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One month course; Betsy Flanagan, instructor

Unit 1
Excel From The Ground Up
Why businesses use Excel for spreadsheet management
Technical requirements to use Excel (and all Office modules)
Launch Excel and create your first Excel worksheet
Discover how to protect and save your document
Set your document’s Properties and Attributes including Subject, Title and Author

Unit 2
Excel Document Creation
Explore the different parts of the Excel worksheet and document navigation
Understand cells and their makeup
Learn how to populate, format and merge cells
Create multiple worksheet “workbooks”
Learn how to insert comments and check spelling
Unit 3
Advanced Features and Functionality
Create and manage formulas and functions
Filter and sort tables and data
Create “live” connections between multiple worksheets
Create effective and informative table and charts

Unit 4
Excel Management and Sharing
Create meaningful file names and understand filing systems to manage Excel documents
Organize your documents on your hard drive and learn how to copy and move documents
Manage track changes when co-authoring documents
Printing and PDF file creation including setting print areas
Learn how to export Excel tables and charts to PowerPoint presentations and Word documents
Use Outlook to send Excel worksheets and workbooks to other users
Question MarkAbout online learning

Online learning is a fun, enjoyable and very productive way to learn. Millions of people are learning online each year. You will engage with the instructor and other participants. You will get to know your instructor and other participants. You may make friends.  It’s easy. It’s fun.

GearsHow the Course Works

It is easy to participate in your online course. After you register, you will be given a web address to go to get into your online classroom.  You will have a password and use your email address and password to gain access.

Once inside the online classroom, here’s what you can expect.

CalendarParticipate when you want

You can participate any time of day or evening. The online classroom is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
There are no live real-time requirements or meetings. You decide when you participate.
For the best learning, participants should log into the course on 2-3 different days of the week.

ChecklistWhat you will do

For each Unit, you will:

  • Read the print readings (about 20 pages a week)
  • Have the option of accessing the online readings
  • Listen to the audio presentation for the Unit and view the slides
  • Have the option of taking a self-quiz to see how much you have learned
  • Engage in written online discussion with your instructor and other participants

For best learning, you should make one or more comments at 2-3 different times each week.
The content (readings, audio lectures, slides) and self quizzes are accessible for the entire course, so you can work ahead, or go back and review again, at your convenience.

The Discussion for each Unit lasts one week. All comments are made in writing and can be made at any time of the day or night.

Your instructor will log into the Discussion area at least once a day and answer questions, make comments, and respond to comments by you and the other participants.

We encourage you to make 2-3 comments each week to maximize your learning and enjoyment of the course.

It’s easy. It’s fun.

Next offering(s):

Advanced Excel
April 2 - 27, 2018
June 4 - 29, 2018
August 6 - 31, 2018

Intermediate Excel
March 5 - 30, 2018
May 7 - June 1, 2018
July 2 - 27, 2018

Mastering Microsoft Excel
February 5 - March 2, 2018
April 2 - 27, 2018
June 4 - 29, 2018

Add Certificate To Cart
$495.00 USD
$195 USD
Ave. hours 16; 1.6 CEUs/ILUs

About Your Instructor

Betsy Flanagan is a business architect, innovator and entrepreneur. With a passion for workforce engagement, she co-founded WorkStrengths where she advises individuals on career strategy and companies on best practices in workforce management including talent management, professional development, motivation and retention strategies.  Flanagan’s professional history includes founding successful startups, top corporate executive strategic advisory work, line management responsibility in startups and large organizations, innovation and change management agent, and being Investor Relations company spokesperson for a Fortune 25 company.
Directional ArrowsCourse Objectives
  • Learn how to operate Excel as a spreadsheet creation and management tool
  • Understand the various kinds of spreadsheets that Excel can read and create
  • Discover how various menu items, commands, settings and processes affects the look of your Excel worksheets and workbooks
  • Use Excel in practical applications for every day business use
  • Explore how Excel integrates with other Office modules, like Outlook, Word and PowerPoint
Puzzle PiecesCourse Outcomes
Upon completion of this course you will:
  • Understand how to use Excel to create effective spreadsheets for use in business
  • Know what the various parts of a Excel worksheet are and how to control them
  • Understand how to create a Excel worksheet from scratch
  • Learn how to add pictures, charts, graphs and labels to your work
  • Understand what is most effective in the presentation and delivery of your Excel worksheets and workbooks
  • Have created several Excel worksheets that you can use as templates for future work
Completion Requirements


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Wednesday, November 14, 2007

China Refuses to Agree to Binding Emissions Rates

Sources: China Opposes Binding Emissions Targets, China to Reject Binding Emissions Caps

China’s emission rate of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, is one of the highest in the world, and experts predict that it will surpass that of the U.S., which is currently the world’s leading emitter of greenhouse gas. Despite its growing role in the global warming crisis, China has recently stated its refusal to submit to binding emissions caps in any pact. Chinese officials cite their prioritizing the country’s development over environmental issues as a reason for their rejection. They assert that the wealthier countries who are also major emitters, such as the U.S. should bear the burden of cutting their emission rates.

China is not the only significant emitter that is sidestepping binding commitments to fight global warming. For instance, the U.S. refused to sign onto the Kyoto Agreement, under which 36 other industrial countries have promised to reduce their greenhouse gas missions significantly over the next several years.

1) Is China’s argument that global warming should be a problem that only industrial countries should bear the financial burden of confronting convincing?

2) What do you think is more important—spending money on development or spending money on the environment? Is there a way to strike a balance?

No comments:

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Wednesday, January 30, 2008

US stimulus package

Sources: AFP, Bloomberg

The U.S. House of Representatives, in conjunction with the Bush Administration, has passed an “economic stimulus package” in an attempt to jumpstart the struggling US economy. The final vote tally in the House was 385-35, with wide bipartisan support. Nevertheless, the bill is expected to face some difficulty in making it through the U.S. Senate. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), along with President Bush, has encouraged the Senate to pass the measure. The Senate has a counter-proposal, which may slow down the bipartisan and compromise measure that has passed through the House.

The plan is a $146 billion package, intended to jumpstart the economy. This will be done by cutting taxes and sending rebate checks to over one hundred million US taxpayers. Individuals could receive up to $600 per person, with $1,200 for couples, and $300 per child for families. Furthermore, there are additional measures in the package to alleviate the mortgage crunch. Critics of the plan include Hillary Clinton and some Democratic lawmakers in the House. Senator Clinton would like to include additional measures for transportation projects, and Representative Jim Cooper balked at the measure because it continues to roll up debt. Moreover, other critics contend that the bill gives more tax rebates to higher income earners. Senator Harry Reid, Democratic leader in the Senate, has stated “We should not spend an extra $5 billion so I can get a rebate. Warren Buffet should not receive a rebate.”

Question: Will the tax rebate be enough to stimulate the sagging economy? How will such a bill survive in the Senate?

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Skip to main content

Tim Bajarin

Tim Bajarin
Tim Bajarin

Tim Bajarin is recognized as one of the leading industry consultants, analysts, and futurists covering the field of personal computers and consumer technology. Mr. Bajarin has been with Creative Strategies since 1981 and has served as a consultant to most of the leading hardware and software vendors in the industry including IBM, Apple, Xerox, Compaq, Dell, AT&T, Microsoft, Polaroid, Lotus, Epson, Toshiba, and numerous others. Mr. Bajarin is known as a concise, futuristic analyst, credited with predicting the desktop publishing revolution three years before it hit the market, and identifying multimedia as a major trend in written reports as early as 1984. He has authored major industry studies on PC, portable computing, pen-based computing, desktop publishing, multimedia computing, mobile devices, and IOT. He serves on conference advisory boards and is a frequent featured speaker at computer conferences worldwide.

Articles by Tim Bajarin

  • Fake News Is a Real Problem

    Facebook, Google, and Twitter will probably flush out false political ads over time, but I am less convinced they will ever be able to stop fake news.

  • Will AR Glasses Ever Really Take Off?

    Thus far, consumers have shunned AR glasses like Google Glass; getting people familiar with the tech via mobile apps might be the better approach.

  • Apple Needs a Touch-Screen MacBook

    While I've warmed to the idea of the Touch Bar, many road warriors and students might not be as enthusiastic. Apple should reconsider its aversion to touch-screen laptops.

  • 25 Years of ThinkPad

    In Yokohama, Japan, for the Lenovo ThinkPad 25th anniversary celebration, I look back and predict what's next for the iconic laptop.

  • A $1,000 iPhone? Not as Crazy as it Seems

    While people may flinch at higher price points, we need to start looking at premium smartphones in a different light than models from the early days of the smartphone.


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Sunday, September 12, 2010

How to uncap Docsis compliant Cable Modems for unbelivable speeds

The information given below is for educational purpose only. If you’re thinking about uncapping your cable modem, be warned. Your service agreement prohibits uncapping or removing software blocks that limit or “cap” bandwidth. Uncap your cable modem and you will at the very least be banned from your ISP for life. The bottom line is that uncapping is questionable at best and illegal at worst.

There are usually two network configurations. (1) The PC is directly connected to the cable modem. (2) The PC is connected to a NAT router, whose WAN port is then in turn connected to the cable modem. All of the following steps apply to both cases, except the final one that deals with TFTP. I’ll explain the issues with this later.
Every time the cable modem is powered on, it looks in its configuration file for the address of an TFTP server and for a file name. This file is the Docsis configuration file that, among other things, sets a cap for the modem’s download/upload bandwidth. The cable modem then retrieves that file and connects to the backbone.
How do we uncap it? Simple. We’ll download the docsis config file, edit it to change the cap parameters, then trick the cable modem in thinking our PC is the TFTP server so it then retrieves our copy of the docsis file.
There’s a bit of work involved for this. First, we have to find out the TFTP server and file name used by the cable modem. For this we can use the docsisDiag utility ( This application, along with all others, is included in the file. Run docsdiag.bat. It uses SNMP to return many of the modem’s parameters. Among these, the one we need are:
Configuration TFTP Server          = (replace this with yours throughout in the doc)
Configuration filename    = isrr.bin (replace this with yours throughout in the doc)
IP fragments created            = 0
IP    =

IP address. =   (the IP address of the cable modem, (replace this with yours throughout in the doc)     = 2
This application works as is in many cases. If not, please refer to the DocsDiag - DOCSIS cable modem diagnostics.htm file in the same directory. It has a lot of help on how to make it work for different modems.
Note that you might now go to and see some of you modem’s parameters.
Now from a DOS prompt type:
tftp -i GET isrr.bin

You just downloaded the docsis configuration file from your ISP. Now it’s time to edit it to change the modem’s cap. This is done by using the Cisco Docsis configuration software in the docsisConfig directory (also available from Before running ConfigEdit.bat you’ll need to edit it and follow the instructions contained there. Then execute ConfigEdit.bat and open the .bin file you TFTP'd. Go to the "Class of Service" tab. Voila'. Change the Max DS Rate to 7MB (mine doesn't seem to go higher). Save.
We will now need to have the cable modem think we are the ISP and retrieve our version of the file by running our own TFTP server.

This is the point where our network configuration is important. Here are the two cases. Both assume we’re running Windows 2000.

1.     PC Directly Connected to Cable Modem

Configure your PC’s TCP settings for:
IP:  (replace with the ISP’s tftp server)
Gateway:  (replace with your cable modem’s IP address)

don't worry about the DNS...
When it's done change your TCP settings to use DHCP again, without. Check or with the docsDiag utility. Your speed limit should now be updated.

2.      PC à NAT Router  à Cable Modem

Set your Router not to use DHCP but to use:
IP:  (replace with the ISP’s tftp server)
Gateway:  (replace with your cable modem’s IP address)
You’ll now have to configure the Router to send all traffic to your PC. LinkSys does this by configuring your PC for the DMZ setting. Other routers may be different. All that should be needed is to either forward all external traffic to your PC or to make your PC visible to the other side of the firewall.
Configure your PC with a static IP address in a range used by your router. Ex. If your router is at then configure your PC for:
Now add an additional IP address to the TCP settings in your PC:
IP:  (replace with the ISP’s tftp server)
don't worry about the DNS...
This is done because you’ll have to tell you TFTP server to listen on the latter address.
You shouldn't have to reboot. Place your modified copy of the isrr.bin (replace this with your name) in the tftpd directory (also available at If in your case the docsdiag showed it inside a subdirectrory you'll have to create one here. Start tftpd32 server. Go to Settings and set the Security to None. Increase the timeout to 20secs and the Max Retransmit to 6. Choose to translate Unix filenames. Make sure it's base directory point to where the isrr.bin is. Ok it. If you fall in case (2) make sure you set IP address in the Server Interfaces.
We now have to start filling the routing tables in the devices with our bogus data. So start pinging your cable modem, the TFTP IP address, and if applicable, your router. Do this for a couple of minutes. Now power off the cable modem (I usually wait a few seconds just to be sure) and then power it back on. Then immediately start pinging your cable modem until the config file has been transferred. After the traffic lights blinks the first time you should see that your tftp server is sending it your file...!
Now reconfigure your Router for DHCP (if case 2), and then reconfigure your PC to DHCP.
You’re done!
You’ll have to repeat this procedure every time the modem is powered off.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Why people still use Blackberry?

It's the smartphone everyone owns -- and no one seems to like.
Whenever we buy a phone we always consider the looks but Blackberrys aren't much good lookiing then why do people buy them!

Peek into any executive conference room in America, and you're bound to see one -- or a dozen -- of these anachronistic smartphones: BlackBerrys, their keys clicking like rain on a tin roof. Those red lights flashing, training their owners to pick them up on a second's notice: An e-mail! A BBM! Answer me!
To owners of Android-based phones and the iPhone, particularly in the U.S., the BlackBerry is starting to look more than a little too old-school. These phones don't really run apps. They don't store much music. Their screens, in general, are much smaller than those of smartphone competitors, meaning it's difficult or impossible to browse the Web comfortably or watch online video.
But here's the kicker: Despite the fact that the BlackBerry isn't hip, high-tech or cheaper than its main competitors, the phones are still the most popular (or at least the most common) in the U.S. market, and they're growing internationally.
So why do so many people still tolerate these phones?
It turns out, according to a handful of interviews with BlackBerry users, there are three basic reasons: People are addicted to the click-clacking keyboard; they love the blinking red light on the top, which alerts users to new messages; and many just happen to have the phone because it's required for work.

The click-clacking keyboard
Ask a BlackBerry user what they like about their phone, and they're bound to mention the keyboard. Ask them why that keyboard is so great, and they'll go into sensual detail about the click of the keys, how the buttons are raised just so and how the "shift" key -- oh, the shift key! -- is just as easy to use as those on a full-size computer keyboard.
"The keyboard is definitely a hook for RIM, and it's interesting to see that the marketplace, in general, has conceded it to RIM," said Kevin Michaluk, founder of the BlackBerry fan website "Everyone sees the iPhone, and they think apps. And I think everyone sees a phone with a keyboard, and they think BlackBerry, whether it is or isn't."
This comes at a time when most smartphones -- including the iPhone -- are moving toward touch-screen-only interfaces, where users tap on glass to type instead of pecking away at tactile keys.
The details of how the BlackBerry keyboard feels are what make it addictive, said Nan Palmero, a writer for another fan site,
"They really go to great lengths to raise plastic in certain ways on the keys," he said of the tactile keyboard's design. "They kind of describe it as guitar frets: Your hand naturally knows where to go and where to be."
Palmero said he can type up to 40 words per minute on his phone. Michaluk said he can hit 65. Neither has to look at the keyboard.
Kevin Kovanich, a 23-year-old BlackBerry user in Chicago, Illinois, said he loves that he can still "rock the keyboard" even though his thumbs are "larger than average."
"It is really nice how far the buttons stick up -- and you can really feel that click," he said. "It doesn't feel like you're making any mistakes ... no matter how big your fingers are."

That red light
On top of every BlackBerry, there's a little sliver of a red light, and it blinks at you when a new message or call comes in.
People get seriously addicted to that light, Michaluk said.
"You put a blinking red light on a device, and when that light blinks, you jump," he said. "It's Pavlovian training, right? For me, really, it's my connection to my people. And second, it's my connection to the world in terms of news and everything."
He added: "It's one of those things that always calls you back to your BlackBerry."
Of course, other phones have ways of alerting people to new messages, too, but none has the same feel as that BlackBerry light, users said.

Because it's businessy
The BlackBerry is the get-things-done phone.
It's not designed to run flashy applications, for playing games or for uploading pictures to Facebook and Twitter. It started out a business-minded device, and RIM has continued to market it as a business-friendly device, although recent ads have pitched it as a leisure phone for young multitaskers as well.
Part of the allure is that the BlackBerry is known for being secure. It encrypts messages, which makes business owners more comfortable giving the phones to their employees, who may share sensitive documents and e-mails over the phones.
This issue came into focus this week as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia threatened to stop BlackBerry service for this very reason: because they wanted to get inside private messages on the phones and couldn't.
Other smartphone operating systems,including iOS 4 from Apple, are trying to cater more to privacy-minded business clients, but overall they've been more focused on the consumer experience.
That image can work in BlackBerry's favor, writes Callie Schweitzer on a blog called Neon Tommy. She says the phone has a "mullet effect" in that it's "business in the front, party in the back."
"See someone typing away furiously on a Blackberry? They're probably sending a top-secret e-mail," she writes. "See someone intently focused on an iPhone? They're probably playing with the Bubblewrap or Lightsaber Unleashed apps. Regardless of what a Blackberry user is really doing, the phone itself just seems so much more straight-laced and serious than the iPhone."
Businesspeople also say BlackBerrys are just good for productivity.
Partly it's the keyboard. Partly is a range of shortcuts. But this no-frills phone has hooked many people in the bushiness world.
That includes Michaluk, who said he was given his first BlackBerry phone -- he called it "old blue" -- from an employer several years ago.
He's been hooked since.
"That thing was just a tank; it was ugly; it had that low-res, almost monochrome display. And that thing -- I just loved [it]," he said.

Graphics cards becoming the greatest password cracking tool

Graphics cards aren't that smart. But they are good at doing the same thing over and over again. This, researchers reckon, makes them good at 'brute force' password attacks, in which, if one password doesn't hack it, another is tried. Using a decent graphics card, the number of attempts can ratchet up into the billions, depending on how determined the hacker is to bust in, researchers have warned.

Boffins at the Georgia Tech Research Institute say that seven-character passwords are becoming "hopelessly inadequate", mainly because graphics cards are so good at brute-force attacks.

 "We've been using a commonly-available graphics processor to test the integrity of typical passwords," said Richard Boyd, senior researcher on the Georgia Tech team "Right now we can confidently say that a seven-character password is hopelessly inadequate - and as GPU power continues to go up every year, the threat will increase."

Higher-end, parallel processing GPUs operate at nearly two teraflops, processing trillion floating-point operations per second, making seven-character passwords useless.
The boffins say passwords should these day contain at leaset 12 characters, to be on the safe side. A combination of upper an lower-case letters, along with the odd number and a few symbols chucked in, add to the complexity of course.

Scanning mobile phones viruses from PC?

Wouldn't it be more feasible and hassle free, if we could scan for viruses from the PC anti-virus software?

PC2Mobile scan does just the same. It is a new technology from Quick Heal which will come handy in allowing users to scan for mobile viruses but without installing an anti-virus on the cell phone itself. The software is installed on the PC and the cell phone is connected to the PC via USB cable or bluetooth connection.

PC2Mobile scan features virus detection on (nearly) all mobile platforms (such as Symbian OS, Windows Mobile OS and other Linux based mobile OS). It also supports proprietary mobile firmwares, making it the only single product that supports virus scanning for variety of mobile phones available from vendors such as Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG, Panasonic, Motorola, O2, IMate, HP, HTC and Siemens. The product boasts supporting over 550 cell phone models.

The software is a part of the main bundle i.e. Quick Heal Total Security 2010 suite (which is available for Rs. 2,000 for one year's subscription). A complete list of all the supported devices and other details about the product can be found here.

via Thinkdigit

Sunday, August 8, 2010

iStealer 6.0 Tutorial

Firstly, you will need to download iStealer 6.0. You can download iStealer 6.0 from the link below or if you do not trust download from wherever you want

Turn of your webguard or av before download because istealer is a hacking tool so your antivirus will block it.
Ive put some links but im not sure if they are infected or not working. I wont be responsible for the problems from downloads try any one of these

Register at
Once registered, make sure you verify your email. If you do not receive the email instantly check Junk/Spam, or wait a few minutes
Now, login using your username you registered with and password you registered with.

Once, you have logged in, click Create/delete MySQL database Now fill out the information as below:

Database Name: username_db
Simply create database your username will already be there,write any thing in the box then press Create Database.
You should get "The requested operation has been completed successfully. " and then get redirected back to the database page.

Username: username_user
Then press Create user, fill the box with anything you like and enter password for the user and click create user. You should get "The requested operation has been completed successfully. " and then get redirected back to the database page.

Now assign priviledges, Make sure that all the boxes are ticked after that click on assign priviledges.

Now open up index.php in the PHP Logger folder which is in the iStealer 6.0 download. Copy and paste the Datebase info you got above like shown in the picture:

Fill out your index.php like below:

$dbHost = "localhost"; // REMAINS LOCALHOST FOR EVERYONE
$dbUser = "username_db"; // (3)MySQL username
$dbPass = "Your password you filled in for user"; // (4)MySQL password
$dbDatabase = "username_db"; // (2)MySQL database name

$username = "username to login page"; // Login Username
$password = "password to login page"; // Login Password

$logspage = 100; // Number of logs per page

$dbHost will ALWAYS remain localhost.
$dbUser will be the username you signed up with and db (or whatever you named your database), so for example username_db
$dbPass is the password you used.
Use the image below if you are confused:

$username = "create username to login page"; // Login Username
$password = "create password to login page"; // Login Password

Simply fill them in as the login you want for the actual iStealer login page.

Once you have filled in YOUR database information in the setup, save the index.php file.

Now press File Manager at the top.
In file manager if you will find a index.php or index html file delete it

Once there press Upload and upload the index.php and style.css files.
Then click on index.php and Note the url .This address is important.

Now open the istealer which you downloaded.
In the url box type the address of the index.php file . If you dont know that address then click on index.php file you just uploaded in the file manager.It should be in this form http://account

open the login page [ http://account name.jµ] Log in with the username and password you put on these lines in the index.php:

$username = "username to login page"; // Login Username
$password = "password to login page"; // Login Password

Now press Test Url, if it comes up with "Works perfect!", then press Build and select where you want to save your built iStealer server.

Simplified Hacking Terms for Newbies

This is a little tut ive written for complete noobs who don't know anything about hacking, or for those who need help understanding the terminology.

Keylogger - A keylogger is a program, usualy ran secretly in the background that records what users type, then the typed output is usually sent via email or uploaded by the keylogger somewhere to the web in secret. These can be attached to other executables so you never even know you ran them in the first place, once you click it once it often is started at startup from their on.

Bot - A bot is a program that is ran secretly in the background of a victim's computer. The bot connects to an IRC channel usually where a Bot Herder(its creator) can use a number of commands to control these computers that are now it's under control. A zombie computer(a pc under control of a bot herder) can be manipulated in a number of ways. Some functions of a bot include stealing victims passwords, keylogging, ddosing a server to cause it to crash, turning on the webcam and being able to watch the zombie computer's users, visiting a website(to gain money + traffic for a bot herder), clicking ads, making ads appear randomly, destroying itself(the pc), and sending spam to email contacts.

Botnet - A bunch of bot's connected to a server (usually IRC or web) that can be controlled and manipulated by its owner.

RAT (Remote Administration Tool) - Sort of like a botnet in regards that you can gain acess to the victims computer and do stuff like look at their files, webcam, etc. Only this malware connects back to you, apposed to a server.

Crypter - A crypter is used to make well known hacker's viruses (such as keyloggers and botnets) undetectable by anti-virus software by changing the virus program signatures that anti virus programs have in their databases to make them easier to spread.

Binder - A binder is used to bind a virus(such as a keylogger,etc) to another program making it undetechtable and able to fool users into thinking its something else. (IE a victim will click an installPhotoshop.exe and it will install photoshop as well as your virus secretly.)

FUD - Term for fully undetectable virus. (made by either coding your own virus or by crypting and binding an existing virus) Use (uncheck distribute sample) to check if your virus is undetectable.

Database - Used by most websites to store things such as User names, Passwords, Email, etc of an entire website or community.

SQL Injection - A way of manipulating a website's forms as a way of retrieving it's databases. This can be used to find users and passwords as well as obtaining admin on a website in order to deface it.

XSS (Cross Site Scripting) - a type of computer security vulnerability typically found in web applications which allow code injection by malicious web users into the web pages viewed by other users. An exploited cross-site scripting vulnerability can be used by attackers to bypass access controls such as the same origin policy. Vulnerabilities of this kind have been exploited to craft powerful phishing attacks and browser exploits. (From Wikipedia)

Cookie Stealing/Spoofing - Used to fool a victim into clicking a link that will steal their cookies to websites which you can then use to have their privileges to various parts of a website or forum.

BruteForcer - Program used to crack passwords by trying every password/password list on various forms.

Hashes - How passwords are usually stored, this is a way of crypting a password so it is not plain text, harder passwords are very hard to crack but simple ones have often been cracked and can be found on online databases. Some common password hashes include MD5 and SHA.

Social Engineering - Tricking a victim into doing something you want them to do by disguising or enticing them into doing what you want.

Phishing - Creating a fake login page to a well known website (IE Facebook) and then fooling a victim into entering their information on the fake login page through social engineering.

More to come, hope this helps you understand some of the different types of hacking and its terms.

Windows7 Transformation pack for Ubuntu

Many user dont like user interface of ubuntu this is a windows7 transformation pack for would ubuntu look like windows 7 so you wont blame for ubuntu for having unfriendly interface.

This Package contains:
GDM theme*
Icons Theme*
GTK Theme
Gnomenu theme*
Panel Backgrounds*
Cursor theme

About the sounds, they can’t be installed, just you can replace the Ubuntu original sounds or configure you preferences sounds at System / Preferences /Sounds or copying at /usr/share/sounds (accessing as root) and save the folder there or replace the original sounds. (because of they have the same name).

source - Ubuntu Geek

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Simplified Torrent Guide for newbies.

Ive been Facing with Readers having problems with torrents.
So here is Torrent Guide for newbies.

What is BitTorrent?

BitTorrent (often abbreviated to 'BT') is a protocol that allows you to download files quickly and efficiently.
It is a peer to peer protocol, which means you download and upload to other people downloading the same file.
BitTorrent is often used for distribution of very large files, very popular files and files available for free, as it is a cheap, fast, efficient way to distribute files to users like you.

µTorrent is a BitTorrent client.
A 'client' in this case is a computer program that follows the rules of a protocol.
For example, HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) is the protocol used to download web pages and other content - like this page - and your HTTP client (or browser) is the program you use to get those web pages.
Some popular browsers include Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari.
Email , Direct Downloads Via File hosting and FTP rely on one computer Server hosting  the file and transmitting it to another connected computer.

BitTorrent introduces a major difference  the hosting and the
downloading is spread out over many computers using a technology called   Peer-to-Peer .
can use BitTorrent to share or download any type of files  .exe, mp3, AVI, Jpeg, and Doc

Some Important Terms:

Torrent: Its is a file itself. The .torrent file is not the entire file the people who are sharing it. It is like a map which is used by the BitTorrent client to
assemble all the pieces together.
BitTorrent client :It is a piece of software which takes the .torrent file, reads the information in it and
starts the download.
Peer :A peer is any computer participating in the download and upload of a torrent file.
Seeder :A seed (or seeder) is anyone who is uploading copy of the file being shared
across the torrent network.
Leecher :A leech (or a leecher) is the person who does not have the complete file yet but
has joined the network to download it. A leecher becomes a seeder when he downloads the entire file and then shares it across the network.
Port : it is where your computer receives the communication signals from the outside network.
Share ratio: The ratio is the amount of data a user has uploaded divided by the amount of
data they have downloaded for a particular torrent (UL÷DL).  A share ratio of 1+ has a other users than he has received. Conversely, share ratios under 1 have a negative effect.
Swarm :The swarm is the sum total of all the leechers and seeders (i.e. all the computers)
participating in the torrent process.
Tracker: The tracker is a server which has the information of who has what files and who
needs which ones, thus acting as a bridge between seeders and leechers. Some trackers
are private requiring a registration where most are public.
Availability : That number tells you how many unique copies of the file are available between yourself and the peers you're connected to. If this is less than 1, you most likely will not be able to complete the torrent. The only thing you can do is wait and hope a seeder hops onto the torrent to allow you to complete it.
You can also try and request a "reseed" on the tracker's forum. Sometimes, this may never happen because the torrent was abandoned, and you may need to find the torrent elsewhere.

Be savvy about copyright laws
The world of digital distribution can often be seen clashing with copyright laws.
Peer to Peer file sharing is completely legal but using it for distribution of copyrighted material it a punishable offence.
The protocol makes everyone a downloader as well as a distributor .
There have been numerous cases where torrent trackers which index the torrents available
have been shut down for infringing so Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) have become proactive against many of them, because it represents a source of piracy.

The safest course of action is to follow the copyright laws as laid down. Browse to the
copyright policy link of the respective tracker website; the better ones have it.

Getting Started
Get your hands on a good torrent client, set it up and download our first file.
Life on the BitTorrent lane gets easier if we have a good client to do the job for us.

I would recommend µTorrent And Vuze (formerly Azureus) .
Both are free, lightweight and cross platform (for all operating systems).
Make sure you have the latest updated version.
Installing them is easy you can do it yourself.

Gearing up the torrent client for smoother run.
Fortunately, µTorrent makes this very easy for the beginner.
Here are the basic steps -
1.  When you start µTorrent for the first time it helps you out with a Speed Guide.

2.  The speed guide helps you to choose your correct   upload speed  . If you are not aware
from   DSLReports   website. Connect to the site by pressing the  button. Do not run any other application or browser at the time you are running the speed test. Run the test 2-3
times to get an idea of your average upload rate.

3.  Select a setting close to your obtained upload rate using the  Connection Type
dropdown. When µTorrent runs for the first time, a port is automatically selected for you.

4. Use Selected Settings  button and you are ready to begin.

5.  If you want to recheck your upload speed, you can also run the speed test from the
µTorrent toolbar > Options > Speed Guide.

Finding and downloading torrents
Going to a reliable torrent site also lets us avoid the pitfalls of downloading a corrupted file or even worse, a malicious virus.
A good torrent website filters out the undesirable and hosts clean torrents.

The recommended ones are –
PirateBay  and Btjunkie–  By its sheer size it is probably the most popular site in the torrent world with nearly 3.5 million users. The torrents also have little icons labeling them which say whether the torrents are from VIP users or trusted users. This reputation management serves as a mark of quality assurance. In their fight to bring the best they are constantly facing lawsuit threats
Mininova  – It enjoys a very good reputation of filtering out junk torrents. It is also one of the oldest torrent sites out there and definitely one of the cleanest sans any objectionable ads. If you have to restrict yourself to just torrent sites, then these two do the job.
Vertor   –   In your continuing hunt to find clean, virus free and quality torrents, Vertor is a good place to stop by. Vertor separates itself from the herd by providing snippets of the file you are about to download. This helps to confirm the torrent as safe for download. Vertor by the way
Demonoid  – This site, though amongst the best, has one shortfall  you need to register for a free account. The registrations are only open for some time and you require an invitation to get into Demonoid. If you manage to get an account you will see why this is one of the best. Being a restricted circle, it has a strict usage policy.
Legit Torrents and Legal Torrents list only torrents which are in the public domain and thus 100%legal.

Torrent search engines
There are the torrent search engines, which basically search a bunch of torrent
sites in one go and bring together all the results in one page.
Torrent-Finder:   Search 172 torrent sites and trackers with this multi-search engine.
Torrentz: A simple no fuss torrent meta-search engine.

I personally use Torrentz and Demonoid.

The number of torrent search sites reflect the popularity of the protocol.
1.  Surf to any of the torrent sites and search for your desired torrent file.
Remember, a torrent file is nothing but a small 15-100Kb sized file which points to
the contents of the whole file and the people in the swarm.
2.  Click on the desired file (or any download link) to download the file to your computer.
The small file sizes will take up just couple of seconds of your time.
3.  Browse to your saved .torrent file and double click it to open the file with your torrent
client Or  drag and drop the .torrent file into your software
4.  Now, your software begins the download by first connecting to the tracker server to
find out who else is downloading the same file and which bits they have.
5.  The tracker server identifies the users participating in the share and labels them as
either seeders or leechers. Look for a torrent with a higher number of seeders. The
ratio of seeders to leechers is the   share ratio   and a higher figure makes for a
healthier (and faster) torrent.
6.  The download begins and speeds up as the swarm increases.

The time to complete the download will of course depend on the file size, the speed of your connection and the quality of the swarm.

When µTorrent finished downloading, but now it says it's Seeding
It is where you leave your Torrent client open after you've finished your download to help distribute it (you distribute the file while downloading, but it's even more helpful if you continue to distribute the full file even after you have finished downloading).
All the data you got was from seeds, so help give back to the community!
It doesn't require anything - µTorrent will continue seeding until the torrent is removed.
Proper practice is to seed until the ratio of upload:download is at least 1.00 or more if You like The torrent content and You Want other users to have it.
After your download finishes, you may enjoy the file you just got.
Now after all that hard work if you are thinking of deleting the leftover .torrent file and closing the client software just pause here.
This single selfish act.
Always remember torrent remains alive And healthy only by uploading.
Upload is essential for torrenting.
if we just keep downloading and no one uploads torrents would die and so would the content.
Uploading Wont Affect Your Download Speed!
So let the Torrent Seed while you can enjoy the download.

How to be a good member of the torrent community?
After your download finishes, leave your Torrent client software running for at least for a day, or until you have uploaded as much as you have downloaded.
Sometimes it may not be possible to follow this rule but it is important to get close to it.
Tip:   Do your downloading at night so that by the time you wake up you have downloaded
your file and you would uploaded your share too.
1.  Make a habit to check comments left by earlier downloaders regarding the quality of torrents.
2.  Download torrents from a reputable website or join a private tracker.
Private trackers moderate the quality vigorously but then they are equally rigorous with their rules.
3.  Try to avoid downloading files which have been split and zipped. Commonly they are fake torrents. Beware as there are a many fake torrents out there. Most of them are malicious.
4.  Always read the rules and the copyright policy of the website you are downloading from.
5. If the torrent site you obtained it from offers comments, be sure to read those first.
But regardless of the comments, running a virus scan on the downloaded files is usually a good idea.
µTorrent guarantees that the content you download is not altered from when the torrent was originally created, but if the source files used to create the torrent were already infected, this will provide no protection!

A fine-tuning tutorial for faster downloads
By now you should be feeling confident about tackling a few settings under the hood. Just a
few nips and tucks to the default settings will help boost your torrent download speeds and
optimize it for your bandwidth.

Your ISP is where it starts a specific bandwidths for both uploads and downloads. Obviously your torrent download speed depends on Isp so you cant Exceed the limits by Isp.
Choosing the right BitTorrent client and Keep updated to the latest version.
Go for healthy seeds and peers
For high torrent speeds, the best bet is in numbers.
Greater the number of seeders, healthier is the torrent and   better is the chance   of higher speeds.
Choose torrent files with a high number of seeders and preferably lesser number of leechers i.e. a higher seed-leecher ratio.

It can block all incoming BitTorrent connections coming through.
To ensure otherwise, a firewall should be manually configured to accept the connections and let it through the client.
Configure the firewall installed to accept the connections by checking the BitTorrent client on the allowed list i.e.   Options>Preferences > Connection > (check) Add µTorrent to Windows Firewall .
Also, check the Windows Firewall exception (if you keep it enabled) in your client too. Shutting down the firewall is not recommended as it leaves the computer open to attack.

Limit your Upload rate and Download rate too
Using the speed tests, find out your maximum Upload speed and then set  80%  of your maximum Download speed.
You can try varying your upload speeds  keep it high initially and then gradually bring it down towards the middle of the download.
Downloads also tend to go quicker if you seed more.
Note: Mind the speed units  it may be given in   kilobits   per second (kb/sec) or   kilobytes   per second (kB/sec). 1 kilobyte = 8 kilobit
Go to a different port
The default port for the BitTorrent protocol is any between port numbers 6881-6999. ISPs
throttle traffic on these ports as BitTorrent sharing
configure a different port in your torrent client. Use some number above 10000 to get around
ISPs and also avoid problems with other applications. By default, the µTorrent port is
randomized each time it starts. Set a specific port by not enabling the   Randomize Port
setting. Again check if the port is forwarded properly using the button in the Speed Guide.

Remember, different types of data, such as web sites, file downloads, and torrents, are each given a specific port.
Port forwarding   is the process that a software (or hardware like routers) uses to screen the right kind of data to the right port.   provides step-by-step guides on how to set up this port forwarding.

Increase the number of Max Half Open TCP connections
This figure specifies how many connections a torrent client should attempt to establish
simultaneously at any given time. To make it clearer  it is the number of connection
attempts   in progress and NOT the total number of connections.
Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or newer, limits this to a default of 10 as a barrier torrent speeds as torrents too need a large number of simultaneous connections. A patch has been available for a while from  , which modifies the TCPIP.sys file in Windows to allow higher number of TCP connections.

After running the patch, you have to set the number of connections in your torrent client. For example, in µTorrent go to Options > Preferences > Advanced > net.max_halfopen.
Set any number from 50 to 100. But see that net.max_halfopen is set   lower   than the value set in TCPIP.SYS. Always check if it is still patched because Windows updates sometimes overwrite it.

Mac and Linux need not Tweak it as this is a Windows Only Shit.

Experiment with Protocol Encryption
Some ISPs love to act like Big Brothers and constrict bandwidth for P2P protocols. Protocol
Encryption in most of the torrent clients helps to over ride this bandwidth shaping. Enable
outgoing protocol encryption and put a checkmark on   Allow Incoming Legacy Connections

With protocol encryption, ISPs find it difficult if not impossible to detect that the traffic is
coming from BitTorrent. Experiment with enabled, disabled and forced options because you could be getting better speeds with encryption disabled. Non-encryption makes a torrent connection compatible with someone who is not using encryption but as a minus it makes the torrent detectable but an ISP with a bandwidth restricting policy.

Bandwidth and connections
Options will let you enter figures for  Global maximum number of connections   gives the maximum number of connections that a BitTorrent client can make for any P2P exchange. Setting this too high DOES not mean higher speeds.
Setting it too high would take up useless bandwidth and too low a figure would miss out on peers.
For my 256kbps connection, I have a setting of 130 Maximum number of connected peers per torrent  gives the maximum number of peers that a BitTorrent client can connect to for any P2P exchange.
Experiment by setting this number close to the available peers for a particular torrent. For my 256kbps connection, I have a default setting of 70.
Number of upload slots per torrent   gives the maximum number of peers that a BitTorrent
client will upload to for any P2P exchange. A low setting may affect downloads.
For my 256kbps connection, I have a setting of 3.

Optimizing the speed of torrent downloads is a lot of trial and error and a bit of patience.

Creating our own Torrent
So far we have been preoccupied with downloading features but torrents are not a one way
street. The community survives and thrives because somebody out there is taking the pains
to create and upload the torrents. Uploading a torrent is not all about being large
torrents and uploading them for your friends to download is also a cool way to distribute a
large digital chunk in one go.
and the manner of torrents before you start with your first upload.

As soon as you save your torrent file, it gets added to your active list in µTorrent, and
the Tracker.
All that is left is to upload the .torrent file to a tracker website like Mininova or
Piratebay. All tracker websites have an   Upload   link.
Some like PirateBay require a
log-in for you to access their upload page. Please read the rules and the copyright
policy before you upload your .torrent file.

Enter the details in the form. Click on submit and you are done. Not quite! Now let the
torrent seed for a while so others can pick it up.

Utorrent has a perfect guide for making Torrents

If u got any problems Leave it in Comments Or check FAQ bu utorrent

Keep seeding!
Happy Torrenting!

Related Posts
Utorrent turbo patch

Shutdown Timer

What is Shutdown Timer?
Shutdown Timer is a utlity that will allow you to perform certain actions relating to shutting down the system. The user interface is easy to use and understand and you should be able to get to grips with it.

What are the main features of Shutdown Timer?
Ability to:
  • Shutdown
  • Restart
  • Logoff
  • Lock
  • Hibernate
  • Standy
  • Monitor Standby
  • Based on Date & Time
  • CPU/Memory Utilisation
  • CPU Temperature
  • Networking Usage
  • Ability to save your settings for furture use
  • Completely Portable, You can take it on a USB if you want to!
Download Shutdown Timer

Friday, August 6, 2010

Call free from Android

Rebtel for Android

Available now on the Android Market

Download Rebtel for Android, sign up and start making free calls to friends between more than 50 countries and make savings of up to 90% to the rest. Among many features, the Rebtel app let's you make seamless Free Calls to any friend that has the app installed. No more hanging up and calling back - Rebtel for Android automates the entire hang up and call back procedure.
Never waste time on chasing WiFi hotspots again. The app works anytime, anywhere and integrates with your regular Android address book and dial pad. No need to keep track of an additional address book, just call as you would normally do.
If you need international calls for other phones free chk out Cheap Rates

Thursday, August 5, 2010

WIFI Hacking Software Download

2 free WIFI software that can recover WEP, WPA PSK keys and more. Enjoy!

1) WIFI Hacking Software

This tool has many different tools to hack and crack wifi so you can use your neighbours internet and do whatever. Tools for Windows and Linux also some nice extra tools!
Windows : Aircrack, Wireshark, Ettercap, Netstumbler, Airsnare, WIFIfofum, Wdriver, Pong, CommView, Airsnort, AiroPeek, Knsgem 2, Aptools, And A Nice PDF File
Linux Hacks: Airpwn, WEPcrack, Prismstumbler, WIFIscanner, Airfart, Magicmap, WPA-cracker , Wellenreiter , Void, Kismet, Cowpatty, WIFIzoo, And A Nice PDF File

2) AirCrack 2.1, AirSnort 0.2.6, AeroPeek 2.02

Aircrack ng is an 802.11 WEP and WPA PSK keys cracking program that can recover keys once enough data packets have been captured. It implements the standard FMS attack along with some optimizations like KoreK attacks, as well as the all new PTW attack, thus making the attack much faster compared to other WEP cracking tools. In fact, Aircrack ng is a set of tools for auditing wireless networks.

AirSnort is a wireless LAN (WLAN) tool which recovers encryption keys. AirSnort operates by passively monitoring transmissions, computing the encryption key when enough packets have been gathered. 802.11b, using the Wired Equivalent Protocol (WEP), is crippled with numerous security flaws. Most damning of these is the weakness described in Weaknesses in the Key Scheduling Algorithm of RC4 by Scott Fluhrer, Itsik Mantin and Adi Shamir. Adam Stubblefield was the first to implement this attack, but he has not made his software public. AirSnort, along with WEPCrack, which was released about the same time as AirSnort, are the first publicly available implementaions of this attack.

AiroPeek NX captures and decodes packets, with special emphasis on the 802.11 protocol. AiroPeek NX receives all wireless LAN packets based on user settable configuration parameters and stores these packets in memory. For example, you can set a filter to capture all packets, only 802.11 authentication request frames, or all frames except beacons frames. Just about any combination of packet types and protocols are possible.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

5 Best Free Video Converters

This doesn't have to cost you anything, as there are a host of excellent freeware tools that provide all the functionality you'll ever need - and we've uncovered five of the very best.

SUPER (the Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer) uses several open-source tools to support a huge array of file conversion functionality.
The program is able to import all the main video formats, of course: 3GP, 3G2, AMV, ASF, DAT, DVR-MS, FLI, FLC, FLV, M2TS, MPG, MKV, MOV, M4V, NSV, OGM, QT, RM(VB), STR, SWF, TS, TRP, TY, TY+, TMF, VIV, VOB and WMV.
But SUPER can also record streaming internet videos. It's able to import sequences of images. And there's excellent support for audio file formats, too.

Output options include all the main PC video and audio formats, and the program also supports creating 3GP and 3G2 files for mobile phones, along with clips for the iPod or iPhone, Sony PS3 and PSP, Nintendo DS, Microsoft Zune, and more.
Figuring out how to do all this can take a while, as SUPER's interface comes packed with complex options. It's worth investing the time, though, because once you're familiar with how SUPER works then you'll be prepared for just about any file format conversion task.

2. Format Factory
Format Factory has a good list of output formats, being able to convert almost any video to MP4, AVI, 3GP, RMVB, WMV, MKV, MPG, VOB, MOV, FLV or even SWF files.
The program comes with a huge selection of device presets, too. So if you're not quite sure how your video should be configured, just choose the "All to Mobile Device" option and you'll find built-in settings for the iPhone, iPod and iPad; Sony PSP and PS3; Xbox 360; Microsoft Zune; and mobiles and other devices from companies like Archos, ASUS, Creative, HTC, iRiver, LG, Nokia, Philips, BlackBerry, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and more.
That's just the start, though. Format Factory can also convert audio files and images, join videos and audio files together, repair corrupted video files, rip CDs and DVDs, create ISO images - there are useful capabilities everywhere you look.

The program is a little buggy, crashing a few times in our tests. But if you can avoid these traps then Format Factory is effective, and fairly easy to use. Drag and drop a file, choose an output format and settings, and the program will usually be creating your video in just a few clicks.
3. Handbrake
Handbrake started life as an open source DVD ripper, quickly converting the disc of your choice into a more convenient video file. The program no longer provides any means of decrypting commercial DVDs, but by way of compensation it can now import just about any video format, thanks to the inclusion of some libraries from the FFmpeg project.
Export options are rather more limited, however. You can convert to MP4, or MKV, and, well, that's it.

If all you need to do is create videos suitable for your iPod or iPhone (or anything else that requires those formats), though, Handbrake will prove an excellent choice. The program provides a lengthy list of advanced options to control the final results, for instance.
But if you prefer a simple life, then you can ignore all these and have the program working in seconds. Just specify the source and destination file names, choose one of the presets (iPod, say), then click Start, and watch as your movie is converted.

4. HAMSTER Free Video Converter
HAMSTER Free Video Converter is a well-designed conversion tool that manages to include plenty of powerful features, without compromising on ease of use.
Importing files is as easy as dragging and dropping, for instance. Batch file conversion is possible so you can drop as many files as you like, and all the usual formats are supported.

Videos may be exported as AVI, MPEG, WMV, FLV, 3GP or MP3 files (if you only need the audio). Or you can choose predefined formats that will work on particular devices: iPods, the iPad or iPhone, or hardware from BlackBerry, HTC, Nexus, Nokia, iRiver, Creative, Zune, Archos, Xbox, the PSP or PS3.
It's then easy to customise your movie by choosing a video or audio codec, setting your file resolution, deciding whether you want to deinterlace the video, and more. Your preferred settings can then be saved in a list of Favourites for easy recall later, before you launch the conversion with a click.

5. Miro Video Converter
While most conversion tools have focused on adding more and more features, Miro Video Converter has moved in the other direction, stripping away every setting and option to make the program as simple as it can possibly be.
The process starts by dragging and dropping your video onto Miro Video Converter (it can handle almost every format).
Next, you're able to choose your output type. There's specific support for the iPhone, iPad and various iPods, the Sony PSP and a range of Android phones. Or you can do a simple format conversion to an MP4, Ogg Theora or WebM video.
Finally, click Convert and the program will create a new video in the same folder as the source file (though with a new name, fortunately).

There's no scope for customising your movie in any way, then - you can't change the resolution, frame rate, bit rate or anything else. This makes the program extremely simple to use, though, so if you're put off by the more intimidating interfaces of our other tools then Miro Video Converter could be worth a look.

40 Horrifying Statistics Of Collapsing U.S. Economy

Most Americans still appear to be operating under the delusion that the "recession" will soon pass and that things will get back to "normal" very soon. Unfortunately, that is not anywhere close to the truth. What we are now witnessing are the early stages of the complete and total breakdown of the U.S. economic system. The U.S. government, state governments, local governments, businesses and American consumers have collectively piled up debt that is equivalent to approximately 360 percent of GDP. At no point during the Great Depression (or at any other time during our history) did we ever come close to such a figure. We have piled up the biggest mountain of debt that the world has ever seen, and now that gigantic debt bubble is beginning to pop. As this house of cards comes crashing down, the economic pain is going to become almost unimaginable.

Already, things are really, really, really bad out there. Unemployment is at shockingly high levels. Foreclosures and personal bankruptcies continue to set new all-time records. Businesses are being shut down at a staggering rate, more than 40 million Americans are on food stamps, and the U.S. government continues to pile up debt at blinding speed.

There is no use sugar-coating it.

The U.S. economy is collapsing.

The following are 40 bizarre statistics that reveal the truth about the collapse of the U.S. economy....

1 - According to one shocking new survey, 28% of U.S. households have at least one member that is looking for a full-time job. (source: ... /19556146/)

2 - A recent Pew Research survey found that 55 percent of the U.S. labor force has experienced either unemployment, a pay decrease, a reduction in hours or an involuntary move to part-time work since the recession began.(source: ... in-america )

3 - There are 9.2 million Americans that are unemployed but that are not receiving an unemployment insurance check.(source:

4 - In America today, the average time needed to find a job has risen to a record 35.2 weeks.(source: ... -1932.html)

5 - According to one analysis, the United States has lost 10.5 million jobs since 2007.(source:

6 - China's trade surplus (much of it with the United States) climbed 140 percent in June compared to a year earlier.(source: ... -says.html)

7 - This is what American workers now must compete against: in China a garment worker makes approximately 86 cents an hour and in Cambodia a garment worker makes approximately 22 cents an hour.( source: ... ue-of-work)

8 - According to a poll taken in 2009, 61 percent of Americans "always or usually" live paycheck to paycheck. That was up significantly from 49 percent in 2008 and 43 percent in 2007.(source: )

9 - According to a recent poll conducted by Bloomberg, 71% of Americans say that it still feels like the economy is in a recession.(source: ... -recession )

10 - Banks repossessed 269,962 U.S. homes during the second quarter of 2010, which was a new all-time record.(source:

11 - Banks repossessed an average of 4,000 South Florida properties a month in the first half of 2010, up 83 percent from the first half of 2009.(source: ... gle+Reader)

12 - According to RealtyTrac, a total of 1.65 million U.S. properties received foreclosure filings during the first half of 2010.(source: ... temid=9555)

13 - The Mortgage Bankers Association recently announced that demand for loans to purchase U.S. homes has sunk to a 13-year low.(source: ... mortgages/)

14 - Only the top 5 percent of U.S. households have earned enough additional income to match the rise in housing costs since 1975.(source: ... /19356546/)

15 - 1.41 million Americans filed for personal bankruptcy in 2009 - a 32 percent increase over 2008.(source: ... s-to-file/ )

16 - Back in 1950 each retiree's Social Security benefit was paid for by 16 workers. Today, each retiree's Social Security benefit is paid for by approximately 3.3 workers. By 2025 it is projected that there will be approximately two workers for each retiree.(source: ... ar-by-2020 )

17 - According to a new poll, six of 10 non-retirees believe that Social Security won't be able to pay them benefits when they stop working.(source: ... 0_ST_N.htm)

18 - 43 percent of Americans have less than $10,000 saved for retirement.(source: ... retirement)

19 - According to one survey, 36 percent of Americans say that they don't contribute anything to retirement savings.(source:

20 - According to one recent survey, 24% of American workers say that they have postponed their planned retirement age in the past year.(source: ... /index.htm)

21 - The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index declined sharply to 52.9 in June. Most economists had expected that the figure for June would be somewhere around 62.(source: ... idence.cfm)

22 - Retail sales in the U.S. fell in June for a second month in a row.(source: ... rated.html)

23 - Vacancies and lease rates at U.S. shopping centers continued to get worse during the second quarter of 2010.(source: ... cle_MoreIn)

24 - Consumer credit in the United States has contracted during 15 of the past 16 months.(source: ... runch-2010)

25 - During the first quarter of 2010, the total number of loans that are at least three months past due in the United States increased for the 16th consecutive quarter.(source: ... Collection)

26 - Things are now so bad in California that in the region around the state capital, Sacramento, there is now one closed business for every six that are still open.(source:

27 - The state of Illinois now ranks eighth in the world in possible bond-holder default. The state of California is ninth.(source: ... s-bankrupt)

28 - More than 25 percent of Americans now have a credit score below 599, which means that they are a very bad credit risk.(source: ... -get-loans)

29 - On Friday, U.S. regulators closed down three banks in Florida, two in South Carolina and one in Michigan, bringing to 96 the number of U.S. banks to be shut down so far in 2010.(source: ... gle+Reader)

30 - The FDIC's deposit insurance fund now has negative 20.7 billion dollars in it, which represents a slight improvement from the end of 2009.(source: ... Collection)

31 - The U.S. federal budget deficit has topped $1 trillion with three months still to go in the current budget year.(source: ... icit_N.htm)

32 - According to a U.S. Treasury Department report to Congress, the U.S. national debt will top $13.6 trillion this year and climb to an estimated $19.6 trillion by 2015.(source:

33 - The M3 money supply plunged at a 9.6 percent annual rate during the first quarter of 2010.(source: ... id=3510213)

34 - According to a new poll of Americans between the ages of 44 and 75, 61% said that running out money was their biggest fear. The remaining 39% thought death was scarier.(source: ... no-biggie/)

35 - One study found that as of 2007, the bottom 80 percent of American households held about 7% of the liquid financial assets.(source: ... /19356546/)

36 - The bottom 40 percent of all income earners in the United States now collectively own less than 1 percent of the nation’s wealth.(source: http://www.informationclearinghouse.inf ... e25430.htm)

37 - The number of Americans with incomes below the official poverty line rose by about 15% between 2000 and 2006, and by 2008 over 30 million U.S. workers were earning less than $10 per hour.(source: ... in-america)

38 - According to one recent study, approximately 21 percent of all children in the United States are living below the poverty line in 2010 - the highest rate in 20 years.(source: ... verty-line)

39 - For the first time in U.S. history, more than 40 million Americans are on food stamps, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that number will go up to 43 million Americans in 2011.(source: ... ood-stamps)

40 - A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey has found that just 23% of American voters nationwide believe the federal government today has the consent of the governed.(source: ... e_governed)

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Instant messaging to all networks in your Browser is new way of chatting in your browser.
check out its features

A single login for all your IM accounts.
imo lets you link your accounts on aim, gmail, msn, skype, etc. When
you login to a linked account, you will automatically be logged into all the accounts you have linked to it as well. This way, you only have to enter one login to access all your instant messenging accounts.
This feature requires no additional registration or sign-up. Simply login with your pre-existing usernames and passwords. Once you are logged into multiple accounts, you can link the active accounts in the session by clicking the "link accounts" button in the "Accounts" menu. A green bar will pop up at the top of the page alerting you that your accounts have been linked.
Star the buddies you chat with most for easy access!
imo places the buddies you star in a group called "favorites" at the top of your buddylist. this helps you easily see whether your favorite buddies are online or not.
to star or unstar a buddy, simply hover your cursor over his/her screenname in your buddylist and click the star in the box that appears. alternately, you can directly drag buddies in and out of the "favorites" group.

Chat and browse at the same time with Pop-Out mode.
Pop-Out mode opens imo in a separate browser window. You can set imo to Pop-Out mode by clicking the "Pop-out" link located at the top-right corner of your screen, above your buddy list.
In order to exit Pop-Out mode, click on the "Sign-On" tab at the top of your browser window and then click on "Switch to Full Screen."
Voice Chat with anyone.
With imo, you can voice chat with any of your buddies, regardless of what IM client they use and whether that client has built-in voice support.
To start a voice chat, simply click the, "Voice Chat" link in the im window of the buddy you want to voice chat with.
Video Chat with anyone.
imo's video chat feature works just like the voice chat feature, but with video. It allows you to video chat with any of your buddies, regardless of what IM client they use and whether that client has built in video chat capabilities.
To start a video chat, simply click the, "Video Chat" link in the im window of the buddy you want to hold a video chat with.
Change how your buddies are displayed in your buddy
Simply hover your cursor over your buddy's screenname in the buddylist. Click on the "Rename" link in the box that appears, and enter the name you would like your buddy to appear under in your buddylist.

Upload and view buddy icons directly in imo.
You can easily upload a new buddy icon for your profile through imo by clicking on the "Upload Pic" link located at the top of the buddylist.
To view someone's buddy icon, hover your cursor over their screenname in the buddylist window. Their icon will appear in the window that pops-up.
Control who can instant message you with invisibilty and blocking capabilities.
When you block a buddy, you will appear offline to that buddy, and he/she will not be able to instant message you, as if you are offline.
To block a buddy, hover your cursor over his/her screenname in your buddy list and click on the link that says "Block". All your blocked buddies will appear in a group labeled "Blocked". To unblock a buddy, go to the "Blocked" group and hover your cursor over the buddy's screename. Click on the link "Unblock" that appears.
When you make yourself invisible, you will appear offline to all of your buddies. This mode gives you the ability to instant message buddies you want to chat with, while continuing to appear offline to everyone else.
To make yourself invisible, select the "Invisible" option from the status drop-down menu. The status drop-down menu is located at the top of your buddy list, above the search bar.

Privacy Preferences - Choose who can send you messages.
By default, imo blocks messages sent by people who are not on your buddy list.
To change this setting, click the "Preferences" link in the top right corner of your browser window. In the pop-up that appears, click "Allow individuals who are not on my buddy list to contact me.

Buddy List Search -
Find your buddies, fast!
Simply type in the name of the buddy that you would like find in the "Search Buddies" field at the top of your buddy list.
The search will encompass your online as well as offline buddies.

Buddy List Organization- Sort your contacts by groups.
imo lets you move contacts between groups. To move a buddy from one contact group to another, just click and drag the name of the buddy to the new contact group.

Chat faster with imo Keyboard Shortcuts:
Tab = Cycles through open chat windows.
ESC = Close current chat window.
Forward slash = Moves focus to the Search Buddy field.
Who's at their desk and who's on the run?
imo puts a mobile phone icon next to the screenname of any buddies who are chatting from their phone, to help you keep track of your buddies. in every language!
Via our user-driven translation program, offers language support for Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, Macedonian, French, Turkish, and more.
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Ultimate Poker Search

Welcome to Ultimate Poker Search

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Wednesday, 29 September 2010

It's raining it's pouring...

Everyone will relate to the feeling when you look outside and it's pouring with rain, it's dark, and you really don't feel like going for a run, but know you have too! Well this is how I felt tonight. I had to because this is the final BIG week of training before a taper week next week for the Royal Parks Half.

On Sunday I put in a steady 12 miler off road. On Monday I put in back to back 4.5 milers (one at 6:30 avg mpm pace, the other at a more leisurely 8mpm pace) so 9 miles in total in one lunchtime! Tuesday was a rest day which brings me back to today's club run.

I'd eaten a massive jacket potatoe too just an hour earlier which isn't exactly ideal for a Wednesday LBAC club night which is always a rapid affair. It's often the way however that once you get yourself out there, such runs so often surprise and turn out to be the best. Tonight was no exception!

The rain literally fell out the sky in sheets soaking my supposedly water proof TNF jacket to the skin. Most were wearing just a tshirt, some even vests (Tom the pocket rocket), but us ultra runners are taught to go out prepared!

Anyway I quickly got into a nice stride and set about my business sticking to what felt fast but sustainable. On these type of training runs I try not to look at the garmin as I want to feel the pace I'm running rather than be told. I felt good (apart from the potatoe that was sitting high in my stomach or hadn't even made it that far!) I like running in horrid conditions (sometimes) as it's an extra challenge and most others probably don't prefer it this way so it's always an advantage if you can harness this and set yourself apart from others. I ran and ran.... harder, faster and further than anybody else. Was this really the slow ultra plodded from just a few weeks ago. I smashed out the miles mainly because I wanted to finish the session as quickly as possible. Why prolong such a run when the greatest benefit can be gained from going out hard from the start and sticking to it.

As you can probably tell from this post I am still pretty pumped up from tonights run. It really is a great feeling to feel that the effort I am putting in is paying back so quickly. This short 4 week training period in the lead up to the Royal Plans is going exactly to plan.

I covered 8.6 miles tonight in 59 minutes 10 seconds. My mile splits were: 7.24, 7.05, 6.47, 6.53, 6.47, 6.39, 6.37, 6.53, 6.41 (last 0.6 miles). Total avg pace 6.52 mpm. This just happens to be exactly the pace I need to run to go sub 1h30m in the Half! So if I can do it on a club night in the pouring rain, dark, dodging cars and puddles then what I wonder beckons on a fine Sunday morning in the Royal Parks of London. It's an exciting prospect and I can't wait.

It might come across that my motivation for this is based on time and splits, and getting a new PB but actually i'm on a high more because I'm just thoroughly enjoying my running right now. Why - well I think mixing it up and going from the ultras to training for a half has a lot to do with it. I'm learning a lot from this shift in training and it can only be a good thing.

what's next? A slower recovery run tomorrow lunchtime... :-)

  1. Awesome run mate! I think consistent training for ultras has greatly improved your stamina and running economy providing good reason you are able to sustain speeds like this now.

    I bet if you anyalysed your training sessions since January you would see improvement on your shorter fast sessions over time.

    I am back training 4 times a week now and am closing the season out with an LWDA event in Edenbridge, Kent on 28th November if interested. Gatliff marathon, 50km XC. interested?

    Also what your plans for early 2011?

  2. Good running Stu! Talking about inclement weather conditions, I'm off down to Cornwall tonight for the ACC which starts tomorrow and the weather forecast is awful - the total opposite to last year! Oh well, what will be will be.

  3. Oh sorry Gaz I should have wished you luck!! GOOD LUCK. whatever thw weather enjoy every second. It's an extrodinary route which provides total captivation from start to finish! Can't wait to read your race report(s)!

  4. You're absolutely flying now, Stu. I hope you get a half time you'll be really proud of. Somehow I think you will.

  5. Damn good pace on a crappy night. I'm with you on the using the conditions to your advantage, the more bad stuff you run in the easier it is to replicate this in future challenges and the more of a dispsiriting effect it will have on those you race against - in competitive stuff at least ;¬)

  6. Nice splits. You will end up getting a sub 1:30 half for sure


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 University of Manitoba - Human Resources - Learning and Development Services - Career and Professional Development Services - MANAGER'S TOOLKIT

The Human Resources Manager's Toolkit: Recruitment, Hiring and Onboarding offers university managers the tools and resources to effectively recruit, hire and onboard staff to the University of Manitoba.

Developed in 2017, the toolkit includes the following (download documents for best formatting):

Throughout the toolkit, we encourage managers to direct any questions to their Human Resources (HR) Consultant who strive to support managers and supervisors across the University of Manitoba.

During the recruitment process, please refer to the advertising guidelines if you want additional advertising.

The Manager's Toolkit: Recruitment, Hiring and Onboarding focuses on the beginning stages of employment. Additional sections will be added, which will focus on issues such as managing, developing and retaining staff.

If you have any questions about the Manager's Toolkit, please contact Lani Jones, HR Consultant, lani.jones@umanitoba.ca or 204-474-1078.


WARC-Truncated: length

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Archive Record

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Collection David F. Bischoff papers
Call Number Coll007
Creator Bischoff, David, 1951-;
Finding Aids Finding aid available. Container list available in collection folder.
Digital Link Finding aid:
Date 1970-1991
Description 17 boxes (20 linear feet)
Scope & Content This collection centers on David Bischoff's work as a science fiction, fantasy, and horror writer. Over 800 manuscripts are included, along with correspondence and other personal papers.
Language English (eng)
Admin/Biographical History David F. Bischoff (1951- ) is a well-known science fiction, fantasy, and horror author of short stories, novelizations of films, original novels, and anthology editor. Bischoff has taught writing workshops and served as Associate Editor for Stardate Magazine, Fantastic, SF Eye, and Editor of Stardate Magazine. Bischoff earned his B.A. in English and Television, Radio and Film from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1973.
Arrangement Organized into 8 series: Series I. Personal Papers, boxes 1-2. Series II. Correspondence, boxes 2-3. Series III. Manuals/Correspondence for Book & TV Series, box 3. Series IV. Manuscripts by Bischoff, boxes 3-12. Series V. Stardate [Correspondence, manuscripts, and records], box 13. Series VI. Manuscripts by Others, boxes 14-15. Series VII. Oversize Materials, box 16. Series VIII. Oversize and Miscellany, box 17.
Access Conditions No restrictions.
Copyrights Reproductions allowed for research purposes. Copyright maintained by the creator.
Citation David F. Bischoff papers, Collection 7, Special Collections, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Baltimore, MD).
Provenance and Aquisition Information MSS 1991-14; This collection was donated by David F. Bischoff on May 3, 1991.
Processing Information Processed by Jeff Karr.
Archivist Karr, Jeff
Format personal papers
People Bischoff, David, 1951-;
Subjects Bischoff, David, 1951- -- Archives;
Science fiction, American -- 20th century;
Fantasy fiction, American -- 20th century;
Search Terms Azriel Rosenfeld Science Fiction Research Collection
Year Range from 1970
Year Range to 1991


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Georgia faces Auburn rematch looking to avenge 23-point loss

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Three weeks isn't much time at all.

Certainly not enough to forget a 23-point blowout.

Now the question is: Can No. 6 Georgia turn the sting of its lone defeat — not to mention the gleeful boasting of Auburn coach Gus Malzahn — into the sort of controlled anger and nagging motivation that produces a vastly different result in the Southeastern Conference championship game?

No matter how you slice it, that Nov. 11 mismatch at Jordan-Hare Stadium looms large over Saturday's rematch at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

"We'll have a lot of energy, a lot of emotions," Georgia linebacker Lorenzo Carter said Monday. "But when it comes down to it, those emotions aren't going to win the game. It's how you play."

No. 4 Auburn (10-2) is playing as well as any team in the country, winning five straight games by an average of 22 points since a seemingly crushing loss to LSU.

That streak includes a 40-17 rout of Georgia , when the Bulldogs were ranked No. 2 by The Associated Press and sitting atop the College Football Playoff standings, and last Saturday's equally impressive 28-16 victory over top-ranked Alabama .

Suddenly, the Tigers are a trendy pick to win it all.

But they've got to beat Georgia (11-1) for the second time in less than a month.

And Malzahn may come to regret what he said right after the previous meeting. Walking away from his on-field interview with CBS, he was overheard commenting, "We whipped the dog crap out of 'em, didn't we!"

The coach wasn't wrong, considering Auburn outgained the Bulldogs 488-230 in total yards and shut down the dynamic running back duo of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.

But those words are sure to be plastered all over the Bulldogs' training facility this week.

"It is certainly a normal human response to want revenge when we are harmed," Will Freeman, the track coach at Iowa's Grinnell College who also teaches sports psychology, wrote in an email. "Can it increase motivation? Yes. Can that motivation go bad? Also, yes. Optimal performance requires the athlete find the optimal level of motivation and excitement for the situation. Too much, and the athlete can lose focus, control and mental awareness about the situation. Just as important, too much arousal can cause timing and rhythm issues with the athlete that result in poor performance."

Georgia coach Kirby Smart was part of a rematch situation during the 2011 season while serving as Alabama's defensive coordinator.

The Crimson Tide lost to LSU 9-6 in overtime during the regular season , only to get another shot at the Tigers in the national championship game.

Alabama dominated the second meeting in New Orleans, claiming the BCS title with a stifling 21-0 victory .

Looking back on LSU's poor performance, then-coach Les Miles said recently the team that loses the first game probably has an easier time getting its players motivated for the rematch.

"They plan and they work and there's a stronger commitment than the team that looks back on a hard-fought victory, but a victory nonetheless," Miles said. "I think once you've beaten a team, it takes a special view of how to get them ready to beat that team again."

But it's not unusual, at least in the SEC, for the team that won the first game to take the second as well.

This will be the seventh time in the title game's 26-year history that there's a rematch of a regular-season matchup. Five of the six times it happened before, the same team won both games, the only exception coming in 2001 when LSU lost to Tennessee 26-18 in late September but bounced back to win the SEC crown with a 31-20 triumph.

"You can watch the tape of the game," Smart said. "It fires you up pre-game and gets you all excited, but when the toe meets leather it's about striking people, it's about speed, it's about blocking, tackling, it's about having composure. It's about having discipline. It really doesn't revert back to who won the previous game."

What makes this a bit different is the proximity of the two meetings — all previous SEC rematches were at least seven weeks after the first game — and these teams are especially bitter foes even though they're in different divisions. Billed as the Deep South's oldest rivals, they first played in 1892 and have clashed nearly every season since then for a total of 121 meetings.

Georgia leads by the slimmest of margins, 57-56 with eight ties.

If Smart is taking notes on all that history, and especially the most recent matchup, he isn't letting on.

"The other game is past history," he said. "Now whether or not you say that it helps mentally with your preparation, that somebody is more focused than the other, I don't know. I certainly think Auburn was more focused down the stretch because their backs were against the wall. They had two losses. Now everybody's backs are against the wall."

Indeed, the winner of the rematch will almost certainly land a spot in the four-team playoff. The loser is eliminated from the national championship race.

"I think you should prepare the same, regardless of your record, regardless of a revenge factor and be real consistent in your approach so that the players are able to understand that it's important to prepare right for every game," Smart said. "We don't say that this game is more important than the other because it's the next game. The next game is always the most important."

Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at . His work can be found at

For more AP college football coverage: and


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Friday, May 6, 2011

Friday Fiver: TV Moms

In honor of Mother's Day, I present my five favorite TV moms
(in no particular order):

Tami Taylor
(Connie Britton)
"Friday Night Lights"

Not only is Tami beautiful, but she is smart, compassionate and open minded.  I loved watching her character evolve from coach's wife to counselor to principal.  She looked out for far more children than just her own two daughters, and she did it all with great style.

Lorelai Gilmore
(Lauren Graham)
"Gilmore Girls"

I am currently (finally) working my way through the series for the first time.  I honestly don't know why it took me so long to check it out, but oh well.  I love Lorelai because she's not a perfect mom.  She makes mistakes and she speaks without thinking, but she raised Rory on her own and did a pretty good job of it (except for Rory's taste in guys, which his HORRIBLE).

Marge Simpson
(Julie Kavner)
"The Simpsons"

She has children that never grow up and a husband who's an idiot.  The woman is a saint.

Nora Walker
(Sally Field)
"Brothers & Sisters"

After her husband died suddenly and tragically, she learned he'd been having an affair for most (if not all) of their marriage.  Her children have faced cancer and addition and survived many of their own family trials.  The Walker clan is pure chaos, yet Nora always seems to be the calm in the storm.

Dr. Miranda Bailey
(Chandra Wilson)
"Grey's Anatomy"

I'll never forget the episode when Bailey became a biological mom.  But she cares for more than just her little George.  In one way or another, she has mothered several of the residents and interns along the way.  We saw an example of that in the most recent episode in her talk with Callie.  Love Bailey.  The show wouldn't be the same without her.

1 comment:

  1. Good picks.

    Hope you enjoyed (or are enjoying) your wine... saw a tweet earlier :).

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Monday, January 26, 2015

[Book Review] Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

Snow Like Ashes (Snow Like Ashes #1) by Sara Raasch

Publication Date: October 14, 2014
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Source: eARC courtesy of the publisher via Edelweiss

A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.

So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.
(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

Note: I received and advance readers copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is a spoiler free review.

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch is a great new book in the young adult fantasy genre. I liked the story and the characters but because it was so hyped up, I had really high expectations going in, which is never good a thing. I had a little trouble getting into the story at first because of the amount of background information. However, the suspense and plot twists kept me reading and I'm glad I did because it turned out to a solid start to what looks to be a fantastic fantasy series.

There is a lot of hype surrounding Snow Like Ashes and for the most part it is quite justified. I loved how unique the kingdom structure is and how it revolves around the season. I definitely have never read anything like this before in young adult fantasy and it was refreshing. Meira is a strong protagonist but she feels real in her actions and reactions to the situations she is placed in. I think the secondary characters could have used a bit more in terms of character development, so I'm hoping we get more from them in the sequel.

It's always a struggle with a fantasy book to get the right balance of world building without resorting to the classic "info dump". I felt that Snow Like Ashes bordered on too much information in a short amount of page space in the beginning of the book, which made it hard to get into. This book had been so hyped up for me that I just wanted to get into the main action of the story but I felt a little bogged down by all the background information. However, the descriptions of the world and the magic were beautifully written so I can't complain too much.

Overall, I really enjoyed Snow Like Ashes. Even though it did take me some time to get into the story, I ended up really loving it. My best advice is to try to go into this story without letting the hype color your feelings toward it. I'm highly anticipating the sequel, Ice Like Fire, coming out later this year.

4 out of 5 stars

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Facebook Testing Chat Assist for Messenger; Adds New Group Chat Polls Feature

Facebook’s Messenger app will soon make sure you remember to pay back your friend, even though you would rather forget, with a feature called Chat Assist. The company has separately launched the group chat polls feature in the US.

The company is testing the Chat Assist feature that will use machine learning to recognises words and prompt an action in a chat. So, for example, if your friend reminds you to pay a particular amount of money back, Chat Assist will prompt a payment link asking if you want to pay the amount you owe.Facebook says the feature is automated and optional.

Chat Assists follows the recent launch of Facebook Messenger’s online payment system. Users will be able to pay the amount they owe directly through Messenger. The payment service was launched so that business could sell their products and services directly to customers through Messenger.

Meanwhile, Facebook Messenger will get group chat polls starting Friday. The feature only works for group chats and works like any other poll. You can start a poll by tapping the Polls icon in the composer. You can then type a question like ‘where to eat’ and provide options for your group to vote on. It’s a clean, hassle-free way to know what people want. The feature is currently only available in the US for Android and iOS users.


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The Silent Planet [PF-Future]

Image Image Image
Far beyond the edge of the inhabited universe lies the Silent Planet, a fertile but isolated world rumoured to be the final resting place for a number of lost interplanetary expeditions. Despite the planet’s deadly reputation, legends of riches, vast resource deposits, and lost alien technology tempt those brave, or foolish, enough to take the risk. Will the Silent Planet’s latest batch of colonists quell its dangerous wildlife and hostile inhabitants, or will they end up as another in a long line of expeditions that have simply ‘gone silent’?

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