Category Archives: Technology

How to Improve Learning Using Technology Toys

The use of toys in children is to allow them to have fun while they learn and explore things. As they say, play time is the best time for young children to learn and you should never underestimate what toys can do for your child. Toys help children to share, communicate, judge things, explore their surroundings, and others and we have already seen all these things in conventional toys. Now that technology is very popular, promoting learning using technology toys becomes a challenge for parents, care givers and teachers. It’s not as easy to teach as say riding a bike. To help you stimulate learning in children as they use their favorite gadgets, the following are some effective tips to do this:

1. Set the time when they can use they gadgets

Even before, children should be given a time for play. Same is true when using their gadgets. When they use their tablets, laptops, gaming consoles and other technological toys for several hours, they tend to shift from educational games to just playing for the sake of fun. This is especially a concern when you are not controlling the apps installed in their gadgets because they can just shift to other non-worthwhile apps and games as they play for a long time. Make sure to give them specific time of the day when they can play.

2. Allow them to choose their gadgets with your assistance

Without parent’s assistance, children can just pick any toy or any app that they want. This exposes the child to inappropriate games and toys that can include violence and other things that they should not be exposed to. Make sure to assist them in choosing their toys so you ensure that what they get are educational. You can look into Magic cabin for worthwhile and educational toys and games.

3. Choose gadgets with multi-function

Instead of getting a gaming console for instance, you can maximize your money and their learning by getting multi-functional gadgets such as tablets. In this way, they can use it for games, educational apps, communication, music, art and others.

4. Get them educational apps

You can also maximize learning using technology by getting educational apps for them. Focus on apps that can help them in Arithmetic, Reading, Phonics, Science, Art and others. There are hundreds of apps that can offer these learning skills so better check the app store if your kids have tablets or smart phones.

5. Engage in quality time with your kids during play time

While they use their gadgets during play time, it is also encouraged that care givers spend time with children to assist them in learning and discover how kids learn using the gadgets.

Technological toys are now very rampant in the toy market and while they are very appealing for both the children and their parents, it is still preferred that they will be used for learning purposes to maximize the play time of kids. Also, you must get conventional toys for your children aside from their gadgets so they may also experience play in real time with other children

Dr. Rowena is a developmental pediatrician. She also has children of her own. Aside from assisting her patients in their developmental and health concerns, she also provides a list of educational games for toddlers, toys and gadgets that are beneficial based on her own research.

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The Ups and Downs of Dealing with SSD Hard Drives

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SSD versus HDD is an ongoing debate in most technical environments today. Should you jump on the bandwagon of new technology or stick with your old, reliable HDD? To understand the debate, it’s important to know what an SSD drive is and how it differs from the HDD drive.

Since 1956, we’ve depended on HDD technology to store information on our computers. Over time, these drives have become immensely smaller, capable of storing far greater amounts of data affordably and are generally pretty reliable. Research and development of current SSDs began in the 1970s, but experienced a number of false starts and setbacks. SSDs as we now know them were only born in the 1990s, but didn’t reach any real market potential until well into the 2000s. Now, they’re the new girl in school and everybody’s talking about her.

What Is an SSD Drive?

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SSD stands for Solid State Drive. It is different from HDD (Hard Disk Drive) in that SSDs have no moving parts. HDDs are constantly spinning, which often leads to mechanical failures that SSD drives are all but immune from. Also called flash drives, they operate exactly like our portable USB or thumb drives. An Solid State Hard Drive is like having a much bigger and more sophisticated flash drive.

Sometimes, SSDs are referred to as “electronic drives,” but this isn’t an entirely accurate term. Most SSDs use NAND based flash memory. This means that when you remove or power off the device, it still remembers what’s on it. Techies call this non-volatile memory, and this quality is obviously essential for any storage device.

SSDs are most practical for mobile users. Since HDDs are extremely susceptible to problems like overheating, jarring, extreme cold and even high elevation, many users need a durable, reliable device to withstand the rigors of outdoor use, use during battle conditions, use on public transportation systems and other less than pristine operating conditions.

About 90 percent of SSDs are marketed to individuals (as opposed to large organizations) for PCs, laptops and tablets. But the big guys account for 50 percent of manufacturer profits because large corporations demand larger, more powerful discs. The overall market for SSDs is growing about 70 percent per year.

Advantages of Using SSD Drives

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Since there are no moving parts, there are a number of advantages inherent in using SSD drives, including:

Quiet operation
Faster start-up
Much faster than an HDD
Lower power consumption
Produces less heat
Almost never experience mechanical failure

No spinning drive means the machine can operate silently, except for very high-end SSD drives, which require cooling fans. Since the device doesn’t have to start spinning to operate, it boots up more quickly. No moving parts also means it uses less power, making it attractive to green thinkers. Since the drive produces less heat, it eliminates many of the cooling problems associated with using lots of high-powered machines. Usually, the moving parts of HDD drives cause failures, and SSD technology almost eliminates this possibility.

In addition to these benefits, SSDs are almost immune to damage by vibration, sudden shock, extreme temperatures and high altitude. This durability makes SSDs particularly attractive to the military, rescue workers, field researchers and others who need reliable memory in extreme conditions.

When SSDs fail, it usually happens during the writing process instead of the reading process when most HDD drives fail. Because of this, it’s often easier to retrieve information lost during an SSD failure than when an HDD fails. SSDs also run about 100 times faster than HDD drives and are lighter and smaller. Sounds like the perfect solution – so why isn’t everyone convinced to run out and buy an SSD drive already?

Disadvantages of Using SSD Drives

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SSDs still have a low endurance cycle when compared to standard HDD drives. This means you can’t use them indefinitely without failure. They have a shorter data retention, so the performance of SSDs deteriorates over time. Since the drives fill up faster, it’s necessary to do more maintenance work, such as frequent disc cleanups and removing duplicate files. Lower storage space also means you need more drives to store the same amount of data, and in some working environments space is a big issue.

But the most prohibitive aspects of SSDs are their lower capacity and higher cost. These drives store less information, yet cost considerably more than their HDD counterparts. Cost alone causes most buyers to pause, since the cost of a laptop or notebook with an SSD drive is about $200 more than an HDD machine. In some cases, this almost doubles the cost of the device.

Choosing Between HDD and SSD Drives

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It’s important to remember SSD drives are still in a relatively new stage of development. As with all technology, these drives become better and more affordable over time. For applications in extreme conditions, the cost may be worth the ability to operate the machine in temperatures as low as 41 F and as high as 131 F. SSD drives are also a clear choice for machines needing to operate reliably in bumpy vehicles and other rough environments.

As development of SSDs improves and cost goes down, more consumers will opt for the quiet, quick operation of the SSD drive. Until these advancements become reality, users need to weigh the benefits versus the costs. Do you need a computer to withstand impacts, endure brutal temperatures, operate in silence or boot up quickly? Then the cost of your SSD drive may be worth it. For most average users, HDD remains a reliable, affordable way to store and retrieve data.

While some believe SSD drives will eventually replace HDD drives completely, most experts don’t think so. Manufacturers continue to improve their HDD development right along side their SSD efforts, because there remains practical needs for both devices. For the forseeable future, users will have a choice of both drive types when it comes to storing our estimated world accumulation of an astounding 1,800 exabytes (a “billion billion” or quintillion bytes, in other words, ten to the eighteenth power) of data.

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Gastric Bypass Surgery for my Type 2 Diabetes

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What Led Me to Gastric Bypass Surgery

9 Years ago I got married and it was a great day. A great week in my life. One of the things I had to do before the wedding was get a blood test to obtain a marriage license. The Dr that I did this at came back with the results and said “ok you all set to get your marriage license but you got diabetes. you need to eat more vegetables. you too fat.”

Huh? What? Diabetes? Yea ok whatever.

So we went about our wedding day and night and it was fun. Looking forward to the honeymoon the next day was the cap on a perfect day. We couldn’t wait to get down to Key West and spend the week relaxing and having fun. Plus I had the most fun chic to hang with and share all this with.

We took an early flight from Boston to Tampa the next morning and everything was pretty smooth. The flight from Tampa to Key West was a different story. I didn’t eat that morning and we kinda rushed into the airport and into the terminal. A few hours later we landed in Tampa and hurried to get our connecting flight. Running through the airport I started to feel a little dizzy and shakey is the only way I can explain it. Whatev, I get on the plane with my new wife and get seated so we can take off.

Sitting on the 8 passenger plane taxiing out to the runway I start to get this weird numbing feeling in my body and my vision all but shuts off or something like tunnel vision. At this point I’m think ok this aint cool and getting stuck in a plane when I need some medical attention ain’t a cool idea either. So I get out of my seat and began to open the door to the plane to get off. I felt pretty calm at this point but most of it is still kinda hazy. I remember walking off the plane and some guy running at me from the terminal like he wants to tackle me. Laughing at the guy cause he looked funny but he wasn’t too happy. They directed me to the terminal and lots of people were staring at me. I walked up a bunch of steps and that’s about all I remember for a while. Luckily my wife followed behind me but she was probably better off going without me.

I remember kinda waking up sitting in the airport food court eating some shitty hamburger and drinking a Coca-Cola. What happened? My wife told me what went on and we chalked it up to a panic attack or something because the plane was so small. I’ve flown in those planes before and really didn’t think it was that. Whatev again. Let’s get down to Key West.

So we rented a Lincoln Towncar and drove down to Key West from Tampa. I think it took like 7 hours but it was an adventure.

Some time later on I went to the doctor’s and found out I was a Type 2 Diabetic and I need to start on some medication and get in better shape. So began my 10 year struggle with Diabetes and now I’m looking to cure all that with this Gastric Bypass weight loss surgery. I could try me best to explain everything I understand about it but this video below does a better job. Basically what happens is I re-route food I eat into a smaller pouch of a stomach and also do away with the first 18 inches of my small intestine. The combination of these 2 things actually cures my type 2 diabetes right after the surgery. Some thing about forcing the pancreas to work harder to secrete insulin into my body and preventing my liver from releasing sugar into my blood also.

So in just a few days I’ll be getting this surgery at Lahey Clinic in Burlington MA and recovering a few days in the hospital. Wish me luck and hopefully no complications like my Mother had with her gastric bypass surgery. I can’t look at pictures of my Dad anymore to see what I’ll look like when I get older cause he died when he was 37. It’s up to me how I live my life and I don’t want to leave any earlier than I have to. This surgery will extend my life rather than how I was living with Diabetes and being overweight.

Here’s What a Gastric Bypass Surgery Looks Like

How to Stay Healthy in a High Technology Workplace

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Computers have changed our world but not without a price. Some of us are getting out of balance. Problems associated with computers are CDT (Cumulative Trauma Disorder), RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury), or the worst SOZS (Spaced Out Zombie Syndrome).

My latest tweet showed the food that’s provided for free at my current job.

As with television, you can become addicted to a computer. You sit down at your computer, and seven hours later you finally notice your rear end is numb, your neck and shoulders are in a vice, you are hungry, thirsty, tired, and your spouse has left with all the kids. How did that happen? Where did your mind go? And why did you accomplish so little in that time?

Much has been said about how to support yourself physically on the computer. Invest in a good chair, maintain erect posture, use a wrist rest, and use an anti-glare screen. But what about proper mental and emotional support? For example, if you look at a two-dimensional screen at close range for many hours, it can limit your binocular vision, depth perception and peripheral vision. The constant hum of electronic equipment can switch off auditory skills. These imbalances can cause you to over focus, and become so engrossed in the details of what you are doing on screen. Consequently, you lose track of the big picture, your priorities and goals. Also, the electromagnitic field of a computer can negatively affect body meridians, which in turn affect energy, mind and emotions.

Below are some tricks you can use to stay alert, creative, positive, productive, clear and healthy on computer. Take a 3 minute break every half hour. Set up a timer that will go off reminding you to break. Here are some ideas that will re-balance your system. Try a different one each time: Continue reading →

How to Upgrade and Migrate Windows XP to Windows 7

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Microsoft Vista is an operating system that has quite a bit of faults. From poor RAM allocation to causing hardware failures with certain computers, Vista has had more than it’s fair share of detractors. However, Microsoft responded in kind with Windows 7 – a powerful operating system that has enjoyed favorable accolades from reviewers around the world. Windows 7 was designed with high-end functionality in mind coupled with a user-friendly interface. No matter which operating system you are currently using, it is highly recommended that you upgrade to Windows 7 right away.

While upgrading your operating system may seem difficult, the jump to Windows 7 does not have to be a tough process. It will only require a small chunk of your time, and there are many precautions Microsoft has taken to ensure a quick and easy upgrade for you, the user. There are certain things for you to take into consideration, however, which we will look into here.

The first and most vital step in the process of upgrading to Windows 7 is ensuring that your hardware is compatible with the operating system’s requirements. Microsoft offers a free download of their Windows Upgrade Advisor, which will allow you to see whether or not your computer is compatible with Windows 7 easily and quickly. Chances are, if you are using Windows Vista already, your computer will most likely be compatible with Windows 7 – particularly if the computer has been purchased within the past year. However, that is no reason not to be sure (better safe than sorry), so take the time to head over to the Windows homepage and download the Windows Upgrade Advisor. In addition, you should also download Windows Easy Transfer, which will discuss further in detail when we get to the point where you will need to utilize it.

Now, before you go ahead and purchase Windows 7 discs at your local electronics retailer, it is important to begin backing up your files. Typically, a Windows migration will preserve the majority of your files, if not all of them. In any event, as a general rule it is still important to backup all of your files – even if you are not upgrading to a new operating system. Technical issues can arise with hardware and software which could lead to the loss of gigabytes worth of pictures, documents, and hundreds of dollars (and time!)in software. Take the time to invest in an external hard drive. Of course, it goes without saying that you want to choose an external hard drive that’s capacity will be able to comfortably store all your files. Luckily, most external hard drives run rather cheap. For instance, a 1.7 terabyte hard drive averages around $125. Given that 1.7 terabytes is an amazing wealth of memory, the price is not particularly overwhelming. Note that this step in the process is not entirely necessary, however, it is never a bad idea to set up a security blanket for your files.

Now that you have checked the compatibility of Windows 7 with your system and invested in an external back-up system, it is time to grab hold of the Windows 7 installation discs. If you have not yet purchased them, consider first which version is appropriate for you. Much like Vista, Windows 7 comes in both 32 bit and 64 bit versions – and both of them are included in the Windows 7 software package. The difference lies within the amount of RAM being processed – 64 bit operating systems process more, but require more to run. Not all computers can handle the 64 bit version, but if your system has four gigs or more of RAM, it should handle Windows 7 just fine. The Windows Upgrade Advisor software can assist you in determining whether or not your computer is more tailored to the 32 bit or 64 bit version of Windows 7.

So, now the big moment has arrived. It’s time to upgrade your PC to Windows 7. Insert the installation disc, make sure your computer is properly connected to the internet (to automatically install all of the Windows updates) and get ready to go through all of the necessary steps. An important note: make sure to have the provided 25 character long serial number. Your copy of Windows 7 is rendered useless without it. It is recommended that you use the “easy install” option, so that you may transfer all of your files properly. Once this process is done (it can take anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour depending on your hadrware setup), run Windows Easy Transfer to make sure that all of your old files get put in the places where they are expected. Microsoft has done a great job of streamlining this entire process for you, making it easy to upgrade and migrate to Windows 7. In the unfortunate event that anything happens to your files during the upgrade process (an unlikely possibility), Windows Easy Transfer, a free download, will allow you to transfer all of your files from your external hard drive with simple ease. Windows Easy Transfer will then allow you to re-install all of your programs and drives in simple fashion, ensuring that your computer will have everything it had with your prior operating system.

No matter which operating system you are currently using, an upgrade to Windows 7 can be a good idea for many people. Its new features make navigating your PC easier than ever before, and it is yet to have any serious bugs or malfunction-related issues – unlike Vista. While it may seem difficult to upgrade and migrate to Windows 7 at first, you will find that the process has been set up for success by Microsoft. The process is actually very user friendly, and will only take a small amount of time from your day. Using this guide and taking a few simple measures to preserve your files can go a long way to long-term happiness, so give it a shot today!

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Complications From Gastric Bypass Weight Loss Surgery

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Gastric bypass complications are a very real part of weight loss surgery for many people after gastric bypass surgery. So is it the best way to lose weight? In today’s society, so many of us suffer from poor health associated with obesity or morbid obesity. It is even scarier for parents who find out their child is dangerously overweight.

Morbid obesity is dangerous because it can lead to numerous health problems, as well as a diminished quality of life. Many of us know we should lose weight and some of us absolutely must if we want to live. The big question is whether you opt to “do it on your own”, or if you use the advances we have access to in the medical field to reach your desired end.

Both options have the same intended goal, to lose weight. Those who opt for a weight loss program to help them lose weight usually have a longer time before they see drastic changes. They will also have to use more self control, willpower, and exercise in order to succeed.

If you qualify, there are two popular weight loss surgeries being performed today. The two options most practiced are gastric bypass surgery and the lap band. Both procedures have the same intended goal, weight loss. You may have chosen this route on your own, or it may have been suggested to you by someone else.

We will explain and discuss these options in detail as we go further, as well as the gastric bypass complications. The primary goal of weight loss surgery is to medically assist morbidly obese people get themselves down to their ideal weight. These bariatric procedures are designed in order for you to achieve greater weight loss and longer lasting results than dieting and exercise alone.

Weight loss programs have also had success in assisting heavy people in reducing pounds, improving their health and body image. What is important to keep in mind is that whether you choose diet and exercise alone, or acquire the assistance of a surgeon, these are just tools to help you lose weight.

Our goal is to try to put everything out on the table so you are able to see the entire picture for yourself. You do not want gastric bypass complications making your life worse instead of better. Once you know all of the facts then you can make an informed decision as to what is the best way to lose weight, whether it be weight loss surgery or a weight loss program.

Tweak Windows 7 to Optimize the Speed of Your SSD

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As you’re no doubt aware by now, solid-state drives offer substantial performance gains over traditional platter hard drives in a variety of areas. Judged by nearly any metric imaginable, SSDs are vastly superior. If raw speed is what you’re interested in, SSDs are the ticket. By default, Windows 7 is a great operating system. It’s even better when running off of a spanking new SSD. While performance with the stock configuration settings is admirable, you can tweak Windows 7 to perform better when working off of an SSD. Here are a few quick tips to tweak SSD devices running Windows 7 for maximum speed. Read my SSD comparison and reviews page here.

Stay Up To Date
While stock SSDs are impressive, you need to remember that they’re in a constant state of development and that new firmware and software are constantly being released and refined. Updating the firmware of your system is incredibly important in this regard. While Windows 7 has supported TRIM since its release, older PC hardware may not. Upgrade your motherboard’s BIOS to make sure that TRIM is supported by the memory controller as well. All the major OEMs like Dell, HP and Toshiba regularly release updates to their firmware so as to properly handle SSDs. Make sure your machine is running the latest version and Flash your BIOS if necessary.

Proper Installation
If you’re dropping a new SSD into an older machine, you’ll have to reinstall Windows 7. Before you do that, go into the BIOS and make sure the SATA controller is configured to run in AHCI mode. If you don’t, you won’t be able to install the proper drivers for your SSD later on. If you’re installing a pre-owned drive or a drive you had installed on another PC, use a Secure Erase tool to completely wipe the drive before installing your OS. Some computers have this functionality installed already in the BIOS. If not, your SSD manufacturer’s website should have the appropriate utility to accomplish this task.

Get Your Files In Order
You’ll want to save personal data and files on a traditional Hard Drive if possible, with the operating system housed on the SSD. On Linux, you can simply install your root partition on the SSD and your /home partition on an HDD. With Windows 7, you’ll want to go into Explorer, right click a folder like Documents, hit “Properties”, and then look under the “Location” tab. Click “Move”, and assign your folder to the HDD, listed under the assigned drive letter. SSDs can only handle so many write cycles per cell before failure, so it’s best to minimize writes to the SSD as much as possible.

Monitor Your Disk
Installing a monitoring program for your SSD is crucial when it comes to keeping things running smoothly. For starters, you’ll want to get a heads up if you have an impending hardware failure on your hands. More importantly, you can keep an eye out for declining performance over time and rectify any issues if they should crop up. CrystalDiskInfo is one of the most popular SSD monitoring tools available. It supports S.M.A.R.T. data and allows you to benchmark your disk and chart read and write performance over time to get an accurate picture of your SSD’s health.

Tweak The System Settings
First, you’ll want to tweak Windows 7 to handle Virtual Memory a bit differently than it does by default. You can either move the paging file to another disk, or you can shrink it if that’s not an option. Go to “Computer”, and click on the “Advanced Settings” tab under System Properties. In the Virtual Memory section, uncheck Automatic Memory management and set the page file size to 1024 MB at a minimum and 4096 MB at a maximum. You’ll barely ever use the swap file, so it’s best to save space and keep it small. If you’re using your SSD solely as a boot drive for the operating system, you’ll want to move the Windows Search index to your storage drive. Indexing is great and works wonders under Windows 7, but in this case you don’t want it bogging down the SSD needlessly.

In Conclusion
Like every other operating system on the market, Windows has developed over the past few decades to maximize the performance of a traditional, spinning-disk hard drive. With Windows 7, you’ll need to tweak SSD drives a bit more than usual. However, the end results are well worth the effort. The most important thing to remember is that SSDs are still very much a work in progress. Failure is common even with the most dependable models. If you follow these recommendations, you’ll hopefully be able to prolong the life of your disk and get a significant speed bump at the same time.

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Making Your Solid-State Drive and Windows 7 Work Together

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When solid-state drives first appeared on the market, consumers faced a great challenge in installing and configuring these devices. Configured incorrectly, the performance was horrid, and in some cases, could even lead to a permanent loss of capability. Then, Windows 7 came along. Here was an operating system that Microsoft optimized in such a way that the average person could use it and an SSD together with very little fuss or know-how.

Nevertheless, using an SSD and Windows 7 together is not always an entirely hands-free process. Some system configurations can install and operate without a hitch while others can experience a wide range of performance issues. In light of that, we’ll examine the various hurdles that you may encounter trying to get your SSD and Windows 7 OS to work together, and we’ll explore some SSD techniques to maximize Windows 7 performance. Also read my SSD comparisons and reviews here.

Buying Your SSD

1. For best Windows 7 performance, you never want to use more than 50-percent of the available space on your SSD, so buy accordingly, and if you’re purchasing a 60GB SSD, think of it as 30GB capacity.

2. TRIM is an SSD feature used by Windows 7 to avoid the performance degradation over time to which SSDs are prone. Although most do, not all SSDs support TRIM, so make sure that the drive you purchase does.

Preparation

3. SSD technology is very new, and most SSD firmware is in a state of flux. By the time you open the box, your firmware is likely outdated, so to achieve maximum Windows 7 performance, flash the SSD with the newest version.

*Note: If you’re assembling a new system and do not have another available, you may need to install the SSD and Windows 7 first. Then, you can go back and flash the SSD to the newest firmware.

4. If the SSD is not new, then it can be beneficial, in terms of speed and compatibility during installation, to put the drive in a like-factory condition by using a Secure Erase tool before installing.

Installation

5. Prior to installing the operating system, boot into BIOS and locate the SATA disk controller setting. Ensure that the option is set to AHCI as opposed to either ATA or IDE. Both of those options can cause significant problems.

*Note: If you’ve installed with either ATA or IDE enabled, it may have prevented the proper drivers from installing. In this case, it’s best to first change the setting and then to completely reinstall the operating system.

6. While Windows is installing, ensure that it installs the latest version of Intel’s Rapid Storage Technology Driver. The easiest way to update this during the Windows installation is via a USB flash drive.

Configuration

7. Once Windows starts, access the Control Panel. Go to System and then Performance and Information Tools. Run the Windows Experience tool for the first time. When it completes, examine the scores, and if the index is less than six, it indicates a problem. Quality SSDs generally score ~7.5 while lesser SSDs can score as low as ~6.5.

8. By default, Windows 7 should disable some features, such as defragmentation, prefetch and superfetch. However, leave nothing to chance. Check these features individually and ensure that they’re disabled. Likewise, SSDs do not need features like power management, write caching, indexing and so forth.

9. Enter the Windows 7 Device Manager. Open IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, and then double-click the node labeled Primary and Secondary IDE Channels. For each channel, in the Advanced Settings, Windows should display the Current Transfer Mode as Ultra DMA Mode 5. If, instead, Windows lists it as PIO Mode 4, there’s a problem: incorrect BIOS settings, bad drivers, loose cable connections and so forth.

Performance

10. Earlier, we mentioned that you want to limit disk usage to 50-percent. A good way to do that is to use the SSD as the system drive and to use a secondary conventional HDD as the data drive.

11. For features like paging, hibernation and system restore, Windows can create exceptionally large files. Although there’s nothing inherently wrong with these big files, they can cause problems for users battling space issues. Feel free to disable these features, or move these files, where possible, to the data drive.

12. Beware of fix-it utilities for SSD drives. Some of these utilities can make low-level changes that can cause damage to the device. Only make tweaks and changes when you know what they do and you’re sure they’re safe.

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How to Make Your SSD Perform Faster

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Solid-state drives are an extremely fast alternative to the traditional hard drive, which typically uses spinning platters and movable read-write heads to manipulate data. An SSD, on the other hand, uses a series of memory chips, to which it has immediate access, which accounts for the blazing SSD speed and efficiency. Nevertheless, fast is never fast enough, so in this article, we’ll explore a number of tweaks that will make your SSD perform faster. For now you can read my solid state drive reviews and comparisons here.

Update Your SSD Firmware

Solid-state drive technology is still in its infancy. For both the manufacturers and the software developers, this is a cooperative and touch-and-go process. What this means for the end-user is that by the time you unbox your SSD, your firmware is likely outdated. Therefore, the first step to maximizing SSD speed is to install the newest firmware.

Flashing is no longer the mysterious and scary process that it once was. Most SSD manufacturers provide Windows-based install packages that do the dirty work for you. There are, however, some points to consider:

• You may require a second disk drive to boot into and/or save the firmware update to.

• Your SSD model may require a jumper in order to put the drive into factory mode.

SSD Configuration

The next step to making your SSD perform faster and more efficiently is to configure it correctly. The good news here is that Microsoft has optimized Windows 7 for SSDs. That means that if you’re running the latest firmware and your SSD has all the critical features, such as TRIM, Windows should configure your SSD auto-magically. Nevertheless, leave nothing to chance, so double-check all of the following points:

1. Configure the disk controller for AHCI mode.

Prior to installing Windows, enter BIOS and ensure that the SATA controller is using the Advanced Host Controller Interface. The ATA and IDE modes will interfere with driver installation and reduce the performance of your SSD.

2. Reset the drive using a Secure Erase tool.

If you’ve already used the SSD but have to reinstall Windows to achieve optimum SSD speed and performance, it can be helpful, although not essential, to put the SSD in as close to a factory state as possible.

3. Use the latest storage driver.

If your system uses an Intel SATA controller, then during the installation of Windows, ensure that the process is using the most recent version of the Rapid Storage Technology driver.

4. Check the Windows Experience Index

After installation, click on the Start button, Control Panel, System and then the Performance and Information Tools link in the lower left-hand corner. If your SSD is operating properly, the score for your primary disk should be above seven. At less than seven, it’s an indication that you can still make your SSD perform faster.

SSD Tweaking

Once you have installed your SSD and confirmed that it is reporting accurately in Windows 7, there are still steps that you can take to maximize its performance and achieve even greater speeds:

1. Use a secondary drive as a data drive.

As a Windows 7 system drive, an SSD is exceptionally fast. As a data drive, the benefits are not nearly as great. Using a conventional HDD for data and some installations can help keep your SSD running at peak performance.

2. Use only half the available space.

As a rule of thumb, SSD operate at peak levels when they have as much free space as they do data. As soon as they have less, performance drops and the degradation gets exponentially worse. So if you have an 80GB SSD, keep 40 GB free, and if you’re finding it difficult to do so, then you may need an upgrade to a bigger drive.

3. Keep Windows disk usage in check.

Windows creates files for processes such as hibernation, indexing, paging and system restore. Left unchecked, these files can get quite larger, and this can be a problem area for users with small SSDs.

4. Tweak your software.

Some applications do a lot of write access because they’re using the disk as a cache unnecessarily. A prime example of this is the Firefox browser, and SSD users can benefit by switching the default write caching to memory caching.

5. Don’t go overboard.

As mentioned earlier, Microsoft has done an excellent job optimizing Windows 7 for SSDs. Therefore, only tweak when you know that it will provide benefit, and avoid those “magic” SSD-tweaking utilities.

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Good morning

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woke up to this and a sunny day this morning. Time to get Jake to school and hopefully shoot some photos.

Coolest Flash animation I’ve seen in a while

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Yea this is the coolest Flash animation on a website I’ve seen in a while. Basically just hit the start link and then scroll in or out with the up and down arrow keys. It loops so you can be sure to see everything. Go through it one time fast and then slow down and look at all the details they put into this.

Nice job!!

http://razghul.ice.org/misc/zoom/zoom.htm

Cassini enters orbit around Saturn!

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Last night at some ungodly AM hour on the east coast (slightly less ungodly on the left coast, equally ungodly in Europe), the Cassini-Huygens probe fired its rockets and put itself into orbit around Saturn.
The Cassini-Huygens probe has traveled nearly 3.5 billion km (2.2 billion miles to us USians) since its October 15th, 1997 launch from Florida. The probe is the first spacecraft to orbit the ringed gas giant.

Cassini carries 12 instruments that will study the planet, rings and moons in extensive detail. Riding aboard Cassini is a second spacecraft, the Huygens probe, built by the European Space Agency. It carries half a dozen instruments that will study Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, a prime target for both Cassini and the Huygens probe. Titan is the only moon in the solar system to have a dense atmosphere and resembles the early Earth in deep freeze.

After seven years in space, Cassini went into orbit around Saturn on July 1, 2004. Since then, have have used our Langmuir probe instrument onboard for investigating the space physics of the Saturn system, including its rings and moons, particularly Titan and Enceladus. The Langmuir probe is designed and built by us at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics in Uppsala, and we get a lot of nice data and results.

Lots of information is available at the Cassini-Huygens site.

Testing Embedded Video for iPhone, iPad and Mobile Devices

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It’s getting real annoying while on the iPhone or iPad to come to a website and any flash video or other types of embedded video not being playable on my mobile device. It’s the whole Flash video vs HTML5 video thing and it’s driving me crazy.

Take a look at the videos below and tell me in the comments below if any of these work for you while you’re on your mobile device…

YouTube

Vimeo

Flickr

Make a Tyvek Ground Cloth for Ultralight Backpacking

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Here’s a project that’s been gaining a lot of ground recently. You go camping and you’ve got to haul your pack, tent and other needed accessories. If you’re just parking your RV or truck near a campsite… no big deal. But, if you’re an enthusiast seeking the ultimate wilderness experience, you might be hiking into a remote location to camp.

When hauling gear over long distances, campers know one thing is key- weight. and more specifically, the less weight the better. There has been a recent rise in ultralight backpacking supplies, penny-weight camping stoves (be sure to check out our own page on the classic soda can stove) and now ultralight ground cloths. Resourceful campers know they can make their own lightweight ground cloths.

The most popular material for a DIY ultralight ground cloth? Tyvek, of course!

Why Tyvek as a Camping Ground Cloth?

Tyvek is light, durable and waterproof and readily available. Perfectly suited for a ground cloth. So you want to make your own Tyvek ground cloth to protect your tent and keep your pack as light as possible? Here’s how:

Ultralight Backpacking Supplies:

Enough Tyvek Homewrap to cover the footprint of your tent. (Tyvek is often sold to contractors in rolls about 3 ft wide and 100 ft long or so- but there are many online retailers now catering to the DIY camper, offering cut-to-order sections)
Scissors
Contact cement/seam sealer
Marker

Starting in a large empty room or yard, roll out your Tyvek to the length of your tent footprint
If your tent footprint is wider than your Tyvek, roll out several sections and lay parralel. Join with contact cement to create one large piece.
Once the cement has dried, lay (or fully assemble) your tent and place on the Tyvek cloth.
Trace the outline of your tent onto the cloth. *Tip: if your tent is assymetrical, it will help if you make a mark, like a star, to indicate the doorway of your tent, for later alignment
Remove the tent and cut the outline out of the Tyvek

You now how have a DIY Tyvek ground cloth for your Ultralight Backpacking trip and you’re ready to go. Go try it out! If the crinkling noise bothers you, some folks have reported success in gently crumpling the Tyvek to soften it, or running it through a few minutes of a cold wash cycle in a washing machine and hang-drying.

See more DIY projects, from camping, to woodworking, to electronics and more, at the DIY Projects Guide!

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The B2B Online Marketing Process: Keywords For the Conversion Funnel

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Online marketing and transactions have brought a new opportunity to marketing departments and planners, the ability to micromanage metrics. One of the difficulties that marketing managers have faced since the beginning of marketing time is answering the question “is what I’m investing in really making a difference?”

That obfuscation of cause (or rather ad) and effect was and still is a problem for offline marketers and their quest for more budget. Online marketing can solve that problem because everything online can be tracked and measured. But does this new ability to micromanage the process help? Can you truly rely on math instead of your gut to help guide your marketing spend?

In most cases the answer is yes.

In the online world marketers must manage their budgets with their eyes focused on conversions and metrics.

Executive management has come to rely on the fact that their online expenditures can be tracked almost in real time. And so the online marketer must keep track of their overall Pay Per Click (PPC) budget when building their SEM plan and their aggregate Cost Per Click (CPC) which incorporates their SEO numbers. These numbers and costs can be watched on a daily and hourly basis and used as a marker for a campaign’s return on investment (ROI). With all of these metrics and measurements available to the online marketer it is easy and common for them to become a cost silo all by themselves and it is important that they maintain a connection with the overall marketing objective.

Basically both offline and online marketing plans combine to make up the company’s ultimate marketing plan. So the key to establishing good metrics and goals for the online marketing plan utilizes the same process as that for the offline plan, start by planning backwards. By developing the online plan from the company’s overall marketing plan you can make sure that there are thoughtful and logical intersections between both offline and online messaging and communications with the customer.

In the late 1990s marketers were challenged with coming up with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) processes and many CRM software companies were born. The idea behind CRM was, and still is, to manage the customer touch point process and measure the conversions along the way. I call these mini, micro or intermediate conversions as they are steps in the overall conversion process. Usually these conversion metrics can be used to track single node to node flow such as with an online click action or the overall aggregate percentage to close that the potential customer is at in the process.

B2B Online Marketing Conversion Process

An online conversion process might look like:

SSD-R-Us outbids their competitors for the search term ‘solid state hard drive comparison‘.
CTO John wants to begin upgrading his server farm so he googles ‘solid state hard drive comparison’ and sees an SSD-R-Us ad and clicks on it.
On the SSD-R-Us website CTO John sees a whitepaper on a comparison and reviews of solid state hard drives and a form he can download the report. He fills in his name, address and email to get it.
Later that week CTO John gets an email invite from SSD-R-Us to attend a “Why Solid State Drives are the Way to Go” webinar, he clicks on the embedded link and provides his phone number and opts in to be contacted by a SSD-R-Us.
An SSD-R-Us employee contacts CTO John to pitch a SSD of the Month club subscription.

That entire process would be captured in some format and hopefully tied back to CTO John’s prospect ID number and the campaign’s aggregate metrics would be used to measure efficiency and outcome of the campaign. The online marketer could begin to set up split or A/B tests to measure the whitepaper call to action or placement on the website, different types of communications such as email versus phone call or even incentives such as “buy 10 months and get 2 months free if you act today.”

With all of these online testing options available with real time data you can make decisions within days or weeks that can take an offline marketer months or years to decide. The online marketer needs to remember though that they are a step in the overall process and ultimate objective which is usually more sales.

The real objective of B2B Online Marketing metrics management isn’t to give you the look at the here and now (although it does do that) but really to focus on the future. This type of inward and intense look at conversions can also lead to other departmental efficiencies. For example you may uncover that the outbound telemarketing department for SSD-R-Us isn’t closing at a high enough percentage with the leads they are given and could use some additional sales training.

It is really all about providing the marketer and management with “what if” analysis tools to build budgets and expectations.

Later I’ll like to talk about how much that conversion was worth and how to track your online marketing spend. To get notified when I post that article, subscribe to this blog using the form below.

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Massachusetts Bans Texting While Driving

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Teens in Massachusetts have it rough lately with texting while driving, increasing the minimum driving age and avoiding suspicion of DUI charges.

Typing on your cellphone while driving could cost you $100 under a state ban against the practice that’s likely to become law. Technologies that let you text by talking can cost a lot less. But do they work? I’ve checked out a number of them recently, with mixed results.

Vlingo Corp. of Cambridge has one of the more attractive solutions. Vlingo Plus costs $10 for the iPhone and Google Inc.’s Android operating system, or $20 for the Nokia or BlackBerry editions.

Vlingo Plus can automatically read incoming text messages and e-mails. You don’t have to do anything. As soon as a message arrives, it’s read out in a metallic, female voice. Use a Bluetooth headset if you don’t want your passengers listening in, or turn off the automatic reading function.

Talking back isn’t altogether hands-free. On my BlackBerry Bold, it required pushing a button on the side of the phone. Then I ordered Vlingo to send a note to “Watha iPhone,’’ which is how my iPhone is listed in my BlackBerry’s address book.

It worked — sometimes. But after all these years, computers still have trouble understanding human language. With Vlingo and other speech-texting apps, I frequently had to repeat myself, even at home or in a quiet office. And the background noises of a moving car further reduced Vlingo’s accuracy. The system recognizes numbers better than words, so it helps to recite the phone number you’re trying to text, rather than the person’s name.

You must also say the correct command words. For instance, first say, “Message to,’’ followed by the name or number of the person you’re texting. Then say “message’’ again to start writing. Get it right, or Vlingo won’t understand.

A different texting service, VoiceAssist, doesn’t require a special software app. Subscribers, who pay $4.95 a month at VoiceAssist.com, register their personal phone numbers and upload a contact list onto the company’s server. Then, when they dial VoiceAssist, the network recognizes them. It will read incoming e-mails aloud or send text messages to contacts by voice. But the current version of VoiceAssist can’t read incoming text messages. The company says an upgrade is in the works.

I had slightly better luck with Voice On The Go. This service costs $6 a month, or $50 a year, at voiceonthego.com, and works with any phone, even a landline. It can also be controlled through a handy software app for iPhones, BlackBerrys, and Androids. Once again, Voice On The Go will send voice-generated text messages, but it won’t play back the replies. But the same company now offers DriveCarefully, a separate app that runs only on BlackBerry phones and can play incoming e-mails and text messages. It’s better than nothing, but incoming messages are played in a harsh and hasty digital voice. And since you never know when a message will be read, it’s easy to miss them, especially if you’re also fighting rush-hour traffic.

A better solution comes from ZoomSafer, maker of a $25 driver safety app that automatically locks a smartphone when it’s inside a moving car. At ZoomSafer.com, you can now buy an upgraded version featuring VoiceMate, a system for playing and responding to text messages. VoiceMate is available for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile phones only and costs an additional $4 a month, or $40 a year, on top of the price of ZoomSafer.

The VoiceMate feature dials up a computer that will read your e-mails and text messages to you. The digital voice is still rather grating and rushed. But unlike with Vlingo or DriveCarefully, messages are only played when you ask for them, so you can pay attention. Of course, you can verbally reply to the messages, but as with the standard ZoomSafer program, all the phone’s other functions remain locked.

For texting addicts, ZoomSafer and Vlingo are the best of this bunch, but that’s not saying much. They all suffer from the usual mediocre accuracy of speech recognition products. Even in a quiet room, you must repeat yourself time and again. In a moving car, it gets worse. In fact, it’s almost as bad as trying to type on a cellphone at 70 miles per hour. Luckily, the ideal solution was invented decades ago: the parking brake.

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How I Improve Microsoft SharePoint Performance

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[pullquote]I receive lots of comments and questions about performance recommendations for Microsoft SharePoint on a regular basis.[/pullquote]

I could be approached at conferences or even get asked for my advice in everyday conversations in the hallways or on the streets. In light of all the inquiries I have received thus far I decided to compile an short, easy to read list of recommendations for increasing performance for SharePoint that can be verbally related in as little as five minutes.

SharePoint Governance

Decrease how many content database and site collections you use. I prefer the “accounting model” of managing databases over the “airline booking model.” If you know what the allowable maximum quota of site collections is, which is 5GB, and wish to contain your current databases at 100GB, you cannot host any more than 20 site collections on a single database. This can result in a significant amount of content databases, although avoid any huge increases in site collection.

When using this model, take into consideration the amount of growth your account will receive and put 5% to 10% aside for the support of changes in schema among other things. Keep your databases at a realistic size and the original size it was designed for. Microsoft SharePoint technologies and products will stipulate the content database at a certain number of MB and will be able to automatically provide account growth in 1MB increments. Having a miniscule number of site collections in a single content database will increase operations efficiency and can alleviate exposure to computer and database locking that may occur; this can happen to a smaller amount of users within the database more so than a larger population.

SharePoint Caching and Compression

Encourage BLOB caching, HTTP compression, and site output caching as deemed appropriate. When using an HTTP compression, you must monitor closely the processor utilization.

Windows Server 2008

Everyone should consider upgrading to Windows Server 2008. The newest generation in IP/TCP stacks can bring many benefits to enhance performance for the following functions: compound TCP, system recover, receiving window auto-tuning, and improving routing paths. One extremely informative resource available, “Enhanced Network Performance with Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008” is a must have. Microsoft is constantly producing new data and results about their Windows SharePoint technology and products. Make sure you check in with Microsoft to obtain all the latest information on a regular basis.

SharePoint 64-bit

The benefits of the 64-bit are abundant, although consider larger IP address space and larger chunks of data processing to make this effective. Actively consider sending garbage to 64-bit machines as many external factors can clog up IP address space with permanent memory portions; most systems automatically have a managed memory although you may still face situations where there is a delay in your web server response until the one thing or many things causing the delay can be moved to the memory.
In addition to this, consider monitoring loading performance, .NET CLR exceptions, and memory which will force you to consistently manage the collection activity of garbage files; these files can then be eaten up through scheduling a recycling function to run or programming garbage collection recycling when it has reached a certain point. The latter requires that you configure a random memory inception as well as requiring you to fully understand the requirements of your Web server; some of those requirements include hardware, loading of software, and residential services. Following this method is perfect as it will automatically maximize memory availability; at the same time this ensures that your servers for the Web continue to respond effectively and efficiently. This process also justifies any issues related to availability that may come into play. This may result in frequent recycling when designating or configuring an inception.

SharePoint and Wide Area Networks

When managing traffic that is generated by a remote office or satellite, consider accelerating WAN to assist in data replications. To accommodate large files being uploaded on a consistent basis by remote users using slower computer applications, adjust the settings on you IIS timeout program.

SharePoint Storage Design and Database Architecture

Other potential holdups that can affect performance are poor database architecture and the design of your store applications. Consider database distribution and, along with any hidden storage, provide as many linkages you can to data LUN’s. The database distribution is where database clustering is distributed between two or more situations.

SharePoint Authentication

Reduce the number of repeated visits you make to websites and take into consideration Kerberos authentication when available. If at all possible, avoid NTLM applications for authentication purposes.

Shout out to Steve and his history of SharePoint post through shirts

Be a Mayor in Foursquare – Update Facebook and Twitter Automatically

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Foursquare is rapidly growing from a cool social networking app to the next big thing and everyone wants to know how they can be a Foursquare Mayor.

At first, Foursquare was only available for iPhone users. Now that there are releases for Blackberry, Android and Palm, the foursquare craze has really begun to grow. It was reported that in March the user base added 100,000 users in only 10 days.

There are already more than a million registered users happily spreading the message of this cutting edge LBS (location-based services) app across the globe. Each of the million users automatically updates their favorite social networking sites like Twitter or Facebook every time they use foursquare. This in turn spreads the messages to all of their friend’s sites. The news is spreading fast. Much like Twitter in 2007, foursquare is being touted as the next big thing. The popularity is spreading like wildfire through big cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and New York. In fact, according to a tweet from one of the developers, foursquare just had its 40th million user checking in.

So what is Foursquare?

Foursquare is a popular social networking app that people can use to broadcast their location to their friends. To make things fun, foursquare works on a point system and becomes a competitive game. You score points for going about your usual routine like going to your favorite deli for lunch. The more times you check into places, the more points you receive. Point leaders can earn the status of “Mayorship.” A Mayor gets more points, prestige and sometimes even free gifts. You can set foursquare up to work only within a small group of friends or you can brag to the world. You can also set up your foursquare account to automatically use Facebook and Twitter to announce your presence every time you check into a location or set it to quietly direct message only the friends in your inner circle.

People use foursquare to not only stay connected when going out but also to report what is going on. You can warn your friends, or anyone listening that the show is already sold out. You can announce that the new Indian restaurant only takes cash. If you are going to a baseball game, you can check out the people who are already there and read their tweets and other messages regarding the weather, food, crowds or whatever else people report.

New uses are being discovered everyday. People are starting to use foursquare as a traffic report. They can communicate if the trains or other forms of public transportation are running on time.

So what is the big deal? Why is foursquare so popular?

Foursquare is turning into a cultural phenomenon because of its addictive nature. Turning your daily routines into a game and allowing you to brag about it on a variety of social networking sites has proved to be quite fun. But the reason why foursquare is going to be big is not just because of the competition of who gets to be Mayor in you circle of friends. Business Can Use Foursquare and they are seeing the huge marketing potential.

Say a guy steps into a Mexican restaurant in downtown San Francisco. While he is checking into his foursquare account, he notices a happy hour special that includes a taco and a Corona for only five bucks. So he broadcasts this through foursquare to his friends and also to Twitter. His friends that pay attention to his whereabouts on either Foursquare, Facebook or Twitter see the happy hour special and decide to join him. His Twitter account is public so now anyone paying attention sees the happy hour special. When business owners see this app in action, they instantly realize the potential.

I often update my Foursquare account when I’m hanging out at the best brewery in Lowell. My Foursquare then updates my twitter followers and Facebook too. So 1000+ people know I’m at my favorite brewery and I might say what the special beer is tonight or what band is playing. Good information for people that know me and might want to come down and join me. I’m also acting as a marketer for the business so they should in turn reward me for checking in.

Many businesses in areas where Foursquare is popular have already seized upon this free marketing opportunity.

There are many stores that offer discounts to foursquare users. Some bars and cafes are already rewarding the users who have Mayor status with free drinks. The Mayor’s friends who found him on Foursquare get discounted drinks, the business owner gets more customers and free advertisement while Foursquare just keeps getting more popular.

This model of strategic marketing was not intended by the creators of foursquare but they sure love it. Services that reward users who rise to Mayor status with some sort of perk or freebie are now officially in the works. With business owners in mind, the next generation of the foursquare app will definitely be integrated with marketing and advertisement programs that reward loyal users.

Foursquare already has nifty signs available for download that business owners can place in their windows. You can also register your business at: http://foursquare.com/businesses/. If your business offers coupons or specials to foursquare users, then you will gain access to the company’s venue tracking system. Now you can analyze how many extra people crammed into your café hoping to become Mayor just so they could get a free coffee.

An Easy Way To Improve Your Online Reputation

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In this day and age of immediate information being available at anyone’s fingertips, it would make sense that you would be concerned about how to improve your online reputation and be able to manage your reputation if it’s less than desirable.

Do you realize just how popular it is to use an internet search engine such as Google to find out about someone’s reputation? Did you know:

Most hiring managers and HR departments use search engines to research applicants?
Men and women Google each other when they first begin dating?
Colleagues at your company and companies you partner with look for information about you on Google and use that information to make judgements upon you?

HR Departments, prospective clients and yes even the opposite sex are using internet technology to find out about your online reputation. What if there is some content out there that isn’t exactly flattering to your online reputation? How are you going to defend your reputation?

Forget about yourself for a minute. This goes as far as college admission offices using the internet to find out about your child’s online reputation. Ok, now are you sure there is absolutely nothing out in cyberspace that could harm your child’s chances of getting accepted to his/her dream school?

Hmmm?
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2 Terrabit Drive from Amazon With a Happy Ending (pic)

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I got an email from Amazon this morning for a sweet deal on a Western Digital 2 TB SATA Intellipower Hard Drive for $139.99 and how could I pass that up. I’d need to get 2 of them to mirror each other as I do in my current setup but as I thought about cables and a caddy also for them I saw this in the “other customers purchased” section…

WTF?

It’s not so bad that the amazon recommendation was totally off but how many geeks like me out there are buying penis enlarger contraptions or penis pumps to bulk up their units and amazon thinks that with me buying a 2 TB hard drive that I would also be interested in this?

FAIL