER WITH EMPTY BLUE SCREEN.

Set your default page to about:mozilla and IE will show a nice blue screen upon startup.

SPEED UP DETAILED VIEW IN WINDOWS EXPLORER.

If you like to view your files in Windows Explorer using the "Details" view here is a tweak to speed up the listing of file attributes: Viewing files in Windows Explorer using the "Details" mode shows various attributes associated with each file shown. Some of these must be retrieved from the individual files when you click on the directory for viewing. For a directory with numerous and relatively large files (such as a folder in which one stores media, eg: *.mp3's, *.avi's etc.)

Windows Explorer lags as it reads through each one. Here's how to disable viewing of unwanted attributes and speed up file browsing:

1. Open Windows Explorer

2. Navigate to the folder which you wish to optimize.

3. In "Details" mode right click the bar at the top which displays the names of the attribute columns.

4. Uncheck any that are unwanted/unneeded.

Explorer will apply your preferences immediately, and longs lists of unnecessary attributes will not be displayed. Likewise, one may choose to display any information which is regarded as needed, getting more out of Explorer.

WEB PAGES SLOWS DOWN, FIX.

The tweak is simple. Beside the QoS and others around the Internet for the new XP OS, I found out that native drivers sometimes slow you down (cable and xDSL users). So if you have applied all tweaks and you are still having slow downs try reinstalling your NICs drivers. The difference is noticeable. My web pages now load almost instantly where they used to take even a minute!

FIX IE 6 SLOWDOWNS AND HANGS.

1. Open a command prompt window on the desktop (Start/Run/command).

2. Exit IE and Windows Explorer (iexplore.exe and explorer.exe, respectively, in Task Manager, i.e - Ctrl-Alt-Del/Task Manager/Processes/End Process for each).

3. Use the following command exactly from your command prompt window to delete the corrupt file:

C:\>del "%systemdrive%\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local

Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat"

4. Restart Windows Explorer with Task Manager (Ctrl-Alt-Del/Task Manager/Applications/New Task/Browse/C:\Windows\explorer.exe[or your path]) or Shutdown/Restart the computer from Task Manager.

SPEED UP WEB BROWSING.

Iv'e personally found a dramatic increase in web browsing after clearing the Windows XP DNS cache. To clear it type the following in a command prompt: ipconfig /flushdns.

ALLOW MORE THAN 2 SIMULTANEOUS DOWNLOADS ON IEXPLORER 6.

This is to increase the the number of max downloads to 10.

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).

2. Locate the following key in the registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings

3. On the Edit menu, click Add Value , and then add the following registry values:

"MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server"=Dword:0000000a

"MaxConnectionsPerServer"=Dword:0000000a

4. Quit Registry Editor.

IPV6 INSTALLATION FOR WINDOWS XP.

This protocol is distined to replace the Internet Protocal Version 4 used by Internet Explorer it uses hexadecimal ip addresses instead of decimal example (decimal ip 62.98.231.67) (hexadecimal IP 2001:6b8:0:400::70c)

To install To install the IPv6 Protocol for Windows XP:

Log on to the computer running Windows XP with a user account that has local administrator privileges. Open a command prompt. From the Windows XP desktop, click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt. At the command prompt, type: ipv6 install

For more information on IPv6, visit the site below:

CODE

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/techinfo/administration/ipv6/default.asp

ANOTHER WAY TO FIX IEXPLORER 6 SLOW PAGES LOADED.

Here's an easier way to get to index.dat file as addresse in another tweak submitted here.

1. click on Internet Explorer

2. go to to your root dir (usually C:)

3. open Documents and Settings folder

4. open "your username folder"

5. open UserData

6. **close IE if you have it open**

rename index.dat to index.old

logoff and log back on (don't need to restart) open up IE and go to a web page or site that always seemed to load slowly. It should load a lot more quickly now. NOTE. Always rename or backup .dat or other system files before deleting.

EASY WAY TO ADD THE ADMINISTRATOR USER TO THE WELCOME SCREEN.

Start the Registry Editor Go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon \ SpecialAccounts \ UserList \

Right-click an empty space in the right pane and select New > DWORD Value Name the new value Administrator. Double-click this new value, and enter 1 as it's Value data. Close the registry editor and restart.

DRIVE ICONS.

To set the icon of any drive (hard disk, cd rom or anything else) with a letter (C:\ etc.), run REGEDIT (Start -> Run -> regedit)

Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

If one doesn't already exist, create a new KEY called "DriveIcons". Under this key, create a new key with the letter of your drive. I.e. C for your C:\ drive.

To change the icon for that drive, create a key inside that one called DefaultIcon and set the path of (Default) to the location of your icon

eg C\DefaultIcon\ then (Default) = D:\Documents\C Drive Icon.ico

To change the name of that drive, create a key in the drive letter one (eg C\) called DefaultLabel and set the (Default) to what you want the drive to be called. This is useful if you want to assign a long name to the floppy drive.

CHANGING OEM REGISTRATIONS.

Have you used someone's new Hewlet Packard with their OEM version of Windows XP? You've seen that HP has their own icon in the Start Menu, underneath Run, that goes to their Help Site. Now, you can have your icon that does anything you want (website, program, etc) and says anything you want. Basically, you are "branding" Windows XP (Home or Pro), great for if you are a computer builder and sell them, or you just want to make Windows XP your own. It involves Regedit.

1. Start up Notepad and creat a new registry file (*.reg) and copy and paste the following into it:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}]

@="YOUR COMPANY NAME"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\DefaultIcon]

@="YOUR ICON HERE"

00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,68,00,70,00,6c,00,69,00,\

6e,00,6b,00,2e,00,69,00,63,00,6f,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\InProcServer32]

@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\

00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,73,00,68,00,\

64,00,6f,00,63,00,76,00,77,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,00,00

"ThreadingModel"="Apartment"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\Instance]

"CLSID"="{3f454f0e-42ae-4d7c-8ea3-328250d6e272}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\Instance\InitPropertyBag]

"CLSID"="{13709620-C279-11CE-A49E-444553540000}"

"method"="ShellExecute"

"Command"="YOUR TITLE HERE"

"Param1"="YOUR FUNCTION HERE"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\shellex]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}]

@=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\shellex\MayChangeDefaultMenu]

@=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\ShellFolder]

"Attributes"=dword:00000000

2. Edit where it says YOUR ICON HERE to a path to an icon (ex. c:\\icon.ico), it must be 24x24 pixels and in *.ico format. Use double back slash for path names.

3. Edit both places where it says YOUR TITLE HERE to what you want it to say in the Start Menu (ex. Elranzer Homepage).

4. Edit where it says YOUR FUNCTION here to what you want it to do when you click it, it can be anything... your website, a local HTML document, a program, a Windows funtion, whatever your imagination can provide (ex. http://www.shareordie.com).

5. Save this file as brand.reg, double-click it to enterin your information, and refresh Explorer (log off/on) to see it in the Start Menu!! This works in both Home and Professional (and probably 64-Bit Professional) Editions!

ORIGINAL WALLPAPERS.

This is more of a fun tweak than it is useful. Go to run, type regedit press ok. when that comes up go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Control Panel>Desktop

Now find the orginalwallpaper, right click and select modify.In the text box type the path to the file you want to be your orginal desktop wallpaper.

DELETING My eBooks AND SPECIALS FOLDER IN MY DOCUMENTS.

Click Start, then Run and type: regsvr32 /u mydocs.dll

then delete them.

DISABLE WINDOWS PICTURE AND FAX VIEWER.

By default, Windows XP opens all picture files (gif,jpg,...) with the included Windows Picture and Fax Viewer no matter what other picture viewers you have installed. To disable the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, unregister shimgvw.dll. This can be done from command prompt: regsvr32 /u shimgvw.dll

REMOVE PAST ITEMS ICONS IN TASKBAR.

Some times When you check your TasKbar properties or when you hide or unhide icons you can see old icons from Uninstalled or old programs you dont have anymore. This Tweak will help you how to get rid of this problem Thanks to leobull of Xperience.or How To clear the Past Items or Icons list in the TaskBar, perform the following steps:

1.Open Regedit Navigate to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\TrayNotify

2.Delete the IconStreams and PastIconsStream values

3.Open Task Manager, click the Processes tab, click Explorer.exe , and then click End Process .

4.In Task Manager, click File , click New Task , type explorer , and then click OK .

LOCKING COMPUTERS.

To lock a computer in XP, as you probably know, you press "L" while holding down "Windows Logo" key on your keyboard. However, if you would like to lock a computer remotely, for example via "Remote Administrator", you don't have this ability. What you can do instead, is to create a shortcut on remote computer's desktop where Target %windir%\System32\rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation Start In %windir%

ADMINISTRATOR IN WELCOME SCREEN.

When you install Windows XP an Administrator Account is created (you are asked to supply an administrator password), but the "Welcome Screen" does not give you the option to log on as Administrator unless you boot up in Safe Mode.

First you must ensure that the Administrator Account is enabled:

1 open Control Panel

2 open Administrative Tools

3 open Local Security Policy

4 expand Local Policies

5 click on Security Options

6 ensure that Accounts: Administrator account status is enabled Then follow the instructions from the "Win2000 Logon Screen Tweak" ie.

1 open Control Panel

2 open User Accounts

3 click Change the way users log on or log off

4 untick Use the Welcome Screen

5 click Apply Options

You will now be able to log on to Windows XP as Administrator in Normal Mode.

BUGFIXES.

This is a strange bug in Windows XP Pro but it can and does happen to everyone. When you open the My Computer screen and your Documents folder is missing but all the other users folders are there try this tweak.

STEP 1:

START > RUN > REGEDIT > HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / Software / Microsoft / Windows / Current Version / Explorer / DocFolderPaths

Once you click the DocFolderPaths folder you should see all the user's folders.

STEP 2:

Add a new string value

Value Name: your user name

Value Data: the path to your docs folder ( ex. C:\Documents and Settings\your docs folder )

Exit Registry editor and open my computer, your docs folder should now be visable.

MOUSE POINTERS.

It seems that even without pointer precision disabled, the mouse under XP is still influenced by an acceleration curve. This is especially noticeable in games. To

completely remove mouse acceleration from XP, you will need to go into the registry and adjust the SmoothmouseXYCurve values. Here is how its done.

1. Click Start button

2. Select Run

3. Type 'regedit' in the open textbox

4. Open the tree 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER', select control panel, then select mouse

5. Right clicking, modify the SmoothMouseXCurve and SmoothMouseYCurve hexidecimal values to the following:

SmoothMouseXCurve:

00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00

00,a0,00,00,00,00,00,00

00,40,01,00,00,00,00,00

00,80,02,00,00,00,00,00

00,00,05,00,00,00,00,00

SmoothMouseYCurve:

00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00

66,a6,02,00,00,00,00,00

cd,4c,05,00,00,00,00,00

a0,99,0a,00,00,00,00,00

38,33,15,00,00,00,00,00

If done correctly, you will notice you are holding a markedly more responsive mouse.

HIDDEN WINDOWS XP ICONS.

Windows XP Pro and Home contains icons for folders and files that cannot normally be seen, you can select to view hidden files from the folder options menu, but there are still some that remain hidden.

You can set windows to view these files as normal hidden files, so that when you use the view hidden files and folders toggle from the folder options menu that these will be turned on/off along with the normal hidden files.

These files are usually system files and should not be altered/deleted unless you really know what you are doing, if you don't yet still wish to change them I might suggest that you create back-ups of your system first.

I will personally accept no responsibility for any damage caused by using this tweak. To view the hidden files you need to open up regedit, if you are not sure how to do this, select run from the start menu and type in 'regedit' without the apostrophe's. In the regedit window, expand out the groups by clicking on the '+' next to the name in the left hand column of regedit, and navigate to the below address.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \SOFTWARE \MICROSOFT \WINDOWS \CURRENTVERSION \EXPLORER \ADVANCED

when you have clicked the advanced folder on the left pane, look down the list at the titles in the right hand pane, one of those titles is 'ShowSuperHidden'

double click the title and in the window that appears set the value to equal 1 to show the super hidden files and 0 to hide them.

XP HOME ADVANCED FILE PERMISSIONS.

This is actually an addition to my previous post entitled "Get XP Pro file security with XP Home". In the aforementioned post I outlined how to access

*Advance file Permissions* on NTFS file systems for XP Home simply by booting into *Safe Mode*, rt-clicking any file or folder, and navigating to the *Security tab*. This gives the user the ability to allow or deny read, write, execute, read & write, display contents, full-control, iheritance, and take ownership permissions, with many more options available to apply to different users and groups stored on the computer. Well, you don't have to do this in *Safe Mode* (XP Home). Although it is a little less intuitive, you can simply go to your command prompt - Start>All Programs>Accessories>Command Prompt. Now type "cacls" in the window (without the quotes). This gives you the ability to add, remove or modify file permissions on files and folders through the command prompt. Type "cacls /?" for help on different options and variables. You do not need to be in safe mode to use this so it makes it a little quicker than using the safe mode security tab GUI. Remember - this only applies to NTFS. Here also is a very useful link to find a lot of extras and tweaks straight from the horse's mouth - the Microsoft Resource Center. You will find a lot of very useful web-based extra's here, most of them left unknowing to the general public - such as, "Online Crash Analysis" - a site that looks like Windows Update but you can upload your crash "dump logs" (when you get those system or application crash error reports). Microsoft will then analyze the log file and tell you some more info about WHY the system crashed (ie. faulty hardware/software/conflicts, etc).

FLASHGET :BYPASSING 8 MAX SIMULTANEOUS JOBS.

Users of Flash get will notice that the maximum number of file splits is 8. This number can be increased by the tweak below:

1. Run regedit.

2. Navigate to [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\JetCar\JetCar\General\]

3. Right Click -> Add String Value.

4. Name as MaxSimJobs -> Set the value as what ever number you want.

After a restart you should be able to download with more file splits.

OUTLOOK EXPRESS WINDOWS TITLE TWEAKS.

Change the window title of Outlook Express to anything you want!

In regedt32 and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities\{EE383506-901D-43C6-8E40-9A61901DF7CC}\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express\5.0. Add a new string key called WindowTitle and make its value the desired window title. Then close the registry editor, and restart Outlook Express (if it's running.) Your new title now shows up in the title bar!

WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER 9.

When installing WMP 9 it leaves a watersign on your desktop. You can easily remove this with: regedit:

HKey_Local_Machine\SOFTWARE\microsoft\system certificates\CA\certificates\FEE449EE0E3965A5246F00E87FDE2A065FD89D4

HKey_Local_Machine\software\microsoft\system certificates\ROOT\certificates\2BD63D28D7BCD0E251195AEB519243C13142EBC3

Remove both lines and restart computer.

CHANGING THE WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER TITLEBAR.

This is a per-user tweak. Open RegEdit.

Browse to the following key:

HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-xxxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxxx-xxxx\Software\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsMediaPlayer

(the x's will vary from computer to computer , it's the key without the "_Classes" at the end) Create the following String, "TitleBar" , the value of this will now become the TitleBar of Windows Media Player.

AUTO DELETE TEMPORARY FOLDER.

First go into gpedit.msc

Next select -> Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/Windows Components/Terminal Services/Temporary Folder

Then right click "Do Not Delete Temp Folder Upon Exit"

Go to properties and hit disable. Now next time Windows puts a temp file in that folder it will automatically delete it when its done! Note from Forum Admin: Remember, GPEDIT (Group Policy Editor) is only available in XP Pro.

CLEANUP STARTUP ITEMS IN MSCONFIG.

Do you ever uninstall programs and they are still listed under startup items in msconfig? Personally, I found myself with 30 such items from old installs. Microsoft leaves you no way to clean up this list, but have no fear, I have figured it out for you.

1. Open MSconfig and click on the startup items tab

2. Open Regedit and naviate to HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Sharedtools/MSconfig/startupreg

3. Compare the list of registry keys under startup reg with their counterparts in msconfig.

4. Delete the keys which are no longer valid.

5. Voila! You've cleaned up msconfig.

REMOVING SERVICES DEPENDENCIES.

This will allow you to disable a service or uninstall it from your system without effecting another service that depends on it. Here's how you do it

1. After you have set your services the way you want them and you have disabled/uninstalled something that another services depends on, run "regedit"

2. Under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\find the service that will not function, do to another service being disabled/uninstall (found in ControlSet001\Services, ControlSet002\Services, and CurrentControlSet\Services)

3. Once you have found the service right-click on the string value, "DependOnService,"and modify

4. You should now see a list of services that it is dependent on. Simply delete the service that you have disabled/uninstalled

5. Restart your computer and your ready to go Disclaimer REMEMBER TO BACKUP YOU REGISTRY FIRST I'm not totaly sure if this will have any negative effects on your system. I used this method after uninstalling "Netbios over Tcpip" from my system completely, so that my Dhcp service would function and I have had NO negative effects on my system.

ANOTHER WAY TO DELETE HIDDEN DEVICES.

You can view and delete or modify hidden devices by:

1. Openning Device Manager. (I usually right-click on My Computer, select Properties, select the Hardware tab, then select Device Manager.)

2. Select View and check "Show hidden devices"

3. Hidden devices will appear below with the others and can be modified.

HOW TO GET "My Briefcase" IN WINDOWS XP.

go to C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache. look for a file named "syncapp".

double click it. an icon should appear on your desktop that says "My Briefcase". double click it. it will come up with this window that tells you how to use it.

TURN NUMLOCK ON AT LOGON.

NumLock does not toggle on by default (system-wide), even if you have it set in your PC's BIOS, because of XP's multi-user functionality. Guess Microsoft doesn't know everyone actually turns it on, which should be reason enough for what acts as "default"...

Anyway, you can hack the Windows Registry to change this behavior, or run a script at logon to turn NumLock on.

1. To enable NumLock through the Registry:

* Open Windows' Registry Editor (START > RUN, type "REGEDIT").

*. Navigate to HKEY_USERS\.Default\Control Panel\Keyboard.

*. Change the value for InitialKeyboardIndicators from 0 to 2.

2. To enable NumLock using a script, see this MS Knowledgebase article for complete instructions:

CODE

http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q262625

Option 1 is the quicker method, but if you have more than one user on your system and one or more don't want NumLock on (stranger things have been known of), then option 2 is the way to go since it allows you to only attach the script to specific users.

FREE DISK SPACE BY DELETING RESTORE POINTS.

Start button-all programs-accessories-system tools-cleanup-more options. You will have the option of deleting your restore points.When your done creat one

restore point as a back up.

HOW TO REAL GET RID OF UNNECESSARY SOFTWARE

to uninstall things like msn messenger and other hidden installs thru add remove programs, do this: find sysoc.inf (you might have to enable "show hidden files" and "show hidden/protected system folders" in explorer) and open it in notepad replace all ",hide" with "," (both with out quotes) which is easiest to do with the replace all command under edit then in add/remove programs under add/remove windows compnents and whole new list of things to uninstall and add are now listed (such as internet explorer)

HAVING PROGRAMS RUN WHEN WINDOWS LOADS SLOWS DOWN YOUR STARTUP.

There are two ways do disable programs that may be in your startup (like icq, messanger,) The easiest is to do the following:

1. start --> run --> msconfig

2. Click on the "startup" tab (furthest right)\

3. Unclick any items you don't want to load when windows starts.

The second is by deleting registry entrys, this can be done the following way:

1. Start --> run --> regedit

2. Navigate to : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

3. Delete any entry's that you don't want to load up

TURN OFF INDEXING TO SPEED UP XP.

Windows XP keeps a record of all files on the hard disk so when you do a search on the hard drive it is faster. There is a downside to this and because the computer has to index all files, it will slow down normal file commands like open, close, etc. If you do not do a whole lot of searches on your hard drive then I suggest turnning this feature off:

1. Control Panel

2. Administrative Tools

3. Services

4. Disable Indexing Services

HALF LIFE AND WINDOWS XP.

1. How to recover from incompatible drivers

Before you install new drivers set a system restore point. Start>All programs>Accessories>system tools>system restore

After your new drivers don't work reset your computer. Press F8 repeatedly as soon as the BIOS screen disappears, and before the Windows XP screen appears. Select safe mode. Use system restore again to undo your mess.

2. Video Drivers

The NVidia drivers that come with XP do not allow you to run Half Life in OpenGL. Update to the newest drivers.

Despite the fact that they are not official drivers, 22.50 was the only set which worked

3. Sound Drivers

Use windows update to update Creative drivers.

4. Fixing screen flicker

Windows XP defaults to 60Hz for games. A fix is available here:

CODE

http://www.fileplanet.com/dl/dl.asp?/planetquake/ztn/nvreffix-setup.exe

Select "set: ev ery resolution to monitor's maximum supported rate"

5. Fixing lag

If you are having trouble with lag, try disabling the windows XP firewall. Go to control panel>network connections. Select connection, right click, properties, advanced, untick the firewall.

6. Mouse

You can improve your mouse smoothness for games.

Control panel>mouse>hardware>properties>advanced

Change the sample rate to a higher one, eg. 200

REGISTRY METHOD FOR REMOVING STARTUP ITEMS.

I prefer to use MSCONFIG selective startup to troubleshoot. To remove entries for good, open the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RUN and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RUN

Delete entries of unwanted startup daemons and tray procedures.

DISPLAY MESSAGE ON STARTUP.

Start regedit, if you are unfamiliar with regedit please see our FAQ.

Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Modify the key legalnoticecaption with what you want to name the window.

Modify the key legalnoticetext with what you want the window to say. Restart.

REMOVE THE DEFAULT IMAGE VIEWER IN WINDOWS ME/XP.

This tweak works in Windows Me/XP, I have not try it in Windows NT/2000 yet, because i don't have that OS, you can try it if you have.

*This tweak does not work in Windows 95/98

To remove the Windows default Image Viewer, first:

Click Start Menu

Select Run menu

Type "cmd", (for Windows Me, type "command")

Then type "regsvr32 /u shimgvw.dll" to unregister this dll. This will stop it from previewing any picture that it support, e.g. JPEG, Bitmap, GIF....

* Before perform this tweak, make sure that you have the alternative Image Viewer installed in you windows e.g. ACDsee, FireGraphics... because once you do this tweak without that application, you can't open and view your image anymore! So, to undo it, type "regsvr32 shimgvw.dll" in command prompt.

SPEED UP BOOT BY DISABLING UNUSED PORTS.

You may have tried many tweaks like modifying windowsXP start-up applications, prefetches, unload DLLs method,etc. And yes those methods do work for me.

I have just accidentally found out another way to give you an extra boost in windowsXP's boot performance. This is done by disabling your unused devices in

Device Manager. for example, if you don't have input devices that are connected to one of your USBs or COM ports, disabling them will give you an extra perfromance boost in booting. Go to Control Panel -> System -> Hardware tab -> device manager Disable devices that you don't use for your PC and then restart.

CLEAR UNWANTED ENTRIES FROM ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS.

Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT).

Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Uninstall Remove any unwanted keys under "Uninstall."

CLICKING * .AVI FILES ON EXPLORER CAUSING 100% CPU USAGE.

Well windows seem to have a REALLY big problem when it comes to reading AVI files. It seems that when you click on an AVI file in explorer, it'll try to read the entire AVI file to determine the width,height, etc. of the AVI file (this is displayed in the Properties window). Now the problem with Windows is that if you have a broken/not fully downloaded AVI file that doesnt contain this info, Windows will scan the entire AVI file trying to figure out all these properties which in the process will probably cause 100% CPU usage and heavy memory usage. To solve this problem all you have to do is the following:

1. Open up regedit

2. Goto HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\.avi\shellex\PropertyHandler

3. Delete the "Default" value which should be "{87D62D94-71B3-4b9a-9489-5FE6850DC73E}"

Voila! Please not that this will no longer provide you with the windows properties displaying the AVI file information such as width, height, bitrate etc. But its a small price to pay for saving you resources.

NOTE: Please use caution when using regedit. Improper usage may cause windows to behave imcorrectly. Also, I cannot be held resposible. Backup your registry first.

CD ROM STOPS AUTOPLAYING/AUTORUN.

And the AutoPlay Tab has disappeared in My Computer, Devices With Removable Storage, Right Click on CDROM, Properties.

Solution: The service: "Shell Hardware Detection" has been set to Manual or Disabled. Go to Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services. Return this service to "Automatic".

SHUTDOWN XP FASTER 1.

Like previous versions of windows, it takes long time to restart or shutdown windows xp when the "Exit Windows" sound is enabled. to solve this problem you

must disable this useless sound. click start button then go to settings -> control panel -> Sound,Speech and Audio devices -> Sounds and Audio Devices -> Sounds, then under program events and windows menu click on "Exit Windows" sub-menu and highlight it.now from sounds you can select,choose "none" and then click apply and ok. now you can see some improvements when shutting down your system.

SHUTDOWN XP FASTER 2.

Start Regedit.

Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control.

Click on the "Control" Folder.

Select "WaitToKillServiceTimeout"

Right click on it and select Modify.

Set it a value lower than 2000 (Mine is set to 200).

EASIEST WAY TO DELETE PREFETCH.

1. Open notepad.exe, type del c:\windows\prefetch\*.* /q (without the quotes) & save as "delprefetch.bat" in c:\

2. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "gpedit.msc".

3. Double click "Windows Settings" under "Computer Configuration" and double click again on "Startup" in the right window.

4. In the new window, click "add", "Browse", locate your "delprefetch.bat" file & click "Open".

5. Click "OK", "Apply" & "OK" once again to exit.

6. Reboot your computer.

SPEED UP MENU DISPLAY.

When using the start menu the you will notice a delay between different tiers of the menu hierarchy. For the fastest computer experience possible I recommend changing this value to zero. This will allow the different tiers to appear instantly. Start Regedit. If you are unfamiliar with regedit please refer to our FAQ on how to get started.

Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

Select MenuShowDelay from the list on the right.

Right on it and select Modify.

Change the value to 0.

Reboot your computer.

16 COLOUR ICONS.

If you select 16bit mode for graphics your icons will revert to using 8bit (16 color) icons. Yuck! Change the following registry setting to:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics] "Shell Icon BPP"="16" "Shell Icon Size"="32" Setting the BPP to 16bit will yield 65565 colors for icons.

DE-CRYPT ENCRYPTED FILES ON WINDOWS XP.

1. Login as Administrator

2. Go to Start/Run and type in cmd and click OK.

At the prompt type cipher /r:Eagent and press enter

This prompt will then display:

Please type in the password to protect your .PFX file:

Type in your Administrator password

Re-confirm your Administrator password

The prompt will then display

Your .CER file was created successfully.

Your .PFX file was created successfully.

The Eagent.cer and Eagent.pfx files will be saved in the current directory that is shown at the command prompt. Example: The command prompt displays

C:\Documents and Settings\admin> the two files are saved in the admin folder. (For security concerns, you should house the two files in your Administrator folder or on a floppy disk).

3. Go to Start/Run and type in certmgr.msc and click OK. This will launch the Certificates Manager. Navigate to Personal and right click on the folder and select All Tasks/Import. The Certificate Import Wizard will appear. Click Next. Browse to the C:\Documents and Settings\admin folder. In the Open dialog box, change the Files of Type (at the bottom) to personal Information Exchange (*.pfx,*.P12). Select the file Eagent.pfx and click Open. Click Next. Type in your Administrator password (leave the two checkboxes blank) and click Next. Make sure the Radio button is active for the first option (Automatically select the certificate store based on the type of certifcate). Click Next. Click Finish. (You'll receive a message that the import was successful). To confirm the import, close Certificates Manager and re-open it. Expand the Personal folder and you will see a new subfolder labeled Certificates. Expand that folder and you will see the new entry in the right side column. Close Certificate Manager.

4. Go to Start/Run and type in secpol.msc and click OK. This will launch the Local Security Policy. Expand the Public Key Policies folder and then right click on the Encrypted File System subfolder and select Add Data Recovery Agent... The Wizard will then display. Click Next. Click the Browse Folders... button. Browse to the C:\Documents and Settings\admin folder. Select the Eagent.cer file and click Open. (The wizard will display the status User_Unknown. That's ok). Click Next. Click Finish. You will see a new entry in the right side column. Close the Local Security Policy.

You, the Administrator are now configured as the default Recovery Agent for All Encrypted files on the Local Machine.

To Recover Encrypted files: Scenario #1

If you have completed the above steps BEFORE an existing user encrypted his/her files, you can log in to your Administrator account and navigate to the encrypted file(s). Double click on the file(s) to view the contents.

Scenario #2

If you have completed the above steps AFTER an existing user has already encrypted his/her files, you must login to the applicable User's User Account and then immediately logout. Next, login to your Administrator account and navigate to the encrypted file(s). Double click on the file(s) to view the contents.

*Warning Do not Delete or Rename a User's account from which will want to Recover the Encrypted Files. You will not be able to de-crypt the files using the steps outlined above.

DUMP FILES TWEAK & DISABLE DR.WATSON.

"Dump file. A dump file stores data from memory during a system crash and can be helpful when diagnosing problems, but like a swap file, it can also expose a lot of sensitive, unencrypted data. To prevent Windows from creating the file, go to Control Panel | System. Click on the Advanced tab and then the Settings button on the Startup and Recovery pane. Set the drop-down menu under Write debugging information to (none). "Similarly, the debugging program Dr. Watson saves information when applications crash. To disable it, go to:

HKEY_local_machine\software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\ AeDebug and set the Auto string to 0. Then use Windows Explorer to go to Documents and Settings\All Users\Shared Documents\DrWatson. Delete User.dmp and Drwtsn32.log, the insecure logs the program creates." Heed related advice from 'microsoft' regarding 'Disable Dr.Watson' first before the preceding Dr. Watson advice (go Google search.) Back up with System Restore, and go ahead. As cautious as I am, I have gladly applied these tweaks, and followed related microsot advice on Dr. Watson.

Precaution: Backups All Of Your Data Before Tweaking, Not All Of The Tips I've Mentioned Above Were Tested. I Don't Responsible For Any Damages. Happy Experiments

2010-09-03T03:57:00.000-07:00

God did not create the universe, says Hawking

God did not create the universe and the "Big Bang" was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics, the eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book.

In "The Grand Design", co-authored with U.S. physicist Leonard Mlodinow, Hawking says a new series of theories made a creator of the universe redundant, according to the Times newspaper which published extracts on Thursday.

"Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist," Hawking writes.

"It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going."

Hawking, 68, who won global recognition with his 1988 book "A Brief History of Time", an account of the origins of the universe, is renowned for his work on black holes, cosmology and quantum gravity.

Since 1974, the scientist has worked on marrying the two cornerstones of modern physics -- Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which concerns gravity and large-scale phenomena, and quantum theory, which covers subatomic particles.

His latest comments suggest he has broken away from previous views he has expressed on religion. Previously, he wrote that the laws of physics meant it was simply not necessary to believe that God had intervened in the Big Bang.

He wrote in A Brief History ... "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for then we should know the mind of God."

In his latest book, he said the 1992 discovery of a planet orbiting another star other than the Sun helped deconstruct the view of the father of physics Isaac Newton that the universe could not have arisen out of chaos but was created by God.

"That makes the coincidences of our planetary conditions -- the single Sun, the lucky combination of Earth-Sun distance and solar mass, far less remarkable, and far less compelling evidence that the Earth was carefully designed just to please us human beings," he writes.

Hawking, who is only able to speak through a computer-generated voice synthesiser, has a neuro muscular dystrophy that has progressed over the years and left him almost completely paralysed.

He began suffering the disease in his early 20s but went on to establish himself as one of the world's leading scientific authorities, and has also made guest appearances in "Star Trek" and the cartoons "Futurama" and "The Simpsons".

Last year he announced he was stepping down as Cambridge University's Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, a position once held by Newton and one he had held since 1979.

"The Grand Design" is due to go on sale next week.

2010-08-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

Piracy causes $1 bn loss to Indian entertainment industry

Mumbai, Aug 21 (IANS) Did you know that an estimated 600 million pirated DVDs are sold in India every year compared to only 20 million original ones? Industry insiders quote these figures pointing to the huge losses inflicted on the entertainment industry by the piracy menace.

'The size of the Indian film industry is $2 billion. Hollywood film 'Avatar' alone has done a business of over $2 billion in just a year. That is how small our film industry is and on top of that, piracy eats up half the profits,' said Hiren Gada, director of Shemaroo Entertainment.

Harish Dayani, chief executive-entertainment of Moser Baer India Ltd, who is credited with denting the piracy market, does not reveal a rosy picture either.

'Only 20 million legitimate DVDs are sold every year in India compared to 600 million pirated DVDs. And each of these pirated DVDs contains up to five films,' he said.

Countering the point that the price of DVDs is a deciding factor, Dayani said, 'Money is definitely not the question! Piracy is a function of the value system - of a consumer in society, of enforcement in society and the quality of a country.'

'Forty percent of the film business in the US is through the sale of its DVDs while in India it is barely five to eight percent, thanks to piracy. And you ask why we don't make lavish sets, or bigger budget films. The overall impact of piracy on the entertainment business is anywhere between $1 and $2 billion,' said Gada.

The connection between piracy and other local crimes and global terrorism, with piracy being used to fund them, has also been well established.

Prakash Nathan, vice president-operations in UTV Motion Pictures, meanwhile spoke of the formation of the Alliance Against Copyright Theft (AACT).

He said, 'We raid street vendors, internet and online piracy, camcorder piracy in theatres. We have people on the ground who have conducted about 100 raids in the last six months with 110 arrests so far and 400,000 of DVDs being seized.

'We have hired consultants to track IP addresses. We have a toll free number, 18001031919, which anyone can dial and the enforcement directorate will ensure that the pirated shop is down.'

Savio D'Souza, secretary general of the industry organisation Indian Music Industry (IMI), however, spoke of a different approach to piracy.

'We are working on a model where a pirate can walk into an IMI office in the country, and get a legitimate licence to sell music and DVDs. Simply penalisation will not work considering the vastness of our country and the large number of shops selling them,' said D'Souza.

He said shops that sell pirated material, do not necessarily do it out of choice, but because they often do not have any choice. And giving them a chance to convert first is more appropriate.

He gave examples of 2,000 mobile shop sellers who would load a customer's mobile with pirated songs, but convert it when told how adversely their actions affect the industry and the nation.

All these veterans participated in a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)- organised 4th International Conference on counterfeiting and piracy here.

2010-08-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

Mankind must abandon Earth or face extinction: Hawking
London: The human race will become extinct unless it leaves Earth and colonises space within the next two centuries, according to Prof Stephen Hawking, the world's most famous astrophysicist.

In an interview with the portal 'Big Think', professor Hawking has said he's an "optimist" but the next few hundred years had to be negotiated carefully if the human race is to survive.

He said, "I see great danger for the human race. There have been a number of times in the past when survival has been a question of touch and go. The Cuban missile crisis in 1963 is one of these. The frequency of such occasions is likely to increase in the future. We shall need great care and judgment to negotiate them all successfully. But I am an optimist. If we can avoid disaster for the next two centuries our species should be safe as we spread into space."

Professor Hawking has warned that mankind was entering "an increasingly dangerous period of our history".

"Our population and use of the finite resources of planet Earth and growing exponentially along without technical ability to change the environment for good and ill. But our genetic code carries selfish and aggressive instincts that were a survival advantage in the past. It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster in the next 100 years let alone the next thousand or a million. Our only chance of long term survival is not to remain on Earth but to spread into space.

"We have made remarkable progress in the last 100 years but if we want to continue beyond the next 100 years our future is in space," the 'Daily Mail' quoted him as telling the portal.

Will the Earth blackout in 2013?

2010-06-10T03:56:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU4hpsistDk&feature=player_embedded

If you’ve had your fill of apocalyptic scenarios, earthquakes, volcanoes and global warming, here comes a new threat which may wipe out the world in 2013.

Imagine a scene from any of Hollywood’s disaster films. An eerie scene where mobile phones go on the blink, GPS is knocked out, TVs go blank and the world is plunged into chaos.

Looks like disaster flicks aren’t too removed from reality since all this could well be the potential result of a gigantic solar storm, according to a new report by NASA. The report, a warning, says Earth and space are coming together in a way that’s new to human history.

A solar storm, which is essentially violent eruptions in the sun, can eject destructive radiation and charged particles into space. These are closely connected to magnetic fields – which are hazardous for satellites and space stations.

There are reports of a geomagnetic storm sparked by a huge solar flare that swept over the Earth in 1859. Telegraph wires shorted out and set houses on fire. A brilliant aurora was seen in Hawaii—so bright that “people could read newspapers by [its] red and green glow.” Scientists predict that in May 2013, the sun’s solar cycle will peak at about the same level as in 1859. (This content courtesy a post onGawker.com)

High-tech systems are critical for life as we know it today. Everything that we depend on and take for granted – air travel, GPS navigation, banking services (even a credit card transaction uses a satellite) and emergency radio communications – can all be knocked out by intense solar activity.

To get an idea of scale, a massive solar storm could result in 20 times more damage than the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina which hit south-eastern US in August 2005. The storm killed 1,800 people and caused damages worth $81 billion.

Some good news is that some of the damage and destruction can be avoided with warning of an impending solar storm. There is technology to put satellites in ‘safe mode’ and disconnect transformers to protect them from destructive electrical surges.

The task of accurately forecasting a solar storm lies with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the US. “Space weather forecasting is still in its infancy, but we’re making rapid progress,” said Thomas Bogdan, director of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center in Colorado.

The key for Bogdan lies in NASA and NOAA collaborating. “NASA’s fleet of heliophysics research spacecraft provides us with up-to-the-minute information about what’s happening on the sun. They are an important complement to our own GOES and POES satellites, which focus more on the near-Earth environment.”

Says Bogdon, “I believe we’re on the threshold of a new era in which space weather can be as influential in our daily lives as ordinary terrestrial weather.”

So far, we’ve been lucky to escape any big solar storms. I guess we could send Bruce Willis (a la Armageddon) to save us from the Sun in true Hollywood style. But then I would rather wait for NASA and NOAA to save us from space weather.

Images: A hyperactive sun