When to use Quicken for Mutual Fund Recordkeeping

While you might assume any mutual fund investor should use Quicken’s mutual fund record-keeping tools, that isn’t the case. Because investment record keeping, including mutual fund record keeping, requires significant work and involves complexity, you need to make sure the effort is worth it.

In general, you keep investment records for any of the following reasons:

Reason 1: You want to track interest and dividend income.

Reason 2: You want to track realized and unrealized capital gains and losses.

Reason 3: You want to measure or grade the profitability of an investment by calculating its annual return or yield.

Obviously, all three of the tasks in the preceding list sound worthwhile, but many investors won’t need to use Quicken’s record-keeping tools to get this sort of information.

Tracking Investment Income

If your investing is done using tax-deferred accounts, such as individual retirement accounts, 401(k)s, and other similar investment containers, you don’t need to track the investment’s income. The income from tax-deferred investments stored is not currently taxable. The money you contribute to one of these tax-deferred accounts can be counted as a deduction when the money is transferred into the account. Any money you ultimately withdraw from one of these accounts can be counted as income when you move money out of the account and into your regular checking account.

For example, if you contribute money to an individual retirement account by writing a check on your regular bank account, you can categorize the check as “IRA contribution” when you write the check. This categorization lets you easily track the IRA contribution deduction you will need to report on your tax return. Similarly, if you withdraw money from an IRA account, all you need to do is categorize the deposit as IRA income. This lets you keep track of the IRA withdrawals you will also need to report on your tax return.

Tracking Capital Gains

As mentioned earlier, realized and unrealized capital gains are often the second reason for using Quicken for investment record keeping. In the case of a regular taxable investment account, any time you buy and then later sell an investment, you experience a capital gain or loss that needs to be reported on your tax return. Because capital gains and losses are important for your tax return, when you keep records of taxable investments you want to track these items. You even want to track potential, or unrealized, capital gains and losses.

However, while tracking unrealized and realized capital gains and losses is important for taxable investment accounts, you don’t need to do this for tax-deferred investment accounts like individual retirement accounts and 401(k) accounts. The reason is simple. For tax-deferred investment accounts, gains and losses aren’t taxable. Just as is the case with investment income, inside a tax-deferred investment account, gains and losses have no effect on taxable income. Again, the only tax effect comes from money you move into and out of the account. In general, money you move into the account is a deduction for purposes of calculating your taxable income. Money you move out of your account is an income amount for purposes of calculating your income tax return.

The general rule described in the preceding paragraph—that money moved into and out of a tax-deferred investment account is what produces a tax deduction or taxable income amount—is true. However, predictably, some tax-deferred investment accounts don’t work this way. There are, for example, nondeductible IRA and Roth IRA accounts. A nondeductible IRA account doesn’t give the taxpayer a deduction merely for moving money into the account. Also, a Roth IRA account doesn’t actually produce any taxable income just because you move money out of the account.

The primary benefit of a Roth IRA is that you get to withdraw money from the IRA without including the withdrawal on your tax return. However, in spite of the fact that money moved into certain types of IRAs or out of certain types of IRAs doesn’t trigger a tax deduction or taxable income, the general rules described here still apply. Even for nondeductible IRAs or Roth IRAs, you don’t need to track investment income, dividend income, capital gains, and capital losses for tax record-keeping using Quicken.

Measuring Investment Performance

As identified earlier, the third reason for investment record keeping concerns investment performance measurement. In general, one of the things you want to do when you become serious about your investing is calculate how good or how bad an investment performs. Complete and accurate investment records force you to honestly evaluate your investing.

One of the ways you measure investment performance is by calculating the annual return, or yield, produced by the investment. For example, if you buy a stock for $12 a share and later sell it for $18 a share, you should calculate the annual return on the stock.

An annual return, or yield, resembles an interest rate. By comparing the return a stock earns to the return provided by other investments, you gain a frame of reference and get a better idea of whether a particular investment makes sense.

While calculating returns obviously makes sense, note that one of the tasks your mutual funds management company does is calculate annual returns. Therefore, you don’t need to duplicate this effort. In effect, one of the services you are already paying the mutual funds management company for is the calculation of this important performance measure.

Mutual fund management companies calculate returns on an annual basis—typically using the calendar year as the period for which returns are calculated. Your investment holding period may not match the period for which the return was calculated. For example, if you hold an investment for one year but your year runs from July 1 to June 30, a return measure provided by the mutual fund company may not be useful if the return is from January 1 to December 31. Nevertheless, if you use the prudent mutual fund investment strategy—which is simply to invest for longer periods, to buy and then hold—the mutual fund management company’s performance measurements do give you the information you need.

Most Demanding LG Ally VS740 Phone Accessories

LG Ally is LG’s hottest touch-screen tools mobile phone. It is a mobile phone with a sliding the ivories, WVGA screen, 4 GB of storage and 3.2 megapixel Camera with automatic focus. The on the whole load and load of Ally is 4.6 X 2.2 X 0.6 inches and 5.6 ounces plus it runs Google Android OS 2.1 on a 600 MHz processor additionally has a 256 MB RAM.

The Ally has a varied variety of accessories making your mobile phone smarter and straightforward to work and additionally increasing the output of your handset. LG Ally phone accessories comprise Jawbone 2 Bluetooth Noise-Assassin Bluetooth Headset with hottest Voice Activity Sensing (VAS) tools it in point of fact diminishes the background voice with cutting edge DSP algorithms you can bear exonerate communiquй superior than some Bluetooth handset. Jawbone 2 additionally includes ear loops, 3 ear-buds, a traveler charger, and a USB cable. One of the prime interest of a user taking into account buying a mobile phone is if the Ally’s Micro SD card can provide up-to 32GB memory making your mobile phone more amusing with photos, videos, songs and with its shrill storage ability you can lay up contacts, programs and the like. Trustworthy and fast the card gives opportunity to Windows Vista standard by both Windows XP and Mac Os X.

Increasing the phone’s superior recital the LG Ally’s battery or a manage without lone as desired helps you to Confirm you Ally doesn’t visage a downtime. LG has tested all of its battery making guaranteed with the aim of they are trustworthy and give out imposing recital especially as desired. One of the Testing experiences for on the go people is with the aim of as their mobile phone is experiencing a Minimum Life. LG Ally’s car charger confirms with the aim of you are having no dilemma as you are on the road. Like other chargers this car charger is additionally tested on behalf of superior recital, Steadfastness and safe charging in some vehicle. LG Ally OtterBox Black Waterproof Cell Phone Case 2000 protects your Ally from water, dust and even shock. It can with bear temperatures among -10 to 175 F and its unique design can survive up to 100ft submersible. The OtterBox cell mobile phone box can fit phones up to 146 X 80 X 25 mm plus it additionally comprises a not fixed wrist strip. Another Ally’s accessories with the aim of care for your WVGA AMOLED screen from dust, scratches and finger prints is LG Ally’s screen bodyguard. The LG Ally screen protectors offer instantaneous caring of your screen. Maintaining the beauty of your mobile phone the diplex withdraw remover removes scratches and Flaws from your screen. The diplex is safe and successful on the largest part plastic surfaces and with a Overall mass of 5g (.175 oz) it is straightforward to have anywhere in your purse or bag.

Obinna Heche

The Kitchenaid Professional 600 Stand Mixer - Your Best Friend In The Kitchen

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External Hard Drives - How Dependable Are They?

Honestly, the quest for external hard drives are multiplying as most people stack up data and media files without difficulty nowadays. They are a type of hard drive which is used as a complete Usb device for transmitting data or backing up data from one p... Read >

Refurbished MacBook Pro - How Reliable Is It?

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Hd Video Camera - Making The Right Choice

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Cheap Refurbished Laptops - How Dependable Are They?

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Buying A Computer Desk? - Read This First

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Make Flexible Working Patterns Work For You

With the end of ‘a job for life’, the ticking of the demographic ‘time bomb’, and the ever-increasing pace of new technology, employers are having to consider a wide range of new working patterns that take account of this rapidly changing work climate.

So what is the government’s position on these new ways of working; and what are the benefits and potential pitfalls for employers to avoid?

What is the government doing?

The government is well aware of the consequences of changing work patterns - not least because they impact on the cost of the state pension to a degree that concerns the government considerably. There have therefore been a number of government-led initiatives in recent years, with more still to come:

• In 2000 the government introduced a Work-Life Balance campaign, and in 2002, Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry said that ‘More and more British workers are recognising that balancing quality of life and family is as important as a fulfilling career. People clearly want greater control and choice over their working hours but lack the confidence and the knowledge to do anything about it. Stressed workers with frayed nerves cannot perform to their maximum and employers know the damage this can do to commercial success – stress costs British industry £370 million a year. That is why it is down to employers and employees to work together to find sensible work-life balance solutions, which will result in better results, higher productivity and increased commitment. I am determined to get the merits of flexible working onto the business agenda.’

• Well established legislation gives part-timers equal rights to full-timers. Legislation such as the Working Time Directive, for example, sets down rules for minimum holiday and a maximum working week.

• Since 6 April 2003, parents of children aged under six, or disabled children aged under 18, have had the right to apply to work flexibly and their employers have had a duty to consider these requests seriously. Parents have the right to ask for a change in their working hours or their times of work, or can ask to work from home – although this is not an automatic right and the employer can refuse on certain grounds.

• Since 6 April 2003 the government has increased and extended maternity leave and pay, and introduced rights to paid adoption and paternity leave.

• From 2006, the government is bringing in age discrimination legislation. Employers will not be able to recruit, train, promote or retire people on the basis of age, and compulsory retirement ages will be illegal.

Types of flexible working

There are many well-established alternatives to full-time working:

• Part-time working, which can vary greatly in hours worked and pattern of hours.

• Flexitime, which allows staff to choose which hours to work (within pre-set limits), as long as they fulfil the required hours within a set period.

• Staggered hours, whereby, for instance, some staff come in at 8am and leave at 4pm, whereas others start and leave an hour or two later.

• Job sharing, where two staff do the job of one full-time staff member by sharing the work in an agreed fashion.

• Shift working, which enables 24 hour coverage.

• Unpaid leave, e.g. taking a sabbatical for a period of up to a year after an agreed length of service, or taking a career break whilst children are young.

• Working from home, which is much easier in these days of tele-working and computer links.

• Downshifting, where a member of staff agrees to less responsibility for less pay. This can be very useful in the run-up to retirement, and often goes hand in hand with choosing to go part-time.

The benefits (and barriers)

In the past, an employer’s initial reaction to flexible working patterns was likely to be a downright refusal to consider these, on the grounds that it would cost money, be difficult to administer and make work, and that no serious career player would want to work anything other than full-time anyway. Nowadays such an attitude would be seen as short-sighted and counterproductive:

• Staff want a better life-work balance at all ages. Those employers who can accommodate this by allowing flexible working patterns will be rewarded with more loyal staff who choose to stay and are absent less often. The company will have less problems with recruitment. Happier and less stressed employees are also more productive, and this in turn leads to more profits.

• We live in a society where consumers are increasingly expecting their needs to be met 24 hours a day. To satisfy this is impossible without shift working, job sharing, part-time workers etc. Furthermore, machinery can be used to its fullest extent in a workplace where flexibility is built in.

• Half the hours does not equate to half the effort (or half the commitment). Employees with the ability to manage their work-life balance better are more committed, not less. A company that exhibits this commitment to employees’ needs will get and retain talented people who will be prepared to commit their efforts in return.

• An employer who can offer truly flexible working patterns is an employer of choice who will attract the best and most diverse workforce.

Despite these advantages there are still some barriers to be overcome - although these are steadily falling:

• The government is slowly but surely tackling legislative barriers, such as rigidity in Inland Revenue rules which makes it difficult for older people to vary their hours downwards near retirement whilst maintaining a reasonable standard of living. Companies will have to follow suit with the rules of pension schemes being made equally flexible.

• Attitudes must also continue to change. The culture of deciding that older people are unemployable will soon be illegal, but we need the perception of managers and colleagues to move with the times as well. There is still a macho culture in many workplaces, which says that anyone taking career breaks, working part-time, or not putting in very long hours, is not serious about their career. This is short-sighted and wrong but must still be overcome.

How are organisations reacting?

The majority of employers fall into one of three distinct categories:

1. The ‘Proactive Group’. These are leaders in creativity and innovative thinking about how best to engage a quality workforce. In employee surveys they are invariably within the top 100 companies to work for.

2. The ‘Reactive Group’. They know that flexible working is a good idea but tend to react to market trends and pick up initiatives from others. They often provide flexible working through fear of the consequences if they don’t.

3. The ‘Change Resistant Group’. These are often small companies with less capacity (as they see it) for flexibility. They are likely to perceive that it only applies to their female, non-technical staff. They resist the idea because it looks risky and, at face value, is difficult to set up and administer.

These three groups may benefit considerably from the independent experience and expertise available through an external consultant. For example:

• Group 1 may benefit from an objective forum for creating and analysing ideas, providing facilitation, quality assurance and risk analysis - and ideas the organisation may not otherwise think of.

• Group 2 may need practical advice to help with increasing their knowledge and developing the new ideas needed to integrate flexible working into their company culture and ultimately move them into Group1.

• Group 3 may need support to increase their knowledge, work through the risk factors, and in particular to remove their fear of change.

When considering the introduction of new patterns of working, it’s important to get it right. Early pioneers of home working, for example, did not appreciate the dangers of isolation and lack of support of their staff at home, and found that things often did not work out, with home workers sometimes ending up more stressed than in their original workplace. There are, however, ways of increasing the likelihood that flexible working will meet its objectives for both the employer and their staff, which is why it makes sense to get expert advice before introducing new work patterns – rather than to help deal with the consequences if this is not handled correctly.

Has Someone Stolen Your Identity? Here Are 8 Ways to Tell

Right now, someone could be using your identity to start a new credit card, to get a loan, to drain your checking or savings account. In some cases, you might not find out about the theft for weeks, sometimes even months. Unfortunately, the longer it takes to discover the crime, the more damage will be done and the harder it will be to rectify that damage.

Thankfully, there are some ways for you to detect identity theft before the problems progress too far. Below are some of those methods.

1. Errors on your credit report – By checking your credit report yearly, you'll be able to determine if anyone is opening up accounts in your name without your permission. Otherwise, you may not learn there is a problem until you need to take out credit.

2. Mail problems – One of the least-technological ways to commit identity theft is stealing mail. If you aren't receiving mail or if you aren't getting items in the mail that you are expecting, such as credit card bills, then you may be a victim of identity theft.

3. Being rejected for credit you didn't request – As you may already know, if a creditor rejects your request for credit, he or she must send you a letter in the mail explaining the reason for the rejection. If you begin getting these letters, but you haven't been requesting credit, then that's a good sign someone is using your identity.

4. Being the victim of pretexting – Pretexting is a scheme involving the Internet or the telephone. Someone contacts you claiming to be a legitimate organization's representative, then they'll ask for your personal information, possibly a PIN number or a checking account number. If that has happened to you and you've given out that information, then there's a good chance you'll be a victim in the near future.

5. Changes in your credit balances or checking account amounts – Unexplained changes in any of your financial accounts should be a big signal to you that something is not right. That's why it's a good idea to check all of your balances weekly and compare them to your estimates. As soon as you spot a discrepancy, you need to follow up with your financial institution.

6. Being denied credit – Sadly, some people don't discover they have been identity theft victims until they go to buy a car, get a second mortgage, or open a new credit card. If you thought you had good credit but are getting denied, then it's a good time to check your credit reports, even if you've already done your yearly check.

7. Being contacted by debt collectors – When you start getting calls or letters about unpaid debts, which you don't recall having, you should never automatically pay them. Instead, send a written request for more information about the debt. By law, the creditor must supply you with this information.

8. Having some types of spyware on your computer – While not all spyware leads to identity theft, you need to realize that it can pose a serious threat to your privacy. Your passwords, credit card information, and online activities could have been monitored by unknown third parties, which leave you vulnerable to an attack.

If you want to learn more about how to detect and prevent identity theft or if you have been an identity theft victim, you need to read Identity Theft: A Resource Guide from PCSecurityNews.com. The ebook is available at http://www.PCSecurityNews.com?Ht=xaca04

Satellite Internet: Truckers Are Not Lonely

The profession of a heavy duty Truck driver is commendable. Not everyone can do a similar kind of job. They have to spend countless hours on the long open highway having no one to talk except to others who are doing a similar kind of work. But now, the scenario of their sufferings have somewhat alleviated with the advent of satellite internet. Particularly when it has become more affordable, the highway need not be so lonely for them everywhere.

Internet has always been the best means of communication that has gained immense popularity with the advancement of time with friends and loved ones who are far away from you. However, this mode of communication has so far been denied for those truckers who spend most of their lives away from their dear ones, thus making it hard to maintain strong bonds and ties. But thanks to the advent of satellite internet, now they have the liberty of a whole spread of communications to choose from. Satellite internet has now enabled them to send emails, send instant messages, use the internet facility to make calls and even they can do video conferencing for a real face-to-face conversation.

Truck drivers can also update their knowledge on current affairs and keep them on even with the day to day happenings around the globe and also know what is happening at his local community by accessing various news website through the Satellite Internet. And moreover, each and every media companies have their own websites which is updated regularly and frequently. If they plan to take a break after a long stretch, he could even entertain himself by different means through satellite internet. Satellite internet allows truckers not only to access tons of online movies and to keep them entertained; they can even play some games online. He even could start a part time job or career as an online poker player or blackjack, make some quick bucks and retire early. With the innumerous media out there in the World Wide Web, Satellite Internet is synonymous to endless entertainment. The best part is, most of them are absolutely free and you don't have to download anything as they can be streamed directly to your computer.

Having access to satellite internet is very handy when it comes to issues related to work. At anytime you can check the weather before you gets trapped in a storm or hurricane. You also can have access to satellite maps which will be useful if you take a wrong turn and an escape route or an alternative route needs to be found. There are websites which cater specifically to truckers alone such as the American Trucking Association website, Trucker Passions, etc.

So to conclude, truckers have now begun to take joy in their long stretches of ride and have found pleasure in their work, thanks to Satellite Internet.

Internet Fax - Can It Really Make Your Business More Competitive?

In today's challenging business environment we hear a great deal about competitiveness among different companies or industries. More specifically, we hear about how certain companies are implementing different strategies to get a competitive edge or advantage over their competitors. One little known and perhaps surprising aspect to all this one upmanship is the usage of online or Internet fax by those companies looking for every advantage they can muster.

Surprising in the sense that we don't always think of something as routine and simple as faxing to be a competitive advantage or a marketing strategy. Online or Internet faxing is the same as using the old fax machine in the office - isn't it?

Wrong!

That's where many businesses and companies drop the ball. They have not adjusted or advanced with the times by adopting this new modern way of faxing.

Internet fax is simply using your current email system and your web connection to send and receive all your faxes. You sign-up to an online fax service provider where you are given a local or toll-free fax number(s) which you give out to all your clients. Your faxes are sent as email attachments, usually in Tiff or Pdf formats. You will get an online site or interface where you can check and send your faxes. Many companies also have a desktop application which you can use to send faxes directly from your computer desktop.

Right around now, you're probably asking the question: how can this make my company more competitive?

First, you have to realize the importance or significance of connecting all your faxing to computers and the Internet. You must realize how this is modernizing your business operations and bringing it up to date, mainly because now your faxes are available 24/7, 365 days of the year. Moreover, you and your business can be reached anytime, anywhere - as long as you have web access and these days that's just about anywhere on the planet. Your business activities is no longer confined to the office setting or the 9 to 5 routine. Your company is accessible and open for business around the clock and if you depend on faxing to bring in sales or for contacting clients, then one can easily see how this can make your company more competitive.

Second, you have to realize Internet faxing is much more cheaper than the traditional way of faxing. You don't have the monthly cost of an extra fax phone line, nor do you have the costs of inks, toners and papers since everything is handled electronically. Plus, start-up costs are less because most online fax services have no set-up fees; actually with most services you have a free trial period where you can check out the quality of the service before you buy.

Third, online or email fax gives you other advantages. You can send or receive more than one fax at a time or simultaneously, which can be an advantage if time is a factor in acquiring contracts or contacting clients. Plus, you have fax broadcasting where you can send a fax to large groups of people with one click of a button.

Fourth, most Internet fax services are completely scalable for businesses which means you can easily scale up or scale down your fax numbers/services depending on the business climate. Since you can do all this without adding additional hardware (fax phone lines, fax machines) your operating costs will be much less.

Fifth, online faxing is as easy as sending an email. There is much less hassle and trouble, just imagine no more missed faxes because of paper jams or busy signals. Plus, no more messy inks and toners to deal with on a daily basis. For these reasons, Internet faxing is often referred to as hassle-free faxing.

Lastly, everyone realizes that our society, including many business activities, have become very mobile. We have countless portable devices such as BlackBerries, iPhones, Netbooks, Laptops... which allows us to take our communications as well as our business activities along with us, no matter where we go. Internet fax fits nicely into this mobile business environment and adds to the competitiveness of your company. So are you or your company using it?

It's your call?


Copyright (c) 2010 Titus Hoskins

Mohit Sharma

Homeshop18 Shopping- Branded GSM Mobile Phones at lowest price.

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Homeshop 18 Shopping- Home Theatre Speakers for home entertainment

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Protect Yourself with a Porn Filter

The harmful affects of pornography use and addiction are well documented by science. As with most things in life, prevention is the most effective way to avoid ever having a problem with pornography.

The internet is a wonderful place to access information, read updated news, and connect with people from all over the globe. Unfortunately, pornography on the internet is everywhere, and it isn’t always easy to avoid. Even people taking responsible measures to keep porn off of their computer screens can stumble across it sometimes. The tips found in this article will help you protect yourself and your family online from inappropriate pictures and text.

Take measures to filter spam. Spammers can make money if only one person of the thousands of people they send sexually explicit emails to clicks on their ad and pays for their service. Do everything you can to keep those emails from ever reaching your inbox. If you have allowed your children to have their own email accounts, filtering spam is the best way to ensure inappropriate images never become accessible to them through email. A quick list of things you can do to eliminate spam includes:

• Only give your email address out to people you know and trust. Do not put your personal email address down for every mailing list or website that asks for it. Many free email services exist now – set up a free account with one of them and use that to sign up for mailing lists.

• Never click on any links in spam and if at all possible, avoid ever opening the email. Both of these actions confirms to spammers that you actively use your email account and you will likely start to receive more spam.

• Purchase and use a spam filter. Many come packaged with a porn filter as well as other features that will help keep inappropriate content off of your computer screen.

Be careful what you download. This should be a universal precaution you take by now each and every time you download something off the internet. Viruses, spyware, and pornography can very easily be hidden in the files that you download – prevention in this case is much easier than fixing the problem after the files have already made their way onto your hard drive. Only download files from sources that you trust, and if you ever have a question as to whether something contains a virus or pornography, do NOT download it.

Use a search engine to find websites. Pornographers use domain names that are similar to popular websites or brands in hopes that people will type in the address incorrectly and end up at their pornography site. I knew a child that wanted to look up codes for his favorite video game, so he typed in the name of the game and “.com.” He had the presence of mind to close the browser and tell his parents, but was still exposed to the material. One of the best ways to avoid this is searching for the address in Google. Then you can preview the results in a text-only format before clicking on the link to go to the page. Many of the popular search engines have a built-in porn filter that you can adjust to control the type of content you don’t want to appear in the search results. Others even offer “for kids” versions of their search engines that only return pages deemed appropriate for children.

Use filtering software that includes a porn filter. No matter how careful you are about the sites you visit, chances are good that someday you will accidentally come across a porn site. A porn filter will help ensure that inappropriate material is blocked when you or someone in your family stumbles across a pornographic website. The parents of the boy who stumbled across pornography while looking for his favorite Nintendo game quickly installed a porn filter to make sure their son was protected in the future.

Avoid pornography offline. Porn was around long before the internet. Carry around your own internal porn filter and avoid places that you know will have inappropriate images, movies, or books displayed. If your children are with you, be extra cautious of where they are in the store. If you think there is a chance that they may be able to access inappropriate material while you are shopping, let the store manager know of your concerns. Likely, you are not the only one who is worried about the issue, and real changes can come about from one person simply speaking up.

Take the appropriate precautions now to avoid pornography. If you or someone you know has a problem with pornography use or addiction, seek professional help. Pornography problems not only affect the individual viewing the picture but everyone who interacts with that person.

Stinger Adware Remover

Adware: Destroy Removal Search Spyware:
Some examples of their features are blocking harmful websites restricting Internet access time and defining the types of files that may be downloaded into the system. Adware is usually added by the programmer to recover the development cost of the software. The addition of adware to a software program actually lowers its cost and, in some occasions, allows customers to use it free of charge.
Most people are concerned about adware since it may be used as spyware. Spyware is a program that collects information from your computer or computer activity and sends it to a third party, often without your knowledge. Computer security and privacy advocates are urging lawmakers to pass laws to make spyware illegal. But adware can be more dangerous than you think especially if it turns out to be spyware and not adware.

Battle Against Malware Newsletter Time Subscribe:
Now without putting the fear of the lord into you the file loss scenario is certainly a possibility but in the most extreme of cases. How does this occur? well quite simply if you allow certain adware to gain access to your pc system then over time these and the addition of others can seriously slow down and even halt functions of your computer. The moral is that buying some adware or malware protection is really something for the wise amongst us. See remove trojan horse downloader toolbar virus This is also the way they make money from software that they give out for free.

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If you happen to install software that has no reviews or anything about it on the internet there is a chance that it might be one of those software with spyware in it. So first thing you need to do is find yourself respectable software get it, use the free 30 day trial period and scan your computer immediately. If you find that you have spyware installed remove the software you initially installed first and then do the scan again and remove all spyware on you computer. See http://www.adwarefreetools.cn/free-norton-anti-virus/spyware-blocker-free-software-download.php Detecting spyware should be your first priority on the internet today to protect you from this killer spyware plague.

Anti Removal Spyware Virus
They also block the download of programs that contain adware. The features and protection of these programs vary so it is important to look at what they do and how easy they are to load and use before you choose one for your computer. Go to http://www.adwareviruscure.cn/adware-remover/free-spyware-adware-virus-remover.php An infected computer can become almost useless.

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How Your Church Can Take On The Porn Epidemic

In How Many Porn Addicts are in Your Church?, we looked at the pressing need to confront the porn epidemic in the church. In this article, we go on the offensive. Our enemy has carpet-bombed us with lust, and we’ve allowed them to take a lot of our territory. They’re holding thousands of broken men, women, children, marriages and families hostage in slavery to sexual sin, and these prisoners of war are waiting to be rescued.

Our enemy is skilled at psychological warfare, and he uses our silence, apathy and fear as a weapon against us. If we want to win this war, we have to boldly assault his front positions with truth and decimate his ranks with the power of God. We’ll clear a path of grace so our battered P.O.W.s can make it home without fear of attack; once they’re safe our Lord can heal their wounds with the balm of His love.

To reach the sexually broken in our churches, we need to provide clear answers in a Sunday morning service. You can offer a men’s retreat or seminar on the topic, but if you don’t go for it in front of the congregation many who desperately need to hear your message of hope will miss out. Those who struggle with porn or sex addiction are trapped in shame and isolation, so the idea of going to a “let’s deal with porn” men’s retreat will be too intimidating for many. We have to reach them where they are, which means your best shot is at church on Sunday morning.

Earlier this year, Christianity Today asked 680 pastors and 1,972 laypersons if they thought the topic of sex should be discussed more from the pulpit: 44 percent of churchgoers said they wanted to hear more scriptural teaching from their pastors on sexual issues, while only 22 percent of pastors agreed. Our culture is a sex saturated sewer, and your people are hungry for the secrets of living a pure life.

Before addressing sexual sin with your congregation, you and your staff should spend a few weeks praying for them. This is an epic battle and you’re stepping up to the front lines; our enemy isn’t going down without a fight. They’ll infiltrate your ranks with thoughts of doubt, fear and confusionÂ… “You can’t talk about sex; it’ll offend and embarrass them. What if they leave the church? Maybe we should soften the message a little... or put it off until we feel led.” They’ll try to cause stress in marriages and families to keep them from coming, and they’ll attack your P.O.W.s with shame and fear: “You don’t need help, you can handle thisÂ… besides, what would others think if they really knew what you’ve been doing?” Be sure to pound the enemy with prayer artillery before making the assault into his territory.

Those who suffer with sexual sin carry a heavy burden of shame, and some have been wounded when they shared their struggles with the wrong person. Your purpose is to draw them out of isolation so they can get help and find freedom from sin. A red hot, scolding sermon on hell and damnation will drive them deeper into hiding, which is the opposite of what you want. Boldly speak all of the truth in love. Our approach with the sexually broken should be like Jesus’ when He restored Peter (who would have been greatly ashamed) after he’d failed miserably by denying Jesus three times.

Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Galations 6:1

The following is a suggested outline for your message of hope. Sexual sin isn’t an appropriate subject for young children, so you may consider making an announcement 1-2 weeks prior that the topic is PG-13, and parents should have their little ones in Sunday school that day.

First, set the standard.

In a 2003 Barna survey, 28% of Christians said looking at pictures with nudity or sexually explicit behavior was morally acceptable. God’s standard, found in Matthew 5:28, is that lust in the heart is the same as committing adultery. The married man who uses porn is sinning against God – and is unfaithful to his wife. Christians aren’t immune from our culture’s “if it feels good do it” mentality, and those who’ve allowed this lie to influence their thinking need to hear God’s truth.

Show how destructive sexual sin is

“Just porn” takes out marriages and families; the tragedy is that most guys don’t realize it until it’s too late. At a 2003 meeting of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, two thirds of the 350 divorce lawyers who attended said internet porn contributed to more than half of the divorce cases they handled. The aftershocks from porn addiction in a marriage are little different from the fallout from the physical act of adultery; there are many stories in Scripture that show the devastating consequences of sexual sin (such as Samson and David’s).

Let them know they’re not alone.

Because porn or sex addiction is so rarely discussed in the church, most guys mistakenly assume that “I’m the only one with a lust problem.” This lie keeps many trapped in shame, because if “I’m the only one” then I dare not tell someone for fear of being branded with a scarlet P. Exposing the statistics that 50 percent of Christian men have an issue with porn will show them they’re not “the only one,” and encourage them to reach out for help. One powerful way to do this is for one man to share his struggle with lust with the congregation; when one person steps forward and confesses his weakness it gives others the courage to do the same.

After opening the door, point the way out:

1. Isolation is death

All who struggle with sex or porn addiction are isolated, and few have friends who they can be vulnerable with. James 5:16 says “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one other so you may be healed,” and in Proverbs 28:13 we read “he who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.” When we keep our sins a secret they have more power over us; exposing our struggles to others dissolves the shame (Psalms 32:1-5) and breaks the stronghold of lust in the heart. And, when others pray for us in our specific area of weakness as is mentioned in the second half of James 5:16, the Holy Spirit touches our heart where we need it with His power and grace.

2. The stumbling blocks of lust must be annilhated.

In Matthew 5:29, right after He set the standard for sexual purity in verse 28, Jesus drew a black and white picture of the no compromise approach we’re to take in the war against lust: "If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” In practical terms, this means the man who stumbles with internet porn installs blocking software, gives his wife the passwords to the computer, or shuts off all internet access to their home. If cable TV is a problem, he has the service turned off. If he can’t stop watching porn movies in hotel rooms, he must leave the TV off, doesn’t travel alone, or finds a new job. Wife getting in lingerie magazines like Victoria’s Secret? He asks her to cancel the subscription. Our enemy thrives on compromise and weakness, so the only way to win is to take the offensive and kill it.

3. Point them to the One they’ve been looking for.

Sex addiction is the search for God’s love and acceptance in lust. Help them see they’re after a “lovingkindness that’s better than life” (Psalms 63:3), which is found only from the Living God of blazing grace. “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God.” Psalms 42:1

4. Teach them about grace.

I’ve never met a man or woman who struggled with porn or sex addiction who had accepted God’s grace in their heart. Most are programmed by parents, peers and circumstances that love is performance based, conditional, or impossible to obtain. This makes their hardest struggle not in being accountable, or cutting off the stumbling blocks of lust, but accepting God’s grace. Teach them to live in grace, as Jesus told us in John 15:9:

"Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.”

5. Give them a safe place to go

Once you’ve shown them the way out, give your people a safe place where they can be vulnerable and find encouragement by starting a Strength in Numbers group in your church. Strength in Numbers is a Christ and grace centered support group for those who struggle with sex and porn addiction that is based on James 5:16. For more information on how to set up a Strength in Numbers group go to www.blazinggrace.org.

A Strength in Numbers group is a ministry to your city, not just the men in your church. I get requests for a group all the time from persons all over the U.S., and most of the time I don’t have a place to send them to. I’d love to be able to refer the sexually broken to your church. My prayer is that we’ll see many of these lighthouses of grace spring up in churches all over our land.

Antivirus Live Platinum Warning

If you are looking for the best anti virus programs it may be a daunting process because there are too many programs to choose from. You do not want to take a gamble so you need to make sure you install the best antivirus programs so that you can have rest of mind that your computer is always protected.

Communications data in order to establish a firewall for data recording.Setting up firewalls three main.

You usually get infected by these viruses by downloading a codec, movie, song or video from an untrustworthy source. Once your PC is corrupted alpha antivirus will automatically load up on start-up every time you boot your Computer. It will then continually annoy you with fake pop-ups and system scans indicating your system is full of spyware. It will try to push you into purchasing the Full Version, so whatever you do DONT buy it, as it is simply further malware.

Is a series of effective anti-reverse -virus software on the market to combat the above threats can be used.These manufacturers or can be purchased online.Caution should be exercised in the selection of anti-virus software, because some programs are very detecting and destroying virus or malware is not emotional to.In addition, anti-virus database updates are true and sure.

Norton antivirus runs so many background services on your computer so this can slow down your computer. The background services are used for keeping the software up to date but having 3-6 services and start up items is not the best way to keep your computer safe.

Depending on the above factors Adaware can take some time during the scan () program, how to control how many files deep scan does not work.Malicious cookies, spyware and other few things I remember, I will check for.Ben and at the moment which files to scan a list of malicious calls 647,378, is known! Spybot also comes with an effective protection and want to harm your computer, these active TeaTimer everything to protect you called.Provide your own snacks and immunity immunize option other harmful files from getting on the computer again (updated continuously to make sure that after immunization) to keep them said.

You also want to check to make sure that your antivirus software doesn't slow down your computer. There are many bloated free antivirus software, and because of bad programming by the developers, these antivirus software tends to use too much CPU cycle, and run many additional background services which eventually slow down your computer.

More malware programs, which are presented and proved more effective because they can cause more damage done.Many of them were tested in an efficient, which is good news for consumers, but the malware was back to the keyboard design.

The best antivirus programs that will not slow down your computer is AVG, and its free. AVG antivirus is light, will not bother you with "access issues", will not bother you to update (it updates itself in the background), and best of all it is free and will prevent you from virus, phishing, internet privacy etc.

(Please note that if you want to install it, probably need a key and original installation software (CD). But anti-virus software already supplied to you anyway, no - As technology has improved considerably over the past decade, criminals have become proportionately smarter and smarter.This is particularly true for the online world - a world in which Crooks hide behind e-mail, websites, and fake people.Unfortunately, these criminals still have to find the way to the bank account.

One recent customer of mine, unfortunately, thought he was purchasing legitimate antivirus software and gave these criminals his name, address and all of his credit card information. So not only did this poor guy have a computer filled with malware, his credit card information was in the hands of criminals.

In such cases, it is important to have antispyware program to protect your computer so that important data on your computer and is not used by people such as hackers and other unauthorized users of the data.Registry cleaner does not remove the pop-ups.Trojan Vundo is one of the big time, the emerging malware that can make a mistake on your system, if not controlled.

2. Locate and delete "AlphaAntivirus" registry entries:

1 What is a Trojan horse attack What are the symptoms these symptoms may cause a certain extent computer system caused a trojan,.For example, the user selection, common keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl Alt Delete, by itself does not work, the computer crashes, frequent and Internet Explorer processing speed significantly, no strange drop down slowly disappeared from the Start Menu options to find unauthorized advertising and other web sites , by routing them randomly drop files, the user desktop wallpaper and web browser main, plus a lot more difference.

Creating The Perfect Structure For Your Song

You know what they say about rules? Actually they say lots of things about rules but here's two - rules were made to be broken, and you have to know what the rules are before you can break them. While Judge Dredd may not agree with the first, the second is certainly true and nevermore so than in writing a song.

The song structure may not be the first thing you think about when you start writing. You probably work on the verse or chorus, or maybe you have a good riff that you want to expand into a song. So you get that down and then you start to think about the other parts - the intro, how many verses, middle eight, do you want an instrumental, the ending...

Some song genres have a fairly rigid format, others are more flexible, and you need to know where you can bend the rules and why you may not want to do so in order to make your song stand out from the others. Let's look at the sections you'll find in most songs and the part they play in song construction.

Song parts

Intro. Yes, this leads you into the song. It may be two, four or eight bars long or longer. Some songs don't have any intro at all. A pop song intro will often be reminiscent of the chorus or the hook. In a club song, it's often a good idea to have eight bars of rhythm to help the DJ to mix match your song. They say that music publishers typically only listen to the first 20 seconds of a song before deciding whether to reject it so if you're sending material to a publisher, keep the intro short and get into the song as quickly as possible. Save the 5 minute intros for the CD version.

Verse. This is the preamble to the chorus. It sets the scene, certainly lyrically, and as the verses progress they often tell a story or recount episodes from a situation although that's by no means essential. They are typically eight or sixteen bars long and melodically not usually as strong as the chorus although, again, that's by no means essential. However, it often seems as if the songwriter ran out of ideas when writing the verse. One of the strengths of The Beatles' songs is that verses and choruses are equally strong and most people could hum or sing their way through most Beatles hits. Not so with many songs where the verses are little more than fillers to get you to the chorus.

Chorus. This the bit everyone remembers, whistles and sings along to. It should be the strongest part of the song and generally is or contains the hook. It's usually eight or sixteen bars long.

Middle eight. As a song progresses, there's a danger of boredom setting for the listener. The middle eight offers them a break and typically comes after a couple of verses and choruses. Some people think of it as an alternative verse and that's one way to look at it. It often modulates to a different key or introduces a new chord progression and it usually doesn't include the song title. However, all too often it's simply an excuse for waffling on for a few bars. Although it's called the middle eight it could be four or sixteen bars long.

Bridge. Many people use the terms 'middle eight' and 'bridge' synonymously and so popular is this usage that it would be churlish to disagree. However, among those who prefer to note the difference, a bridge is a short section used to bridge the gap between verse and chorus. It may only be two or four bars long and it's often used when the verse and chorus are so different from each other that a 'joining' phrase helps bring them together.

Instrumental. This is part of the song without any vocals. Yeah, okay. It's often an instrumental version of the verse or chorus, it may be an improvised variation on one of these, or it may be an entirely different tune and set of chords altogether. Sometimes it fits into a song where a vocal middle eight would otherwise go.

Breakdown/Break. This term has been high jacked from songs from the early 1900s when it was common to either to reduce the instrumentation or stop it altogether while a tap dancer would strut his stuff. The term 'break' is still sometimes used to indicate an instrumental section. 'Breakdown' is now most commonly used in dance music for the section where the percussion breaks down or is reduced, and it may be the dance equivalent of the middle eight.

Outro/Ending. Once upon a time, songs had definite endings but the mid 1950s heralded in the era of the fade-out and songwriters thought they would never have to write an ending again. However, fade-outs became such clichés to the extent that fade out meant cop out so songwriters started writing endings again. With that in mind, you can do as you wish, and considering that the endings of most songs get talked over or cut short by radio DJs and mixed over by club DJs, you have only your artistic integrity and your CD listeners to answer to. Some songs work extremely well with fade outs but listen to songs in your chosen genre to see how other writers approach endings. But whatever you do, avoid like the plague the three time tag ending.

Hook. The hook is not a song part as such; rather it's the term used to describe the part of the song that people remember and sing. It's what they buy the record for. It's usually the chorus although it need not be the entire chorus, but simply a two- or four-bar phrase. It could be an instrumental riff as in Whiter Shade of Pale or Smoke on the Water, or a processed vocal as in Cher's Believe.

All together now

Having described the parts of a song, let's see how they are commonly arranged. The most popular arrangement by far is simply verse-chorus and repeat. Here are two variations on the theme:

Intro
Verse 1
Chorus
Verse 2
Chorus
Chorus
Outro

Intro
Verse 1
Verse 2
Chorus
Verse 3
Middle eight
Chorus
Chorus
Outro

You get the picture. However, these are conventions rather than rules so you can adapt, change or ignore them as you see fit. But they have developed for a reason and that is simply to make the song as immediately appealing to the listener as possible.

Listen to some of the Stock, Aitken and Waterman hits of the 80s (it's not compulsory if you really can't bear to) and you'll see that most follow the simplest format, guaranteed to brainwash the listener with as many repeats of the hook as possible. They tend to be:

Intro (similar to the chorus)
Verse 1
Chorus
Verse 2
Middle eight
Chorus
Chorus
Outro

Notice that the hook's there straight away in the intro, there's only one verse before the chorus so you get to it quicker, and the chorus tends to repeat at the end, just to imprint the hook firmly in your mind.

There are obvious exceptions to these formats. Ambient, trance, chill-out music and the like, are obvious candidates. With these you can start at the beginning and work through to the end creating an evolving music form without any clear verse/chorus structure. Genres such as trance tend to build to a series of crescendos several times throughout the song. However, even these types of song often have a hook or two on which listeners can hang their hat.

Build ups and downs

Bearing in mind that the purpose of a song is to keep the listeners listening and not allow them to get bored, you need variety within the song. Simply strumming a guitar and singing verse/chorus/verse/chorus won't cut the mustard unless you're in a folk club. The usual method is to start with a simple arrangement and add to it as the song progresses.

So, the first verse might consist of light drums, bass and rhythm guitar. As you move into the second verse you could add strings or a synth pad. A drum fill takes you into the chorus which would include busier drums, maybe some additional percussion, a fuller string arrangement and perhaps a lead line. When you dip back to the verse, you revert to the simpler arrangement.

The middle eight is usually a lighter arrangement than the chorus and gives you the opportunity to use different instrumentation if you want to. When you hit the second chorus, add backing vocals and a lead riff. The final chorus is the culmination the song and you can add more backing vocals, more percussion and additional lead lines.

Listen to songs in the style you are writing and analyse their formats to see how far other exponents have stuck to or departed from the traditional formats. when you're familiar with the rules or conventions that they use, then you can experiment by breaking them.

There’s lots more about making music plus a free book to download at www.making-music.com.

Who needs T.V. News, Newspapers and Radio News?

T.V. and radio News got you down? On-line current events and News blogs make being informed a much more enjoyable experience. For many the News on television has become a trying time of the day. Focused mainly on negative events, you may have to wait through the whole program just to hear the one story you were waiting for. If you miss the 6:00 p.m. show, waiting until the late night segment can be a real drag, especially if you’ve got a lot to do, or have to wake up early the next morning.

My friends, there is an answer to this problem: News blogs or on-line current events. You can find all of your favorite broadcasters (E.g.: CNN, BBC) on the Internet, getting up-to-date information at any time of the day or night. You can even read personal journal entries written by multiple correspondents out in the field reporting on several different stories down to the current minute. Instead of hearing all News from one voice (often an irritating one), now you can read different human opinions straight from the scene of interest.

Often News on-line has a section called “themes” which allows the reader to only hear about the specific areas that interest them. No more waiting through several wars to get to the positive story about the current medical breakthrough that could mean a cure for disease, or the technological idea that might mean the end to extreme pollution levels. Like a newspaper, you can go straight to the “jobs” theme and search through all the current employment vacancies available. If you are obsessed with the negative, themes such as “Disaster and Tragedy” and “Crime and Punishment are still readily accessible.

As the News is now on the Internet it has also become an interactive experience in numerous ways. First of all now you can send News stories straight to the News companies yourself! If the story is deemed worthwhile and verifiable, you may even be published. This is also the case with photographers who have pictures of important events. It really means anyone can become a part of the action as a freelance consultant. Some News on-line have “witness” sections where you can tell your story if you happen to have been in the right place at the right time. This option means that we can hear many different views on contentious issues giving a wider perspective to the ‘big picture’.

Some News sites also have interactive sites within. For example, on the BBC News Blog there is a learning site (BBCi Learning) that involves interactive activities and over half a million pages of factual information and resources available for children, adolescents, and adults. There are competitions and all sorts of games to help educate people in any and every area of interest imaginable.

Another great aspect of these on-line News sites is the ability to access archival information. You can watch video and listen to audio recordings of famous historical stories right on the computer. If the day is Feb.3, you can read articles from Feb.3’s from fifty years ago. Looking up any date and year recorded is as easy as pushing a few buttons.

Some services have subscriptions where instead of looking up the website, the News you want is sent straight to your email. Being in the know, and being in the now, has never been such an objective, enjoyable, and simplistic experience as in the 21st century. Partaking in a new perspective on life is what on-line current events and News Blogs are all about.

iPods- Basic Information You Need To Know

Let's face the fact. iPods are the hottest things to have these days. Just about everybody has one or wants to get one. It's an all in one gadget that seems to do wonders.

iPods are capable of playing music while you are on the move, organizing your personal and business commitments, storing photos which you can proudly display to your friends at the touch of a button.

Since May 2005, Mecedes-Benz, announced that they were integrating the Apple iPod Interface Kit in their passenger vehicles. How cool is that? Very!

Just when you thought that things could not get better, the iPod mini was released complete with cool accessories like:

• Apple remote - Universal Docks support this. You can connect it to a stereo or television, plug it in the Dock and control everything from there.

• USB power adapter- Easily charge your iPod while you are surfing the internet.

• AV connection kit- Play your favourite tunes, movies or photos on the television with a simple connection.

• Radio remote- Changing radio stations is a breeze with the remote. It is a wired remote.

• Universal dock – Basically this allows you to connect your iPod to the television or home entertainment system to view movies or display photos,etc.

• USB cable- You need this to connect your iPod to your computer.

• Camera connector- Tranfer your pretty pictures from your camera directly to your iPod

• In-ear headphones- Makes listening to music even better with its good bas response and quality audio.

You have some variety too. Since iPods come in models with 512MB or 1G. The prices are also very reasonable considering the tons of cool stuff you could do with an iPod. For about $100, you could pick up an iPod and be listening to Shakira's latest hit in minutes.

There are several points you need to consider so that you'll be able to make a wise decision when buying an iPod.

1.) iPod Nano

The iPod Nano is the most common model now. You have a coice of music,data and photos with this model and the colors are great. It is a slim model that will easily slide into your pocket.

2.) Battery life

The 4G model battery lasts about 8 hours roughly. Not too good. However, the latest 5G models have a battery life of about 14 hours.That's much better and the battery lasts much longer too.

3.) Color

Pretty standard color here. :)

4.)Video

In the past, video was not an option. Thankfully, things have improved and now with the iPod Video, you can have data, music, photo and video...all in one model. Just fantastic!

5.)iPod Shuffle

The iPod Shuffle is a slightly cheaper iPod model and suitable for those with a lower budget. It only supports music which you can listen to in a sequence or shufled. There is no screen or other features. If you only need an iPod to play music and don't really need the fancy features, this model would be a good pick.

You should be able to purchase an iPod from most good electronics stores. You could even buy one online.

Some websites are even giving away iPods free. Basically, you'll need to fill up some affiliate form and refer 5 friends to the site to do the same. It's a simple idea but you may face some difficulty getting friends to sign up. You could give it a try. There are many people who have received a free iPod in this manner. The rewards are good since the effort you put into it is minimal.

Emerson Swanson

The Motivation to Play: Conclusion

In part 2 of this series we took a look at Creative Expression and Escapism, two significant motivators of the common gamer. The week before that, we covered Challenge and Competition. This week we have a look at Socialization and try to tie it all togeth... Read >

Making a Good Video Impression

Play to the room. 4. How Long Should It Be? Attention spans are short! Shouldn't all videos be short? Well, there's short, and short. There's real time, and perceived time. A boring video goes on forever. An exciting video ALWAYS seems shorter th... Read >

An Introduction to E-Games

· Easy, intuitive authoring interfaces. · An array of different game types. · Detailed Help files, sample games, and demonstrations. · Cross-platform playback using the Flash web player. · No messy software downloads or installation requiremen... Read >

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Video Games: The Facts

The latest technology in video gaming is growing rapidly. Many people, mostly young individuals, are hooked in playing different video games. They are enjoying the advantages of the newest entertainment trend and spend most of their times in front of thei... Read >

The Evolution of the Video Game

The history of video games has come a long way. Today, you will see video game consoles integrated with state-of-the-art graphics technology and amazing sound quality that can rival your home entertainment systems. There are even gaming consoles that has ... Read >

Computer Specs for Video Games

Every system that exists on this planet needs a requirement. No matter how many or how big the requirement is, it is essential to comply with the requirements to full realize its potential or to just simply make it work. In science, a system may require a... Read >

Game Systems Made in America

entertainment rooms where it is filled with state-of-the-art sound and video system. Adding to the entertainment system, they also install a game system of their choice in these rooms. The video games systems available today are integrated with the lat... Read >

Emulators for Playing Xbox Games on a Mac OSX

It is a fact that the Xbox is one of the most popular game systems available in the market today. With stunning graphics quality and great sound effects, people have been purchasing the Xbox worldwide. Developed by Microsoft, Xbox provides quality ente... Read >

Avoiding Unwanted Guests

Due to the increase in door-to-door salesman, criminals looking to scope out your residence, and other annoyances, you may sometimes feel that answering your door isn't worth it. When you do finally answer your door and find a door-to-door salesman, you m... Read >

Matt Somers

Coaching Skills Training: What's in it for me?

If you've seen any of my previous articles, you'll know I believe there is a strong case for managers in organizations to learn to become effective coaches. Let's now turn our attention to the personal benefits derived from doing so. The big prize is i... Read >

The Manager as Coach: Coaching versus Training

"You've done a bit of that coaching stuff; see if you can pull a bit of a training workshop together for the team" "There's not much classroom training going on in the summer, so put yourself about and do some one to one coaching instead" "I like th... Read >

Coaching Skills Training: Questioning sequences: the Coaching ARROW

We know that to be an effective coach requires us to have certain skills and knowledge, and to have a healthy, positive attitude regarding the nature of people at work and their potential to grow, develop and become the best they can be. The most effec... Read >

Coaching Skills Training: Identifying performance gaps

Coaching starts when coach and coachee recognise a gap between the coachee's potential (what they could do) and their results (what they actually do). These are known as performance gaps. Where the performance gap is to do with knowledge: Coaching i... Read >

Coaching Skills Training: The three levels of listening

In previous articles I've examined the importance of coaches asking well formed questions. The best coaching questions produce an insightful response but we must listen actively too if we're to encourage the coachee to really think deeply. Listening ha... Read >

Coaching Skills Training: Key Skills: Asking Probing Questions

Asking questions is essentially the way that we can help the people we coach to find their own solutions in their own way. Asking a question honours the other person's knowledge and experience whereas giving an instruction ignores them. A probing question... Read >

Buying the Perfect Computer � The FIRST Time

So you’ve finally decided it’s time for a change. No matter what advice you follow that old work horse of a desktop computer you have has outlived its usefulness with slow loading applications and a continuous rise in operation noise.

Searching for that Perfect Computer can be about as much fun as purchasing a new car and about as frustrating also when sorting through the various brands while trying to decide which “bells and whistles” best fit your needs. Besides all that trying to return something that is so large can be both inconvenient and very difficult to do.

So making the right decision the

FIRST time is the wise path of choice.

For starters you’ll need to decide what you want to do with your computer. Are you into the video game scene or are you someone who likes to just surf the internet and occasionally do some book keeping with simple word processing software?

If you’re into video games you’re going to want a machine that can handle the high level of graphics and superior sound quality.

On the other hand if you’re not into all that high adrenalin stuff can probably get by with a less expensive system. Although, if you want to stay on the safe side I would recommend going with something more “high-end” so you don’t have to spend another large chunk of change to upgrade the system you just bought.

There are two basic routes you can take when purchasing a new computer.

1) Purchase a “Brand Name” Computer

2) Purchase a “Clone” Computer

A “BRAND-NAME” computer is one that is manufactured by a company that is recognizable by name.

Some Advantages/Disadvantages of “Brand-Name” computers include:

Advantages-

Customer Support- If you are experiencing problems with your computer you will have the option to contact a representative of the company that you purchased the PC from to get help in solving your problem.

Customer support is probably the best reason to buy a brand-name computer.

Warranty- Having a warranty is always nice since it acts as a type of security blanket for you.

In case a part on your computer should fail you should be able to get the item fixed at no charge just as long as the warranty has not expired.

Read and understand a company’s warranty policy BEFORE you purchase a computer from them.

This way you’ll have a good understanding of the procedures to follow in case a problem should arise.

Pre-installed Software- Many companies will include software packages that are all set up and ready to go for you on your computer.

Although, a disadvantage of buying a brand-name computer with software pre-installed is that you usually end up with more than fits your needs and usually just results with the wasting of space on your storage device.

Additional Support- Most brand-name computer companies are also able to provide you with web sites that may provide you with current software updates, user manuals, or basic troubleshooting help.

Disadvantages-

The use of Proprietary parts- the term Proprietary refers to products that are unique to an individual company and that company only.

So if a part was to malfunction on your computer after warranty and you needed to replace it you could not just go to your local computer store and purchase any old part even if it was intended for the same function as the item that failed.

You would be forced to buy the exact same item that came out of the computer or else the computer would more than likely cease to function correctly.

Having to buy proprietary parts usually involves the need to place an order which means you’ll have to wait for the part to arrive or you’ll have to send your computer into the company or an authorized dealer of that company for repairs.

People with a home based business would probably not be too happy with that situation at all.

Integrated/On-board parts- In the computer world when you hear the word integrated or on-board it means that a particular part such as the modem or sound port where you plug in your speakers, is built-in or part of the computer main board (Also known as the Motherboard).

This means that if any of these items should fail, you can’t just remove them from the computer and replace them with a new part. They are usually soldered directly to the main board and are stuck there.

Although, some computers do provide a way to disable a malfunctioning device which will allow you to install your own store bought device to take the place of the broken part.

From a computer technicians point of view this is not always easy to do.

It just depends on what brand of computer you currently have. Meaning some are easier to work on than others.

A “CLONE” computer is a clone or a copy of its brand-name counterpart with the exception that instead of company specific or proprietary parts, the items used to make a clone computer are from several different companies instead of only one.

Let’s say that if you were to go to a local company that builds “clone” computers, and you tell them what you need, chances are they don’t use parts that are specific to only that type of computer like the brand-name computer companies do.

This is a good thing because it means that they will probably use components that are interchangeable with many different brands and are easy to come by if needed.

Some Advantages/Disadvantages of “Clone” computers include:

Advantages-

Cost- compared to brand-name computers the clone will generally be easier on your pocket book when purchasing one with similar features as its brand-name counterpart.

This is most likely due to the money that is saved by not offering the high-end customer service. Although, that may not be the only reason for the lower prices.

Easily Accessible Replacement Parts- Since the clone computer was built with parts that are not any one company specific, you can buy parts for the clone computer that can be used even if the brand is different from the one that was in the computer when you originally bought it.

Note: Before you buy any parts, it is necessary to make sure that the replacement parts are compatible with your particular computers system requirements.

Either consult the manual that should have came with your computer or get help from a knowledgeable friend or repair person.

Disadvantages-

Warranties- Unless you purchase a service plan you will typically not have as an attractive warranty as you would with a brand-name computer company.

Whatever you do just make sure you understand how long the warranty is for and as to what kind of repairs the warranty covers before you make the purchase.

Customer Support- With brand-name computer companies you are usually provided with a 24-hour toll free number that you can call if you have questions or concerns with your computer.

Clone computers are more than likely not going to have a 24-hour help service, but rather you will be forced to only be able to call during regular business hours.

Also, it is more than likely that there will not be any one website that you can go to in order to find out information concerning troubleshooting questions you may have.

For service it may be necessary to take the computer back to the store that you bought it at or you may have to do some research on the individual parts that went into the computer and visit the manufacturer’s website for troubleshooting tips.

Finally, if all else fails you can certainly take what you have learned from this article and being that you know what you need now, but don’t know where to go and get that “Perfect Computer”, the best resource at your disposal are the very men and woman that work at your local electronics shop.

It is their duty to help you get hold of that “Perfect Computer” that best fits your needs. All you need to do is tell them what you plan on using that computer for and they should be more than happy to help you from there.