Computer History Today

Computer History Today

Entertainment History Today

Entertainment History Today

                                                    The New Marketplace

 Increase the sales of your website by taking advantage of the Internet’s most powerful marketing strategy “viral marketing”. 

  Word-of-mouth is the most popular way new patrons discover new websites everyday as they move about the internet marketplace.  Effective word-of-mouth marketing, known as “viral marketing,” is one of the internet’s greatest success stories in recent history.  Viral marketing takes advantage of a fact of humankind, the basic human need to socialize, intermingle in a network of personal friends and business associates.  No matter the size of the social network in beginning, viral marketing is responsible for turning unheard of small start-ups with no marketing budget into rock stars of the online universe.  Even the biggest names on the internet continue to use viral marketing as their number one marketing tool.

 

  Msn’s Hotmail grew exponentially simply by having satisfied customers spread the word around the world about their services.  By giving away free email service Hotmail was able to have their marketing message attached to every out going email their service provided, one customer talked to two, who talked to four and so on.

 

 Your small business can set up a similar e-mail marketing strategy without a lot of costs or having to climb a steep learning curve with new technology.  If you have a small employee pool, you can simply set up an e-mail signature with a marketing message that will automatically be attached to every company e-mail.  It is easy and simple to set up this on popular e-mail programs like Eudora and Outlook, look under the “Options” or “Preferences” tab for a signature option.  You can take this a step further by having your hosting company or Information Technology department attach a marketing message to all outgoing mail through a process called “mail routing”.  With more sophisticated mail routing, you can track the results, but assure that every outbound message will have the same look and consistent feel – and your employees won’t be able to alter that.  Full service Internet hosting companies can provide very sophisticated outgoing mail rerouting services that let you place entire graphic commercials in your out-going mail.

 

  The main point of the idea of viral marketing is to utilize the thousands of e-mails a company will send out every day to its most important audience; shareholders, customers, clients, suppliers, journalists or anybody who might be looking for the service or product a company is marketing.  These messages get passed on forwarded free of charge about the marketplace, stored for future use… and the company or product branding is prominent in each case and will continue to be so.

 

  Hotmail’s branding message was short and sweet: “Get free e-mail at Hotmail.com” This simple message was attached to hundreds of thousands of people who used their web-based e-mail daily, essentially spreading the message for free around the internet universe.  Besides this, Hotmail’s second primary factor leading to their success is that they offered something free: free is the most searched word on the Internet.  Everyone wants to receive something for free, give away something and the word will spread like a wildfire, bringing traffic to a site.  But most small businesses can’t afford to be giving away to many free products or services, so get creative and offer something free to the first ten customers to buy a product.  The point is to increase the amount a customer thinks they are receiving for the same service or product, without actually spending all the company savings.

 

  Start a message board or forum on your site, viral marketing techniques flourish on message boards and chat rooms, where the customers looking for a particular service talk and compare experiences.  This is especially true for the under 25 crowd who will want to discover something on their own, but will listen to those who have walked-the-path.  Remember how you felt to be the first one to buy the album of that upcoming band?  Or hear about the new movie featuring everyone’s favourite actor?  The new internet generation hates to be over-marketed to, which is probably why guerrilla marketing works so well.

 

  Think about the types of e-mails that get forwarded across the entire world and back each day, all the pictures, jokes, urban legends, funny movie clips, popular music, great flash animations and much more.  E-mail makes it very simple for us to share with family, friends, business associates and the world the message we maybe trying to get across to prospective customers.  If your business can somehow attach a marketing message to one of these infectious e-mails, you can create energy about your product, company or service and increase your visibility to potential customers.

 

  One final point to remember before you run out the front door and spread your company’s information through word-of-mouth across the internet universe though.  Make sure you pick a memorable domain name that will stick in the potential customers mind, is easy to spell and remember and relates directly to your product, this way people can easily tell others about your product or service.

 

  Once people find your website, it will be the quality of your site’s content that keeps them returning, and continuing to turn word-of-mouth into your number one marketing tool.

 

 

   

   The Internet is a profitable business if you’re a thief

 

More and more businesses and people are conducting a large portion of their company’s dealings on the internet despite security being an issue.  Below we have listed a few of the ways today’s new breed of internet con-artist is fleecing sheep of their fur all the way to the loom.

 

Phishing: A growth industry for aspiring thieves

 

  You receive an e-mail that looks like it comes from the Better Business Bureau, with all the normal letterhead and all the bells and whistles one would associate with a message from the organization.  The message states that a complaint has been filed against the firm you work for and directs you to a site, which downloads a keystroke logger that picks up your personal information and relays it overseas where you can’t retrieve it.  Millions of people have been conned by scans like this, appearing to come from financial services, Internet providers, or retailers conducting daily business.  One of the most recent scans even hijacked the name of the Federal Trade Commission, which is responsible for prosecuting e-mail fraud.

 

  According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group there were about 37,000 websites overseas conducting such scams in May and about 23,000 phishing attacks were reported in May.

 

  Internet thieves’ tactics and scams have gone from random spam to e-mails that look like those from a bank or Major Corporation, with professional writing, well crafted stories and better websites.

 

  Popular con-artist techniques that ensnare consumers include associating the e-mail with a holiday or event, such as the Super Bowl or World Cup; spear-phishing, where the sender appears to be someone inside the firm you work for; or telling you that your bank account has been compromised, and then urging you to enter personal information into a fake site that looks like the bank’s.

 

  The profile of Internet phishers is changing according to law specialists as organized crime has figured out phishing is a more lucrative way and less risky business than selling drugs and is making the switch.  Terrorists groups according to specialists are exhorting young jihadists to use the computer to knock the United States to its knees.

 

  To protect yourself from phishing always delete e-mail that asks you to enter any kind of personal information at a linked website.  Second always access accounts directly through a browser, using your bookmark or by typing the institution’s Web address instead of clicking on a link provided.

 

  The Bank of America and Vanguard currently ask customers to select a personal image or phrase to appear whenever they access the site to let them know that the site their on is the real deal.

 

Viruses: Changing threats

 

  Virus infections have held steady for the past year and this is a mark of progress for consumers and software producers because the threat of infection has become more and more challenging in recent times.  Postini a security firm in San Carlos, California recently acquired by Google that processes a billion e-mail messages per day estimates 1 in 500 e-mail messages contain a virus that could affect a computer adversely.  And security software provider McAfee says more than a third of malware they have neutralized was introduced during the past two years that the threats are not slowing down.

 

·         Botnets: Something new

 

  Botnets are networks of hijacked home computers (known as zombies) that criminals use to hide behind while sending out their nefarious spam or infecting other computers, one of the most lucrative and fastest growing threats to Internet security Botnets hijack a computer by depositing malware on a user’s computer.  McAfee has reported that its customers have indicated more than 20 million such invasions of computers since 2003, while Symantec says that up to 14% of computers in the United States are currently infected with bots.  EarthLink, the Internet service provider, reports that it blocks around 7,000 to 30,000 zombies per day trying to gain access to someone’s computer.

 

  According to EarthLink up to eighty percent of the spam now traveling across the Internet comes from a zombie attack trying to gain access to someone’s computer.  Botnets have also been used by criminals to conduct phishing and denial of service attacks that bring down computer networks by overloading them with traffic.

 

·         Rootkits

  Rootkits is a type of malware used by hackers to hide another piece of malware on a system, changing a system so it lies to the user, hiding files, processes, registry keys, and communication sessions.  McAfee reports a 10% increase in Rootkits from early 2006 and into 2007, most of it being distributed by spammers.

 

·         New methods of delivery

 

  Google’s recent surveys of 4.5 million Web sites found around 10 percent of them were downloading malware without knowing it.  And the malware rather than attacking the computer’s operating system has been designed to take advantage of weaknesses in applications like iTunes, QuickTime, Flash, and WinZip, according to McAfee.

 

·         Social-networking websites

  Cybercriminals have started using social networks to launch their malware, spreading concerns that malicious code may spread so quickly as to be uncontrollable.  The links that connect one person’s social-networking site to another’s make it possible to download malware onto visitors’ systems, especially since many people using social networks have multiple links to many other sites.

 

  The solution for the average user who might not spot a virus until it has infected their PC and possibly disabled it is to always run and update antivirus software, operating system, and applications whenever in doubt about a computers possible infection.

 

  Internet providers will continue to fight malware whenever they find it; EarthLink has recently added a premium service that claims to track almost 300 tendencies of malware and Google recently acquired a product that protects a browser from malicious downloads.

 

  Well that’s it for this hub, join us next time for more information on security threats your computer faces every second it is connected to the web.  Next time we will talk specifically about different types of computer viruses and how to prevent them as well as information on the legal situation today.

 

 

  

                     The Five Best Digital SLR Cameras in the World

 Digital SLR’s are really in a class by themselves and it probably wouldn’t be fair to compare them to the other types of digital cameras we have reviewed, so these cameras have been compared against each other. 

  Welcome traveler to our last hub on digital cameras for now.  This hub we will discuss the five best digital SLR’s in the world, their individual features and abilities and how they compare against each other. 

  Word of note, the advanced compact digital cameras in our hub “The six best advanced compact digital cameras in the world” come closest to matching the capabilities of an SLR, but their overall print quality scores aren’t really directly comparable against an SLR’s image quality scores.  In addition, SLR’s have no shutter lag to speak of and none of the models below include rechargeable batteries.  Our reviews indicate the Canon, Fuji, and Nikon have been the most reliable SLR brands in consumer surveys over the past few years, so if you’re looking for reliability these are generally the best bet.

 

  Well here we go; the models below represent our picks for five of the world’s best digital SLR cameras.

 

1.       Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT The 8 megapixel Canon EOS Rebel XT provides marginally better image quality then any of the models on this list, they all provide excellent quality.  Weighing in at a hefty 27 ounces, the Canon Rebel XT should probably be used with a porter to carry between shoots, if you’re a photographer who never carry’s their own bags.  With a flash range of 12 ft, and included battery charger for the rechargeable batteries which will provide around 250 shots before needing recharging, you’re ready for the toughest photo opportunities around.  The Canon Rebel XT has a light sensitivity range of 100-1600 for all the different times of the day or cover that might be disturbing the lighting of a shot.  Included with this model is a Canon 18-55 mm EF-S lens and all for a price of $600.

 

2.       Canon EOS-30D The8 megapixel Canon EOS-30D provides about the same image quality as its brother the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, but weighs 7 ounces more at 34 wet ounces, so maybe that porter we were talking about above is starting to look a lot better.  With the same 12 ft flash range as the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT and included charger for the rechargeable batteries, you will need to purchase by the way, this model will also provide about 250 high quality shots before you will need to recharge the batteries.  The area where this model rules is in it’s light sensitivity range (ISO) of 100-3200, which gives it a versatility of lighting conditions matched by only one other digital SLR on our list, the Canon EOS-20D.  Canon has included a Canon 18-55 mm EF-S lens with this model, the same as with the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT above and all for a price of $1,250.

 

3.       Canon EOS-20D The 8 megapixel Canon EOS-20D comes in third on our list to its companions above, but they all provide about the same image quality with the tip of the hat going to the Digital Rebel at number one.  Weighing in at a heavy 36 ounces means this model isn’t a camera to carry everywhere with you, unless you plan on hiring a baggage handler.  With the same 12 ft flash range as the first two models our this list, the charger also included, and a battery life of about 250 shots, the differences between the models isn’t to be found here.  This model has the same light sensitivity range of 100-3200 as the Canon EOS-20D at number two, so both these cameras rule in this category.  This model also comes with the same 18-55 mm EF-S lens as the first two Canon models on this list, but at a price of $950.

 

4.       Nikon D200 The 10 megapixel Nikon D200 has a slightly better pixel rate for sure and about the same image quality as the first three on this list.  Weighing in at a staggering 41 ounces, the Nikon D200 isn’t for the weight conscious photographer, but that’s why we always bring a friend on our shoots.  An 11 ft flash range is a foot shorter than the first three models, but we doubt you will notice the difference.  The included battery charger will come in handy after you take about 250 shots with the full batteries you buy for this model, since their once again not included.  This model has a light sensitivity range of 100-1600, but it will be adequate for just about all conditions.  Nikon has included the AF Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-55 mm lens with this model, an excellent all around lens.  The one area this digital SLR rules, that maybe they wish they didn’t, is in the price at $1,330.

 

5.       Nikon D50 The 6 megapixel Nikon D5 lacks a few million picture elements compared to the other models on this list, and this certainly shows up in the image quality, but this model still provides some of the best image quality available for a digital SLR.  It has a flash range of 14 ft, weighs about 37 ounces and will take about 250 shots before you will need to use the included battery charger to once again charge the batteries you will buy.  With a light sensitivity range of 200-1600, you might occasionally find a difference between this model and the other five on the list, but only occasionally.  Nikon has included the same AF Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-55 mm lens as with the Nikon D200, but all at an amazing price of $580, the cheapest model on this list.

 

  Well that’s it for our hubs on digital cameras; we hope you found what you came here looking for and thank you for being with us today.  If you enjoyed these hubs we invite you to check out the additional hubs on a variety of products and subjects of interest to people living on this shrinking planet.

Warren Hayashi

The End of the Decibel Wars

It happens everyday in households around the world, your relaxing to your favourite album when your children start blasting hip-hop music around the house or on action-packed HD movie. Instead of resorting to a war of decibels, keep the peace around your palace by handing out sets of state of the art headphones to your little miracles.

Today home/studio headphones make you look like your going outside to brave the cold winter air, like you have a set of earmuffs on a headset. They can be corded or wireless depending on how you plan on using them. Corded sets, which account for 9 out of 10 sales, have a wire about 8 feet long that connects to your receiver, DVD player, or TV. Wireless sets have a battery-powered headset and an AC-powered transmitter that allows you to connect to your audio or video gear as well.

Prices will vary for home/studio quality headphones from $20 for a basic no frills model to more than $1,000 for a top-end model. We’ve tested a range of models in recent history, and our general findings still apply:

Most of the corded sets provide good sound quality; a few were very good.

Among the wireless sets, only a few had good sound quality. All were prone to interference from devices in the operating environment such as cordless phones, resulting in static, hissing or clicking sounds in the headphones.

Price isn’t always the best gauge of sound quality with the phones tested. Some low-priced corded headphones performed as well as far more expensive sets.

WHAT’S AVAILABLE

There are a few hundred different headphone models to pick from on the market today. Sony is the market leader; other leading brands include Koss, Panasonic, JVC, Phillips, and Sennheiser.

Home/studio headphones come in a few basic designs and range in price from $20 to $1,000.

Closed over-the-ear headphones cup your ears, creating a seal that reduces the amount o f sound leakage. This means that you may not hear some otherwise audible cues that you may want to hear, like the ring of a phone or doorbell.

Open over-the-ear sets have small holes in them which let more sound in and out, so late-night listening could keep your better half awake.

On-ear headphones have earpieces designed to lay flat on the ears, with no gaps for the sound to escape. Models can be open or closed depending on your needs. They let more sound in and out than closed over-the-ear models.

Comfort is a subjective concept for many users, depending on such things as the shape of the ears or head. Weight can effect comfort as well so pay attention to the things your body tells you about how a particular model feels on your head. Prolonged listening with any headphone can make your ears hot; closed models might be more likely to result in this.

On some wireless sets, including all the ones we tested, the transmitter uses radio frequency (RF) to communicate with the headphones. Other sets use infrared, much like a TV remote, which requires a free line of sight between the headphones and the transmitter. RF does pass through walls and floors, allowing you to use the headphones in other rooms or outside. Although the range can exceed 150 feet, the farther you are from the base, the more the sound begins to degrade. The downside to RF is interference between devices on the same frequency. A cordless phone could cause significant static and clicking on your headphones at home, we recommend that you buy wireless sets only if they can be returned for a refund.

Portable headphones for use with portable audio devices such as CD and MP3 players vary mostly by whether the earpieces sit on or go into the ears Many sacrifice sound quality for size, so many readers may prefer a home/studio model even with a portable player. They range in price from about $10 to $300, so pick a model that fits your requirement if you don’t want to pay for something you won’t use.

Active noise-reduction headphones are designed to block out ambient noise. They come with all types of ear covers; closed, open, in-ear, and buds, with the price ranging from $50 to $350.

HOW TO CHOOSE

Headphones should feed you clear, accurate sound with sufficient volume to provide comfortable listening. Sound quality on the sets we tested ranged form very good to fair depending on the model. Critical users might want to stick with the best-sounding corded models so they won’t be disappointed , but be prepared to pay a little more for the quality. Most of the corded models and a few wireless sets are fine for watching TV or, if your not to fussy, for music. Like speakers, headphones may emphasize various parts of the audio spectrum differently.

Among the wireless models tested, all but the best had some background hissing and/ or dynamic range compression that flattened sound to some extent. The best models differed from the other wireless headphones we tested in two ways: digital rather than analog, and operating at 2.4 Hz rather than at 900 MHz.

But devices such as 2.4 GHz cordless phones, microwave ovens, and wireless computer networks operating in the vicinity caused hissing crackle. Other wireless sets also suffered from interference, notably from 900 MHz DSS Headphones.

Headphones should produce adequate volume with any home-audio device, but those with lower sensitivity might not do so with all portable players on the market.

Headphones don’t have many features, but among those that are useful are volume and mute controls. On wireless models, multiple channels are also a plus, this allow you to switch channels to minimize interference from other electronic devices operating in the environment.

We recommend trying headphones before buying them to judge the comfort as well as the sound quality for yourself. Online shoppers should be sure to check out return policies. Sites such as headroom.headphone.com and www.crutchfield.com have a wide selection and offer refunds within 30 days of purchase.

                                                                        Tell the World

                                           Get the Message to You’re Customers 

  The wheels of a business are the customers that purchase its products, nothing happens until a sale is made.  The vehicle of your business is the mode of transport you use to get your message out to your potential customer in the global marketplace or your marketing plan for the more conservative type.  The biggest difference between you and your competition could be the number of potential customers you reach with your product message and not the quality of the product you sell.  If you’re not driving your business vehicle through the global marketplace everyday promoting your product to potential customers, your competitors are and their selling to consumers that could be buying from you, if you’re marketing-vehicle had been visible in the global marketplace to potential customers?  In today’s fast paced global economy the most visible product, the one that is seen by the most potential customers, is the one that will potentially sell to the most consumers, especially if were talking about the impulse buyer who is the target customer for many businesses on the global marketplace.

 

  People often ask me how much a small business trying to compete in the global marketplace should spend on the marketing-vehicle to make it effective, yet not to waste resources on over-marketing their product.  This is usually because they don’t understand how marketing works, why we market a product and have always conducted what we will refer to as ‘Shotgun Marketing’ for the purposes of this discussion.  ‘Shotgun Marketing’ is when you only purchase advertising when you are slow or when a media representative walks through the door and has been proven to be ineffective for businesses trying to compete on a global marketplace.

 

  There is no easy answer to the ‘how much’ question, different businesses need to spend varying amounts depending on customers buying habits, on how long they have been conducting business, and the marketing vehicles used by the competition.  The one consistent factor here is that customers buy when they want to, not when you want to sell them something, so it is more a facilitation of a consumers desire to buy when it appears and not because you have a product you want to sell. 

  Occasionally when trying to figure out if you need to spruce up your marketing vehicle, you can see warning signs on the side of the road as you drive along the global highway in search of customers.  If you see any of the four following signs on the road as you drive down the global highway, then you may need to stop by the media-shop to spruce up your vehicle for the coming battle with your competition.

 

1. If you are selling your product or services after you have lowered your price on the marketplace, then you need to find a better vehicle to reach your customers because they are only finding you because of the lower price advertised for your product.  This is certainly a short-term financial gain, but in the long run will erode a businesses ability to compete financially in a profit driven, highly-competitive, global economy.

 

2.       If you have to do sales gimmicks to get people to purchase your product, such as value-added incentives, free draws, or something that has nothing to do with the quality of the product.  Then you need to over-haul you’re marketing-vehicle to make it more visible to the available consumers looking for the product you have to sell, because your marketing plan isn’t reaching enough of the potential customers on the global marketplace looking for your product or service.

 

3.        Have you ever had a customer you dealt with for years say to you, “I didn’t know you sold those?  I didn’t know your company offered that service?  When did you start selling these, I’ve been looking for these for months?”  Or worse, find out a steady customer has been purchasing a product you sell from your competition for many years.  If this has happened to you or someone working in you’re business, then you need to re-evaluate the message you’re marketing vehicle is sending to your potential customers.  The plan your using isn’t reaching the potential customers available on the global marketplace and until you change the looking of the vehicle you use to transmit you’re message to the customer things aren’t going to get any better.

 

4.        Have you ever been to a cocktail party or networking function for your company and met someone who falls into your target audience demographics and hear them say, “I haven’t heard of your company?  This is a sign that you need to give you’re marketing vehicle a brand new paint job to attract the eye of the potential customer when they want to buy.

 

There are some guidelines used by marketing-gurus when they decide how much marketing their particular business or product requires.  For a chart of industry standards of percentage of gross income invested in marketing visit: www.wowcommunications.ca/m_buy.htm.  These are guidelines to give you an idea of what your industry is doing to market their products on the global marketplace.

 

Keep in mind that if you’re a start-up business, you generally don’t have an established reputation, and you will probably have to spend a bit more to get the message out to the world.  If you have been around for awhile it maybe time to create a fresh image for your product and company and to do this you will need to spend more on sprucing up the marketing vehicle you use to reach the potential customers for your product.  You should relate the amount you spend on marketing to how much your completion spends on their marketing vehicle?

 

Questions, questions, questions; in business if you don’t know, don’t guess.  Successful businesses selling in the global marketplace know there is too much riding on selling their product to rely on guesswork.

 

Switching Carriers

In our survey of cell-phone users, Verizon emerged from the pack in nearly every category in the 20 metropolitan areas surveyed, and this is as it has been for past surveys conducted. New kid on the block Alltel, a relatively small carrier that primarily serves the midsection of the country, is shortening the distance between them and Verizon every day and is emerging to be a serious contender for the title of best cell phone service provider. T-Mobile is also battling Verizon fiercely for the title and your shekels, having improved performance of their network in many areas.

All this choice in carriers and competition between rivals for your continued business means the average person has a decent choice in their area of the country. A good sign in an industry that has shown average, lackluster, performance that should benefit from some real completion.

The survey we conducted covered several important issues to cell phone users today including call quality, handling of inquiries and complaints, and billing problems.

According to the results, the major carriers in the 20 cities polled generally ended up at the bottom of the service satisfaction poll. These included Cingular and Sprint, Nextel, a frequent bottom dweller in earlier surveys, merged with Sprint in 2005. We will talk about a few of our other findings a little later, first we want to give you the facts on the network choices available for cell phone users today.

Your phone network choices

Wireless – also known by the terms cellular or mobile. This network uses a series of radio towers to connect your call to the wired network. Advantages Mobility offers many extra services, including text and picture messaging, music streaming, games, e-mail access, and TV snippets, depending on your service carrier and your cell phone’s inherent capabilities of course. Disadvantages Wireless only works in areas that have coverage, towers, and incompatible network technologies among service providers create “dead zones” where your service will be unavailable. If the electrical power in the area your in has a local black out your service might not work, if the power outage is widespread your service will definitely not work. The ability for 911 location isn’t completely implemented yet. Voice quality isn’t as good as you will usually get with a wired network, but then you don’t have all those wires to worry about.

Wired – also known as a landline, and much more familiar to us experienced, mature, phone users, this familiar phone-line system uses cables running under or above the ground. Advantages You get the best sound quality of all the phone networks. No dropped calls, fewer problems making and keeping a connection than with a wireless system. Certainly the most reliable of the three systems and the one most likely to work when the power goes out and you need to stay in touch. A well-established 911 service provides a voice connection and reports your location to emergency crews when your not able to. Runs on a single, unified system, that connects all the wired phones in the country together. Disadvantages The wires can be damaged intentionally or by acts of nature, disrupting your service until repair crews are able to fix the damaged network. Additional add-on features, taxes, and fees can boost your bill substantially, so if your money-conscious shop around. Even cordless phones on the market today are only portable within a certain limited range.

Internet – also known as Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP for those preferring easier to remember. Your digital telephone hooks up to the Internet using a broadband connection. Advantages VoIP is relatively inexpensive, especially if you make a lot of long distance calls in your normal everyday usage. Some services, such as caller ID and call waiting, may be free of charge. One good thing is you can use your phone anywhere a broadband Internet connection exists. Disadvantages Unfortunately the Internet will probably not work during a power outage, but it can depend on the individual circumstances at the time of the power black-out. The voice and sound quality on your Internet network may not be as good as a wired network, but this is improving constantly. Providers are required to forward 911 calls to the proper operators, along with your location if you call, but how well a middle-man system works for emergency situations is a matter for discussion and depends on several factors.

The other findings of our survey of cell users thoughts about their cell phone service carriers is listed below.

Cell service still leaves a lot to be desired. As a group, cellular carriers scored only 66 on a scale of 0 to 100 for overall satisfaction. This is worse than many of the other services we cover in our surveys, and in a league with other perennial low-achievers, such as cable TV and computer tech support.

Call quality remains an aggravation for many cell-phone users. In fact, 54 percent of the readers who switched carriers during the past three years attributed their decision to poor phone service, including dropped calls and no service at home. By contrast, 33 percent were motivated to switch by the promise of a better price.

Most consumers aren’t ready to give up their landlines for space-age promises and go completely wireless all the time, but as the technology improves over the years this will certainly happen. In our survey only 5 percent of respondents indicated they currently have a cell phone but no landline at home.

Well that’s it for this time, join us next hub as we will talk about what to do if your ready to switch your cell service. Well compare the various wireless carriers for you and give you all the facts we’ve collected on changing your cell phone service provider.

Until next time Seeker, happy seeking!

                            Star Trek Communicator Move Over

 

                      And they said let there be options and more and more features to choose from

 

  Today’s flip-open cell phone was without doubt originally inspired by the creators seeing Captain Kirk pull his communicator from his back pocket and flip it open so he could say “Kirk to Enterprise, come in Enterprise”, in Star Trek (the most popular science fiction series in the history of television).  And just as Captain Kirk’s communicator could do more then just allow him to communicate, the cell phone/Smartphone that is so popular today comes with a bevy of possible additional features to excite and entertain users, depending of course on the model you buy and unfortunately how many shekels you have to spend.  Carriers have responded to the feature-rich windfall by launching a series of new fee-based services to rake in the golden trinkets for their corporate taskmasters.  Below we have listed some of the services you’re likely to run into if you’re buying your first cell phone or when you decide to trade your old cell phone in for one of the new space-age Smartphone’s.   Pricing will vary for the services because many services come as part of a bundle depending on the provider.  Almost all will require you subscribe to an extra-cost “data plan,” which includes Web access, in addition to your basic phone service.

 

  GPS-based location services, currently available only on certain high-end models, use a homing device located in the cell phone to track the phone’s whereabouts, allowing a lost person to be found or allowing a parent to locate their child.  The location is shown on the “parental” phone or a Web site in the form of a map.  The price of this service varies between $5 and $20 a month added to the cost of a plan and are available mostly from CDMA carriers, such a Spring (Family Locator); Disney Mobile, which uses Sprint’s network; and Verizon (Chaperone).

 

  A growing number of cell phone models today, mostly on CDMA networks, now have navigation systems providing real-time, turn-by-directions to any address based on their current GPS coordinates, like the ones we use while driving to keep from getting lost.  The location information is provided by third-party companies, such as MapQuest, to most of the major carriers providing this directions service.  There are a few carriers but two of the best are Verizon’s navigation service VZ Navigator and Cingular’s called TeleNav.  Cost of course will vary on the carrier and original plan but generally they charge between $5 and $10.

 

  Text messaging (also called SMS or short message service) has become by far the most popular cell phone feature outside of talking live to someone.   SMS allows you to tap-out a message on the phone’s keypad and send it to another cell phone.  Many older cell phones and almost all of the newer models have this feature included along with the accompanying fee.  Normally this is about ten cents a message, $5 a month for a basic plan, or up to $20 a month for unlimited text messages, depending on the plan and the provider.  In our survey of the plans available Sprint and T-Mobile both offer unlimited text messaging for $15 per month, not bad if you’re an incurable tapper.

 

  Today’s cell phones allow you to beautify text messages with photo’s, sounds, and 30-second video clips of your more adventurous moments.  Costs are actually pretty standard with all plans averaging about 25 cents per message.  The best deal we found was with T-Mobile, which doesn’t charge extra for multimedia messages if you already have a message package.

 

  Many of the older cell phones and almost all of the newer models produced today have web browsers, which are needed for e-mail or to access many services involving data transfers.  Cell phones are so popular many Web sites, including the search engines Google and Yahoo, automatically simplify their sites appearance for cell-phone based browsers.  In addition to text messaging, most wireless carriers provide access to instant messaging from AOL, MSN and Yahoo.  Costs vary from $6 to $20, depending on the carrier, for web access, 10 cents to send an e-mail message, and 5 to 10 cents to send an instant message.  We shopped around for the best deal for our greedy selves and ended up at T-Mobile, which offered us unlimited Web access for $6 a month.  Well that’s it for this hub, I have some surfing to do, so  join us next hub as we talk about a few things you should know before you go to our hub “The Best Web Browsing Cell Phones in the World” to find your new communicator.

 

 

Spyware and adware follow your movements

 

Information on the sites you visit, what you buy, where you buy it, how you pay for it are like a golden-road to riches for users of spyware and adware.

 

  Spyware infections are down compared to past history according to surveys done by industry professionals including Consumer Reports; currently the chances that you currently have one on your system are about 1 in 3 and of suffering significant damage about 1 in 12.  Spyware and adware, programs downloaded to your computer by sites to track all your online activities for use by marketers planning how to get more of your shekels, still are rampant according to industry experts.  Experts say this is because the big advertisers still use distributors who install software that displays pop-ups on users’ computers.  Currently a class action suit against Yahoo alleges that Yahoo used spyware to show ads, but part of the case against this huge advertiser is in mediation and the final results aren’t in yet.

 

  In January of 2007, the New York State attorney General’s office finalized a deal with Priceline.com, Travelocity.com, and Cingular Wireless in which the three companies agreed to cease using ad distributors that install adware without adequate notice or consent.  The three companies had been using DirectRevenue, a service that the state attorney General’s office sued last year for such practices (the suit is still pending before the courts).

 

  According to legal officials spyware has been showing up at some sponsored links in search-engine results that you have most likely used.  McAfee, using its Site Advisor service, which identifies dangerous sites and notifies the user, recently, completed a study of such sites using the top five search engines and found that they led to more than twice a many dangerous sites than nonpaid results did.  The risks included spyware and scam sites with deceptive claims or bait-and-switch billing, used to obtain personal information on habits.

 

  Developers of anti-spy software are hitting back against the tide, but they also risk being sued by companies their product labels as spyware.  Recently Zango, an online ad distributor sued PC Tools for labelling their product as spyware, although the courts did deny Zango’s motion for a temporary restraining order.

 

  How can you protect your system against these invasions?  Make sure you always run a good anti-spyware program on your computer (check our the hubs to come on our picks for the best anti-spyware programs on the market), or even two or three programs since they shouldn’t interfere and will provide extra coverage in case one program doesn’t recognize the spyware.  In addition anytime you visit a site your not sure of, make sure to check with the FTC for violations by the site in question after visiting the site and if there is a problem immediately fix the problem and notify the FTC.

 

  The Federal Trade Commission has brought 11 spyware legal actions to the courts in the past two years against companies running spyware operations and big state-based legal actions have continued during the past year as well and the future will probably hold more of the same, at least until some of the more subjective legal issues are figured out.  The I-Spy Act, passed last spring by the U.S. House of Representatives, enhances the criminal penalties for spyware activities of culprits, such as downloading damaging programs not approved by the user, but we are still waiting for the vote on the bill to see if it passes.  

  The Spy act, approved by the House of Representative in June, requires opt-in practices and notice to the user to be given before implementation of spyware; it deals mainly with the civil penalties given to those not following the rules of conduct trying to be set up by concerned government officials.  The effectiveness of the bills is up for debate according to industry and legal officials and they don’t appear to be going in the right direction, but many industry officials think this maybe for the best in the end as they point to the fact that these bills could do more harm in the long run by validating business practices that are no good to consumers.

 

  Industry professionals aren’t sitting still as several initiatives are currently under way to help provide better security for the Internet and its users.  These include e-mail authentication programs used to verify the author of an e-mail and this spring, the Internet Engineering Task Force, which sets all the Internet standards and protocols, approved its first proposed authentication standard for the World Wide Web.

 

  Congress recently passed the U.S. Safe Web Act, giving the FTC more authority to work internationally to protect consumers using the net.  In anticipation of its up coming battle, the FTC even requested an increase in its consumer protection budget for the next year.

 

  While these additional initiatives will help make the Internet safer for all in the coming battle against advertisers in the years to come, most of the responsibility should fall on individual consumers to protect themselves.  If we take every step we can to make it harder for cybercriminals targeting us then they will look for easier marks, because they are always looking for the easy way to accomplish their goals.

 

  Well that’s it for this hub on spyware on the Internet, what we can do to combat it personally and how legal officials are attempting to prevent such attacks.  Join us next time as we will talk about social networks operating on the net and the risk they could pose to your progeny.  Until next time hubber, happy hubbing!

 

Spam in your in-box

 

The world wide net is an ocean in which to throw a wide net of coverage for cybercriminals looking to make a quick shekel or two. 

 

  Welcome hubber to our continuing discussion of the threats to computers using the World Wide Web to do business, socialize, or just obtain information.  In the hub “The Internet is a profitable business if you’re a thief” we discussed the threats of phishing and viruses, today we will discuss the threat of e-mail spam, some solutions to the problem and recent legal ramifications.

 

  You may have seen an increase in the instances of spam appearing in your In-box during the past year and apparently a lot of people did.  According to Postini, a San Carlos, California based Internet security firm, recently purchased by Google that processes over 1 billion e-mail messages a day.  Spam increased by over 161 percent during the period from September through June of 2006 and currently represents about 94% of all e-mails.  But opinions and results of surveys have varied as Consumer Reports reported their survey indicated respondents received a decrease in spam reaching their In-box.  Many believe the differences could be due to differences in security features as spam blocking ability has increased in both quality and quantity in recent months.  Surveys indicate that 60-70 percent of respondents used their own spam filters, up about six percent from last year.  And all of the larger Internet service providers have tightened the parameters on their spam filters to combat the invasions in recent times.

 

  30 percent of respondents to surveys have indicated instances of pornographic or some form of objectionable material in the spam, down ten percent from last years results.  Five percent of parents with online access in the home reported a child seeing pornography due to instances of spam in their In-box about the same as last year.

 

  28 percent of respondents indicated they fell for the bait by trying to remove themselves from the mailing list by clicking on the link provided for this in the e-mail, while just 17 percent tried to opt out by replying to the message with a negative answer or actually purchasing something.  Fortunately, this percent is decreasing as three years ago this rate was as high as 40 percent in some surveys.

 

  Thieves evolve, so the fight against spam and all the threats present on the Internet is far from over and will likely continue…  Nearly half the respondents regularly receiving spam indicated they are receiving a lot more despite increased efforts.  Around fifty percent of those receiving regular spam reported receiving fraudulent solicitations, and 40 percent were outraged at invasion of personal privacy.  Based on the numbers we feel that at least 660,000 consumers purchased a product of service advertised in spam during most of the months of 2006.

 

  Cybercriminals running these scams are evolving to trackers attempts to follow their nefarious schemes back to the source, moving offshore in many cases in an attempt to stay beyond the grasp of law enforcement officials given the task of shutting these scams down and bringing the culprits to justice.  And certainly these changes make both sides of the law and criminal equation more difficult to achieve for both law officials and cybercriminals manoeuvring for position against each other on the World Wide Web.

 

  In order to protect yourself from spam always use an effective filter, we will have the ten best anti-spam programs in additional hubs in coming days for those who want to find suitable protection, and never reply or purchase anything from a spam message. 

 

  Despite the passage of the federal Can-Spam Act almost four years ago, this act gave law enforcement officials new weapons to combat spammers, the effectiveness of this act is still hanging in the air like a question mark above the problem of spam.  While it has brought some accountability to commercial e-mail and given law enforcers legal grounds upon which to proceed against offenders, it has also legitimized some spam and forestalled the implementation of stronger state laws to combat spam. 

  Law enforcement officials have been busy, since 2004 the Federal Trade Commission has brought 26 cases against spammers using the Can-Spam Act, according to officials at the FTC’s division of marketing practices.  The moderate success of these cases brought before the courts, close to $13 million in penalties were awarded in these 26 cases, has brought a glimmer of red on the horizon below the growing light of hope, hopefully this isn’t the headlight of an on coming train on the Internet-tracks though.  Two high profile spam cases have been in the spotlight so far in 2007.  This spring, Robert Soloway, a Seattle-based Internet marketer, was indicted for allegedly sending millions of e-mail messages, most of it promoting bulk e-mail services, over a four year period, so far he has pleaded not guilty.  Earlier in 2007, Jeffrey Goodin, a phisher from Azusa, California became the first spammer to be criminally convicted under the Can-Spam Act.  His six year sentence has certainly sounded the warning bell for many individuals currently conducting nefarious e-mail affairs and you can expect to see more in the coming months.

 

  Well that’s it for this hub, we hope we were able to give you information you can use to protect yourself from cybercriminals currently targeting you.  Join us in coming hubs as we will discuss spyware, the threat online social networks can pose for your children and of course present solutions to the problems.  Until next time, happy hubbing!

 

SONY READER PRS-500

 

  An exaggeration certainly, but Sony’s long-awaited and often- talked about Reader holds hundreds of books, is as easy on the eyes as a traditional book, and you can read 25 books or more before recharging the battery.  Sony’s Reader utilizes an innovative system called E-link to form words on its screen, so there’s no glow like the backlit LCD screen on your computer monitor.  MIT scientists filled microcapsules with oppositely charged black and white nanoparticles suspended in liquid.  When you depress the page-turn switch a positive potential arranges black particles on the surface, while a negative potential raises the white ones, the combination creates words on the Reader’s viewing surface.  The words will change when the next charge is applied, when you push the page turn button.

 

  The Reader is small enough to hold in one hand, slim and lightweight, unlike the 25 books you would need to carry to equal the capacity of Sony’s Reader.  The Reader can be filled using Sony’s online book store, with over 10,000 titles to choose from at 25 percent less than the traditional hard cover.  The Reader can also download any PDF or text file.  So, the trees will love you? 

 

$350.00; sonystyle.co.

 Written by “Warren Hayashi 

Social Networks like MySpace and Facebook are Hunting Grounds for Predators Hoping to Connect with Your Child

 Do you know what your children are doing on line, who there associating with, talking to, listening to other then you 

  Welcome traveler to our continuing discussion of the threats that exist on the Internet for all users today.  Today well discuss online social networks and the inherent dangers involved with children socializing on these hunting grounds for predators and hoping to connect with children they can influence and control.

 

  The world is becoming smaller every day, the ability to converse, exchange personal and professional information across the world using the World Wide Web has been one reason for the increased feeling of the finite size of our world.  The ability to reach out and communicate with people using Internet sites like MySpace and a newer face on the Internet social community, Facebook.  Has given millions of children around the world the ability to socialize like they are older, more mature, then they actually are and possibly be taken advantage of by individuals trolling these sites looking for young impressionable minds they can exploit for their own purposes.

 

  MySpace and Facebook are Internet sites visited by millions of minor’s everyday, at these sites they post all their personal interests and personal information for the multitudes surfing these sites to view. Exchange information and socialize with people who are coming to these sites with the single minded purpose of a predator looking for prey and according to experts the incidence of children being exploited on these sites is increased by the methods of business employed by sites like MySpace and Facebook.

 

  Experts point to the evidence of a fertile ground for child predators on the hunt for prey on these 24 hour sites that continue to grow with little or no control over who uses the sites services.  This spring, MySpace, the world’s largest networking site, which is owned by media giant News Corp, reported that thousand of known child predators were registered with the service at the time of the announcement.  Jumping into the fray several state attorney generals immediately demanded a list of names of these predators, citing many previous cases in which predators had exploited minors they had contacted through MySpace, according to the self appointed leader of the group of state attorneys, Roy Cooper.  Reacting to the call MySpace eventually decided to hand over a list of more than 7,000 names of individuals considered online predators and then immediately closed these 7,000 accounts as a second response to the demands for the list of predators.

 

  This will certainly not get rid of the problem as predators will just adapt to the changes in the service, so we think danger still exists for children socializing on these sites.  And this danger will probably continue to grow unless controls are put in place to prevent children under the age of 14, the current age limit of minors registering on MySpace, from using the MySpace services.  Controls that are apparently needed as recent surveys done by industry professionals and Consumer Affairs indicates that at least 13 percent of minors registered on MySpace were younger that 14 at the time the surveys were taken and at least 3 percent were actually under the age of ten and these were just the ones that parents knew about.  Could your children be secretly socializing on these networks without telling you?

 

  The finding by industry professionals and Consumer Affairs of underage children socializing on their site hasn’t been disputed by Hermanshu Nigam, chief security officer for MySpace.  He points out that MySpace kicks off about 8,000 profiles weekly of minors misrepresenting their age when they sign up and they are currently working on solutions to the problem.  MySpace is currently taking steps to keep underage minors off its site, they will be offering software this fall that lets parents know if their children are using MySpace, and what name, age and location they have given during registration.  According to MySpace using age verification is not feasible with the current software, Nigam says there is no viable way to implement such a technology, but we feel this is probably just a case of no one creating it yet.  As the increased need for better age verification ability continues to grow, necessity will eventually see a profit and act to rake in a few of the available shekels for a software company able to produce the tools needed to make sites unattainable for minors under the age of 14.

 

  How you protect your children depends on their age and maturity, but we suggest you talk to them about the inherent dangers existing on site like MySpace and Facebook and make sure you keep the computer they use to surf in an open family area so their activities are less covert.  Keep track of your child’s screen names and accounts, using parental controls supplied by the Internet service provider, monitoring the child’s online activities and posts and using software that blocks inappropriate site from your child’s reach.

 

  Well that’s it for this hub on line social networks and the possible dangers they could pose for your children if they are using sites like MySpace or Facebook.  We hope this information will help you keep your children from the reaches of predators operating on the Internet and allow all parents to better understand what could be happening to their children when their socializing on the World Wide Web.

 

  The final hub in this series will be 19 ways we have thought of for you, your children and all people using the Internet can stay safer while their trying to connect.  Until next time hubber, happy hubbing!

Seven Ways To Attract Women To Your Company

              Women over forty-five are a large segment of a businesses prospective customers in this age of the baby boomer.  

  In today’s world the husband of most women over 45 could tell you about the incredible purchasing power of women over 45, their ability to shop-till-they-drop and then shop some more.  But how many of us could name more then a handful of companies, other then the ones with products directly marketed to women of this age, that have a grasp of how to attract their business.

 

  Yes, companies like Revlon and Dove are embracing the beauty needs of women over 50, but for the most part women over fifty probably feel neglected, invisible to marketers looking to produce products for customers.  If you’re a marketer looking to sell your product to this 45 and over crowd as they pass your business while shopping on today’s global market-way.  You should look at the following list of seven ways to catch their consuming-eye as they wander about the global market-way looking for their hearts desire.

  

Way 1 

 

  First if you want to attract women over 45 you need to understand their needs, and desires, when their most likely to want to purchase your particular product or service.  This should be the goal of every savvy marketer wanting to sell to this demographic.  If, like marketers say, 50 is the new 30, and yellow is the new black, marketers need to be vigilant about paying attention to the constantly-changing demographics of their female consumers.  They need to see the growing numbers of over-45 ladies to be very important consumers, instead of a specialized category.

 

Way 2

 

  According to experts, women like to invest in companies that work to build a relationship with them and see them as an individual instead of a number.

 

  Set up special interest groups and panel discussions on your website on subjects of particular interest to women over 45.  Or try your companies hand at sponsoring conferences on subjects of interest to women over 45.  Organize women-only, in-person gatherings at your place of business.

 

  Microsoft, which currently organizes events for women executives, including golf training was one of the first to do this.  Microsoft realised, unlike most men, that women prefer a training session at golf rather than an official Golf Day, where they would have to play against each other competitively. 

 

Way 3

 

  Women on average read a lot more say the experts tasked with tabulating such data and companies need to acknowledge that women as a group and not just women over 45 weight more factors when making a purchase.  In other words, women shop, and men buy!  The purchase paths the two groups take to get to their purchase needs are as different as Mars and Venus.  If a company takes the time to understand the purchase process of a women over 45 and deliver the information women over 45 crave at the right time and in the right place, they can convert these wealth prospects into returning customers for many years to come.

 

  Way 4

 

  Women have very high expectations in all aspects of their lives and as a company you need to make sure you deliver on the promises you make to these picky prospects.  Women form more emotional connections with a brand then men do and they are harder to attract then men.  They are also less forgiving then male consumers, so delivering on what you say you’ll do for them, or on where you’ve led them to believe the next click is taking them, suddenly becomes very important.

 

  At the eye level of the retail floor, when a women over 45 enters your business establishment, your brand is more likely to stick in her mind when you engage all five of her senses in your marketing scheme.  Think softer lighting, offer water or candy, use mildly scented aromatherapy, and provide background music, comfortable chairs and fitting rooms.

 

Way 5

 

  Women like to have options during their shopping excursions and in all aspects of the journey.  So offer multiple conversion activities, including an e-mail newsletter sign up form, a classic contact-us form, event registration, and links to buy products.

 

  Books sell credibility much better than videos when your dealing with the female mind.  Women feel stuck when a video starts, and will skip them more often than men do. 

 

Way 6

 

  Women are social animals and always feel more comfortable when they feel they are part of a community that values their views and input and not just their dollars.  Open your site up to stimulating voices and perspectives by welcoming reader comments on your site.  Invite and offer up fresh ideas and creative solutions to the problems and new ideas brought up in these reader comments.  Do this right and women, not just women over 45, will not only come back for more of your product and services — but, being consummate viral messengers, they’ll tell their friends about your company, as well.

 

Way 7

 

  Women hate to be grouped, stereotyped, by brands in their advertising sexually or occupationally in anyway, especially the financially independent 45 and over crowd.  Companies looking to market this crowd should realise women over 45 will turn away from their company if this happens.  When in doubt about a particular marketing action, don’t do it.

 

  Acknowledge all women’s achievements in today’s world, their diversity and beauty, their financial and social clout — and perhaps even their lack of sleep.  But always remember that women today don’t just expect or hope for respect from everybody.  Today, they demand it!

Security Risks or Computer Geeks Just Having Fun

         Spending time online remains risky for your computers health despite the efforts of many 

  Do you want to protect the valuable information you have stored on your computer from the greedy clutches of the hordes of Cybercriminals increasingly operating in elaborate underworld networks of Web sites and chat rooms located virtually anywhere in the world.  An underworld where they sell one another stolen account numbers, tools for making credit cards, scanners to pick up card numbers and PIN’s from ATMs, and viruses and other malicious software.

 

  These thieves pay up to $14 to $18 per stolen identity, according to Security firm Symantec which spends millions of shekels trying to find new and innovative ways to prevent intrusions onto computers.  And these criminals get a good return on their investment as identity theft cost consumers and businesses $49.3 billion in 2006, according to Javelin Strategy & Research, based in Pleasanton, California.

 

  Of course, not all ID fraud is carried out online as ways to defraud people have been around long before the invention of computers or the internet.  The most recent schemes involve hackers breaking into customer files of businesses and they are devising new ways to obtain the information to carry out their nefarious schemes as you read this.  In a coming hub we will talk about just how easy it is for someone to obtain your personal information from your used PC or your Internet connected computer.

 

  Given that there are Websites where Cybercriminals can obtain tools to help them carry out these online attacks, it’s clear that the kind of online threats investigated by security experts in the industry today – spam, fraudulent Web sites, and malicious software (malware) – have become very important tools on the belt of identity thieves operating on the Internet.

 

  Law-enforcement officials have increased their efforts to throw a net around Cybercriminals and developers have designed better security software to counteract the tools used by these malicious individuals.  But these threats to Internet security remain potent despite these efforts according to the results of the 2007 Consumer Reports State of the Net survey.  The fourth such survey for this organization and based upon 2,030 online households reviewed, the survey leads us to the following conclusions.

 

·         The survey indicates that your chances of your computer being effected by an attack of these malicious criminals is about 1 in 4, depending upon your online activities of course – less then last years chances because some threats appear to be easing, a false sense of security surely as many significant threats exist and new ones are being created constantly.

 

·         Significant numbers of people are still falling prey to phishing scams, in which false e-mails and Web sites request you disclose information about your financial accounts.  About 8% of those surveyed indicated they had given personal information to such scams, about the same as last year.  It is estimated by industry professionals that upwards of a million customers have been defrauded of billions of shekels by individuals running these scams.

 

·         38% of those surveyed reported a computer virus infection in the past two years while 34% indicated they had a spyware infection within the past six months of Internet use.  Based on projections of data by industry professionals virus infections meant 1.8 million PCs were replaced in the past two years and spyware infections accounted for another 850,000 in the last six months alone.  If you’re running a Mac system you already know the good news as very few reported infections of either type.

 

 

·         Surprisingly, seventeen percent of those surveyed reported they didn’t currently have antivirus software installed on their computer and thirty-three percent indicated they don’t use software to block or remove spyware.  At least most computer owners reported installing a firewall, which will help keep hackers out of your system.  But industry professionals estimate there are still upwards of 3.8 million U.S. consumers with Broadband access still lack a firewall to protect their valuable data.

 

 

·         If you have gone wireless your system faces additional security risks and half of those in the survey using a wireless router reported not taking simple precautions such as enabling encryption on their computer.  If you like to use connections at public hotspots, you have put your laptop system at greater risk than your Internet connected home computer and 63 percent of individuals surveyed reported putting their personal information at risk by logging on to password-protected accounts.

 

 

·         Young people make up a large percentage of individuals routinely using the Internet and they are at risk while doing so.  Of the individuals surveyed with minors online, 13 percent of their progeny who were registered at MySpace.com were younger than 14, the minimum age the site officially allows users of the site to be.  Have you prepared you’re kids for the threats that exist on line? Many of the parents in the survey hadn’t.

 

  In conclusion, Cybercriminals have become very sophisticated in their attempts to take the easy road to riches, we must be constantly on guard against the threat these malicious individuals pose.  Government, law officials, individual consumers and the computing industry as a whole need to increase their labours to protect all involved from the criminal activities of hackers.  

  Well that’s it for this hub, in future hubs we will talk about particulars of some of the risks you face while using the Internet today.  Happy hubbing! 

 

Ready to Pick a New Cell Phone

 

If you’ve recently decided to take the plunge and buy a new cell phone we have a few suggestions below

 

  Your choice of cell phone will be limited by your service provider no matter where you live in North America, so you need to decide right now whether you’re staying with your current provider or select a new one before you start shopping for one of the new Star Trek inspired communicators on the market.  First decide how you’re going to use your phone most of the time, this will help narrow the field of possible cell phones that meet your needs.  Leaving smart phones aside for a few seconds, we classified cell phones as basic or advanced in the hub “Cell phones grow up to become smart phones”.  Choose a basic cell phone if you are only going to use voice calling or text messaging, or wish to limit costs and size to a level your happy with (most models are compact and are price between $20 and $150 or come free with a two-year contract).  The keypad and overall operation is generally fairly simple and consistent with all the models sold today, although there is always a black cat wandering around somewhere.  All the models will allow you to store frequently used numbers and send and receive text messages, and many of the models have basic cameras and wireless Bluetooth included.

 

  If you wish to trip-the-light-fantastic of the World Wide Web though you will need to access high-speed networks (such as the EDVO networks from Verizon, Alltel, and Sprint) to enjoy the multimedia experience of the web such as music and video-based services, and for this you will need to step up to an advanced phone.  Other capabilities of your advanced phone may include a multimegapixel camera, memory-card storage for music and pictures, and more options for custom ring tones, games and other services, some of which they are probably just thinking of.  Many can connect directly to a printer to print the photos you took at the company office party or the text message from your boss to his friend.  The one draw back of course is that these phones can cost upwards of $150, even with a two-year contract, and some are more difficult to use for calls and text messages than basic models.

 

  Always consider the digital network the carrier uses to provide your cell phone service.  Major carriers use one of two digital networks: CDMA (Alltel, Sprint, and Verizon) or GSM (Cingular and T-Mobile) and both have their benefits depending on how and when you use your cell phone.  First the carrier you use will determine in most cases which features your phone comes with and even its level of performance in the tasks you use it for.

 

  Generally GSM cell phones provide more talk time on a battery charge, typically five hours and up, compared to three hours for a CDMA using cell phone.  Additionally these GSM phones have a SIM card that stores your account information and your phone book.  So when you switch to a new phone you can just remove the SIM card from inside the old cell phone and insert it into your new one.  However, you can’t use a T-Mobile SIM card in a Cingular cell phone or vice versa.  The best capability of GSM cell phones is there ability to operate in different spots around the world much better than CDMA using cell phones.

 

  CDMA phones can have analog backup, unlike GSM cell phones, which enables them to operate in coverage areas where digital service is unavailable to GSM using cell phones.  CDMA data networks are also faster than GSM data networks, enabling them to deliver a larger of services and entertainment at a faster pace.  There is a trade-off though as CDMA cell phones that support sophisticated services lack the analog backup that normally gives CDMA networks an advantage over GSM data networks.

 

  Before you grab the cell phone you want and go running from the store, hold the cell phone!  I mean literally hold it in your hands and check that it feels comfortable in your hands and you can easily access all the keys on the keypad with one hand (one finger).  Make a test call if they will allow it and access all the functions of the cell phone.  We have found that cell phones with touch sensitive keys are harder to use than those with keys that give tactile feedback to the user.

 

  Check out the look of the display to your eyes in all available light conditions, some are hard to see in daylight or under bright light.  Our studies found that cell phones displaying incoming and outgoing numbers in large black type against a white background were the easiest to read under almost all lighting conditions.  Always make sure to check that all indicators; battery life, signal strength, icons and other indicators are clearly legible in all lighting conditions.

 

  The most important feature to look for we think is a built in speaker phone that works well, this allows hands-free use in a car or elsewhere (never drive while operating a cell phone).

 

  If you’re looking for additional features that are kind of neat check out these:

 

1. Programmable jog dial that lets you program all the pressure points on a circular jog as shortcuts to the most used features on your phones menu, such as address book and text messaging.     
2. Standard headset connector also referred to as a 2.5-mm connector that is compatible with most wired headsets and speaker phones on the market.  Models with this connector generally don’t come with a headset and will need to be purchased separately.  This connector is found on most CDMA phones and GSM models.
3. Voice command feature allows the cell phone to follow your commands right out of the box, without the usual training, and lets you dial numbers by saying them out loud.  Some Sprint and Verizon phones take it a step further by literally allowing you to phone up and run applications without having to sift through menus manually.
4. Besides providing a quiet means of communication, text messages have been known to arrive at their destination when networks are overloaded.  Most cell phones come with preloaded messages, such as “running late” or “call home.”  And most allow you to program customized messages for an emergency or frequent use; in case Billy needs to be dropped at soccer practice.

5.   Well that’s it for my hubs on the services, carriers, providers and capabilities of all the cell phones on the market today.  Now head on over to my hub “The Best Web Browsing Cell Phones in the World” and find the cell phone of your dreams.  Happy phoning! 

     Photographic Innovations   

                                                         OLYMPUS EVOLT E-330                                               

                 Serious photography moves into the suburbs

 

  Career-minded shutterbugs have been adding a professional level digital camera with a LCD, just like point-and-shoot cameras, to their wish list for years.  Thank you Olympus!  Professional photographers with eye-tunnel syndrome can finally move their head back and get a comfortable view of the action with Olympus’s new 7.5 megapixel E-330 digital camera with a 2.5 inch LCD screen.  The first DSLR to sport a LCD for previewing the shot, a feat that required the engineers at Olympus to find away to view around the intervening mirror and shutter blocking the sensor, the reason no other makers of digital camera’s produced such a convenient camera before.  Olympus designers detoured around this obstruction by reflecting the image off a series five mirrors until it reaches another sensor near the E-330’s viewfinder, which refines the image and transfers it to the LCD in the rear.

 $1000.00; olympusamerica.com,    

                                                           Mr. Spook Put a Plug in Them

 

  Vulcan’s probably never had the Vulcan equivalent of the human motorcycle, but it’s certainly possible considering Mr. Roddenberry’s pension for free writing.  Any Vulcan equivalent to the human two-wheeled motorcycle would probably have been just as big, hot, and noisy as its human counterpart and Vulcan hearing is sensitive to vibrations just like the human auditory system, only much more sensitive to continuous noise.  What would Vulcan’s use to protect their sensitive auditory senses from the onslaught of continuous, sustained, noise output of their two wheeled companions?  A colourful rainbow of in-style ear muffs for the fashion conscious Vulcan females?  Maybe stylish, sound-suppressing, helmets with stylish ear-wings like the roman god Mercurius to attract the more humble Vulcan males?  In the beginning of Vulcan two wheeled mania a simple, two-piece, device engineered to fit safely and comfortably into the Vulcan ear would have sufficed, much like the devices available for humans riding motorcycles today.   Yes humans also need to take precautions against the noise and wind produced by their sport bike as they scream down the highway and byways of North America.  Because the noise output of the average sport bike today can lead to unnoticed and often permanent loss of hearing, unless you take the proper precautions.

 

  The human auditory system is sensitive yet strong; in fact it is hardly ever damaged by a noise like a single backfire of a motorbike.  Being exposed to continuous, sustained, wind and exhaust noise produced by your sport bike as you fly down the highway can permanently damage your auditory senses though.  Especially prolonged periods of exposure, over years of time, could be slowly diminishing your hearing and you won’t even be aware of it?  The solution as Mr. Spook would say, “Is obvious Jim, put a plug in them!”

 

  Millions of sport bike enthusiasts embrace their two wheeled friend everyday for the wind-in-the-face freedom of riding, but the noise associated with enjoying this experience could be doing more than just cooling your jets.  Riding a sport bike comes with inherent risks, one of which is the often overlooked risk of permanent hearing loss due to exposure to periods of prolonged noise.

 

  Medical professionals agree there are two types of auditory damage linked to noise: acoustic trauma and noise-induced hearing loss.  Acoustic trauma results due to exposure to short duration, high intensity sounds like gunfire or explosions.  Noise induced hearing loss results due to less intense but prolonged exposure to loud noise, like a jet or music concert.

 

  Sound is described in human science by the intensity, frequency, and duration of the noise.  Intensity measures the sound in decibels (db); it’s commonly referred to as volume.  Frequency is the measurement of the number of sound waves passing by your ears in cycles per second or Hertz (Hz), and is the factor that determines the pitch of a sound: the higher the frequency, the higher the pitch, while duration is the length of time the sound lasts.  Medical research has shown that excessive levels of any of the three components of sound can affect your hearing.  So, if you ride frequently and far, additional ear protection should be used, and ear plugs are riders a best defence against noise induced hearing loss. 

  The human ear is designed by evolution to protect against noise by tightening the inner ear muscles, thus protecting the delicate bones within the inner ear against sudden, violent, movement, but evolution never foresaw the modern sport bike.  Temporary loss of hearing results when the cells of the inner ear are damaged by quick bursts of extreme sound vibration, or when the fluid within the inner ear has been altered chemically by over stimulation.  Ultimately some cells expire, most recover and the inner fluid reverts to it’s original chemical makeup after the stimulation recedes, then your hearing returns to normal.  This is why ringing in the ears and diminished hearing capacity follow an explosion, but the ringing soon fades and hearing returns.  But beware, while the recovery period can be a few minutes or a few days, constant exposure over time to such damaging noises can accumulate and result in permanent hearing loss in the human auditory system.  The ear drum and inner bones can be repaired or replaced, but once nerves are damaged they are likely to die.  And since medical science has yet to replicate these important parts of the human auditory system, you’ll find it hard to find replacements?  I bet those stylish ear plugs sound better all the time?

 

  Data collected by researchers confirms we are all exposed on a daily basis to sounds ranging from 10 db, comparable to the sound of human respiration, to 140 db, which is beyond the human pain threshold and equivalent to standing beneath a 747 as it passes directly overhead.  Data collected during these studies indicates that damage begins near 85 decibels if exposure continues for eight hours of more and for every 3 decibel increase in noise level the time you can safely be exposed to the increased sound is cut in half and by the time the 100 decibel range is reached the safe exposure time is down to 15 minutes.

 

  Current sound emission testing in North America factories requires street legal motorcycles above 50cc to emit no more than 80 decibels while in operation.  This limit has little relation to the noise assaulting your ears while riding your sport bike, which can reach 116 db once you attain warp speed.  Researchers found sound levels reached 96 db as a motorcycle reaches 80 km/hr, with the decibel level increasing to 106 db as the bike reaches 115 km/hr.  Testing of aftermarket exhaust systems found they increased a motorcycles sound emission, further reducing the safe riding time for the owner of the sport bike.  Meaning you’ll have to partition your ten hour trip into ten one-hour riding intervals to protect your valuable ears and allow them to recuperate, if you have an aftermarket exhaust system on your bike?  Can you accept the consequences to your hearing if you don’t stop?  I bet those ear plugs sound good now?

 

  You maybe thinking your full-face helmet protects your delicate ears against sound induced hearing loss, while it maybe true they protect better than open-faced or Shorty helmets, they are not a sport bike riders best defence against noise induced hearing loss.  Your helmet reduces your bikes sound emissions by a little and for short jaunts across town provides adequate noise suppression.  But if you’re planning on wandering aimlessly for days at a time, on spending extended periods upon your metal-steed, additional ear protection should be worn and ear plugs are a road warrior’s best protection against sound induced hearing loss.

  

  Research by audiologists world-wide confirms that wind noise is the number one threat to a motorcyclists hearing.  Specialists report industry related hearing loss in truckers who routinely suffer hearing loss in their left ear, which is closest to the window, but not in the more distant right ear.  So if you don’t wear ear plugs and like your soup-bowl lid then you’re exposing your valuable auditory senses to damaging, high-speed windblast – a situation worse then the scenario creating hearing loss in truckers.

 

  Audiologists suggest motorcyclists fall within the same category as professional musicians in relation to possible industry related hearing loss.  They recommend the type of ear plug musicians use for providing the level of hearing protection required for sport bike enthusiasts.  Experts point out that some of us are genetically more susceptible to hearing loss, that smoking and environmental conditions can affect susceptibility to hearing loss in some individuals.  They did find that exposure to noise in colder conditions is actually less damaging to ears; unfortunately we usually ride in hot, dusty, conditions.

 

  So make a pair of ear plugs a part of your normal riding gear the next time you’re planning a road trip along your favourite strip of lonely highway, you can easily store a few extra pairs in your pocket for you and any of your buddies who didn’t read this article.  You can reward you’re ‘good sense’ at realising your need for ear protection as you ride your best friend, with a custom made set of form fitting disposable ear plugs that should last the riding season.  Whatever your reason make a pair of ear plugs part of your riding gear before you find yourself straining to hear.  When you do notice a change in your auditory senses it might be too late.  A beginning rider should make note, older riders will have no way of gauging hearing loss without professional consultation, and prevention is always easier than a cure.  Make a pair of ear plugs like one of the ones in the pictures below a routine part of your riding gear so a hearing aid won’t have to be.

 

Silent Ear Reusable EarPlugs                        Hocks Noise Breaker – Filter Ear Plugs$8.95 / pair                                                         $47.95 / three pairs 

Alpine MotorSafe Natural Sound – Professional Drivers Ear Plugs

$29.95 / pair

Perfect Fit Custom Moulded Ear Plugs

$114.95 / pair

Warren Hayashi

6111 Kelly road (south), Prince George, B.C  Suite #105  V2K-4M7  Cell phone #: 250-617-0698  E-mail: warrenhayashi@yahoo.ca

Web site: warrenhayashi.wordpress.com/    

ObjectiveProfessional Write: Magazine articles, internet media, and creative writing.   

Qualifications

Currently writing grant proposals for Riders University Public Charity; contact mike@ridersu.com for details. www.RidersU.org  or www.ridersu.com to check out Riders University’s Web sites

Published 79 articles for hub pages.com; mainly employment and technology related topics.  Contact Editor, Jason Menayan for specifics at Jason.menayan@hubpages.com.

   Published articles with sportbikes.com, contact Mike at Mike@sportbike.com for specifics.

Currently writing featured cover articles for Blurred Edge Magazine contact Ian Reynolds at blurred.edge@gmail.com or check URL at end of resume for link to current cover story for next issue of magazine.

Currently write a series of blogs called History Today.

Published articles with Employment Times, contact tsardano@employmenttimesonline for details on article.

Researcher with 15 years experience, professional level skills in HTML, XHTML, and XML applications combined with fifteen years writing experience.  

Education

Bachelors’ degree in Geophysics, University of British Columbia

 Graduated Duchess Park Senior Secondary in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada in 1979, with honours’ in sciences and social studies, before heading to The College of New Caledonia to study Electronics Technologies in 1996   

RECENT PUBLISHED WORK 

1.  Blurrededgemagazine.com, check under cover stories for the story ‘Virtual Crusades”. 

2.  Employment Times, April 2-8, 2007.  Volume 9 Issue 14, page 8, ‘Tips to help avoid stress for these 5 anxiety-creating moments’. 

3.  Sportbikes.com, “Win Baby! Just Win!”” Ride the Wind” and “A Sportbikes Rider’s Best Defence”.

4.  Published series of 70 articles with hubpages.com.ADDITIONAL SKILLSProfessional researcher for fifteen years in many different fields  Completely outfitted homework office with latest equipment Additional References Available Upon Request    

Man-to-Man: On growing old

 

My subconscious recently approached my conscious mind about writing an article explaining the difference between life now and the way life was back in my younger days. My conscious mind enquired about what exactly it was referring to?

 

“Well it’s hard to go wrong in a men’s magazine if you talk about sex, power and money.” Said my subconscious.

 

So, let’s begin with sex. My better half staunchly refuses me sex with any of the semi-clad, twenty-something, women working at my publisher’s office. When I point to her that it will only take a second, that the girls will hardly notice, that it will mean nothing to me at all, and that the doctor did say that sexual activity of any kind is good for a man my age, she throws me a look Napoleon gave Russia. I pretended I was joking. But now you know where the reigns of power rest and the money too. We have a lifetime deal; fifty-fifty right down the middle. I earn it; she spends it. Owe, we do love each other fiercely. Whatever her name is?

 

My power like my body shows signs of dissipating. Now when I look into the mirror, I realise I will need my glasses… I still have healthy teeth, but sadly they are Chinese teeth — like Canadian politicians they are crooked and stained from use, going in all directions at once. My mind? Well it received a summons to appear in court last month, but forgot the post-it-note it pinned to the refrigerator. It forgets how to pronounce words at times — preferring to say them backwards. At times my mind seems to have Alzheimer-like symptoms, where it refuses to see objects in front of my face. My glasses, my coffee, my cat’s, my wife all seem to disappear as soon as I’m looking for them. Personally I prefer book-lag, the exhaustion a writer feels after a successful book launching. Sometimes visualising the object in my mind helps my nose lead me to the object of my desire. I follow the aroma of my coffee, my mistress’s fragrant perfume, and the cat’s you can smell from across town.

 

Don’t let me fool you. Aging isn’t funny. I still feel sixteen, but every time I start thinking so the bedroom light comes on and this ugly old man jumps out of the wall mirror at me. In fact I recommend never getting old. Forget all the advertisements telling you to invest your money for your retirement — stay young forever. Not frantically fumbling to remember the name of the woman you have lived with for centuries.

 So gentlemen, I have to go now. There are a couple nice men in white coats holding a large needle and accompanying jacket out to me. Perhaps its time to sit on a balcony over looking a slowly meandering stream, maybe its time for my Viagra… If things persist I’m going to kill my f…king doctor.

One or two final points: Don’t play golf it will prematurely age you. Turn off the squawk box; they’ll only try to convince you your getting old. Can people who look that good really be trusted? Just keep forgetting everybody’s name and complaining about everything. Since these two treasures are one of the few pleasures of getting old.

  Warren Hayashi