Saturday, February 21, 2009

World Wide Web

A bit of website information to consider.



Reference

What is a Website?

A website is a collection of web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that is hosted on one or more web servers, usually accessible via the Internet.

A web page is a document, typically written in (X)HTML, that is almost always accessible via HTTP, a protocol that transfers information from the web server to display in the user's web browser.

All publicly accessible websites are seen collectively as constituting the "World Wide Web".

The pages of a website can usually be accessed from a common root URL called the homepage, and usually reside on the same physical server. The URLs of the pages organize them into a hierarchy, although the hyperlinks between them control how the reader perceives the overall structure and how the traffic flows between the different parts of the site.

Some websites require a subscription to access some or all of their content. Examples of subscription sites include many business sites, parts of many news sites, academic journal sites, gaming sites, message boards, Web-based e-mail, services, social networking websites, and sites providing real-time stock market data. Because they require authentication to view the content they are technically an Intranet site.

...Continued here.

Courtesy of Wikipedia.

How do I Create my Own Website?

Creating your own website can be useful for a number of purposes. Whether it's to share your expertise on a particular topic, start an online business, foster a community, or just maintain an online journal of your activities, having a website will allow you to make your content accessible from any connected computer. It can also theoretically allow you to have a larger audience for your ideas than you would ever have otherwise. If you have useful ideas or observations to share, you may be able to share them with as many as a few dozen people throughout the day, if you are lucky. With a website, you can share them with hundreds or even thousands.

...Continued here.

Should I Have My Own Website?

Owning a website has become an essential part of any business or commercial venture. A company that has no web presence is running the risk of losing on many opportunities, including the chance of reaching clients throughout the country, or even the world. But what about people who do not own a business? Are there any valid reasons to own a personal website? Experts say yes. Here are a few instances in which owning a personal website may be a great idea:

...Continued here.

How do I Become a Webmaster?

A webmaster facilitates the development and design of a specific website. In order to become a webmaster, whether self-employed or with a firm, one must be familiar with HTML coding and scripting and languages such as Javascript, PHP, and Perl. In addition to publishing and managing a website’s content, a webmaster typically has a broad range of responsibilities related to the website’s overall functionality, and needs to employ both technical and communication skills to ensure a smooth end-user experience.

...Continued here.

What Makes a Website "Good?"

The definition of what makes a good website depends partly on its purpose. A personal page, a company's website, and a school site all need to meet very different characteristics to be considered of quality. There is, however, some basic agreement on what constitutes a good website.

1. Credible, valuable information. No matter what the purpose of the site is, the information contained in it should be useful to the visitors. If the material is outdated, poorly edited, or incomplete, readers will feel cheated and will most likely look for an alternative source of information next time they are reading about the topic. Citing sources when appropriate is another thing that differentiates a good website from a bad one. While anybody is entitled to their own opinion, giving credit where credit is due is a great way to augment the respectability of a site.

2. Accessibility and Usability. It does not matter how useful the information on a website is if the readers have trouble locating it. Disorganized pages, too many links, articles that go nowhere, and many other details can complicate the use of a website and turn the reader off.

3. Design. Simplicity is key in a good website. Lots of graphics can frustrate a reader with a slow internet connection. Music, animation, and color can be powerful tools if used appropriately, but they can also be a sign of an amateur website. Moving cursors and cute cartoon characters are out of place on a business page, for example.

4. Domain name. A good website is usually one that people can remember off the top of their head. A complicated domain name or one that is clearly hosted on a free server does not convey the image of professionalism.

5. Purpose. Whatever the purpose of a site is, a good website meets it. If an owner knows what he wants his or her website to achieve, half of the purpose is already met. Unfortunately, many websites are too broad and lack a specific focus. This can confuse readers and often leads to a disorganized look that does not inspire confidence.

A good website does not have to be expensive to build or too eccentric. In fact, it is the simplest of pages that sometimes get the message across quickly and effectively.

...Continued here.

Courtesy of wiseGEEK.

What does a Web developer need to know?

Beginner - Web Building Primer

Developer - Web Building Tutorial

What is Web Design? What Does a Web Designer Do? How do I Become a Web Designer? What are Some Web Designer Jobs?

What are Web Building Languages?

What is HTML? HTML
What is CSS? CSS
What is XML? XML
JAVASCRIPT ASP PHP SQL MORE...

What is a Web Browser? Web Browser
Web Browser Statistics Web Browser History

What is a URL?

Web Glossary




Related Links

-http://www.w3schools.com/
-http://www.w3.org/
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Website

Yewell's Jewels (Free Files)

The Font Thing 0.8

The Font Thing lets you browse installed and uninstalled TrueType fonts, viewing sample text, individual characters, and detailed font information. Easy font-management functions let you install, uninstall, print, copy, or delete any number of fonts at once.


Emotions Manager 2000

Emotions Manager 2000 is an easy-to-use intuitive software program for maximizing the benefits from your reactions to everyday events, thoughts and emotions.

Used throughout the world by therapists, universities, sports teams and individuals from all walks of life as a self-help tool for depression, anger, fear, phobias, guilt, worry and shame, it is also an excellent tool for anyone looking to increase their emotional intelligence long shown to be the most significant factor in achieving success and happiness.


SyncToy

SyncToy helps you copy, move, rename, and delete files between folders and computers quickly and easily.


Zoho.com

The Zoho Office Suite is a web office suite which includes tools for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, databases, note-taking, wikis, CRM and other applications. Being web-native, all Zoho applications are operating system independent.

Although some applications, e.g. Zoho CRM and Zoho Projects, have Pro features available for a fee, Zoho has stated a commitment to maintaining a free tier of entry-level applications. A single registration grants access to all the Zoho products.


AndreaMosaic

AndreaMosaic is a freeware program you can create your own photographic mosaics made with your own pictures. A photographic mosaic is a mosaic where every tile is a photograph and not just a simple colored piece.


Mono

Described as “part Asteroids, part Robotron, and part Paint Shop Pro,” this vivid game puts a unique twist on traditional shooter action. The aim of the game is to change the color of the entire screen from black to white or white to black. This is achieved by shooting the alien blobs that color the background when destroyed. There are three colors of blobs to shoot (red, green, and blue) and the color they leave behind changes the behavior of any enemies that travel over it. The more of the screen you color, the more the enemies’ behavior changes.


Sweet Home 3D

Sweet Home 3D is a free interior design application that helps you placing your furniture on a house 2D plan, with a 3D preview.


Picnik

Picnik makes your photos fabulous with easy to use yet powerful online editing tools. Tweak to your heart’s content, then get creative with oodles of effects, fonts, shapes, and frames. It’s fast, easy, and fun.


Seterra

Seterra is a challenging geography program with 70 different exercises. Learn about countries, capitals, flags and cities all over the world. Examples of exercises countries in Europe; American states; American state capitals; French cities; cities in Mexico; countries in Asia. Version 3 includes new exercises on the autonomous communities of Spain, plus a timer to measure how fast you complete the exercises.


VirtuaWin

VirtuaWin is an application for the Windows user community that misses the wonderful virtual desktop functionality often used on Unix systems. It is simple, powerful and highly configurable.


ColorPic

Ever tried using a color picker on a high resolution monitor? It’s impossible. That’s why this color picker has a magnifier attached. Control it from the keyboard and grab up to 16 colors at once. See your color in RGB and HSL and get websafe info. Consistantly the most popular free color picker on the web, the latest version offers more choices to easily and effectivly create color palettes.

http://iconico.com/colorpic

More here.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

SourceForge Top Downloads

Top SourceForge downloads of all time. Open source and free.

RankProject NameDownloads
  1eMule479,565,780
  2Azureus333,200,981
  3Ares Galaxy188,572,134
  47-Zip61,318,491
  5FileZilla56,597,638
  6GTK+ and The GIMP installers for Windows55,742,932
  7Audacity55,289,880
  8DC++54,716,652
  9BitTorrent51,973,966
  10Shareaza46,780,665
  11VirtualDub44,410,100
  12PortableApps.com: Portable Software/USB39,918,587
  13CDex38,251,210
  14eMule Plus28,218,398
  15Pidgin27,934,951
  16guliverkli27,371,563
  17aMSN25,408,158
  18WinSCP25,065,003
  19PDFCreator23,623,302
  20UltraVNC21,765,394
Top Downloads

SourceForge

What is SourceForge.net?



Reference

SourceForge.net is the world's largest open source software development web site. We provide free services that help people build cool stuff and share it with a global audience.

As of February, 2009, more than 230,000 software projects have been registered to use our services by more than 2 million registered users, making SourceForge.net the largest collection of open source tools and applications on the net.


SourceForge.net is a source code repository. It acts as a centralized location for software developers to control and manage open source software development. SourceForge.net is operated by Sourceforge, Inc. and runs a version of the SourceForge software, forked from the last open-source version available. As of August 2008, SourceForge.net hosts more than 180,000 projects and more than 1.9 million registered users, although it does contain many dormant or single-user projects.

SourceForge.net has offered free access to hosting and tools for developers of free software / open source software for several years, and has become well-known within such development communities for these services.

SourceForge.net competes with other providers such as RubyForge, Tigris.org, BountySource, BerliOS, JavaForge and GNU Savannah.

The domain sourceforge.net attracted at least 28 million visitors annually by 2008 according to a Compete.com survey.


Courtesy of Wikipedia.



Related Links

-http://sourceforge.net/
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sourceforge
-http://sourceforge.net/softwaremap/

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

TheBagel Logos




Windows 7

The new operating system (OS) from windows! XP and Vista users might have to upgrade, and the leap will be pretty big for XP.



Reference

Over the past few years, you've asked us to make some changes to Windows. We listened closely. Now it's time to share an early look at how we've used your feedback. Windows 7 is faster, more reliable, and makes it easier to do what you want. Both the everyday things and the killer "is that really possible?" things.

Windows 7 (formerly codenamed Blackcomb and Vienna) is the next release of Microsoft Windows, an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, Tablet PCs, netbooks and media center PCs.

Microsoft stated in 2007 they were planning Windows 7 development for a three-year time frame starting after the release of its predecessor, Windows Vista. Microsoft has stated that the final release date would be determined by product quality.

Unlike its predecessor, Windows 7 is intended to be an incremental upgrade from Vista, with the goal of being fully compatible with device drivers, applications, and hardware with which Windows Vista is already compatible. Presentations given by the company in 2008 have focused on multi-touch support, a redesigned Windows Shell with a new taskbar, a home networking system called HomeGroup, and performance improvements. Some applications that have been included with prior releases of Microsoft Windows, most notably Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Photo Gallery, are no longer included with the operating system; they are instead offered separately (free of charge) as part of the Windows Live Essentials suite.


Courtesy of Wikipedia.



Related Links

-http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7
-http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/
-http://windows7news.com/

Feeds on Sidebar

I am considering removing the feeds on the sidebar (and accessing them through iGoogle - read earlier reference for info). I might make a list of them in the future. Doing that would make the blog have a simpler appearance and design.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Image/s of the Day




Blue Earth

A unique and slick eco-friendly touch mobile phone to be released.



Reference

Designed to symbolize a flat and well rounded shiny pebble, Samsung today unveiled "Blue Earth", the first solar powered full-touch screen environmentally friendly Smartphone.

Among its energy saving features is a solar panel located on the back of the phone that Samsung says can generate enough electronic power to call anytime anywhere.

In addition to saving energy through solar the phone helps to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions in the manufacturing process, because it is made from a recycled plastic called PCM, which is extracted from water bottles. The device, including charger, is free from harmful substances such as Brominated Flame Retardants, Beryllium and Phthalate.

Blue Earth comes with a unique user interface which lets users set screen brightness, backlight duration and Bluetooth to an energy-efficient mode, this new user interface allows the user to be energy-efficient with just one click of ’Eco mode’. Through the ‘eco walk’ function the user can count their steps with an in-built pedometer, calculating how much CO2 emissions have been reduced by walking as opposed to motor transport.



Courtesy of Digital Home



Related Links

-http://www.digitalhome.ca/content/view/3404/282/
-http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10164232-1.html
-http://www.samsung.com/

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Anti-Virus Programs

The Anti-Virus Software out there (for windows).
AVGBit DefendercaF-SecureK7 ComputingKasperskyMcAfeePandaQuick HealSymantecTrend MicroVision PowerWindows Live OneCareZone Alarm

Template

This blog is experiencing a few internal template problems that will hopefully be fixed soon (such as commenting on posts / changing template and widgets). The error codes - 'bX-722g9n' 'bX-y6cz0v' 'bX-8dyqz0' seems to be related to it (a different one almost everytime?).

Hybrid Cars

Top 5 Hybrid Car Myths !



Reference

1. Hybrids lack power
This may have been true for some of the early hybrids, but current models have just as much juice as their gas-powered brethren. For example, the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid can accelerate with almost the same V-6-like power as its gas-powered sibling, and the 2008 Lexus GS 450h can go from 0-100km/hr in just 5.2 seconds. Of course, all other things being equal, more power generally translates into poorer fuel economy.

2. Hybrids are expensive
Yes, it's true that the initial purchase price of a hybrid is more than that of a gas-only equivalent. That being said, here's some quick math comparing the economics of a 2008 Toyota Camry hybrid, its gas-only basic counterpart, and a 2008 Toyota Prius. The Toyota Camry Hybrid costs $32,000 with a fuel efficiency of 5.7 l/100km (50 mpg) and annual fuel cost of $1140. The Toyota Camry LE (gas-only) costs $25,900 with a fuel efficiency of 8.0 l/100km (35 mpg) and annual fuel cost of $1600. A Toyota Prius costs $29,500 with a fuel efficiency of 4.1 /100km (57 mpg) and annual fuel cost of $820. (The fuel costs are based on 20,000 km (12,427.42 miles) per year at $1 per litre/ $2.18 per gallon.)

According to the above numbers, it would take 10 years of driving (200,000 km) to recoup the initial price difference between a Camry Hybrid and Camry LE, but only two years (40,000km) to recoup the price difference between a Toyota Prius and a Camry LE (excluding increased interest charges). If gas prices continue to rise, the payback time decreases. Likewise, the higher gas prices climb, the higher the resale value of a hybrid is already considerably more than that of a gas-only vehicle. The upshot? If you're in the market for a new car anyway, a hybrid might well make economic sense.

3. Hybrids need to be plugged in
This common myth confuses hybrid cars with electric cars. The latter indeed rely on an external plug for their power, and their range is therefore limited (not to mention the fact that purely electric vehicles are almost non-existent in today's market). Hybrid cars, however, use a mechanism known as 'regenerative braking' to charge their batteries -- essentially transforming the car's deceleration into electrical energy that is then stored in the battery. What many eco-car enthusiasts are waiting for, however, is a combination of the two: a plug-in hybrid that would run entirely on electricity for its first 80-100km, switching over to hybrid technology only for longer trips. In theory, for many commuters this could mean never having to fill the gas tank.

4. All hybrids have great fuel efficiency
While hybrids get better mileage than their gas-only counterparts, some models' fuel efficiency is far from spectacular. For example, the Toyoto Highlander SUV may be a hybrid, but its unspectacular fuel efficiency of 7.9 litres/100km (30 mpg) is handily beaten by a host of non-hybrid vehicles currently on the road, albeit smaller ones. Furthermore, a hybrid's fuel efficiency is largely dependent on the type of driving you do. Because hybrids generate electrical power through braking (see above) and save power by switching off the gas engine when they come to a stop, they get better mileage in the city than they do on the highway - the opposite of standard gas-powered cars. If you intend to do a lot of long distance highway driving, a hybrid may in fact provide very minimal fuel efficiency benefits.

5. Hybrid batteries have a short lifespan and are expensive to replace
While the nickel-metal hydride batteries used in the current generation of hybrid cars would indeed be expensive to replace, costing at least a few thousand dollars, the reality is that most car manufacturers warranty their batteries for 8-10 years or 160,000 km. Since there aren't yet many hybrids on the road that have hit those lengthy milestones, it's difficult to ascertain how long hybrid batteries will actually last. Anecdotally, however, a cab driver in Vancouver drove his Toyota Prius 320,000 km in 25 months, and his car's batteries remained strong.


Courtesy of greenliving



Related Links

-http://www.greenlivingonline.com/
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_living
-http://www.green.org/
-http://www.thegreenguide.com/

Thoughts

Things or concepts I support (and might 'bias-ly' blog about):

-Simple
-Informative
-Helpful
-Quality
-Safety
-Open Source/Free
-Fair Trade
-Local/Locally Made
-Green/Environmentally-Friendly
-Microsoft(Windows) Computers/Systems/Programs
-Canadian/Canada (which to some degree means every culture)

And much more...

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Image/s of the Day

A few Valentine images for today, including a smiley.



Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day.



Reference

(Saint) Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In the West, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery. The day was originally a pagan festival that was renamed after two Early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of "valentines". Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards. The sending of Valentines was a fashion in nineteenth-century Great Britain, and, in 1847, Esther Howland developed a successful business in her Worcester, Massachusetts home with hand-made Valentine cards based on British models. The popularity of Valentine cards in 19th century America was a harbinger of the future commercialization of holidays in the United States.

The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, behind Christmas. The association estimates that, in the US, men spend on average twice as much money as women.


Courtesy of Wikipedia

Valentine's Day has been celebrated as a romantic holiday since the 14th century, although mid-February has been a traditional time to celebrate love and fertility for much longer. The exact origins of Valentine's Day are actually somewhat unclear, and the situation is made more complicated by the fact that there are no less than three Saint Valentines, none of whom can be easily associated with love. The most accepted explanation for the origins of Valentine's Day is that it has its roots in pagan fertility festivals, which often took place at the close of winter.

In ancient times, many cultures celebrated a fertility festival in mid-February. In Rome, the festival came to be known as Lupercalia, and it included festive parades through the streets with an assortment of pagan symbols. During Lupercalia, men and women would draw tokens with random names on each of them to pair off for games and exchanges of gifts.


Courtesy of wiseGEEK



Related Links

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_day
-http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-origin-of-valentines-day.htm
-http://www.stvalentinesday.org/
-http://theholidayspot.com/valentine/wish101languages.htm

Monday, February 09, 2009

Free Software

Most popular (and free) downloads currently at Download.com
  1. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition2,193,618 downloads
  2. Ad-Aware Anniversary Edition1,060,839 downloads
  3. LimeWire596,428 downloads
  4. Avast Home Edition512,318 downloads
  5. PhotoScape447,939 downloads
  6. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware443,158 downloads
  7. Orbit Downloader374,366 downloads
  8. FrostWire331,463 downloads
  9. WinRAR316,497 downloads
  1. YouTube Downloader276,815 downloads
  2. Camfrog Video Chat274,101 downloads
  3. Advanced SystemCare Free235,579 downloads
  4. BitComet206,060 downloads
  5. Download Accelerator Plus189,241 downloads
  6. Spybot - Search & Destroy187,203 downloads
  7. VersionTracker Pro183,700 downloads
  8. GOM Media Player181,487 downloads
  9. IrfanView181,387 downloads
See all most popular downloads

Sunday, February 08, 2009

New Movie Trailers

Earth


Push Trailer - Here
Knowing Trailer - Here

View others at Apple - Movie Trailers.
(Like Pink Panther 2, Night At the Museum 2, Transformers 2, X-Men Origins, Harry Potter 6, Ice Age, Planet 51, the list goes on...)

Energy Saving Tips

Here are some energy saving tips!

---------------

Reference

Office Tips
  • Use the power saving option on your computer when available.

  • Turn off your computers, monitors and lights when you leave the office. Unplugging them would be even better.

  • Where appropriate, use ink-jet printers as they consume 90% less energy than laser printers.

  • Don’t print unnecessary documents. When you have to print adjust the margins so you will get more print per page.

  • Consider removing unnecessary fluorescent lights and replacing them with reflectors. Painting dark walls a lighter color can also maximize the lighting in your office.

Home Tips
  • Turn your audio gear, TV, DVD and any other electrical equipment off at the plug. Most electronic gear is not completely off even when switched to “off”.

  • Unplug your cell phone, iPod, and laptop when they are fully charged. This will reduce your energy bill and help prolong battery life.

  • When you are in the market for an electrical product research it’s energy rating. How will the purchase affect your energy bill?

  • Wash your clothes in cold water. Using less hot water will improve your energy bill. When possible, hang your clothes out to dry.

  • Be aware of the temperature setting for your heating an cooling. Most people can handle a room being two degrees warmer or cooler. This could dramatically improve your energy bill. You may also be able to turn down the temperature of your water heater.
---------------

Related Links

-http://www.carbon-neutral-website.org
-http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_conservation

Links to Sidebar

I added a couple useful links (in my opinion) to the side navigation.

Image/s of the Day

Three 'retro' images out there (without the bottom black header with text). Click the thumbnail to get to the image.


iGoogle

A Daily way to organize one's self. iGoogle (a google service) offers a home portal in which a user can implement services, feeds, and gadgets (based on preferences and interests). These could include news, weather, daily topics, games, and access to gmail inbox. It is also customizable with a specific theme to choose from.

---------------

Reference

-Indulge your creativity: Select a visual theme to decorate your homepage and drag and drop individual sections to rearrange the page however you'd like

-Focus on your interests: Pick and choose from thousands of Google Gadgets to add games, news, pictures, weather and more to your homepage, all for free

-Change your mind: Switch back and forth between your iGoogle page and Google's "Classic Homepage" through the link in the upper right-hand corner

Google offers the ability to create a personalized iGoogle page that gives you at-a-glance access to information from Google and across the web. On this self-designed page, you can choose and organize content such as the following:

* Your latest Gmail messages

* Headlines from Google News and other top news sources

* Weather forecasts, stock quotes, and movie showtimes

* Bookmarks for quick access to your favorite sites from any computer

* Your own section with content you find from across the web


---------------

Related Links

-http://www.google.com/ig
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IGoogle
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IGoogle

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Twitter

What is Twitter?

---------------

Reference

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

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Related Links

-http://twitter.com/
-http://blog.twitter.com/
-http://twitter.pbwiki.com/
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter