Why Do Computer Users Need Backup

First what’s the meaning of backup? Back up is the name given to diskettes, or disks that can store copies of programs and then stored elsewhere.

Even with the best of care, any disk can suddenly fail for reasons you can’t understand. Many computer users have found themselves unable to retrieve data from disks that worked perfectly the day before, because some defect has damaged a single track or small sector. Hard disks do crash. Any personal computer system can be hit by power overloads, water or misconducts.

Thus, users and big or small companies should always think about backup. The best protection if you’re writing, designing, researching something is to make two copies of your data. One copy may be on your hard disk, certainly, but duplicates should be on tape, disks or removable hard disks cartridges, recordable CD-ROMs or flash drives.

If you are backing up less than 10MB, you can use diskettes since that is the most they can take, if you are backing up more than 10MB, then a tape, disks or flash drives can be more efficient. If you work with files daily, then you would be most secure if you backed up all your files every day. If you work with files only occasionally, you need to determine how often backup is needed. And remember to keep the backup media in a different place. If your computer system and your backup disks are in the some structure and the place burns down, your backup is obviously worthless. So consider moving them to a different place or location.

Some microcomputer software programs provide automatic backup. One program would be with Colorado scheduler. What you do is you insert your disk in the disk drive and with a single mouse click on the Colorado scheduler icon, the computer takes care of the backup.

Almost all large computer systems have scheduled automatic backup of either full backup or only those files that have changed since the last backup session.

You should note that some storage media’s last longer than others. We have seen tapes deteriorate day by day. And will eventually deteriarate in the next 5 years. But this also depends on how it’s stored. Hard disks cartridges have shelf life of about 10 years, according to most hard disks manufactures. You can get MO drives but they are more expensive yet also more durable.

The life span of a CD-ROM disk is almost unlimited. Thus you need to archive your backup material before deciding on a storage medium.

Now, be sure to have a timed backup strategy. By this, if you add and change data every day, set your backup software (if you have one) to back up those files every night. And you could keep two storage cartridges: a working one and one stored in safe place. Then exchange the cartridges on weekly bases.

Backing up your information and research has to be a must in your life. If you have not lost any work due to computer crushes, disk damage, or viruses then you better backup you data before it happens. Don’t wait for it to happen to you.

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How to find the best inkjet printers and laser printers

Printers occupy one of those areas of computing in which figures are all important. Splashed over magazine ads for the latest inkjet printer you'll see things like "2,400dpi!" or "10ppm!".
Ultimately all you can judge a printer on is how fast it takes a page to appear and the quality of the printing when it does.

The technical side of printing fascinates some and bores others. Basically a printed page consists of tiny little dots which make up the image or letters that you see. In the case of an inkjet printer, these dots consist of coloured ink. In the case of a laser printer the dots are tiny particles of carbon which are sealed onto the paper by heat (ever wondered why your prints come out hot?).
The logic involved in printer advertisements is that if you can get more dots within a square inch then you can get more detail onto the page. The logic then dictates that more detail means more quality.

In the real world, a printer outputting at a mere 600 dots per inch may well produce better prints than one outputting 2,400 dots per inch (dpi). The reason is that there are many other elements at work, such as how accurately the software that controls the printer, known as a 'driver', can manage the printer. You also have to consider the paper handling mechanism of printers, which works within fractions of an inch. And then there's the actual quality of ink or, in the case of a laser printer, the quality of the toner - poor quality ink lacks vibrant colours and won't react with the page in the correct manner, causing rough edges and long drying times. In the case of poor quality toner in a laser printers, the black areas won't be as dense.

If you want to purchase a printer then go along to your local PC shop and ask for a sample print. If the sales staff pull one out of a folder under the counter then be wary -- this will have been produced in ideal situations. They're not going to show you the 9 prints prior to that one which were rubbish. They'll also have printed onto top quality paper - laser printers can print on standard paper without qualms but inkjet printers print best on specially coated paper. Fair enough, you might think, but this paper is often highly expensive.

Ask to see the printers in action. Take along your own picture on a floppy disk and ask them to output it. By all means let them output it on the special paper but ask to see it printed on standard paper too, and see how well the printer copes - some printers will cope excellently whilst others will start to show serious weaknesses.

Also note how long the print takes to arrive in the output tray. Is it a matter of seconds or have you got time to make a cup of tea? How noisy are the printers whilst outputting? Is it whisper-like or more akin to busy traffic?

In the case of an inkjet printers, inspect the print that comes out. Look at how well the colours have been reproduced, and skin tones in particular. Watch out for the common problems of printing. The first is banding - visible lines on the print where the printer hasn't quite matched up one pass of the print head with the one lower down. Look out for 'dithering' too - sometimes the dots that make up the image are visible to the naked eye which can spoil the effect of a good print.

With a laser printers, inspect the denseness of the black. Is it really black or more of a dark charcoal grey? (The same rule applies for text outputted by an inkjet printer, by the way). Are the letters perfectly formed when you look closely or can you see the 'computerfication' - jagged edges on descenders, for example.

With both a laser printers and inkjet printers, examine the page per minute output figures - how long will you be waiting for 10 pages to drop into the output tray of the inkjet printer? Ask the shop assistant to send twenty pages of text to the printer and time it to see if the quoted figures match reality. They rarely will.

Consider the running costs. How much do replacement ink cartridges cost? Or, in the case of laser printers, how much do replacement toner cartridges cost? Also consider the cost of the 'drum' in a laser printer, which will be replaced infrequently but is nonetheless part of the total running cost.

Finally, On inexpensive printers this can be a serious issue. Be particularly diligent in examining laser printers because these often have to survive constant use in tough office environments.
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Cool JavaScript Tricks

Today, I will list some very cool JavaScript hacks and tricks that you can use creatively or just have plain fun. To make each one of these codes work, all you have to do is copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser window and hit “Enter”. So here they are :-

Play the “Lord of the Web”

This code lets you edit any page/website in real-time . With Firefox, you can even edit and save the modified pages to your computer. Very nifty code!

javascript:document.body.contentEditable='true'; document.designMode='on'; void 0

The Big Wheel

This piece of code pulls off all the images from your web page and rotates them in a circle. Really makes any page go naked (without its images). The best place to test is a website with many images. (Google Images for an example)

javascript:R=0; x1=.1; y1=.05; x2=.25; y2=.24; x3=1.6; y3=.24; x4=300; y4=200; x5=300; y5=200; DI=document.getElementsByTagName("img"); DIL=DI.length; function A(){for(i=0; i-DIL; i++){DIS=DI[ i ].style; DIS.position='absolute'; DIS.left=(Math.sin(R*x1+i*x2+x3)*x4+x5)+"px"; DIS.top=(Math.cos(R*y1+i*y2+y3)*y4+y5)+"px"}R++}setInterval('A()',5); void(0);

If you look carefully in the above code, its rotating the HTML “img” tag. Just replace it with “a” or “p” and watch some links or text rotate instead of images.

Tremors

Your browser will be very afraid of this code If the code below doesn’t seem to work, please replace > with > and <>

javascript:function flood(n) {if (self.moveBy) {for (i = 200; i > 0;i--){for (j = n; j > 0; j--) {self.moveBy(1,i); self.moveBy(i,0);self.moveBy(0,-i); self.moveBy(-i,0); } } }}flood(6);{ var inp = "D-X !msagro na dah tsuj resworb rouY"; var outp = ""; for (i = 0; i <= inp.length; i++) {outp =inp.charAt (i) + outp ; } alert(outp) ;}; reverse

The Calculator

In case you are not in a mood to use the standard windows calculator and want your browser to do the dirty job for you, use this code.

javascript: alert(34343+3434-222);

You can change the numbers according to your choice and also try creative complex equations. Just put your arithmetic into javascript: alert( );

Finding Spoof Websites

There are times when you are not sure that the website that you are visiting is authentic. Use this code whenever in doubt :-

javascript:alert("The actual URL is:tt" + location.protocol + "//" + location.hostname + "/" + "nThe address URL is:tt" + location.href + "n" + "nIf the server names do not match, this may be a spoof.");

And finally here is something that you can only get to hear if you ever worked in a Tech Support department

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Travel with Children: 3 Ways to Ensure Both You and Your Kids Enjoy

Parents with children often postpone vacations with their kids or at least plan vacations at hotel resorts that offer a bunch of activities such as water sports, clowns, billiard tables, tennis and soccer grounds and many more such as basketball courts and swimming pools. But this is the not the most appropriate way to go about things when you have children. In fact, it's harmful. A child needs a vacation just like an adult but you need to use that time to bond with your children on different levels than you would when at home.

Here are the three most important things a parent should do when they go for a vacation with their kids:

1) Travelling is not just a time where you reenergize yourself, but you must try and re-energize your relationship with your children. Find out what they like and then go with them and take an active part in their activities while making sure not to cross the parent-child boundaries that you have already set. Some things you could do is swimming or playing fetch in the pool using a rubber ball. You could also take them to a billiard table or tennis court and teach them how to play. In any case, prefer the physical sports over the computer ones.

2) Take along a few board games and set up a time to play them outside either by the pool, by the seashore or on the grass. The best time for such a thing is in the early evening at around six or seven. This is usually the time when the activities are about to take a break and people will be going to get ready for dinner which is usually served at around eight. In any case, arrange it so that you have at least an hour of playing time and then stop when you finish the allocated period. Do this and your children will wish you didn't stop and won't get tired.

3) Do not head for the dining room immediately but rather go when it's about a half-and hour before the end of the meal. The children will have less time to fool around and most of the tables will be empty thus saving you any embarrassment even if they do make a mess.

At all times, please remember that you are on vacation so lax the rules a tiny bit but not too much. Once your children realize that all the behavioral rules still apply, they will act accordingly and won't start misbehaving. But never make a scene when their friends are around. Instead. Wait till they return to their room and then explain why their actions were harmful and why you will not accept such behavior. If they refuse to listen, discipline them. Remember that a vacation is just a short time, but your kids are forever.

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The Top 5 Holiday Destinations

The heap of anguish caused by the claustrophobic city life can only be eradicated when you take a stride down the blue beaches of Australia or relax at the foot of Christ De Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. When life demands too much and you want to escape from this mundane world, take a flight to one of your desired destinations and spend the holiday there with your loved ones. Give yourself a chance to enjoy the gorgeous Greek Island, scintillating Cuba or the magical Thailand. The unparalleled exquisiteness of the five top destinations below is alluring visitors to feast on the amazing beauty.

1. Australia - Whitsunday Islands

The spectacular scene of Australia has made it the suitable holiday destination for people from all over the world. The very thought of the coral reefs, lush rainforests and the amazingly warm ocean water would chill you up and you won’t be able to resist the charm of holidaying in this country. Whitsunday coasts and islands seem to have been naturally tailored to quench your need of getting lost in the soothing greens and serene blue of the water. The Islands are centrally located on the Queensland Coast where almost all flights have been given access. The airport is about 40 minutes away from the Airlie Beach and leisure can be enjoyed to the full extent. Apart from this Island particularly, Australia is encompassing within itself a wide array of holiday zones. The Gold Coasts, Hunter Valley, Sunshine coast, the wonderful Sydney and so on. At Whitsunday, you will get the opportunity to select resorts and hotels of your choice. The availability of the peaceful ambience, spas, swimming pools, gardens and other amenities will vary with the denomination of the accommodation you choose. The exciting Great Barrier Reef, the stunning beauty of the Proserpine River and the luxury yachts are bound to drive you ecstatic. Holiday packages to this Island will seem to be incomplete, as you will fall in love with Whitsunday forever.

2. Brazil - Rio de Janeiro

It may be the outstanding color of its beaches or the magical sound produced by the forests that has made the creation of samba music possible in Rio de Janeiro. The high-spirited people of this state make Brazil one of the liveliest places on earth. Those of you who are fond of sports must take your family to this city to enjoy the essence of sports and sporting spirit. The intense cultural life of ravishing Rio includes mind-blowing music and heart throbbing belly dances. The state is the pride of Brazilians for it includes within it, theaters, clubs, museums, beaches, gardens, forests, lagoons and the memorabilia of the World War II. Winter is full of events and it would the best time to take a flight to Rio and give your life a new refreshing turn. Hotels and inns are available at your fingertips, which you can reserve even via the Internet.

3. Greek Islands

If you are a travel freak then you must spend your next holiday at the Greek Islands, which are about 22 in number. Mykonos would take you down the memory lanes with the windmills turning the pages of history. Affordable hotels and excellent services are designed to make your visit very pleasurable. Naxos is the island of churches, Venetian castles and homes just opposite to the nightlife culture that Rhodes can give. Lesvos is a perfect destination to soothe your tired mind and eyes. Wildlife, restaurants, spas and greenery can cheer you up for the rest of the hectic year ahead. Most of the islands here are breathtaking and you can zoom through the clouds directly or can halt in mainland Greece and then move ahead. Accommodation places are always ample, just prior booking is essential.

4. Cuba

Vigorous salsa, mind-blowing architecture, exciting tropical beaches and the swashbuckling nightlife can be the most apt phrases to describe Cuba – the dream destination for most people. Relaxation coupled with luxury is going to make your holiday in Cuba one of the most memorable experiences. This unique and safe Caribbean Island has got a historic importance of its own. Fishing or sailing in a tranquil ambience can reinvigorate you to your fullest. The journey to Cuba would revitalize you, shedding all the lethargic loads that you had been carrying so far. Your stride through the Las Terrazas will enable you to relish the flora and fauna. The coffee at a famous Cafetal restaurant would make you nostalgic, and sips at the Darquiri cocktail at Tropicana Cabaret are definitely an enchanting experience. Ecological tours of the Western Cuba can also be a sumptuous and momentous moment for you. If you are looking for cheap eats and lodging, you can find it at this top holiday destination.

5. Thailand

Thailand gains prominence as one of the hottest tourist sports for the sky kissing mountains, green meadows, multi-colored orchids, fascinating native handcrafts, coupled with the tropical climate. The country is well known for the hospitality, and the local food is also superb to taste. For the active traveler, this can be the ideal spot to spend the holidays. Travel packages booked earlier can make your journey to this place an interesting one. Bangkok is the main gateway to Thailand where the international airport is situated. The religion followed in this country is Buddhism and everywhere place you visit, you are going to find information pertaining to Lord Buddha. The elephant conservation center, wildlife sanctuaries, Thai crafts and the fruit carving are simply wonderful. The capital Bangkok is of great prominence due to the natural beauty that it ensembles. Makha Puja, Flower festival, Pattya festival and the Sonkran festivals attract throngs of visitors every year to this country. For a cool escape, the southern beaches are a definite hot spot and are not to be missed, Phuket having the biggest tourism numbers followed by Koh Samui.

Holidaying in any of these top destinations will leverage the stressful life you live and will have to resume to after some days. Visits to these heavenly places will make your experience meaningful and you will find a new spirit to restart your life. So, keep aside all hesitations, pack your luggage and set off for the dream destination that you had been longing for so far!

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How President Garfield Died; Or Being Grateful For Modern Medicine, Despite The Cost

Want to be grateful for modern medicine, despite the way it can wreck the health of your wallet? All you have to do is read about President Garfield�s medical care circa 1880 when he was shot by an assassin.

The tale of woe came to our attention as the result of a new exhibit at the National Museum of Health and Medicine, located on the campus of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The exhibition is intended to mark the 125th anniversary of his assassination.

To begin with, the gentleman remained alive for eighty days after he was shot twice by an assassin, who will go unnamed, because we don�t believe in giving publicity to such miscreants, since we think the quick notoriety encourages other deviants.

The first bullet just grazed the President�s arm. The second one, however, hit the right side of his back and lodged in his torso. The display shows it penetrated his first lumbar, or lower, vertebra. Today, such a projectile would be easy enough to spot and extract. After receiving a similar shot to the body, President Reagan was up and out of the hospital in no time.

But back then it was an entirely different case. Garfield�s doctors, who didn�t have modern diagnostic machines to aid their vision, could not decide where the bullet was lodged. A dozen or so medical experts probed the place of penetration, often using unsterilized instruments or bare hands.

Sterile procedures had been developed by then, in the 1860�s, by the British surgeon Joseph Lister, but were not yet appreciated in the colonies.

Historians are in agreement that Garfield died, not of the bullet, but from a massive infection due to unsterile medical practices.

One desperate observer suggested that the docs should just turn the President upside down and see if the bullet would fall out.

The exhibit also includes an image of the metal detector designed by Alexander Graham Bell to locate the bullet. Unfortunately, his invention failed to detect the location of it. Historians think the reason may be that the device picked up metal coils in the President�s mattress or because Mr. Bell only searched on the right side of Garfield�s body, where the head physician thought the bullet was lodged.

The autopsy revealed that the fatal shot pierced his vertebra but missed the spinal cord. It had not clipped any major arteries or veins or entered any major organs. It was, in fact, stuck in adipose tissue, that is, in fat, on the left side of his back.

Dr. Ira Rutkow, a professor of surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and also a medical historian, noted, �Garfield had such a nonlethal wound. In today�s world, he would have gone home in a matter or two or three days.�

In addition to causing the infection with unsterile techniques, Garfield�s doctors limited his solid food intake, because they thought the bullet might have punctured his intestines.

"They basically starved him to death,� Dr. Rutkow said, pointing out that the President lost over 100 pounds from the time he was shot until he died.

Sterile practice was finally widely adopted in the US in the early 1890's. The X-ray was also discovered in the 1890's.

The assassin was hanged in 1882. Even he blamed Garfield�s doctors, stating, �I just shot him.�

So, next time you get a big medical bill, just think of Garfield. While you can still regret the cost, thank your lucky stars for modern medicine.

When people grouse about the questionable benefits of modernity, I always remember modern medicine as one of the really positive revelations of the potential of the human race to improve its lot, the sorriest aspects of which are all too often self-inflicted.

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On Bullshit. Princeton Professor Publishes Lowdown Analysis

While browsing the philosophy section in a quaint and generally inaccessible bookshop, we came across a miniature tome we might have missed in conning the long shelves of a megastore. Noting the title on the spine and considering its offbeat nature with curiosity, we reached to indulge it with a cursory examination.

A closer view confirmed the title is indeed On Bullshit and informed us that the author is one Harry G. Frankfurt. We opened the book to inspect it further and were surprised to discover its credentials. The publisher is The Princeton University Press, and the author is a �renowned moral philosopher� who �is Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Princeton University.� We are also told that the �essay was originally published in the Raritan Review.�

Since we also noted the book has a copyright date of 2005, we thought we might be a bit late in taking note of it but decided our readers may, like us, have missed the wide proliferation of its original notices. We saw that it was dedicated as follows: �To Joan, truly.� We are unaware of what exactly is implied as the appropriate word to follow �truly.�

We will now, for purposes of this notice, quote briefly from the beginning:

"One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit. Everyone knows this. Each of us contributes his share. But we tend to take the situation for granted. Most people are rather confident of their ability to recognize bullshit and to avoid being taken in by it. So the phenomenon has not aroused much deliberate concern, nor attracted much sustained inquiry."

Having established his topic, he continues, in time-honored Aristotelian fashion, to review past work in the area before he makes his major contribution. He turns to an essay, called The Prevalence of Humbug by Max Black, wherein the author suggests a number of synonyms for �humbug,� including �balderdash, claptrap, hokum, drivel, buncombe, imposture, and quackery.�

The author does not find this list helpful, but Black defines humbug as follows: �deceptive misrepresentation, short of lying, especially by pretentious word or deed, of somebody�s own thoughts, feelings, or attitudes.�

Frankfurt finds merit in the description and opts to �comment on the various elements of Black�s definition.�

In the course of his recapitulation and analysis, he also considers related thoughts by folks from St. Augustine to Pascal and Wittgenstein.

We finally arrive at such sweeping insights as: �Bullshit is unavoidable whenever circumstances require someone to talk without knowing what he is talking about.� And that "The contemporary proliferation of bullshit also has deeper sources, in various forms of skepticism which deny that we can have any reliable access to an objective reality, and which therefore reject the possibility of knowing how things truly are.�

We conclude with, �Facts about ourselves are not peculiarly solid and resistant to skeptical dissolution. Our natures are, indeed, elusively insubstantial � notoriously less stable and less inherent than the natures of other things. And insofar as this is the case, sincerity itself is bullshit.�

Since �sincerity� is actually one of the most fundamental esthetic principals of emotive art, as stated by storytelling heavies like Tolstoy to inviting versifiers like Hammerstein, we will decline to go along with the author�s final statement.

But if this sort of offbeat investigative reasoning is your kind of cow pie, then you might enjoy a perusal of its examination of the subject at hand.

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