Tuesday, August 11, 2009

14 Ways To Affair Proof Your Marriage
By: by Brett & Kate McKay

Many people look at infidelity as if it was a natural disaster; no one could see it coming; it just inexplicably happened. Perhaps this is because we are a country that has abdicated its belief in personal responsibility. The truth is that not only can men see it coming, they can prevent it from happening as well.

It is possible to affair proof your marriage. Will it be a lot of work? Yes. But that's what you signed up for when you decided to marry your sweetheart.

What is cheating?

Before we begin our discussion on how to immunize your marriage against infidelity, we should establish what constitutes cheating. Having sex with another woman other than your wife is obviously cheating. But it's also possible to be unfaithful without having to go that far. Infidelity has shades of gray that should likewise be avoided. It is possible to be emotionally unfaithful without crossing any physical boundaries. A perfect example of this is online infidelity. More and more married men are having online romantic and sometimes sexual relationships with women other than their wife. While there's no physical contact, I would definitely say this is cheating. Men who "date" online are violating a trust that their wife has put in them to be faithful-both body and mind.

Now let's get down to business. Here are 14 ways to affair proof your marriage:

Read moreat All Pro Dad

Friday, August 07, 2009

The 2009 Defrag Shootout, and all the defragmentation utilities I can find

The 2009 Defrag Shootout is now under way, and results are posted as they come in. It takes time to get these results, because testing is done on Windows XP, Windows Vista 32-bit and Vista 64-bit environments, and numerous tests are carried out. Windows 7 testing will be added only once the final product actually ships.

Windows Disk Defragmenter: Version 5.1.2600.5512 supplied in Windows XP.

Check below for information on other packages, and the 2007 winners of the previous "Great Defrag Shootout".

Read more at Insights and Rants

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Roadside Emergency Kit
Even if you faithfully follow our 10 maintenance tips, some breakdowns are unavoidable. Do yourself a favor and save some room in your trunk for the following items. They could turn a potential trip-wrecker into nothing more than an unexpected pit stop:

Screwdrivers and wrenches of various sizes
Jumper cables
A jack and tire iron
A can of "Fix-a-Flat" for temporarily sealing and inflating a flat tire
Water for both the radiator and yourself
Emergency flares and reflectors
Gloves
Blanket and towel
Flashlight [source: CBS News]

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Wipe Your Feet

2.22.09 BY David Rupert

Article:

As a boy, my mother routinely reminded us to wipe our feet when we dashed into the house at full speed. She rarely even looked up as we came in. She just knew that brother and I would have dirty shoes.

Mom had good reason for concern. The empty lots and open fields were our playgrounds. And on the way home from our ventures, we walked through every mud puddle.

As an adult, I still clean my shoes before entering my home after a long day at school or work. I don't need my mother to remind me anymore—I get it because I pay for the carpet.

Recently, I've been thinking about the symbolism of removing the dirt from the world before entering my home. For years, I collected bad attitudes and negativity from the work world and brought them home to my young family. They never knew what my mood was going to be. Silently, hesitantly, they would size me up.

"What kind of day did he have? Can I tell him my problems? Can I share some good news? Will he snap at me for no reason?”

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Poka-Yoke: A Misunderstood Concept

Shigeo Shingo introduced the concept of poka-yoke in 1961, when he was an industrial engineer at Toyota Motor Corporation. The initial term was baka-yoke, which means ‘fool-proofing’. In 1963, a worker at Arakawa Body Company refused to use baka-yoke mechanisms in her work area, because of the term’s dishonourable and offensive connotation. Hence, the term was changed to poka-yoke, which means ‘mistake-proofing’.

Poka-yokes are mechanisms used to mistake-proof an entire process. Ideally, poka-yokes ensure that proper conditions exist before actually executing a process step, preventing defects from occurring in the first place. Where this is not possible, poka-yokes perform a detective function, eliminating defects in the process as early as possible.

Monday, July 06, 2009

It pays for companies to take care of talent
By Abigail L. Ho
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:22:00 07/06/2009

MANILA, Philippines - The economic downturn is forcing businesses to cut costs here and there, sometimes going to the painful extent of letting people go.

While this may make sense at the onset, enterprises should think twice, thrice, 10 times before doing something that drastic.

The People Management Association of the Philippines says businesses should focus on strengthening their human resource if they want to be able to ride the recovery wave when it comes.

In a presentation at the Philippine International Franchise Conference and Expo 2009 last week, PMAP president and Corporate Executive Search managing director Grace Abella-Zata said the best route was to combine “buying, building and borrowing” talents.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Chaos Theology

Finding hope in the midst of the terror of creation.

Mark Galli | posted 6/18/2009 11:32AM

The cover story for the July/August issue of The Atlantic is titled, "The Ideas Issue: How to Fix the World." The article addresses, among other things, the housing mess, the Afghanistan war, the collapsing environment, illegal immigration, and homeland insecurity. A subtext of many of the entries is international terrorism, the most dreadful and symbolic of global threats. These are all but snapshots of the terrible panorama of blood, fire, smoke, and darkness of the present world order.

Except that the word order hardly applies. It's chaos we're living in, and we are weary and sometimes frightened. Among the many filmmakers who paint this reality in vivid hues are the Coen brothers. Their movies always feature a character who brings chaos to the world. Yet whereas in early films, chaos is always brought under control (in Fargo, for example, police chief Marge Gunderson captures the cold-blooded killer Gaer Grimstud), at the end of their last film, No Country for Old Men, chaos is still on the loose.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Why Sing Hymns

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Colossians 3:16)

The trend today is to replace traditional hymns with contemporary praise choruses. This is not a good trend, especially for youth and new believers who need a strong doctrinal focus. Hymns present clear expressions of the knowledge of God and biblical truth. Col. 3:16 admonishes— Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.

Read more at Surf-in-the-Spirit

Hymn Singing

December 31, 2002 AM
By Rev. Dr. Robert S. Rayburn
From: Biblical Worship

Over the past twenty-five years, the American evangelical church has moved away from the hymns we sing at Faith Presbyterian Church. What are now widely referred to as “praise songs” have replaced the hymns that had been sung in Protestant worship for many generations.

Churches began to sing these songs, often putting the text before the congregation by means of an overhead projector, in hopes that their worship would be more accessible to the ordinary American who, it was thought, found the established church music alien, dull, and hard to sing. So complete has been the transition in many churches that the rising generation of Christians is now largely unfamiliar with the literature of Christian hymns.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

BlogSpotting: Time Management for Leaders

Keeping the main thing the main thing.
Tim Avery

One of my colleagues recently pointed me to the blog of Barry Werner, whose background includes serving as director of operations for World Wide Pictures at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. In his entries, Werner has been walking through the Old Testament and considering how different leadership principles are represented in the passages he reads.

One of his recent posts—which he relates to Numbers 33—addresses the issue of self-discipline. He's primarily talking about time management, and I found this line to be the most helpful:

The essence of self-discipline is to do the important thing rather than the urgent thing.

An urgent task, after all, is easy to discern. All you have to know is the deadline, and how much time will be needed to accomplish it. In fact, an urgent task is almost impossible to ignore.

But an important task—well, to discern that requires a bigger-picture perspective, something quickly lost on a busy afternoon. Without a concrete deadline to remind us or compel us, we let it slide. So what do you do to clarify your daily priorities and stick to them?

Tim Avery is the associate editor of BuildingChurchLeaders.com.

Posted by Tim Avery at 1:55 PM on June 15, 2009 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)

Read more at Building Church Leaders

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

'I Stayed'

There's power in knowing you and your spouse are in it for the long haul.

Christy Scannell

One of the advantages of living in San Diego, aside from the fantastic weather, is that we have two theaters that stage Broadway-bound shows, both to test how they fare with audiences and to get out the kinks before hitting the Great White Way. In the last few years I've seen several of these big productions, some winners (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and others not (The Full Monty).

A few years ago, my husband, Rich, and I zipped over to the Old Globe Theatre to take in A Catered Affair. We agreed the musical had its plusses and minuses, but one of the standouts was Tom Wopat (yes, that guy from the Dukes of Hazzard) singing a lump-in-the-throat-inducing number, "I Stayed."

To understand the impact of this song, you have to know that Wopat plays a 1950s middle-aged husband whose wife, among other issues, is accusing Wopat's character of having never really loved her. They married because she was pregnant, so she always suspected he rather would have been anywhere but with her. Now that their daughter is marrying and moving out of their home, she frets over what kind of life she will have with this man who only tolerates her.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Master the Art of Working Remotely
Gina Trapani, Work Smarter

10:23 AM Tuesday June 16, 2009

Over the past five years I've worked off-site and online for employers across the country using email, chat, and web-based collaboration apps. My work life has been the envy of my traditional nine-to-five friends. While they suit up in an office-appropriate outfit, grab the briefcase, and brave a commute every weekday, I get to work from home (and my employers get to save money on office space).

But working with people in different cities and time zones with minimal face time presents a whole new set of challenges. While the tools available for working remotely are better than ever, it's how you use them that really counts. Constant and clear communication is the key to a good remote working relationship. Here are some best practices I've found for working remotely online.

Read more at Harvard Business Publishing

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

How To Spot an Email Hoax
By David Emery, About.com

Without researching the factual claims made in a forwarded email there's no 100 percent sure way to tell it if it's a hoax, but here you'll find a list of common signs to watch for...

Here's How:

Note whether the text you've received was actually written by the person who sent it. Did anyone sign their name to it? If not, be skeptical.

Read more at Urban Legends

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Conversation starters with your wife

Try out these questions on your spouse: What is your favorite memory of our dating days? What is your best memory of your mother? Your father? What are your three favorite movies of all time? What's the one thing you'd like to be remembered for? If you had more time, what hobby would you like to pursue? What living person, other than family members, do you admire most? What's your idea of a perfect night out - or in? If you could only spend $10 on a date night, what would you do?

Print out these questions and ask her tonight. You might learn something about her you never knew before!

Why does your marriage matter so much to your kids? Find out here.

Huddle up and ask your wife tonight: Mind if I ask you a couple of questions?

© 2009 Family First. All Rights Reserved.

Marital Interaction
By: Ken Canfield

One of the best things a father can do for his kids is love their mother and build a strong marriage. The effort you put into your marriage is worth it to your children.

To prove that, I'm going right to the source. Just listen to this sixth grade girl who wrote about her father for one of our essay contests. She writes:

Everybody in my family has had to put up a lot with all the things that have gone wrong. One thing about this divorce is that when I go over to my friends' house to spend the night or something, their fathers usually come in and say, "good-night," not "good-bye." When my father comes over to get something and he is about to leave, he always comes over and kisses me on the cheek and then says "good-bye," and walks out. And it hurts a lot. Sometimes I want to just cry. I wish this never happened. . .

This girl feels the pain so deeply that she is tuned in to subtle nuances like the difference between "good-night" and "good-bye." Her father may see her regularly and show her physical affection, but still the dominant images of her father will always bring her pain.

Thursday, May 07, 2009

10 tips for swine flu planning

As the swine flu outbreak spreads, CIOs and other IT executives are dusting off their pandemic plans. Here are some tips. By Carolyn Duffy Marsan
30 Apr 2009

FRAMINGHAM, 29 APRIL 2009 - As the swine flu outbreak spreads, CIOs and other IT executives are dusting off their pandemic plans and preparing for the possibility of high levels of employee absenteeism and extended telework scenarios.

The swine flu threat comes at a time when IT shops are already stretched thin as a result of layoffs and other cutbacks because of the ongoing recession. We talked to several experts in the business continuity and IT operations, and here's the advice they are offering CIOs:

1. Stay calm. Model the behavior you want to see from your employees. This includes continuing to be productive but also shoring up your supplies of hand sanitizer and bottled water. "What CIOs and other managers of a company have to do is say this is business as usual, but practice better personal hygiene," says Richard De Lotto, principal analyst in Gartner's Banking and Investment Industries Advisory Services Group. "Other people will pick up on the examples set by executives."

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

‘Faces’ of disrespect here, there, all over
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:33:00 04/22/2009
http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/letterstotheeditor/view/20090422-200741/Faces-of-disrespect-here-there-all-over

When someone shows up late for an appointment on “Filipino time,” that means he has no respect for your time.

When the sidewalks are reserved for vendors and parked cars, that means they have no respect for pedestrians.

When a rich person sees a long line and simply skips it and goes straight to the front, that means he has little regard for you.

When a jeepney stops in the middle of the road to load and unload passengers, that means the driver has no respect for the other motorists.

Corruption in the Philippines is learned behavior, we watch our parents. The fault lies not in our stars but in us.

—KAISER SOSA,
530 Don Juico Ave.,
Balibago, Angeles City

The Story We Long For

Sometimes we don't realize what we need to hear, again and again.

Gordon MacDonald | posted 4/20/2009

There is a wonderful organization that invites me to speak every April to men and women who are enrolled in their leadership development program. Every year their invitation makes it clear that they want me to say the same things I said the previous year.

So I try to do what they ask. I use the same introduction, employ the same outline, tell the same stories, and even repeat the same joke or two in the warm-up phase of the talk.

I did this for the eleventh time just a week ago.

My presentation is about how a leader handles his occasional moments of failure. Sometimes I start by saying that I feel as if I have an earned-doctorate in this subject because there have been more than a few failure-moments over my seven decades of life. Most of them are the simple, everyday failures that don't even deserve a mention in my journal. But I go on to admit to the audience that there have been some bad experiences of seismic magnitude.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Your Hidden Curriculum

What do people learn from you about the Christian life? Sometimes it's what you never intended to teach.

John Ortberg | posted 4/09/2009

A newsletter from the editors of Leadership Journal
Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Hi, friend:

An elder statesman once told me: "If you try to imitate someone who's really good at something, you'll probably imitate the wrong thing." His example:

students of a powerful New York preacher tended to preach with their pulpit robes open, just as their mentor did. But an open pulpit robe was certainly not what made that urban preacher's sermons so powerful. The students were imitating the wrong thing.

John Ortberg points out that all of us who lead, whether teachers or preachers or leaders of any sort, have both a formal curriculum (what we intend to communicate) and a hidden curriculum (what we don't realize we're communicating). Sometimes our hidden curriculum reinforces our formal curriculum, but other times it undermines what we intend to get across. You'll recognize more of the larger picture in Ortberg's article, Your Hidden Curriculum.

Read more at LeadershipJournal.net

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

10 symptoms you should not ignore
AN APPLE A DAY By TYRONE M. REYES, M.D. Updated March 17, 2009 12:00 AM

If you met an accident and were bleeding heavily, you probably wouldn’t think twice about seeking immediate medical care. The same goes if you suddenly doubled over with stomach pain or felt severe pressure or pain in your chest that wouldn’t go away. But what happens when you experience symptoms that don’t seem quite so alarming or are just a bit out of the ordinary?

While you don’t need to rush to the doctor with every unexplained muscle twinge or upset stomach, you also don’t want to ignore symptoms that could lead to early treatment before a condition becomes life-threatening. You’re going to have better outcomes if you seek early treatment. You can’t sit back and assume everything will get better on its own.

Read more at Philstar.com Health and Family

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Earn 500 Bucks a Month
from http://www.earn500bucksamonth.blogspot.com/

This is one of the biggest secret I have to revealed about my freelance work. So get ready!

Earning 500 bucks through freelance work is as easy as 1-2-3. Yes, all you need to do is have the skill, have a client and do the work equals dollars!

Read more at this blog with another review at istorya.net

Monday, February 16, 2009

Romantic Ideas
from All Pro Dad

Call to see if you can pick up anything on the way home from work.

Send a dozen roses: 11 red roses and 1 white one. The note: "You're the only one for me."

On cold mornings warm up her car.

Trace "I love you" on a stick of butter or margarine.

When window shopping, secretly note what she likes, then return later to pick up that something special.

Put a new piece of jewelry in her jewelry box and wait for her to notice it.

Leave written clues that lead her to a restaurant where you are waiting for her.

Give her your jacket when she is chilly.

Always pull out her chair at dinner.

Get tickets for an event and keep it a secret until the day arrives.

Hide a greeting card under her pillow.

Slip a little love note into her wallet.

Serve breakfast in bed using your finest china and crystal.

While you are both out, have a friend deliver a gourmet dinner to your home.

Place a rose under the car's windshield wiper.

Take a hot air balloon ride.

On a frosty winter morning, scrape the ice off her car windshield.

Bake homemade cookies together.

Plan a three-day weekend together.

Monday, February 09, 2009

100+ Effective ways for Family members to save Money
Posted by Angel Cuala in Monday, September 8th 2008

There are a lot of ways to save money for the whole family, and most of them are practical and easy to follow. However, it is within ourselves who will make decisions if we will follow them or not. Below is a good list according to applicable categories such as Food, Education, Shopping and others, which I have compiled for easier reading. Most of them are now being practiced by my family.

Just remember that these were created to save money, and not to sacrifice the necessities of the family.

General

1 Make a strict budget and stick with it. Discipline your self.
2 Save time in everything you do. The time you save can be spent to earn more money.
3 Plan your family according to your income and status.
4 Manage your debt. Do not add loan in payment of another loan.
5 Learn the do-it-yourself activities like washing your car, cutting your hair, and minor troubleshooting of appliances.
6 Do not be excited with insurance programs. Have enough time to choose them before joining.
7 Do not join the lottery. Do not take chances on luck and work harder instead.
8 Save at least 10% of your earning no matter what happens. Cut it off it automatically every payday and consider it as part of your tax.
9 Coins are heavy on the pocket, so keep them at home and let them grow.
10 Make a list of your daily expenses, make a graph and analyze it during weekends. You will know which one you should cut off.
11 Learn the art of banking, and how to choose the best bank for you.
12 Watch out for identity thieves. Protect your ATM cards, and memorize your PIN instead of writing it.
13 To avoid transaction fees, do not withdraw money using ATM card to machines that do not belong to your network group.
14 Train your children to save energy which can be converted to money.
15 Teach your children all that you have learned. The earlier you do it, the better.
16 Live a simple life. Do not spend more than what you earn.
17 Identify your NEEDS and separate your WANTS. They are the two different things at home.

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Look to the Ant
by Gary Klingsporn

Ants busy themselves with tiny tasks to accomplish big jobs. They plan ahead. They store food all summer. They prepare for winter long before winter arrives. To the would-be loafer or procrastinator, the ancient Wisdom teachers said, "Look to the daily diligence and persistence of the ant!"

These proverbs speak to my lifelong struggle with procrastination. I'm not lazy; I'm a perfectionist. I delay tasks, especially creative ones, to think through every detail, carefully consider every option. When I finally sit down to a project or decision, I want to feel that it's my best work.

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Encryption top IT security initiative in 2009
Jan 06, 2009
By Ellen Messmer

IT security budgets are increasing in 2009 to consume 12.6% of the entire IT operating budget, up from 11.7% in 2008, according to Forrester Research's survey of 942 IT and security managers in North America and Europe.

Read more at Network World Asia

DIY Tuesday: Make bad audio sound better with Audacity
by Ralph HogaboomOctober 9th, 2007

Audacity is a free, Mac/Windows/Linux audio editor. It does a great job cleaning up bad audio sounds in a relatively straightforward manner. It’s certainly worth having around and knowing a few tricks with it. And it can help your media projects sound better. Here’s how.

Read more at youmakemedia.com

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

A Cast of Thousands

The mission of the church is not efficiency, but developing all its people.

Lillian Daniel | posted 12/19/2008

At my daughter's elementary school musical, the printed program noted: "This musical was originally written for 15 actors, but it has been adapted to accommodate our cast of 206." You know what kind of show this was. No-cut auditions, no performer left without something special to do. They danced, they sang, they delivered lines, and somehow 206 children graced the stage that night.

It was not a short program.

So many productions in life are competitive. TV's American Idol is popular as much for the failures as for the successes. Admit it. If no one got cut, would we really want to listen to these people? The excitement is seeing who makes it and who does not, and the winner is idolized. Celebrity worship is not just a figure of speech.

Well, the world may operate that way, but the gospel response, the church's calling, is like the volunteer geniuses that took an elementary school musical with 15 parts and creatively made room for 206. We take a few loaves and fishes and feed thousands, at the church potluck or at the homeless shelter. We take a task that we could professionalize and simply pay someone to do, and we divide it into parts so that everyone has a job. Is it efficient? No. Not if all you care about is getting the job done.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Linux And Music

One obvious advantage of Linux is lower acquisition cost, and while this is defin

itely a factor for sites with large numbers of computers and limited budgets (for example schools), it's not actually the major reason for most migrations. In the case of a multi-million dollar movie studio, it's unlikely to be the price of Linux alone that makes it attractive. These studios can afford to buy any system they want, so why are they choosing Linux? The answer is in part the lower cost of Intel processor hardware compared to the traditional SGI UNIX platform, and the fact that it's much easier to move programs from SGI to Linux than from SGI to Windows.

But a far more compelling reason for the migration is the quality and flexibility of Linux. Machines powered by Linux have been known to run for months or even years without needing a reboot, let alone crashing. In the UNIX world that's not unusual, but that kind of reliability hasn't been seen on desktop computers before. And the open source development model means that users can get the software they want, rather than just choose from what's on offer.

Another factor often cited by people who have migrated to Linux is the supportive and knowledgeable user community. If you have a problem with your Linux machine, there are lots of places to ask for help — both with local user groups and on the Internet. Linux users tend to be self-documenting: when they find the solution to a problem, they will often create a web page describing the fix to share their knowledge.

Read more at SoundOnSound

Windows 7: The Linux killer

Submitted by srlinuxx on Mon, 12/22/2008 - 00:06.
http://www.tuxmachines.org

Microsoft has long been worried about Linux competition in the server market. When it came to ordinary PCs and laptops, however, it knew it had little to fear.

But that was then. Now Microsoft may fear Linux on the desktop as much as it does the Mac. It's finally taking Linux seriously as a desktop operating system, and it has designed Windows 7 to kill it.

Let me explain.

The threat to Windows comes entirely from "netbooks" -- lightweight, inexpensive laptops that typically use Intel's low-powered Atom processor and don't come with substantial amounts of RAM or powerful graphics processors. They're designed mainly for browsing the Web, handling e-mail, writing memos, and taking care of simple word-processing or spreadsheet chores.

Rest Here

Monday, December 22, 2008

GNU/Linux on old hardware
Saturday, 13 August 2005, michuk

Is Linux a good choice for your old PC? In this article I’m going to examine the main issues connected with using GNU/Linux on some very old hardware. I will also cover choosing a distro, a desktop and the key applications for such a configuration.

Author: Borys Musielak
What are the minimal hardware requirements for Linux?

In theory, a computer with 386 processor and some 8MB of RAM is good enough to run GNU/Linux. There are a few specialized distros (still supported!) that allow you to install Linux on such a PC. Of course you won’t be able to run most of the modern apps on such a system, but it should be enough to do simple office tasks and play some old-school games.

If you have a Pentium I with some 32/64MB RAM, you can, with just a little bit of effort, make an outstanding desktop computer out of it, running GNU/Linux of course. You will still need a special distro for that, though.

However, if you get a Pentium II 455Mhz with a 10GB hard drive (it can be purchased for less than $50 nowadays), you can install any modern GNU/Linux distribution on it and with thoughtful selection of applications, it can make a great home Internet and multimedia center for next couple of years.

Read more at polishlinux.org

Linux distros for older hardware

By Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier on February 24, 2006 (8:00:00 AM)

Microsoft lately has been challenging Linux's suitability for older hardware, so it seems like a good time to look at Linux distributions that can run on older machines. I took six distributions for a test run on an old machine, and also tried software that turns old hardware into a thin client. The bottom line: Linux is still quite suitable for older hardware. It might not turn your aging PC into a powerhouse, but it will extend its lifespan considerably.

For these tests, I dug out Igor, an old PC that had been collecting dust in my closet. Igor is a Pentium II 233MHz machine with 64MB of RAM, an 8x CD-ROM drive, a 3GB hard drive, and an integrated ATI 3D Rage Pro video card with 4MB of video RAM. You can run Linux on older and slower machines, but this is the most under-powered machine I had available.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Windows Steady State Bulletproofs Your System

by Lee Mathews Jun 30th 2008

So you're thinking, "Hey, I want to be totally irresponsible with my computer and load it up with crapware!" Really, isn't everyone getting tired of having to be so stinking responsible on the Internet all the time? We certainly are. We're ready for system protection that isn't afraid of our reckless browsing, indiscriminate downloading, and general apathy towards good computer usage habits.

...Which is why we love Windows Steady State. It creates a cache file in which your operating system operates, meaning any harmful changes can be undone by simply emptying the cache. After downloading it's a snap to install - just a few obligatory clicks and the usual EULA mumbo-jubmo and you're set.

Read more at DownloadSquad

Back up your Google Apps data

Face it: If you use Google services like Gmail, Calendar, Docs and Spreadsheets, Reader, or Blogger, you've got a life's worth of data on Google's servers. Unless you back up your stuff locally, Google holds the keys to your digital life and you're out of luck if and when Google loses or denies you access to that data. Rather than run screaming for the hills, a few steps to back up your Google-hosted data can ensure that you're in control of your stuff and not the big G.

There isn't one easy, universal backup for all Google Apps, but there are methods that work. The strategies outlined below require different levels of work and commitment on your part. The Gmail and Gcal backups described are more or less automatic (you just need to set it up and run the applications), while others require you to manually perform the backup every now and then. However, none of them are terribly difficult, and the few minutes required to back up your data every week or month are more than worth the peace of mind that comes with knowing you still control access to your data.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Disable USB Autorun to Save PC from USB Viruses

The most effective method of preventing your system from getting infected is to disable autorun feature of USB devices. DJ tells us about disabling autorun feature on Sizlopedia. He tells us a method in which he uses gpedit.msc and disable autorun feature but the problem is thatgpedit.msc is not available under Windows XP Home Edition.

So, I am going to explain how to disable USB autorun feature through registry editing which not only works for WInXP Home but also for any other edition of Windows.

Read more in Ashfame's Tech Blog

Disable USB Autorun to Save PC from USB Viruses

I know how hard it is to keep a PC safe from viruses and trojans as nearly every USB stick carries some undetectable and auto-multiplying virus. Especially in university, where I have to constantly exchange USB sticks, it becomes hard to keep my USB stick safe and clean.

Mostly the viruses that multiply through USB sticks use the autorun function of USB as it does not require any user confirmation and runs secretly in the background, unlike a CD or DVD.

The best way to keep USB viruses from injecting themselves to your PC or laptop is to Disable the USB Autorun feature and I will teach you how to do it.

Read more at Sizlopedia

Friday, December 12, 2008

Who's Doing What to Whom?

In a world that increasingly measures national power and national security in economic terms, foreign countries and corporations are placing increased emphasis on the collection of scientific, technical and economic-related information of all types. The increasing value of trade secrets in the global and domestic marketplaces, and the corresponding spread of technology, have combined to significantly increase both the opportunities and the incentives for conducting economic espionage, as discussed in Economic Collection and Industrial Espionage. The illegal export of controlled technology is a related but somewhat different offense discussed in Illegal Technology Transfer.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Dumbing Down Our Kids: Why American Children Feel Good About Themselves But Can't Read, Write, Or Add.

Charles J. Sykes, author of the 1996 book

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Rule No. 1: Life is not fair. Get used to it. The average teen-ager uses the phrase "It's not fair" 8.6 times a day. You got it from your parents, who said it so often you decided they must be the most idealistic generation ever. When they started hearing it from their own kids, they realized Rule No. 1.

Rule No. 2: The real world won't care as much about your self-esteem as much as your school does. It'll expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself. This may come as a shock. Usually, when inflated self-esteem meets reality, kids complain that it's not fair. (See Rule No. 1)

Rule No. 3: Sorry, you won't make $40,000 a year right out of high school. And you won't be a vice president or have a car phone either. You may even have to wear a uniform that doesn't have a Gap label.

Rule No. 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait 'til you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure, so he tends to be a bit edgier. When you screw up, he's not going to ask you how you feel about it.

Rule No. 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping. They called it opportunity. They weren't embarrassed making minimum wage either. They would have been embarrassed to sit around talking about Kurt Cobain all weekend.

Rule No. 6: It's not your parents' fault. If you screw up, you are responsible. This is the flip side of "It's my life," and "You're not the boss of me," and other eloquent proclamations of your generation. When you turn 18, it's on your dime. Don't whine about it, or you'll sound like a baby boomer.

Rule No. 7: Before you were born your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way paying your bills, cleaning up your room and listening to you tell them how idealistic you are. And by the way, before you save the rain forest from the blood-sucking parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the closet in your bedroom.

Rule No. 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers. Life hasn't. In some schools, they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. Failing grades have been abolished and class valedictorians scrapped, lest anyone's feelings be hurt. Effort is as important as results. This, of course, bears not the slightest resemblance to anything in real life. (See Rule No. 1, Rule No. 2 and Rule No. 4.)

Rule No. 9: Life is not divided into semesters, and you don't get summers off. Not even Easter break. They expect you to show up every day. For eight hours. And you don't get a new life every 10 weeks. It just goes on and on. While we're at it, very few jobs are interested in fostering your self-expression or helping you find yourself. Fewer still lead to self-realization. (See Rule No. 1 and Rule No. 2.)

Rule No. 10: Television is not real life. Your life is not a sitcom. Your problems will not all be solved in 30 minutes, minus time for commercials. In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop to go to jobs. Your friends will not be as perky or pliable as Jennifer Aniston.

Rule No. 11: Be nice to nerds. You may end up working for them. We all could.

Rule No. 12: Smoking does not make you look cool. It makes you look moronic. Next time you're out cruising, watch an 11-year-old with a butt in his mouth. That's what you look like to anyone over 20. Ditto for "expressing yourself" with purple hair and/or pierced body parts.

Rule No. 13: You are not immortal. (See Rule No. 12.) If you are under the impression that living fast, dying young and leaving a beautiful corpse is romantic, you obviously haven't seen one of your peers at room temperature lately.

Rule No. 14: Enjoy this while you can. Sure parents are a pain, school's a bother, and life is depressing. But someday you'll realize how wonderful it was to be a kid. Maybe you should start now. You're welcome.

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Found a nice online game and stress-reliever called Chromon.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

7 Practices for Computer Security

1 Protect your personal information. It's valuable.
2 Know who you're dealing with.
3 Use security software that updates automatically.
4 Keep your operating system and Web browser up-to-date, and learn about their security features.
5 Keep your passwords safe, secure, and strong.
6 Back up important files.
7 Learn what to do in an e-mergency.

Read more at Online Guard

Friday, November 21, 2008

Transform Windows XP into Windows Vista without using customization packs

by Vishal Gupta

Since we all know that Windows Vista has been released but its too costly to purchase. The most interesting thing in Vista is its look, new icons, cursors, theme, sounds, login screen, boot screen, etc. So I’m posting this tutorial to make our existing Windows XP to look-a-like Windows Vista.

Yes! There are lots of Vista Transformation packs available on net but I never use them because they slow down the windows and also install a few 3rd party utilities. So its better to do all the things manually.

In this tutorial, I’ll tell you about how to make following things to look-a-like Vista:

Vista Theme OR Visual Style
Boot Screen
Login Screen OR Welcome Screen
Sounds
Mouse Cursors
Windows Icons
Windows Explorer
Progress dialog box
Shutdown/Log off dialog box
About Windows box
System Properties dialog box
Windows Classic Startmenu Left-side Image and Start button Logo
and a few other things

So here we go:

Thursday, November 20, 2008

TEACHERS BOARD EXAMS	11/18

Engineer, fresh grad,triathlete in top 10 By Mars Alison, Day Desk Editor Three Cebuanos, who stumbled into the field of education by accident, got more than they bargained for after landing at the top 10 of the Licensure Examinations for Teachers (LET) in the secondary level. Second coursers Lucille Virtudazo Gandionco and Amale Mendezona-Jopson placed 5th and 9th respectively while fresh graduate Carl Jestoni Bariqiut Dakay was 8th placer after taking the exams last September.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

VistaVG Ultimate Theme for Windows XP

Here's a very nice Vista theme for Windows XP by Vishal. Been using it for a while now and it looks great!

http://www.askvg.com/vistavg-ultimate-theme-for-windows-xp/

Here's a sample:

-- Benjie

Keena tops the Librarian Board Exam

Wow, a few days after it was announced that Chichi topped the Teachers Board Exam, it was Keena's turn to have her name in the Top Ten list. God has been showing us His immense favor and it really serves as an encouragement to all His people in Sovereign Grace Bible Church.

RANK	NAME	SCHOOL	RATING(%)
1	ELIJAH JOHN FERNANDO DAR JUAN	UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES - DILIMAN	87.75
2	BERNADETTE DAVA SUENO	UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES - DILIMAN	86.50
3	RUEL ROMARATE YU	UNIVERSITY OF SAN JOSE-RECOLETOS	86.45
4	KRISTINE YAP MARTINEZ	UNIVERSITY OF SAN CARLOS	85.70
5	NOMER ALBARANDO ALCAZAR	UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES - DILIMAN	85.60
6	MARION JUDE MARISTELA GOROSPE	ROOSEVELT COLLEGE-CAINTA	84.55
7	JACQUELYN JOY LATINA LLAVE	CENTRO ESCOLAR UNIVERSITY-MANILA	84.30
8	LORRAINE DAWN GAMEL HONRADE	UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES - DILIMAN	84.15
9	CZARINA PAOLA PAREJA DELA LLARTE	UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES - DILIMAN	84.00
10	EDWARD HILADO PUZON	UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS	83.80

-- Benjie

Monday, November 17, 2008

Chichi tops the Board Exam for Teachers with 5th place

By the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, Chichi's efforts were rewarded with a 5h place finish during the 2008 Licensure Examination for Teachers, Secondary Level. Of the 53,195 who took the board, 18,801 passed and Chichi is no. 5. Lipay kaayo akong sweetheart. Galing lang sa ka excited, tukar dayon ang hyperacidity. He-he...

Here's the proof:

-- Benjie

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Technology Resume Gaffes to Avoid
Nimish Thakkar, Computerworld
Nov 12, 2008 6:15 am

From tech-support professionals to CIOs, almost everyone is consumed by the perception that the effectiveness of the resume is somehow linked to the length of the document. A one-page resume is not going to improve your chances, nor is a 10-page document indicative of super-employee status.

Candidates, even senior-level IT executives, often use microscopic fonts, leave off important information, use 0.1-inch margins, and resort to myriad ill-advised practices -- all in an attempt to curtail resume length. Many well-meaning college counselors advise their students to be concise and limit their resume to one page. That may be important for students with little or no experience, but why subscribe to the same wisdom after rising to higher ranks?

Read more at PC World

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

What Makes a Good Boss

When you're looking for work there are also key traits that you are looking for in the person you want to work for. While the expectations you have for an employer will vary a little by industry, there are certain elements that make a good boss.

A good boss....

Listens: This is a key skill in an employee, but it is also essential for an effective manager. The responsibility for office decisions is ultimately up to the boss, but a manager who can listen will base decisions on the abilities, needs and limitations of staff, resources and time frame. Also, the more you feel heard, the more you feel appreciated, something everyone deserves on the job.

Communicates: This is a continuation of listening. A good manager should not only hear what you say, but be able to tell you what they want from you in a manner that is clear and professional. A boss shouldn't be too vague in their directions, nor should they speak to you in a patronizing tone. A manager should never yell, make personal comments or use humor as a put down.

Delegates: A manager is responsible for the overall workplace or project. This can lead some to try and control every aspect of the work flow to make sure no one else "messes" things up. This, in turn, can lead to a stressful work place with an overworked boss who is resentful of staff and a workforce of people who feel unappreciated and bored. A good boss will recognize that you are the best person to do your job and will provide you with clear direction that allows you to do it without watching over your shoulder.

Empathizes: A manager may deal with a variety of staff, of all ages and in all stages of life. A good manager can acknowledge the need of the parent of three to stay home with her sick kids, while also recognizing that the single colleague shouldn't always have to stay late to compensate, or that sometimes you will miss the train and be late for work, but that someone who is late all the time causes work flow problems for the rest of the staff.

This is not the same as the boss who tries to be everyone's friend. It is a person who believes a little courtesy makes for a healthier workplace.

Supports: A good boss will recognize that employees want to better themselves and further their careers. They should not be threatened by this. Good managers will help you find professional development opportunities and allow you to take part in new projects when it is applicable to your talents, time and career goals. Within a company, a good manager will also not pass the buck down to staff members when dealing with upper management and will make sure the concerns of staff are known to the powers that be.

Instructs: Very few people like to be micro-managed, but it can be even more frustrating to be given no clear direction and end up in trouble with your boss for not meeting expectations. A good boss makes it clear what they want, and tells you promptly and professionally if you are not providing what they need. They will also be frank and fair about concerns surrounding performance, attitude and behaviour -- there should be no surprises in your performance review.

Encourages: A good boss is one who is always willing to acknowledge a job well done.

Respects: This is a big one. A lack of respect is one of the main reasons people feel unfulfilled at work. What is respect? Respect means appreciating the people who work with and for you.

Respect is not offering a shiny plaque for doing three-times your workload. Respect means sincerely trying to help employees through crunch times and acknowledging that having limitations does not mean being inferior. Respect means understanding that people have different cultural and religious holidays and traditions. It means acknowledging people have different learning styles and ways of presenting themselves.

Sees the Big Picture: Finally, a good boss should always have their eye on the final product or deadline. Staff can sense when an employer has a handle on things and when they are letting something slip. This can be stressful since it puts staff in the awkward position of possibly offending their boss by mentioning oversights, or not saying anything and jeopardizing a project.

source: http://www.poss.ca/book/print/787

http://www.allprodad.com/playbook/viewarticle.php?art=183

The Big O in happy marriages
WELL-BEING By Mylene Mendoza-Dayrit
Tuesday, November 4, 2008

The following is a common scene in a lot of households with both spouses working. Wife arrives stressed from the traffic, fetching the kids, and a boss who never appreciates her work. She drops by the kitchen to give instructions to the help regarding dinner.

The husband arrives after a very stressful board meeting. Exasperated, he sinks into the couch in front of the television, a can of cold beer in hand. He turns the TV on, zapping from news to sports channels and back. Wife sits in front of husband and starts talking about her day, giving a litany of things she had and has to do.

Husband never looks at wife, seemingly lost in what he is watching. Wife gets hurt, feels more rejected and alone. Happens all the time and before they know it, a thick wall is already built between them.

A wife who feels unloved and unappreciated, and a husband tired of what seems to be endless nagging. Love lost? Irreconcilable differences? No common interests? Grounds for divorce? Stop those thoughts, a study from UCLA on the differences between male and female responses to stress may just save your marriage, as revealed by Dr. John Gray, author of all the Mars & Venus book series, the latest of which are Why Mars & Venus Collide and Mars & Venus — Diet & Exercise Solutions, to the delegates of the Department of Tourism’s “Embracing Health & Wellness in the Heart of Asia,” held recently at Sofitel Philippine Plaza.

Monday, November 03, 2008

What are the Best Tools for Removing Spyware, Adware, and Malware?

If you have been on the Internet for any length of time, you've probably ran across the topic of spyware, adware, or malware. This is software that has installed on your computer, many times without your permission, or accidentally by clicking on a popup ad, etc. The problem with these programs is they will slow your computer down, make changes to your desktop, homepage, search page, load programs into your taskbar tray and otherwise get in the way. In the worst cases, they will even transmit information from your computer to servers on the Internet. So the question becomes, if your computer is infected with these problematic programs, how do you get rid of them. In most cases, you can run a free removal program to remove these infections, in more serious cases, you may have to download a specialized removal program to free yourself of these problems.

Read more at PC Hell

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Friday, August 07, 2009

The 2009 Defrag Shootout, and all the defragmentation utilities I can find

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Wipe Your Feet

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Monday, July 06, 2009

Monday, June 29, 2009

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Hymn Singing

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Thursday, May 07, 2009

10 tips for swine flu planning

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Friday, April 17, 2009

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Monday, February 16, 2009

Monday, February 09, 2009

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Windows 7: The Linux killer

Monday, December 22, 2008

Linux distros for older hardware

Friday, December 19, 2008

Windows Steady State Bulletproofs Your System

Monday, December 15, 2008

Friday, December 12, 2008

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Friday, November 21, 2008

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Monday, November 17, 2008

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Defending Your Machine 2

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Monday, November 03, 2008