Monday, January 28, 2008

Google Web Services

PLEASE NOTE: Internet Explorer may not automatically display the contents of Google Gadgets and IE users might have to click on the blank space (inside an iframe) and hit "Refresh" before you can enjoy the gadget.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Go Retro - Play Text-based DOS Games on Your PC

WinFrotz v5.3 -- Walk down memory lane by playing old-fashioned, text-based DOS games on your Windows machine.

Do you sometimes get nostalgic for the old text-based adventure games of yesteryear? WinFrotz is an emulator that lets you play old Infocom games. Imagine the thrill of making your Windows machine look like DOS. Hundreds of old games are available to take you on a walk down memory lane.

License Type: Free
Price: Free
Operating Systems: Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows 9.x, Windows Me, Windows XP
File Size: 173KB
Author: Rich Lawrence

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Always Buy Fresh Bread and Here's How:

This useful bit of knowledge comes from, "Helpful Hints," by Flo Allen and you can find the rest of her hints here:

BREAD HINTS:
When you go to buy bread in the grocery store, have you ever wondered which is the freshest, so you "squeeze" for freshness or softness.

Did you know that bread is delivered fresh to the stores five days a week?

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Each day has a different color twist tie. They are:
Monday - Blue
Tuesday - Green
Thursday - Red
Friday - White
Saturday - Yellow

So if today was Thursday, you would want red twist tie - not white which is Fridays (almost a week old)!

The colors go alphabetically by color : Blue - Green - Red - White - Yellow, Monday through Saturday.

Enjoy fresh bread when you buy bread with the right color on the day you are shopping!

Want to know what information the CIA has collected on you?

Under the FOIA and/or the Privacy Act, you might be able to find out. If you are interested in requesting to see copies of what records the CIA may have on you, go to this webpage for some helpful hints on how to obtain that information.

The webpage also details what information may NOT be shared with you. Some of that is interesting and makes me wonder how the Bush bots in his administration squared what the law demands with their own actions. Oh, that's right. One of them ended up a convicted felon.

From the CIA:

Personal Information Which Must Be Denied by Law
Unless "officially" acknowledged by executive acknowledgment or official release, an intelligence organization like the CIA takes exemptions under the PA to protect sources and methods and national security information by neither confirming nor denying the existence of those records and denying records on, but not limited to, the following:

Privacy information on other US citizens unless granted permission by the individual or can prove person is deceased.

CIA operational activities.

Specific confidential or covert relationships.

So let's see, that means our law-abiding President and his bots showed the media, especially the ratfink traitorous Bob Novak who obviously did an America-hating act by publishing Valerie Plame's name and identifying her as a CIA operative, proof that she'd granted permission for her name to be used in that way or proof that she was deceased... according to the law, the Bushbots - namely Rove and Libby - absolutely would have had to have done that. Oh, that's right. One of them is a convicted felon.

And, of course, no one EVER told the media anything at all about any CIA operations, such as, how did Robert Wilson get sent to Niger.

And all persons in the CIA or elsewhere who ever worked with Valerie Plame were all deceased at the time she was outted so none of them could be harmed after she was outted.

Aw, shucks, I just can't quite twist myself into the Republican pretzel. Well, maybe such aggregious crimes against the American people and Ms. Plame will eventually be resolved to the satisfaction of the American people. Maybe.

Anyway, thought you might like to look up anything the CIA snooped out on you.

I wonder if they know I once sneaked a look at my Dad's Playboy magazine when I was a little girl?

Again, here's the webpage to those helpful hints on getting that information.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Astonishing news about Alzheimer's

Reversal Of Alzheimer's Symptoms Within Minutes In Human Study

ScienceDaily (Jan. 9, 2008) — An extraordinary new scientific study, which for the first time documents marked improvement in Alzheimer’s disease within minutes of administration of a therapeutic molecule, has just been published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation.

This new study highlights the importance of certain soluble proteins, called cytokines, in Alzheimer’s disease. The study focuses on one of these cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF), a critical component of the brain’s immune system. Normally, TNF finely regulates the transmission of neural impulses in the brain. The authors hypothesized that elevated levels of TNF in Alzheimer’s disease interfere with this regulation. To reduce elevated TNF, the authors gave patients an injection of an anti-TNF therapeutic called etanercept. Excess TNF-alpha has been documented in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Alzheimer’s.

The new study documents a dramatic and unprecedented therapeutic effect in an Alzheimer’s patient: improvement within minutes following delivery of perispinal etanercept, which is etanercept given by injection in the spine. Etanercept (trade name Enbrel) binds and inactivates excess TNF. Etanercept is FDA approved to treat a number of immune-mediated disorders and is used off label in the study.

The use of anti-TNF therapeutics as a new treatment choice for many diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and potentially even Alzheimer’s, was recently chosen as one of the top 10 health stories of 2007 by the Harvard Health Letter.

MORE...

See also:

Health & Medicine
Alzheimer's Research
Crohn's Disease
Diseases & Conditions

Mind & Brain
Alzheimer's
Disorders & Syndromes
Depression

Reference
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Infllammation
Arthritis
Adipose tissue

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Create Your Own Online Newspaper (It's free!)

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This is a great idea and it looks like they've completely redesigned their website since I created my first newspaper with them (I basically snagged any and all news sources on every single topic of interest to me - it was a bit of a disorganized mess even though Crayon kept it categorized).

I'm going to create whole "newspapers" for each individual major category. Makes more sense, don'tcha think? They make all sorts of categories and resources available from mainstream media to niche publications, from serious news to daily comics, and you can pick and choose and create the perfect newspaper for you.

FROM THEIR WEBSITE:

Current Subscribers
389,948

New to CRAYON?
Start getting your news, unfiltered and across the web's biggest variety of sources.
Create your FREE newspaper now.

Help!!!
The best place to start is our
Frequently Asked Questions. We also have Step-by-step Instructions. When all else fails, just write us and we'll try to help.

Visit Crayon.net and start your own newspaper, choose your own resources, and stay informed.

Time Travel (from NOVA and others)

Here's one of the reasons why NOVA was one of the most enjoyable programs on television and why I loved it so much. I like to listen to scientists that have minds and imaginations without limits discuss what we just plain folks might think of as magical or maybe insane. The notion of time travel and how its practical application might be brought about has fascinated writers, moviemakers, scientists, teachers, spiritualists, politicians, and us plain ones, too. And NOVA took a crack at cracking open the impossible.

Listen to and read excerpts from the show HERE.

MORE ON TIME TRAVEL:

Wikipedia's article on time travel
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Time Travel
Borrowed Time: Interview with Michio Kaku
Sci-Fi Science (great resource for writers)

And, of course, don't forget Herbert George Wells', "The Time Machine," which Hollywood turned into a rather fun movie with Rod Taylor and Yvette Mimeux, she of the Elois. THE ENTIRE NOVEL IS AVAILABLE ONLINE (free) and you can buy the movie from Amazon.com.

"The Time Tunnel" starring James Darren (he, of Moondoggie fame) and Robert Colbert was a favorite television series of the 1960's. "Quantum Leap," starring Scott Bakula was another great time travel series on television (final year: 1994).
More time travel related movies and TV shows can be found HERE. Books related to time travel can be found HERE.

U.S. Surname Distribution

Enter a surname (last name) into the form on this page and you'll get a map of the United States showing the distribution of people with this surname within the 50 United States.

The sources of the surname data are the 1850 Census, 1880 Census, 1920 Census, and 1990's phone books. Note that the Census data is a sampling of 1 in 100 names, so the 1990 data is the most accurate.

So... how common is your last name and where are the rest of "you" distributed? FIND OUT.

Victorinox 'Cybertool' swiss army knife

Made by Victorinox, this ultra-sleek, hella-nifty pocket knife is the perfect tool for all the right reasons. How many knives out there have a DIP switch setter AND come with torx bits?

This is a great tool for making computer repairs. It includes 4 double-head hex bits, as well as various sizes of Philiips and regular slotted screwdrivers. A total of 41 different functions in a single tool - amazing!

The CyberTool 41 has these great features:

41 different functions including 4 double-head hex bits for servicing computers

Torx bits, Pozidrive, DIP switch setter and much more

Available in choice of 3 different translucent colors

Dimensions: 3 1/2" long, 1 1/4" deep, 3/4" high

Lifetime manufacturer warranty

See it here.

Civil Rights Documentation Project

The research was conducted in the fall of 1997 by the staff members at The University of Southern Mississippi's Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage and at the Tougaloo College Archives. The work was funded by the Mississippi State Legislature through a grant administered jointly by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the Mississippi Humanities Council, which also contributed some funding.

The bibliography is divided into three sections. The first section is a listing of every interview we found. Those interviews are alphabetized by the person's last name. Many people, of course, have recorded more than one interview. Each interview is listed separately under the person's name. The second section lists all of the archives with mailing, phone, and other contact information.

The information is as complete as possible within the time frame of the project. Archives are alphabetized by the first word in the archive name (i.e., John F. Kennedy Library is alphabetized under "J"). Individual collections are listed under the archives where they reside (i.e., the Ralph Bunche Oral History Collection can be found under Howard University). The last section is a subject index. The subject index lists topics and the names of people discussed in interviews. People who are both subject listings and have an oral history listed in this bibliography are noted with an asterisk (*) by their names.

VISIT THE WEBSITE

Other sites that may be of interest:

Signs in Stitches and Song
African American Literature during the Twentieth Century
Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project (Stanford)
Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement
The National Civil Rights Museum
The History of Jim Crow
African American History and Heritage
Teachers' Domain Civil Rights Collection

One-Click Online Charities (FREE to you!)

It doesn't cost you a thing and actually, zero effort beyond clicking on a link. No, your email and personal info is not snatched out of cyberspace to be collected for that giant spam database in the universe. You are safe.

Because you go there, it is assumed you will see the content on the page where the click button is located and that content may include advertisements for other charities or businesses that support the charity. And, that's enough for the corporate sponsors to donate money to said charity - based only on the number of clicks per day that charity's webpage can generate.

That's where they need your help. You can help feed a hungry person, fund mammograms, protect the rainforest, support literacy, and all sorts of good causes by simply clicking on a button at no cost to you.

Please. Give a shit. Click.

Here are some of those charities (clicking the buttons here on my blog will take you to the webpage where your click will actually matter):


The Hunger Site




The Breast Cancer Site




The Child Health Site




The Literacy Site




The Rainforest Site




The Animal Rescue Site

SEE ALSO:

"One Click at a Time" is a sort of all-purpose all-categories online warehouse of all sorts of one-click-free-to-you charities.

The Care2.com website also supports several one-click-free-to-you charities:

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Toilet Care and Repair Course


Let's plunge in; flush out the facts and plumb the depths of toilet repairs. Almost everything you ever wanted to know about your toilets! And some things you probably never knew you needed to know.

Toiletology 101 as an online toilet repair course is now over ten years old. Each day hundreds of students fill the classes of Toiletology 101. All alumnae are encouraged to return at any time for a refresher; we welcome your participation and wish you success with all your toilet repair projects.

The information included on these WebPages is meant for toilet repairs on standard, ordinary, run~of~the~mill, two~piece American~made fixtures. There are variations, but generally American~made toilets have the trip lever (handle) on the left side of the toilet tank. However, much of the material will apply to one~piece toilets, fixtures made outside of the U.S., and newer water conservation models.

VISIT THE WEBSITE

BoomerWeb - 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s Nostalgia

Retro Nostalgic Theme Sites
The Index Database for forties, fifties, sixties, seventies Nostalgia, Vintage and Retro Sites.
Articles Index

Remember wax lips, candy buttons, Necco wafers, hot dog bubble gum and flying saucers? Visit: NostalgicCandy.com

Blue Velvet Vintage - Clothing & More-featuring distinctive mid-century clothing, accessories, textiles and home decor.

Teenage Life in the 1950’s

50's 60's Television

BowlingShirt.com - Not Just for Bowling Anymore Classic, Custom and Retro Styled Bowling Shirts. Cool Cruisin'

Curlers and those Bonnet Style Hair Dryers I grew up with two teenaged sisters back in the late 50’s, early 60’s. This was the era of Sandra Dee, Annette Funicello ...

Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight? Gum in the 50s and 60s involved so many rules. We were not allowed to chew it at school.

And those are just a few of the great articles and other goodies waiting for you on the Boomer Web! VISIT THEIR MAIN WEBPAGE.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

TODAY'S PICTURE and THE WHOLE LIST OF PICTURES (INDEX)

PC911 - where to go for friendly expert computer help

FROM THE WEBSITE:

PC911 was founded in 1999 to provide help and advice on a wide range of computing issues..We just finished remodeling the site to make it more user friendly and even easier to access of the content.

We have added a new blog to the site and are currently working on a new forum.

Brand New July 2007: Test your internet speed with our brand new
internet speed test. You can test your download speed and upload speed fast, free and easy. This is the most accurate download speed tester we know of. Test your internet speed now

The Brand New PC 911 Blog is Open
You will want to stop by our new
blog and checkout all the great content we are adding to PC911. We are avid computer geeks and love to go into detail on how to help you with your computer troubles. Have a look around and please leave us a comment at the blog.

Our how to section covers a range of guides on the Windows operating system, various hardware and software, internet tasks, troubleshooting and miscellaneous other PC related tasks including protecting yourself online, upgrading your PC, setting up wired and wireless networks etc.

Don't we all love something for free? Finding the best freeware takes time and effort. And, very often, Free Downloads come with a sting in the tail. So, we've done the work for you with the best in graphics, network, system, security, internet and fun programs.

MORE POPULAR PAGES:

How to install Windows =Internet Security Solutions =How to get more from your tech support =Virus protection =Troubleshooting Networks =Choosing software: Backup, AV, malware protection =Free Downloads =Tweaking Windows: More speed for free =Securing Wireless Networks =ccleaner review =DVD to Zune =Data backup tips for home PCs =Home Networking & Internet Connection Sharing =10 ways to speed up your computer =What processes running on your computer are harmful?

THE MAIN WEBSITE

Backing up data - why you need to do it

"This is one of the most important, yet also one of the most neglected areas of computing. Backing up your data should be at the top of your computer maintenance list, right next to Virus Protection. Without data backup or virus protection, you are running the risk of losing your data. And it will happen, don't think that you don't have to worry about it."

Visit this website for an excellent article on backing up date for home PC's -- why you should do it, how to do it and more.

Useful Stuff About Cars

How to Buy a Car
Buying a car, whether it's a first-time purchase or not, can seem like a daunting task. You've probably seen your share of car commercials on TV and recall hearing phrases like "down payment" and "APR." Although some of the terminology may seem confusing, once you break it down, buying a car is pretty straightforward. There is certainly a lot of information you need to understand before you run off to your local dealership. But once you know what the acronyms mean and how financing works, you'll be ready to get the best possible price on the car you've chosen... MORE... [Article contains good info and numerous links to even more car-related info]

ALSO SEE: Vehicle Ratings (from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) and Cars from ConsumerReports.org

Kelley Blue Book - "the trusted resource"
Need to know the value of any car, used or new, any make or year? Kelley Blue Book has been providing such reliable information for 80+ years. From the website: "Nearly one out of every three people who buy a new or used car in the United States visits the site. According to J.D. Power and Associates' AutoShopper.com studies, more car-buyers use kbb.com than any other three sites combined! The Web site has been named the most visited for eight years in a row." VISIT THE KELLEY BLUE BOOK WEBSITE

Carfax.com
Don't buy a used car without checking it out through Carfax first! Order a CARFAX Vehicle History Report... the first step to protecting yourself against buying used cars with costly hidden problems. CARFAX searches its nationwide database and provides a detailed vehicle history report in seconds. Just enter the VIN. MAIN WEBSITE HERE.

Autoshopper.com and AutoTrader.com - AutoTrader offers Research & Compare ("Find the perfect car with customer reviews, videos, 360 spins and more.") Try their section on New Cars or Certified Cars or Used Cars.

Autoshopper also offers opportunities to research cars as well as having many helpful links to subjects related to car buying, like: Browse Classifieds, Find A Car Dealer, Browse Magazine, Wanted Ads , Help Center, Auto Insurance, Automotive News, Events Calendar, Manufacturers, Vehicle Warranties, Average Vehicle Value, Loan Calculator , Accessories / Parts, Employment, Dealer Information.

This company has similiar websites/publications for trucks, boats, homes, RVs, and more.

Car Lemon - "Your One Stop Lemon Law Info Source"
Think your Car is a Lemon? Your State may agree, but maybe not to your liking. See how your State defines what a Lemon is and if your Car and its Repair History qualify. Nearly all State Lemon Law Statutes are similar to the Federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act which makes breach of warranty a violation of federal law. All States have enacted their own Warranty Acts and many States have enacted specific Statutes that pertain to Automobile Warranties. If your car is not considered a "lemon" in your State, you do have other recourses.

Lemon Law Summaries - Lemon Law Summaries for each State.
Lemon Law Statutes - Lemon Law Statutes for each State.
MAIN WEBSITE

Other laws and legal matters relating to cars and driving:

Insurance Law - Auto Insurance Information
State Drunk Driving Laws
Car Seat (infants & children) Laws by State

Seat Belt Laws by State
Current US motorcycle and bicycle helmet laws
Cellphone laws
National Highway Traffic Safety Commission

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The '57 Chevy

1957 Classic Chevrolet
The 1957 Chevy
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
Spare (specialty) Parts for the '57 Chevy
Category: 57 chevy on eBay (vehicles, parts, accessories, toys, models, more...)
'57 Chevy art prints (posters)
The 1957 Chevy Steel Body

REPLICA 57 CHEVY BODY KITS
In Praise of: The ‘57 Chevy
'57 Chevy Hardtop 3-in-1 Model Kit (Build your own classic Chevy hardtop with this unique three-in-one model kit.)
'57 Chevy Car 10K Pendant (jewelry)
'57 Chevy Bel Air Limousine Service (San Francisco, CA.) -
57 Chevy - An American Classic


OTHER CAR AND DRIVING LINKS

Automobile Urban Legends
ClassicCars.com - "America's Collector Car Marketplace"
AntiqueCar.com - "Antique Cars, Vintage Cars, Classic Cars and Trucks For Sale" - Free Classified ads and Business Directory
Family Car Travel
Mom's Minivan.com - More than 101 car travel games, Fun road trip activities, and Printable Car Games for traveling with kids.
TOP TEN TIPS FOR SAFE CAR TRAVEL WITH YOUR PET
Car Travel Activity Book
(print out and make)
AutoAnything.com - massive selection of car & truck accessories
Car Camping Primer
What to Pack: Family Car Camping
Campgrounds in the United States
Roadside America
- odd, offbeat, and hilarious travel destinations (over 7,000 listed)
Historic Route 66
Girlslovewheels.com - Women car drivers source for fashionable auto accessories, info, tips and fun!
Car videos from YouTube
Least Expensive Cars To Drive
Most Expensive Cars To Drive
Top 20 Most Dangerous Vehicles
The World's Cheapest Cars
Most Overpriced Vehicles
TruckStopInfoPlus - look for great places to eat!

Friday, January 11, 2008

Webmasters: Free Flash Games for your Website

Check this place out. There's one game that seems extremely simplistic but it takes focus and then you find yourself backing out and going to another page before it sucks you in - it is addictive. I suspect more than a few of these games are highly addictive.

Even if you don't have your own blog or webpage, you'll still have fun playing these little suckers.

VISIT THE WEBSITE

Your Credit Rights: How the Law Protects You

Visit the Consumer Information website of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco to learn about your rights. Meanwhile...

Credit is valuable. The importance of how much credit you have and how you use it goes far beyond shopping. Whether you have good or poor credit can affect where you live and even where you work, because your credit record may be considered by prospective employers. That is why you need to understand how credit is awarded or denied and what you can do if you are treated unfairly.

Fair Credit Reporting Act
Equal Credit Opportunity Act
Fair Credit Billing Act
Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
For More Information

Podiobooks: Free Audio Books!

"Free serialized audio books, delivered on your schedule."

That's their tagline. Their front page features:

The audio book currently being featured on their front page is titled, "Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword." Genre: Fantasy. Synopsis: "Chicago, 1929. There are a thousand stories in the naked city; and when you're a dwarf at four-foot-one, they all look that much taller."

It is The Era of Prohibition, where crime runs rampant in the streets and a city divided into territories serves as the ultimate prize.

Somewhere in this Underworld of Chicago, an enchanted weapon holds the key to ending The Gangland Wars. In the wake of The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, only one is man enough to stand up against Al Capone...

...a four-foot-one dwarf named Billibub Baddings.

Get ready for The Lord of the Rings written by Mickey Spillane! Poking fun at the hard-boiled detective novel, Fantasy mainstays, and even the legend of Chicago's 1920 underworld, MOREVI's Tee Morris returns to the podiobook arena...and this time, he's bringing a few friends along for the ride!

They have more titles featured on that homepage. They also have a wide selection of categories from which to choose (Fantasy bring only one of them).

VISIT THE PODIOBOOKS WEBSITE

FREE Games for Your Cell Phone

GameJump.com has a ton of games and handy little applications you can download for your cell phone and it seems they are free. Membership in the GameJump website is definitely free but you are still liable to your cell phone company for minutes used (if that's how your cell phone works, some don't) or extra text charges if you select an application that uses text messaging, etc. I'm pretty sure GameJump gives away their games for free.

Ahh... from their FAQ (LOL, why is that always the LAST place I look?):

Are these games really free?
Yes, these games really are free. We will never charge you a dime. And we won't ask you to sign up for a subscription or a token system or a premium SMS service. The games are paid for by advertisements shown before and after the games.

Will my phone company charge me anything?
We never charge you anything, directly or indirectly, now or ever. We do not have any relationship with your phone company, so we don't get any money from them either.

However, your phone company may charge you for using your phone. If you request that we SMS you a download link, your phone company may charge you for a standard text message based on your phone plan. When you download our games, you use airtime (or data), and your phone company may charge you for that, depending on your plan. Lastly, these games will periodically connect to our servers, and that will use airtime as well.

We recommend that you sign up for a data plan with your phone company. In particular, we recommend an unlimited data plan if available, since they're generally pretty economical.

How much data do you use?
Our games connect back to our servers to report the ads shown so that we can bill advertisers and pay publishers. They also have to fetch new ads. Typically this is 20-25Kb per connection. You do not typically have to connect every time you play.

Are you tracking me?
We do have to track the ads to bill advertisers, just like ad networks on the web track ads, but we do not map that back to your personal information. No personally identifiable information is sent unless you explicitly send it in a survey question. You do not even have to give us this information to download. For the legal details, please read our privacy policy.

And so on. It would be wise to read all their FAQ.

What's the deal with fantasy sports, anyway? Like... WHAT IS IT????

I'm posting this on the Useful Stuff blog instead of my Brain Farts blog because I figure there are enough folks who actively enjoy fantasy sports out there that they might also appreciate Yahoo's Fantasy Sports Page (if they haven't already bookmarked it as a favorite).

So, what's the big whoop? Does "fantasy" sports mean you choose a dream team of your favorite athletes? Since they don't really exist as a team, how do they compete with other fantasy teams? How does that work? And why are people so devoted to it?

Akihabara News (the VERY latest most up-to-date news for geeks)

Check out this website if you're really interested in what's "cutting edge.*"

*Just my .02, but "cutting edge," as an expression, isn't exactly cutting edge anymore. Know what I mean, chili bean? Anyone got a better idea? We need a new cliche! Until then, lazy me will use whatever's floating nearest to the top of my brain.

Lapworks for Laptops

You see, the thing for me would be eliminating the danger of spilled coffee...


The price isn't bad at all. VISIT THE WEBSITE to find out about all the goodies they have for laptop users.

Landscape Wallpapers Blog

Fresh landscape wallpapers to your desktop daily and automatically...

You might need to click inside the JAVA applet to activate the slideshow. If you have a slow internet connection, it might take a few seconds to load the photos.

VISIT THE WEBSITE

ALNO Kitchen Planner

The ALNO Kitchen planner is the next generation of Virtual Kitchen. While the prior version was based on rigid kitchen arrangements, the ALNO Kitchenplanner allows you to position articles in a space of your choosing. You can define the room to be anywhere from 180 to 900 cm long and/or wide. You can put your articles anywhere within this space. This enables you to plan your own dream kitchen.The fully reprogrammed 3D kernel enables you to let your imagination run wild in your kitchen. Although calculations are run in real time, the program offers high quality display capabilities.

Select floor and wall colours, put up windows and doors and then use your mouse to position your kitchen elements wherever you want them. You can decorate the planned kitchen with realistic accessories and modify the lighting conditions. You can admire your kitchen from many different perspectives and get a realistic feel for what your dream kitchen will look like.

VISIT THE HOMEPAGE

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

ConsumerReports.org - See how that product is rated before you buy it!

Our mission: We "test," "inform," and "protect."

Consumer Reports® and ConsumerReports.org® are published by Consumers Union, an expert, independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves. To achieve this mission, we test, inform, and protect. To maintain our independence and impartiality, CU accepts no outside advertising, no free test samples, and has no agenda other than the interests of consumers. CU supports itself through the sale of our information products and services, individual contributions, and a few noncommercial grants.

More than 100 testing experts work in seven major technical departments--appliances, auto test, baby & child, electronics, foods, health & family, and recreation & home improvement, while more than 25 research experts work in three departments--product acquisition, product information, and statistics & quality management. In addition, we have more than 150 anonymous shoppers throughout the country. We test cars and trucks at our fully equipped auto-test facility in East Haddam, Conn. We also survey our millions of readers to bring you information on the reliability of hundreds of auto models and of major products such as appliances and electronic gear. Reader-survey data also help us rate insurance and other consumer services.

Consumer Reports magazine alone has about 4 million subscribers. We reach millions more consumers through ConsumerReports.org, our CR Money Adviser newsletter, our health newsletter and Web site
www.consumerreportsonhealth.org , radio programs, television programs, auto price services, and New Car Buying Kit. For more information, see Our products.

VISIT THE MAIN PAGE HERE

Drivers for Your Computer

DriverGuide.com - Here is what DriverGuide will do for you:

  • Provides an easy step-by-step process for finding and installing drivers.
  • Offers a huge searchable archive of hundreds of thousands of driver/firmware files, manufacturer information, and links.
  • Includes discussion boards that give members the opportunity to interact with others with their hardware type, and learn from their experiences (very useful!).
  • Offers a drivers found area where members can upload new and hard to find drivers for others to download.
  • Provides a driver request board where members can make requests for specific drivers.
  • Includes resources for Windows, Mac, Unix/Linux, and other platforms.
  • Provides links to helpful tutorials, valuable utilities, and other resources.
  • Offers a great collection of old, out of date, and hard to find drivers.

Membership gives you access to more downloads, more features, and is absolutely FREE! Members are given lifetime access to this site.

Since opening in 1997, millions of people have joined DriverGuide! We have received rave reviews from
members and industry experts. Check out our driver voyeur and see what people are searching for! Start searching and downloading now, and if you want to join our active support community just signup, it's absolutely FREE, JOIN NOW!


Scan Windows Drivers Problems - software for sale but offers a free scan


WinDrivers.com - Unlimited Access with Your FREE Internet.com Membership: Get Unlimited Access Now

  • Comprehensive Hardware Manufacturer Directory– You can browse by product type (covering everything from BIOS/motherboard to printer/driver to USB and video) or by manufacturer (from Acer to Zoltrix).
  • Anti-Virus Center - WinDrivers.com reports on the ten leading anti-virus software vendors and links you directly to the latest data file downloads.
  • Security Update Alerts - Receive automatic alerts when security updates occur.
  • Latest Driver Updates – Use Windrivers to help you locate current and out-of-date device drivers & BIOS through our “Driver Updates” section. Every day, the WinDrivers.com staff adds the latest new BIOS and drivers covering thousands of products across virtually every PC hardware category.
  • Hard Drive Center - Moving a hard drive to a new computer? The Hard Drive Center will help you identify the correct jumper settings and guide you through the treacherous process of partitioning and formatting.
  • Networking Center - Need to identify the pin-outs in a network cable? Need to identify an unlabeled network card? This is the place to go.
  • DLL Search - Get access to hundreds of DLL files through the Windrivers DLL Search lists, which explain their purpose and link to the most recent updates so you know how to proceed when receiving a “DLL File Not Found” message.
  • Service Packs - Direct links to more than a hundred Microsoft Service Packs for Windows, NT and Office, covering virtually every service pack Microsoft offers.
  • Weekly E-mail Newsletter - Tech News, MS Security & Hot Fix Updates, Virus and Latest Driver Updates, and Weekly Hardware Reviews delivered to your inbox in a weekly newsletter.
  • Exclusive Content - Access exclusive content from the Internet.com, DevX, and EarthWeb networks: eBooks, whitepapers, newsletters, webcasts, and more.

WinFiles - I linked to their page for drivers (BIOS & System Updates Display & Video Printers Scanners).


Finding Compatible Device Drivers for Windows XP - Use the Internet and find out if Windows XP drivers for your devices exist before you plug everything in. Don't find out the hard way that there's a problem.


How to Use Driver Verifier to Troubleshoot Windows Drivers


Drivers Guide for Windows - The Windows® Driver Guide provides technical resources and support for locating and updating Windows® device drivers and software for Windows® compatible hardware and peripherals.

Latin Can Be A Fun Language!

EXAMPLES:

My dog ate it.
Canis meus id comedit.

The check is in the mail.
Perscriptio in manibus tabellariorum est.

What's happening?
Quid fit?

Garbage in, garbage out.
Purgamentum init, exit purgamentum.

No way.
Nullo modo.

What goes around, comes around.
Id quot circumiret, circumveniat.

Have a nice day.
Die dulci fruimini.

Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.
Re vera, cara mea, mea nil refert.

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck is a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?

You're from New York, aren't you?
Nonne de Novo Eboraco venis?

If you fail, the secretary will disavow all knowledge of your activities.
Si fallatis officium, quaestor infitias eat se quicquam scire de factis vestris.

Visit the webpage for even more fun with Latin.

Monday, January 7, 2008

The Brain


The human brain fascinates all of us, doesn't it? This website takes a stab at entertaining AND explaining what all those little neurons, er, synapses, er, thingamajiggies are doing when you're not looking.

The website is divided into sections and they are:

1) Exhibit Tour: "Brain: The World Inside Your Head";

2) Brain Games: Boost your brain while having fun with three computer games; and

3) Grown-ups: special information for parents, caregivers and educators.

VISIT "BRAIN: THE WORLD INSIDE YOUR HEAD."

Also try these "brainy" links:

Plastelina Interactive Logic Games

MENSA's Virtual Game Room

BrainyQuote.com

Brain Diseases

Brain Injury

"Brain Basics" from Brain Connection

Mind Tools' "Improve Your Memory"

How-To-Study.com

LibrarySpot.com

LeftBrain/RightBrain

What is "Genius?"

What is "I.Q.?"

Free Online I.Q. Test

Smartkit - Daily Puzzles To Cross Train Your Brain

Stave Puzzles (but only if you enjoy being tormented)

3D Jigsaw Puzzles from Puzzle House

Brainbashers.com - thousands of brain teasers, puzzles, riddles, games and optical illusions

Lateral Puzzles

Brainteasers from About.com

Make Your Own Puzzles (all kinds) from Discovery.com

Aha! Puzzles

BrainJuice Puzzles (FAIR WARNING: Don't get started unless you've got the time and attention to spare. If you click on this link, you will be lost in these puzzles for a while. Heh. You've been warned)

Conceptis Puzzles

UNSOLVED PROBLEMS in Number Theory, Logic, and Cryptography

Brainline - an idea-generating process in which creative thinkers from around the world collaborate, cross-pollinate, and generate ideas online

Right Brain Workouts

Buzztime.com

Games at Miniclip.com - Trivia MachineTrivia Machine

Reach the top of the ladder by answering fun trivia questions.

Play this free game now!!

The World's Best Chair?

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

MetroNaps EnergyPod: Midday productivity lag? If only there were some sort of "pod" where you could take a "nap." This chair, designed for workplace power naps, has a privacy visor to block out ambient noise and rouses the sleeper after a short but energizing 20 minutes with gentle vibrations and alarms. $8,000; metronaps.com Review from CNN Tech page.

MetroNaps enhances workforce productivity through educational seminars and mid-day napping equipment. Born from the realization that individuals can significantly increase their energy with brief daytime rest, MetroNaps seeks to be the world’s premier provider of professional napping products and services.

Are You an Atheist, Agnostic or a Believer?

Here's Mine:


You Are a Believer

You definitely believe in God - and you're very unwavering in your religious beliefs.

In fact, religion and spirituality are definitely big parts of your life.

Religion shapes how you view right and wrong, as well as the decisions you make.

It's hard for you to imagine how your life would be without your beliefs.

That's all true about me. Faith and doing good for people is everything to me. Everything.

It's your turn to take the test! Are You an Atheist, Agnostic or a Believer?

How to tie the eight most useful knots

Drugs Make You Ugly


So...the question is... is this really what you want to grow up to be? If you're using, welcome to your future. Or present, as the case may be although I doubt crackheads and speed freaks and the rest of the doper world have any interest in computers other than what they could sell them for to buy more drugs. So, they wouldn't exactly be sitting at a computer when they'd much rather be out getting more sores on their face. Or dying. Just in case you do use, then hear this: You are the most selfish person on the planet. Somebody, somewhere, loves you. Somebody cares. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO THEM? You deserve sores on your face. But, that family member or friend or neighbor never deserved what you're doing to them right now. Do you have even one brain cell left? Could you use it for just a second here to THINK what you're doing to the ones who do care about you even if you no longer care? That little girl or little boy that you used to be, is the above video what you dreamed of being? Huh? It's NEVER TOO LATE to turn back into a human being. Do it. Now. Or you really are just plain ugly.

Permission granted to repost this post anywhere you think it might do some good. Please DO republish this post... everywhere. Thank you.

The 50 Worst Cars of All Time

The 50 Worst Cars of All Time

From the 1899 Horsey Horseless to the 2004 Chevy SSR, they've got quite a selection. The Ford Explorer is on the list as well as the Chevy Chevette, the Ford Pinto, the Ford Edsel, and the 1920 Briggs and Stratton Flyer. Is your favorite "worst car" on the list? Any cars you think should be added to the list?

1899-1939

1940-1959

1960-1974

1975-1989

1990-Present

Complete List