BLOCKBUSTER TAKES CONTROL OF NETFIX AND APPLE DIRECT TO TV PLAYER

Blockbuster on Tuesday launched its own direct-to-TV player, taking on rivals Netflix and Apple in time for the holiday shopping season.

The player was built in partnership with 2Wire, a company that provides software and hardware for delivering Web content to home TVs. The 2Wire MediaPoint player makes it possible for Blockbuster subscribers with a high-speed Internet connection to rent videos online and play them on their home TV.

To lure customers, Blockbuster is offering the player at no charge for people who rent 25 online Blockbuster movies in advance for $99. After the initial rentals, movies are available for prices starting at $1.99 each.

"The player is simple to use, delivers DVD quality video, and there's no monthly subscription commitment," Jim Keyes, chairman and chief executive of Blockbuster, said in a statement.

The player operates with either a wired or wireless Internet connection, has fast-forward, rewind and pause capabilities through a remote control, and delivers DVD quality viewing. Connecting to a home entertainment system requires users to buy their own cables.

The player is about the size of two boxes of movie candy. Movies can be played immediately or saved for later.

In offering a direct-to-TV player, Blockbuster joins rivals Netflix and Apple in trying to grab some space in the home entertainment center. Besides launching its own player in May, Netflix has been aggressively pursuing makers of DVD players to support its on-demand video service and has deals with Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics.

The Netflix player is built in partnership with Roku, a company specializing in digital streaming media technology. Beyond the cost of the player, Netflix subscribes can stream movies at no additional charge.

Blockbuster and Netflix also compete with the Apple TV, which connects via the Internet to Apple's iTunes music and video store. Through the device, people can rent movies and TV shows. The Apple TV has been available since last year.

While streaming and renting movies over the Web is small in terms of revenue when compared with DVD rentals, analysts believe that consumers eventually will turn to the Web for movies much like they have for music. Online music services have had a major impact on falling CD sales.


THE INFORMATION WEEK

APPLE SUED OVER iPHONE'S BROWSER

Apple's iPhone 3G is generally considered the best browsing experience on a smartphone, as consumers appear to love the ability to zoom and scroll with their fingers on the mobile Safari browser.

But that browsing experience is the heart of a new patent-infringement lawsuit filed by EMG Technology.

The suit claims Apple is infringing on an EMG patent that covers the "simplified interface of reformatted mobile content to provide optimum viewing and navigation with single touches on a small screen." EMG is seeking unspecified damages and an injunction against Apple.

Issued in October of this year, patent 7,441,196 includes 76 claims that cover the display of Internet content reformatted from HTML to XML on mobile devices. There are also patent claims that include technology for zooming and scrolling.

The patent was filed in November 1999, but the company only established itself this month. EMG said it didn't offer Apple a chance to license the technology before the lawsuit, and it currently has no plans to go after other smartphone makers that use similar technology.

Since Apple entered the cell phone business more than two years ago, it has been met with critical success. The iPhone has also been a major hit with consumers, as Apple has sold over 10 million units worldwide in 2008.

But the iPhone has also caused some headaches, as the 3G version has been plagued with reception issues, a British commercial was banned for being misleading, and the company is facing multiple lawsuits over the handset's connectivity and cracks in the casing.

Apple said it doesn't comment on pending litigation.


THE INFORMATION WEEK

APPLE iPHONE 3G AD: BOGUS!

Another Apple iPhone 3G advert has been pulled from our screens because a handful -- albeit a rather horrible hand with 17 fingers -- of pedants complained that it wasn't realistic.

The Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) bowed to a trickle of complaints that an iPhone 3G advert claimed that the handset is "really fast".

The moaners objected to the fact that the ad showed pages loading rather quickly... ok, "really fast".

What do these people expect -- Apple to air a two-minute advert where the iPhone is shown laboriously loading a range of average web pages?

Do these crazies also complain when actors in telly ads brew a cup of steaming coffee in about 5 seconds flat before they fall into some unbelievably unfunny comic situation? Surely no kettle on Earth could boil that fast.

Or what about the ads where a fat man and his lazy son clean an entire kitchen in about 3 seconds, with Flash or whatever? Other commercials regularly show a disgusting plate go in a dishwasher, only for it to be plucked out 5 seconds later glistening like a polished diamond in a mirror factory.

Please tell us, ASA, how these blatant, appalling lies are allowed to brainwash the gullible, while a 30-second Apple iPhone ad has to adhere to the strict laws of time?

PC WORLD

WEBLINKX: THE TWILIGHT A VAMPIRE STORY

WEBLINKX: THE TWILIGHT A VAMPIRE STORY

VIEW ME ONLINE: HILARY DUFF IS VERY BEAUTIFUL COMPARED TO OTHERS

VIEW ME ONLINE: HILARY DUFF IS VERY BEAUTIFUL COMPARED TO OTHERS

VIEW ME ONLINE: HEIDI KLUM THE PICTURE OF A HAPPY MOM

VIEW ME ONLINE: HEIDI KLUM THE PICTURE OF A HAPPY MOM

BLOGWORKX: SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION CONNECTION: WEBLINKX: KATIE HOLMES ALONE AND CUTIE

BLOGWORKX: SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION CONNECTION: WEBLINKX: KATIE HOLMES ALONE AND CUTIE

A BRIDE'S GUIDE IN HER WEDDING DAY SPEECH

The first factor you need to consider in order to deliver the best bride wedding speech is a GRATITUDE.

Imagine how would you feel if someone publicly expressed his/her gratefulness to you as a person important in their lives. Wouldn't you feel great? That's how your mother/father/maid of honor will feel when you mention their names in your speech.

Many people suggest that you only say something like "Thank you mother for being the best mother in the world..." I suggest you say her NAME too. That's how you're going to truly touch her feelings and make her feel wonderful. So, "Thank you mother Sally for bringing me to this world and being the greatest mom in the world..." is lot better example that the first one.

Secondly, telling a story is something you mustn't miss when preparing your bride wedding speech. We, as humans, LOVE stories. If you look back at your conversations with family/friends, most of them were about telling stories.

You can tell some interesting stories about how you and your future husband met, some anecdote and so on. Think about it, there must be some interesting stories you want to share. And remember, once again, stories are priceless.

The third thing you need to do in order to deliver the best bride wedding speech is to get some samples. How did the other brides deliver their speech when they were married? If you have a female friend who is married she can tell you best how to deliver your speech because she has ALREADY BEEN THERE.

LINDSAY LOHAN IS BACK TO HER DRINKING HABIT

The “investigative news program” Inside Edition secured some surveillance footage of Lindsay Lohan at Lotus nightclub in Washington DC (the same night that she wrote the My Space blog about being a “lonely outsider” or some shizz) that appears to show the young starlet mixing a cocktail and then, later on, drinking … something.

SPYWARES, ADWARES, MALWARES AND ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARES EXPLAINED

Adware, spyware and computer virus share some similarities, one of which is that all three are major nuisances for computer users. Let's differentiate the three.

Spyware is software that does not intentionally harm your computer. What they do is that they create pathways wherein someone else aside from the computer owner can communicate with the computer. Normally spywares record the various types of web sites you visit which are later used by web advertisers to allow them to send you unwanted emails and pop-ups.

This is why spyware are usually frowned upon and greatly avoided. They are more intrusive than adware. Spyware have their own separate executable programs which allow them to record your keystrokes, scan files on your hard disks and look at other applications that you use including but not limited to chat programs, cookies and Web browser settings.

The spyware then will send the information that it had gathered to the spyware author. The agent will then use this information for advertising and marketing purposes. They even sell the information to advertisers and other parties.

Adware, on the other hand, are more legitimate form of freeware. Similar to spyware, adwares are advertising materials which are packaged into a software or program and are installed automatically once that particular program or software is added into the computer system.

Some forms of adware, on the other hand, download advertising contents as a particular application is being utilized. It is quite unfortunate that most of the adware programs take the form of spywares that is they track and report user information to program authors.

Some signs of spyware infections include pop-up ads that seem to be not related to the site you are viewing. More often than not, spyware pop-ups are advertisements about adult contents. Also if you notice your computer slowing down, there's a big chance that spywares and its other components have found their way in your operating system. When the Windows desktop also takes a longer time to load, its best to scan your computer for possible spyware infections.

Meanwhile, viruses are destructive form of software. They were purely designed and created for one purpose alone: to wreck havoc to your computer. They destroy whatever they come in contact to and will initiate self replication and infect as many components of the computer's operating system or network as possible.

Nowadays, a lot of anti-virus software also provides spyware and adware scanning and removal utilities. Some programs, however, are focused on located and deleting or destroying spyware and adware programs. Whether is an anti-virus software or a anti-spyware dedicated scanner, they both search your computer and identify any spyware and virus installed on your system.

They then remove it as well as their components located in the system registry among other places in your computer. It is therefore, good to regularly update your virus or spyware scanner to ensure that your computer is protected from the thousands of spyware and viruses in the internet. Never be fooled from ads that claim that their products only contain adware.

These adware maybe spyware in disguised and are just waiting to be deployed for them to gather your information. Learn to setup firewall systems and always block pop-up blockers to minimize computer infection and ensure the security of all your computer files.

20 TIPS TO INCREASE YOUR ALEXA RANKING

1. Install the Alexa toolbar or Firefox’s SearchStatus extension and set your blog as your homepage. This is the most basic step.

2. Put up an Alexa rank widget on your website. I did this a few days ago and receive a fair amount of clicks every day. According to some, each click counts as a visit even if the toolbar is not used by the visitor.

3. Encourage others to use the Alexa toolbar. This includes friends, fellow webmasters as well as site visitors/blog readers. Be sure to link to Alexa’s full explanation of their toolbar and tracking system so your readers know what installing the toolbar or extension entails.

4. Work in an Office or own a company? Get the Alexa toolbar or SS Firefox extension installed on all computers and set your website as the homepage for all browsers. Perhaps it will be useful to note that this may work only when dynamic or different IPs are used.

5. Get friends to review and rate your Alexa website profile. Not entirely sure of its impact on rankings but it might help in some way.

6. Write or Blog about Alexa. Webmaster and bloggers love to hear about ways to increase their Alexa rank. They’ll link to you and send you targeted traffic (i.e. visitors with the toolbar already installed). This gradually has effects on your Alexa ranking.

7. Flaunt your URL in webmaster forums. Webmasters usually have the toolbar installed. You’ll get webmasters to visit your website and offer useful feedback. It’s also a good way to give back to the community if you have useful articles to share with others.

8. Write content that is related to webmasters. This can fall in the category of domaining and SEO, two fields in which most webmasters will have the Alexa toolbar installed. Promote your content on social networking websites and webmaster forums.

9. Use Alexa redirects on your website URL. Try this: http://redirect.alexa.com/redirect?www.doshdosh.com . Replace doshdosh.com with the URL for your website. Leave this redirected URL in blog comments as well as forum signatures. This redirect will count a unique IP address once a day so clicking it multiple times won’t help. There is no official proof that redirects positively benefit your Alexa Rank, so use with caution.

10. Post in Asian social networking websites or forums. Some webmasters have suggested that East Asian web users are big Alexa toolbar fans, judging by the presence of several Asia-based websites in the Alexa Top 500. I suggest trying this only if you have the time or capacity to do so.

11. Create a webmaster tools section on your website. This is a magnet for webmasters who will often revisit your website to gain access to the tools. Aaron Wall’s webpage on SEOTools is a very good example.

12. Get Dugg or Stumbled. This usually brings massive numbers of visitors to your website and the sheer amount will have a positive impact on your Alexa Rank. Naturally, you’ll need to develop link worthy material.

13. Use PayperClick Campaigns. Buying advertisements on search engines such as Google or Exact Seek will help bring in Traffic. Doubly useful when your ad is highly relevant to webmasters.

14. Create an Alexa category on your blog and use it to include any articles or news about Alexa. This acts as an easily accessible resource for webmasters or casual search visitors while helping you rank in the search engines.

15. Optimize your popular posts. Got a popular post that consistently receives traffic from the search engines? Include a widget/graph at the bottom of the post, link to your Alexa post or use Alexa redirection on your internal URLs.

16. Buy banners and links for traffic from webmaster forums and websites. A prominent and well displayed ad will drive lots of webmaster traffic to your website, which can significantly boost your rank.

17. Hire forum posters to pimp your website. Either buy signatures in webmaster forums or promote specific articles or material in your website on a regular basis. You can easily find posters for hire in Digital Point and other webmaster forums.

18. Pay Cybercafe owners to install the Alexa toolbar and set your website as the homepage for all their computers. This might be difficult to arrange and isn’t really a viable solution for most. I’m keeping this one in because some have suggested that it does work.

19. Use MySpace . This is a little shady so I don’t recommended it unless you’re really interested in artificially inflating your Alexa Rank. Use visually attractive pictures or banners and link them to your redirected Alexa URL. This will be most effective if your website has content that is actually relevant to the MySpace Crowd.

20. Try Alexa auto-surfs. Do they work? Maybe for brand new sites. I think they are mostly suitable for new websites with a very poor Alexa rank. Note that there be problems when you try to use auto surfs alongside contextual ads like Adsense. They aren’t also long term solutions to improving your Alexa Rank so I suggest using with caution.

20 EASY KEYBOARD SHOTCUT KEYS FOR ALL BLOGGERS

Here's a collection of 20 Windows keyboard shortcuts that will save you keystrokes every day.

If you already know (and use) these Windows keyboard shortcuts, congratulations and keep up the good work! If these are new to you, you might want to post a copy near your keyboard so you remember to try them out.

1. F3 function key: Opens a window that allows you to search your computer.

2. Shift when you insert a CD or DVD: Prevents the CD or DVD from automatically playing or running.

3. Alt + Tab: Moves one by one through all the open items on your computer.

4. Ctrl + a (lower case): Selects everything in the current window.

5. Ctrl + c (lower case): Copies the selected text to the clipboard.

6. Ctrl + x (lower case): Cuts (deletes) the selected text.

7. Ctrl + v (lower case): Pastes the selected text.

8. Ctrl + z (lower case): Undo (reverses) the previous action.

9. F2 function key: Renames the selected item.

10. Alt + Enter: View the properties of the selected item.

11. Ctrl + left arrow: Moves cursor left one WORD at a time.

12. Ctrl + right arrow: Moves cursor right one WORD at a time.

13. Home key: Moves cursor to the beginning of a line.

14. End key: Moves cursor to the end of a line.

15. Ctrl + End: Moves cursor to the end of a document.

16. Ctrl + up arrow: Moves the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph.

17. Ctrl + down arrow: Moves the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph.

18. Ctrl + Home: Moves cursor to the beginning of a document.

19. Ctrl + End: Moves cursor to the end of a document.

20. Windows key + F1 function key: Opens the Windows help menu.

HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE

Step 1- Find and Clarify Your Vision of Success:

If you don't yet know what you want to achieve that's okay. There are ways to find out. Ask yourself what you are good at, what you enjoy doing, and what you would be doing if money were no object. Write out an ideal scenario of you having and doing what you dream of.

Step 2- Define your Goals Clearly:

From your ideal scenario of your Vision of Success identify concrete goals. Define them clearly and write them down. Writing your goals down is very important and gives them more power than just thinking or imagining your success.

Step 3- Visualize Yourself Achieving Your Goals:

Before setting off on the path to success you must first be able to see yourself achieving your success. You must believe that you can do it. Your imagination is a powerful creative tool. Once we can vividly imagine something, it often opens the door to manifesting it (Gawain, 1997).

Step 4- Uncover Psychological Blocks to Success:

If you have difficulty with steps one and two you may have internal obstacles preventing you from having or keeping what you want. On some level you may feel undeserving of success and happiness and this may be reflected in a lack of achievement. To uncover these obstacles ask yourself how you truly feel about having what you desire. Is there any guilt attached to this? One way to uncover any blocks here is to write down why you deserve to be successful. This can reveal any feelings to the contrary. Examine where your attitudes about success came from. Write out all you fears and fantasies associated with being successful.

Step 5- Remove Psychological Blocks to Success:

Often just the awareness of negative attitudes and beliefs about success begins the process of letting them go. You can't force change, but there are different tools and techniques that may be helpful. Some of these include: positive affirmations, therapy, success coaching, support groups such as Visions Anonymous, and rituals to rid yourself of the negative beliefs e.g. write them down then burn/tear them up.

Step 6- Make a Clear Plan With a Timeline:

Consider creating a plan that breaks your goals down into 5-year goals, 1-year goals, 6-months, 3-months and 1-month achievements. After completing this plan you can do weekly goals that will put you on schedule for all of the other goal milestones. Be realistic here so you don't get discouraged.

Step 7- Chart your Progress:

It is important to assess your progress at regular intervals. Pick a day once a week or once a month, read your plan and see if you are on schedule. Reward yourself for achieving milestones. If you need to adjust your plan be realistic and do so. Also, be honest with yourself. Visions and goals can change. If you find that you no longer really want this Vision do not be afraid to change your plan.

Step 8- Enjoy Your Success!

Once you have achieved your goals and your Vision of Success it is very important to acknowledge this. Reward yourself, give yourself credit and allow yourself to feel the attendant good feelings. Don't just rush off to your next goal as if you take your success for granted.

Step 9- Cultivate Gratitude:

Having gratitude is important once you achieve your visions. Literally "count your blessings", give thanks, allow yourself to enjoy them, and relish the experience of the success you already have. This increases success by attracting more of what you currently possess. One simple way to do this is to write a gratitude list (listing everything that you feel grateful for).

Step 10- Give it Away:

Out-flowing (giving away our material gifts and talents) makes room for more to flow to us. When out of feelings of fear or insecurity, we cling to what we have, we cut this flow off. You must not only express gratitude for achieving success, you must share this success with others. Share your resources, time and talents. You are also giving it away when you tell your story to others so that they might be encouraged.

GOAL SETTING THE KEY TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE

1. Be Passionate

Be passionate about your goals so that you are motivated to achieve them. Scratch off any goals on your list that you are not willing to do anything it takes to accomplish them.

2. Be Realistic

When you choose goals for yourself, it is okay to dream, but you want to be as realistic as possible. You do not want to become discouraged when you don't achieve a specific goal. Choose time frames that are reasonable and goals that are a stretch from where you are today.

3. Write your goals down

Writing your goals down will lead to an increased chance of achieving them. Write them all down and then prioritise them in order of personal importance.

4. Be Detailed

Every goal should have a time frame and amount assigned to them. For example, "I would like to increase sales by 10% by the end of the year"; instead of, "I would like to increase sales for my business".

5. Be Accountable

To become successful at achieving your goals, you will need to hold yourself accountable by scheduling regular check points for progress review.

6. Ask for Help

Mentors and other professionals are valuable tools to help you in achieving your goals.

7. Have Integrity

Do what you say that you are going to do.

8. Be Persistent

Keep going until you reach your goals. Don't give up prematurely.

9. Be Prepared for Failure

If you fail, set a new goal and keep going. Most successful people fail at some point, and most business owners will tell you that they have failed numerous times on the way to becoming successful.

10. Reward Yourself

Choose a reward for each goal that will encourage you to work hard to achieve them. You are more likely to work hard when there is a reward at the end of the process.

NINE DANGEROUS WORDS THAT WOMEN USE.

Nine Dangerous Words Women Use

1.) Fine: This is the word women use
to end an argument when they are right
and you need to shut up.

2.) Five Minutes: If she is getting
dressed, this means a half an hour.
Five minutes is only five minutes if
you have just been given five more
minutes to watch the game before
helping around the house.

3.) Nothing: This is the calm before
the storm. This means something, and
you should be on your toes. Arguments
that begin with Nothing usually end in
Fine.

4.) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not
permission. Don't Do It!

5.) Loud Sigh: This is actually a
word, but is a non-verbal statement
often misunderstood by men. A loud
sigh means she thinks you are an idiot
and wonders why she is wasting her
time standing here and arguing with
you about Nothing. (Refer back to #3
for the meaning of Nothing.)

6.) That's Okay: This is one of the
most dangerous statements a women can
make to a man. That's Okay means she
wants to think long and hard before
deciding how and when you will pay for
your mistake.

7.) Thanks: A woman is thanking you,
do not question, or Faint. Just say
you're welcome.

8.) Whatever: Is a women's way of
saying SCREW YOU!

9.) Don't worry about it, I got it:
Another dangerous statement, meaning
this is something that a woman has
told a man to do several times, but is
now doing it herself. This will later
result in a man asking "What's wrong?"
For the woman's response refer to #3.

THINGS THAT YOUR LOVED COMPUTER MUST HAVE

Your home computer is prone to damage as any other machine in your house, more, if you are connected to the Internet. You must take measures and learn some basic home computer repair methods to safeguard your computer against any potential damage. Here are the top-most important tools that serve as home computer protection as well as home computer repair methods:

• Anti-virus: You should invest in good anti-virus software for continuous online protection. To help with home computer repair, anti-virus software provides fixes for latest viruses and guards against spamming and phishing. You should update the anti-virus package periodically. The most popular ones include BitDefender, McAfee, Kaspersky Lab, F-Secure, Symantec Norton, and Panda. A typical package will cost you $30 to S50. Some basic anti-virus packages are also available for free.

• Anti-spyware/Anti-adware: Spyware and adware prove a menace when it comes to the performance of your computer. As a home computer repair and protection method, scan your computer using an anti-spyware, anti-adware package like Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy. These packages are available for free online.

• Operating System and Program Update/ Specific Computer Manufacture's Update: Updating your computer periodically with critical and recommended updates goes a long way in protecting your home computer against damages and rectifying non-functional devices.

• Firewalls: Your operating system may provide you with a firewall by default. You should install a personal firewall if your computer does not have one. A firewall acts as a filter, protecting your computer from malicious content from the Internet. Some popular firewalls include McAfee, Norton, and Zone Alarm. Some firewalls like Kerio are also available for free.

• Disk Defragmentation and Disk Cleanup: These tools come built-in with your computer and serve as important home computer repair methods. These tools help free up space on your computer. You should run these tools periodically.

• Error-checking utility: The computer provides another built-in home computer repair utility called the Error-checking utility. It checks the hard disk for bad sectors and tries to recover them.

• Back up and Recovery: A very dependable method for home computer repair is system restore. You should create restore points on your computer so that in case of any damage, you can restore your computer to a previously secure checkpoint. Also, to avoid losing any important data in case of a system damage or failure, it is a good idea to back up your data periodically.

HOW TO AVOID CANCER THINGS TO BE DONE.

Cancer is one of the scariest diseases today for most people and being diagnosed with the dreaded word can stop us in our tracks. If there is a history of cancer in your family, like there is in mine, it's something you think about every time you find a lump, notice a new spot or have a pain that doesn't go away.

An article I found showed that Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and a network of collaborators estimated mortality for 12 types of cancer linked to nine risk factors in seven World Bank regions for the year 2001? The following are the nine factors they listed:
• Smoking
• Alcohol
• Overweight/obesity
• Low fruit & vegetable intake
• Physical inactivity
• Unsafe sex
• Air pollutants
• Contaminated injection in a healthcare setting
• Indoor smoke from coal furnace or fireplaces

I found these to be pretty common across the board for the most part but a couple surprised me. Some we have no control over but five of the nine we can and should take a serious look at how they play a role in our own life. The following are some life changes to consider incorporating in your life that can make a significant difference in preventing disease. 5 things that you can do now that will reduce your risk of cancer:

1. LOOSE WEIGHT: Now we all know obesity can be the cause of many diseases and our diets play a big role in how our bodies react to disease. It has been proven that our western diet is one of the major problems with our constant consumption of fast food, greasy fried foods and the time saving prepared foods in our daily diet. The lack of exercise is also one of the nine key factors in obesity and can lead to disease. It's also well documented in the medical field that up to 40 percent of cancer cases can be prevented by a healthy lifestyle. Loosing just 5-10% of your body weight can make a huge difference in how your body functions and will take the burden off organs trying to over compensate for that extra weight.

2. REDUCE STRESS: Let's face it we will all have stress on a daily basis probably for the rest of our lives what with today's hectic lifestyle, working long hours and driving in traffic dealing with the activities of our kids. There is good news though, we can learn how to deal with stress so the effect it has on our bodies is reduced to a minimum. If you control your emotions and thoughts surrounding the stressor, weather it's while you're driving in traffic or dealing with a boss that is blaming you for something he did or didn't do, you can change how you feel and the effect it has on your body. The following is a list of ways to control emotions that I found helpful.

• Take 15-30 minutes a day for yourself, try to clear your mind and visualize all stress leaving your body with every breath you exhale.
• Meditation
• Cat naps-small naps if you're able will really help your physical well being.
• Stop and notice how you're feeling when you're in a stressful situation then immediately change your feelings surrounding it.

What you'll find if you do one or more of these is that you will be able to control your emotions and how your body handles stress as it comes along. The key here is to not let the stress get to the point that is can affect your physical well being.

3. EAT HEALTHIER & EXERCISE: Even though some of us who are not over weight are still at risk due to poor diet. Our bodies are starved because of the lack of nourishment in the food we eat. According to a Swedish study published in the "Journal Diabetes Care" elevated blood sugar has the potential of increasing women's risk of pancreatic, skin, urinary tract, womb and breast cancer. We all know that a diet high in junk food and high levels of blood sugar can eventually cause Type 2 diabetes in some people. Also called adult onset diabetes, which happens when the body can no longer regulate hormone insulin, and has been shown to lead to increased cancer risk. However, the Swedish study demonstrated a correlation between blood sugar levels and cancer risk, independent of the occurrence of diabetes. Researchers studied nearly 65,000 adults between the ages of 40 and 60 for 13 years. They found that the 25 percent of women with the highest blood sugar had a 26 percent higher chance of developing cancer than the 25 percent with the lowest blood sugar levels. Breast cancer risk in particular was increased only among pre-menopausal women. Blood sugar levels did not correlate with cancer risk in men.

Our western diet of red meat, starch and sweets may also be a major cause of breast cancer among postmenopausal women. It could double the risk compared to a diet that's rich in vegetables. This is just another reason for people, and especially woman to make small changes that could make a big difference. A lot of women are eating a diet of soy and more fruits and vegetables but as we have discussed already that's not enough.

4. TAKE A GOOD SUPPLEMENT: We all know taking vitamins to supplement what we don't get in our food is not only essential it's mandatory in our changing world. There are a lot of choices out there when it comes to supplements and to get every nutrient our body needs you could spend a small fortune every month and still not know if it was enough or if it was the right nutrient to do the job. The ideal is that we find one that delivers all the nutrition we need while being easy to take without breaking the bank.

5. STOP SMOKING: This is a big one not only will it reduce your chances of getting cancer it will help many other areas you don't even realize. I'm an ex-smoker and I can tell you until I quit I didn't realize how many health issues I had that were exacerbated by smoking and improved once I quit. Not only has it slowed the aging process, smoking can age the skin and cause wrinkles, but I found I slept better and we all know that deeper sleep can greatly improve our overall health. These five things can reduce your risk of getting cancer but the most important hands down is nutrition. I have spent a lot of time researching what the body needs to function at its peak and I found that the nutrients we consume are handled differently by each person. What causes this is our assimilation and how readily we can absorb the nutrition we put in our mouths. If a person has a digestive problem then takes a supplement, let's say vitamin c, they would only absorb a small amount in the blood stream and the rest would be flushed through their system. A liquid supplement is going to be more easily absorbed since it will go directly to the blood stream then a tablet that has to be broke down in the stomach then absorbed so this is a good choice of many.

The key here is to start somewhere, if you eat healthier, get exercise, lose weight (if needed), handle stress and stop smoking you will reduce your chances of getting cancer significantly but giving the body the nutrition it needs to work as it was designed to is the most important thing you can do. Most of us take better care of our car then we do our own body and this is evident when you look at how many people have chronic diseases today compared to fifty years ago. The time to change is today.

WEBLINKX: KIM KARDASHIAN MAKE A WISH FOUNDATION EVENT

WEBLINKX: KIM KARDASHIAN MAKE A WISH FOUNDATION EVENT

THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE BUYING A COMPUTER

Don't Waste Your Money On Your Next Computer Purchase

Eager to take advantage of low advertised prices that look like great bargains, people often end up wasting their money by making these common mistakes when purchasing a new computer:

1. Memory neglect. In order to cut the price to the bone, vendors rarely include enough memory in the baseline product. 512MB is not enough memory. 2GB (2030-2048MB) is a good baseline for a home or office computer. If you are buying a computer for a "gamer" then start with 4GB.

Recommendation: ALWAYS add more memory.

Failure to Act: Even if you just plan on performing basic tasks like e-mail and word processing with an occasional spreadsheet thrown in, the performance of the system will be impacted. Simply applying the critical security updates that Windows, Office, and other programs regularly require will impact the performance of your system noticeably, over a period of months, if you don't have enough memory to start with.

2. Processor ignorance. Separate from the memory in the computer (item 1), processors have their own memory. The lack of adequate memory on a processor can be the source of much frustration with a computer. Constant lock-ups or freezing, applications that run out of memory, even strange printing behavior may all be symptoms of a processor that lacks adequate memory.

Recommendation: If the computer will be used for very light Internet surfing and word processing or maybe balancing your checkbook, then by all means, a Sempron™ or Celeron™ is all the processor you need. If you plan on having more than two applications open simultaneously, and use your computer more vigorously (word processing, spreadsheet, several Internet browser tabs or windows, and e-mail open at the same time) then you need a more robust processor.

Failure to Act: A bruised and bloody forehead from beating your head against the wall in frustration. The cost of an entirely new computer. You cannot replace just the processor at a later date.

3. CD/DVD drives that don't write or are not fast enough. Another way that vendors keep the price of a computer down is to equip it with a slower, read only CD/DVD drives. DVD media has a much higher storage capacity than CDs, so make sure you can always write to the DVD drive.

Recommendation: Always make sure you can write to the highest capacity storage media. At some point you will need to write to the device to backup your data, including any music you might download. Keep in mind that the ONLY way to backup songs that you download is to make a music CD or DVD. Simply copying the files to a flash drive or other storage device will not enable you to play them again should you lose the originals for some reason (such as updating your software).

Failure to Act: Could cost you real dollars in the long run. Whether it is data or music, you need to backup. Sometimes you may want to share something with another computer user and you are not going to want to part with your flash drive for this purpose.

4. Failure to bundle Office products with your computer purchase. Exceptionally low-priced computers do not come with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, or any other Microsoft Office product. Some come with Microsoft Works, a product that is completely incompatible with Microsoft Word, or other Microsoft Office product. If you ever plan on exchanging a word processing or spreadsheet file with anyone else, you will need one or more of the Microsoft Office products. Purchase what you might need with the computer.

Recommendation: Always purchase Microsoft Office products with the computer when given the chance. The cost savings are considerably better than going to the store and purchasing them separately.

Failure to Act: You might spend a couple of hundred or more dollars than you would have if you had purchased the Office product(s) you needed with the computer. The cost difference is definitely significant.

5. Don't cut corners with your monitor. Buy the biggest, highest resolution, flat panel display that you can afford. Again, these are often offered at a significant discount when bundled with a computer. We have yet to hear anyone express regret over buying a monitor that was "too big." Your eyes will thank you.

Recommendation: High resolution, flat panel displays are the way to go and are almost always cheaper when purchased with your computer. Buy the best you can afford.

Failure to Act: Buyers remorse and "tired eyes". If you work on a computer for more than a couple of hours a day, you won't regret spending a few extra dollars on a good monitor. The cost of upgrading to a higher resolution, larger monitor at the time you originally make your computer purchase is much less than having to buy a whole new monitor at a later date. This is not the place to try to save a few dollars.

Avoiding these common mistakes can greatly increase the useful life of your computer and enhance your computing experience.

HOW TO SPEED UP YOUR WINDOWS INTERNET BROWZER

One of the most frequently asked questions about Windows is "Why and How" to speed up the Internet connection. What I am going to show you is applicable to Windows Vista and XP.

Step #1 - Optimize Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) and TCP Receive Windows (RWIN) with SpeedGuide TCP Optimizer

TCP Optimizer is free, and you can download it at SpeedGuide web site, just types "SG TCP Optimizer" into Google or any major search engine, you should be able to find it. It will help you to detect and configure the proper registry settings for your TCP network connection, automatic set the proper value for MTU and RWIN into registry. Remember to restart Windows after this setting.

Step #2 - Turn off TCP Auto tuning

In order for previous settings to activate, you need to turn off TCP auto tuning in Vista:

i) Press Windows key and type " cmd. exe", then CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER to run as Administrator. In the command Window, type " netsh interface tcp set global autotuning=disable", then enter.

ii) If you want to reactivate auto tuning, type " netsh interface tcp set global autotuning=normal".

If you find your Internet connection drop or slower after turning off TCP auto tuning, just reactivate it again.

Step #3 - Use OpenDNS

Your ISP DNS server will affect your Internet connection response, you can try a better and faster DNS server, and OPENDNS is a fast and free DNS server. Unfortunately, some country's connection is too slow to use this service.

Step# 4 - Use Google Web Accelerator (GWA)

Every major web browser will support proxy server, this technology extends by Google web accelerator will establish a tunneling connection between your low bandwidth computer to Google high bandwidth server, and Google will compress the data before sending it over to your web browser, so overall performance increased!

The formula is simple: Google web accelerator downloads the destination page faster with high speed connection, then compressed it with the super fast server processing power before sending it over to your computer, and your low bandwidth connection will be faster because smaller data is sending across, then Google web accelerator on your computer will unpack and send the data to web browser.

Step #5 - Use faster web browser

Try to install a faster web browser from Mozilla Firefox or Apple Safari, they use less resources and generally far more faster than Internet Explorer. You ought to keep Internet Explorer for special web sites, but you can enjoy a faster browsing speed with Firefox and Safari.

This concludes your Windows Internet connection speed problems, if this 5 steps does not help, you need to re-install Windows or contact your ISP!

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU COMPUTER CRASHES DOWN

One of the most annoying problems a PC users faces in computer crashes. This problem is particularly frustrated because it severely interrupts all programs running and collapses the entire system. Windows Vista is Microsoft most powerful and stable operating system. However, like all new software its not complete and filed with bugs. This is a formula that will cause innumerable computer crashes. But, computer crashes are not always the fault of your operating system. The user shares a large amount of blame. Poorly maintained PCs can build up damaging corrupt files and coding errors. Also dust particles can clog fans and produce heat. All these are elements that will eventually lead to computer crashes. This articles hope to give you enough information to avoid future problems and repair current ones.

The Top 4 Reasons For Computer Crashes.

#1 Cause of Computer Crashes: TOO HOT

Problem: Computer components are more powerful than ever. A piece of silicon hardware can produce an enormous amount of heat. However, your computer is usually configured to manage perfectly regardless of high temperatures. When dust is added to your hard ware, it creates an form of insulation that traps heat instead of ventilating it properly. This is the most common cause of computer crashes. If you see your computer fan clogged with cake like dust, you have created an environment for constant computer crashes due to overheating.

Solution: Remove the computer case and use a can of compressed air to blow out all the dust in the case. Make sure to completely clean the fan. Be careful not to dislodge an wires or components during the process.

#2 Cause of Computer Crashes: Bad Drivers

Problem: Computer crashes are often caused by system drivers not functioning properly. The driver provides a link between your software and hardware. If your operating system can not communicate with the hardware it shuts down and re-attempts attempt to contact the driver during the start up process.

Solution: Updating the driver or troubleshooting it may eliminate this problem. Check your device drivers for any errors which are indicated by an yellow exclamation mark or an X. Follow the below instructions to evaluate the driver:

1.Click "Start"

2.Click "Control Panel"

3.Click "System"

4.In the System menu, click the "hardware" tab

5.Click Device Manager to bring up a full list of

hardware drivers.

6.Right click and choose "Properties" to evaluate the status and troubleshoot the hardware device.

In Vista you can reach the the device manager the following method:

1.Click "Start"

2.Click "Control Panel"

3.Click "Hardware and Sound"

4.Click "Device Manager"

#3 Cause for Computer Crashes

Problem: Bad Power Supply

Most people are completely unaware that their computer has an internal power supply. The Power Supply Unit (PSU) problems are usually indicated by your PC inability to boot or use RAM. Int this case, pressing the power button produces only able to get a blank or blue screen. When the power supply goes bad, your RAM and graphic card begin to malfunction. The final result is your computer crashes when Windows demands a large amount of power.

Solution: PSU are very easy to replace. If you are a gamer who puts high demands on your system with large amount of RAM and high powered graphics cards, you should definitely upgrade to bigger power supply unit.

#4 Corrupt Files

Problem: Many programs, especially ones with online access have encoding problems. Not to mention malware which is purposely coded to disrupt your system. They leave broken foot prints in many areas of your PC memory. However, once these programs are disengaged or removed from your computer, it leaves the error filled tags which also are known as corrupt files. Dlls, Direct Link Library, are files that are shared by multiple programs and are especially sensitive to damage. If one rogue programs damages a dll file, registry file or any essential process, it can cause computer crashes.

Solution: You can repair these files if you are in possession of your original Windows CD. Both XP and Vista offer a wonderful scan and repair tool that can usually repair your disrupted system and stops computer crashes.

How to use Window's SFC Scan and Repair command:

1.Click Start

2. Right Click the Command Prompt or type cmd

3. Type sfc/scannow

4. The tool will scan for damaged files. When prompted provide the Windows original disk for repair.

Remember that computer crashes are not random occurrences. There is a source for this fatal error. You just have to pin point and discover the cause. Remember to always update drivers when install new hardware or any resources intensive software. Show your PC love and care by cleaning it's external and internal parts.

20 TIPS TO INCREASE YOUR ALEXA RANKING

1. Install the Alexa toolbar or Firefox’s SearchStatus extension and set your blog as your homepage. This is the most basic step.

2. Put up an Alexa rank widget on your website. I did this a few days ago and receive a fair amount of clicks every day. According to some, each click counts as a visit even if the toolbar is not used by the visitor.

3. Encourage others to use the Alexa toolbar. This includes friends, fellow webmasters as well as site visitors/blog readers. Be sure to link to Alexa’s full explanation of their toolbar and tracking system so your readers know what installing the toolbar or extension entails.

4. Work in an Office or own a company? Get the Alexa toolbar or SS Firefox extension installed on all computers and set your website as the homepage for all browsers. Perhaps it will be useful to note that this may work only when dynamic or different IPs are used.

5. Get friends to review and rate your Alexa website profile. Not entirely sure of its impact on rankings but it might help in some way.

6. Write or Blog about Alexa. Webmaster and bloggers love to hear about ways to increase their Alexa rank. They’ll link to you and send you targeted traffic (i.e. visitors with the toolbar already installed). This gradually has effects on your Alexa ranking.

7. Flaunt your URL in webmaster forums. Webmasters usually have the toolbar installed. You’ll get webmasters to visit your website and offer useful feedback. It’s also a good way to give back to the community if you have useful articles to share with others.

8. Write content that is related to webmasters. This can fall in the category of domaining and SEO, two fields in which most webmasters will have the Alexa toolbar installed. Promote your content on social networking websites and webmaster forums.

9. Use Alexa redirects on your website URL. Try this: http://redirect.alexa.com/redirect?www.doshdosh.com . Replace doshdosh.com with the URL for your website. Leave this redirected URL in blog comments as well as forum signatures. This redirect will count a unique IP address once a day so clicking it multiple times won’t help. There is no official proof that redirects positively benefit your Alexa Rank, so use with caution.

10. Post in Asian social networking websites or forums. Some webmasters have suggested that East Asian web users are big Alexa toolbar fans, judging by the presence of several Asia-based websites in the Alexa Top 500. I suggest trying this only if you have the time or capacity to do so.

11. Create a webmaster tools section on your website. This is a magnet for webmasters who will often revisit your website to gain access to the tools. Aaron Wall’s webpage on SEOTools is a very good example.

12. Get Dugg or Stumbled. This usually brings massive numbers of visitors to your website and the sheer amount will have a positive impact on your Alexa Rank. Naturally, you’ll need to develop link worthy material.

13. Use PayperClick Campaigns. Buying advertisements on search engines such as Google or Exact Seek will help bring in Traffic. Doubly useful when your ad is highly relevant to webmasters.

14. Create an Alexa category on your blog and use it to include any articles or news about Alexa. This acts as an easily accessible resource for webmasters or casual search visitors while helping you rank in the search engines.

15. Optimize your popular posts. Got a popular post that consistently receives traffic from the search engines? Include a widget/graph at the bottom of the post, link to your Alexa post or use Alexa redirection on your internal URLs.

16. Buy banners and links for traffic from webmaster forums and websites. A prominent and well displayed ad will drive lots of webmaster traffic to your website, which can significantly boost your rank.

17. Hire forum posters to pimp your website. Either buy signatures in webmaster forums or promote specific articles or material in your website on a regular basis. You can easily find posters for hire in Digital Point and other webmaster forums.

18. Pay Cybercafe owners to install the Alexa toolbar and set your website as the homepage for all their computers. This might be difficult to arrange and isn’t really a viable solution for most. I’m keeping this one in because some have suggested that it does work.

19. Use MySpace . This is a little shady so I don’t recommended it unless you’re really interested in artificially inflating your Alexa Rank. Use visually attractive pictures or banners and link them to your redirected Alexa URL. This will be most effective if your website has content that is actually relevant to the MySpace Crowd.

20. Try Alexa auto-surfs. Do they work? Maybe for brand new sites. I think they are mostly suitable for new websites with a very poor Alexa rank. Note that there be problems when you try to use auto surfs alongside contextual ads like Adsense. They aren’t also long term solutions to improving your Alexa Rank so I suggest using with caution.

HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE

Step 1- Find and Clarify Your Vision of Success:

If you don't yet know what you want to achieve that's okay. There are ways to find out. Ask yourself what you are good at, what you enjoy doing, and what you would be doing if money were no object. Write out an ideal scenario of you having and doing what you dream of.

Step 2- Define your Goals Clearly:

From your ideal scenario of your Vision of Success identify concrete goals. Define them clearly and write them down. Writing your goals down is very important and gives them more power than just thinking or imagining your success.

Step 3- Visualize Yourself Achieving Your Goals:

Before setting off on the path to success you must first be able to see yourself achieving your success. You must believe that you can do it. Your imagination is a powerful creative tool. Once we can vividly imagine something, it often opens the door to manifesting it (Gawain, 1997).

Step 4- Uncover Psychological Blocks to Success:

If you have difficulty with steps one and two you may have internal obstacles preventing you from having or keeping what you want. On some level you may feel undeserving of success and happiness and this may be reflected in a lack of achievement. To uncover these obstacles ask yourself how you truly feel about having what you desire. Is there any guilt attached to this? One way to uncover any blocks here is to write down why you deserve to be successful. This can reveal any feelings to the contrary. Examine where your attitudes about success came from. Write out all you fears and fantasies associated with being successful.

Step 5- Remove Psychological Blocks to Success:

Often just the awareness of negative attitudes and beliefs about success begins the process of letting them go. You can't force change, but there are different tools and techniques that may be helpful. Some of these include: positive affirmations, therapy, success coaching, support groups such as Visions Anonymous, and rituals to rid yourself of the negative beliefs e.g. write them down then burn/tear them up.

Step 6- Make a Clear Plan With a Timeline:

Consider creating a plan that breaks your goals down into 5-year goals, 1-year goals, 6-months, 3-months and 1-month achievements. After completing this plan you can do weekly goals that will put you on schedule for all of the other goal milestones. Be realistic here so you don't get discouraged.

Step 7- Chart your Progress:

It is important to assess your progress at regular intervals. Pick a day once a week or once a month, read your plan and see if you are on schedule. Reward yourself for achieving milestones. If you need to adjust your plan be realistic and do so. Also, be honest with yourself. Visions and goals can change. If you find that you no longer really want this Vision do not be afraid to change your plan.

Step 8- Enjoy Your Success!

Once you have achieved your goals and your Vision of Success it is very important to acknowledge this. Reward yourself, give yourself credit and allow yourself to feel the attendant good feelings. Don't just rush off to your next goal as if you take your success for granted.

Step 9- Cultivate Gratitude:

Having gratitude is important once you achieve your visions. Literally "count your blessings", give thanks, allow yourself to enjoy them, and relish the experience of the success you already have. This increases success by attracting more of what you currently possess. One simple way to do this is to write a gratitude list (listing everything that you feel grateful for).

Step 10- Give it Away:

Out-flowing (giving away our material gifts and talents) makes room for more to flow to us. When out of feelings of fear or insecurity, we cling to what we have, we cut this flow off. You must not only express gratitude for achieving success, you must share this success with others. Share your resources, time and talents. You are also giving it away when you tell your story to others so that they might be encouraged.

CAUSES OF ACNE

1) Bacteria - Bacteria is one of the main factors that can lead to acne breakouts. This is especially true if you do not cleanse your face thoroughly at the end of the day. As we go through the day, we are exposed to pollutions, dirt, fumes and etc. Bacteria that are built up on the skin should be eliminated. To do this, it is most effective to use an acne face wash that is aimed at removing bacteria on the skin. This will keep the acne causing bacteria at bay and prevent new breakouts.

2) Excess oil - People with oily skin have the tendency to have acne. Overproduction of oils in the skin can cause the pores to be clogged. This, in combination with bacteria, is the perfect condition for acne to form. To treat acne, you have to keep your skin dry. However, this does not mean to dehydrate your skin. You still need water content to keep your skin moist but you have to cut out the oil. The best treatment for this is to use a product containing salicylic acid. This agent will help to reduce excessive oil on the skin as well as to unclog pores.

3) Hormones - An imbalance in the hormones can be triggered by a number of factors. It can be due to puberty, menstruation, poor diet and stress. To deal with hormone imbalance, it is best to use acne herbal supplements. These supplements are aimed at treating acne and keeping out bodies' composition well balanced. Also, it is safer to consume these herbal supplements than prescriptive medication, as they are natural.