4towers: Todays Technology Info for those Not in the Know

Don’t understand PC drive file and folder organization?

2010-02-21T11:21:00.003-05:00

You may remember my last post about finding your lost downloads. Well I decided there should be a follow up post about drive hierarchy and how Windows organizes files and directories (now called folders) in your PC.

First let’s start by imagining all these drives together as being one big expandable file cabinet. Each drawer represents a drive. And this cabinet can have anywhere from 2 to 26 drawers depending on the system and the drawers can be very, very deep. The drawer’s width will depend on the size of the drive, the larger the drive, the wider the drawer, and more rows of files and folders it can have.

Now let’s imagine the (directories) folders are not standard folders, they have super expandable bottoms, and they can expand quite a bit. Each folder can hold many other folders and files inside of it. And each sub-folder can hold many other sub-folders and files inside of it, and so forth. It may seem as though they can expand forever holding an unlimited amount of sub-folder and files, but there is a limit, it’s just so large that it seems like it.

Now I need to let you know that there are many possible types of drives (drawers) that could live in your PC (or file cabinet). Windows organizes the drives by assigning each drive a letter. And they usually go something like this:

A:\ The old Floppy Drive, or even an old Zip Drive, or an old Tape Drive.

B: \ Second Floppy Drive (Whether there is a physical second floppy drive or not)

C: \ The primary Hard-Drive (The main drive that holds windows and your personal files)

D: \ Secondary Hard-Drive (Usually just additional storage, if none, then it be assigned to the Optical Drive)

E: \ The Optical Drive (CD-Rom/DVD-Rom, Readers or Writers)

F: \ Second Optical Drive, External USB Hard-Drive, or USB Flash Drive, and so forth.

G:\ And so on, and so on…

The drive letters can go all the way up to Z, although you will probably never see that many drives in one system. Today’s computers generally do not have floppy, zip or tape drives anymore, so you really don’t need to worry about the A and B drives anymore.

Now if you were to open the “My Computer” Icon, Windows will display a list of the drives currently installed in the computer. When you first open one of the drives (well say C) it will show you what we call the “Root” of the drive. For the use of our analogy of the file cabinet, imagine when you first open the C: drawer. Now, each folder you see when you first open a drive represents a new row in our very wide cabinet drawer. If you see any files setting there not inside of a folder, just imagine that they are sitting in a slot front of all the rows. We try not to keep files there, other wise it might become very messy. When you first buy a computer, you will see some files there, they have to remain there. They are important files that the computer needs to run properly, and sometimes some other programs may stick some files there as well, but for the most part you should only see a few.

They folders and files you see there will be listed in alphabetical order. On a new computer you should see “Documents and Settings”, “Program Files”, and “Windows”. There are also some special Hidden (invisible) files and folders that you should not mess with. In reverse order, the “Windows” folder is where the majority of the system files are that windows uses to run the computer. The “Program Files” folder is where all of the programs you install will put there folders and files they need to run. The “Documents and Settings” folder is where all your Personal Files and Personal Settings are kept.

For the most part, you can get to most of your personal files my clicking on the “My Documents” icon in the start menu, and to most of your personal settings by going to the control panel.

Now when it comes to downloads from the internet, most of the time they will download to the “My Documents” folder, or to a sub-folder inside of the “My Documents” folder sometimes called “Downloads”. My self I have a secondary hard-drive in my system that I keep all of my downloads on. I created a folder on the root of the D drive called “Downloads”. I organize this folder and all of the files by making use of sub-folders, and sub-sub-folders. For instance, I have a sub-folder inside the “Downloads” folder called “Games”. I have another sub-folder inside the “Games” folder called “Puzzle Games”, and I have yet another sub-folder inside the “Puzzle Games” folder called “Chuzzle”. I have another folder next to the “Chuzzle” folder named “Bejewelled”, And so forth. Now if I want to install the puzzle game named Chuzzle and I have already downloaded it, then I will find it using the following method:

1) Click on the “My Computer” Icon.

2) Click on the “D” Drive

3) Click on the “Downloads” Folder

4) Click on the “Games” Folder

5) Click on the “Puzzle Games” Folder

6) Click on the “Chuzzle” Folder

7) Click on the “Chuzzle Installer” File (Icon)

It would then open up and begin to install Chuzzle for me.

You can organize you Personal Documents in much the same way. As a matter a fact, Windows has already begun the process for you. If you click on the “My Documents” icon in the “Start Menu” or on the Desktop, it will open the “My Documents” Folder for you. You should notice some sub-folders already in place. The “My Music”, “My Pictures”, and “My Videos” folder were created by windows just for you. There use is obvious. Now, a lot of the programs you use will want to save your files directly in to the “My documents” folder without any sub-folders, depending on the program.

Let’s say for instance you use Microsoft Word a lot. You use it to create resumes for friends and family. Well, they do tend to change and alter over time right, and the resume needs to be a little different depending on the field of work you are applying for. So then you should have a sub-folder inside the “My Documents” folder called “Resumes”. Now if all you had were just a couple, you could jut same them all right there in the “Resumes” folder, no further organization needed. If you had quite a few, then you may want to categorize, maybe by name of the person. So then you would have some sub-folders with people’s names. So maybe you have a sub-folder named “Dave Smith” and another called “Jody Belkawitz” and another “Larry Foster”. Now let’s say that Larry is very versed in a number of fields. You may want to sub categorize his folder sub folders by trade name. So then you may have sub-folders inside the “Larry Foster” folder called “Sales”, “Management”, and “Training”.

So if Larry came over and asked you to print out some of his Sales Resumes, you would find it by using the following method:

1) Click on the “My Document” icon

2) Click on the “Resumes” folder

3) Click on the “Larry Foster” folder

4) Click on the “Management” folder

Now choose the appropriate resume file and open it up to print it out for him.

Now you have a few different ways to organize. You can do it after the fact, or on the fly.

Using the resumes example, let’s say that you have accumulated 20 or so resumes in your “Resumes” folder and have not organized them as of yet. So with the “Resume” folder open, click on the “File” menu button on the top of the window, then choose “New” then choose “Folder”. It will instantly create a new folder inside the “Resume” folder ready for you to name it “Dave Smith” or what ever. Now you can click and drag each one of Dave’s resumes onto the “Dave Smith” folder to move his resumes into it.

Now lets say that you have done that and that’s it right this second. But you still have Jodies resume open and have not yet saved it. Go back to your Microsoft Word program and click on the File menu button on the top of the window and choose “Save As”. Now when it comes up to save the file it should already be open to the “My Documents” folder wanting to save it there. Click on the “Resumes” folder, now since your in the middle of organizing the “Resumes folder, you don’t want to just drop it there, instead you click on the little icon on the top of the “Save As” box called “Create New Folder” and it will instantly create a new folder ready for you to name it, so call it “Jody Belkawitz” then hit the enter key for it to save the folder name and open the folder for you, then you can change the name of the file to match what you need it to be, then click on the “Save” button.

Now you have learned the basics of Drive Hierarchy, how to find and organize your files and folders. I hope this helps at least a little.

Where did my download go?

2010-02-21T11:18:00.001-05:00

I’ve been asked this question more times than I can count. “I can’t find my download that I spent hours waiting on to finish. How do I find it again?” Well there are many ways that I can answer this. The simplest one is to remember where you saved it, but I know that’s not always possible. So instead what I’m going to do is list a few of the simplest methods to use to keep track of and find your downloads.

First of all, know your browser. Your browser is the program you use to surf the web, whether it be (IE) Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, AOL and the like. Every browser has some method of handling your downloads using a built in download manager. Throughout the different versions of each browser, there download managers have changed from a little bit to a lot, and the download managers can vary from browser to browser. But for the most part there are two basic methods to use it.

When you click on a download link it will do one of two things

1) It will just save the file in a standard location for all of your downloads (Usually in the My Documents folder, or a downloads folder inside the My Documents folder.)

2) It will ask you where to save the file. If you just click the save button it will save the file in the last location you saved a download to.

Depending on how your browser is configured in the options, you can do one of four things to find your download.

1) If it’s configured for option 1 above simply look in you’re My Documents folder.

2) If its not there than you can use the file search tool provided by your operating system.

3) Or you can open the browser’s options panel and there should be a spot in there to tell it where to save downloads to, Simply look there to find out where your downloads being saved to.

4) If it’s configured for option 2 you can go back to the website you got the download from and click on the link again, this time pay attention to where it wants to save the file and just don’t click on the save button and then open that folder that it wanted to save to, and your file should be there.

Some browsers like FireFox, you can click on the “Tools” menu button on the top of the browser window and then choose “Downloads” to open up the list of resent downloads and then you can right click on the file and choose “open containing folder”.

I hope that this was helpful.

Got a Palm Pre? A lot of people have lost there contacts, dont loose yours.

2010-02-21T11:14:00.001-05:00

The new Palm Pre is a great phone, but it seems that Palm has an issue being able to restore contacts from a re-sync after replacing a broken or defective Pre.

The first thing I would suggest is to perform your own backup to gmail or exchange and not rely only on the built in Palm sync feature. Also update your phones software and firmware and then perform a backup.

The reason the data is being wiped when they replace a Pre is due to the firmware version on the two devices differ. If you already have a broken Pre and are getting a replacement, here is what you need to do:

This procedure will provide a method of updating the replacement webOS phone to the latest version of software before signing in to restore your Palm profile. Follow the steps below:

1. Ensure that the replacement phone is activated by your wireless service provider with voice and data provisioning.

2. Power on the replacement phone by pressing and holding the power key. After the phone boots, select “Create New Profile.”

3. Create a fake/”dummy” Palm profile using the following format (where x should be any random character) for your email address: xxxxxx@updatewebos.com . Create a password of your choosing to associate with this fake email address.

4. After the phone finishes the setup process, you will be brought to card view. If available and if your phone supports it, open the connections menu, and try to connect to Wi-Fi. If you cannot, ensure that you see Ev in the upper right hand corner of your screen. The data connection will be used to download a software update.

5. Ensure that your battery is charged above 30%. If it is charged below 30%, please charge your phone until it reaches 30% or replace the battery.

6. Go to Launcher > Updates

7. If an Update is available, download and install the update. If no update is available, continue to step 7

8. Go to Launcher > Device Info

9. Confirm that software version is webOS 1.3.1 or higher. If the software version is not 1.3.1 or higher, use webOS doctor (visit http://palm.com/rom), or check for an Update again in the Updates app.

10. Go to Device Info > Resets

11. Tap Full Erase twice

12. Your phone is now updated to the latest version of webOS, and ready to accept a new Palm profile.

13. Ensure the phone has a strong Ev data connection

14. Select “Sign In To My Profile.”

15. Enter your personal Palm profile email address and password (not the “dummy” profile setup in step 2). Your Palm profile will now restore on to the replacement phone using the latest version of WebOS.

DONE! No data loss!

So what the heck is SSD any way?

2009-12-14T08:02:00.001-05:00

I write these articles when I've been asked more than a few times about a particular subject in the tech field. It still never ceases to amaze me when someone asks me about things I think of as common knowledge, but then I remind myself that I'm the one who works in the tech field, not everyone else. Which is why I started this blog to begin with. That being said, lets move on to this article.

You may recall my previous post about Flash (or Thumb) Drives. That memory technology is the leading reason why we even have this great new device. It's read and write speed capabilities, it's ease of use, and it's long term storage capabilities all play a big roll in SSD technology.

SSD stands for Solid-State Disk. Essentially its a newfangled modern version of a computer hard-drive. Its called Solid-State because it has no moving parts. The term SSD has been adopted to distinguish solid-state electronics from electromechanical devices. Since there are no moving parts, solid-state drives are less fragile than regular traditional hard disks and are also silent (unless a cooling fan is used).

There was a few previous versions of SSD's that I should point out. Basically it was a device that used regular everyday computer RAM chips to create a RAM Disk. It would combine all of the total ram chips sizes to create one large storage unit and it would emulate a hard-drive interface to the computer. They were nice because using SDRAM or DDR Ram is extremely fast compared to Flash memory. There are a few drawbacks to this type of SSD though. The biggest one is that because its not flash memory, once the chips loose power, everything that was stored on it is lost, making it completely useless for long term storage. Another is its total capacity is greatly limited. If the largest ram chips on the market are 2gb and there are only 4 slots on the board, then the total drive size will only be 8gb, not a very large drive. Great for the operating systems virtual memory space, but not for data storage. These have been used mostly by specialized computer needs such as enterprise level servers and military systems that move large amounts of data.

The SSD's that is all the rage now is based on Flash memory. Not quite as fast as the volatile memory in RAM chips, but still much faster than its mechanical counterpart. Flash based SSD's have a faster start-up because no spin-up is required. They have fast random access time because there is no read/write head. They have Consistent read performance because physical location of data is irrelevant for SSDs, which also means that file fragmentation has negligible effect. Because they have no moving parts, they are quiet and have a high mechanical reliability, as the lack of moving parts almost eliminates the risk of "mechanical" failure. They have Ability to endure extreme shock, high altitude, vibration and extremes of temperature, lower power consumption, and create less heat, this makes them useful for laptops, mobile computers, and devices that operate in extreme conditions.

On the down side, SSD's are more expensive per GB than traditional hard-drives, but the price of flash memory is dropping drastically making them more affordable to the consumer market. There capacity levels are lower than traditional hard-drives, but flash memory maximum capacities are increasing as fast as the prices are dropping. The physical size of the SSD gets larger as the capacity get larger, so the higher capacity SSD drives are physically larger then traditional hard-drives of the same volume. But I predict that they will overcome this size issue soon as they had to many times in the past with traditional hard-drives.

No your computers NOT trying to hitch a ride with a USB Thumb Drive!

2009-12-14T07:41:00.004-05:00

I cannot believe it. I would have thought that everyone would know all about these handy little gadgets by now, but I still keep getting asked what a USB Flash (or Thumb) Drive is, whats it for, and why do I need one. Hence the reason for this post in the "Todays Technology info for those Not in the Know" blog.

Well first a little background info.

The term "Thumb Drive" derives from the first Flash Drive made by a Singapore company back in 2000 who dubbed it the "Thumb Drive", and the name stuck for a while. IBM was really the first company to market in the US the same year with its Flash Drive dubbed "DiskOnKey".

I'm sure you remember the days of saving files to a floppy disk at a maximum storage of 1.44mb, then for a short while we got a larger version "Zip Drive" holding a whopping 100mb of storage.

(Just for reference for those who don't have a clue about digital storage space:

1000bytes = 1kb (kilobyte): 1000kb = 1mb (megabyte): 1000mb = 1gb (gigabyte): 1000gb = 1tb (terabyte)

The average generic text file is usually at least a couple KB in size. The average Word Document file is usually at least 1 MB in size. A Digital Photo can vary from a couple hundred KB to a few MB depending the picture resolution. The average Music File can vary from 2-20MB depending on the saved file format. The average digital home video clip can range from a couple MB to nearly a GB in size. The average full length DVD movie is usually around 2-3GB or an HD movie is at 4-7GB in size.)

Next came the Writable CD-Rom (CD-R) drive giving us 650 - 700mb of storage, but you can only Write on them once, so then we got the Re-Writable CD-Rom (CD-RW) Drives that gave us the ability to Re-Write a CD that you can fully erase and re-use approximately 1000 times or you can format it so you can keep it in the drive and delete individual files and write new ones without erasing the entire disk, but formatted it only held 350mb, but still more then a Zip Drive.

Then we got the Writable DVD-Rom (DVD-R) drive giving us 4GB of storage, then the Dual Layer DVD-Rom (DVD-R_DL) drive giving us 7.5GB of storage, again only to be written on once. Not so handy to grab a bunch files and take to work or a friends then re-use again.

That was the main problem with the larger capacity Optical Rom Drives, they held quite a bit of storage, but mostly to be used once for data backup (or maybe more times for long term storage), but to just grab a couple larger files from work or from home and take elsewhere was quite a pain, and wasteful.

Next we got the USB External Harddrives giving us much more storage capacity (today up to 2TB) that we can re-use over and over, great for entire system backups, and of system file storage, but still not to great to grab a few files and take elsewhere. Sure you can unplug it and just go, but the problem is that you have to be very careful not to drop it or jar it (especially when powered up) or you can damage the mechanical moving parts or even the disk itself where the data is stored. Not to mention its still a little big and bulky to be carrying around, and you have to have somewhere to plug in the power cord to use it.

Now we have the USB Flash Drive. Currently not quite as much storage capacity as the USB external harddrive (capacities range from 1mb - 256GB), but very portable. there small enough to put on a keychain, do not require a power plug, and they have to mechanical or moving parts to damage. All the data is stored on a chip, and the transfer rate at which the computer can read write files to and from the newest USB 2.0 (and soon USB 3.0) drive is much faster than any other drive to date. Not to mention the cost per MB is really inexpensive. Simply plug the drive into a free USB port, the computer sees it as yet another storage drive, copy files to it, unplug it, stick in your pocket and go.

I keep all of my all of my handy dandy computer repair utilities on one flash drive and personal or work related transfer files on another.

Having PC problems, and think you can't fix it yourself?

2009-12-02T09:08:00.003-05:00

Has your PC been running really slow, or maybe barley running at all? Has is been locking up frequently, or programs take forever to load when not too long ago they ran just fine?

Aren't you just dreading taking your PC in to be fixed when you know it cant be that hard to fix? Don't you wish you knew how to do it yourself without screwing it up even more?

Well it might be easier than you think. Have you noticed that a lot of the time when you take your PC in for repair or a tune up, it comes back with nothing you had on it is there any more and you have to setup all your favorite stuff again, unless you pay a premium price for keeping all your favorite stuff on it or backing it up for you before fixing it?

You are about to learn the easy way they fix up most modern PC's factory built today and save you a lot of time and money.

First off, have you noticed they always ask you for your disks that came with your computer?
Did you know that most factory built PC's six ears old or newer don't even need all those disks, and usually don't even come with them? That's because the hard drives in todays computers have gotten large enough to store all of the info from those disks in a special hidden partition and still leave plenty of room for the operating system and all of your favorite programs and personal files.

Before you begin any PC fix, make sure you have backed up all your personal files on an external source, weather it be on cd's, usb flash drive, tape drive, external hard-drive, or even the online backup sites like Carbonite or Mozy. Also make sure you have driver disks for all of the devices you have installed since you purchased the system. If you cannot find a disk, you can always download the drivers for your version of windows from the device manufactures websites and save them along with your personal files backup.

This first fix only works if you can get into Windows and it only has minor problems. You may need the proper Windows CD available if required.

Click on the start button then click Run. In the text box type "sfc /scannow" (without the quotes) then hit the Enter key. The built in Windows "System File Checker" will check the important system files to make sure they are ok and replace them with fresh copies if needed. All personal files will remain in tact.

The next two fixes are known as NON-Destructive Restore. This is where important Windows system files are replaced with fresh copies and Windows Registry entries are updated or restored accordingly. Your private files will remain in tact, but the programs they rely on may not. For example a saved excel spreadsheet file will remain, but the Microsoft Office/Excel Program may need re-installed.

First, if your PC is just not running right or suddenly acting a little goofy, you might be able to easily fix it by using Windows built in "System Restore" which you can find in the start menu, or if you hit hit the F8 key a few times when the computer is first booting up (when the screen is still black and showing white text or the manufactures logo screen) then choosing safe mode. Then when the computer boots into safe mode it will ask if you want to run system restore or go ahead and run in safe mode, choose system restore. Once the system restore programs comes up, choose "restore my computer to an earlier time" and then pick a date a couple days prior to when you noticed the computer acting funny, then click next to start the process. Once its done,d the computer will reboot and hopefully its running better.

Second, if your computer is not booting into windows at all, or the Windows built in system restore just did not do the trick, then you can use the manufactures built in system restore feature. To access it, if your computer came with system restore disks, then put disk 1 into the cd drive then reboot the PC, if not, then as soon as you power on your computer and it shows the POST screen (either the black screen with white text, or the manufactures boot logo screen) you should see some text that says press f10 for system restore (all makes and models are different, some say f9, f10, f11, or f12) press the button that it tells you. Just keep in mind that you only have a couple seconds to catch it, and you may have to press it many times durring that time for it to acknowledge that you even hit it. Now it should boot into a special manufactures system restore software and then you can choose to restore/repair the PC. Most of the time you can just pres the next button through the screens untill the process begins. Once the process is complete the computer will reboot and hopefully the computer is running smoothly.

The final fix is known as a Full Destructive Restore. This will completely wipe out the entire system and replace it with a fresh new copy of Windows and extra software, and it will be just like the day you purchased it. Your private/personal files will not be saved. Back up First. I recommend doing this once a year just to keep the computer fresh.

To access this fix is same as the last fix. When you first power on the computer, press the f10 or what ever key is says then when it comes up, instead of just pressing next, you will either choose Full/Destructive restore, or you may need to choose the advanced option then choose the full restore. Once you get the process started, it will take a while and the system will reboot a few times, and it will more than likely ask you a bunch of questions, but once it is complete, it will be completely restored and ready to re-install all your favorite programs and restore your personal files from backup. Keep in mind you may need to re-install drivers for hardware or devices that you have installed since you purchased the computer. If you do not have your driver disks for the devices, you can always download them from the device manufactures websites.

I hope this has helped you as it has helped me for many years.

Having a hard time getting a Paid TV account?

2009-10-26T23:05:00.002-04:00

If you are having a hard time getting a paid TV account because of past indiscretions on you credit history, or maybe you live at a place that can not get satellite signal, or what ever the reason, there is a way to still get to watch your favorite channels.

Now I'm not referring to one of those hacked boxes or anything illegal. That would just be immoral to even mention it. No, what I'm referring to is something completely different. With this technology, you can even watch your favorite channels while your out of the house. You can watch at your office desk, on your couch, even while in the bathroom. And the really cool thing is that it will only cost you $20 or $40 with DVR function, for over 250 channels for an entire year and you will even get a second connection so you can watch one show while others in your house can watch another.

Not only will you get over 250 TV channels, you will also get live radio channels, weather in your area, movie channels, City view web cams from around the world, Video Chat, Social Networking and so much more. There are even Money making opportunities with this system. That's the beauty of IPTV-BROADCASTING By Matrix Inc. Watch on your TV, PC, Laptop, and coming soon, even your other web enabled mobile devices.

So how do I get this program you ask? Well, first you need a High Speed Internet connection of at least 1.5 mbps or higher (recommended to view any Hi-Def Channels, 256 kbps for most non hd channels), and a PC or Laptop with at least a 700 mhz processor or better and recommended minimum of 512 mb of ram and Windows XP or newer. At this time if you want to watch on your TV you'll have to have a TV output card installed in your PC or Laptop. A new stand alone TV set-top box is in the works and is slated for release summer of 2010. A new version for the MAC and other web enabled mobile devices is also in the works.

If you meet the requirements and are ready to get started, simply head over to http://www.iptv-broadcasting.com and sign up to get started watching your favorite channels and making money on top it.

How to get around Satellite Service Requireing a Credit Card for New Customers

2009-10-26T23:03:00.000-04:00

Have you been denied satellite service because of no credit card? Have you turned down Satellite Service because you do not want to give them your credit card info? If you answered yes to either question, then I will show you how to get around that issue.

First of all, a little background info on the reasons that the satellite companies require a credit card.

First they use it as a secondary form of ID. A CC number along with your SS number will give them a positive ID match. After all they are potentialy putting up to $1500 worth of equipment in your home, plus paying an installer a good chunk of change to install this equipment. They want to make sure that you are who you say you are.

Second, they use the pos id match to do a soft pull of your credit report to make sure your credit worthy. Don't worry about the credit pull damaging your credit score, the soft pull does not mark your credit score. What they look at is your past dealings with other TV service providers as well as telephone/cell phone and internet providers to see if you pay your bills on the NON-Necessity items.

Third, they want some sort of guarantee that your bill will get paid. After all you are signing a contract for service. If you fail to fulfill your contract they will simply attempt to pay off your contract with your credit card.

Now to get around giving them your cc info, or if you do not have one, then all you have to do is get a prepaid credit card. But not just any pre-paid cc, it has to be a bank issued pre-paid cc, and not a Debit Card either. Simply go to your bank that you have an account with, and ask them for one. It may cost a couple dollars to purchase one, most banks dont charge if you have an account with them, then put fifty dollars on the card to cover any sign-up fees, or shipping and handling fees for promotional gift items that may be available through the satellite retailer you choose to do business with. A Walmart or Walgreen purchased pre-paid cc will not work because they cannot verify name or address info with the cc. Only the bank issued cards attach your name and address info with the cards. Dont forget to activate the card before attempting to give out the cc number. To play it safe you should make sure its been active for at least a couple of days before calling to place your order.

After the order has been placed, your service has been installed, and any fees have been taken from the card, you can then use what ever money is left on the card to get gas or what ever.sate

You can save your lost data without a backup

2009-10-26T22:59:00.001-04:00

Got a HDD (Hard-Disc-Drive)(AKA: Harddrive) with all of your important data that just crashed? Have you given up on your lost information? Did you forget to backup? Well don't give up just yet! I have a tip that may just get you data back.

This may not work in all cases, but in many it does. If your drive just died and you have not continuously tried to get it to boot over and over, even if its making the clicking noises, or if its making a lot of noises, but still runs, then there is hope.

The answer is simple. But first you will have to get a new HDD. After all, your current drive is either dead or really close to it, and you need somewhere put the data that you are about to retrieve from the old drive.

Remove the old drive from the computer/laptop. Install the new drive and get your OS (Windows/MAC/Linux...) installed and running. Then put old drive into a freezer bag and put it into the freezer for at least 12 hours. This is not a joke, it really works. Just remember that you must work quickly and get the files while the drive is still frozen, so make sure that you have the computer ready to transfer files. You may only get one chance at this. It does not always work a second time.

When you are ready, pull the drive out of the freezer and freezer bag and either install it as a slave drive in your tower or install it into a external USB HDD encloser while still frozen. boot up the computer/laptop and make sure that the OS can see the HDD and has assigned it a drive letter. If not, and you are sure everything is connected correctly and settings are correct, then you may be out of luck. If your computer does see it, then your good to get some files, maybe not all, depends on the drives condition. As quickly as possible, browse the drive and copy the needed files to your new drive. I would suggest getting the most important files first then on to the least important ones because your are running on borrowed time and who knows how long the drive will continue to run.

I hope this helps you as much as it has helped me out through the years.

did you know

2009-09-08T17:28:00.000-04:00

did you know you can get you can get $500 in free groceries and $500 in free Gas just for signing up for satellite TV? http://www.dishnetwork.ws or http://direct-tv.ws.

Can your freezer save your lost data?

2009-09-05T23:34:00.007-04:00

Thinking about getting Satellite TV for the first time?

2009-07-31T10:50:00.004-04:00

If you are thinking about getting Satellite TV for the first time, but you are not sure what to get, Dish Network, or DirecTV, then read on.

If price is your main concern, then the choice can get pretty tricky. Package to package comparison, regular everyday price without promotions, Dish Network is the better choice. Looking at the everyday price is very important. It will tell you what you will pay after the promotional period is over. After all, the promotional prices usually only last for 3-6 months, and you have to sign a 2 year contract. When its all said and done, after 2 years, you will pay less with Dish Network. To view a Side By Side comparison of the packages offered by both providers, click here.

If the channels offered are you you main concern, then your options are pretty close to the same. Over all, both Dish Network and DirecTV offer the same channels. The only real difference is specialty channels like NFL Sunday Ticket. Only DirecTV offers that. To view all the channels offered by Dish Network, click here. To view all the channels offered by DirecTV, click here.

If the Hardware is your main concern, then there is a major difference between the two providers. To simplify things, if you are technically savvy, then you will enjoy what Dish Network has to offer. They have really cool receivers that can do some really neat things, such as record 2 different shows at once while allowing you to view another recorded show all at the same time, and record in one room and watch in another. DirecTV is more for the easy goer's. People who like things more simplified tend to prefer DirecTV over Dish Network. People who like more options and features in hardware tend to prefer Dish Network to DirecTV. DirecTV does have one cool hardware advantage over Dish Network, they have the Sat-Go receiver. A portable receiver, antenna, and TV all in one convenient breif case style package.

Add more income potential to your Cellular Store front.

2009-07-04T10:18:00.005-04:00

Do you or someone you know own a traditional Cellular Store? Has your previously profitable Business become a non-profit hobby? It's time to add some more income potential to your store.

I know the state of the economy and the changing cellular market has brought your bottom line down. Profits are dwindling and you might even be thinking of closing the doors, such as many others have done recently. If you are at that pivotal point where you either do something to turn the business profitable again or just close it down, then you must read this post before you make that decision.

Do not stop selling or change your current brand. Simply add more to it. If you do not have a brand loyalty contract, then you could expand your store to include other brands. But if you are in a contract with your brand that states you cannot sell any other brand out of your store, then that idea is out of the question. I'm sure you have already contemplated this move. If you are able to, then do it. Diversification and Expansion are a great way to increase your profit potential.

Weather your in a brand loyalty contract or not, you can simply add another niche market to your store, and it is not against your contract. Try adding Satellite TV and Internet to your stores products and services line. If you are at this pivotal turning point in your business, then signing a contract with the satellite companies as a retailer and paying all of the up front retailer fees to get started does not make much sense. Signing up as an affiliate under another retailer makes much more business sense.

As a DishNetwork, DirecTV, and Hughes Net affiliate, you still get a descent commission per sale, and you do not have to carry any inventory. All you need is some knowledge of the products and services, a little employee training, and you are on your way to adding profits to your business.

Also you can add promotional gifts to entice the sale of a new contract to your patrons. There is no contract to carry these promotionl gift cards either.

Try out these new products and services and watch your business profits grow.

A bit of info about wireless networking - AKA Wi-Fi

2009-03-25T09:48:00.008-04:00

While I was in the middle of writing this post, I was contacted by a friend who just wanted to know how to connect to a Wi-Fi HotSpot. So I split this post into two different posts. Have been out to a Star Bucks and wanted use there Wi-Fi and connect to the internet to check your email maybe even update your Twitter or Facebook page, but you don’t know how, then read my previous post. But if you want to know more about all this wireless stuff, and even how to setup your own wireless network, then read on.

Well kick back and relax, and hopefully when all is said and done, you will have a much clearer picture of what is really going on. I’ll try and keep this as simple but yet thorough as possible.

Ok, so first of all in order to establish a wireless network connection, you need two main things, a wireless access point (AP) - AKA wireless router, and a wireless client adapter. Well, three things if you count the computing device such as a Computer (Laptop or Desktop), I-Phone, Palm, or what ever device you have or use that has built in Wi-Fi (Wireless Client Device).

If you are at an establishment that offers free Wi-Fi, like StarBucks, McDonalds, Ramoda INN.. then the first thing, the Wireless AP is already provided by them. If you are at home and just want to roam around in you house with a wireless laptop and have access to the internet, then you need to pick a Wireless Router. You can get one at most electronics stores, WalMart, Best Buy, Radio Shack. Just make sure that if you get your internet from a Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) it does not interfere with there outdoor equipment. I no this sounds a bit overwhelming and confusing, but don’t despair I will explain more. If you get your internet from a cable TV company, or from a satellite internet company with a dish like HughesNet or Wild Blue, or from your local telephone company through the phone lines, then you do not need to worry about interfering with there equipment.

Now you will also want to make sure that you get a Wireless Router that is compatible with your current wireless client devices. If you do not have a computer or laptop with a wireless client device, then you can pick up both the router and client device at the same time that way you can make sure that they are compatible.

Wireless devices are categorized by protocol standards that use certain terms that will need to know. When you get to the store, you will many different brands, models, and code terms that may seem overwhelming or confusing at first, but I will break it down for you. First of all you will see all of the different brands, (Linksys, Netgear, D-Link and maybe even more) but that is really not as important as the models and the protocols they use. Second, you will see all of the different models and the protocol terms I was telling you about, like 802.11-x. There are several different protocols, 802.11-B, 802.11-G, and the latest 802.11-N (or MiMo which is the pre-release before N was complete), all of which run on the 2.4ghz wireless frequency. The most common is 802.11-G.

The G protocol is an update to the B protocol, and the N base protocol is very similar to G accept that is uses multiple wireless channels at the same time, where as G can only use one channel at a time. The purpose of using multiple channels at the same time is increase the amount of bandwidth (or data transmission) that is transferred between your computer and the router, there by increasing the connection speeds, and in some cases it also increases the distance you can travel from the router and still remain connected. The down side is that if you do not have a N device on your computer but you do have a N router, then the connection will default back down to a G connection. So if you already have a G device in your computer, then purchasing a N router (at a higher price) will give you no increase in speed or distance coverage. In the US there are a total of 11 - 2.4 ghz channels that can be used.

Now just for the purpose of being thorough, I also wanted to let you know that there is also a 802.11-A protocol that was introduced around the same time as G and offered higher connection speeds, but did not make it in the market very well because it uses the higher 5.8 ghz frequency, and because it is a higher frequency it has a harder time going through solid objects such as walls, floors, furnaces and such, therefore making the ability to sustain a connection was much more difficult.

So before deciding which router to buy, keep in mind that no matter how fast the computer and router can communicate, your internet connection will never be able to go faster than the speed package you are subscribed to from your ISP. If you already have an internet connection, and you just want more speed, then buying a fast router probably won’t help, you need to call your ISP and upgrade your speed package. If you are currently at the bottom speed package, then purchasing an N router will not help you out accept maybe the distance you can move away from the router. If you are currently subscribed to an upper speed package from your ISP, then you may benefit from getting an N router and N client device. If you have multiple computers in the home or office and you need to transfer a lot files between them, then the higher speed of the N router and N clients would help out with the file transfers.

For the most part, you should be just fine with a G Router and G client device. If you have an older laptop that has a built in Wireless B client device, don’t fret, it will still connect to a G router, they will just communicate with each other at the slower B protocol. If you have a computer or laptop that does not have any wireless client device, you have the option of purchasing a device that gets installed inside the computer, or if you do not want to get inside the computer, or pay someone to install it, then you can purchase one that plugs into one of your USB ports on the outside of the computer or a wireless card that plugs into the PCMCIA expansion port on the side of your laptop. Just keep in mind that the Wireless Client Devices that are inside the computers or a PCMCIA card, tend to last longer then there external USB counterparts.

Now if all you are looking for is a way to connect to a public wireless connection, or a friends wireless, then you only need the wireless client device, the wireless AP has already been provided by your friend or the public location for you to connect to. As I stated earlier, G is the most common wireless protocol, so most public locations are wireless G networks.

Ok, so let’s assume that you are going to get a wireless router for your home or office. Once you decide on the best router for your needs, then you need to know how to hook it up and where to put it in the building. You will want to try and keep it as centrally located as possible. Put it on the middle floor in the center of the building. If you put it in the basement, you may not be able to keep a good connection to it from the 2nd floor, or if you place it in the far east end of the building, you may not be able to keep a good connection from the far west side of the building. Of course if you have a very small building or home, you could probably get away with placing it just about anywhere in the building. Your particular circumstance may affect where you can place the router, like if you already have a room with several computers that are not wireless, you may need to place the router in that room, just keep in mind that you may not be able to use your wireless laptop at the opposite corner of the building form the router. If you run into a circumstance were you need to cover an area that is just out of reach, then you can purchase a Wireless Range Extender. A device that should be placed just within range of the of the main wireless routers signal, then it connects to the router and extends the range of the wireless signal so you can get to those hard to reach areas.

Now let’s touch a little bit on mixed wireless and wired networks in your home or office using a wireless router. A wireless router is more then just a Wireless Access Point (WAP). It also has ports on the back for 3-5 hardwired (non-wireless) computers as well.

Now connecting your router to your internet is the easy part. Your connection comes into the home from your internet provider (ISP), and may require a Modem of sorts, then the connection comes out of that modem and into your computer. Simply disconnect the Ethernet cable (looks kinda like an over sized phone cord) from your computer coming from the modem and plug it into the Internet port (sometimes referred as a WAN port) on the back of the router before plugging the power cord into the router. Yes you will need another outlet for yet another power plug. Do not plug the power cord in yet, just get it ready to plug in. Now if you are currently connected to your Modem via USB, then you will need an additional Ethernet cable to connect the Modem to the Router because the router cannot connect to a modem via a USB cable.

Next, to set up your router for the first time, you will need to plug your laptop directly into your router with an Ethernet cable (usually 1 is provided with the router, if not you will need to pick one or two up when you purchase the router). Simply plug one end into the Ethernet port on your laptop, then other end into one of the other open ports (1, 2, 3…) on the back of the router.

Now run the CD that was provided with the router on your laptop and follow the onscreen instructions. The software will tell you when to plug the router into the power. At some point during the setup process the software may ask if you want to setup wireless security, I recommend yes. It may not ask, it may just move right into setting up wireless security. Also it will ask you for 2 different passwords. One password is an Administrator password that you may need in the future to log into the router in order to make changes to its settings. The other is the Wireless Encryption Key (Pass-Phrase) that you or anyone else will need in order to connect to your new wireless network. Also it will ask you to re-name your wireless network (SSID). This makes it so when you scan for a wireless network, you will know which wireless network is yours. Most people make the SSID there last name or the name of there business. As far as the rest of the settings, most of time, the default settings will be correct.

Once setup is complete, you can now disconnect the Ethernet cable from your laptop, and connect to your new wireless network (read my previous post to connect to a wireless network). Now that you have connected to your wireless network, you can open up the status window for your wireless connection and see a live signal meter showing you how strong or weak your signal is. At this point you should wander around the building with this meter open and get to know were your weakest and strongest signals are, so you know what rooms to avoid.

I hope this post has cleared up some confusion and not created more confusion. If you are still totally lost, you may want to enlist the help of a friend who has done this sort of thing before, or hire someone who specializes in Wireless Networking.

How to take advantage of Free WiFi at Starbucks or Ramada, or maybe your friends house.

2009-03-24T23:19:00.005-04:00

So you have been out to a Star Bucks or to a friends house and wanted use there Wi-Fi and connect to the internet to check your email maybe even update your Twitter or Facebook page, but you just don’t know how to make that wireless connection!

Hang on, and we’ll get you surfing and emailing in just a few moments.

I was in the middle of writing a much longer and more descriptive version of this post when a friend called and asked me how in the world they use a free Wi-Fi connection. So I decided to write this post and get it out there before putting out the much more descriptive version.

Well here is what I told her. I don’t care if you are using a wireless laptop (or tablet pc) or some Wi-Fi enabled handheld device, the basics are the same, the only real difference is how you get to the settings that need to be addressed.

First off we need to make sure that the wireless client is turned on in your computing device. Quite often on laptops and tablet’s, there is a switch or button somewhere on the outside of the case to turn on or shut off wireless capability. Most of the time there is a lit up icon somewhere near the keyboard or the front of the case letting you know if wireless is enabled or not.

After that we just need to make sure that wireless capability is enabled in the computing devices Operating System (OS). Basically you just need to go to the devices settings page or control panel, then go to networking, once there you should see your wireless client device.

Next we need to make sure that it can see the Wi-Fi signal, some where in the settings for your wireless client, you should see a scan button, that will tell the device to “sniff the air waves” for a wireless signal. This can take a few moments to complete. Once completed, it should show you a list off all of the wireless signals that it could see in range, and there current signal strengths. Each signal has a name, called an SSID.

Next you need to select the appropriate SSID for where you are at. So if you are at Starbucks, you should see an SSID called Starbucks, or if at McDonalds you should see SSID McDonalds. If you are at a friends house, you might see an SSID with there last name, or maybe the generic name given by there wireless router, like LinkSys, or Netgear, your friend should know the name of there wireless network. So select the appropriate SSID, and then you should see a connect button, click on that. If the SSID that you wish to connect to has an icon next to it showing a lock, or it may simply say secured, that means that you need to know a pass-phrase in order to establish a wireless connection to there network. This is commonly known as a Wireless Encryption Key. There are many types of wireless keys like WEP, WPA, TKIP, or what ever, the most common is WEP, but that does not matter at this moment, your client device should have already detected the type of encryption and display the appropriate pass-phrase box, what does matter is that you must know what the pass-phrase (or password) is.

If you are at a friends, they should know what they setup there pass-phrase to be, or at least have it written down somewhere. If you are at a public location, then you may need to go up to the counter to get information on connecting to there specific wireless network. Some public locations, known as HotSpots, will have an un-secured wireless network, and you will be able to connect to there wireless network without knowing and entering a wireless encryption key, but once you connect to there network, and you try to surf to a web page, you be interrupted and redirected to a special account page asking for your HotSpot account info, or sign up right there on that page. You may have to go up to the counter and sign up and get account info there.

In any case, if it’s a secured network, as soon as you click on connect you will be prompted to enter the pass-phrase (encryption key). Some client device software will require you to enter the key twice, and some only once. Either way, just make sure that you enter the key exactly because they are Caps sensitive.

Once you successfully connect, you should be able to open your web-browser (Internet Explorer, FireFox, Opera…) and go to a web page, try a few different pages, Google, MSN, Yahoo.com, or where ever. If all is well, you be able to check email and surf the web.

Some public Wi-Fi providers do not encrypt there wireless signals, so you will not need the know an encryption key or pass phrase to connect to there wireless network, but instead, when you first attempt to browse to a webpage, there system will redirect you to a special webpage that will ask for a password provided to you from the front desk. Once you enter that password, then you can freely browse the internet.

If you get DNS errors or pages just do not load, even after trying a few different pages, then there is an issue, either the encryption key was not correct (some software’s will allow you to enter an incorrect key and not warn you that it its wrong) or your main networking settings are incorrect.

While you are in your settings page for your wireless client device, check the TCP/IP settings, and make sure that it is set to Auto or DHCP, or some public places require that you enter specific or advanced settings in the TCP/IP area.

Just remember that not all Wireless Wi-Fi HotSpots are free to use, some do charge for the use of there wireless network. Make sure to ask the clerk for more details.

I hope this helped you out as much as it did for my friend.

Connecting your new DTV converter box

2009-02-26T10:06:00.004-05:00

I have received so many requests for help connecting DTV converter boxes that I decided to
make this little basic how to guide.

First off, if you subscribe to Satellite TV (DishNetwork, DirecTV...), Digital Cable (With
the Digital cable box), or if you have a newer TV with a built in digital tuner, you do not
need a digital converter box.

Second you need to look at signal traveling through the cables like flowing water through
pipes, complete with valves, T splitters and faucets.

You have your TV Antenna, either an outdoor roof antenna, or an indoor set of rabbit ears
that collects the signal from the broadcast stations. Now keep in mind your distance from the broadcast station towers. If you only used a set top rabbit ear antenna With the older analog signal, you may need to upgrade to an amplified indoor antenna or maybe even an outdoor rooftop antenna to pickup the the full digital signal. Most newer antenna's on the market today are already tuned for the new digital signals, but if you cannot find one in stock, dont worry, you can use a regular antenna and still pick up the digital signals, you just may need to get a more powerfull (higher gain or amplified) antenna to make up the difference. Just remember like anything else, you get what you pay for in antenna quality, but you dont have to get carried away with super expensive equipment either.

Next there is a cable that caries the signal down to the Converter Box. If you are using an outdoor antenna that has been in use for a number of years, you may need to have all of the connections checked for rust and corosion, even if you may not have noticed any problems in the past. Digital signals are more sensative to poor connections.

At this moment your Antenna cable is currently connected to either your tv or connected to a VCR or another device. Disconnect the antenna cable from the device it's currently connected to. Connect the Antenna cable to the "Antenna IN" port on the back of the converter box.

Now the signal has been converted from digital to analog and needs to be sent to the TV. Most converter boxes have two or more types of signal outputs, in most cases, you will only need to use one of the outputs. In most cases you will use the coax output "TV OUT". Connect one end of a coax cable to the "TV OUT" port in the back of the Converter Box. Connect the other end to the device the antenna cable use to be connected to.

If you connected the coax directly to your TV, then all you have to do tune your TV to channel 3 (in some cases you may need channel 4), if you previously had the TV set for Cable, then you will need to change it to Antenna/AIR. If you plugged the coax into a VCR, then you will need to tune the VCR to channel 3 (or 4), then tune your TV to channel 3 (or whatever channel you usually use to whatch your VCR movies). Next plug the converter boxes power cord into a wall outlet. If the conver box does not power on as soon as you plug it in, then you will need to use the remote that came with the converter box to turn it on (dont forget to put bateries in the remote). Most converter boxes will power up with a setup wizard to walk you through scanning for digital channels. If the converter box did not start up with a setup wizard, then refer to the users guide that came with the converter box to scan for new digital channels. Once the scanning is complete, you are set to start whatching Digital TV. Just keep in mind that from now on, you have to use the remote that came with the converter box to change channels.

I hope this has helped some otherwise confused people out there. I realize that there are many more ways to connect or route the signal, but I made this BASIC guide for those that have the most common or basic setup. Perhaps I will make a more advanced guide later.

Do you listen to the Radio or TV in your home office? If so, then you need this cool gadget!

2008-12-24T09:44:00.002-05:00

Are you tired of hunting for your TV or Stereo remote when a business call comes in?

Well worry no more, because I have found a really cool gadget called the TV Silencer, that will automatically mute your TV or stereo, or even pause your DVD/CD/VCR player when the phone rings.

If you run a business out of your home office and you like to listen to radio or tv while you work, then you know the hassle of quickly turning down or muting the radio so you can take that all so important call. After all it is a business call right.

I have spoke with a number of people who work for call centers out of there homes, and they like to have background music while they work, but they know that they are supposed to make the calling customers think that they are in an office environment, so they must quickly turn off or mute there music while they talk.

This device is so versatile that it can send 2 IR commands to anything when the phone rings. That means that you can send 2 different commands out to 1 device, or 1 command to 2 separate devices at the same time.

To make this device even sweeter is that in now sells for only $39.99. Go check out the TV Silencer for yourself, and make your home business experience a little bit easier.

Nano Technology is finaly comming out of the lab with real world potential

2008-10-26T21:35:00.003-04:00

Nano Technology has been a thing of science fiction for far to long, and it's about time it has come out of story books and failing lab tests to the real world from proven lab results and actual production materials that can possibly change the world for the better.

Ben Wang, director of Florida State's High-Performance Materials Institute said that they have actually demonstrated materials made from nanotechnology, called Buckypaper, that are capable of being used on flying systems.

It takes upward of five years to get a new structural material certified for aviation use, so Wang said he expects Buckypaper's first uses will be for electromagnetic interference shielding and lightning strike protection on aircraft.

Electrical circuits and even natural causes such as the sun or Northern Lights can interfere with radios and other electronic gear. Buckypaper provides up to four times the shielding specified in a recent Air Force contract proposal, Wang said.

Typically, conventional composite materials have a copper mesh added for lightning protection. Replacing copper with buckypaper would save weight and fuel.

Wang demonstrated this with a composite model plane and a stun gun. Zapping an unprotected part of the model caused sparks to fly. The electric jolt, though, passed harmlessly across another section shielded by a strip of buckypaper.

Other near-term uses would be as electrodes for fuel cells, super capacitors and batteries, Wang said. Next in line, buckypaper could be a more efficient and lighter replacement for graphite sheets used in laptop computers to dissipate heat, which is harmful to electronics.

The long-range goal is to build planes, automobiles and other things with buckypaper composites. The military also is looking at it for use in armor plating and stealth technology.

"Our plan is perhaps in the next 12 months, we'll begin -- maybe -- to have some commercial products," Wang said. "Nanotubes obviously are no longer just lab wonders. They have real world potential. It's real."

The scientific discovery that led to buckypaper virtually came from outer space.

In 1985, British scientist Harry Kroto joined researchers at Rice University for an experiment to create the same conditions that exist in a star. They wanted to find out how stars, the source of all carbon in the universe, make the element that is a main building block of life.

Everything went as planned with one exception.

"There was an extra character that turned up totally unexpected," recalled Kroto, now at Florida State heading a program that encourages the study of math, science and technology in public schools. "It was a discovery out of left field."

The surprise guest was a molecule with 60 carbon atoms shaped like a soccer ball. To Kroto, it also looked like the geodesic domes promoted by Buckminster Fuller, an architect, inventor and futurist. That inspired Kroto to name the new molecule buckminsterfullerene, or "buckyballs" for short.

For their discovery of the buckyball -- the third form of pure carbon to be discovered after graphite and diamonds -- Kroto and his Rice colleagues, Robert Curl Jr. and Richard E. Smalley, were awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1996.

Separately, Japanese physicist Sumio Iijima developed a tube-shaped variation while doing research at Arizona State University.

Researchers at Smalley's laboratory then inadvertently found that the tubes would stick together when disbursed in a liquid suspension and filtered through a fine mesh, producing a thin film -- buckypaper.

The secret of its strength is the huge surface area of each nanotube, said Ben Wang, director of Florida State's High-Performance Materials Institute.

"If you take a gram of nanotubes, just one gram, and if you unfold every tube into a graphite sheet, you can cover about two-thirds of a football field," Wang said.

Now carbon nanotubes (CNT) are getting in on the act with nanotechnologists working out how to grow nanotube reinforcements for polymers in an ideal manner.

Researchers from Trinity College have developed a scalable inexpensive technique to grow grid patterns of nanotube arrays. To maximise the effect of CNT reinforcement on a polymer thin film, while minimizing nanotube content, a controllable way of varying the volume fraction of CNTs within the composite is needed. In order to do this, the inter-grid spacing can be tailored as required giving a simple method of controlling the volume fraction of nanotubes grown on substrates.

The research work by Werner J. Blau, Dr. Emer Lahiff, Andrew I. Minett and Dr. Kentaro Nakajima is expected to lead to incorporation of CNTs in polymer matrices within flat panel displays, sensors, flexible electronic devices and actuators.

Troy, N.Y. - Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have created robust quantum models to compare key characteristics of copper and CNTs.
"If you go to the nanoscale, objects do not behave as they do at the macroscale," said Saroj Nayak, an associate professor in Rensselaer's Department of Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy, who led the research team. "Looking forward to the future of computers, it is essential that we solve problems with quantum mechanics to obtain the most complete, reliable data possible." "Given the data we collected, we believe that carbon nanotubes at 45 nanometers will outperform copper nanowire."

"Other researchers have developed ways to produce hydrogen with mind-boggling efficiency, but their approaches are very high cost," says Craig A. Grimes, professor of electrical engineering. "We are working toward something that is cost effective."

A greener, less expensive method to produce hydrogen for fuel may eventually be possible with the help of water, solar energy and nanotube diodes that use the entire spectrum of the sun's energy, according to Penn State researchers.

Currently, the steam reforming of natural gas produces most of our hydrogen. As a fuel source, this produces two problems. The process uses natural gas and so does not reduce reliance on fossil fuels; and, because one byproduct is carbon dioxide, the process contributes to the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the carbon footprint.

Grimes' process splits water into its two components, hydrogen and oxygen, and collects the products separately using commonly available titanium and copper. Splitting water for hydrogen production is an old and proven method, but in its conventional form, it requires previously generated electricity. Photolysis of water solar splitting of water has also been explored, but is not a commercial method yet.

Grimes and his team produce hydrogen from solar energy, using two different groups of nanotubes in a photoelectrochemical diode. They report in the July issue of Nano Letters that using incident sunlight, "such photocorrosion-stable diodes generate a photocurrent of approximately 0.25 milliampere per centimeter square, at a photoconversion efficiency of 0.30 percent."

"It seems that nanotube geometry is the best geometry for production of hydrogen from photolysis of water," says Grimes.

The photoelectrochemical diodes function the same way that green leaves do, only not quite as well. They convert the energy from the sun into electrical energy that then breaks up water molecules. The titanium dioxide side of the diode produces oxygen and the copper titanium side produces hydrogen.

Although 0.30 percent efficiency is low, Grimes notes that this is just a first go and that the device can be readily optimized.

"These devices are inexpensive and because they are photo-stable could last for years," says Grimes. "I believe that efficiencies of 5 to 10 percent are reasonable."

Grimes is now working with an electroplating method of manufacturing the nanotubes, which will be faster and easier.

There is still far more Nanotech materials coming out of the labs and into reality, I just wanted to shed some light on the subject in general. I really believe in the idea and concepts that nanotechnology can bring us into a much brighter and cleaner future.

DIRECTV to Offer HD Local Channels In 121 Markets by Year-End

2008-10-26T10:31:00.002-04:00

With Launch of 44 New HD Markets More Than 88 Percent of U.S. Television Homes Will have Access to Local HD Channels from DIRECTV

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., July 28, 2008 - DIRECTV, Inc., the nation's leading satellite television service provider, continues to strengthen its HD presence with the addition of 44 new HD local channel markets. By the end of 2008, DIRECTV will provide local HD broadcast channels in 121 cities, representing more than 88 percent of U.S. TV households. DIRECTV will begin the roll-out of the new HD local markets in August and continue through the end of the year. The new markets include:

Augusta, Ga.	Harrisonburg, Va.
Bangor, Maine	La Crosse-Eau Claire, Wis.
Baton Rouge, La.	Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Ark.
Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas	Lincoln-Hastings, Neb.
Boise, Idaho	Macon, Ga.
Burlington Vt.-Plattsburgh, N.Y.	Mobile AL-Pensacola, Fla.
Butte-Bozeman, Mont.	Myrtle Beach-Florence, S.C.
Champaign-Springfield-Decatur, Ill.	Norfolk-Newport News, Va.
Charleston, S.C.	Palm prings, Calif.
Chattanooga, Tenn.	Peoria-Bloomington, Ill.
Colorado Springs-Pueblo, Colo.	Richmond-Petersburg, Va.
Columbia-Jefferson City, Mo.	Rockford, Ill.
Davenport, Iowa-Rock Island, Ill.	Rochester, N.Y.
Dayton, Ohio	Savannah, Ga.
Des Moines-Ames, Iowa	Sioux Falls, S.D.
Dothan, Ala.	South Bend-Elkhart, Ind.
El Paso, Texas	Springfield-Holyoke, Mass.
Evansville, Ind.	Syracuse, N.Y.
Fort Smith, Ark.	Tallahassee, Fla.
Fort Wayne, Ind.	Toledo, Ohio
Greenville-New Bern-Washington, N.C.	Traverse City-Cadillac, Mich.
Harlingen-Brownsville, Texas	Youngstown, Ohio

With the rollout of 44 new HD local markets, DIRECTV continues to strengthen its position as the leading provider of quality HD programming among cable and satellite competitors nationwide," said Derek Chang, executive vice president, Content Strategy and Development, DIRECTV, Inc. "Our DIRECTV 11 satellite has recently begun operations and significantly expands our capacity for more national and local HD channels. And as we have with the SuperFan® service for MLB EXTRA INNINGS® and NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ and our multi-screen coverage of US Open golf, we will continue to use HD to enhance our unique interactive services to provide our customers with more of what they want and expect from us - the best television experience available."

DIRECTV will deliver HD programming from the primary broadcast networks - ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC - where available and authorized, to customers who subscribe to any CHOICE® programming package that offers local channels. DIRECTV HD customers will continue to pay only a $9.99 access fee, allowing them to receive DIRECTV's premier HD technology and all channels broadcast in HD that are tied to their particular base programming package.

Customers should visit directv to learn more about the full complement of DIRECTV's HD programming lineup including existing channels, new channels, details on equipment required for the new DIRECTV HD services and updates on when the new markets will launch.
For new subscription sign-ups with the best possible promotions visit: http://www.directv.ws

With the DIRECTV 11 satellite just introduced to the fleet and the launch of the DIRECTV 12 satellite next year, DIRECTV will have the capacity to deliver 200 national HD channels and 1,500 local HD and digital channels in addition to new advanced programming services for customers nationwide.

This post updated 10/26/08

Increase your companies bottom line in an economical slump.

2008-10-22T09:29:00.012-04:00

Is today's economy crunch hurting your companies bottom line? Has your number of sales decreased? Are you looking for a new and better way to increase sales and bring in some fresh faces? Do you think the problem is your sales staff, your ad copy, or maybe the economy?

Think again its really pretty simple when the value of a service or product exceeds the price your customers are paying for it, then and only then will the customer become sold.

My business had been hurting for a number of months, I was willing to do what I had to in order to turn this around and make it happen for the customer and for us, keeping in mind it must be a win – win situation, so I spent months looking into what I call “the black hole”, putting programs together ordering different items from wholesalers to better my leverage on the market of today, then I discovered a better way to promote my products and services.

Promotional Gift Cards! I know this isn't exactly a new concept, and for most it sounds too good to be true, but hear me out for a minute.

I understand what the mentality is behind handing out these promotional gifts and how it works. In the prospects mind they are getting more than what they are paying for, or at least for the most part, in concept anyways.

You've seen them all, from Pins & Pens to Coffee Cups & Sweat Shirts. The problem is that most people don't really care about, need, or want the promotional item being handed out. I know some items are cute, neat, or even useful, but most are just more clutter.

Well, we have something bigger, better, and more appealing for today's consumer and it has an exceptional benefit and attractive value in today's market, especially with the economy the way that it is. What is this wonderful savior of a gift you might ask? How about the wonderful gift of Cash! No, I'm NOT talking about sales discounts, coupons, or mail in rebates that you have to wait for months to receive or anything like that. I'm sure not talking small amounts like a dollar or even five, ten, or twenty dollars. I'm talking hundreds of dollars. Yes I said $100's (hundreds.) In some cases maybe even over a thousand dollars. Let me say that again, over $1000 dollars in all.

I know what your thinking about right now if your still reading, knowing most people your in a reaction mode, Programmed by your past experiences to disbelieve, Saying "yeah right, another scam, another useless web page with a bunch of drawn out hype about how I could get rich by buying into this."

Okay I'll give you that punch, after all most things to good to be true are, Right? Personally I guess what it boils down to is how much you know, and how well you can put something together, for me personally I have been self employed 2/3rds of my life and when I see a deal the first thing that comes to mind isn't what most would think, but more as a engineer would think looking at a 1 mile high building sure looks impossible. But is it?

Okay, with that said I'll say this "you're looking for a deal maker right?" And based on my own experiences of over two decades this is what is working today for me and my company.

Now you could be asking yourself, "Yeah But I only make $xx.xx per sale as it is! How in the heck am I supposed to afford to give away that kind of cash?" I know. I've actually heard that out loud and in my face many times over. Well, at least at first anyways.

What if I told you that it could cost you, the business owner, or manager mere cents on the gift dollar to give away hundreds, or even up to fiftenn hundred dollars to one client. It's a Win, Win, Win situation for everyone involved.

Don't believe me? The Red Cross, Banks all over the country, The Bunny Ranch in Nevada and some Satellite Retailers are doing just that. Some customers are getting two years (24 months) of paid television service for around $750 - $950, but then they get the $1000 gift and the deal is made and both parties are happy and it pays for the service and more. When I first found out what they were doing, I got excited and thought "Wow, what a concept". It ate at me as to how they could do this. I know how much they make per sale, and there is no way they can afford this. So I did a lot of research and found the answers I was looking for.

The answer is “Retailer Loyalty Gift Cards”. What is this? Retailers are willing to pay for consumer loyalty. So they sell predetermined prepaid gift credit cards at a great discount to other retailers as promotional gifts. Let's take the Gas companies for example. They sell us a $500 gift card certificate and we give one away either in a raffle, for a donation, or to close the deal on a sale. The client must then register the certificate and promise to use only one gas station brand (7-11, Marathon, Citgo...) for 20 months. If they do so, then for every hundred dollars in gas receipts they send in, they will get a $25 prepaid gift credit card. The Gas stations win because they are betting that while the client is getting gas, they are also buying drinks, snacks, cigarettes, or what ever. And over the course of 20 months, the client will have spent well over $500 at that one brand gas station. The same works for other retailer gift cards as well. They are buying consumer loyalty.

Ok, so you’ve peeked my interest! So how do I get some of these gift cards for my customers? Herein lays the problem. The retailers want you to buy a minimum of 10,000 certificates in one order. And it was after much deliberation with them to get that small of an order. In order to get them to agree to that small of an order, I had to agree to order once a month for a year. So I did. I really needed these for my business. But at the time I did not get that many new customers per month to support the numbers. So I opened up another business to resell these certificates in smaller quantities. I got the certificates I needed, and other businesses got them in smaller quantities. Again, Win - Win.

It did not take too long before I was actually ordering a second batch before the end of the month. Once word spread that I was offering $500 gift cards for each new order, I had so many new clients that I had to hire 5 new people just to keep up. I don't even advertise anymore and now I have a constant flow of new clients because they spread the word for me.

If you don’t believe me, then ask dishnetwork.ws, or direct-tv.ws how there business has increased since they started offering these great customer incentives.

Once you get your answer go on over to http://4towers.ecrater.com today to order some certificates for your clients, and watch your business boom. You advertising department will wonder where your new head of marketing is hiding.

Get $1000 Dollars back on your Satellite Progamming order!

2008-10-15T12:47:00.008-04:00

As you may recall on an earlier Post that I mentioned that on July 21, Dish Network Satellite TV retailer DishNetwork.ws announced that it will be offering $500 in free gas for all qualifying new Dish customer signups. Well they have outdone themselves on there latest promotion. Today October 15th 2008 , Dish Network retailer DishNetwork.ws announced that for a limited it will be offering $500 in Grocery Gift Cards as well as $500 in Free Gas for all qualifying new Dish customer signups! Thats Huge!!! You get $1000 back from DishNetwork.ws with your order. But you must request both offers at time of signup (additional shipping and handling fees apply) otherwise you only get one offer or the other.

How this works is you get $25 back on your monthly Gas purchases and 1 - $25 Visa/Master Card Gift Card per Month for 20 months, in redemption towards monthly purchases at your store of choice. That equates to $50 per month back in your pocket for over a year and a half. Considering that the most popular Satellite TV packages are around $39.99 - $49.99 per month, it's like getting your programming free for 20 months.

On a side note, sister companies Direct-Tv.ws , a DirecTV Satellite TV retailer, and HughesnNet.tv, a HughesNet Satellite Internet retailer, both announced that for a limited time they will be offering the same promotions as of today.

DirecTV To add Fox News in HD

2008-10-15T09:50:00.001-04:00

DirecTV announced that it will be adding Fox News HD on channel 360 starting 10/17/08.

Dish Network Expands Local High Definition Markets

2008-10-09T09:55:00.000-04:00

DISH NETWORK EXPANDS LOCAL HIGH DEFINITION MARKETS

Englewood, Colo., Oct. 9, 2008 – DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), the nation’s third largest pay-TV provider and the digital transition leader, today announced the addition of high definition local channels in five markets: Florence – Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Fort Myers – Naples, Fla.; Greenville – New Bern – Washington, N.C.; Madison, Wis.; and Wilkes Barre – Scranton, Pa. DISH Network® now offers local channels in 70 markets reaching 71 percent of U.S. TV households.

Consumers can sign up for the best high definition programming and service in the industry with DISH Network’s new TurboHD programming packages, the only all-HD packages on the market, starting at $24.99 per month. TurboHD is available in three separate tiers and includes special “turbo-charged” features and benefits such as DISH Network’s award-winning and industry-leading technology, the highest quality HD available including 1080p resolution where available, and the most-watched HD channels that may be viewed on any TV – analog, digital or high definition.
Current DISH Network customers looking to add the industry’s best high definition experience can get a “turbo-charged” HD package for as little as $10 more per month.
For more information about DISH Network’s 1080p programming, new HD channels and TurboHD system and packages, visit http://www.dishnetwork.ws or call 1-877-7-Dish-HD (1877-734-7443) or existing DishNetwork customers call 1-800-333-3474.

Email Forwarding Advisory

2008-10-08T09:26:00.002-04:00

Here is a nice little tidbit of information that came my way this morning.

Something we should all be aware of.

Note: most of us do not forward emails and here is why.
By the way, this is simply an advisory.

So if any of you are wondering why someone didn't return something to you that said something like "if I don't get this back I'll....or, "See how many flowers you can get back", or " Forward this to 10 people in the next 5 minutes or something bad will happen to you", etc.

The following is why you shouldn't send them back.

Advice from Snopes. com ..

1) Any time you see an E-Mail that says forward this on to '10' Of your friends, or sign this petition, or you'll get bad luck, good luck, or whatever, it almost always has an E-Mail tracker program attached that tracks the cookies and E-Mails of those folks you forward to.

The host sender is getting a copy each time it gets forwarded and then is able to get lists of 'active' E-Mails to use in SPAM E-Mails, or sell to other spammers.

2) Almost all E-Mails that ask you to add your name and forward on to others are similar to that mass letter years ago that asked people to send business cards to the little kid in Florida who wanted to break the Guinness Book of Records for the most cards.

All it was, and all any of this type of E-Mail is, is a way to get Names and 'cookie ' tracking information for telemarketers and spammers - - to validate active E-Mail accounts for their own profitable purposes.

You can do your friends and family members a GREAT favor (PLEASE) By sending this information to them; you will be providing a service to your friends, and will be rewarded by not getting thousands of spam E-Mails in the future!

If you have been sending out (FORWARDING) the above kinds of E-Mail, now you know why you get so much SPAM!

Do yourself a favor and STOP adding your name(s) to those types of listings regardless how inviting they might sound! You may think you are supporting a GREAT cause, but you are NOT in the long run.

Instead, you will be getting tons of junk mail later! Plus, we are helping the spammers get rich! Let's don't make it easy for them!

Also: E-Mail petitions are NOT acceptable to Congress or any other organization. To be acceptable, petitions must have a signed signature and full address of the person signing the petition.

If something is that good and you want to send it. Open a new page and cut and paste.

For more info, read the full story here:
http://www. snopes. com/inboxer/petition/internet. asp..

Top court stays out of DVR patent fight

2008-10-06T10:26:00.001-04:00

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court is refusing to disturb a $74 million judgment against Dish Network Corp. for violating a patent held by TiVo Inc. involving digital video recorders.

The justices denied Englewood, Colo.-based Dish's appeal Monday without comment.

In January, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit agreed with a lower court that DVRs distributed by Dish, formerly known as EchoStar Communications Corp., violated the software elements of Alviso,Calif.-based TiVo's patent. The ruling overturned the lower court's finding that Dish also infringed on the patent's hardware elements.

TiVo sued in 2004, alleging that EchoStar, a satellite broadcaster, infringed on TiVo's patented technology that allows viewers to record one program while watching another. EchoStar Communications changed its name to Dish in late 2007.

TiVo pioneered digital video recorders that allow viewers to pause, rewind and fast forward live television shows.

The lower court had ordered Dish to shut down the 3 million digital video recorders used by its customers because they use TiVo's technology, but that order was put on hold pending appeal.

Dish Network has said that the ruling would not affect its customers because the company had developed and distributed new DVR software that "does not infringe the Tivo patent at issue in the Federal Circuit's ruling."

Pace International Becomes National Content and Hardware Partner of DISH Network(R)

2008-10-06T09:26:00.001-04:00

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Oct 06, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- DISH Network Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH), the digital television leader, announced today that it has signed national content and hardware distribution agreements with Pace International and newly-formed Pace CSO, Inc. Pace will offer DISH Network content, set-top boxes and hardware, system design, marketing, technical support, customer support and billing to triple-play communities throughout the United States.

Pace International, a leading national distributor in the direct broadcast satellite commercial and multi-family business has expanded its operations to encompass this partnership with DISH Network. Pace will offer the full lineup of both DISH Network content and hardware to operators targeting triple-play communities. This comprehensive approach will allow Pace to "capture the community" as a single turnkey solution, including billing for properties and operators offering triple play.

"DISH Network and Pace are perfect complements to each other. Together, we've created the DBS industry's first scalable multi-family business model. This offering is a cost-effective way to help providers grow their subscriber base," said Vern Swedin, President of Pace. "With its MPEG-4 optical network and 1080p technology, DISH Network has shown clear vision about offering video content and services that customers want. We are positioned perfectly to provide those industry-leading services to multi-family communities."

"Pace will continue to support its existing customers and properties with hardware and turnkey solutions," added Swedin. "We are committed to our loyal customers, who can expect the same high quality products and service they've enjoyed since 1972."

"DISH Network is excited about its partnership with Pace International and the opportunity to expand our business," said Tom Stingley, executive vice president of Sales & Distribution for DISH Network. "Partnering with Pace will give us valuable resources and infrastructure to provide more and more consumers in multi-family living environments with the best entertainment experience in the country."

Pace has delivered hardware and content solutions through its operator base to hundreds of thousands of units in commercial, SMATV, and MDU markets as a leading satellite distributor. Pace now extends its expertise to deliver DISH Network products, including the newly introduced TurboHD.

Crystals Imagination

2008-08-31T15:00:00.003-04:00

I know this is way off topic here, but this is for my sister, so I'm going to post anyways.

Crystals Imagination Tea Light Candle Holders
Let Crystals Imagination inspire you with her beautifully handcrafted Tea light Candle Holders.

She work's full time. In her free time She came up with the idea of making tealight candle holders. She have been making these candle holders for about 2 years now. She have been selling these unique candle holders, and has customers come back at every holiday, birthday, weddings, births, etc. to purchase them.

Check them out at:
http://crystals-imagination.ecrater.com/

Also check out her myspace page:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=395275598

One of the largest ISP's, Comcast, starts inevitable change

2008-08-29T22:42:00.006-04:00

Comcast Cable company, one of the largest Internet Service Providers, announced publicly that they will begin to invoke there Fare Access Policy (FAP) as of September 1st 2008. What this means is that the consumer will have a monthly cap on download usage. Once this cap is reached, the account will be suspended until the beginning of the next month. If this cap is reached twice in a six month period, the account will be terminated for at least one year. Comcast has always had a usage cap in print in there contract, but has not been enforced until now. Comcast says this change must be made in order to allow fare access to all of it's customers to the limited available bandwidth.
Though HughesNet, and Wild Blue currently have similar FAP policies, Comcast's decision to make this leap with there immense customer base, has been touted as the Start of an inevitable change that most ISP's have been talking about for a few years now, but were affraid to enforce it.
We realize that this will make a lot of people angry, but this will allow us to offer higher speed packages to most customers.
To this point, Michiana Wireless, and other similar ISP's are testing certain area's offering up to 100mbps connection speeds enforcing there FAP, and are finding that so far, there customers are happy to abide by the policies given there new incredibly fast connection speeds.

Hughes Net steps up to the plate with higher speeds.

2008-08-28T22:13:00.002-04:00

HughesNet announced on Friday August 15th that they are now offering much higher packages of up to 5mbps download speeds. That's nearly double there previous highest speeds available.

HughesNet has been known to be the The Leader in Secure Satellite Internet services providing high speed internet services to commercial business's, home based business's, and residential customers alike with high speed internet connectivity.

EchoStar Provides Transponder Service for SkyWay Broadband

2008-08-24T10:49:00.000-04:00

EchoStar has done a deal to provide transponder service to support SkyWay USA’s satellite broadband Internet service, officials said Monday.

Through the agreement, EchoStar will provide SkyWay USA with domestic Ku-band satellite bandwidth.

“We are pleased to enter into this agreement with SkyWay USA to provide them with critical bandwidth to support their rural satellite internet solution,” Dean Olmstead, president of EchoStar Satellite Services, said in a prepared statement. “With EchoStar’s U.S. fleet of powerful Ku and Ka-band satellites, we were able to provide an immediate solution to help SkyWay USA expand its customer base.”

EchoStar’s capacity will be used by SkyWay USA to provide high-speed satellite Internet services to rural America. EchoStar represents a significant source of Ku-band and Ka-band satellite capacity together with satellite-related products and uplink support services.

“We are very excited about our multi-transponder, long-term agreement with EchoStar,” SkyWay USA CEO Dwayne Hay said in a prepared statement. “Our agreement with this strategic partner gives SkyWay the green light to rapidly deploy our hybrid satellite internet platform while not being concerned about satellite capacity for the next several years.”

AT&T Takes U-verse to Hometown of Fighting Irish

2008-08-21T12:06:00.000-04:00

Telco Launches Triple Play in South Bend, Ind., Area

By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News

AT&T is lining up against Comcast in the Midwestern town that Notre Dame calls home, as the telco launches its U-verse triple play in South Bend, Ind., and three surrounding communities.

Customers can currently order AT&T U-verse TV, Internet and voice services in parts of four local communities: Granger, Mishawaka, Roseland and South Bend. The company said it will make U-verse services available to more homes throughout the area on an ongoing basis.

“With the launch of AT&T U-verse TV, South Bend-area customers are finally getting a better choice to break free from cable,” AT&T general manager for Indiana and Michigan Bob Nixon said in a statement. “And we're taking it even further by making your services work together and offering cool features you can't get anywhere else.”

AT&T cited the statewide cable-franchise legislation Indiana enacted in 2006 for allowing the U-verse rollout in the area.

In the South Bend area, AT&T is offering more than 45 high-definition channels. Its DSL-based Internet service provides a maximum downstream speed of up to 10.0 Megabits per second and upstream speeds up to 1.5 Mbps.

AT&T is providing information on U-verse online, through a toll-free phone number and at two retail locations in Mishawaka, Ind.

Tired of high GAS prices? Get $500 free GAS!

2008-08-04T01:36:00.004-04:00

Could you use $500 in Free Gas? July 21, Dish Network retailer DishNetwork.ws announced that it will be offering $500 in free gas for all qualifying new Dish customer, or Hughesnet satellite internet signups! But you must request this promotion at time signup, and additional shipping and handling fee's apply.

Wow! The Free Gas may be distributed in $25 increments, but if you do the math, it's still a great deal.

AT&T Terminates Reseller Deal With Dish

2008-08-04T01:23:00.000-04:00

AT&T will stop reselling Dish Network satellite TV services on Dec. 31 under the terms of the two companies’ 2003 agreement, but the telco said it’s still “evaluating” its options on whether it would offer DirecTV or Dish service in 2009 and beyond.

TurboHD by Dish Network

2008-08-04T01:13:00.001-04:00

TurboHD by Dish Network, The Only 100% HD Service! 17 new channels 1 August! We're going BACK to Bronze, Silver, Gold! The new channels are the HBO, Starz/Encore ones (Encore HD launches likely next week, "middle of this month" stated) plus Lifetime, LMN HD (and a delay to 21 July for Cox's Lifetime HD rollout means Cox still gets it first!), one Cinemax channel, Planet Green HD, and CBS College Sports HD.

Also August 1st seems to be MPEG-4 Day for dumping MPEG-2

Dish HD Locals

2008-08-04T01:10:00.001-04:00

Dish HD locals planned to launch by 30 July: Abilene, Fargo, Greenville NC, Madison, Myrtle Beach, Sherman-Ada, South Bend, Waco, Wichita Falls, Northeast Pennsylvania (Scranton, Wilkes-Barre).

Also this summer: Columbia-Jefferson City, Des Moines, Joplin, Omaha, Lincoln NE, Quincy, Topeka.

A new value option is called the Welcome Pack, which includes 20 channels among which are Food Network, TBS, MSNBC, and the Weather Channel. (really lame name alert). There's also a Dish Latino flavor. You can get locals OR the Welcome Pack (and in DL flavor for the same price) for $9.99 or both for $14.99 beginning 1 August.

30 new HD channels on DirecTV

2008-08-04T00:57:00.001-04:00

On August 14 30 new HD channels will appear on DTV, some of which are premium channels. Some are in the works for Dish or are there already: Planet Green HD, ABC Family HD. Additional PPV channels and 23 regional sports networks are also coming - and when DirecTV 12 comes to life next year, it will push the number up to 200!

DirecTV launches Eurocinema

2008-08-04T00:56:00.001-04:00

August 1st is a red-letter day for DirecTV as it launches Eurocinema, which is a foreign-film on demand service, on its DirecTV On Demand platform.

1080p available on DishNetwork

2008-08-04T00:39:00.000-04:00

Get ready for a software update! This one will enable 1080p resolution on Dish Network, but given how everything's either 1080i or 720p, it might not work. They will do movies in 1080p, such as I Am Legend

DishNetwork TurboHD is on!

2008-08-04T00:19:00.002-04:00

A slew of channels became available on DishNetwork on August 1st. Lifetime, LMN, CBS College Sports are stretchovision, but the latter is reported to be having HD college football soon. Dish Network channel 6799 changed names to "TURBO". In the early morning hours, a Turbo-charged HD timer countdown (EPG "Turbo Upgrade in Progress" appeared on several channels, including ESPN2HD, ESPN, A&E, Showtime, Bravo, TBS, and HBO. MPEG2 HD will not be upgraded. Encore HD on for AT250 Ultimate and reported to be on the Essentials package.

GOL TV has departed from DishNetwork

2008-08-04T00:08:00.001-04:00

GOL TV has departed from DishNetwork. GOL TV's website says that it is no longer available on Dish Network "despite efforts" to keep it. Other sources note that Setanta Sports has replaced GOL TV.

Cant get high speed internet? Try a WISP!

2008-05-18T02:12:00.005-04:00

If you live in a rural area (or even some smaller towns) and you cant get any kind of traditional high speed internet (like Cable or DSL) then you should consider a WISP before you call for Satellite Internet. The startup and monthly cost is much lower then satellite internet, and the speed packages are much better too.

What is WISP you say? A WISP is a Wireless Internet Service Provider.

WISP FAQ'S

Q: What is wireless broadband connectivity?
A: Fixed wireless broadband provides high speed Internet access without cable, fiber or phone line connections. Data is securely transmitted wirelessly for two-way communications capable of data, video and voice.
Q: How do I get connected to the Internet?
A: The WISP installs a small antenna and radio unit on the roof or side of your house or building. The antenna is then aimed towards one of there Internet broadcasting towers. This establishes your wireless link to the Internet. Your computer or network is then connected via a cat 5 (Ethernet) cable drop to the radio unit.
Q: How long does it take for installation?
A: Basic installs take around two hours to complete. Not all installs are equal and some may require more or less time to complete.
Q: Does rain, snow, fog or other weather affect service levels?
A: No WISP services are not directly affected by the weather.
Q: If my bandwidth needs grow can I increase my bandwidth speeds?
A: Yes! You can always increase your service levels based on your growing needs. The bandwidth adjustment can be done remotely and does not require a site visit.
Q: DSL and or CABLE internet is not available in our area, will that prevent us from getting fixed wireless internet services?
A: NO! Fixed wireless services do not use fiber or any other terrestrial land links to connect you to the Internet and there for WISP's are not constrained in offering there services based on availability of these facilities.
Q: Why is fixed wireless service better than cable or DSL?
A: Cable services speed and performance are based on how many users are using in your area. A cable connection will slow down with each additional user on the network. DSL service quality depends on your distance from the nearest central office. If you are further than 18,000 feet you do not even qualify. Fixed Wireless Internet is not affected by any of the above downfalls. Most fixed wireless services are also a symmetrical service which means your upload speeds are as fast as your download speeds. Cable and DSL or Asymmetrical services, they allow you fast downloads while your uploads are allot slower than your downloads.

Fixed Wireless Service providers are all over, just pick up your phone book and see who might be in or close to your area. Keep in mind that a lot WISP's tend to venture quit far from there home town. they can bounce there signal from tower to tower ever expanding to areas that have the most demand for there services. So even if you don't see a WISP advertised in your local home town, look to see if there might be a WISP in a neighboring town. They generally have there base or home office in a larger city where they can make there final connection to the internet backbone providing you your high speed service.

Most WIPS's also provide other traditional ISP services as well. Like Static IP addresses, Dedicated Bandwidth Trunks, Dedicated PTP (Point to Point) (building to building or location to location) connections, VPN's (Virtual Private Networks), Web Hosting, VOIP (Voice over IP telephone service), MDU (Multiple Dwelling Units) (Apartment complexes or Hotels) Access, and so on.

Some WISP's can even offer speeds that far out shine traditional high speed internet service provers, with speeds in excess of 30 - 45 mps. Thats because they are not bound to the bandwidth limitations of copper lines. They are only bound by the limitations of the radio units they use on the towers and at the installation location, well and the quality of the signal as well, but that plays into the radio unit technology used.

So don't hesitate to call a WISP. A lot of them offer a Free site survey to see if they can get signal at your location. Even if they cant today, if enough people call from your area, they will consider expanding to your area.

How Many HD channels do you really get?

2008-05-18T01:00:00.006-04:00

You have all heard the HD (Hi-Def) Marketing Hype out there.

DirecTV and Dish Network to have 100 HD channels by years end.....

But do you really know how many HD channels you will get out of those 100?
Probably not. The reality of it is that those numbers are a NATIONAL total including all of the local HD channels they have available for all the major markets, Premium HD channels, additional sports subscription HD channels and the like.
So if you really think about it, you really are getting a much smaller number of HD channels in any given DMA market area. If you live in LA California, you cant watch Cincinati Ohio Locals, or Chicago Illinois Locals. So, If you take away all of the local DMA market HD channels they have available (only around 25), then add your own local HD channels back in to the mix, that will give you a much more truthful number.

So the truth of it is that you will probably only get around 55 - 60 HD channels and thats if you take the largest HD package and subscribe to the premium HD channels.

Oh wait, so you don't subscribe to HBO, Showtime, Starz, Cinemax and the like?
But what about Subscribtion sports packs? Same goes for them as well.
That takes the Total number of HD channels down some more.

When it's all said and done, if you only subscribe to the bare minimum HD package, and you don't subscribe to any additional premium or sports packages, then your total number of HD channels will probably be around 20 - 25, and thats if they even carry your Local DMA Market channels in HD at all.

Is it really worth all of the Hype? Well if you think about it, how much is the bottom dollar HD package with no additional ad-ons? Around $10 on top of your standard package price, and leasing fees and taxes. So what you are really paying is $10 for 20 - 25 channels that you already get in standard definition but now you get the privilege of viewing those 20 - 25 channels in HD, which by the way some of those channels (your HD locals) you can get for free by connecting an antenna directly to your HD TV. Depending on your distance from the local broadcast towers,
you may need to get a power boosted antenna to get the local HD channels.

Don't get me wrong, I can see the big difference between standard def and hi-def. The picture quality is awesome. But in my opinion, if you are a real HD buff, you are just ripping yourself off by only getting the bottom HD package. In order to really get your moneys worth you really need to go all out and get the top HD package and get all of the premiums and sports packs to get all of the HD channels as possible, then ask your provider to drop the standard def channels from your service to save around $30 or so. To me, thats the only way to make it worth the HD price.

WD unveils a hard drive expansion kit for Dish Network DVRs

2008-05-18T00:48:00.003-04:00

To help Dish Network customers seeking to store even more television content when they are unable to watch it live, Western Digital today introduced the My DVR Expander USB Edition 500 GB HDD designed specifically for DVRs.

The HDD is able to store 60 hours of high-definition content or 300 hours of standard content. Users can connect the HDD to their DVR via USB 2.0 connection -- the HDD's predecessor required an eSATA port.

The hard drive stays cool and quiet because it features a no-fan passive cooling system, as WD wanted the product to be used for quiet use in the living room or bedroom.

Keeping with the "green" theme companies have adopted lately, WD implemented its GreenPower technology into this drive, which means it's designed to save at least 4 or 5 watts of power savings over competitive HDDs. In addition, WD claims this drive consumes one-third less power than a regular external HDD available today.

WD and Dish Network said the My DVR Expander can work with the ViP Series HD DVRs, and both companies expect further compatibility later.

Current Dish Network DVR users can likely use any recent model external HDD to expand their storage capacity, assuming they don't want to purchase the My DVR Expander from WD. The only requirements include that the external drive support USB 2.0, and have storage capacity between 40 GB and 750 GB. Dish Network asks users to format the HDD prior to attaching it and launching the DVR's options screen for the first time.

The WD My DVR Expander USB Edition is available now for $149.99 MSRP. Be warned, however, that Dish Network charges a one-time $40 port activation fee for external HD use.

The HD Race is on

2008-05-18T00:17:00.004-04:00

Until last year, Dish Network offered many more HD channels than DirecTV, then DirecTV took the lead with 92 channels. The race continues, though, because it appears that Dish Network just this month upped its total to 95. Either way, each satellite service offers roughly twice as many HD channels as cable services offer.

Now the catch; 8 hours after turning on the 22 new HD channels, Dish Network shut off 15 existing VOOM HD channels. But on the flip side of that coin is that Dish Network CEO Charlie Ergen stated that Dish Network is on track to offer 100 high-def channels in 100 markets this year.

Dish Network Adds HD Channels

2008-05-12T10:03:00.001-04:00

Dish Network is scheduled this Friday to launch a new satellite that will expand its High-Definition programming capacity

Once operational, Dish is expected to begin adding high-def channels, increasing its current total to roughly 70 to 100 by year’s end.

The satcaster has said it would launch three new satellites in 2008 to expand its capacity for high-def. Dish also plans to offer local HD channels in 100 markets by year’s end.

The following HD channels will be added this year:

ABC Family; AMC; BET; Biography; Bravo; Cartoon Network; CNN; CMT; Disney; ESPN News; HBO2; IFC; MGMHD; MTV; MoreMAX; Nickelodeon; Sci-Fi HD; Smithsonian; Starz Edge; Tennis Channel; Toon Disney; USA Network; VH1; WGN; and The Weather Channel.

DIRECTV launches new satellite to increase DTH local sports coverage

2008-05-12T10:00:00.001-04:00

A new satellite launched successfully from the Pacific Ocean-based Sea Launch platform on March 19 will allow DIRECTV to increase its offering to include 150 channels of HD, including significant boosts in sports programming. The satellite, called DIRECTV 11, is expected go into service in early September.

The additional capacity will enable DIRECTV to expand its delivery of local HD channels to more than 100 markets, representing 84 percent of TV households in the United States. Another satellite, set for launch in 2009, will offer consumers up to 200 national HD channels.

The network continues to enhance the DIRECTV HD platform by broadcasting a number of exclusive interactive HD sports packages, like NCAA Mega March Madness, NASCAR HotPass and NFL Sunday Ticket. In addition, DIRECTV will add more HD content to its VOD platform that will formally launch in the coming weeks.

DIRECTV 11, the 10th owned and operated satellite in the satellite operator’s fleet, is a Boeing 702 satellite and is being maneuvered into a circular orbit at 99.2 degrees west longitude. When tests are completed, it is expected to begin operations in early September, providing capacity for up to 50 additional national HD channels.

The satellite’s spot beam transponders will also begin delivery of local HD channels to new markets across the United States, expanding the number of markets where DIRECTV offers local HD broadcast networks to more than 100 by the end of 2008. The operator currently offers 92 national HD channels and provides local HD broadcast channels in 77 cities, representing approximately 76 percent of U.S. TV households.

The DISH Network, DIRECTV’s competitor, was not so lucky with the recent launch of its new HD satellite. An SES Americom satellite (AMC-14), which DISH was leasing to expand its HD capacity, failed to reach its proper geostationary orbit in March. It is not known for how long the mishap will delay DISH’s launch of new HD channels.

Save the Pits

2008-03-22T01:35:00.003-04:00

Are you or someone you know looking for a American Terrier (Pit Pull)?

If so, look no futher. Simply goto savethepits.org, view the pitures, pick one out, and contact them for purchase info.

These cute, adorable, lovable puppies are available.

Keep in mind that if you plan on fighting Pits, these Pits are NOT fighters, and the owners will NOT tolorate it!

Contrary to popular belief, these dogs are very trainable and lovable. This particular breed of Red Nosed Pit’s are very friendly and are bread and raised for family protection. You just have to keep in mind that this breed of dog is very territorial, especialy around other pits.
These dogs are raised around other breeds and get along just fine.

For more info on raising and training Pit’s, savethepits.org has more info.

DIRECTV Plus® HD DVR Price Drop

2008-01-31T16:44:00.000-05:00

$100 price drop on a DIRECTV Plus® HD DVR
DirecTV's most advanced receiver is now $100 less. Receive a $100 instant rebate when you order a HR21 HD/DVR Reveiver for $199.00. Record both HD and SD programming to your receiver and watch it whenever you want

Get a Free HD or DVR Receiver at DirecTV

2008-01-31T16:16:00.000-05:00

Now you can have your cake and eat it too, with DTV's awsome deal.
All new subscribers to DirecTV can get up to 3 standard receivers and 1 HD or DVR receiver at no additional cost after a generous $99 instant rebate.

Additionaly direct tv subscribers will receive an HD Dish with free basic installation when signing up for Americas Choice (150 Channels) or higher package with HD (over 90 National HD channels) programming.

Local HD Programming in 76 Markets by Mid-2008. Continuing its commitment to deliver the very best in HD, DIRECTV will offer local HD networks in 11 additional markets by mid-2008 — bringing the total number of markets where DIRECTV offers local HD programming to 76. This means more than 75 percent of TV households across the U.S. will have access to local channels — ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC — in HD from DIRECTV.

Sci-Fi HD launching on Dish Network

2008-01-03T17:31:00.000-05:00

Dish Network subscribers can tune in to two new HD channels as early as tomorrow. Apparently, the satellite provider has already uplinked Sci-Fi HD and USA HD, the two channels could go live to customers Friday . If all this pans out, it should be quite a nice weekend in front of the set for Dish customers.

Those who have been asking to bring them some more HD channels for Christmas may get their wish.

USA Network HD uplinked (AVAILABLE SOON!!) on channel 9431 tp 17 at 110°
Sci-Fi Channel HD uplinked (AVAILABLE SOON!!) on channel 9432 tr 17 at 110°

Watch Free Live Streamin TV at Home or Work

2008-01-03T17:29:00.000-05:00

With the advent of new internet technology at our fingertips, we can now view live streaming satellite tv via high speed internet right on our PC or Laptop.

The nice thing is, Dishetwork.ws is offering it for free: http://dishnetwork.ws/dishnetworkblogs/

Do you need 100 Dollars?

2008-01-03T17:28:00.000-05:00

Are you in financial distress?
Did you get hit hard durning the holidays?
Bill collectors hounding you?

Or maybe you just need a little extra spending cash.

Either way, get over to 100dollars.org to learn how to get yours today.

It's easy, it's fun, it's something the entire family can join in on.

In Cable News: Cox fees to jump $10 for some areas

2008-01-03T13:03:00.000-05:00

Cox Communications customers who signed up for phone, cable and high-speed Internet service in 2005 will see their monthly bill increase $10 in February, officials said.

So-called bundled customers are charged $109.95, but the early adopters have been paying just $99.95.

About 20 percent of Cox subscribers in the state are affected.

By comparison, satellite-television competitor Dish Network offers 40 channels for $19.99, 100 for $29.99 and up to 285 for $89.99. All Show time, Cinemax, HBO, Encore, and Starz included!

August rankings by J.D. Power and Associates placed Dish Network ahead of Cox in pricing, listing the rates for the cable company as “average” at the time.

Want a Free Ipod?

2008-01-03T12:23:00.000-05:00

Now for a limited time, Dishnetwork.ws is offering 2GB Touch Screen and 80GB Mp3/Mp4 Video Players Free with qualified orders for dishnetwork satellite television service.

Upon reviewing there site, I also found that they are offering 10 inch Digital Photo Frames, and Fiberglass Audio Sub boxes with qualified order as well.

These Free Gifts are offered by way of Mail in Rebate, and Shipping charges do apply.

A Linux Hosting Machine is the best

2006-12-04T01:25:00.000-05:00

I have found that the only way to go for a Web Host is a Linux Machine.
Want a Linux Distro of your own? Check out distrowatch.com .
I prefer a Redhat Distro for a host box myself. But hey, what ever floats your boat.

You can do so much with it. There is so much out there for it.
Don't believe me? then check out freshmeat.net .
They have just about everything for a Linux Box.