True Love gets Tired, and gets on Track

Another day of December, its 21st now. I've been thinking, what will happen tomorrow? the next day? to the future? Are the things happening right now are really meant to happen?

These are the questions in my mind right now. Something is bothering me. I want to talk to someone just to kill the time. I don't want to stay in my room, I want to go out and explore new things. I want to spend my time to the people that makes me happy. Friends, yep, they are included in the list. Girlfriend, I don't have one. But I want to be with my previous girlfriend.

It sounds hilarious, to know that I still have feelings for her despite of almost two years of break up. I don't know what happened to me. I don't know why I can not move on from the past. I tried my best to forget everything. But it kills me every time I do it. Am I an emo? crazy? or what? Actually I don't care on what people say about me. All I know is, its hard to forget.

Last time, when I was updating my Facebook account, I found something interesting application. Its about quotations about love. What I got was this "True love never surrenders. It might get tired but little rest is enough to love again even better cause true love would never complain, it would always find way to understand pain."
It struck me. Like, wow! cool! And now I'm holding onto it. Its like having hope form being hopeless.

Now, I'm hoping again, that someday, we will be together.

Its Samy's: When I Met You by Decima

Its Samy's: When I Met You by Decima

When I Met You by Decima

When I Met you-a song revived by my band DECIMA.

This was our performance last May, 2009. It was one of our best performances ever.

2012

Today is December 19, 2009. I can't sleep, I just can't get over from the movie 2012. It's a very nice movie. You should watch it.

Its so alarming, what if it will really happen in 2012? Will there be any survivors? or the human race will totally vanish?

As far as I remember when I was in high school, I have read something about this phenomena. Its about the Mayan calendar predicting that in the year 2012, the Earth will die. I felt fear while reading. And after watching the movie, I realized that the end is really near. Yeah, I admit, I am convinced by the movie. But I had previous reading about this matter before watching the move. The articles which I have read shows evidences that there were records of different phenomena that relates to the Mayan calendar.

Its up to you if you will believe or not. For me, its time to change and surrender our lives to our God. Accept the truth that everything has an end. Who knows what will happen in the future. Only God knows.

Woman Becomes Mermaid thanks to Specialists from Weta

A woman from Auckland, who lost her legs below the knee when she was a child, managed to accomplish her dream to become a mermaid.

The dream of Nadya Vessey was to be able to swim like a mermaid and with the help of industry experts from Weta Workshop, a company based in Wellington, the woman's wish became reality.

Specialists created a special technologically advanced mermaid tail so Ms Vessey could swim.

It is worth mentioning that in 2007 the woman wrote to engineers from Weta asking them if they could help her develop a prosthetic tail and they agreed.

"A prosthetic is a prosthetic, and your body has to be comfortable with it and you have to mentally make it part of yourself," said Ms Vessey. The idea came to Ms Vessey when one time she told a little boy that she was a mermaid, from then her dream was to have a prosthetic tale that would help her swim.

Richard Taylor, who holds the position of the director at Weta Workshop and who is also famous for winning Oscars for special effects used in such movies as Lord of the Rings, was very happy to help Ms Vessey.

"She was very patient. We haven't always been able to fulfill some requests. We were engaged in it pretty quickly because it was a challenge," he said. Specialists that worked on the mermaid suit mentioned that besides making it as functional as possible they wanted Nadya to look beautiful and sexy, reports Stuff.co.nz.

They were very impressed with the work done, especially after seeing Ms Vessey testing the prosthetic tail in the pool and then in the harbor. The mermaid suit was created of wetsuit fabric and plastic moulds. Engineers covered it in a digitally printed sock and an artist hand-painted the mermaid-like scales. It was important to make the tail look realistic. "What became apparent was that she actually physically wanted to look like a mermaid," said Taylor.

http://www.infoniac.com/offbeat-news/woman-becomes-mermaid-thanks-to-specialists-from-weta.html

samy said:

The desire of a person will drive him to his fulfillment.

Scientists Identified 10,000-Years-old Words Used Today

Scientists that study the development of languages managed to identify some of the oldest words that are still used today in English.

Some words today suffered very little change; in fact these words would have been understood even by ancient hunter-gatherers. The oldest English and Indo-European words discovered include: 'I', 'we', 'two' and 'thou'.

In addition, scientists mentioned that they discovered a number of words that would die out in about 1,000 years due to the fact that they would later evolve into other forms. These words are: 'throw', 'stick', 'dirty', 'guts' and 'squeeze'.

The lead researcher Mark Pagel, of the University of Reading, mentioned that it would be possible to make an elementary "time traveler's phrasebook", which would include words that even Stone Age cavemen could understand.

"If a time traveller wanted to go back in time to a specific date, we could probably draw up a little phrasebook of the modern words that are likely to have sounded similar back then," the scientists told The Times. Among other words that survived through centuries are 'two', 'three' and 'five'.

Using his computer, Dr Pagel compared languages that are part of the Indo-European family and managed to track the history of words' evolution. It is worth noting that the Indo-European family of languages includes the past and present languages spoken in Europe, the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent.

The scientists said that some of the oldest words are at least 10,000 years old, despite the fact that the original Indo-European language is considered to have not more than 9,000 years.

"If you look at 'thou', 'I' and 'who', we can now tell they are probably at least 15,000 to 20,000 years old. The sounds used then for these meanings were probably very similar to those used today," said Pagel, whose work demonstrated that the rate at which words developed is directly linked to the way they are used.

The least changes occurred in the numerals, followed by pronouns. He found that nouns registered a slower evolution than verbs, which in their turn evolved slower than adjectives. The most often used words suffered less changes compared to words used seldom.

Thus the words 'I', 'Who', 'We', 'Thou', 'Two', 'Three' and 'Five' registered little change. Words that will most like disappear due to their rapid evolution are: 'dirty', 'squeeze', 'bad', 'because', 'guts', 'push' (verb), 'smell' (verb), 'stab', 'stick' (noun), 'turn' (verb), 'wipe'.


http://www.infoniac.com/science/scientists-identified-old-words-used-today.html

Word Processor or Document Preparation System

A word processor (more formally known as document preparation system) is a computer application used for the production (including composition, editing, formatting, and possibly printing) of any sort of printable material.
Word processor may also refer to an obsolete type of stand-alone office machine, popular in the 1970s and 80s, combining the keyboard text-entry and printing functions of an electric typewriter with a dedicated computer for the editing of text. Although features and design varied between manufacturers and models, with new features added as technology advanced, word processors for several years usually featured a monochrome display and the ability to save documents on memory cards or diskettes. Later models introduced innovations such as spell-checking programs, increased formatting options, and dot-matrix printing. As the more versatile combination of a personal computer and separate printer became commonplace, the word processor disappeared.
Word processors are descended from early text formatting tools (sometimes called text justification tools, from their only real capability). Word processing was one of the earliest applications for the personal computer in office productivity.
Although early word processors used tag-based markup for document formatting, most modern word processors take advantage of a graphical user interface. Most are powerful systems consisting of one or more programs that can produce any arbitrary combination of images, graphics and text, the latter handled with type-setting capability.
Microsoft Word is the most widely used computer word processing system; Microsoft estimates over five hundred million people use the Office suite, which includes Word. There are also many other commercial word processing applications, such as WordPerfect, which dominated the market from the mid-1980s to early-1990s, particularly for machines running Microsoft's MS-DOS operating system. Open-source applications such as Abiword, KWord, LyX and OpenOffice.org Writer are rapidly gaining in popularity. Online word processors such as Google Docs are a relatively new category.
A type of editor whose prime aim is to produce neatly printed text. Such programs use a lot of additional information (apart from actual text) to control the output on the printer. A consequence of this latter fact is that files produced with one word processor cannot be read automatically by another unless they are first converted to ASCII text (with the loss of formatting information). An alternative, which saves the formatting, is to store files in the Rich Text Format (RTF) or Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format.
An application that allows for the manipulation of letters for the purpose of writing proposals, letters, stories or any other article of literature. Most word processors also have inherent functions that enable them to spell- check and perform other similar operations.
An application for creating text-based documents, changing their layout and adding footnotes, annotations or revisions.
Commercial software that are widely used.
AppleWorks refers to two different office suite products, both of which are now discontinued. Originally, AppleWorks was an integrated software package for the Apple II platform, released in 1984 by Apple Computer. In 1998, the name AppleWorks was repurposed by Apple following its elimination of its Claris subsidiary, which marketed a software package for Macintosh and Windows named ClarisWorks. At one time, AppleWorks was bundled with all consumer level Macs sold by Apple.
As of August 15, 2007, AppleWorks has reached end-of-life status, and is no longer being sold.[1] Word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation applications similar to AppleWorks are currently sold as the iWork suite.
Applixware Words is a word processor that has been available for different UNIX platforms since 1992; a Linux version was released in 1996. Part of the Applixware cross platform development IDE, Applixware Words is a full featured word processor with macros, forms, and RealTime financial data feed display capacity.
Applixware, now owned by VistaSource, is available for Linux, Solaris, Microsoft Windows, AIX and HP-UX.
Lotus Word Pro is word processor software produced by IBM's Lotus Software group for use on Microsoft Windows-compatible computers and on IBM OS/2 Warp. Word Pro can be obtained as part of the Lotus SmartSuite office suite.
Word Pro was based upon Ami Pro (published by Samna), but was substantially rewritten (including a new native document format). The predecessor to Ami Pro, Amí, was released in 1988, and was the first fully-functional Windows word processor. (The Windows version of Microsoft Word would not debut until early 1989.) Shortly after the release of Amí, the development team added support for tables and renamed the product Ami Pro.
Lotus obtained Ami Pro to round out their office suite by acquiring Samna, and continued to develop Ami Pro further, with version 3 becoming a 32-bit application available for Microsoft Windows and IBM OS/2. The Windows versions of Ami Pro were also bundled with Adobe Type Manager for Windows, as Windows had poor support for scalable fonts before the introduction of TrueType.
In 1994, Joe Guthridge was one of seven awarded the Windows Pioneer Award for feedback the Amí development team gave to Microsoft during the early development of Windows.
Mathematica is a computational software program used widely in scientific, engineering, and mathematical fields and other areas of technical computing. It was originally conceived by Stephen Wolfram and developed by a team of mathematicians and programmers that he assembled and led. It is developed by Wolfram Research of Champaign, Illinois.
Mellel (מלל, the Hebrew for "text") is a shareware word processor for Mac OS X, developed since 2002 and marketed as especially suited for technical and academic writers. It is made by RedleX, a small software company from Israel. New features are added to the program every few months, many of which come from user suggestions. Its closest competitor is Nisus Writer Pro.
The most remarkable feature present in Mellel is its multilanguage support. Languages with non-Latin alphabets, including Arabic, Hebrew and Korean are handled well due to its support for Unicode and OpenType fonts. Its user interface relies heavily on palettes.
Mellel also presents a feature set suitable for working with long and complex documents, in order to match the needs of scholars and technical writers. Mellel has a unique way of handling styles, with a Replace Styles feature which is able to reformat a large amount of text scattered throughout a document (a feature also present in OpenOffice.org Writer and in Nisus Writer for Mac OS Classic). Mellel has a distinctive way of handling footnotes, endnotes and comments, which are treated as different "streams" of a single text, a feature which can help keep different translations of the same text in sync. Cross-references are also dealt with in a singular way by Mellel, which implemented this feature in version 2.5.
Due to its unique approach to implementing many of its features, Mellel lacks full compatibility with standard word processors, and this fact is often pointed out as one if its main shortcomings. Mellel does not support DOCX and ODT and it supports DOC only partially. It has, however, good support for RTF files and is able to export to PDF.
Mellel provides tight integration with Bookends and Sente, bibliographical tools for managing citations.
ThinkFree Office by Haansoft ThinkFree Co. Ltd., a subsidiary company of Haansoft Corporation, is an office suite written in Java that runs on Windows, Linux, and Macintosh platforms.
ThinkFree Office includes a word processor (Write), a spreadsheet (Calc), a presentation program (Show), and a WYSIWYG html and blog editor (Note). ThinkFree Office reads and writes to Microsoft Office file formats (.doc, .xls, and .ppt). ThinkFree Office has a look and feel similar to Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, providing a degree of familiarity to new users.

References

http://www.google.com.ph/search?hl=tl&defl=en&q=define:word+processor&ei=J4OiSeKeEZC
o6gPpxrzCCg&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title

Smith, William D. (1971) "Lag Persists for Business Equipment;"
The New York Times, October 26, 1971 p. 59 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_processor

Dullea, Georgia (1971): "Is It a Boon for Secretaries—Or Just an Automated Ghetto?
" The New York Times, February 5, 1971, p. 32
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_processor

http://www.uni-duisburg-essen.de/CP/key_terms.htm

http://www.owlsoup.com/foamtrain/glossary/www.html

http://pc-repairs-web-design.co.uk/jargon-buster/jargon-w.html

Mathematica 5.1 Available , Database Journal, Jan 3, 2005.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematica

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_word_processors

Evans, Jonny (2007-08-15). "Apple cans AppleWorks". Macworld UK.
http://www.macworld.co.uk/macsoftware/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=18827.
Retrieved on 2007-08-15. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AppleWorks

[http://www.vistasource.com/vs2/en/downloads.php, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applix_Word

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Word_Pro.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mellel

Comer, Stuart. "ThinkFree? Think again: it's now a BigPond exclusive",
iT Wire, November 5, 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ThinkFree_Office.

Web Design Software

If you’re a web developer, a graphic designer, an artist and one of your biggest frustrations is finding and trying to decide what Web design software you should get, you need to be careful and wise in choosing the right software that fits your taste.
For more effective newsletter campaign it is advisable to use email marketing software and email extractor software, which is the key to your success. Featuring a powerful HTML editor and extremely high sending speed, it will help you manage your email newsletters in no time.
It is really hard to find a best web hosting that is trustworthy and affordable at the same time. Along with famous web hosting companies you can find several newly appeared small companies that gave a good account of themselves.
If you want to take your favorite videos with you, dvd to ipod converter will help you convert movies from DVD to iPod to watch them on the go.
Web Design Software
Animation - This section contains a list of various animation software packages. Some are entirely free, some are shareware. These tools are designed for creating high quality animations, banners, buttons, and other graphics for the Web.
Flash Tools - This section provides flash design software suites for creating flash menu headers, flash web sites , and multimedia flash presentations. Here you can find step-by-step programs for designing short Flash movies, and many more.
Fonts - Here you can find not only sites that offers free high quality fonts, but also font editors that allow to create and modify bitmap fonts for print publications, web pages, animations, and computer games, the tools that are intended for hobby typographers who occasionally need to create or customize fonts.
HTML Editors - A great collection of HTML editors, both for professionals and beginners.
Image Editors - Powerful image editing applications to enhance, convert, resize your pictures.
Web Design Tools
Color Patterns - Excellent resources that offer a wide range of wallpapers patterns.
Color Theory - Theoretical resources for Web designers.
Color Tools - Tools that will help you to choose the right color combination, identify color harmonies, easily assemble your own color scheme, play with colors, experiment with various color schemes.
Creativity - Various publications on graphic design, project intended to gather the most creative web sites, and many more.
CSS Daily Reading - Articles, tutorials, and comments on web design, development, web standards, collaborative problem solving for both developers and designers.
CSS Layouts - CSS layout generators, filters and hacks, collection of CSS layouts and CSS templates.
CSS Navigation Menus - Website navigation menus, CSS tabs and CSS navigation techniques for lightweight and beautiful navigation designs.
CSS Showcase - Showcases of the most beautiful CSS sites on the web. Some of them a re community-based and allow voting and commenting.
CSS Techniques - Buttons, positioning, style sheet switching, image replacement maps, forms, star rating and so much more.
CSS Web Tools aHTML - HTML is the abbreviation for Hypertext Markup Language. HTML is the language that web pages are written in. A HTML editor is a web design software program that is used to edit the html on web pages and Services
There is lots of web design software on the internet to choose from. Here are some of the most demanded programs.
Windows Live Writer
Blogs are a good place to start publishing online, since blog software is simpler to use and often free. Reviewers say Windows Live Writer makes it easy to write and edit your blog on your computer; you can then publishyour blog to Blogger.com or other blog hosts. Reviews say Windows Live Writer provides loads of features and is easy to use – but it's only for Windows users.
Infinite Sushi ecto 2.3.4
Infinite Sushi ecto blogging software for Mac also installs on your computer and makes it convenient to publish to the blog host of your choice. Like Windows Live Writer, reviewers say ecto makes it easy to create a blogthat has the look and features you want, without learning to write any code. It also gives you spell checking and other editing help.



CoffeeCup Visual Site Designer
For those who want to create a full-fledged website and not just a blog, reviewers say Visual Site Designer offers just the right mix of capabilities and ease of use for most beginners. It's easier to use than most budgetweb design software, with "drag and drop" usability -- no need to learn any code. It comes with lots of templates, backgrounds, textures and more. You can easily add video and insert Flash animations. An FTP tool is included for publishing directly to your web host.
Realmac RapidWeaver 4.1.3
For Mac users who find Adobe Dreamweaver overkill, too expensive or intimidating, reviews recommend RapidWeaver as exceptionally full-featured yet easy to use. It integrates with Apple iPhoto, and makes it easy to publishpodcasts, videos and a blog without learning any code.
Microsoft Expression Web 2
If you might want to develop websites for other people, or enjoy taking your own site to its fullest potential, the most recent reviews say Microsoft Expression Web is much easier to learn to use than Adobe Dreamweaver.Expression Web is ideal for Microsoft Office users, but also now integrates with Adobe Flash and Photoshop for a complete pro-level system. You can make a simple website without doing any hands-on coding, but you can also learn to use all the current web technology. Reviews especially praise Expression Web for elegant use of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). Mac users should opt for Dreamweaver since Expression Web is Windows-only.


Eurosoft First Page 2006
If you're willing to learn some HTML and sacrifice some convenience, reviews recommend this HTML editor as more convenient than most free website software. It lets you see the results of your code as you edit it, andincludes spell checking and a quick browser preview. The main weak points are in setting up layouts and using PHP.
Adobe Dreamweaver CS4
New features preview and test web content twice as fast
Using Live View is nearly twice as fast as previewing rendered pages in a browser. Using Live Code, you see the results of coding changes in Live View more than twice as fast as you would switching to a browser. Additionally, you can click a related file to see both its source in Code view and the parent page in Design view.
Editing web pages is quick and easy
Design your pages in Dreamweaver so end users can edit their web pages without help from you or additional software using the InContext Editing online service. As a Dreamweaver designer, you can limit changes to specific regions on the page.
There are many choices available on the internet. The software depends on your personality and your skills. It is like a dress that shows character on its owner.

References

http://www.adobe.com/products/dreamweaver/

http://www.consumersearch.com/web-design-software

http://www.hooverwebdesign.com/definition-of-html.html

http://www.acrovela.com/

http://www.google.com.ph/search?hl=tl&client=firefox-a&channel=s&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=definition+of+a+web+design+software&start=20&sa=N

http://www.google.com.ph/search?hl=tl&client=firefox-a&channel=s&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=9QT&q=web+design+software&start=40&sa=N

Graphic Tablet

A graphics tablet (or digitizing tablet, graphics pad, drawing tablet) is a computer input device that allows one to hand-draw images and graphics, similar to the way one draws images with a pencil and paper. These tablets may also be used to capture data of handwritten signatures.
A graphics tablet (also called pen pad) consists of a flat surface upon which the user may "draw" an image using an attached stylus, a pen-like drawing apparatus. The image generally does not appear on the tablet itself but, rather, is displayed on the computer monitor. Some tablets however, come as a functioning secondary computer screen that you can interact with directly using the stylus.
Some tablets are intended as a general replacement for a mouse as the primary pointing and navigation device for desktop computers.
A graphics tablet is an input device used by artists which allows one to draw a picture onto a computer screen without having to utilize a mouse or keyboard. A graphics tablet consists of a flat tablet and some sort of drawing device, usually either a pen or stylus. A graphics tablet may also be referred to as a drawing tablet or drawing pad. While the graphics tablet is most suited for artists and those who want the natural feel of a pen-like object to manipulate the cursor on their screen, non-artists may find them useful as well. The smooth flow of a graphics tablet can be refreshing for those who find the mouse to be a jerky input device, and repetitive stress injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome are less likely when using a graphics tablet.
A graphics tablet may come in a range of sizes, from smaller 3" by 4" (7.6 by 10.2 cm) models to larger 7" by 9" (17.8 by 22.9 cm) ones. Even larger graphics tablets exist, up to enormous 14" by 14" (35.6 by 35.6 cm) tablets targeted towards professional designers and architects. Size is the major factor in determining cost for a graphics tablet, however, and one should expect prices to ramp up dramatically at the high end of the size spectrum. A good range of pressure sensitivity in the drawing surface of your graphics tablet is also something to look for. High pressure sensitivity, ideally at least 512 levels, allows you to control a number of aspects of your drawing, including color and line thickness, simply by pressing the stylus more or less heavily, mimicking drawing with an actual pen.
The stylus included with a graphics tablet is also an important consideration for the consumer. A stylus may be either attached to the tablet by a cord or tether-free. Corded tablets do not require batteries, but many people find the cord severely limiting to their range of motion. A good stylus will also have function buttons on the side, so that you can perform common actions, such as switching a tool in a drawing program from paint to erase, without having to use the mouse or keyboard.
Wacom is the most well known manufacturer of graphics tablets, and incredibly well respected. They have many different models, covering everything from amateur to professional artists, spanning the size range, and with many bells and whistles. At the low end of their product line, one can expect to pay about US$100 for a good graphics pad, while their high-end products may cost just over US$500. Other manufacturers include Aiptek, which has a number of models, including some with a cordless mouse in place of the stylus; KB Gear, which makes a graphics tablet targeted towards teens; and CalComp, which makes tablets primarily for architects and designers.
Also referred to as a digitizing tablet, graphics pad, or drawing tablet, a tablet is an alternate type of input device that can be used in place of, or in conjunction with, a mouse, trackball, or other pointing device. The tablet consists of two parts, a flat surface for drawing, and a pen, stylus, or puck that is programmed to work with the tablet. Usually, you also get a pen holder, and some tablets even come with a cordless mouse that works on the tablet surface. Even non-artists may choose to use a tablet because it offers a more ergonomic method of input that can reduce the likelihood of developing repetitive strain injury. Let's explore some of the common features of graphics tablets...
Size
Size is one of the first factors you'll need to consider in choosing a tablet. Bigger is not necessarily better. For home users and hobbyists, the most common sizes are 4" by 5" and 6" by 8". CAD users, artists, and technical illustrators may desire a larger surface area, but the price escalates as the size increases. Remember, the larger your tablet surface is, the more you will need to move your arms. Many people prefer a smaller tablet to minimize arm motion. However, this may feel unnatural to an artist who is used to drawing or painting with large sweeping motions. Another important thing to know about tablet size is that the dimensions given almost always refer to the input surface area of the tablet. The actual footprint of the tablet can be as much as 4 to 5 inches larger than the input area. Keep this in mind as you shop, or you may be surprised that your tablet takes up much more desktop space than you may have considered. My 6" by 8" Wacom Intuos tablet, for instance, has a footprint of 10" by 13.5".
Until recently, the popular sizes of graphics tablets have been 4x5, 6x8, and 9x12 which matches up neatly to the 4:3 aspect ratio of traditional computer monitors. But starting in the mid-2000s there has been a proliferation of widescreen aspect ratio monitors. Because of this, Wacom has begun producing wide-format graphics tablets to better correspond with the aspect ratio of widescreen monitors and for users working with multiple monitors. Although it's nice, it's not necessary that your graphics tablet match the aspect ratio of your monitor, because the tablet software takes care of the mapping.
Interface
The interface is how your tablet connects to your computer. Most tablets these days have a USB interface which is ideal since most computers in use today support USB. USB devices are hot swapable so you'll be ale to move the tablet more easily for use on multiple computers or just to get it off the desk when you need to.
If you have a very old computer that does not support USB, you'll need to choose a tablet with a serial interface. If you need a serial interface, be sure your computer has an available serial port that does not conflict with another device. If you have both a serial mouse and a serial modem (rare these days), proceed with caution, because you could face a conflict if you add a serial tablet. A tablet with a USB interface gets its power from your computer, but a serial tablet requires a separate power connection, so you'll want to make sure you have an available outlet that can accommodate a medium-sized transformer.
Bluetooth is another option for connecting a graphics tablet to your computer without the use of wires. Bluetooth is a wireless protocol frequently used for connecting electronics devices. Currently, Wacom is the only manufacturer I know of producing a Bluetooth-capable tablet, the Graphire Bluetooth, which can connect to your computer without wires.
Pen/Stylus and Accessories
Your tablet should come with a pen that feels comfortable and natural in your hand. Find out if the stylus requires a battery. A battery will not only require occasional replacement, but it will make the pen heavier, too. Your pen may be tethered or free. If the pen is untethered you'll have to be more careful about losing or misplacing it. If the pen is tethered, make sure you can choose which side of the tablet to attach the pen. Many pens will also have a switch or buttons built onto the pen, and some pens have an erasing end. This is an excellent feature because the buttons can be programmed for specific functions such as a right-click or double-click, and the erasing tip can perform a delete function in one swipe, or automatically activate the eraser tool in your graphics software. Some tablet manufacturers offer additional pens and other pointing tools that you can program independently. When using these optional accessories, your tablet should recognize it as a new tool and use the customized preferences you have specified for that specific tool.
Pressure-sensitivity
Pressure level refers to the sensitivity to pressure on the surface of the tablet. Most tablets have 256, 512, or 1024 pressure levels. The pressure-sensitivity can control line thickness, transparency, and/or color. The higher the pressure-sensitivity, the more responsive and natural your tablet will feel and the more control you will have.
Top 10 Pressure-Sensitive Graphics Tablets
These are the most popular brands and models of graphics tablets available in the US. The pressure-sensitive graphics tablets featured here are well-suited to both professional and home users who will be using the tablet for photo editing and digital art, or as a mouse replacement for everyday computing.
Wacom Intuos3 6X8 - PTZ630
The Intuos3 pen provides 1,024 levels of pen tip and eraser pressure sensitivity, tilt sensitivity, is batterly-free and cordless, and features a programmable DuoSwitch and soft grip. It also comes with a cordless, programmable 5-button optical scroll mouse. The tablet features 2 touch strips, 8 ExpressKeys, and comes with a pen stand. With Intuos, you also have the option of purchasing additional programmable accessories. (Footprint ~13x10")
Wacom Bamboo Fun Medium - CTE650
The Bamboo Fun tablet from Wacom is the successor to the Graphire4 series of consumer level pen tablets. Improving on the Graphire4 model, Bamboo Fun has an updated look, a wide-format active area, a new textured feel to the tablet surface, and a finger-sensitive touch ring for zooming and scrolling. For creative work like painting, drawing, and touching up photos, the medium size Bamboo Fun tablet is ideal. It has a fresh, fun look, and performs well. Unlike the Bamboo standard tablet, Bamboo Fun comes with a mouse and a bundle of creative software including Adobe Photoshop Elements 5 Win/4 Mac, Corel Painter Essentials 3, and Nik Color Efex Pro 2 GE. (Footprint: 11.0" x 9.3")
Wacom Graphire Bluetooth Wireless Tablet - CTE630BT
Graphire Bluetooth is slightly older and not as advanced as Bamboo and Intuos3, but it does have one big advantage — no wires. You can use the Graphire Bluetooth in the range of 30 feet and for up to 25 hours between charges. However, it does require that your computer have a Bluetooth adapter, and you will need a power source to charge the batteries on occasion. The power adapter is included, but the Bluetooth adapter is not. Many newer laptops come with built-in Bluetooth capabilities.
Wacom Intuos3 6x11 Wide Format USB Tablet - PTZ631W
Now you can get the Intuos in a wide format aspect ratio for working with a widescreen monitor or dual displays. The footprint of the Intuos3 6x11 is 16.5 inches wide x 10.3 inches deep and includes two sets of ExpressKeys and Touch Strips. If you don't have the desk space or need to spend a little less, there is also a 4x6 wide format Intuos3 with a smaller footprint of 10.6 by 8.5 inches and one set of ExpressKeys. Both models offer the highest level of pressure sensitivity and the advanced customization options and accessories available for the Intuos line.
Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet - MTE450
For the price, Bamboo is an excellent entry-point to the Wacom product line. Bamboo is designed primarily for office tasks rather than artistic work. Although it functions just fine in creative software with pressure support, Bamboo does not come with software and is intended to be used with the built-in pen features of Windows Vista, Microsoft Office, and Mac OS X for marking up documents, jotting notes, and writing your signature. Of course, it can also be used as an alternative to the mouse to avoid repetitive stress fatigue. (Footprint: 7.88" x 7.36")
Wacom Intuos3 9X12 USB Tablet - PTZ930
The larger size of the Intuos 9x12 tablet will let you achieve the wider, sweeping strokes some artists prefer. It comes at a cost in desk space, though — this tablet has a footprint of about 18 by 14 inches. Except for the larger size, it is identical to the Intuos3 6x8 with the same software bundle and optional accessories.
DigiPro 8x6 Graphics Tablet - WP8060
The DigiPro drawing tablet is an inexpensive, yet capable, pressure-sensitive pen tablet for budget conscious users. It's not flashy or feature packed, but it does the job it's supposed to do. The DigiPro tablets will also work on older systems, including Windows 98Se and higher, Mac OS 9, and Mac OS X. If you're curious about using a graphics tablet, but don't want to spend a lot of money, the DigiPro drawing tablets are a solid choice.
Aiptek 10x6 Slim Tablet - ST12
If you want a larger tablet, but the budget is tight, Aiptek's Slim Tablet is hard to beat. This is a wide format, slim graphics tablet with cordless pen and a 10x6 inch active area. It feature 29 programmable macro keys around the sides of the tablet, s a resolution of 1000 lpi, and 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity. I have not used this particular brand of tablets, but have received many comments from happy Aiptek tablet users.
DigiPro 5.5x4 Graphics Tablet - WP5540
If you're extremely tight on budget, the DigiPro WP5540 can be purchased for less than $50. It has all the features of the WP8060 in a smaller size and lower price to match.
Wacom Cintiq 21UX 21.3" Interactive Pen Display
It's pricey, but as long as you can afford it, who wouldn't want to draw right on the computer screen? The Cintiq combines an LCD monitor with a pressure sensitive tablet surface, so you can do just that. The 21.3 inch Cintiq includes an adjustable stand that allows the display to be rotated, inclined, or detached. It also features a 2-button Grip Pen, 8 ExpressKeys and 2 Touch Strips, 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity, and a 1600x1200 resolution LCD with DVI or VGA video input. For Windows and Macintosh.
Tactile graphic input/output tablets could be a valuable support for blind people reading text illustrated with drawings, creating drawings, using software with a graphic user interface, reading maps, or using electronic communication media. The construction of tablets containing conventional tactile elements is precluded not by fundamental technical problems but by the costs. We show that this problem could be overcome by the use of very simple tactile elements integrated in the tablet and driven by an electrorheological fluid.In our solution the tactile surface can be used also as an input tablet allowing immediate manipulation of perceived objects, and creation of drawings. Furthermore, by passive observation of the user's reading actions the system may support the blind in an intelligent manner, e.g. by presenting automatically additional informations about the object (text or graphic) just being touched. Beyond the description of the technological aspects of such a tablet we deal with its integration into a personal computer system, and give an overview on possible applications.

References

About.com - Before You Buy a Graphics Tablet

Gray, Elisha (1888-07-31), Telautograph, United States Patent 386,815
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitizing_tablet

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-graphics-tablet.htm

http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/aboutgraphics/a/graphicstablets.htm

http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/aboutgraphics/tp/graphicstablets.htm

Fricke, Joerg and Helmut Baehring. Design of a Tactile Graphic I/O Tablet and its Integration
into a Personal Computer System for Blind Users. Department of Computer Science.
Fern Universitaet Hagen.

Computer Processor

A central processing unit (CPU) is an electronic circuit that can execute computer programs. This broad definition can easily be applied to many early computers that existed long before the term "CPU" ever came into widespread usage. The term itself and its initialism have been in use in the computer industry at least since the early 1960s (Weik 1961). The form, design and implementation of CPUs have changed dramatically since the earliest examples, but their fundamental operation has remained much the same.
Early CPUs were custom-designed as a part of a larger, sometimes one-of-a-kind, computer. However, this costly method of designing custom CPUs for a particular application has largely given way to the development of mass-produced processors that are suited for one or many purposes. This standardization trend generally began in the era of discrete transistor mainframes and minicomputers and has rapidly accelerated with the popularization of the integrated circuit (IC). The IC has allowed increasingly complex CPUs to be designed and manufactured to tolerances on the order of nanometers. Both the miniaturization and standardization of CPUs have increased the presence of these digital devices in modern life far beyond the limited application of dedicated computing machines. Modern microprocessors appear in everything from automobiles to cell phones to children's toys.
Abbreviation for central processing unit, and pronounced as separate letters. The CPU is the brains of the computer. Sometimes referred to simply as the central processor,but more commonly called processor, the CPU is where most calculations take place. In terms of computing power, the CPU is the most important element of a computer system.
On large machines, CPUs require one or more printed circuit boards. On personal computers and small workstations, the CPU is housed in a single chip called a microprocessor. Since the 1970's the microprocessor class of CPUs has almost completely overtaken all other CPU implementations.
The CPU itself is an internal component of the computer. Modern CPUs are small and square and contain multiple metallic connectors or pins on the underside. The CPU is inserted directly into a CPU socket, pin side down, on the motherboard. Each motherboard will support only a specific type or range of CPU so you must check the motherboard manufacturer's specifications before attempting to replace or upgrade a CPU. Modern CPUs also have an attached heat sink and small fan that go directly on top of the CPU to help dissipate heat.
Two typical components of a CPU are the following:
The arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs arithmetic and logical operations.
The control unit (CU), which extracts instructions from memory and decodes and executes them, calling on the ALU when necessary.
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is responsible for interpreting and executing most of the commands from the computer's hardware and software. It is often called the "brains" of the computer.
The CPU is also known as processor, microprocessor, central processor, “the brains of the computer.
If you’re in the market for a new computer, it’s necessary to understand the function of a CPU. Also known as the Central Processing Unit or processor, the CPU is essentially the “brains” of your computer. Without the CPU, you wouldn’t be able to play games, type research papers, or surf the Internet. Your computer would basically be a very expensive paperweight.
Sometimes people mistakenly believe the case or chassis of a computer is the CPU. However, a CPU is an internal component of the computer. You can’t see it from the outside of the system; you’d have to peek inside and remove both the CPU heatsink and fan to get a good look.
The first CPUs were used in the early 1960s. They were custom designed as part of a larger computer, making them prohibitively expensive. Once engineers figured out how to mass produce the CPU, personal computers became more affordable for the average American. With the introduction of the integrated circuit in the late 1970s, it became possible for smaller CPUs to be manufactured as well. This helped transform computers from large, bulky devices that took up entire rooms to more manageable desktop and laptop models.
Today, Intel is the best-known manufacturer of computer CPUs. No matter what type of computer you have, however, your CPU works by executing a series of stored instructions known as a program. Most CPUs conform to the von Neumann architecture, which says that the CPU must fetch, decode, execute, and writeback the data in a fairly rapid succession.
Since the CPU is one of the most important parts of a computer, it should come as no surprise that it is also the most expensive. In fact, if your computer is more than three years old and your CPU has been damaged by static electricity or some other factor, you may want to consider upgrading to an entirely new computer. A newer, faster CPU will often provide enough additional computing power to make the purchase a wise investment.
CPUs are sometimes called microprocessors, although these two terms are not quite interchangeable. The microprocessor, first introduced in the 1970s, reduces the word size of a CPU from 32 bits to 4 bits in an attempt to allow the transistors of the logic circuits to fit on a single part. Often, it takes more than one microprocessor to perform all of the functions of a CPU. Microprocessors are also commonly used in cell phones, automobiles, and children’s electronic toys.
So what is the processor? Well in the simplest of terms, it’s your computers brain. The processor tells your computer what to do and when to do it, it decides which tasks are more important and prioritizes them to your computers needs.
There is and has been many processors on the market, running at many different speeds. The speed is measured in Megahertz or MHz. A single MHz is a calculation of 1 million cycles per second (or computer instructions), so if you have a processor running at 2000 MHz, then your computer is running at 2000,000,000 cycles per second, which in more basic terms is the amount of instructions your computer can carry out. Another important abbreviation is Gigahertz or GHz. A single GHz or 1 GHz is the same as 1000 MHz . Sounds a bit confusing, so here is a simple conversion :
1000 MHz (Megahertz) = 1GHz (Gigahertz) = 1000,000,000 Cycles per second (or computer instructions).
Now you can see why they abbreviate it, could you imagine going to a PC store and asking for a one thousand million cycle PC please. A bit of a mouth full isn’t it?
So when buying a new computer always look for fastest you can afford. The fastest on the market at the time of writing this article is 3.8 GHz (3800 MHz). Remember though that it is not necessary to purchase such a fast processor, balance your needs, do you really need top of the range? Especially when the difference say between a 3.5 GHz (3500 MHz) and a 3.8 GHz (3800 MHz) processor will be barely noticed (if noticed at all) by you, while the price difference is around £100. With the money you save you could get a nice printer and scanner package.
Now that we have covered the speeds, there is one more important subject to cover. Which processor? There are 3 competitors at present, the AMD Athlon, Intel Pentium and the Intel Celeron. They come in many guises, but basically the more cores they have and the higher the speed means better and faster.
Processors now come as dual core, triple core and quad core. These processors are the equivalent of running two cpu's (Dual core), three CPU's ( Triple core) or four (Quad core).
In the past Intel Pentium the best and most expensive of them all, and remains today one of the most popular on the market. In layman’s terms it is/was the designer processor, although AMD have some superb if not better releases and equally highly priced and advanced products. It would be hard to say which is best as they are direct competitors.
Lastly there is the Intel Celeron; this processor is a budget version of the Intel Pentium 4, the processor you find in most budget computers. If the purse is tight, and you need a computer, then this is your port of call. You will find many sub £400 computers fitted with this processor.

References

Amdahl, G. M., Blaauw, G. A., & Brooks, F. P. Jr. (1964). Architecture of the IBM System/360,
IBM Research.

Brown, Jeffery (2005). "Application-customized CPU design". IBM developerWorks.
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/power/library/pa-fpfxbox/?ca=dgr-
lnxw07XBoxDesign. Retrieved on 2005-12-17.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPU

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/CPU.html

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/componentprofiles/p/p_cpu.htm

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-cpu.htm

http://www.hardware.windowsreinstall.com/processor.htm

Lonely People Have A Weak Health

Psychologists affirm that loneliness is not less dangerous for one than smoking and overweight, maybe even more.

The lack of relationships with other people not only makes us unhappy, but also influences negatively the health of our body and mind. These are the last scientific facts, received during a research.

The feeling of rejection or isolation increases the blood pressure, the level of stress and the general level of tiredness. It also increases the risk of the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Besides, this feeling decreases the strength of one's will and insistence, which is reflected later on the capability of leading a healthy lifestyle, scientists report.

The received results were published by Professor John Kacioppo from the University of Chicago in the annual conference of the American Association Favouring Science Development.

According to Professor Kacioppo, loneliness not only leads to behaviour changes, but it is also related to the development of the normal blood flow's resistance through the cardiovascular system.

Loneliness leads to the morning increase of the stress hormone's level (cortisol), which, in its turn, influences the immune system, raises blood pressure and leads to the development of depression.

Loneliness or social isolation also lead to sleep disturbances and to a quick progression of Alzheimer's disease.

The professor affirms that, from the point of view of health, the difference between a lonely and a socially popular man is similar to the difference between "a smoker and a non-smoker".

"This discovery has totally surprised us all – me and my colleagues – because of the consequences brought about by loneliness. This fact shows how important human communication is for every one of us", he says.

"Lonely people, as a rule, have a weak health. They rarely make physical exercises and consume more calories. In order to feel comfortable, they eat more sweet and fat food. Loneliness also decreases the capability of self-control. It is very easy for these people to have 2 or 3 drinks of alcohol at the end of a bad day", the professor added.

Professor Kacioppo is the founder of a new subject, called social neurology. According to him, the human necessity in other people has deep evolutional roots.

In the past, in order to survive people had to cooperate, besides it was easier for them to raise their children in this way. This is how, during the process of evolution, loneliness became a "signal" to action, to the necessity of repairing social relationships, as when physical pain is a signal of the necessity of changing one's behaviour, of not touching fire for example.

http://www.infoniac.com/health-fitness/lonely-people-have-a-weak-health.html

samy said:

Cool information. Now I understand why people who are emo commit suicide. Being lonely is bad for the health..

1-year-old Girl Proves To Be Pregnant

Doctors in Saudi Arabia have registered a truly phenomenal case. A 1-year-old girl had proved to be pregnant. Doctors that have been occupied with this case affirm that they haven't heard of such cases to happen anywhere in the world. The Arabian Mass-Media has already turned on the discussion about the possibility of drawing out the unborn twin from the little girl's body to be a crime.

As it turned out, the girl's mother during her pregnancy has had 2 embryos and one of them began to grow in the uterus of the second baby. Although considered phenomenal, such cases were previously knon.

The Indian town Nagpur is famous for its 36-years-old farmer, from whose body the doctors have drawn out the embryo of his brother-twin. It is curious the fact that the man has come to see the doctors only when his belly had turned so big that he couldn't breathe. When he was brought to the hospital, he was urgently sent to surgery. The surgeons were sure that the patient had a huge tumor, which was pressing on his diaphragm. During the surgery, the doctor has pulled out from the man's abdominal cavity a strange half-formed being.

India, 2002 - doctors took out an embryo out of the body of a 6-months-old boy. "We couldn't believe that we had taken out a dead embryo with a weight of 1 kg from the body of a child, whose weight was 6.5 kg. It's a very rare case," says Pradip Kumar Mukherdgey, the leading doctor of that group.

2 years before that, doctors from another hospital of Calcutta had drawn out a foetus of 230g from the body of a 40-days new born.

Such abnormality is called "fetus in fetu". Specialists say that these cases are extremely rare in the medical practice. An embryo appears in another embryo in one out of half-million pregnancies. This phenomenon takes place on an early stage of the pregnancy and, as a rule, both embryos die in the mother's uterus.

It also happens that the delivery is successfull, but the embryo "caught in the trap" continues on living as a parasite, connected to his elder brother with a sort of umbilical cord. For a certain period of time, the second embryo continues growing up equally with the other one, still remaining inside it, and when the process stops, the undeveloped foetus turns into a parasitical body.

A foetus in a foetus is considered to be alive when the tissues of his organism are not dead or have not been removed yet. The embryo's cells must have a normal metabolism in order to be capable of living. From the point of view of physical development, even if the organs of the "fetus in fetu" receive a normal blood supply from the "master", still, in all of the cases known, the parasitical embryo had a set of critical defects. As a rule, his brain, heart, lungs, gastro-intestinal tract do not function properly. Thus, the foetus in a foetus has no chances to survive beneath the limits of the brother's body. Besides, its existence is a real threat for the normal twin brother.

http://www.infoniac.com/health-fitness/year-old-girl-proves-to-be-pregnant.html

samy said:

There are mysteries in the world that only experts can explain, but not always.

Kisses Never Lie

According to a saying, eyes are mirror reflection of the soul. But British scientists from the University of Belfast affirm that eyes can lie, while lips can never do that. The way one kisses can say a lot about him/her, all-biz.info reports.

For example, the majority of men and women, circa 80 per cent of them, tend to incline towards the right side before kissing, which is a proof of a high level of sensibility, while the rest of 20 per cent, who incline their heads to the left side, have a very low emotional level.

This affirmation scientists explain by the fact that, as it is known, every hemisphere of the brain is responsible for the opposite side of the body, that's why, when opening the left cheek to the partner, precisely the right hemisphere, responsible for our emotional-sensitive sphere, influences our actions. On the contrary, by opening the left cheek to the partner while kissing, one is led by cold mathematical reasons.

Some people consider that, during a kiss, partners interchange a lot of pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms, but scientists say that it's not that bad: kisses consolidate the nervous system, making us more resistant to psychological problems.

The proof to this is the following: German scientists have established that the ones who kiss more often live in average with 5 years more than those who don't like kissing. Besides, the persons from the first group also are rarely involved in car accidents, suffer less from professional diseases and, more than that, they receive higher salaries.

This isn't surprising since one's psychological state of mind, consolidated by kissing, becomes more stable, which, without doubt, has a positive influence on all aspects of life.

Another interesting fact is that a lovers' kiss not only has an emotional energy, but also a complicated hormonal and chemical composition. Some studies determined that during kissing the level of cortisol in the organisms of the lovers is lowered. Cortisol is a hormone responsible for the intensity of stress and general anxiety.

Researchers also established that, in the same time, in men the activeness of the hormone oxytocin is increased (the increasing, in its turn, the general level of their tonus) and in women it is lowered.

http://www.infoniac.com/health-fitness/kisses-never-lie.html

samy said:

it is really great to get a kiss ^^

kiss is healthy, so let us find somebody to kiss ^^ LOL

Two Google Searches Emit as Much CO2 as Boiling a Kettle

According to researchers from the United States, performing two searches on number one search engine, Google, can produce the same mount of CO2 as boiling a kettle. They found that one search generates around 7 grams of carbon dioxide, while boiling a kettle produces about 15 grams.

When a search is made, several Google servers that can be located miles apart, compete to return the search results in the quickest time.

"Their primary concern is to make searches fast and that means they have a lot of extra capacity that burns energy," says Alex Wissner-Gross, a physicist from Harvard University, adding that the accuracy and the speed of Google are those that produce a large amount of CO2 due to the energy and electricity used to bring the results.

The California-based company owns around 450,000 servers worldwide, these processing the demand of over 200 million daily search inquiries. The infrastructure of Google transmits information from the server that produces the search result quicker.

Alex Wissner-Gross made a research on Google's influence on the environment. "Google operates huge data centers around the world that consume a great deal of power," he says. According to the physicist, the data centers are very efficient; however, their main goal is to perform quick searches, which leads to the use of a lot of energy.

According to Google officials, the company tries to take effective steps towards lowering the emission of carbon dioxide. Nonetheless Google has never presented any information on energy it spends or CO2 the company emits. "We are among the most efficient of all internet search providers," said a spokesman for the company.

Another analysis was carried out by John Buckley, working on the website called carbonfootprint.com, a British environmental site. It states that the emissions of carbon dioxide produced by one search ranges between 1g and 10g. It is the first time that scientists show the impact of computers and Internet use on the environment.

The data presented by Garnet, a US research company, the use of IT worldwide today causes around 2 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. The emissions of CO2, produced by computer use today, outrun that of aviation industry. It is worth mentioning that last year the profits of number one search engine rose to about $6 billion, making Google one of the most popular brands in the world.

http://www.infoniac.com/environment/google-emits-carbon-dioxide.html

samy said;

Technology is indeed the enemy of environment.

Writing Verse or Prose Helps Brain Regulate Emotions

Researchers from the University of California claim that writing poems is good for a person's mental and physical health. The process of writing a poem helps our brain to regulate emotion, and decrease the feeling of nervousness, fear and sadness.

According to the researchers, writing about personal experience has a therapeutic effect due to the fact that the process holds back parts of the brain that are related to emotional disorder, and boosts the activity in the area that deals with self-control.

It doesn't matter if a person is a good writer or not. In fact, experts suggest that the simpler a verse or prose is written, the better. Currently experts are looking forward to developing special therapies based on their discovery. The therapies could be used to treat social fears and phobias.

The lead researcher of the study is Dr Matthew Lieberman, who is a neuroscientist at the University of California. The study and its results the scientist presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science where he carried out a lecture entitled Putting Feelings Into Words. He demonstrated the effect of writing after scanning the brains of 30 patients while they characterized distressing images.

Dr Lieberman discovered that the act of writing reduced the activity in the amygdala, which is an area of the brain that is related to emotion and fear. At the same time, writing raised activity in the pre-frontal cortex, the mind's regulator. The finding suggests that a simple act of writing about an emotion represented a method of calming down the brain and recreating mental balance.

"The more frontal activity we see, the less amygdala response. There seems to be a see-saw affect," says the scientist.

Another experiment involved the action of writing used in combination with exposure therapy for people who suffer from arachnophobia (fear of spiders). Experts discovered that writing about their fears increased the effect of the therapy compared to those who did not describe their feeling on the paper.

"People expressing negative emotional responses in words while being exposed gave them greater attenuation (reduction) of fear," says Dr Lieberman. The effect of the therapy was even stronger if patients were more descriptive in their fears. In addition, the scientist mentioned that writing in long-hand proved to be more effective than typing.

http://www.infoniac.com/science/writing-verse-or-prose-helps-brain-regulate-emotions.html

Scientists Discover Substance Harder than Diamond

For many years diamond has been considered the hardest material. Then it gave the first place to man-made nanomaterials that proved to be somewhat harder than the diamond. Recently researchers discovered a natural substance that is 58 percent tougher than diamond.

Together with his team Zicheng Pan at Shanghai Jiao Tong University analyzed two substances and noticed that the structure of wurtzite boron nitride is similar to that of diamond, but is composed of different atoms, while the mineral lonsdaleite, is composed of carbon atoms.

It is worth mentioning that diamond is made up of carbon atoms as well, but mineral lonsdaleite's atoms are arranged in a different shape.

Scientists simulated how the two substances withstand stress. They found that wurtzide boron nitride was able to withstand 18% more stress than diamond, while lonsdaleite 58% more. In case the same results will be registered with physical experiments, the two materials will prove to be much harder than any other substance.

The two substances are very rare in nature: lonsdaleite sometimes appears when meteorites containing graphite reach Earth and wurtzite boron nitride appears as a result of volcanic eruptions that generate extremely high temperatures and pressures, reports New Scientist.

If the physical experiments will show that wurtzite boron nitride is indeed harder than diamond it may replace the diamond, being more stable in oxygen at higher temperatures.

The features of the substance would allow placing the wurtzite boron nitride on the tips of cutting and drilling devices that operate at high temperatures. Besides wurtzite boron nitride could be used in making corrosion resistant films that are mounted on the surface of a space vehicle.

source:

http://www.infoniac.com/science/substance-harder-than-diamond.html

The Curse of Tutankhamen ( Is it real? or Is it a Coincidence?)

Of the original team of archaeologists who were present when the ancient tomb of the boy king Tutankhamun was opened, only one lived to a ripe old age. Was this a bizarre coincidence? Or was it the manifestation of a curse that had passed down through the centuries - a curse too sinister, too mysterious and too lethal for the modern world to comprehend? And a curse that is still exacting its deadly toll today...

The final wall of the sealed burial chamber of the boy pharaoh was breached for the first time in 3,000 years on 17 February 1923. Archaeologist Howard Carter whispered breathlessly that he could see `things, wonderful things' as he gazed in awe at the treasures of Tutankhamun. As Carter, together with fanatical Egyptologist Lord Carnarvon, looked at the treasures of gold, gems, precious stones and other priceless relics, they ignored the dire warning written all those centuries ago to ward off grave robbers. In the ancient hieroglyphics above their heads, it read:

`Death will come to those who disturb the sleep of the pharaohs.'

The final blow of the excavators' pick had set free the Curse of the Pharaoh. Lord Carnarvon had never taken lightly the threats of ancient Egypt's high priests. In England before his expedition had set out, he had consulted a famous mystic of the day, Count Hamon, who warned him:

'Lord Carnarvon not to enter tomb. Disobey at peril. If ignored will suffer sickness. Not recover. Death will claim him in Egypt.'

Two separate visits to mediums in England had also prophesied his impending doom. But for Carter and Lord Carnarvon, who had financed the dig culminating in history's greatest archaeological find, all thoughts of curses and hocus-pocus were forgotten as they revelled in the joy of the victorious end to the dig. The site of Luxor had escaped the attentions of grave robbers down through the centuries, and the treasure-packed tomb was a find beyond compare.

The accolades of the world's academics rained down on him and his team. The praise of museums and seats of learning as far apart as Cairo and California was heaped on them. Carnarvon revelled in the glittering prize of fame - little knowing that he had but two months to enjoy the fruits of his success. On 5 April 1923, just 47 days after breaching the chamber into Tutankhamun's resting place, Carnarvon, aged 57, died in agony - the victim, apparently, of an infected mosquito bite. At the moment of his death in the Continental Hotel, Cairo, the lights in the city went out in unison, and stayed off for some minutes. And if further proof were needed that it was indeed a strange force that was at work, thousands of miles away in England, at Lord Carnarvon's country house, his dog began baying and howling - a blood-curdling, unnatural lament which shocked the domestic staff deep in the middle of the night. It continued until one last whine, when the tormented creature turned over and died.

The newspapers of the day were quick to speculate that such eerie happenings were caused by the curse, an untapped source of evil which Carnarvon and Carter had unleashed. Their sensational conclusion was reinforced when, two days after Carnarvon's death, the mummified body of the pharaoh was examined and a blemish was found on his left cheek exactly in the position of the mosquito bite on Carnarvon's face. Perhaps this could have been passed off as coincidence had it not been for the bizarre chain of deaths that were to follow.

Shortly after Carnarvon's demise, another archaeologist, Arthur Mace, a leading member of the expedition, went into a coma at the Hotel Continental after complaining of tiredness. He died soon afterwards, leaving the expedition medic and local doctors baffled. The deaths continued. A close friend of Carnarvon, George Gould, made the voyage to Egypt when he learned of his fate. Before leaving the port to travel to Cairo he looked in at the tomb. The following day he collapsed with a high fever; twelve hours later he was dead.

Radiologist Archibald Reid, a man who used the latest X-ray techniques to determine the age and possible cause of death of Tutankhamun, was sent back to England after complaining of exhaustion. He died soon after landing.

Carnarvon's personal secretary, Richard Bethell, was found dead in bed from heart failure four months after the discovery of the tomb. The casualties continued to mount. Joel Wool, a leading British industrialist of the time, visited the site and was dead a few months later from a fever which doctors could not comprehend.

Six years after the discovery,12 of those present when the tomb was opened were dead. Within a further seven years only two of the original team of excavators were still alive. Lord Carnarvon's half-brother apparently took his own life while temporarily insane, and a further 21 people connected in some way with the dig, were also dead. Of the original pioneers of the excavation, only Howard Carter lived to a ripe old age, dying in 1939 from natural causes. Others have not been so fortunate.

While countless Egyptologists and academics have tried to debunk the legend of the curse as pure myth, others have continued to fall victim to it's influence...

Mohammed Ibrahim, Egypt's director of antiquities, in 1966 argued with the government against letting the treasures from the tomb leave Egypt for an exhibition in Paris. He pleaded with the authorities to allow the relics to stay in Cairo because he had suffered terrible nightmares of what would happen to him if they left the country. Ibrahim left a final meeting with the government officials, stepped out into what looked like a clear road on a bright sunny day, was hit by a car and died instantly.

Perhaps even more bizarre was the case of Richard Adamson who by 1969 was the sole surviving member of the 1923 expedition. Adamson had lost his wife within 24 hours of speaking out against the curse. His son broke his back in an aircraft crash when he spoke out again. Still skeptical, Adamson, who had worked as a security guard for Lord Carnarvon, defied the curse and ave an interview on British television, in which he still said that he did not believe in the curse. Later that evening, as he left the television studios, he was thrown from his taxi when it crashed, a swerving lorry missed his head by inches, and he was put in hospital with fractures and bruises. It was only then that the stoic Mr Adamson, then aged 70, was forced to admit: `Until now I refused to believe that my family's misfortunes had anything to do with the curse. But now I am not so sure.'

Perhaps the most amazing manifestation of the curse came in 1972, when the treasures of the tomb were transported to London for a prestigious exhibition at the British Museum. Victim number one was Dr Gamal Mehrez, Ibrahim's successor in Cairo as director of antiquities. He scoffed at the legend, saying that his whole life had been spent in Egyptology and that all the deaths and misfortune through the decades had been the result of `pure coincidence'. He died the night after supervising the packaging of the relics for transport to England by a Royal Air Force plane.

The crew members of that aircraft suffered death, injury, misfortune and disaster in the years that followed their cursed flight. Flight Lieutenant Rick Laurie died in 1976 from a heart attack. His wife declared:

`It's the curse of Tutankhamun - the curse has killed him.'

Ken Parkinson, a flight engineer suffered a heart attack each year at the same time as the flight aboard the Britannia aircraft which brought the treasures to England until a final fatal one in 1978. Before their mission to Egypt neither of the servicemen had suffered any heart trouble, and had been pronounced fit by military doctors. During the flight, Chief Technical Officer Ian Lansdown kicked the crate that contained the death mask of the boy king, `I've just kicked the most expensive thing in the world,' he quipped. Later on disembarking from the aircraft on another mission, a ladder mysteriously broke beneath him and the leg he had kicked the crate with was badly broken. It was in plaster for nearly six months.

Flight Lieutenant Jim Webb, who was aboard the aircraft, lost everything he owned after a fire devastated his home. A steward, Brian Rounsfall, confessed to playing cards on the sarcophagus of Tutankhamun on the flight home and suffered two heart attacks. And a woman officer on board the plane was forced to leave the RAF after having a serious operation.

The mystery remains. Were all those poor souls down the years merely the victims of some gigantic set of coincidences? Or did the priestly guardians of the tomb's dark secrets really exert supernatural forces which heaped so much misery and suffering on those who invaded their sacred chambers - and exact a terrible punishment on the despoilers of the magnificent graves of their noble dead?

The most intriguing theory to explain the legend of the curse was advanced by atomic scientist Louis Bulgarini in 1949. He wrote:

`It is definitely possible that the ancient Egyptians use atomic radiation to protect their holy places. The floors of the tombs could have been covered with uranium. Or the graves could have been finished with radioactive rock. Rock containing both gold and uranium was mined in Egypt. Such radiation could kill a man today.'

Source:

www.qsl.net

Samy said:

Since I was a kid, I really love mysteries, especially things that were unusual like different forms of writing of different nations. But my curiosity about hieroglyphs and Egyptians made me more interested in reading about pharaohs. And I found out the fact about the youngest king of Egypt, Tutankhamen or King Tut.

During those time, I was really amazed on how the Egyptians gave importance to the King. My theory was, because of being the youngest king to rule Egypt, his people loved him for being a good ruler. But that was only a theory of mine.

Then later on, after reading the facts about him, the dig of his tomb caught my attention. Its because of the materials used to make his coffin. But there was a line in that article in the magazine that I was reading that there was a curse in the chamber of the king but they did not give further information about that matter.

I got so curious about the curse. I did a lot of reading to get what I want to know about that curse. Then years passed by until this time that we, in the English class of Philippine Christian University was given a requirement to make a personal blog to put our reading assignments here. A lot of things to this assignment, I found what I am looking for-for a very long time.

"Gloomy Sunday" (The Deadliest Song Ever Created)

WARNING!!

DO NOT PLAY THE VIDEO IF YOU ARE DEPRESSED!
BETTER READ THE ARTICLE FIRST BEFORE PLAYING IT. IT COULD END UP YOUR LIFE.

In December, 1932, a down and out Hungarian named Reszo Seress was trying to make a living as a songwriter in Paris, but kept failing miserably. All of his compositions failed to impress the music publishers of France, but Seress carried on chasing his dream nevertheless. He was determined to become an internationally famous songwriter. His girlfriend had constant rows with him over the insecurity of his ambitious life. She urged him to get a full-time 9 to 5 job, but Seress was uncompromising. He told her he was to be a songwriter or a hobo, and that was that.

One afternoon, things finally came to a head. Seress and his fiancée had a fierce row over his utter failure as a composer, and the couple parted with angry words.

On the day after the row - which happened to be a Sunday - Seress sat at the piano in his apartment, gazing morosely through the window at the Parisian skyline. Outside, storm-clouds gathered in the grey sky, and soon the heavy rain began to pelt down.

"What a gloomy Sunday" Seress said to himself as he played about on the piano's ivories, and quite suddenly, his hands began to play a strange melancholy melody that seemed to encapsulate the downhearted way he was feeling over his quarrel with his girl and the state of the dispiriting weather.

"Yes, Gloomy Sunday! That will be the title of my new song" muttered Seress, excitedly, and he grabbed a pencil and wrote the notes down on an old postcard. Thirty minutes later he had completed the song.

Seress sent his composition off to a music publisher and waited for acceptance with a lot more hope than he usually had in his heart. A few days later, the song-sheet was returned with a rejection note stapled to it that stated: "Gloomy Sunday has a weird but highly depressing melody and rhythm, and we are sorry to say that we cannot use it."

The song was sent off again to another publisher, and this time it was accepted. The music publisher told Seress that his song would soon be distributed to all the major cities of the world. The young Hungarian was ecstatic.

But a few months after Gloomy Sunday was printed, there were a spate of strange occurrences that were allegedly sparked off by the new song. In Berlin, a young man requested a band to play Gloomy Sunday, and after the number was performed, the man went home and blasted himself in the head with a revolver after complaining to relatives that he felt severely depressed by the melody of a new song which he couldn't get out of his head. That song was Gloomy Sunday.

A week later in the same city, a young female shop assistant was found hanging from a rope in her flat. Police who investigated the suicide found a copy of the sheet-music to Gloomy Sunday in the dead girl's bedroom.

Two days after that tragedy, a young secretary in New York gassed herself, and in a suicide note she requested Gloomy Sunday to be played at her funeral. Weeks later, another New Yorker, aged 82, jumped to his death from the window of his seventh-story apartment after playing the 'deadly' song on his piano. Around the same time, a teenager in Rome who had heard the unlucky tune jumped off a bridge to his death.

The newspapers of the world were quick to report other deaths associated with Seress' song. One newspaper covered the case of a woman in North London who had been playing a 78 recording of Gloomy Sunday at full volume, infuriating and frightening her neighbors, who had read of the fatalities supposedly caused by the tune. The stylus finally became trapped in a groove, and the same piece of the song played over and over. The neighbors hammered on the woman's door but there was no answer, so they forced the door open - only to find the woman dead in her chair from an overdose of barbiturates. As the months went by, a steady stream of bizarre and disturbing deaths that were alleged to be connected to Gloomy Sunday persuaded the chiefs at the BBC to ban the seemingly accursed song from the airwaves. Back in France, Rizzo Seress, the man who had composed the controversial song, was also to experience the adverse effects of his creation. He wrote to his ex-fiancée, pleading for a reconciliation. But several days later came the most awful, shocking news. Seress learned from the police that his sweetheart had poisoned herself. And by her side, a copy of the sheet music to Gloomy Sunday was found.

At the end of the 1930s, when the world was plunged into the war against Hitler, Seress' inauspicious song was quickly forgotten in the global turmoil, but the sheet-music to the dreaded song is still available (on the Net too) to those who are curious to know if the morbid melody can still exert its deadly influence...

Sources:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiOyvxgcob4
http://www.qsl.net/w5www/gloomy.html

First Exercise in Adobe Photoshop

This image is actually two different images combined into one to make an illusion that both scaters are racing with each other.

The tools used in this photo manipulating are;

1. Crop tool
2. Move tool
3. Free Transform

First Output In Photoshop

This is our first output in Photoshop. Combining different pictures to form another image.

My Dream House

All of us has a dream of having the perfect house in the future.
This photo shows my dream house. ^^

Boys with Unpopular Names More Prone to Commit Crime?

According to the results of a study carried out by economists at the Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, the more atypical is a boy's name the greater is the probability he will commit crimes as a teenager.

The goal of the researchers was to analyze the "the relationship between first name popularity and juvenile delinquency".

Two researchers, David E. Kalist and Daniel Y. Lee, made a comparison of the first names of adolescent offenders in one of US states with the first names of youngsters that are part of the general population of that state. Each name has been assigned, what researchers call popularity-name index or PNI.

The assignment was based on the number of people with a certain name and the likelihood of that name to be linked with criminal behavior. Thus for the name Michael, the popularity-name index is 100 while foe the name David the PNI is 50. For less common names, including Alec, Ernest, Ivan, Kareem, and Malcolm the PNI was around 1.

During the analysis of young criminals, researchers found a dissimilar distribution of names compared to that of the youngsters from the general population.

The results of the study showed that young people with less common name were more likely to commit crimes, regardless of their race. The research and its results were included in a report entitled First Names and Crime: Does Unpopularity Spell Trouble? The report was published in the journal Social Science Quarterly. It outlines the fact that the names themselves are less likely to be the reason for illegal actions.

The study says that young people will less common names are more likely to get involved in a crime due to the fact that they "are treated differently by their peers, making it more difficult for them to form relationships". The authors of the research also mentioned that teenagers with unpopular names are more likely to commit crimes due to the fact that they consciously or unconsciously hate their names.

In conclusion the authors of the study state that "First name characteristics may be an important factor to help identify individuals at high risk of committing or recommitting crime, leading to more effective and targeted intervention programs".

www.infoniac.com

Samy said:

This information is amazing. It gives idea to what name will I give to my son or daughter in the future. But on the other hand, I think it depends on the person and how he or she is guided by his/her parents and the environment they belong.