How to Deal With Shopping for Gaming Computers

We all have to deal with the dreaded endless computer companies all vying for our hard earn dollars. Each one promising this and that, which the sole intention of drawing you in, well your cash at least. Sooner or later someone is going to get cheated out his/her money, not from trickery or deceit, but from not knowing which sites gives better deals then the others. Honestly, I personally recommend just going to a sites like Newegg and buying the parts to build their own very cheap gaming computers. But I understand that some just don't want to go through all the trouble. So in this article I was suggest two sites that I know of where you can get a decent already built PC for a decent price. Cheaper then some of the bigger computer manufactures.

First up on the list is Ibuypower, a site dedicated to building the PC of your dreams at a reasonable price. At first glance it may look a little complicated, what with all the options it gives you on which PC build you want to start with. It opens up even more with a bunch of different configuration options depending one which model you selected. Once you get down and dirty with it though, it becomes much easier to figure out what you're doing. I haven't personally ordered anything from them yet, but from what friends have told me, they're a very reliable site. You don't have to take my word for it, but you can at least check the site out and see if it has anything of interest.

Our second contestant is Cyberpower PC, another website that prides itself on allowing the consumer to build the PC of his/her choice at a reasonable price. They currently have a back to school sale going, so those who are interested might want to take them up on that offer. Site is sleek and the presentation is rather unique, though I could understand if one found it overwhelming at first glance. Like Ibuypower, this site gives you an array of different stock builds with the ability to customize it at your digression. From what video card or how many, to which processor you want handling your computer, to even how much memory you want. Everything you could every think of when building a PC is at the tip of your fingers. This is a great site for people who don't want to be bothered with building their own PC.

Now you're probably thinking, 'this is all and good, but how do I know which parts I want to buy'. Well I could personally tell you myself, but we'd be here forever and I'm not the best at explaining which graphics card is the best for your needs. Instead, visit sites like Tomshardware to get your PC building needs. The charts on that site is wonderful, especially if you're interested in finding out which video card is power enough for you at the price of your desire. Just find the most relevant chart, look for the game you're mostly interested in and find the video card with the most acceptable abilities at the price range you're looking for. They also have a forum where you can sign up and get detailed answers to your longing questions.

This isn't a detailed by all end all guide to finding the right company to build your PC. This is more of a first step, a way to show you the path you need to follow to get to the correct destination. Again, my preferred method is to buy your parts online from sites like newegg. If you're interested in very cheap gaming computers, that's the way to go It's much cheaper in the end and easy to do once you do a bit of research. However like I said before, I understand there are a few people who do not want to go down that route, instead preferring to get a trusted company to build the PC for them. Hopefully this short guide here can get you started down the correct path.

Source : EzineArticles

More about → How to Deal With Shopping for Gaming Computers

Logo Creator Software - Should You Actually Use One?

When it is a situation of spending money, we want to ensure that the money paid is worth every bit! There is nothing wrong if you become demanding when spending money on a certain thing. Imagine! You just bought a food processor but suddenly something went wrong with it. In such a situation, you or anyone would immediately contact the manufacturer so that he can provide with another equipment that is going to work properly. Now, we can completely understand that when we invest our money into something, we expect to get its entire worth in the best possible way. Another aspect that can be understood through such a scenario is that some way or the other we need the help of a professional because such an individual will have all the knowledge of tackling a particular situation. If you have an organization, and you need to use a nicely-designed logo, then it is likely that you will hire a professional for the same. Designing the logo on your own is not a bad idea, but then there are risks involved since you would not have all the knowledge needed to design a logo. Hiring a professional designer for this purpose can cost a lot of money, which is not affordable by all the companies. For small scale firms using a free logo maker remains as an only option! However, should you really get a free download-able logo maker software?

It is important to create a logo design, which is futuristic! Since the trends keep changing, so the design should be such so that it can cater to the needs of future demands. However, this is not possible for a free software to do! It does not work like a human to understand what it should do to create futuristic designs.

A software does not understand which particular color will work at the best for a company.
A professional designer will carry out a thorough survey about what competitors are doing, but a software will be unable to do so!

Do you think you really want to purchase a software now? No one will guarantee you that the software you will use will fetch amazing results. Will a software be a good investment? Will it be able to meet the company requirements to the fullest? Will it be capable in working successfully in the long run? Find your answers to these questions, and then decide whether you should actually be using a software or not!

Harley Willson, an experienced author has been a writing buff for decades and accomplishes his dreams in the field of writing. He has written various articles on logo creator and logo designer software.

Source: EzineArticles

More about → Logo Creator Software - Should You Actually Use One?

The Right Tool For 3D Text Graphics

Several years ago, in the mid-'90s, in fact, I stumbled upon this Internet thing. I was fascinated, to say the least, and still am. I'm thinkin' if it keeps on like it has been, it might just catch on directly.

I was poking around looking at web-sites and struggling to put up a page on AOL, and one site that I found had some really cool-looking 3D text graphics for headings. Of course I was always on the lookout for techniques and ideas that might make my own page look a little less...well, you know (rhymes with snappy), so I hunted around until I found an email address for the site. I sent them a note, explaining how I admired their site, particularly the great-looking graphics, and asked what software they had used, and was it available to the public, please? I really wanted to be able to do that sort of thing at home, you see.

Well, they sent back a reply; a sad, disappointing reply. It seems that they would decide what text graphics they wanted, and the size and colors, etc., and sent it off to a professional graphics studio. The studio would take their request, render the text into 3D graphics objects, and send them back, all ready to upload to their web-site. Not exactly the answer I was hoping for.

Believe it or not, just a few months later, I came across the web-site of a graphics software company called Xara. They were promoting a product called Xara 3D, a brilliant, and budget-friendly, program that did exactly what I was looking for. You could type any word or phrase from your keyboard, and it would instantly render it in 3D, giving you immediate, real-time control over colors, position, shadow effects, lighting, depth of extrusion (it doesn't take long to learn the terminology), and lots of other details.

Of course, I wasted no time downloading the free trial. As soon as I had installed it, I was blown away by the ease with which I could produce the most extraordinary graphics. And of course I ordered the un-lock code that same night. Looking back, I don't believe I slept for about a week.

I've been using Xara software for well over a decade now, for web-sites, desk-top publishing projects, and Power-Point-style presentations; the graphics can be exported as.jpg and.gif files, and a host of other formats, including animated.gifs and flash animations. At the risk of sounding clichéd, with the software products available from Xara, you are only limited by your own imagination. If graphics is your thing, Xara is the way to go.

For a multitude of graphics needs, from book-covers to numerous web-based projects, David L Henderson relies on Xara software, the core of his graphics toolbox.

More about → The Right Tool For 3D Text Graphics

The rise and rise (and rise) of Apple's iOS

Apple's iPhone and iPad are talking over mobile, just as mobile is talking over everything. What does it all mean?

When the first iOS gadget shipped in 2007, The New York Times' David Pogue published a list of questions about the new iPhone. The last question on the list was, "Who on earth would buy this thing?" It's a question nobody would ask today. The phone, and Apple's other mobile devices that run the iOS, are succeeding beyond anyone's predictions. Apple says iOS is currently installed on more than 200 million devices.

Another small thing happened in 2007 that has become a big thing: Apple filed a patent request for the capacitive touch screen used by the iPhone, iPad and, in fact, by nearly all of Apple's competitors in the market. That patent was granted this week.

One possible outcome of the inevitable court cases to come is that competitors may have to pay Apple a licensing fee for every non-Apple smartphone or tablet shipped.

Since its 2007 launch, there has always been a lot of hype around the iPhone far beyond actual market share. The many brands that run the Android OS collectively own more market share both globally and in the U.S. than the iPhone does. And internationally, handsets from giants like Nokia have maintained more sales than those from Apple.

But all this appears to be changing. In the first quarter of this year, Android phone market share declined nearly 3%, while iOS's share rose by more than 12%. Android still has nearly half the smartphone market, and Apple has significantly less than that (about 30%.)

These changing fortunes could represent a temporary blip caused by Apple's availability on Verizon. Or it could be a trend.

Another possible trend is the decline and fall of Nokia. That company's smartphone handset market share dropped from 24% to 16% in one year. Apple retained a 17% share while the overall pie grew significantly.
When the iPhone shipped in 2007, nobody -- and I mean nobody -- predicted that Apple would sell more handsets worldwide than Nokia within four years.

A recent survey measuring Web traffic by various devices found that some 97% of all tablet traffic in the United States comes from iPads. And if you think that's high, the number is 100% in Japan and 99% in the U.K. (The global average is 89%.)

All these market share and traffic numbers mask a stark business reality: Apple makes vastly more money from mobile devices than its competitors do.

Firstly, Apple makes money from handsets, which Google no longer sells. Secondly, Apple makes money from apps -- far more per app than any other platform, and far more apps. For example, last year Google earned about $102 million from apps sales, while Apple raked in $1.7 billion.

Apple's iOS is even more profitable than Microsoft Windows -- 2.3 times higher.

App developers point out that iOS is easier to develop for and monetize than the Google Android platform, and presumably other competitors as well.

The success of iOS devices thus far is nothing compared with what's coming. One report says Apple has ordered two manufacturers to build enough iPhone 5 handsets to sell 15 million in the first month of sales. The new phone is expected to launch in August or September.

According to a study coming from Yankee Group next month, about 40% of all smartphone buyers in Europe said they intend to buy an iPhone the next time they purchase a phone.

A reasonably credible rumor from a blogger in China suggests that China's biggest carrier, China Mobile, will soon announce a deal to sell the iPhone 5.

The current iPhone is available in China only from the No. 2 carrier. Such an announcement would suggest a radical increase in iPhone sales in the world's largest country, which has an incredible 910 million mobile phone subscribers and where the iPhone is already very popular.

Apple currently dominates the tablet market, having sold 25 million iPads to date and possibly more than 14 million more iPads in the third quarter. But one analyst believes Apple will sell a billion of them.
OK, OK. It's clear that Apple's iOS is beyond successful, and threatens to dominate global mobile sales in the foreseeable future.

The reason this is significant is that as Apple comes to dominate mobile computing, mobile computing is increasingly dominating computing in general.

Over the next five years, we'll see more people using phones and tablets as their main computing devices. And I think we can also expect to see current desktop platforms like Mac OS X, Windows and Linux replaced by touch-friendly interfaces like iOS, Android, Metro and so on.

In other words, Apple's iOS is poised to take over mainstream computing.

Source : ComputerWorld

 

More about → The rise and rise (and rise) of Apple's iOS

Facebook Video Calling vs. Google+ Hangout

The two social networking sevices have come out fighting their main weapon may be video chat.

The Google-Facebook rivalry has intensified in the past several days. Last week, Google announced the limited launch of its new Google+ social network, including a video chat feature called Hangouts. Then, yesterday, Facebook launched its new Video Calling feature, powered by Skype. Clearly, social networking and video chat are now joined at the hip.

Which video chat service is better, and who should use which one? I put both Facebook Video Calling and Google+ Hangout through their paces and found that they both have their pros and cons.
Facebook's video chat is currently more stable, requires fewer system resources, and has higher-quality video and audio. On the other hand, Google+ Hangout is a more fully featured application, clearly designed for group video chat. Those who have made it into Google+ may find it buggy, but in the long run, Hangout could prove to be more useful than Facebook's video feature.

Facebook Video Calling

Facebook's new Video Calling service is powered by Skype; perhaps because of that, it's simple and straightforward to use. You'll first need to download a plug-in by going to www.facebook.com/videocalling, clicking on the Get Started button, then on the Setup button. At that point, you'll download and install a Java plug-in.
You don't, however, necessarily need to head there first. When you receive or try to make your first video call, you'll be prompted to install the plug-in. I found this out because when I tried going to www.facebook.com/videocalling on my MacBook Air, I received an error message. However, when I tried just clicking the video icon in Facebook chat to make a video call, the plug-in installed with no problems.
Once you've got the plug-in installed, making a video call is exceptionally easy. Look at the list of your friends (in the lower right-hand corner of your Facebook page) who are currently available on Facebook chat. Double-click a name, and you'll see there's a new icon at the top of the chat screen -- a small video camera. Click it to send an invitation for that person to participate in a video chat. They'll receive a pop-up notification to a video chat, and if they don't have the plug-in installed, they'll be prompted to install it.
I found the video and sound quality of video calling in Facebook to be quite good -- there was little, if any, video lag, and the sound came through crisp and clear with no delay. This shouldn't be a surprise; Skype has been around for a while, and so it has had time to iron out any video or audio bugs.
Using video chat is simple and straightforward -- just look at the camera and talk. As with most chat apps, the video of the person with whom you're chatting takes up most of the screen, and you see a small thumbnail of your own video in a corner of the screen. You can move the video chat screen around your display and resize it as well. Ready to sign off? Just put your cursor anywhere in the video window, and a small labeled button will invite you to end the session.
One drawback to Facebook's video chat is that it's designed for one-on-one only. If you try to connect to a Facebook user already involved in a video chat, you'll be told that they're not available; you can leave a video message if you like.
All in all, there's nothing earthshaking about the capabilities of the new video chat feature, other than you can now easily chat with your friends, even if you or they don't have Skype. Its importance is its ease of use for Facebook users, not the depth of its feature set.

Google+ Hangout

Google+ Hangout is more fully featured than Facebook Video Calling -- to begin with, it's designed primarily for group chats rather than one-on-one talks -- but, possibly because it's a beta, it's still got a few wrinkles to iron out.
As with Facebook, if you haven't used Hangout before, you'll be prompted to install a plug-in the first time you click on the "Start a hangout" button. Once it's installed, you're ready to go. Creating a Hangout is as simple as pressing the Start a hangout button on the right side of your main "stream" page (in Google+, your stream is the comments and notifications you get from everyone else). A separate video window then opens -- this is your "hangout."
As with the streams in Google+, you need to keep in mind whom you want to invite to your Hangout -- and that depends on which circle(s) you choose. As I described in my recent review, Google+ is based on the idea of circles -- you group friends, family, co-workers and acquaintances into separate circles, so that it's easy to determine what kinds of information you want to share with each of those different groups.
You can create a Hangout for a single circle, multiple circles, or all your circles. Just as with the rest of Google+, the Hangout feature is designed to put you in charge. So if you're viewing all comments and notifications from your Family circle, for example, and you click "Start a hangout," only people in your Family circle will see that you've started a hangout and only they can participate. If you are viewing the stream that shows comments and notifications from all circles, everyone in all of your circles will see that you've started a Hangout and can participate. (You can have a video chat with up to 10 people.)
You can change who you want to invite. After the video window opens, you have a chance to switch which circles will get the notice that there's a Hangout by removing the existing circle(s) and adding others. (So, for example, you can remove the Family circle and replace it with your Work circle instead.) You can also add individual invitations by simply typing in the names of those you want to invite (assuming, of course, that they're members of Google+).
The Hangout pop-out window is larger than the one that appears for Facebook Video Calling. You see a large video of the person to whom you're talking in the main part of the screen. Across the bottom of the screen, there are thumbnails of everyone in the chat, including you.
When more than two people participate in a Hangout, the large image shows whoever is talking -- Hangout chooses which person will be center stage depending on audio feedback. If several people talk at the same time, the video goes back and forth from one to another.
Hangout requires a substantial amount of system resources; on my MacBook Air, it slowed all my other apps considerably and crashed once. One person with whom I was chatting tried to use a netbook, but it continually crashed, and she had to switch to a more powerful system. (She had no trouble using the netbook with Facebook's video chat.)
In addition, during my first session with Hangout, I found both the video and audio to be quite problematic. At times, the video lag was so bad that it looked like a series of still images. Audio would cut in and out rather than be a steady stream. I also experienced an odd audio problem -- at times, a few seconds after I would speak, I would hear my voice coming to me in the background from the person with whom I was chatting.
However, in a subsequent Hangout, in which three people participated, I experienced no problems with the audio. The video was better as well. The thumbnails at the bottom of the screen were crisp, although the main video at the top was coarse and at times pixelated. There were no crashes. It's not clear why the second session went so much more smoothly than the first.
Google+ offers a number of interesting features with Hangout. You can text-chat while you video-chat, and you can also mute your audio and video. And if you're tired of talking to each other, you can watch a video: Hangout also has a YouTube button that gives all participants the ability to watch the same YouTube video. It appears on the main video window, with everyone's thumbnails still below it; once the YouTube video starts, everyone's audio is temporarily muted so they can hear it. If you want to talk with others while you're watching a YouTube video, there is a button that will let you do so (but you have "hold it down" -- as soon as it's released, the mute goes back into effect).
There's also a Settings button that detects your audio and video devices and lets you change them, and helps you troubleshoot potential video and audio problems.

The bottom line

Facebook Video Calling is a useful addition to the world's biggest social networking service, and because of its simplicity and lack of video and audio issues, it will likely be heavily used. Google+ Hangout, on the other hand, is only available to a small number of testers right now and is somewhat buggy. But it's a far more powerful video chat tool and in the long run may be more useful than Facebook's service.

Source: ComputerWorld

More about → Facebook Video Calling vs. Google+ Hangout

40 Google+ tips and tricks for power users

Get the most out of Google's new social network with these 40 awesome tips and tricks.

Google+ is all the rage right now. Even under its limited-invite "field trial" phase, the social sharing service is growing in leaps and bounds, with oodles of new users joining every day and even more champing at the bit to get in.

Most of us, however, are only beginning to scratch the surface of what Google+ can do; like many Google products, G+ is brimming with advanced features and untapped tweaks. That's why I decided to put together this massive list of Google+ tips and tricks. It includes some of the best power-user pointers I've found both from my own experimentation and from following some really smart folks in the Google+ universe.

For more G+ tips and general tech talk, be sure to join me on Google+ as well. I promise I won't bite -- at least, not unless you ask really nicely.

Google+ Tips Part 1: The Stream

1. Use hotkeys to get around Google+ faster. In your Stream, press "j" or "k" to move through posts, and press Enter to start a comment. (Pressing Tab and then Enter will cause your comment to be submitted; hitting Tab twice and then Enter will cause it to be cancelled.) You can also press "q" to jump to the Google+ chat box.
2. Hotkeys work in the notification drop-down, too: Press "j" or "k" to move up or down in the list, and then press Enter to open any individual notification. When viewing a notification, "j" or "k" will let you progress forward or backward to other items. Pressing "Esc" will close the notification window altogether.
3. Want more hotkeys? Check out the G+ Extended extension for the Chrome Web browser. It adds a series of additional options, including hotkeys for +1'ing posts, sharing posts, and expanding comments.
4. If comments are getting out of control in your Stream, try the +Comment Chrome extension. It collapses all comment threads so you see them only when you click to expand. Another good option is the G+me Google+ extension; it leaves comments expanded by default but gives you a one-click option to collapse any thread or post on demand. It also provides badge-style comment counters to help you keep tabs on new activity for items you've collapsed.
5. You can take a specific item entirely out of your Stream by clicking the small drop-down arrow next to it, then selecting "Mute this post." That'll also keep you from receiving any future notifications about the item.
6. On your own posts, that same drop-down arrow holds options to shut down comments and prevent people from resharing. The commands affect only the specific item you're viewing.
7. Sometimes leaving a comment on an active post can turn into a bouncing-screen challenge, thanks to the top-of-page activity always pressing your Stream downward. To solve this, click the drop-down arrow next to the post you're viewing and select "Link to this post." That'll open the post in a new tab; type your comment there, then close the tab when you're finished.
8. Google+ lets you stylize text within posts and comments. To italicize, sandwich your text with underscores _like this_; to make text bold, use asterisks *like this*; and to create a strikethrough effect, use dashes -like this-.
9. Make Google+ a little easier on the eyes with the Google+ Ultimate extension for Chrome. It separates posts into individual boxes with an offset background and forces the top status bar and left sidebar to stay in fixed positions while you scroll. Another good option is the similar Usability Boost extension; it gives a slightly different modified look to the site that some users may prefer.
10. Mention (or "tag") someone in a post or comment by typing "+" or "@" and then the person's name. Google+ is still a bit wonky at times about bringing up the right result; try typing the name slowly and enclosing it in quotation marks (e.g. +"Bob Sacamano") if you have trouble.
11. Improve the G+ reply mechanism immensely by grabbing the Replies and More Google+ Chrome extension. The extension puts links throughout G+ that let you reply to the author of any post or comment with a single click -- and without all the "+"-typing hassle.
12. To start a private conversation with a friend or multiple friends, just share an update like you normally would -- but be sure to remove "Public" and any other circles from the share box. Then, tag your friend or friends using the "+" syntax mentioned above. They'll receive notifications about the message, and you'll be able to have an ongoing dialogue in the comments for the post. If you want to be extra safe, you could also disable resharing using the process described in tip #6.
13. Power up your Google+ Stream with the +Photo Zoom Chrome extension. With it installed, you can hover your mouse over any photo in your Stream to see an enlarged version of the image right there.
14. The Google+ mobile app allows you to view posts from people in your geographic area (using the section labeled "nearby"). Little-known fact: You can access that function from your desktop, too; just load the mobile version of Google+ to do it.
15. The Google+ mobile app has a hidden feature of its own: When viewing your Stream, press the menu key and select "Manage Views." Then, check off all your favorite circles and select "Done." You'll now be able to swipe right from the main Stream to view those circles individually. 

Google+ Tips Part 2: Circles

1. Use Google+ to save posts and other important content. Go to your Circles page and search for your own name. Add yourself to a new circle called ".Save" (or something to that effect). Then, anytime you see something in your Google+ Stream that you want to save, just share it with your .Save circle. You can browse through your saved stuff by opening your .Save stream (it'll be at the top of the "Stream" list on the left-hand side of your Google+ home page). No one other than you will be able to see it.
2. If you use a note-taking service like Evernote, you can save content directly from Google+ into your off-site notepad. First, find your account-specific Evernote email address. Add that address into a new Google+ circle called "Evernote" -- then, anytime you want to save something from Google+ to Evernote, just share it with that circle. Google+ will send the content in an email, and Evernote will translate it into a notebook item in your account.
3. Want certain circles to show up higher than others in the main Stream list? Circles whose names begin with a period (like ".Save") will always shoot up to the top. Names starting with an asterisk (like "*Important") will appear next.
4. The default Google+ circles will always appear above everything else. To get around this, create your own new circles to replace the default ones (e.g. "My Acquaintances" to replace "Acquaintances," and so on). Be sure to move everyone from the default circle to your new replacement one, then delete the default circle when you're done.
5. When moving people into circles on your Google+ Circles page, hold down Ctrl or Shift to select more than one person at a time. You can also click and drag to draw a box and select multiple people to move.
6. To copy one entire circle into another circle, click on the first circle and select "View circle in tab." Then select "More actions" and "Select all." Now, just drag the entire group down into the other circle and -- voilà! -- the deed is done.
7. Change the layout of the Circles page by clicking and dragging the divider line up or down between circles and people. This allows you to create more space on either side of the line.
8. If you want to look at a lot of people at once on the Circles page, try pressing Ctrl and "-" a few times to zoom your browser out and make the content smaller. You can always press Ctrl and "0" to return to the normal view.
9. From the Circles page, double-click on any person to jump right to his or her profile.
10. Try this: On the Circles page, hover your mouse over a circle that has at least 30 people in it, then scroll with your mouse's scroll wheel. The faces in the circle will rotate around like a carousel, giving you a nice graphical way to see who's inside. 

Google+ Tips Part 3: People and Profiles

1. Find new people by searching for topics or locations in the search box at the top of the Google+ page. You'll get back a list of people who have your keyword somewhere in their profile.
2. Search Google+ from Google by putting "site:plus.google.com" at the end of your query. To search only through posts you've written or shared, use "site:plus.google.com/[your Google ID]" -- replacing "[your Google ID]," of course, with your own unique Google ID (the long number that appears in the URL when you click on your profile).
3. If you want to get really fancy, you can create special commands for searching Google+ within Chrome. Go into the "Manage search engines section" of your browser's settings and add a new entry called "Google+ Posts." Set the keyword as "post" and the URL as "{google:baseURL}search?q=site:plus.google.com inurl:posts/* %s." Add another new entry called "Google+ Profiles." Set its keyword as "profile" and its URL as "{google:baseURL}search?q=%s&tbs=prfl:e." Then, when you want to search through Google+ posts, just type "posts" followed by your query into the browser's location bar. To search Google+ profiles, type "profiles" followed by your keyword.
4. Jazz up your Google+ profile with a row of photos along the top of the page. Click the "Edit Profile" button on your profile page and then click on the large blank space beneath your name and short bio. There's plenty of room for creativity; check out this story at Mashable for some supercool examples.
5. You can edit photos right within Google+. Open any image from the "Photos" tab of your profile, then click the drop-down box labeled "Actions" and select "Edit photo." There, you'll find a variety of options for color and contrast correction as well as special effects.
6. All of your Google+ photos are actually stored in Picasa. You can see and share them from Google's Picasa Web Albums site.
7. Google+ makes it easy to see how your profile looks to other people. Just go to the "Profile and privacy" section of the Google+ settings and type any user's name into the box labeled "See how your profile appears to other users." Click "Preview," and you'll get a glimpse at yourself through someone else's eyes.

Google+ Tips Part 4: Google+ and the Web

1. Get a permanent link to any Google+ post by clicking on its timestamp. If the post was shared publicly, this link will work for anyone -- even if they aren't signed into the Google+ service.
2. Expand your Google+ sharing options with the Extended Share extension for Chrome. It gives you added commands on every post to send the content to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Tumblr.
3. Google+ doesn't officially offer RSS feeds yet, but you can make your own by adding your Google+ ID number to plusfeed.appspot.com
4. If you're jonesing to send your Google+ updates directly into other social networks, you can use your newly created RSS feed to do it. A service called Twitterfeed will take that feed and shoot it straight into your Twitter and/or Facebook account. (Just don't blame me when everyone on Twitter and Facebook starts unfollowing you.)
5. Anytime you +1 a story on the Web, it'll show up in the "+1" tab of your Google+ profile, giving you an easy way to save favorites or stories you want to read later. The +1 Button Chrome extension puts the +1 button into your browser's URL bar so you always have easy access.
6. Ever find yourself browsing in another tab and constantly switching back to Google+ to look for new notifications? Install the G+ Count Chrome extension. It puts your current notification count in the front of your Google+ page title so you can always see it at a glance.
7. For even more robust G+ browser integration, give the Surplus Chrome extension a whirl. It adds a live Google+ notification count to the top of your browser; you can even click the button to access your notifications right there, without having to open Google+ at all.
8. Google doesn't yet offer a way to create a memorable URL for your Google+ profile, but some third-party services are stepping up to fill the gap. Try gplus.to; you give it your Google+ ID number and pick a nickname, and it gives you a short link that points directly to your page. Or, if you have your own domain and are comfortable messing with the .htaccess file, you can create a "yourdomain.com/+" redirect with a single line of code. Googler Daniel Sandler has posted detailed instructions, fittingly enough, on Google+. 

Source : ComputerWorld

More about → 40 Google+ tips and tricks for power users

The Best Way To Learn Programming for Beginners

I remember my first programming assignment in University like it was yesterday. I was suppose to be able to write a program that outputted "Hello World". I had no idea what I was doing and I was so overwhelmed by my other subjects to be able to figure out how to program. Eventually I learned it though, but the concepts just became more and more difficult and and times it just seemed hopeless. So I want to avoid you the pain I went through and show you simple ways to get you started programming and learn how to do it properly from the beginning.

Tip #1
Programming is Not like any other subject:
Most subjects you have in University will most likely involve formulas, memorizing and homework problems. Programming is a little different. You have to actually practice in order for you to learn it properly. You have to able to actually sit on the chair, face a computer and do the labs and then you will understand the concepts better. In fact, the whole point of the concepts in the first place is to get you to code better. For example, If you have memory leaks in C++, the best way to figure why you those leaks happened is to trace through the pointers. Now the only way to do this is to understand pointers.

Tip #2
Plan Out What You're Going to Program:
This is really important because you will save yourself about a thousand mistakes when you're compiling your code. Make sure you have a clear understanding of your assignment first, the concepts that have to do with it and then start writing it down on a piece of paper. I personally don't like pseudo code because to me that counts as coding. Just write it in plain words. Programming assignments are problems and you have to solve them. Think about the solution and then write it down. Once you write it down, it just comes down to coding.

Tip #3
Compile Your Code as you write it:
Don't make the rookie mistake of writing your entire code and then trying to compile it. If there's anything I've learned from my years of programming is that you have to do it in chunks. Make sure one part works before you get started working on another or you're in for a big disaster my friend. This will help you so much in narrowing down any problems. Trust me, if you're coding, then you're going to have a lot of problems and you're going to be debugging a lot. That's just the reality of it. At the end though, when you have a working program, you'll never have felt better about yourself and your accomplishment. Your code is your baby and you brought it into this world.
So remember, learn the concepts and then ditch the textbooks. Start learning programming properly and start doing some labs that will actually help you. I look forward to hearing your success in programming and the future of being a good coder will get you a salary in the six figures. Don't overlook it and work hard.

More about → The Best Way To Learn Programming for Beginners

How to join Google AdSense?

If you want to join with Google AdSense, you are asked have only one email ( better use Google Mail ), then you must have one active blog or website with english articles ( or other language that confirmed by Google AdSense, info adsense )

You better choose the blog from blogger.com, because blogger is the only one free blog provider from Google.

The one active blog later will be made as main blog to registered at service of Google AdSense. The register procedure is so easy, so long as your blog has made and completed with english articles, you can sign up to Google AdSense in here.

For following the Google AdSense program, you never imposed by expense, a.k.a FREE. You just sign up and write the registration form, write with all true yourself data or your family, then wait for few day to verification process from Google AdSense.

After success or your registration accepted by Google AdSense, you will given one account ( usually it’s same with account in Google Email ) that can used to login to member page of Google AdSense.  In your account page, you can make advertisement unit that can be attached on your main blog. You also can make the second , third or other blog to be attached the advertisement unit by Google AdSense. If you have more blog and your all blog has active and been attached the advertisement, so the earning you got will be more and more.

Next step, you must promote your blog to search engine, like Google, so that many people know your blog and they visit it. If you have many visitor, it make your blog will be populer, and it make your opportunity to get much earning to be more and more.

Are there special rules for publisher Google AdSense?

Google AdSense give the base rules to optimize your blog. This information is important to you know and its can give you a control when you optimize your Adsense blog, they are :

1. One Google AdSense can used to attach many advertisement units, many Search units, etc on the different blog. One advertisement unit could been attached together  on many different theme of blog or website and different language of blog or website.
2. One AdUnit and AdLink only can be attached on 3 units in one blog page, but can be attached again in other blog. So, if you want to attach 5 units Ad Unit advertisement in one blog page, you must use two AdSense accounts, because one account only 3 times be attached, if it more, the other advertisement won’t be appear.
3. One Ad Search unit code be attached two times in one blog.
4. May not permitted to click your own advertisement,and do it from the computer that you used to manage your Google AdSense account. If you do it,your GoogleAdSense account will be blocked and your earning will be deleted.
5.  Don’t use invitation sentences such as “Please click this information”, “open the link below”, etc.
6. Do not attach Ad Unit code and Ad search code from other site that has attached the Google AdSense.
7. you may not permitted to modify the advertisement code.
8. you may not permitted to attach the advertisement on the impinge law site, such as porn site.

To know more information, just click here.

More about → How to join Google AdSense?

Acquainted with Google AdSense

What is google AdSense?

Google AdSense is advertisement provider program made by Google. The word “AdSense” took from word “Advertisement” and “Sense”(money producer), so AdSense is advertisement that can produce money.

Google AdSense is PPC(Pay Per Click) business. It means, we are as publisher will get reward or score if there is someone click the advertisement that we attach. Google will give score per click, every click will assessed with american dollar ($). The click score of every advertisement is not same, it depended the score price for an advertisement. The interval of score average of every advertisement is uncertain, but the minimal score is $0.01/click until untlimited.

What is the power of Google AdSense?

When Google AdSense was born, there are many another PPC business, but what is the superiority of Google AdSense compare with the other one?

1.                   PPC from Google AdSense use dollar for reward per click. The minimal score is $0.01. And if you get 1 click and the score is $0.5/click, so you get $0.5. And if you get 10 click and the score is about $0.5/click, so you get 10x$0.5= $5. And you can get that money just in few second(depended how many people click the advertisement in your blog in a day).

2.                   PPC from Google Adsense is true original PPC. It means, how many people clicked the adertisement in your blog, all of score you got, your all score will calculate. For example, there is a men access your blog and click the advertisement 10 times successively, so that click 10 times will calculated and you will get that reward.

3.                   Google AdSense have many AdUnit. There are AdSense for Content , AdSense for Search,  AdSense for Feed, and AdSense for Domain. With them, we have big potency to get earning.

4.                   Google AdSense is very believable because it made by Google.com,the biggest site search engine in the world. Not only has many free service( like Google Mail, YouTube, Blogger, etc),but also many people had believe to advertise their product in Google Adword.

5.                   Google AdSense is very flexible. Once you register and confirmed, so you can use AdSense for Search to attached in your blog or website appropriate your language.

6.                   Google AdSense have many variety of advertisement. Why? Because almost all people in the world believe and advertise in Google,so that variety made. Whatever theme of your blog or website, Google AdSense can adjust, so the advertisement that appear on your blog or website only related with your blog or website.

More about → Acquainted with Google AdSense

Memory Management in Mac OS

if you want to learn about Memory Management of Mac OS, you can get the paper here.

Source : www.mindfiresolutions.com

More about → Memory Management in Mac OS

Auditing Your Software

It is interesting to note how rarely computer users are completely aware of everything that is on their machine. There was a time when this was not the case. When hard drives could only store well under a gig's worth of information and memory was in the measured in the thousands of bits instead of the millions, most users could account for the vast majority of their programs and files. However, now that drive space measures in the hundreds of gigs and memory has increased a hundredfold in the past decade+, the act of 'download and forget' has taken hold. Most users could wander through their C drive and find a number of programs and files that they have absolutely no recollection of adding.

Why does it matter? Auditing one's own personal computing device does serve a variety of benefits. Some of these benefits are not as important as they were five or ten years ago, others are actually magnified in importance today. Most of the past benefits were seen in the area of performance issues. For instance, auditing a computer was a necessity in the past in order to clear space for the newer more likely to be used programs. When some high performing programs take up 30-40 megabytes on their own (more if they include large databases), then we are talking about close to 25% of a 1995ish hard drive. It also used to beneficial to clear unused programs in order to improve the overall performance of one's machine. It is no secret that programs acting in the background slow a machine down, and if that machine only has around 250 MB worth of memory, it was pointless to have a program taking up space if it was not going to be used. Computers with less activity occurring in the background were more likely to process faster and have less chance of locking up. Nowadays, these issues are not as major as most computers come with so much hard drive space that only the most frequent users are in danger of overfilling them with programs (music and pictures are still a threat, however).

On the flip side, there are reasons today that make auditing one's own files and programs more important than ever. Malware, spyware, and viruses have found all kinds of ways to imbed themselves onto your machine without being noticed. If a user spends any time on the internet and has not run a virus or malware checker in over a year, odds are pretty good that they have some program lurking in the background that they are not aware of. It is critical that users frequently run scans and look through their software programs themselves. If a user finds a program that they do not remember downloading or cannot seem to fathom a use for, he/she should do some research to determine exactly what it is. If it is harmless, they can keep or discard it. If it is malicious, odds are somebody else has encountered it first and has an idea of how to fix it.
When it comes to optimal and safest computer use, the key is to be aware.

More about → Auditing Your Software

3D Animations - Now You Can Do It Too

Have you ever watched the credits at the end of a blockbuster computer generated film, or at the end of a modern video-game? They just seem to roll on forever, so it is obvious that it takes a good many highly skilled people, and an enormous bankroll to make such a movie or game.

By that same logic, it then stands to reason that there is no way that a single person, without the technical know-how and money, could ever create a 3D animated movie, cartoon or game on their own.

I even tried to look at it from a different angle. For example: What if I was an architect who needed to build a 3D model of a building that I was designing? Would I build a scale model out of wood and glue, at the risk of it being knocked over and destroyed, or would I rather make a 3D computer generated model to present to my clients?

I have heard tales of individuals who made themselves very wealthy, virtually overnight; by single handedly creating video-games or humorous computer generated video clips. How is this possible? The only solution I could come up with is that the answer must lie in the software they used to create their masterpieces.

I then took it upon myself to put my theory to the test. To see if I could find any software programs that could enable a regular person like me to create 3D animations, games, or even just the most humble of 3D computer generated images, without costing me an arm and a leg.

Since the internet is the "Information Super-Highway", it seemed like the logical place to start looking. At first, I searched with little enthusiasm, thinking that I was chasing the proverbial "wild goose".

I found programs that were way too expensive for my modest budget, I found others that were clearly inferior products, disguised as top quality software, and I even found a few websites that appeared so unprofessional and poorly designed, that I didn't care to investigate their wares any further.

Then I found what I was looking for... As I opened the webpage for this product, I was immediately impressed by a video clip near the top of the page, which introduces one to the product. I then scrolled down and found some high praise in the comments posted by the product's users.

This product claims to be able to get even a novice to create high-grade 3D content that is limited only by the user's imagination. A product that doesn't require a huge Hollywood budget, or any prior technical training, since all training and support is provided with the software.

So, if there is anybody out there who would like to do some sort of 3D animation or design, my message to you is this: There are indeed quality products out there that can help you to fulfil your dreams. If you look hard enough, you will find them.

More about → 3D Animations - Now You Can Do It Too

Top 3 of the Fastest Anti-Virus Software: Keep Your PC Safe and Clean

Along with the development of computer technology, the app industry also developed very fast. If you observe this industry carefully, you will find that there are some technical revolution every few months. As the major source of app industry, all kinds of anti-virus software are trying their best to develop their cloud anti-virus functions. For the common users, one of the most important concerns is the speed of killing virus. We all want install one kind of software which can detect and scan the computer quickly and effectively. So today, let's see the top 3 fastest anti-virus software.

Top 1 Avira Premium Security Suite

This kind of cogent app comes from Germany. There are two versions you can choose. One is the charging version and the other is free one. As the common sense, we know that usually the charging version will be better and effective than the free one. So does the Avira Premium Security Suite. If you choose the charging version, it can protect your computer from the danger on the internet effectively, such as the fishing websites, privacy stealers and so on. It is reported that there are more than 100 million users have chosen this app as it can scan the system so fast. For the users who choose the free version, there is no doubt they will accesses to fewer virus killing items. The free one can only deal with the ordinary virus and Trojan. This version can run fast too, but to be honest, it can't prevent the invasion of the hackers and viruses fully.

Top 2 Kaspersky Lab Anti-Virus 2011

Coming from Russia, this famous anti-virus app is also widely used and has lots of fans around the globe. It has supreme central managing and virus killing ability, which give users protection from all kinds of viruses. It has antivirus scanners, monitors, behavior blocking, inspecting, and firewall functions. And it almost supports all kinds of normal operating systems.

Top 3 Advanced SystemCare Free

Well, perhaps lots of people are not familiar with such name as this software is not as well-known as the previous two. But it has been widely recommended and praised by IT experts and computer fans. It can be describe as the versatile anti-virus software as it can fight with computer junk files, registry clutters, system errors, malicious malware and so on.

In order to test the speed of these three antivirus apps, we used Windows XP SP3 operating systems, and planted viruses of 1.32G large and other 30 fishing websites. The results showed that no matter for the disk scanning process, the virus killing process or the fishing websites blocking process, Advanced SystemCare Free won the first places. Advanced SystemCare Free is definitely the fastest virus killing app.

Besides, there are more choices about registry fix software download or system cleaner download on Advanced SystemCare Free's website. Come and pick some useful apps for your system.

More about → Top 3 of the Fastest Anti-Virus Software: Keep Your PC Safe and Clean

Notebook Cooling Pads and Laptop Coolers - What You Need to Know Before Buying

Before buying a laptop or notebook you'll want to think about the means at which to cool it to ensure the longest life possible from your expensive purchase. The name 'Laptop' may imply that you can use it on your lap but this is probably the worst thing possible for it as it can suck up unwanted dust and particles from your clothes. Once these particles have been sucked up, over time, this can lead to the overheating and eventual slow down of your notebook.

A cooling pad will reduce the amount of dust that is being sucked up from your clothes by forming a barrier between your laptop and your dust-rich clothes. With the inclusion of fans as well this will mean your laptop will stay as cool as possible while in use.

A laptop cooler will come in a variety of designs, shapes and sizes. Choosing the right one could mean the difference between a Cool and Quiet laptop or a toasty loud notebook.

The following article is a guideline to show what to look out for in a cooling pad prior to buying.

1. Dimensions - The first thing to consider when looking for a prospective laptop and notebook cooler are the dimensions. You'll want to pick a cooler which is designed for your specific sized notebook. Failure to adhere to the sizing rule may mean that you laptop will overheat and slowdown.

Always check your notebook dimensions (Width x Depth). Most notebook cooler retailers will have a size guide based upon the dimensions W x D x H. In most cases you could ignore the height as this will not have an impact on its cooling performance. Concentrate on getting a cooling pad which is the same size, or larger than, your current laptop size.

2. Noise Level - You'll also want to concentrate on the noise level of your laptop cooler as the last thing you need is your notebook being cool and quiet but your cooling pad sounding like a wind tunnel!

For this reason always look out fo the decibel range (measured in dBA). Look out for the lowest numbers as lower is better. As a good reference the average home has a background noise of 50 dBA.

3. Fan Speed - Laptop and Notebook Cooler fans are used to cool your laptop from underneath. The faster the fan speed, the more air that is pushed through to your laptop meaning the more cooling of your device. Bear in mind though that the higher the RPM of the fans normally means a higher noise level. You'll want a cooler which has as high an RPM fan as possible but with a low dBA level too. Sometimes you may have to compromise between the two.

4. Price - Okay so price shouldn't really be a factor when shopping for a notebook cooler but as we all know money doesn't grow on trees.

Expect to pay approximately £30-50 for a good laptop cooling pad. I say 'good' as you can buy some over-priced cooler which doesn't do the job adequately.

Cool & Quiet are the UK based PC and laptop cooling experts and have a wide range of laptop and notebook coolers. Please browse the store at your leisure.

All of our products are of the highest quality and are official Zalman and Cooling laptop cooler products.

More about → Notebook Cooling Pads and Laptop Coolers - What You Need to Know Before Buying

The Benefits of Having a 32GB Micro SDHC

There are a wide range of portable electronic devices including a lot of the latest smart phones that do not have a considerable amount of internal memory to make use of. This can often bring about a few problems for the user of this type of gadget, because there simply is not enough storage space to file away large sized files like music files and video files. However, the manufacturers of many of these electronic devices have built in capability for micro SD cards, which does make it possible to store large quantities of data in a very small space.

If you find yourself in need of additional memory for your video camera, digital camera, pone, or other electronic device, you might want to look into purchasing a 32GB Micro SDHC. With a small memory card like this, you can easily save all of your favourite videos, music, and photos without worrying about having to store your files on multiple SD cards. This is, of course, unless you have a lot more data than 32 GB to carry around with you. In any case, having a lot of storage for use on the go can make things a lot more convenient for people who like to capture the moment on their camera or smartphone without having to remove pictures or video.

There are a lot of things that you can do with a nice digital camera that can save a lot of photos. If you like to pursue digital photography as a hobby, it can sometimes be frustrating to randomly run out of memory when you still have a few shots you would like to get. This is why it can be very useful to have a few micro SD cards on you so that you always have storage in the event that you run out of memory at an inopportune time.
Try looking into the different options for micro SD cards and you should not have too much trouble finding one that is compatible with your electronic device. Even if the device you are using accepts only regular SD cards, there is still a way to make that micro SD card work so that you can use it in multiple devices. There is a type of SD card that is basically a dummy card, and all you have to do is fit your micro SD card into its slot and then use the dummy card like you would a regular SD card.

There really are a lot of options available to you, and the main point is to have fun with what you have. A good micro SD card with 32 gigabytes of storage may very well be all that you need for your electronic device, whether that device is a phone or digital camera or anything else. You can find a 32GB Micro SDHC at a variety of electronic stores throughout the world, and also at online stores delivering goods to your local area.

More about → The Benefits of Having a 32GB Micro SDHC

3 Simple Ways to Keep Your Computer Safe From Viruses

If you are a computer user, you are most likely well aware of the large number of viruses that are out there. All it takes is just one time, one wrong move, and then you are completely infected. And depending on the severity of the virus, it can cause you to lose everything. It can cause you to pay hundreds of dollars in repairs. It can cause you more problems than you probably think.

So how can you keep safe? How can you keep your computer secure and safe from getting infected with nasty viruses? Below are three very simple ways to keep safe from viruses.

#1. Do Not Open Attachments From People You Don't Know
This one is huge! One of the most common ways that people get infected is opening attachments form people that they don't know. A virus can be embedded with just about anything these days. Whether it be a Word document, a PowerPoint slide show... even a text file. Literally anything can have a virus embedded in the file.

If you receive an email from someone that you do not know, especially if it has an attachment, then don't open the email. It really is as simple as that. Why take the risk of infecting your computer with a virus?

#2. Do Not Download Files From Untrustworthy Sites
This is another big one. Never download files from untrustworthy sites. If a download box comes up asking would you like to download some file, and you have no idea where the download came from and do not recognize the site it is coming from, then say no. Do not download the file.

Downloading the file will put your computer at a huge risk. Chances are, if a download box comes up and you have no idea where it came from and have no idea what site it is from, it is most likely a virus. Again, do not take the chance of infecting your computer or PC with a nasty virus.

#3. Watch Out for Fake "Anti-Virus" Scanners
I am shocked by how complex and advanced pop-ups are these days. A very common problem that people are starting to see more and more of is a pop-up that looks like their computer. The pop-up usually takes the whole screen, so it looks like it is your actual computer. Then the pop-up "scans" your computer and comes back with some bogus message that you're infected with 40 different viruses. Then they give you the option to remove it.

All this happens in the pop-up. What's happening is that this pop-up is making you believe your computer is infected. They ask "Do you want us to remove these infections?". Of course most people would say "Yes" and then the download box comes up. They obviously accept the download because they want to get rid of the viruses. But what they don't know is that they are actually infecting themselves by downloading that fake anti-virus.

Just be on the look out for these type of pop-ups. Fake anti-virus scanner pop-ups are getting more and more common. Don't fall for them now that you know what to look out for.
Keeping your computer safe from viruses and infections doesn't have to be hard. You just need to know what to look out for. Hopefully this article has helped you to keep your computer safe from viruses.

More about → 3 Simple Ways to Keep Your Computer Safe From Viruses