Digital World

uTorrent 2.0

2010-02-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

uTorrent is a powerful and efficient BitTorrent client for Windows. Most of the features present in other BitTorrent clients are present in uTorrent, including bandwidth prioritization, scheduling, RSS auto-downloading, and Mainline DHT. Additionally, uTorrent supports the protocol encryption joint specification and peer exchange. Unlike many torrent clients, it does not hog valuable system resources--typically using less than 6MB of memory, allowing you to use the computer as if it weren't there at all.

Small enough to run off a USB key, but powerful enough to download any torrent in a jiffy (if it's got enough seeders), uTorrent 2.0 is easy on the eyes and smart on your network. The memory footprint for uTorrent is very small, and system resources are barely touched. While you're torrenting, you shouldn't be surprised to find that other programs that use your Internet connection slow down, but the latest version of uTorrent has an answer to that. Called uTorrent Protocol, or uTP, it's a built-in throttling that detects network congestion and slows down the torrent until the traffic jam has dissipated.

Version 2.0 includes a transfer cap, so that users who have had limits imposed by their ISPs can keep track and automatically kill torrenting when that limit is reached. Skins have also been introduced, but there's no skins option in Preferences: instead, you must go to the uTorrent site and download and install them yourself. That's unnecessarily irritating.

The most difficult aspect of using a torrent client is still finding the torrents, but included are both a torrent search bar and a handy RSS feed download function. Subscribe to select feeds, and uTorrent automatically downloads files as they publish. Adding, starting, pausing, and listing torrents takes merely a click each. A speed guide helps you test your ports and adjust system settings for optimal performance, although watch out for the opt-out Ask.com toolbar when you install. Combined with Local Peer Discovery and DHT Network options, and Teredo and Ipv6 support, uTorrent should be the torrent program of choice for novices, intermediate, and advanced users.

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Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool 2010

2010-02-01T23:14:00.000-08:00

Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool 2010 is a smart, portable and Free utility designed to scan and remove all types of Viruses or infections from your computer. This tool has now been updated to latest version

The Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool 2010 application was designed to be another virus scanner and detection software from Kaspersky. The produst will scan the specified locations for any virus threats and remove them or send to Quarantine folder.

Highlights

* Easy interface.

* Can be installed to an infected machine (Safe Mode supported).

* Integral search and removal of malicious software: effective combination of signature detection and heuristic analyzer.

* System Analysis and interactive scripting language.

Supports: Windows XP (SP2 or higher), Vista (32-bit) & Windows 7 (32/64 bit)

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McAfee warns about '12 Scams of Christmas'

2009-11-24T13:21:00.000-08:00

Retailers aren't the only ones gearing up for the holiday season. Criminals are also out in force.

To highlight the increased crime during the holidays, security company McAfee has come up with the "12 Scams of Christmas" ranging from bogus electronic greeting cards that deliver malware instead of cheer to fake charities that steal your money and your identity.

It's especially important to be extra careful this time of year, says McAfee's David Marcus. "The bad guys know people are spending more time online, they're paying more bills online so [the criminals] stand a chance of being a bit more successful this time of year.

In a podcast interview (scroll down to listen), Marcus counted down the 12 scams of Christmas starting with:

Charitable phishing scams: Marcus warns consumers to be wary of e-mails that appear to be from legitimate charities. Not only will they take your money and deprive charities of needed funds, but they will also steal your credit card information and identity.
Fake invoices from delivery services: During this period, scammers will send out fake invoices and delivery notifications appearing to come from Federal Express, UPS, the U.S. Postal Service or even the U.S. Customs Service saying that they were unable to deliver a package to your address. They ask you to confirm your address and give them credit card information to pay for delivery.
Social networking friend requests: Bad guys take advantage of this social time of year by sending out authentic looking friend requests via e-mail. Marcus recommends that you not click on those links but sign into Facebook and other services and look for friend requests from the site itself. Clicking on a link could install malware on your computer or trick you into revealing your password.
Holiday e-cards: Be careful before clicking on a holiday e-card, especially if it's from a site you haven't heard of. This is a way to deliver malware, pop-ups, and other forms of unwanted advertising. Some fake e-cards will look like they come from Hallmark or other legitimate companies, so pay close attention and make sure it's from someone you know. If you're going to send an e-card, be sure you're dealing with a reputable service lest you risk infecting yourself and your friends.
Fake "luxury" jewelry: If you see an offer for luxury gifts from companies like Cartier, Gucci, and Tag Heuer at a price that's too good to be true, it probably isn't true. These links could lead you to malware and take your money or merchandise that will probably never arrive (or be fake if it does). Some of these sites, according to McAfee, even display the logos of the Better Business Bureau.
Practice safe holiday shopping. Make sure your wireless network is secure and be sure you're shopping on sites that are secure. Though it isn't an iron clad guarantee, you should look for the lock icon in the lower right corner of your browser and make sure the Web page starts with https. The "s" stands for "secure."
Christmas carol lyrics can be dangerous: Bad guys know that people are searching for holiday related sites for music, holiday graphics, and other festive media. During this time, they create fraudulent holiday related sites.
Job search related scams: With the unemployment rate at 10.2 percent, there are plenty of job seekers looking for work. Beware of online offers for high paying jobs or at-home money making schemes. Some of these sites ask for money up front, which is a good way for criminals not only to steal your "set up fee" but misuse your credit card too. Marcus said that some "get rich quick" sites are all about money laundering, asking you to accept an inbound financial transfer and pay them.
Auction site fraud: McAfee has observed a rise in fake auction sites during the holidays. Make sure you're actually going to eBay or whatever site you plan to deal with.
Password stealing scams: Criminals use low-cost tools to uncover passwords, in some cases planting key logger software to record keystrokes. Once they get your passwords, they gain access to bank accounts and credit card accounts and send spam from your e-mail accounts.
E-mail banking scams: A common type of phishing scam is sending out official looking e-mails that appear to come from your bank. Don't click on any links but type in your bank's Web address manually if you need to access your account.
Files for ransom: Hackers use malware to gain control of your computer and lock your data files. To access your own data you have to pay them ransom.

Bottom line--Don't let the eggnog and holiday cheer keep you from using your critical thinking skills when you go online during the holiday season. And, of course, make sure your operating system is updated and that you're using up-to-date security software.

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Movies : 2012 Doomsday the movie (2009)

2009-11-20T08:23:00.000-08:00

The film begins in year 2009, when there is a huge explosion on the surface of the sun. We then see Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an American scientist, traveling to a copper mine in India to meet his friend, who discovered that Earth's temperature is increasing rapidly. He returns to Washington D.C. and submits a report to his supervisor, who immediately takes him to the president.

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Camfrog Video Chat 5.3.224

2009-11-11T03:36:00.000-08:00

Camfrog Video Chat allows you to join real streaming video chat rooms where you can hear, see, and chat with many people at a time. Instant message a user to get to know them before you Webcam chat, and add them to your contact list. This videoconferencing software also works behind most firewalls and routers. Camfrog Video Chat allows multi-user videoconferencing where you can join a room with up to 1000 users and just click a user name to begin seeing someone. Press the 'talk' button to talk to the entire room with audio. The video chat rooms are hosted by broadband users who are running the Camfrog Video Chat Room Server software so any user can set up their own multi-user video conference for other users to join. No Webcam is required to see people, but some rooms might not allow users without Webcams. Camfrog Video Chat is optimized for broadband users so it has fast video.

If you're sick of hopping from one chatware program to another, looking for the perfect mix of video, audio, and text socializing, CamFrog might be what you're looking for.

The chat rooms feature everything from music lessons to sign language to non-English chatting, and integrating video, audio, and text components are a great leap forward for chat communities since a Webcam is not a requirement. Be warned, though: There's also a slew of X-rated chat rooms--this is not a program that kids should use without supervision.

The interface should be familiar to anyone who has used any messaging software. You can create your own chat room and password-protect it, and the Contacts list has a section for favorite rooms and one-click contact adding, user searching, and profile management. New in Version 5 is high-resolution video support, interface tweaks, and the ability to send little "virtual gifts" to both friends and anonymous recipients that borders on the annoying.

Cautious users should note that the install includes several toolbars and a Weather Channel widget, which you can opt out of. Despite those drawbacks, if you're looking for a well-trafficked video chat program that serves a diverse community, CamFrog is cool place to land.

Version 5.3.215 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.

What's new in this version:

Version 5.3.224 adds new Green Diamond virtual gift, new dialog for e-mail address change for increased security. Password limitation length minimum is now 6 characters.

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TweakNow RegCleaner 4.7.1

2009-11-10T07:38:00.000-08:00

When applications fail to remove their own Registry entries when uninstalled, TweakNow RegCleaner will help you get rid of them. To keep your computer at top performance, it is recommended you periodically clean your Windows Registry to prevent slowdowns. TweakNow RegCleaner has been designed to do this. It has been made to quickly remove unwanted registry items accurately.

This excellent freeware utility makes the potentially daunting prospect of cleaning your Windows Registry safe and simple. The interface is spare and straightforward, and most users will probably only need the Scan and Remove buttons.

The settings are configured for immediate use, although you may exclude some Registry branches and references to removable drives from the scan. The default Beginner mode only displays items marked safe to remove, and the Expert mode makes clear which ones aren't. In case something goes wrong after deletion, you can quickly restore the removed keys.

In our tests, the utility found and removed hundreds of junk entries in minutes, making it a worthy download for almost any home user, especially those who are less technically inclined.

What's new in this version:

Version 4.7.1 has fixed problem with notification of some file are locked by Google Chrome in Windows XP. Other minor improvements and bug fixes.

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TweakNow PowerPack 2009 1.7.1

2009-11-10T07:29:00.000-08:00

TweakNow PowerPack is a fully-integrated suite of utilities that lets you fine-tune every aspect of your computer's operating system and Web browser. The Registry Cleaner module provides you with a safe and simple way to clean Windows Registry. To keep your computer always at top performance, we recommend to clean your registry at least once a month. For Windows tweaking lovers, the suite provides more than 100 hidden Windows settings in the Windows Secret section. Using modules included in this section, you can easily customize your Windows like geeks do. The Virtual Desktop module lets you run as many as four custom-designed desktop configurations simultaneously, allowing you to tailor your computer screen to your mood and your work requirements

TweakNow PowerPack 2009 is a free set of tools that give you the power to tweak, modify, and personalize just about every aspect of Windows and your PC. It features a fully integrated suite of modular utilities. There's a Registry Cleaner module, a nice touch in freeware since so many of them cost more than they're worth, but there's also a Registry Defragmenter that reorganizes things for speedier performance. The Windows Secrets module gives you access to more than 100 hidden Windows settings. The Virtual Desktop module lets you run as many as four different virtual desktops at once, so you can try out a wide range of looks and configurations, or keep separate desktops for work and play.

The icon-driven interface is the sort we love: simple, intuitive, and reasonably attractive in a Vista-ish way. It basically just lists its utilities in the left-hand pane, and the selected application displays in the main window. Selecting, for example, Miscellaneous Tools calls up a selection of icons for some interesting extras, including a RAM Optimizer, CD AutoRun and Auto Shutdown managers, a Process Manager, and the Virtual Desktop module. The System Information and Startup modules make it easy to manage Windows' start-up, which too easily gets gummed up with unnecessary programs. Icons simplify adding shortcuts to your favorite modules.

TweakNow PowerPack 2009 is free. New versions have enhanced support for Windows 7. Support for Google's Chrome has also been added the Track Cleaner module, which erases browsing traces and other digital footprints.

What's new in this version:

Version 1.7.1 adds tweaks: Enable custom Logon background and Specify Logon screen text and button set style.

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Unlocker 1.8.8

2009-11-10T07:24:00.000-08:00

Ever had such an annoying message given by Windows: Cannot delete file: Access is denied. There has been a sharing violation. The source or destination file may be in use or the file is in use by another program or user. Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use. Unlocker is the solution. Unlocker is an Explorer extension that allows you with a simple right-click of the mouse on a file or folder to get rid of error message such as error deleting file or folder, cannot delete folder: it is used by another person or program.

This single-function system utility removes a file's access restrictions, but lacks some common features. Unlocker is unobtrusive: it resides in the system tray; an Unlocker command appears in files' right-click menus.

The application removes file-access restrictions that prevent a user from moving, deleting, or renaming a file. The user right-clicks on a file and selects Unlocker, which displays information regarding the selected file, such as Path Locked, PID, Handle, and Process Path. This program also allows terminating a currently running process. In some cases, files cannot be accessed due to Windows file-access bugs, for which Windows informs the user the file is currently in use--even when it's not.

Unlocker can effectively bypass this bug's restrictions; it unlocks or disables whatever is preventing the user to access that file. This tool would be a lot easier to use if it allowed hot keys. Novices to advanced users will find this free application very useful.

What's new in this version:

Version 1.8.8 adds fully optional shortcuts to eBay during the installation and improves the way DLLs are unloaded.

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Easeus Partition Master Home Edition 4.1.1

2009-11-10T07:21:00.000-08:00

EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition is an excellent partition management freeware. With its help, you can extend system partition, have better disk space management, settle low disk space problem! The most attractive feature is it can resize/move partition without destroying data.

This free partition software works perfectly with hardware RAID and Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Windows7 Operating Systems. It not only provides convenient user-interface to simplify your job but also enables you to configure and manage partitions of hard drive. Safely copy dynamic volume to basic disk with resizing this basic disk and extend NTFS system partition without reboot are available now. In addition, Disk & Partition copy is designed for protecting your data.

A plucky little piece of freeware that packs a subtle punch, Easeus Partition Manager partitions hard drives like a reigning champ. Loaded with features, EPM runs smoothly and lacks only a glitzy interface.

A row of task icons sits on the toolbar, followed by a Windows XP-style left nav and central pane that shows your hard drives and information about them. To partition a disk, click on one of the drives and then use either the toolbar or the context menu to run the Resize feature. This brings up a slider for adjusting the drive volume sizes. You can also use the text fields to set a partition size precisely. Hit OK to run the resizing, and then run the Create feature. This will allow you format and label the partition in the newly-created empty space. While running, EPM will keeps you informed of the progress of the overall task, as well as the multiple steps it takes in partitioning your drive. A helpful color-key lives in the status bar at the bottom, divvying up drives by type as well as allocation use.

Other useful features include partition copying, a boot disk creator, a Properties option that will tell you everything from the physical geometry of the drive to the serial number, drive letter swapping, and password protection. In testing these features, the only glitch encountered occurred when a task had completed and the program window hid behind other active program windows. This did not, however, affect the use or execution of EPM, and we recommend it unequivocally for partitioning tasks.

What's new in this version:

Version 4.1.1 adds Windows 7 support.

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Advanced SystemCare Free 3.4

2009-11-10T07:14:00.000-08:00

Slow down, freeze, crash, and security threats are over. Advanced SystemCare Free is a comprehensive PC care utility that takes a one-click approach to help protect, repair, and optimize your computer. It provides an all-in-one and super convenient solution for PC maintenance and protection. All work will be done with 1 click and 1 minute. Compared with its nearest competitor, Advanced SystemCare Free provides the more essential and practical formula for Windows: Removing Spyware and Adware, Preventing Security Threats, Privacy Protection, Fixing Registry Errors, Temporary Files Cleanup, Startup Cleanup, Repairing Windows, Speeding up System and 1-click Mechanism.

This utility offers a one-stop-shop for cleaning and maintaining your computer for better overall system performance. The interface is very simple, featuring only a few buttons, which makes it easy to get down to cleaning immediately (in fact, it automatically runs on start-up) and doesn't confuse you with multiple steps.

The Maintain Windows section focuses on four areas of maintenance: spyware removal, Registry cleaning, a privacy sweep, and deletion of junk files. The Diagnose System button provides system optimization tools, detects spyware, defragments your disk, and scans for hijacked Windows settings. In our tests the scan and clean for each of these areas took less than 10 minutes to complete. In many of these scans, it is difficult to tell what exactly is being accomplished by some of the tools, but we were able to test against other trusted apps, which confirmed Advanced SystemCare's efficacy in those areas.

Under the utilities section you are given several tools, which are similar to plug-ins, for other areas of optimization and diagnostic tests. Overall, Advanced SystemCare Free is a good way to maintain your system's speed and clear out junk files, but you'll need to remember to run it regularly because scheduling of scans is only available in the paid Pro version.

What's new in this version:

Version 3.4 improves "System Optimization" for Win 7 and Vista, "Registry Fix" and "Utilities" sections, adds "IObit Toolbar".

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WinRAR (32-bit) 3.90

2009-11-10T07:08:00.000-08:00

WinRAR is a 32-bit / 64-bit Windows version of RAR Archiver, the powerful archiver and archive manager. WinRAR's main features are very strong general and multimedia compression, solid compression, archive protection from damage, processing of ZIP and other non-RAR archives, scanning archives for viruses, programmable self-extracting archives(SFX), authenticity verification, NTFS and Unicode support, strong AES encryption, support of multivolume archives, command line and graphical interface, drag-and-drop facility, wizard interface, theme support, folder tree panel, multithread support and Windows x64 shell integration. WinRAR provides complete support for RAR and ZIP archives and is able to unpack and convert CAB, ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZ, ACE, UUE, BZ2, JAR, ISO, Z, 7-Zip archives. WinRAR is available in over 40 languages.

There are plenty of solid compression utilities to choose from, but this shareware powerhouse offers the features and ease of use that place it at the top of the compression category. WinRAR is easy to use, lightweight, and flexible.

An intuitive interface lets you mouse over icons to see their functions, and if you don't like their candy-coated appearance, you can always choose from several themes at the developer's site. The Folder Tree Panel makes sifting through your directories to find files easier than ever. But once you see the size savings of a RAR archive, with a compression ratio of 8 percent to 15 percent better than the ZIP format, you'll understand why so many users and developers are making the switch from other apps. With virus scans now integrated and minor interface tweaks for Vista, only the slightly slower decompression speed holds the app back.

Beyond its good looks and right-click readiness for basic compression and unzipping, WinRAR offers unpacking support for a large number of archive formats, including TAR, ACE, BZ2, JAR, ISO, and ZIP. WinRAR's advanced features are icing on the cake, with Unicode support for international formatting, embedded file comments, damaged archive repair, archive locking, self-extracting archives, and easy encryption. There's also the option to automatically delete temporary files and just-archived files. Anyone seeking an all-in-one archiving solution would be remiss to not check out WinRAR.

What's new in this version:

WinRAR version for Windows x64 is available. If you use Windows x64, it is strongly recommended to install 64 bit WinRAR version. It provides a higher performance and better shell integration than 32-bit version.
RAR compression speed is improved for multi-core and multi-CPU systems. This improvement is most noticeable in Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems.
"Remove duplicate folders from extraction path" option in "Settings/Compression" di... see all new features

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Foxit Reader 3.1.3.1030

2009-11-10T07:03:00.000-08:00

To put it gently, Adobe Reader is a real pain in the hindquarters. It's monstrously large, slow to load, and includes many features most users will hardly ever need. Foxit PDF Reader 3.0 kills the bloat and throws in some useful features, such as multimedia support and content-sharing options, while still allowing you to quickly access your PDFs.

Foxit Reader is a free PDF document viewer, with incredible small size, breezing-fast launch speed and rich feature set. Its core function is compatible with PDF Standard 1.7. In the past, you've had to download a huge PDF reader from another software company, go through a lengthy installation process and wait for an annoying splash window to disappear just to open a PDF document.

The interface mimics Adobe's, so you won't have to change your reading habits. In our test, the text readability was similar. The small program starts surprisingly fast compared with Adobe. You might need to fiddle a bit to get it to work with your Internet browser, but you can find help on Foxit's support forums. It's a nice touch that it opens PDFs from the Internet in their own Foxit window, instead of sucking resources from within the browser.

Foxit's biggest flaw in the old version was hogging memory and that has been corrected. Recent updates include fixing the hyperlink problem, multimedia support, printing highlighted-only sections, and tabbed PDF browsing, so you can read multiple PDFs simultaneously and with ease. Overall, unless you're tied to Adobe we strongly recommend this freeware competitor.

What's new in this version:

The latest release fixed the issue in Foxit Reader 3.1.2.1013, where the text in PDF documents could not be printed with specific printers.

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MoreMotion Web Express 3.3

2009-11-10T06:55:00.000-08:00

Web design isn't just for the pros. As proof, consider MoreMotion Web Express, a free WYSIWYG editor that lets even novices build attractive and functional Web sites. With MoreMotion Web Express, creating a Web page is as simple as dragging and dropping page elements such as text boxes, panels, buttons, CSS, and JScripts. The extensive library allows you to reuse page elements, and the program also comes with an image-map editor and an XML editor. After you've finished building your site, you can publish it using the built-in FTP client. MoreMotion doesn't include a full-fledged HTML editor, but it does let you control compilation of the HTML code. Overall, given its clean design, excellent feature set, and freeware price, we heartily recommend MoreMotion Web Express to hobbyist Webmasters.

MoreMotion Web Express is a WYSIWYG HTML editor that enables users to develop Web sites and their pages without knowing HTML. The program can be extended with compile-time functions and library elements. MoreMotion Web Express also allows experienced users to enter HTML code and ASP/JSP/PHP tags to let them build professional dynamic applications. The key features are real WYSIWYG design, powerful design tools (align, size, dock, anchors, and usage restrictions), extensibility and reusability through library elements, page templates, advanced theme support, DHTML events, an integrated JavaScript editor, an integrated image-map editor, a Web-safe color palette, graphic text (especially useful for creating buttons), compile-time functions, broken-links checking, and an integrated FTP client.

Version 3.3 includes fixes for important bugs and document improvements.

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PageBreeze Free HTML Editor 4.0b

2009-11-10T06:40:00.000-08:00

PageBreeze Free HTML Editor is a powerful HTML editor which has both visual (WYSIWYG) and HTML tag modes. PageBreeze's design emphasizes simplicity and ease-of-use. You'll find that you'll be creating great looking Web sites almost instantly with virtually no learning curve. It offers the kind of power you would find in the leading commercial products. It's visual editor is actually powered by Microsoft Internet Explorer, so you can always be certain that you are seeing exactly what you will get when your Web site is uploaded to your server.

Even in the world of instant blogs and MySpace pages, the ability to create a basic Web page from scratch remains important. PageBreeze Free HTML Editor provides a basic set of tools for this task, allowing page designers to work in visual (WYSIWYG) or hands-on HTML tagging mode. It's simple to use, installing quickly and easily, with an interface that will be fairly easy to understand for anyone who has spent much time with Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer. Every Web page you create can be viewed in several ways, showing off the basic code you've written, displaying all the HTML tags you've included, or previewing the way the site will actually look online. The program does lack advanced options such as JavaScript, which would produce effects for links and buttons and help expand page-layout options. Another critical gap is the lack of an editor that would mark mistakes in an HTML page--a bit like a spelling checker in Word. With these caveats, PageBreeze is a capable choice for creating basic Web pages.

PageBreeze HTML Editor includes a drag-and-drop form builder which makes it easy to build powerful Web forms and get them working almost instantly, without the need for programming or scripts. You can switch between HTML source and visual modes at any time with a click of the mouse. Version 4.0b may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.

What's new in this version:

Version 4.0b may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.

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LimeWire 5.3.6

2009-11-10T06:12:00.000-08:00

From its start as a post-Napster clone to its leading role as the quintessential Gnutella client, LimeWire is the highest-profile P2P application. Version 5 re-envisions LimeWire for a Web 2.0 world, with an emphasis on sharing with friends, square buttons with rounded corners, and overall a cleaner interface.

LimeWire is a P2P file-sharing application for all types of computer files, including music, video, pictures, games, and text documents. Other features include dynamic querying, file previews during download, advanced techniques for locating rare files, and an easy, clean user interface.

Two search bars and two sidebars cap off the redesign. The uppermost search bar is the global search that scans what everybody is sharing over the P2P network, while the secondary one on the right searches your library. The sidebars are set up in a similar way. Both are on the left, with the outer one offering three options: your library, the global P2P network, and your friends. Click on My Library and your inner sidebar shows your collection of music, movies, and documents. The P2P Network option shows what you're uploading and downloading, while the Friends option lets you share your library specifically with your Google/Jabber contacts, which you can import. Search results can be presented in both the new Web 2.0-style that surfaces just the most relevant information, with an Information button to dive deeper or the "classic" spreadsheet view.

The Advanced Tools feature is also new, which lets power users drill down and get highly specific information about who they're connected to, similar to what's available from torrent clients. This data includes IP addresses, bandwidth, the program being used and its version. The new features and overall functionality make this by far the most mature version of LimeWire to date. Despite the typical performance flaws found in all file-sharing clients, this latest version continues to offer solid performance and good looks across the board.

LimeWire's new spam blocker gets rid of junk results, and automatic updates will keep you sharing faster than ever with the latest version. You can search for Creative Commons and Weedshare licensed files, and publish your own creative works with Creative Commons licensing. LimeWire continues its guarantee of no adware or spyware. Includes built-in bittorent support.

What's new in this version:

Version 5.3.6 updates interface for smoother navigation and BitTorrent downloads are faster.

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Ad-Aware Free Anti-Malware 8.1.0

2009-11-10T06:02:00.000-08:00

One of the first applications built to find and remove malware and spyware, Ad-Aware's reputation is well-justified. The latest version continues the publisher's tradition of adroitly addressing user concerns, but isn't yet perfect.

With behavior-based threat detection and integrated real-time monitoring, Ad-Aware focuses on core consumer security needs. Instead of adding layers of bells and whistles--thereby slowing your computer and scans down--we have decided to focus on what really matters. Ad-Aware provides advanced threat protection, and is significantly lighter and faster than our previous versions.

Building on the improvements made in version 8, former Ad-Aware users should be glad to hear that the program installs faster than it used to. Without a doubt, though, this version of Ad-Aware improves greatly on what has come before. It loads faster during your boot cycle, and scans are faster. Empirical tests noted that while the Quick Scan finished in less than 10 minutes for version 8, the current version's Quick Scan finished in under three minutes. Previous files that had been falsely detected as threats weren't flagged this time around, probably due in part to Ad-Aware's behavioral detection engine. Called Genotype, it's based on heuristics and uses a one-pass scanning system, Genotype isn't directly exposed to users, although you can opt in to anonymously contribute data from the Settings menu. The new version also explicitly calls out in the scan windows what the scan looks for.

New users should note that Ad-Aware Free performs faster than integrated antivirus and antimalware programs in part because only the paid version of Ad-Aware comes with an antivirus engine. Other important features are disabled in the free version. While rootkit detection is present, behavior-based heuristics and real-time registry protection are not. Ad-Aware Free cannot scan networked drives, and even a basic feature like the scheduler remains off-limits to nonpaying customers. The proprietary real-time defender Ad-Watch Live has been reconfigured to run more smoothly in the background, however, and long-time fans will notice the change. Ad-Aware continues to make improvements and seems to be unwilling to rest on its malware-removing laurels, but the free version is undeniably hamstrung.

What's new in this version:

Version 8.1.0 includes new anti-malware technology with new Genotype detection and behavior-based heuristics, new usability features that allow you to tailor the program to fit your needs, and the community collaboration that will allow you to customize Ad-Aware to your needs.

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Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus 5

2009-11-10T05:50:00.000-08:00

Avast Free Antivirus is based on multiple protective layers that work together to provide security. The product is designed for the average consumer who wants easy-to-use protection for basic email and web surfing. It is limited to home and non-commercial users.

New features match top detection with increased efficiency. Computer memory requirements for the new antivirus and antispyware engine have been cut in half. Scanning is 40 percent faster, saving both time and computer resources. Complete rootkit protection includes real-time detection to ward off initial installation, on-demand scanning and boot-time scans. The user friendly 5.0 has a new interface with easy-to-adjust settings, a context-sensitive help menu and graphs showing ongoing protection activities. Users can set the time and conditions for complete scans, with avast even waking up their computer from hibernation for midnight scans before putting it back to bed. Multiple shields prevent the spread of malware via email by checking incoming and outgoing emails for suspect content, identify malware by its anticipated behavior or by looking out for unusual activity and attempts at system modifications.

Avast Free 5, an A-list freeware antivirus app, provides the same steadfast protection of well-known, pricier antivirus programs. Avast is remarkable for both its effectiveness and arguably providing the most complete free antivirus on the market.

Avast Free 5, formerly known as the Home Edition, protects you with multiple guards. The antivirus, antispyware, and heuristics engines form a security core that also includes multiple real-time shields. The adjustable mail and file system shields join the pre-existing behavior, network, instant messaging, peer-to-peer, and Web shields. The behavioral shield is a common-sense feature, as security software publishers leverage their large user bases to detect threats early and warn others. Other new features include a silent-gaming mode and an "intelligent scanner" that only looks at changed files after establishing a baseline. The biggest change in Avast 5, though, is the interface. Gone is the music player default look, which was skinnable but confusing. In its place is a sleek UI that new users should find far more manageable. It's also Aero-friendly, with Explorer-style navigation buttons in case you can't remember where you tweaked a particular setting.

Avast's recent independent third-party testing has been notably solid, able to hold its own against better-known programs from Symantec and Microsoft. Avast 5 Free lacks features in the paid upgrade including antispam measures, a testing sandbox, a Script shield, and a firewall. Even without those, Avast Free 5 is probably the strongest, free antivirus currently available.

What's new in this version:

Antivirus and anti-spyware engine
Real time anti-rootkit protection
Potentially unwanted program detection
Code emulator
Heuristic engine
Wake-up for scan
Scheduled scanning
Fast application of updates
File System Shield
Mail Shield
Optimized for Intel's new Core i7 chip
Multi-threaded scanning optimization
Graphical user interface

Download Now

credit:download

Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 9

2009-11-10T05:36:00.001-08:00

Consistently at or near the top of independent efficacy testers, Avira's AntiVir remains one of the best freeware security solutions around. Its scans are flexible, allowing the user to fully scan both internal and external hard drives, run a preloaded scan--for rootkits, for example--or customize a scan. The latest version introduces antispyware protections, scanning tech that can crack open "locked" files, improved internal security to prevent AntiVir's files from being maliciously altered, and one-click threat removal--no more baby-sitting.

There are few interface changes in version 9, and older users are not likely notice anything different in the interface besides a refreshed banner logo. The main window offers a left side navigation with drop-down menus and a central pane for more detailed information. AntiVir opens to the Status menu, informing you of your last scan, your last definition file update, whether the real-time guard is active, and premium upgrade link. Events logs changes to the program and the Reports tab keeps a history of threats. Both are exportable.

The Local Protection and Administration navigation options reveal the Scanner, Guard, Quarantine, and Scheduler features. Combined with the Configuration button located at the top of the central pane, users can customize their scans as necessary. Quarantined file information is on display, with options to scan it again, restore, delete, and e-mail the file to Avira. The rebuilt heuristic engine retains the same choices from the previous version's, and can be turned on or off in part or in full and offers three intensity levels. The scheduler offers much that other free antivirus programs don't, and the help features are excellent, with mouse-over information on each feature.

Savvy users will notice the removal of the on-demand e-mail scan, and AntiVir is still challenging to fully uninstall. Despite these hang-ups and the nag screen that follows definition file updates, AntiVir offers such effective protection and a well-rounded set of features that as long as the updates keep coming, it'll be our first line of defense.

Avira AntiVir Personal Free Antivirus is a comprehensive, easy to use antivirus program, designed to offer reliable free of charge virus protection to home-users only. Avira offers: Extensive Malware Recognition of viruses, Trojans, backdoor programs, worms; Automatic incremental updates of antivirus signatures, engine and entire software; Permanent virus protection, with Virus Guard real time monitoring; Install and configuration in just a couple of steps, setup to protect your PC in minutes; Virus protection against known and unknown threats, using an advanced heuristic system; Scheduler where you can set the scanner to make automatic virus scans or updates on your system; Forum and phone support; Knowledge Base with virus descriptions available on web site; Rootkit Detection and Removal; A modularized AV-search engine for improved scan performance.

What's new in this version:

Version 9 introduces a quick-removal button for eliminating viruses with a single click, enhanced anti-spyware and anti-adware engines, and support for low resolution netbook screens.

Download Now

credit:download

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9

2009-11-06T03:10:00.000-08:00

AVG Free provides the bare necessities when it comes to security, but that should be enough for savvy Windows users. You'll get a combined antivirus and antimalware engine, LinkScanner, and e-mail scanning. AVG Free 9 introduces a few new features, with improvements focused on performance, including claims of faster scan and boot times. One new feature is the Identity Theft Recovery Unit. Only for users in the United States, ITRU is a business partnership with Identity Guard which provides "consumer identity theft solutions," accessible only from the AVG toolbar in Firefox and Internet Explorer.

The interface is nearly unchanged from the last version, and generally it's easy to use. From the main window, though, you must double-click to get further information on any feature, whether virus scanning, LinkScanner settings, or updating. Streamlining this to one click would be helpful. A scheduling utility automates both scans and updates, while the upgrade ad at the screen's bottom can be easily hidden using the Hide Notification button. When starting a scan, a slider makes it easy to jump between Slow, Automatic, and Fast scans: the faster the scan, the less comprehensive it is, so users should take advantage of the scan optimization that is recommended during installation to speed up that first scan. A progress meter for regular scans would've been useful, though. Should a virus create serious problems, AVG creates a rescue disk to scan your computer in MS-DOS mode.

The LinkScanner feature protects you from third-party code exploits before they load in your browser and for ranking search results. Annoyingly, when you install its optional toolbar, it commandeers your new-tab page, decidedly inappropriate behavior. The program doesn't obviously tax your system when scanning or when running in the background, although CNET Labs determined that it will significantly slow down your system's boot time, and slightly delay shutting down. AVG also detected some image files as threats, when two other scans decided they weren't--we decided these were false positives. AVG might not be the fastest or the most effective free security option, but it still gets the job done and you're better off with it.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is an anti-virus protection tool available free of charge to home users. Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high level of detection capability.

The new 9.0 edition is faster, safer and easier to use. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition gives you free rock solid protection for your basic security needs. The combined anti-virus/anti-spyware scanner in AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition runs up to 50% faster than earlier versions and doesn't get in your way. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition also delivers new anti-phishing detection techniques, which can quickly and accurately determine whether or not a web page is hosting a phishing attack. Additionally, version 9.0 comes with basic anti-rootkit protection to ensure protection against sophisticated hidden threats.

The Download Now link will download a small installer file to your desktop. Remain online and double-click the installer to proceed with the actual download.

To learn more about AVG products and to ask questions and receive answers from AVG company representatives, please visit CNET's dedicated AVG Forum.

What's new in this version:

Version 9.0 runs and installs faster, delivers new anti-phishing detection techniques and introduces the AVG LinkScanner to proactively screen the Web pages you haven't even visited yet. For added peace of mind, you also get safety ratings for your Google, Yahoo! and Bing/MSN search results.

Download Now

credit:download

Orbit Downloader 2.8.17

2009-11-06T02:55:00.000-08:00

Downloading videos, Flash games, and large batches of files is greatly simplified with this freeware download manager, but Firefox users may have difficulty with integration.

Orbit's primary interface is bland, but the basic toolbar and info boxes guarantee everything is easy to find. Orbit shines with Internet Explorer integration. To get a media file, simply right-click a video or photo and choose Download from your context menu. Grabbing a Flash game is even easier. Hover over a Flash file, and Orbit displays a button for a fast download.

Fast and small are key traits of this application. It uses a bare minimum of memory, and downloads are much faster than with a browser alone. Where Orbit shines is its one-button simplicity for downloading multiple files on a site. From there, you can easily filter for file type. Orbit's numerous configuration options make it one of the more flexible download managers available.

Although designed to integrate with the IE, Firefox, Opera and Maxthon, we had great difficulty getting Orbit to work seamlessly with Firefox. We finally gave up trying to get the Flash download feature to work. Nevertheless, anyone downloading large numbers of files will find this freeware indispensable.

Orbit Downloader, leader of download manager revolution, is devoted to new generation Web application downloading to make downloads more easier and faster. It is a free all-in-one downloader which can download any social media.

What's new in this version:
Version 2.8.17 adds 'OneClick YouTube Downloader' add-on on Firefox, improves The process of 'GetIt' button, and fixes some bugs may cause IE crash when operating Grabpro.

Download Now

credit:download

YouTube Downloader 2.5.3

2009-11-06T02:47:00.000-08:00

This simple freeware application works pretty well, given how basic the interface is. It has two main features: to download FLV files from YouTube, and to convert them to most major formats. If there's a YouTube URL in your clipboard, it will automatically paste it for you when you click on the dialog box. From there, just hit OK and the downloading will commence. One more left-click is all it takes to load the file in the converter, which supports iPhone, iPod, PSP, cell phone, AVI, MP3, WMV, and Xvid. Surprisingly, there's also a basic video editor for cropping videos by time stamp. You can also cut out the sound when converting.

This is one of the lightest editors around, but the simplistic interface belies its functionality and it performs exactly as advertised. We'd like to see support in future editions for hunting down missing codecs, and version 2.1.5 and earlier won't work because of embed code changes on YouTube itself. Still, the YouTube Downloader is proof that not only is video-making accessible to everyone, so is video downloading and editing.

It's software that allows you to download videos from YouTube, including HD and HQ videos, and many others and convert them to other video formats. The program is easy to use, just specify the URL for the video you want to download and click the Ok. It also allows you to convert downloaded videos for iPod, iPhone, PSP, Cell Phone, Windows Media, XVid and MP3. Allows you to access YouTube videos for which you need to be 18+ years of age. Now, plays videos downloaded.

What's new in this version:
Version 2.5.3 fixes downloading after the October 21, 2009 YouTube site update

Download Now

credit:download

Download Free Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3

2009-10-29T05:04:00.000-07:00

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is one software for those want-to-be and professional photographers. You can enhance and showcase images with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 and its much easier to organise. Here is how you can download it for free.

Some of the new features in the new Lightroom 3 are:

♦ New import handling designed to make importing streamlined and easy

♦ State-of-the-art noise reduction to help you perfect your high ISO shots

♦ Flexible customizable print package creation so your print package layouts are all your own

♦ Watermarking tool that helps you customize and protect your images with ease

♦ Brand new performance architecture, building for the future of growing image libraries

Download Free Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3

Uniblue SpeedUpMyPC 2009

2009-10-29T04:54:00.000-07:00

Hi friends, this promo actually been around since 1 month ago, but still valid for today, for those who still seek a license for this software can get it now. Lets start.

SpeedUpMyPC requires the latest Microsoft .NET 3.5 framework, and will automatically install .NET itself, if your system doesn’t already have it. As a result the installation may take several minutes longer than expected – please be patient.

If you encounter any issues with SpeedUpMyPC 2009 installation, you can try installing Microsoft .NET 3.5 framework first from here.

So, if you’re not already using .NET 3.5 framework, it’s up to each one of you to decide if you want to install it or not

Key Benefits

* Superior performance from your PC
Fine-tune your PC, and your Windows operating system, to help you squeeze even more power from your computer, for improved performance and faster startup.

* Maximize you Internet settings for faster browsing
Optimize your network and Internet connections to boost your bandwidth, allowing you to enjoy faster surfing and quicker downloads.

* Enhanced Security and Privacy Features
Protect your privacy by securely removing a wide range of sensitive files and records, including browser histories, cookies and saved form information.

* Detailed metrics on system performance
Advanced and detailed charts track CPU, memory and network usage showing the load on system resources and indicating areas to be targeted for optimization.

* Memory cleanup
Reduce hard disk clutter by finding and deleting unnecessary and obsolete files, while the powerful uninstall feature lets you totally remove unwanted software more effectively.

* Safe, simple and trusted
With improved graphics, and the reassurance of the Recovery center (to undo changes) Uniblue’s SpeedUpMyPC is trusted by users everywhere to deliver improved performance.

FEATURES

New features

Automatic optimization and cleanup
Quarantine manager
CPU profile management
Memory freeup
Network usage overview
Network / connectivity tweaks
Microsoft Internet Explorer tweaks
Mozilla Firefox tweaks
Windows performance tweaks
Hard drive tweaks
Windows XP user interface tweaks
Windows Vista user interface tweaksWindows startup optimization
Remote access service tweaks
Host service tweaks
Recovery center to undo changes
Advanced GUI features
Widget

User Interface

Windows Familiar GUI
System Tray Shortcut
Automatic Performance Scan
System Optimization State
System Overview and Recommendations
Extensive Manual and Help
Detailed System GraphsLiveUpdate

Optimization

CPU Usage Overview
Disk Analyzer
Application Booster
Internet Speed Analyzer
Memory Usage Overview
Internet Speed Optimizer
RAM Optimization
Startup Manager
Disk Usage
Process Viewer

Cleanup

Junk file cleanup scan
Uninstall Manager
Detailed junk file cleanup scan results
Detailed privacy protection scan results
Privacy protection scan

Settings

Launch application at startup
Check for updates every time SpeedUpMyPC starts
Start scanning when the application loads
Perform automatic optimization and cleanup
after each scan

Recommended system requirements:
* Intel Pentium 4 1GHz or equivalent processor
* 512 MB RAM
* 200 MB free hard disk space
* Graphics mode 1024×768 high color (highest 32-bit)
* Internet Explorer 6
* Microsoft Windows XP or Vista (32-bit)
* .Net Framework 3.5 (included as part of the SpeedUpMyPC installation process)

Grab It :
A. Go to this promotional page andfill in your names and email address:

http://mag.uniblue.com/camag/uk/sp/signup/
( copy and browse in your browser )

B. You’ll soon receive an email message containing all that you need : the download link, serial number and installation instructions.

That’s it! Enjoy everyone

How To Increase Your Customer Base

2009-10-27T01:29:00.000-07:00

The more the customers you have, the better your chances of making money. The article, helps you make money online by showing you how to increases the customer list.

An entrepreneur usually begins the home-based business online as a small one-person operation, but with hopes of transmuting the hobby or lifestyle choices into a functional and profitable business. In order for the business to grow, the business owner must increase the number of customers served, or the intensity of the order stream must be increased. A third option is to add new products or services that appeal to more potential customers. Here are some tips you can use that will allow you to increase your customer base while you make money online.

Narrow your focus

Surprisingly enough, one way to increase your customer base and make money online is to narrow the scope of your advertising and marketing efforts. If you've been using a scattergun approach, your marketing campaigns may not always reach the people who are most likely to purchase your product or service. In the world of marketing, more is not necessarily better. By choosing your product characteristics and matching your marketing efforts to the people who are most likely to use your product, you will have more targeted advertising and you are much more likely to be in contact with the individuals who are going to use your service.

Know your market

Before you can increase your customer base, you must understand who your customers are. If you approach marketing without understanding the dynamics of your customers, much of your advertising efforts will be wasted. You may think that you want to sell to everyone who gets on the Internet, but your customer base is more likely to increase if you are aiming your marketing efforts at the characteristics of the people who are going to have an interest in your product or service already. In other words, if you are marketing sheet music for the dulcimer, you probably won't find too many customers in the bass guitar music web sites, so if your advertising is limited to the wrong site, you are less likely to make money online.

Price it right

Related to the advice to know your market is the idea of pricing your product correctly. You don't want customers to look at the product or scroll to the bottom of the web page to check the price and go on to another page. You won't commonly get into a price discussion if the customer believes it is way too high for the item or service. The customer wants to get the best possible price on the product and so does the seller, usually there is a significant difference between the want of the customer and the price of the product. You can't make money online if the customer is not willing to pay the price you set.

Ask them again

Repetition is often the only way to turn a visitor into a purchaser and make money online. When a customer sees a business name several times, they are more likely to gain name recognition through consistent viewing of your company name or logo. When it comes time to purchase the product in the normal course of living; the effective advertising plan will make sure to ask the targeted consumer to purchase the product using more than one means of expression.

credit:bravenet

ANOTHER WORLD IS REALLY EXIST? Perhaps the Past Finding Sainstis

2009-10-27T01:21:00.000-07:00

world scientists joined at CERN created the largest machines in the history of world science. Machinery worth U.S. $ 6 Billion Dollar named LHC, Large Hadron Collider. This giant machine is made to prove the existence of "The God Particle," Higgs Boson, mysterious particles that he said would show "big secret" of the universe.

Of how the universe began, and how everything in the universe works. From the stars, planets and giant galaxies to subatomic particles smallest. You can see this machine in the movie "Angels and Demons" (2009), starring Tom Hanks.

But that's not all. This giant machine is also made to prove one thing. The existence of the Multiverse, another world.

Throughout history, humans have believed existed. Another world than our world. Many believe there is a scary world. A cursed place dark and terrible, where spirits, ghosts and the demons dwell and come to our world.

But of course the experts predict a parallel world is not like that at all. Prof. Michio Kaku even jokingly said parallel world may contain a version of Elvis Presley is still alive.

And it all started in the year 1909,

A physicist named Geoffrey Taylor found that a single point light (photon) in his experiments proved terinterfensi, an interruption in the wave that should, no. He was confused how can terinterfensi, what might menginterfensinya?

Until he finally got a conclusion that widened the eyes of the world scientists. Geoffrey became the first person in the world, scientifically, to detect the existence of a parallel universe ( "25 Big Ideas," The Science That's Changing Our World ", Robert Matthews, 2005).

In 1925, Erwin Schrödinger when he was researching the electron, he discovered something very strange. Electrons, can change shape, from particle to wave, and vice versa. But not only that, an electron, it turns out, can be in two places, simultaneously. And other places that are not in this world, but elsewhere, in another world. Imagine the insanity. As there are two versions of yourself, which one was in another place, even in another world.

October 1927. In the town of Solvay, Belgium, big event took place. In the city held a big meeting. Meeting of the greatest scientists in human history. Among including Niels Bohr, Heisenberg, Schrodinger, Max Planck and of course, Albert Einstein. More open and there was a magic world.

Responding to the magic world of quantum, Einstein had said, "God did not play dice". In Newton's laws, and everything must be measurable, in the quantum world, nothing is really certain, that there is, only probability (Uncertanity Principle, Heisenberg). And since the existence of quantum world becomes more and more popular throughout the world.

With the discovery of the quantum world of super magic, the scientists also found a new great challenge. Law of nature, between a large universe (stars, planets, galaxies etc. based on Newton's law and Special Relativity, is very different from the laws of nature subatomic, atomic particles and small super quarks. World macroscopic vs microscopic world.

They tried hard to unite the two conflicting laws of nature were in a dream world's greatest scientists since Einstein. Discover "The Theory of Everything", Theory of Everything (GUT, General Unified Theory, GUT No. No Glory).

"Theory of Everything" is the greatest theory, which will unify all of nature theory and harmony of nature's smallest in the beautiful and elegant. And they found a possible answer. String Theory. The theory which states that the universe was not formed by atomic particles, but by a universal set of strings (String, such as guitar and violin strings).

Harmonization of these strings, which determine the shape of everything, all things in the universe, from the smallest to the largest. But in order to perfect the theory, the theory also reveals the possibility of other dimensions, a new dimension other than what we know so far.

Now, the question was no longer "Is there another world?", But has become, "It's what's really another world? Two, three, infinity ". We may soon know the answer.

And what is there?

The experts estimate the world will be much like our world, but slightly different, similar, but not exactly the same. Maybe there will be the same solar system with us, with the sun, stars, planets, Earth, and even those who like us, but perhaps her life is different. Maybe Elvis is still alive there, maybe Napoleon won the war Waterloo and became ruler of Europe. Maybe. How do scientists know? I do not know, let us learn more.

credit:anthneic.blogspot.com

Ares I-X Secured at the Launch Pad

2009-10-21T01:05:00.000-07:00

The Ares I-X now is secured on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The test rocket, sitting on a mobile launcher platform, was “hard down” on the pad’s pedestals at 9:17 a.m. EDT. The rotating service structure is expected to be rolled into place at about 12:30 p.m.

Ground teams began rolling out Ares I-X and its launch platform aboard a crawler-transporter from Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building at 1:39 a.m. It arrived at the pad about 7:45 a.m.

Managers will meet at Kennedy on Friday for a Flight Test Readiness Review to thoroughly discuss whether the flight test is ready to proceed and set an official launch date. Currently, Ares I-X is targeted to launch Oct. 27 at 8 a.m.

Launch Vehicle: Ares I-X
Targeted Launch Date: Oct. 27
Launch Window: 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. EDT
Launch Pad: 39B
Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

NASA's first flight test for the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system, called Ares I-X, will bring NASA one step closer to its exploration goals. The flight test will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test and prove flight characteristics, hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I.

credit:NASA

ECB's Trichet: G20 must tackle global imbalances

2009-10-21T01:01:00.000-07:00

The Group of 20 rich and developing nations must tackle global economic imbalances in its new role as the key international policy forum, European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said in comments released on Sunday.

Trichet told Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper that the G20's new role, backed up by advice from the International Monetary Fund and the Financial Stability Board, would allow a good combination of expert analysis and peer pressure.

"It is particularly important that the G20 is designed to be the premier forum for international economic cooperation," he said, according to an interview transcript published on the ECB's Web site on Sunday.

"The G20 has to address the issues of the domestic large imbalances between savings and investments, and of the set of unsustainable external imbalances.

"We know that these imbalances have been at the roots of the present difficulties. If we don't correct them, we'll have the recipe for the next major crisis. And this of course would be totally unacceptable."

Trichet said central bankers appreciated G20 leaders' commitment to fiscal responsibility and their comments in Friday's Pittsburgh communique that a sense of normalcy should not lead to complacency.

Failing to wind back public stimulus programmes at the right time would damage confidence and delay recovery, he said.

"One thing is sure. When time comes, systemic economies are not credible in going back to sustainable fiscal policy in the mid to long run," he said.

"We won't have the recovery which we are hoping for. Because governments would not inspire confidence to households and corporate business. It is the evaporation of confidence that created this dramatic turmoil. Now we have to do everything to rebuild confidence."

Trichet said U.S. policy makers' commitment to a strong dollar was important in keeping currency markets and the global economy stable, repeating a long-held position. The euro hit a one-year high against the dollar on September 23.

FINANCIAL REFORMS STILL NEEDED

The ECB chief said the recent improvement in financial markets was not surprising, given the actions taken by central banks and governments, and policy makers were keen to see how this would feed into the real economy.

"We monitor with great attention at this stage the interaction between the financial sphere and the real economy," he said.

Trichet urged banks to boost their capital bases and said the Basel committee's proposed new banking rules struck a good balance between taking a long-term view of capital needs and avoiding measures which would stop banks lending.

"With the improvement observed in the financial markets some institutions and market participants might think that there is no need for the reforms designed at global level. It would be plain wrong to think that," he said.

"More than ever it is extremely important to introduce the necessary reforms in the financial system, in order to strengthen its resilience and avoid excessive booms and busts."

The ECB has kept interest rates for the 16-nation euro zone on hold at a record low 1 percent, and no change is expected until after mid-2010.

In the euro zone, Trichet repeated the ECB's earlier assessment that 2009 economic growth would overall be very negative and 2010 would likely show a slightly positive result.

On a quarter-by-quarter basis, growth could turn positive and then relapse into negative territory.

"This doesn't change our main message. Namely, that we have a bumpy road ahead and that the level of uncertainty remains exceptionally high and therefore that prudence and caution are of (the) essence," he said.

credit:newsdaily

Gates denies rift on Afghan war strategy

2009-10-21T00:52:00.000-07:00

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said on Wednesday that there was no rift between President Barack Obama's military and civilian advisers on the Afghan war strategy.

"These rumors of some kind of rift are just not accurate and do not reflect the close working effort between our military and civilians," Gates told a news conference during a visit to Japan.

President Hamid Karzai agreed to face a second round of voting in Afghanistan's disputed election on Tuesday after a U.N.-led fraud inquiry tossed out enough of his votes to trigger a run-off.

Karzai's decision eased tensions with the West and removed one stumbling block for U.S. President Barack Obama as he weighs whether to send more troops to Afghanistan to fight a resurgent Taliban.

Many within Obama's Democratic Party have spoken out against sending more troops, while Republican opponents say his lengthy deliberations on a new strategy are undermining U.S. troops and emboldening the Taliban.

Gates reiterated that the problems surrounding the legitimacy of the Afghan government would not be resolved by a runoff alone and described the situation as an "evolutionary process."

"Clearly, having the runoff, getting it behind us and then moving forward is very important, " he said.

"But I think we need to be realistic that the issues of corruption and governance that we are trying to work with the Afghan government on are not going to be solved simply by the outcome of the presidential election. This is going to be a work in progress, an evolutionary process, and we need to be realistic on that."

Obama administration officials have stressed earlier that for Washington to succeed in Afghanistan it is essential that there be a legitimate and credible government in Kabul.

credit:newsdaily

How to Lose Weight Quickly For Free!

2009-10-21T00:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is true! You can learn how to lose weight quickly without spending even a penny out of your pocket. All you need to learn is to develop a habit to consume right kind of food that is rich in nutrients, vitamins and minerals while eliminating foods that contain fats and sugar. Dietary fiber is the answer to many problems related to obesity. It helps to fill up your stomach quickly and is very nutritious. Moreover, dietary fiber does not contain any fat which makes it a suitable diet for people who are looking for ways on how to lose weight quickly.

Sure Shot ways to loose pounds with Fat Loss 4 Idiots

You should also include running, jogging, stretching and light weight exercises in your daily schedule so that you burn all that extra fat in your body. Many people tend to say that it is very difficult for them to do exercise daily because of their busy schedules. But if you are looking for ways on how to lose weight quickly, then you need to understand that supplements or medicines to lose weight are not a permanent solution. Moreover, such medicines or supplements have side effects and should not be taken for more than the prescribed time limit. You will have to consider balanced diet and exercises today or tomorrow if you want to stay fit and healthy. So why not today!

However, this is a true fact that all these factors should be combined in a way that they work best for you and this can only be done by a professional. So, if you are looking for ways on how to lose weight quickly and effectively while staying healthy then it is advised that you consult an expert who could guide you on the right path. You may consider referring an e-book or website that can assist you in developing right eating habits and exercise regime.

Tips on Breast Care for Mothers

2009-10-21T00:45:00.000-07:00

Breastfeeding is a wonderful feeling that a woman can experience. It is beneficial for both the baby and the mother in several ways. But breast care is equally important. This will not only give a hygienic supply of milk to the baby but also help mother to maintain the shape and the firmness of her breasts.

This assumes that it is solely a lactating mother's outlook to sustain a good and healthy diet for her breastfeeding child. A mother who gives birth to a large baby that grows fast may experience difficulties in producing and sustaining enough quantities of milk. This is because the fat reserves she had during the pregnancy period can be lost soon after childbirth and eating well enough might become a problem for her.

Keep the nipples washed clean. Beginning from around the fifth month of pregnancy, a viscous fluid is secreted from the breasts. If this is not washed away properly, it may form a crust and the surrounding skin becomes reddish. To prevent this, clean the nipples well everyday with warm water - occasionally adding boric acid powder to the water and dry them by rubbing them lightly with a clean piece of cloth.

Proper breast care begins with the cleanliness of the breast. Women should devote a few minutes of their bathing schedule in pampering the breasts. Since breasts are a spongy mass of tissue enclosed by a skin, they can be washed with the same soap you use for the rest of the body.

Breast enlargement pills use the same concept. Mankind has known such herbs which stimulate growth since ages. These herbs are known to increase the bulk of the breast growth. These herbs contain the plant estrogen, called phytoestrogen. This phytoestrogen has the same function human estrogen has.

Though not proven to cause breast cancer, surgical breast enhancement technique has its vehement protestors. Not wanting to go through the rigors of a surgery and desiring an alternative to the artificial look and feel of a breast implant, more and more women are turning towards non surgical breast enhancement methods like the pill, pump, cream or a special brassiere.

Other common problems like sagging breasts and inverted nipples can be easily combated by proper and precise breast massaging techniques. Finally, breast massages increase the tone and breast and the bust size. This will work well to increase the confidence of the woman, and she will feel good about herself.

In case the nipples appear flat or inverted, it is advised to press the areola between the thumb and the finger to encourage the nipple to stand out. If the nipple sticks out, the baby will not have any difficulty in suckling. During the pregnancy period the shape of the nipple may be abnormal, but it improves as the pregnancy advances. This is because of the effect of hormones during pregnancy.

These hormones are called oxytocin and prolactin. The hormone called oxytocin is stored in the pituitary gland and acts on muscle cells. These muscles surround the milk glands where milk is produced. Oxytocin causes the muscles cells to contract in turn squeezing milk out of the glands into the ducts.

West Antarctic Ice Sheet May Not Be Losing Ice As Fast As Once Thought

2009-10-21T00:41:00.000-07:00

New ground measurements made by the West Antarctic GPS Network (WAGN) project, composed of researchers from The University of Texas at Austin, The Ohio State University, and The University of Memphis, suggest the rate of ice loss of the West Antarctic ice sheet has been slightly overestimated.

"Our work suggests that while West Antarctica is still losing significant amounts of ice, the loss appears to be slightly slower than some recent estimates," said Ian Dalziel, lead principal investigator for WAGN. "So the take home message is that Antarctica is contributing to rising sea levels. It is the rate that is unclear."

In 2006, another team of researchers used data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites to infer a significant loss of ice mass over West Antarctica from 2002 to 2005. The GRACE satellites do not measure changes in ice loss directly but measure changes in gravity, which can be caused both by ice loss and vertical uplift of the bedrock underlying the ice.

Now, for the first time, researchers have directly measured the vertical motion of the bedrock at sites across West Antarctica using the Global Positioning System (GPS). The results should lead to more accurate estimates of ice mass loss.

Antarctica was once buried under a deeper and more extensive layer of ice during a period known as the Last Glacial Maximum. Starting about 20,000 years ago, the ice began slowly thinning and retreating. As the ice mass decreases, the bedrock immediately below the ice rises, an uplift known as postglacial rebound.

Postglacial rebound causes an increase in the gravitational attraction measured by the GRACE satellites and could explain their inferred measurements of recent, rapid ice loss in West Antarctica. The new GPS measurements show West Antarctica is rebounding more slowly than once thought. This means that the correction to the gravity signal from the rock contribution has been overestimated and the rate of ice loss is slower than previously interpreted.

"The published results are very important because they provide precise, ground-truth GPS observations of the actual rebound of the continent due to the loss of ice mass detected by the GRACE satellite gravity measurements over West Antarctica" said Vladimir Papitashvili, acting director for the Antarctic Earth Sciences Program at the National Science Foundation, which supported the research.

WAGN researchers do not yet know how large the overestimation was. A more definitive correction will be conducted by other researchers who specialize in interpreting GRACE data. Previous estimates of postglacial rebound were made with theoretical models. Assimilation of the direct GPS results into new models will therefore produce significant improvements in estimations of ice mass loss.

The results will appear in the electronic journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems of the American Geophysical Union and the American Geochemical Society.

A team from The University of Texas at Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences (Ian Dalziel, lead principal investigator), The Ohio State University's School of Earth Sciences (Michael Bevis), and The University of Memphis' Center for Earthquake Research and Information (Robert Smalley, Jr.) performed the WAGN project.

The network consists of 18 GPS stations installed on bedrock outcrops across West Antarctica. Precise, millimeter level, three-dimensional locations of the stations, which are bolted into the bedrock, were determined during measurements made from 2001 to 2003 and from 2004 to 2006, the two measurements being at least three years apart. The difference in the positions during the two time periods indicates the motion of the bedrock.

The WAGN data were supplemented with data from the first year of the Polar Earth Observing Network (POLENET) project, a project to establish a more sophisticated, continuously recording network of GPS and seismic stations, including the already established WAGN sites. POLENET will further improve our understanding of the interaction between the solid earth and ice sheets at both poles. The lead principal investigator of the U.S. Antarctic contribution to POLENET is Terry Wilson of The Ohio State University.

The West Antarctic GPS Network and the U.S. Antarctic contribution to the Polar Earth Observing Network of the International Polar Year were both funded and logistically supported by the Office of Polar Programs of the National Science Foundation.

credit:sciencedaily

Sandboxie: Blocking Web-Based Malware From Your PC

2009-10-21T00:32:00.000-07:00

There is no safe neighborhood anywhere on the Internet. Even honest reputable sites, such as The New York Times, can inadvertently serve up malware. If you don't keep all the software on your computer patched with the latest bug fixes, you are constantly at risk – malware exploits known bugs to install itself.

Now that Windows does a reasonably good job of self-updating, the bad guys have taken to attacking other software, such as the Adobe Acrobat Reader and the Flash player plug-in, which don't automatically install patches as well as Windows does. And, up to date antivirus software only provides limited protection.

Enter Sandboxie, an excellent program that builds a virtual sandbox around your web browser, making it impossible for your computer to accidentally get infected.

When you run a program in a sandbox, you are really running Sandboxie and it, in turn, is running the program in a walled-off virtual box. Originally developed for Internet Explorer, Sandboxie can now put a sandbox around any Windows program.

Programs running a sandbox can, by default, see everything on the computer. What they can't do is make any permanent changes. When sandboxed programs try to read files, Sandboxie does not interfere. However, when they try to create new files, Sandboxie intercepts the requests and creates the files in another location. The running program is oblivious to this re-direction. It thinks it's talking to Windows, but it really is talking to Sandoxie. The movie The Truman Show offers a pretty good analogy.

If anything malicious gets accidentally installed on your computer while browsing with a sandboxed browser, it lives only in the sandbox. Specifically, the malware may think it got installed into C:\Program Files, but it actually lives in C:\Sandbox\youruserid\DefaultBox\drive\C\Program Files. Empty the sandbox and the malicious software is gone. This is shown visually on the home page of sandboxie.com. The initial state of a computer is shown below:

The top checkerboard pattern illustrates a hard disk with no sandbox. In the bottom one, the virtual sandbox is shown as a yellow box.

When a program runs, the changes it makes to the file system and the hard disk are shown as red boxes. In the image below we see that normally the red boxes/changes are scattered all over.

However, Sandboxie forces all changes made by a sandboxed program to live inside the sandbox. If any of the changes are not wanted, just empty the sandbox.

If this sounds like virtualizaiton, it is. But it's small, lightweight virtualization, whereas full blown virtualization products are large and cumbersome. Also, the changes Sandboxie makes to your computer are minimal compared to full-fledged desktop virtualization software like that offered by VMware. Has a problem occurred to you? Most likely, there is a simple solution. Sanboxie is nothing if not a well thought out program.

If you don't want malware on your computer, even if it's sandboxed, you can configure a sandbox so that all changes made by any program are discarded as soon as the last program in the sandbox shuts down. You can see this below:

There are two sandboxes on this computer, the default one and another called ThrowMeAway (I chose the name). As the name implies, all changes made in this sandbox are always discarded. If you really want a private browsing mode, this beats them all.

The Best Security for Wireless Networks

2009-10-21T00:25:00.000-07:00

Securing a wireless network isn't a hard task. The cheat sheet is relatively small. However, the technical press continues to be flooded with articles and blogs containing technical mistakes.

Take, for example, everyone's trusted information source, Consumer Reports Magazine. I'm a big fan of the magazine, having subscribed to the hard copy edition for years. But they seem out of their league, when it comes to computers.

On August 6, 2009 a blog posting at the magazine's website suggested using WEP security for wireless networks. This is very poor advice. A week after the posting, an editor corrected it, to say they recommend WPA security. This too, is not the best option. Even after being shamed into a correction, they still got it wrong.

So, let me try to offer up just what most people (and Consumer Reports) need to know about securing a wireless network.

Starting at the Beginning

To begin with, there are four types of Wi-Fi networks (A, B, G and N). But the security is not tied to any one type.

If you can connect to a wireless network without entering a password, then there is no security. In this context, the term "security" refers to encrypting data as it travels over the air.

The idea being to prevent a bad guy from capturing all the information coming into and out of a victims' computer and, in effect, looking over their shoulder despite being a few hundred feet away.

Wi-Fi networks offer three security options: WEP, WPA and WPA2. As a simplistic introduction, think of WEP as bad, WPA as just fine and WPA2 as great.

WEP is the oldest security option and it has been shown to be very weak. It may be better than no security at all, but not by much. Don't use it. Other than Consumer Reports magazine, the last recommendation to use WEP was issued in 2005.

WPA is technically a certification, not a security standard, but since it includes only one security protocol, TKIP, they are often confused. When people refer to WPA security, they are really referring to the TKIP protocol.

The combination of WPA and TKIP is not the best, but it's reasonably good. If you have a choice, you should opt for the best security (next topic), but if you don't have a choice (more later) TKIP is reasonably strong.

WPA2 is also, technically, a certification rather than a security standard. WPA2 includes two security standards: TKIP and CCMP. If you are using TKIP, it doesn’t matter whether the router is WPA or WPA2. TKIP is TKIP either way.

The best security option is CCMP and it's only available in WPA2, so, here again, the security protocol is often confused with the certification. When people refer to WPA2 security, they are really referring to CCMP.

But no one refers to CCMP (don't ask what it stands for). For whatever reason, the CCMP security protocol is referred to, incorrectly, as AES. So, when you are configuring a router, you need to first select WPA2, then you need to select AES (rather than TKIP) to get the best possible security and encryption.

WPA TKIP Flaws

The TKIP security protocol (often referred to as WPA) is flawed. The first flaw came to light in November 2008, the second one just last month. But neither flaw is serious.

The first flaw can be defended against simply by disabling Quality of Service (QOS) in your router. Very few people make use of QOS.

The second flaw was described by security expert Steve Gibson as mostly theoretical. For example, it requires that the victim’s computer be out of radio reception range from the router. The bad guy has to connect to the router on one side and the victim on the other side. The bad guy has to be logically and physically positioned between the victim and the router.

Neither flaw lets the bad guy recover the password and they only support decrypting very small data packets. None of these small packets will contain any of your data.

Protect Yourself on Facebook

2009-10-20T23:31:00.000-07:00

Love them or hate them; social networking sites are here to stay. And your users are going to find ways to use them from home, from work, from smart phones, from shared computers, or from anywhere else they care to.

The whipped cream is out of the can. Now what can we do about it?

So, how secure are these sites?

I’ve experienced several classic Web security issues in each of the sites I frequent, and without a doubt there remain many vulnerabilities to be discovered. But that hasn’t stopped me from using them.

Like any decision involving risk, I’ve studied the issues, minimized my own exposure, and I’m getting on with what I care to do.

Let’s start by looking at the issues briefly.

Web apps:

Well, for starters, they are Web applications, and as such they’re potentially vulnerable to a plethora of issues, from the OWASP Top-10 and beyond – and yes, there are far more than 10. And don’t think for a moment that all web application vulnerabilities solely place the application at risk. Many also put the app’s users at risk: cross-site scripting (XSS), cross-site request forgery (CSRF), and others can be used to attack the users quite easily.

As a user of a social networking site, you’re placing your (and your employer’s) data at risk.

Active content:

Long-time readers of this column (hi Mom!) have heard me talk about the dangers of active content many times. Javascript, Java applets, Flash, ActiveX, and many others are all examples of active content. And guess what? Every popular social networking site in existence – or at least with a significant population of users – absolutely requires active content in order for the site to function.

The bottom line: by allowing active content into your browser, you are trusting someone else’s code to run on your computer safely. Well, what’s the big deal? We do that all the time. Well, now the code is dynamic and maintained somewhere else, and you’re trusting it every time. Gulp!

Domain of trust:

Some of the HTML, Javascript, etc., that arrives in your browser comes from (say) Facebook. Fair enough, if you’re going to use Facebook, you’ll need to trust that content. But your browser isn’t so discerning. Some of the stuff that comes into it while you’re on Facebook might be provided by someone else: another Facebook user; an attacker; a third party application on Facebook. If your browser trusts Facebook, chances are it’s also going to trust that code. This extends the active content exposure pretty substantially.

User-supplied content:

Users put all sorts of content into their own profiles. URLs pointing to cool sites, photos, etc. If they link to something dangerous—perhaps inadvertently—and you click on it… Well, you get the drift.

Third party applications:

Most of the popular social networking sites have a third-party application interface for companies to generate their own content. Most of it is pretty innocuous and in the spirit of good clean fun, like a little app that lets you “throw” a virtual snowball at someone else. But, again, it extends that trust boundary in ways you might not want.

Know Fraud and Identity Theft Online

2009-10-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

Jakarta - The theft online is one of the crime in a virtual world that uses email, websites, chat rooms or message in your account page.

There are several types of this crime, that is phishing and pharming scams, using email or websites to trick the recipient of a message to terayu to provide personal data such as credit card data, social security numbers, and their important account password.

However, although the movement is growing guerrilla thief, not that hard to avoid it. Learn basic tips to deal with it so we do not fall this cyber world of fraud that mixed Symantec:

What to Do:

* Consider to disable file sharing on your computer.

* Be careful when opening file attachments, especially from unknown senders.

* Familiarize yourself to mamahami privacy policy on the internet, especially if you are asked to provide sensitive data or personal.

* Control the existing provisions in the bank and credit cards regularly.

* Install and regularly update the software firewall, antivirus, and anti-spyware you. We recommend using Norton Internet Security for a more comprehensive protection.

* To maintain the habit of updating the Windows operating system and other applications with the latest patches.

* Strengthen and secure passwords carefully, or consider using password protection software. Norton Internet Security is also able to encrypt passwords to better secure data storage, access to the computer so much to avoid the use of hand nosy. In addition, this software will also notify users if there are sites that offer need to login.

* Lock your mailbox.

* Mash or shredded recap or information obtained from the use of credit card or bank before discharge.

* Check your bank account and your credit card every month.

* Take advantage of free reports on your credit card transactions.

* If you feel you've become victims of identity theft or other cyber crimes, report to the authorities immediately.

What to Avoid:

* Do not provide personal data to anyone via phone or directly (including for purposes of seeking employment, applying for loans, etc.) unless you're absolutely sure that the person or institution can be trusted.

* Do not easily believe it and then reply to incoming email by providing your personal data, including the site obtained from the links, or pop-up ads that suddenly appear on the screen. Better, open a new browser page and type in URLs directly addressed in the address bar to make sure that the site is legitimate.

* Do not store financial data on a laptop unless absolutely necessary. Because portable computers more easily and frequently stolen than a desktop computer.

Almost So FBI Director Online Fraud Victim

2009-10-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

Jakarta - FBI Director Robert Mueller admitted he almost caught online fraud. As a result, Mueller prohibited access internet banking.

Mueller recognition so before the Commonwealth Club in California, United States, as quoted from SMH.co.au, Friday (9/10/2009).

Mueller said the experience showed how dangerous fraud on the internet today. Although she knew about online fraud, he was almost stuck because they do not care.

At that, Mueller said, he got an email that appears to come from the bank where she kept the money. Email it asked Mueller to verify a few things about the bill.

He has started to answer some questions from emails that when starting to suspect something was wrong. Finally he went to change internet banking passwords and deliver it to his wife.

Although not to lose money, because of the incident Mueller's wife was forced to forbid him to do internet banking transactions again.

The FBI on that occasion also says it has arrested 33 people in the U.S. and 47 people in Egypt who are involved in a network of online fraud. This is the result of the combined U.S. operations - Egypt called 'Phry Phish'.

credit: anthneic