Sparkle
Posted on Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Filed under
3 Columns,
Themes,
WordPress
| Leave a Comment
Themes by aidu
Platform : WordPress
Powered by Artisteer
Powered by Artisteer
Glassie
Filed under
2 Columns,
Themes,
WordPress
| Leave a Comment
Themes by aidu
Platform : WordPress
Powered by Artisteer
Powered by Artisteer
'No to all' when copying files in Windows XP?
Posted on Saturday, September 19, 2009
Filed under
Info,
System,
Windows
| Leave a Comment
Have you ever noticed that Windows XP gives you the 'yes to all' option in its file copy dialog box, useful if you would like to overwrite files in a directory with newer files of the same name from another location, for example, but fails to offer a 'no to all' option for doing the opposite. Kind of annoying if you think about it. What if you have a lengthy file copy operation partially finished, and wish to restart it? If you use the default options, you essentially have to recopy every file, since saying 'no' to each and every duplicate file will take just as long, and cause your mouse finger to fall off.
Fortunately, there is a way to tell your computer not to copy all duplicated files with a single command:
To do this, when the file copy dialog box appears asking you whether you wish to overwrite the first file, hold down SHIFT and click 'no.' This will automatically answer no for all following files. Note that it will ask you again for the first folder it encounters, so follow the procedure again to answer no automatically for all folders. This will dramatically speed up the file copying process.
Fortunately, there is a way to tell your computer not to copy all duplicated files with a single command:
To do this, when the file copy dialog box appears asking you whether you wish to overwrite the first file, hold down SHIFT and click 'no.' This will automatically answer no for all following files. Note that it will ask you again for the first folder it encounters, so follow the procedure again to answer no automatically for all folders. This will dramatically speed up the file copying process.
Add UNC Information To The Command Prompt In XP
Filed under
Info,
Security,
System,
Windows
| Leave a Comment
Here’s a trick for configuring the command prompt to display the full UNC of a mapped drive letter.
If you're like most system administrators, you more than likely prefer to perform common tasks using Windows XP's vast array of command-line tools. If so, here's another trick to add to your toolbox.
Did you know that you can configure the command prompt to display the full UNC of a mapped drive letter? The ability to tell at a glance which server a particular driver letter maps to can save you both time and frustration when working at the command line. All you have to do is add a special character to the Prompt command.
Here's how:
If you're like most system administrators, you more than likely prefer to perform common tasks using Windows XP's vast array of command-line tools. If so, here's another trick to add to your toolbox.
Did you know that you can configure the command prompt to display the full UNC of a mapped drive letter? The ability to tell at a glance which server a particular driver letter maps to can save you both time and frustration when working at the command line. All you have to do is add a special character to the Prompt command.
Here's how:
- Press [Windows][Break] to open the System Properties dialog box.
- On the Advanced tab, click the Environment Variables button.
- In the System Variables section, click the New button.
- Enter PROMPT in the Variable Name text box.
- Enter $m$p$g in the Variable Value text box.
- Click OK three times to close all open dialog boxes.
Now, when you open a command prompt and access a mapped drive letter, you'll see the UNC path in the prompt.
Where Does Internet Explorer Store Passwords?
Filed under
Info,
Internet,
Security,
System,
Tips,
Windows
| Leave a Comment
The saved user ID/Password pairs are stored in the Registry under a key whose default permission settings make it inaccessible to all users-even the user to whom the passwords belong. Only the system itself has direct permission to read and change Registry data under this key. Using RegEdit you could modify the permissions on that key and read its contents, but doing so still wouldn't reveal anything useful, as the data is thoroughly encrypted.
On the other hand, once you've logged on to your account in Windows, all of your saved passwords can be utilized by anybody who has physical access to the computer. The interloper can't learn what the password is, but can use it to log on automatically. If you allow Windows to save passwords for you, never leave your computer logged on when you're not sitting in front of it. Either choose Log Off from the Start menu or lock the computer—on many systems you can do this by pressing the Windows key plus L for Lock. As a backup, set the screen saver to kick in after just a few minutes of inactivity, and check the box for password protection.
So, there is a certain amount of risk in letting IE save passwords. Here's how to turn off that feature, if you so choose. Select Tools | Internet Options from IE's menu, click the Content tab, and click the AutoComplete button. Click the Clear Passwords button in the resulting dialog to clear out passwords that were previously saved. Then uncheck the box titled User names and passwords in forms, click OK, and click OK again.
On the other hand, once you've logged on to your account in Windows, all of your saved passwords can be utilized by anybody who has physical access to the computer. The interloper can't learn what the password is, but can use it to log on automatically. If you allow Windows to save passwords for you, never leave your computer logged on when you're not sitting in front of it. Either choose Log Off from the Start menu or lock the computer—on many systems you can do this by pressing the Windows key plus L for Lock. As a backup, set the screen saver to kick in after just a few minutes of inactivity, and check the box for password protection.
So, there is a certain amount of risk in letting IE save passwords. Here's how to turn off that feature, if you so choose. Select Tools | Internet Options from IE's menu, click the Content tab, and click the AutoComplete button. Click the Clear Passwords button in the resulting dialog to clear out passwords that were previously saved. Then uncheck the box titled User names and passwords in forms, click OK, and click OK again.
Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows
Posted on Friday, September 18, 2009
Filed under
System,
Tips,
Windows
| Leave a Comment
For Real Windows Newbie's here you go...
General
General
- CTRL and C [Copy]
- CTRL and X [Cut]
- CTRL and V [Paste]
- CTRL and Z [Undo]
- DELETE [Delete]
- SHIFT and DELETE [Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin]
- CTRL while dragging an item [Copy the selected item]
- CTRL and SHIFT while dragging an item [Create a shortcut to the selected item]
- F2 key [Rename the selected item]
- CTRL and RIGHT ARROW [Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word]
- CTRL and LEFT ARROW [Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word]
- CTRL and DOWN ARROW [Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph]
- CTRL and UP ARROW [Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph]
- CTRL and SHIFT with any of the arrow keys [Highlight a block of text]
- SHIFT with any of the arrow keys [Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document]
- CTRL and A [Select all]
- F3 key [Search for a file or a folder]
- ALT and ENTER [View the properties for the selected item]
- ALT and F4 [Close the active item, or quit the active program]
- ALT and ENTER [Display the properties of the selected object]
- ALT and SPACEBAR [Open the shortcut menu for the active window]
- CTRL and F4 [Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously]
- ALT and TAB [Switch between the open items]
- ALT and ESC [Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened]
- F6 key [Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop]
- F4 key [Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer]
- SHIFT and F10 [Display the shortcut menu for the selected item]
- ALT and SPACEBAR [Display the System menu for the active window]
- CTRL and ESC [Display the Start menu]
- ALT and Underlined letter in a menu name [Display the corresponding menu]
- Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu [Perform the corresponding command]
- F10 key [Activate the menu bar in the active program]
- RIGHT ARROW [Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu]
- LEFT ARROW [Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu]
- F5 key [Update the active window]
- BACKSPACE [View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer]
- ESC [Cancel the current task]
- SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive [Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing]
Dialog Box Keyboard Shortcuts
- CTRL and TAB [Move forward through the tabs]
- CTRL and SHIFT and TAB [Move backward through the tabs]
- TAB [Move forward through the options]
- SHIFT and TAB [Move backward through the options]
- ALT and Underlined letter [Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option]
- ENTER [Perform the command for the active option or button]
- SPACEBAR [Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box]
- Arrow keys [Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons]
- F1 key [Display Help]
- F4 key [Display the items in the active list]
- BACKSPACE [Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box]
Microsoft Natural Keyboard Shortcuts
- Windows Logo [Display or hide the Start menu]
- Windows Logo and BREAK [Display the System Properties dialog box]
- Windows Logo and D [Display the desktop]
- Windows Logo and M [Minimize all of the windows]
- Windows Logo and SHIFT and M [Restore the minimized windows]
- Windows Logo and E [Open My Computer]
- Windows Logo and F [Search for a file or a folder]
- CTRL and Windows Logo and F [Search for computers]
- Windows Logo and F1 [Display Windows Help]
- Windows Logo and L [Lock the keyboard]
- Windows Logo and R [Open the Run dialog box]
- Windows Logo and U [Open Utility Manager]
Accessibility Keyboard Shortcuts
- Right SHIFT for eight seconds [Switch FilterKeys either on or off]
- Left ALT and Left SHIFT and PRINT SCREEN [Switch High Contrast either on or off]
- Left ALT and Left SHIFT and NUM LOCK [Switch the MouseKeys either on or off]
- SHIFT five times [Switch the StickyKeys either on or off]
- NUM LOCK for five seconds [Switch the ToggleKeys either on or off]
- Windows Logo and U [Open Utility Manager]
Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts
- END [Display the bottom of the active window]
- HOME [Display the top of the active window]
- NUM LOCK and Asterisk sign [*] [Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder]
- NUM LOCK and Plus sign [ and ] [Display the contents of the selected folder]
- NUM LOCK and Minus sign [-] [Collapse the selected folder]
- LEFT ARROW [Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder]
- RIGHT ARROW [Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder]
Shortcut Keys for Character Map
After you double-click a character on the grid of characters, you can move through the grid by using the keyboard shortcuts:
- RIGHT ARROW [Move to the right or to the beginning of the next line]
- LEFT ARROW [Move to the left or to the end of the previous line]
- UP ARROW [Move up one row]
- DOWN ARROW [Move down one row]
- PAGE UP [Move up one screen at a time]
- PAGE DOWN [Move down one screen at a time]
- HOME [Move to the beginning of the line]
- END [Move to the end of the line]
- CTRL and HOME [Move to the first character]
- CTRL and END [Move to the last character]
- SPACEBAR [Switch between Enlarged and Normal mode when a character is selected]
Microsoft Management Console [MMC] Main Window Keyboard Shortcuts
- CTRL and O [Open a saved console]
- CTRL and N [Open a new console]
- CTRL and S [Save the open console]
- CTRL and M [Add or remove a console item]
- CTRL and W [Open a new window]
- F5 key [Update the content of all console windows]
- ALT and SPACEBAR [Display the MMC window menu]
- ALT and F4 [Close the console]
- ALT and A [Display the Action menu]
- ALT and V [Display the View menu]
- ALT and F [Display the File menu]
- ALT and O [Display the Favorites menu]
- CTRL and P [Print the current page or active pane]
- ALT and Minus sign [-] [Display the window menu for the active console window]
- SHIFT and F10 [Display the Action shortcut menu for the selected item]
- F1 key [Open the Help topic, if any, for the selected item]
- F5 key [Update the content of all console windows]
- CTRL and F10 [Maximize the active console window]
- CTRL and F5 [Restore the active console window]
- ALT and ENTER [Display the Properties dialog box, if any, for the selected item]
- F2 key [Rename the selected item]
- CTRL and F4 [Close the active console window. When a console has only one console window, this shortcut closes the console]
Remote Desktop Connection Navigation
- CTRL and ALT and END [Open the Microsoft Windows NT Security dialog box]
- ALT and PAGE UP [Switch between programs from left to right]
- ALT and PAGE DOWN [Switch between programs from right to left]
- ALT and INSERT [Cycle through the programs in most recently used order]
- ALT and HOME [Display the Start menu]
- CTRL and ALT and BREAK [Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen]
- ALT and DELETE [Display the Windows menu]
- CTRL and ALT and Minus sign [-] [Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.]
- CTRL and ALT and Plus sign [ and ] [Place a snapshot of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing ALT and PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.]
Microsoft Internet Explorer Navigation
- CTRL and B [Open the Organize Favorites dialog box]
- CTRL and E [Open the Search bar]
- CTRL and F [Start the Find utility]
- CTRL and H [Open the History bar]
- CTRL and I [Open the Favorites bar]
- CTRL and L [Open the Open dialog box]
- CTRL and N [Start another instance of the browser with the same Web address]
- CTRL and O [Open the Open dialog box, the same as CTRL and L]
- CTRL and P [Open the Print dialog box]
- CTRL and R [Update the current Web page]
- CTRL and W [Close the current window]
Keyboard Shortcuts in Word
Filed under
Tips,
Windows
| Leave a Comment
CTRL and A Selects all in the current document.
CTRL and B Bold text.
CTRL and C Copies the item or text to the Clipboard.
CTRL and D Displays the Font dialogue box.
CTRL and E Centre Alignment.
CTRL and F Displays the Find dialog box, to search the current document.
CTRL and G Displays the Go to dialog box, to go to a specific location in the current document.
CTRL and H Displays the Replace dialogue box.
CTRL and I Italic text.
CTRL and J Full Justification.
CTRL and K Create Hyperlink
CTRL and L Left Alignment
CTRL and M Tab
CTRL and N Creates a new document.
CTRL and O Displays the Open File dialogue box.
CTRL and P Displays the Print dialog box.
CTRL and R Right Alignment.
CTRL and S Displays the Save dialog box.
CTRL and U Underline text
CTRL and V Pastes the copied item or text from the Clipboard into the current position in the document.
CTRL and X Cuts the item or text selected to the Clipboard.
CTRL and Y Redo the last undone action.
CTRL and Z Undoes the last action.
CTRL and ENTER Insert Page Break.
CTRL and F2 Show Print preview.
CTRL and F4 Closes the active document window.
CTRL and F6 Opens the next document window.
F1 key Get help or use the Office assistant.
SHIFT and F1 Key Context sensitive help.
F2 Key Move text or image.
SHIFT and F2 Key Copy Text.
F3 Key Insert an autotext entry.
SHIFT and F3 Key Change the case of the selected text.
F4 Key Perform last action again.
SHIFT and F4 Key Perform a Find or Go to action again.
F5 Key Displays the Go to dialogue box, from here you can also Find and Replace.
SHIFT and F5 Key Move to a previous revision.
F6 Key Go to the next frame or pane.
SHIFT and F6 Key Go to the previous frame or pane.
F7 Key Launch the Spell checker.
SHIFT and F7 Key Launch the Thesaurus.
F8 Key Extend the current selection.
SHIFT and F8 Key Shrink the current selection.
F9 Key Update the selected fields.
SHIFT and F9 Key Switch between a field code and it's result.
F10 Key Activate the menu bar.
SHIFT and F10 Key Display a Shortcut Menu. Same as right clicking.
F11 Key Go to the next field.
SHIFT and F11 Key Go to the previous field.
F12 Key Save file As, equivalent to tools menu.
SHIFT and F12 Key Save document, equivalent to tools menu
CTRL and B Bold text.
CTRL and C Copies the item or text to the Clipboard.
CTRL and D Displays the Font dialogue box.
CTRL and E Centre Alignment.
CTRL and F Displays the Find dialog box, to search the current document.
CTRL and G Displays the Go to dialog box, to go to a specific location in the current document.
CTRL and H Displays the Replace dialogue box.
CTRL and I Italic text.
CTRL and J Full Justification.
CTRL and K Create Hyperlink
CTRL and L Left Alignment
CTRL and M Tab
CTRL and N Creates a new document.
CTRL and O Displays the Open File dialogue box.
CTRL and P Displays the Print dialog box.
CTRL and R Right Alignment.
CTRL and S Displays the Save dialog box.
CTRL and U Underline text
CTRL and V Pastes the copied item or text from the Clipboard into the current position in the document.
CTRL and X Cuts the item or text selected to the Clipboard.
CTRL and Y Redo the last undone action.
CTRL and Z Undoes the last action.
CTRL and ENTER Insert Page Break.
CTRL and F2 Show Print preview.
CTRL and F4 Closes the active document window.
CTRL and F6 Opens the next document window.
F1 key Get help or use the Office assistant.
SHIFT and F1 Key Context sensitive help.
F2 Key Move text or image.
SHIFT and F2 Key Copy Text.
F3 Key Insert an autotext entry.
SHIFT and F3 Key Change the case of the selected text.
F4 Key Perform last action again.
SHIFT and F4 Key Perform a Find or Go to action again.
F5 Key Displays the Go to dialogue box, from here you can also Find and Replace.
SHIFT and F5 Key Move to a previous revision.
F6 Key Go to the next frame or pane.
SHIFT and F6 Key Go to the previous frame or pane.
F7 Key Launch the Spell checker.
SHIFT and F7 Key Launch the Thesaurus.
F8 Key Extend the current selection.
SHIFT and F8 Key Shrink the current selection.
F9 Key Update the selected fields.
SHIFT and F9 Key Switch between a field code and it's result.
F10 Key Activate the menu bar.
SHIFT and F10 Key Display a Shortcut Menu. Same as right clicking.
F11 Key Go to the next field.
SHIFT and F11 Key Go to the previous field.
F12 Key Save file As, equivalent to tools menu.
SHIFT and F12 Key Save document, equivalent to tools menu
Keyboard Shortcuts in Excel
Filed under
Tips,
Windows
| Leave a Comment
General
- F1 Key Help
- F2 Key Edit current Cell
- F5 Key Goto
- F7 Key Spell Check
- F12 Key Save file as
- CTRL and A Select entire worksheet
- CTRL and B Toggle Bold Text
- CTRL and C Copies the item or items selected to the Clipboard
- CTRL and F Displays the Find dialog box
- CTRL and H Displays the Replace dialog box
- CTRL and I Toggles Italic Text
- CTRL and N New File
- CTRL and O Open File
- CTRL and P Print
- CTRL and S Save File
- CTRL and U Toggles Underlined Text
- CTRL and V Paste the contents of the clipboard
- CTRL and X Cut the selected item
- CTRL and Y Redo the last undone action
- CTRL and Z Undoes the last action
- CTRL and 1 Displays Format Cells Dialogue Box
- CTRL and 5 Toggles Strikethrough Text
Formulas
- ALT and = Autosum
- ALT and F8 Macros
- CTRL and ; Insert Current Date
- CTRL and : Insert Current Time
Movement
- Left Arrow One Cell Left (also SHIFT and TAB)
- Right Arrow One Cell Right (also TAB)
- Up Arrow One Cell Up
- Down Arrow One Cell Down
- Home Go to End of row
- CTRL and Left Arrow Go to End of Column
- CTRL and Home Go to Top of Worksheet (A1)
- CTRL and End Go to End of Worksheet
- CTRL and PAGE-DOWN Go to Next Worksheet
Cell Selection
- CTRL and Spacebar Select the entire Column
- SHIFT and Spacebar Select the entire Row
- CTRL and A Select Entire Worksheet
- SHIFT and Left Cursor Select all cells to the left of the active one
- SHIFT and Right Cursor Select all cells to the right of the active one
Do You Know How Much Radiation Your Cellphone Emits?
Posted on Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Filed under
Info,
Technology
| Leave a Comment
The U.S. Senate is investigating new research that suggests there may indeed be a link between cellphone radiation and brain cancer. At 0.57 W/k, the BlackBerry Storm is on the low-radiation end among smartphones. The iPhone clocks in at 0.97 W/kg. Among the highest are the BlackBerry Bold and the Curve, at 1.51 W/kg and 1.54 W/kg, and T-Mobile's myTouch 3G, at 1.55 W/kg.
The focus of a U.S. Senate hearing Monday afternoon is the potential danger of cellphone use -- specifically, the risk of brain cancer. That link was suggested as long ago as last decade, when cellphones were slightly smaller than a shoebox and just beginning to become part of the everyday landscape.
As cellphone use became ubiquitous and researchers repeatedly discounted health concerns, the perception of risk faded among the general public.
Under Review
Now, that may be changing. The Senate review was prompted in part by a new report from the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that recently evaluated the top cellphones and smartphones, measuring the levels of watts per kilogram.
The results include a list of top 10 "good" and "bad" cellphones and smartphones, along with tips for safe usage and levels for all currently available and legacy models. Pennsylvania Senator and cancer survivor Arlen Specter is chairing the hearing in the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies, which began at 2 p.m. ET.
A representative from EWG is among those scheduled to testify.
EWG is not the only group to be concerned about the link between cancer and cellphone use, cancer researcher Devra Davis told TechNewsWorld. Davis is also testifying at the hearing.
"There are good strong reasons for concern, which is why Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Israel, India, and some cities in Austria and Brazil have issued warnings for all users," she said.
"We do not have ample evidence that cellphones are safe and urgently need research," she said. "Any assertions that cellphones are safe are misleading. We are especially concerned about our young people and must protect the brains of children which are still developing."
As cellphone use became ubiquitous and researchers repeatedly discounted health concerns, the perception of risk faded among the general public.
Under Review
Now, that may be changing. The Senate review was prompted in part by a new report from the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that recently evaluated the top cellphones and smartphones, measuring the levels of watts per kilogram.
The results include a list of top 10 "good" and "bad" cellphones and smartphones, along with tips for safe usage and levels for all currently available and legacy models. Pennsylvania Senator and cancer survivor Arlen Specter is chairing the hearing in the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies, which began at 2 p.m. ET.
A representative from EWG is among those scheduled to testify.
EWG is not the only group to be concerned about the link between cancer and cellphone use, cancer researcher Devra Davis told TechNewsWorld. Davis is also testifying at the hearing.
"There are good strong reasons for concern, which is why Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Israel, India, and some cities in Austria and Brazil have issued warnings for all users," she said.
"We do not have ample evidence that cellphones are safe and urgently need research," she said. "Any assertions that cellphones are safe are misleading. We are especially concerned about our young people and must protect the brains of children which are still developing."
Surprising Range
There have been a number of studies -- mainly conducted overseas -- that do, in fact, show a link between cancer and cellphone use. A joint study by researchers in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, for example, found that people who had used cellphones for more than 10 years had a significantly increased risk of developing glioma, a usually malignant brain tumor, on the side of the head they had favored for cellphone conversations.
In a study of 420,095 Danish adults, it was found that long-term cellphone users were 10 to 20 percent more likely to be hospitalized for migraines and vertigo than people who had taken up cellphones more recently.
The EWG study differs in that it focuses on particular devices and offers some hope that they can still be used, despite the apparent long-term risk.
The group found several phones that emitted less radiation than others. These are the phones, obviously, they recommend.
In fact, EWG was surprised at the wide range of values, Nneka Leiba, a researcher with the group, told TechNewsWorld. A number of phones came very close to 1.6 W/kg -- the standard established by the FCC in 1993.
"We saw some phones emit eight times more radiation than other phones," said Leiba.
The Samsung Impression (SGH-a877) offered by AT&T is the safest cellphone on the market, while the worst is the Motorola MOTO VU204 offered by Verizon Wireless, according to the report.
Lower Signal, Higher Risk
EWG is not expecting consumers to abandon their cellphones, Leiba said. The organization is hoping for more Congressional scrutiny of the standard -- as well as some publicity in promoting safer cellphone use. The first step towards the later is to use a low radiation phone, a complete list of which can be found in the EWG's report.
EWG also wants to focus more study on the impact of cellphone use on children and teenagers. Children's skulls are softer and thinner and thus more vulnerable to radiation, Leiba noted.
Other advice includes urging people to text in favor of making voice calls; to invest in a headset, which emits far less radiation; and to avoid using the phone when signals are low.
"That is when the phone is emitting the most radiation," Leiba said.
Actor Patrick Swayze dies from cancer
Filed under
Famous,
News
| Leave a Comment
Patrick Wayne Swayze was born August 18th, 1952 and his breakthrough role was as the dance instructor in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. The hunky actor who danced his way into viewers' hearts with Dirty Dancing and then broke them with Ghost, died today after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.
"Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," said a statement released this morning by his publicist Annett Wolf. No other details were given.
Fans of the actor were saddened to learn in March 2008 that Swayze was suffering from a particularly deadly form of cancer.
He had kept working despite the diagnosis, putting together a memoir with his wife and shooting The Beast, a television drama series for which he had already made the pilot.
It drew a respectable 1.3 million viewers when the 13 episodes ran on the A&E cable television station in 2009, but A&E said it had reluctantly decided not to renew it for a second season.
Swayze said he opted not to use painkilling drugs while making The Beast because they would have taken the edge off his performance.
He acknowledged that time might be running out given the grim nature of the disease.
When he first went public with the illness, some reports gave him only weeks to live, but his doctor said his situation was "considerably more optimistic'' than that.
"I'd say five years is pretty wishful thinking,'' Swayze told ABC's Barbara Walters in early 2009.
"Two years seems likely if you're going to believe statistics. I want to last until they find a cure, which means I'd better get a fire under it.''
A three-time Golden Globe nominee, Swayze became a star with his performance as the misunderstood bad boy Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing.
As the son of a choreographer who began his career in musical theatre, he seemed a natural to play the role.
A coming-of-age romance starring Jennifer Grey as an idealistic young woman on vacation with her family and Swayze as the Catskills resort's sexy (and much older) dance instructor, the film made great use of both his grace on his feet and his muscular physique.
It became an international phenomenon in 1987, spawning albums, an Oscar-winning hit song in (I've Had) the Time of My Life, stage productions and a sequel, 2004's Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, in which he made a cameo.
Swayze performed and co-wrote a song on the soundtrack, the ballad She's Like the Wind, inspired by his wife Lisa Niemi.
The film also gave him the chance to utter the now-classic line, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner.''
A major crowd-pleaser, Dirty Dancing drew only mixed reviews from critics, though Vincent Canby wrote in The New York Times: "Given the limitations of his role, that of a poor but handsome sex-object abused by the rich women at Kellerman's Mountain House, Mr Swayze is also good. ... He's at his best - as is the movie - when he's dancing.''
Swayze followed that up with the 1989 action film Road House, in which he played a bouncer at a rowdy bar.
But it was his performance in 1990's Ghost that showed his vulnerable, sensitive side.
He starred as a murdered man trying to communicate with his fiancee (Demi Moore) - with great frustration and longing - through a psychic played by Whoopi Goldberg.
Swayze said at the time that he fought for the role of Sam Wheat (director Jerry Zucker wanted Kevin Kline) but once he went in for an audition and read six scenes, he got it.
Why did he want the part so badly? "It made me cry four or five times,'' he said of Bruce Joel Rubin's Oscar-winning script.
Ghost provided yet another indelible musical moment: Swayze and Moore sensually moulding pottery together to the strains of the Righteous Brothers' Unchained Melody.
It also earned a best-picture nomination and a supporting-actress Oscar for Goldberg, who said she wouldn't have won if it weren't for Swayze.
"When I won my Academy Award, the only person I really thanked was Patrick,'' Goldberg said in March 2008 on the ABC daytime talk show The View.
Swayze himself earned three Golden Globe nominations, for Dirty Dancing, Ghost and 1995's To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, which further allowed him to toy with his masculine image.
The role called for him to play a drag queen on a cross-country road trip alongside Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo.
His heartthrob status almost kept him from being considered for the role of Vida Boheme.
"I couldn't get seen on it because everyone viewed me as terminally heterosexually masculine-macho,'' he said at the time.
But he transformed himself so completely that when his screen test was sent to Steven Spielberg, whose Amblin pictures produced To Wong Foo, Spielberg didn't recognise him.
Among his earlier films, Swayze was part of the star-studded lineup of up-and-comers in Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 adaptation of SE Hinton's novel The Outsiders, alongside Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Emilio Estevez and Diane Lane.
Swayze played Darrel "Dary'' Curtis, the oldest of three wayward brothers in a poor family in small-town Oklahoma.
Other '80s films included Red Dawn, Grandview USA (for which he also provided choreography) and Youngblood, once more with Lowe, as Canadian hockey teammates.
In the 90s, he made such eclectic films as Point Break (1991), in which he played the leader of a band of bank-robbing surfers, and the family Western Tall Tale (1995), in which he starred as Pecos Bill.
He appeared on the cover of People magazine as its Sexiest Man Alive in 1991, but his career tapered off toward the end of the 1990s, when he also had stay in rehab for alcohol abuse.
In 2001, he appeared in the cult favourite Donnie Darko, and in 2003 he returned to the New York stage with Chicago; 2006 found him in the musical Guys and Dolls in London.
Swayze was born in 1952 in Houston, the son of Jesse Swayze and choreographer Patsy Swayze, whose films include Urban Cowboy.
He played football but also was drawn to dance and theatre, performing with the Feld, Joffrey and Harkness Ballets and appearing on Broadway as Danny Zuko in Grease. But he turned to acting in 1978 after a series of injuries.
Within a couple years of moving to Los Angeles, he made his debut in the roller-disco movie Skatetown, USA.
Swayze had a couple of movies in the works when his diagnosis was announced, including the drama Powder Blue, starring Jessica Biel, Forest Whitaker and his younger brother, Don, which was scheduled for release this year.
Off-screen, he was an avid conservationist who was moved by his time in Africa to shine a light on "man's greed and absolute unwillingness to operate according to Mother Nature's laws,'' he said in 2004.
Swayze was married since 1975 to Niemi, a fellow dancer who took lessons with his mother; they met when he was 19 and she was 15. The couple did not have children.
Fans of the actor were saddened to learn in March 2008 that Swayze was suffering from a particularly deadly form of cancer.
He had kept working despite the diagnosis, putting together a memoir with his wife and shooting The Beast, a television drama series for which he had already made the pilot.
It drew a respectable 1.3 million viewers when the 13 episodes ran on the A&E cable television station in 2009, but A&E said it had reluctantly decided not to renew it for a second season.
Swayze said he opted not to use painkilling drugs while making The Beast because they would have taken the edge off his performance.
He acknowledged that time might be running out given the grim nature of the disease.
When he first went public with the illness, some reports gave him only weeks to live, but his doctor said his situation was "considerably more optimistic'' than that.
"I'd say five years is pretty wishful thinking,'' Swayze told ABC's Barbara Walters in early 2009.
"Two years seems likely if you're going to believe statistics. I want to last until they find a cure, which means I'd better get a fire under it.''
A three-time Golden Globe nominee, Swayze became a star with his performance as the misunderstood bad boy Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing.
As the son of a choreographer who began his career in musical theatre, he seemed a natural to play the role.
A coming-of-age romance starring Jennifer Grey as an idealistic young woman on vacation with her family and Swayze as the Catskills resort's sexy (and much older) dance instructor, the film made great use of both his grace on his feet and his muscular physique.
It became an international phenomenon in 1987, spawning albums, an Oscar-winning hit song in (I've Had) the Time of My Life, stage productions and a sequel, 2004's Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, in which he made a cameo.
Swayze performed and co-wrote a song on the soundtrack, the ballad She's Like the Wind, inspired by his wife Lisa Niemi.
The film also gave him the chance to utter the now-classic line, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner.''
A major crowd-pleaser, Dirty Dancing drew only mixed reviews from critics, though Vincent Canby wrote in The New York Times: "Given the limitations of his role, that of a poor but handsome sex-object abused by the rich women at Kellerman's Mountain House, Mr Swayze is also good. ... He's at his best - as is the movie - when he's dancing.''
Swayze followed that up with the 1989 action film Road House, in which he played a bouncer at a rowdy bar.
But it was his performance in 1990's Ghost that showed his vulnerable, sensitive side.
He starred as a murdered man trying to communicate with his fiancee (Demi Moore) - with great frustration and longing - through a psychic played by Whoopi Goldberg.
Swayze said at the time that he fought for the role of Sam Wheat (director Jerry Zucker wanted Kevin Kline) but once he went in for an audition and read six scenes, he got it.
Why did he want the part so badly? "It made me cry four or five times,'' he said of Bruce Joel Rubin's Oscar-winning script.
Ghost provided yet another indelible musical moment: Swayze and Moore sensually moulding pottery together to the strains of the Righteous Brothers' Unchained Melody.
It also earned a best-picture nomination and a supporting-actress Oscar for Goldberg, who said she wouldn't have won if it weren't for Swayze.
"When I won my Academy Award, the only person I really thanked was Patrick,'' Goldberg said in March 2008 on the ABC daytime talk show The View.
Swayze himself earned three Golden Globe nominations, for Dirty Dancing, Ghost and 1995's To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, which further allowed him to toy with his masculine image.
The role called for him to play a drag queen on a cross-country road trip alongside Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo.
His heartthrob status almost kept him from being considered for the role of Vida Boheme.
"I couldn't get seen on it because everyone viewed me as terminally heterosexually masculine-macho,'' he said at the time.
But he transformed himself so completely that when his screen test was sent to Steven Spielberg, whose Amblin pictures produced To Wong Foo, Spielberg didn't recognise him.
Among his earlier films, Swayze was part of the star-studded lineup of up-and-comers in Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 adaptation of SE Hinton's novel The Outsiders, alongside Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Emilio Estevez and Diane Lane.
Swayze played Darrel "Dary'' Curtis, the oldest of three wayward brothers in a poor family in small-town Oklahoma.
Other '80s films included Red Dawn, Grandview USA (for which he also provided choreography) and Youngblood, once more with Lowe, as Canadian hockey teammates.
In the 90s, he made such eclectic films as Point Break (1991), in which he played the leader of a band of bank-robbing surfers, and the family Western Tall Tale (1995), in which he starred as Pecos Bill.
He appeared on the cover of People magazine as its Sexiest Man Alive in 1991, but his career tapered off toward the end of the 1990s, when he also had stay in rehab for alcohol abuse.
In 2001, he appeared in the cult favourite Donnie Darko, and in 2003 he returned to the New York stage with Chicago; 2006 found him in the musical Guys and Dolls in London.
Swayze was born in 1952 in Houston, the son of Jesse Swayze and choreographer Patsy Swayze, whose films include Urban Cowboy.
He played football but also was drawn to dance and theatre, performing with the Feld, Joffrey and Harkness Ballets and appearing on Broadway as Danny Zuko in Grease. But he turned to acting in 1978 after a series of injuries.
Within a couple years of moving to Los Angeles, he made his debut in the roller-disco movie Skatetown, USA.
Swayze had a couple of movies in the works when his diagnosis was announced, including the drama Powder Blue, starring Jessica Biel, Forest Whitaker and his younger brother, Don, which was scheduled for release this year.
Off-screen, he was an avid conservationist who was moved by his time in Africa to shine a light on "man's greed and absolute unwillingness to operate according to Mother Nature's laws,'' he said in 2004.
Swayze was married since 1975 to Niemi, a fellow dancer who took lessons with his mother; they met when he was 19 and she was 15. The couple did not have children.
Kanye grabs microphone from Taylor Swift
Filed under
Famous,
News
| Leave a Comment
POP stars have slammed Kanye West after the rapper shocked the MTV Video Music Awards by crashing the stage during teen star Taylor Swift's acceptance speech.
DISGRACED star Kanye West used Jay Leno's prime-time debut to announce he plans to take time off to "analyse" his life after ruining Taylor Swift's moment at the MTV Video Music Awards.
“It was rude. Period,” said West of the incident, in which he took the microphone from the 19-year-old during her acceptance speech for best female video, declaring Beyonce was more deserving.
"I don't try to justify it 'cause I was in the wrong."
The rap star said the deafening boos of the crowd made him realise immediately that what he did was wrong.
He added that he would take time off from his music career to reflect.
“I’ve never taken the time off to really - you know, just music after music and tour after tour. I’m just ashamed that my hurt caused someone else’s hurt." he said.
"My dream of what awards shows are supposed to be, ’cause, and I don’t try to justify it because I was just in the wrong. That’s period. But I need to, after this, take some time off and just analyse how I’m going to make it through the rest of this life, how I’m going to improve.”
West also conceeded his mother Donda, who died in 2007, would have given him a lecture regarding the incident after Leno asked him what she would have thought of his actions.
West did issue an apology for his tirade on a blog, but the post was removed from his site early today.
"I'm sooooo sorry to Taylor Swift and her fans and her mom. I spoke to her mother right after and she said the same thing my mother would've said,'' West said.
"I'm in the wrong for going on stage and taking away from her moment! Beyonce's video was the best of this decade.
"I'm sorry to my fans if I let you guys down.''
West told Leno he would like to apologise to Swift personally.
Cadbury rejects Kraft's business model
Posted on Monday, September 14, 2009
Filed under
Bussiness,
Economics,
News
| Leave a Comment
BRITISH confectioner Cadbury has criticised US food giant Kraft Foods for having a "low growth" business model in rejecting its "unappealing" takeover bid, a letter on its website shows.
The letter from Cadbury chairman Roger Carr to Kraft Foods chairman and chief executive Irene Rosenfeld explained why Cadbury rejected the offer. It was posted on the website on Sunday.
Kraft Foods launched a 10.2-billion-pound ($US16.7-billion-dollar) bid for Cadbury last Monday - an offer spurned by the British group as takeover activity appeared to be returning to the market.
"In my letter of August 31, I informed you that the board had rejected your unsolicited proposal on the grounds that it is unattractive and fundamentally undervalues Cadbury," wrote Carr in the letter.
"Under your proposal, Cadbury would be absorbed into Kraft's low growth, conglomerate business model, an unappealing prospect which contrasts sharply with our strategy to be a pure-play confectionery company."
"Your proposal fundamentally fails to reflect the current value of Cadbury as a standalone business, its growth prospects and the potential synergies of a combined entity."
Despite the snub, Kraft said it hoped the venerable maker of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bars and Trident chewing gum, among other brands - would eventually jump on board.
Kraft Foods, the world's second largest food company after Nestle, said it hoped the takeover would increase annual revenues to $US50 billion dollars a year from $US42 billion dollars presently.
It added that by combining the groups, plans for about 500 job cuts at Cadbury in Britain would be scrapped.
Kraft Foods launched a 10.2-billion-pound ($US16.7-billion-dollar) bid for Cadbury last Monday - an offer spurned by the British group as takeover activity appeared to be returning to the market.
"In my letter of August 31, I informed you that the board had rejected your unsolicited proposal on the grounds that it is unattractive and fundamentally undervalues Cadbury," wrote Carr in the letter.
"Under your proposal, Cadbury would be absorbed into Kraft's low growth, conglomerate business model, an unappealing prospect which contrasts sharply with our strategy to be a pure-play confectionery company."
"Your proposal fundamentally fails to reflect the current value of Cadbury as a standalone business, its growth prospects and the potential synergies of a combined entity."
Despite the snub, Kraft said it hoped the venerable maker of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bars and Trident chewing gum, among other brands - would eventually jump on board.
Kraft Foods, the world's second largest food company after Nestle, said it hoped the takeover would increase annual revenues to $US50 billion dollars a year from $US42 billion dollars presently.
It added that by combining the groups, plans for about 500 job cuts at Cadbury in Britain would be scrapped.
New HIV-fighting antibodies found
Posted on Friday, September 04, 2009
Filed under
Health,
News,
Science
| Leave a Comment
SCIENTISTS have identified two powerful antibodies that point to a new target for an AIDS vaccine, by probing the blood of a rare group of people who contract HIV but develop resistance.
US-based researchers attached to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVA) have identified the new "broadly neutralising antibodies" - named PG9 and PG16 - which have been shown to be able to stop the highly-mutating virus from spreading.
They are the first to be identified in more than a decade, and the first to be identified in an HIV-infected but otherwise resistant person from a developing country.
Commenting on the research, Melbourne-based Associate Professor Damian Purcell said the discovery had pointed to a new and potentially broadly available "chink" in the AIDS virus's armour.
"I think this is a very significant finding," says Prof Purcell, who heads the Molecular Virology Laboratory at the University of Melbourne.
"And it's actually a foretaste for what we're going to require over the next couple of years in order to make an effective HIV vaccine."
Work towards an HIV vaccine has continued for decades, and its success hinges on finding an unchanging part of the virus which otherwise mutates furiously inside the body.
The search is centred on a rare group of people referred to as "elite neutralisers", because while they had contracted HIV they appeared to live without ill effect.
The IAVA research, published in the journal Science, took in 1,800 blood samples from HIV-infected people across the African continent but also from Australia, Thailand, the UK and USA.
They settled on a sample from an HIV-resistant Kenyan man, and the unique antibodies found in his blood were shown to work against a part of the virus not considered for potential vaccine application before.
It also worked against a range of different HIV strains, Prof Purcell says, raising hopes of finding "the chink in the armour, the susceptible target that seems to be across all of these (HIV) viruses".
"They chose an elite neutralising patient in Africa, and the antibodies they plucked out were able to neutralise viruses from Australia, from USA, from Asia," Prof Purcell says.
It was also "very potent" compared to earlier antibody discoveries.
Prof Purcell also says the effort to develop an HIV vaccine could continue for another five to 10 years but "at least we now know what we're aiming at, the target has become more visible".
Further developments in HIV will be discussed at the 2009 Australasian Sexual Health Conference, to be held back-to-back with The Australasian HIV/AIDS Conference 2009, in Brisbane next week.
US-based researchers attached to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVA) have identified the new "broadly neutralising antibodies" - named PG9 and PG16 - which have been shown to be able to stop the highly-mutating virus from spreading.
They are the first to be identified in more than a decade, and the first to be identified in an HIV-infected but otherwise resistant person from a developing country.
Commenting on the research, Melbourne-based Associate Professor Damian Purcell said the discovery had pointed to a new and potentially broadly available "chink" in the AIDS virus's armour.
"I think this is a very significant finding," says Prof Purcell, who heads the Molecular Virology Laboratory at the University of Melbourne.
"And it's actually a foretaste for what we're going to require over the next couple of years in order to make an effective HIV vaccine."
Work towards an HIV vaccine has continued for decades, and its success hinges on finding an unchanging part of the virus which otherwise mutates furiously inside the body.
The search is centred on a rare group of people referred to as "elite neutralisers", because while they had contracted HIV they appeared to live without ill effect.
The IAVA research, published in the journal Science, took in 1,800 blood samples from HIV-infected people across the African continent but also from Australia, Thailand, the UK and USA.
They settled on a sample from an HIV-resistant Kenyan man, and the unique antibodies found in his blood were shown to work against a part of the virus not considered for potential vaccine application before.
It also worked against a range of different HIV strains, Prof Purcell says, raising hopes of finding "the chink in the armour, the susceptible target that seems to be across all of these (HIV) viruses".
"They chose an elite neutralising patient in Africa, and the antibodies they plucked out were able to neutralise viruses from Australia, from USA, from Asia," Prof Purcell says.
It was also "very potent" compared to earlier antibody discoveries.
Prof Purcell also says the effort to develop an HIV vaccine could continue for another five to 10 years but "at least we now know what we're aiming at, the target has become more visible".
Further developments in HIV will be discussed at the 2009 Australasian Sexual Health Conference, to be held back-to-back with The Australasian HIV/AIDS Conference 2009, in Brisbane next week.
Filed under
Downloads
| Leave a Comment
Ok...
first thing first...
every link which lead you to download file is a key file where the password and link are stored to extract and get your chosen file, cause your chosen is password protected archive.
Use 'netshared' (without quotes) as password to extract the key file, cause the key file is password protected archive as well.
Why am i doing this to those files? Cause someone taught me to do so...
[Ebooks] [Game Cheats and Trainers]
first thing first...
every link which lead you to download file is a key file where the password and link are stored to extract and get your chosen file, cause your chosen is password protected archive.
Use 'netshared' (without quotes) as password to extract the key file, cause the key file is password protected archive as well.
Why am i doing this to those files? Cause someone taught me to do so...
[Ebooks] [Game Cheats and Trainers]
Nokia to Use Linux-based Operating System to Beat the iPhone
Posted on Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Filed under
Linux,
News,
Technology
| Leave a Comment
Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer has promised to produce smartphones that will successfully rival the iPhone. This week, it is expected to release a device with Linux operating system inside in favor of its very own Symbian OS.
Following criticism that it had failed to come up with a handset to match the iPhone, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, President & CEO of Nokia, said that it was aiming to be "even more competitive".
"We are competitive in the marketplace right now as we speak, and we will make efforts to be even more competitive going forward."
Apple secured the second largest share of the industry's profits in the second quarter, which goes to show that it has become a force to be reckoned with as a mobile phone maker.
Mr. Kallasvuo was interviewed by Financial Times and based on his statement, I noticed that Nokia will fight back and will even try to invade Apple’s turf by transforming itself from a mobile phone maker into a supplier of handset services, like maps and (you guessed it) music.
I think Nokia's move to a Linux-based OS for its smartphone line is a good one since its Symbian operating system has failed to impress new consumers. Symbian is just mediocre compared to webOS on Palm Pre or Android on HTC Dream.
Will Nokia utilize Android just like the so-called Dell Mini 3i, or is it developing its own Linux-based software? For now, we'll wait and see.
[More...]
Following criticism that it had failed to come up with a handset to match the iPhone, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, President & CEO of Nokia, said that it was aiming to be "even more competitive".
"We are competitive in the marketplace right now as we speak, and we will make efforts to be even more competitive going forward."
Apple secured the second largest share of the industry's profits in the second quarter, which goes to show that it has become a force to be reckoned with as a mobile phone maker.
Mr. Kallasvuo was interviewed by Financial Times and based on his statement, I noticed that Nokia will fight back and will even try to invade Apple’s turf by transforming itself from a mobile phone maker into a supplier of handset services, like maps and (you guessed it) music.
I think Nokia's move to a Linux-based OS for its smartphone line is a good one since its Symbian operating system has failed to impress new consumers. Symbian is just mediocre compared to webOS on Palm Pre or Android on HTC Dream.
Will Nokia utilize Android just like the so-called Dell Mini 3i, or is it developing its own Linux-based software? For now, we'll wait and see.
[More...]
Ubuntu 9.10 vs. Mac OS X Snow Leopard vs. Windows 7
Filed under
Linux,
Mac OS,
News,
System,
Windows
| Leave a Comment
Over a short period of time, three major operating system releases will take place. From Apple, Mac OS X 10.6 (also known as Snow Leopard) will ship on August 28,2009. From Microsoft, Windows 7 has already been released to manufacturers, with general retail availability set for October of this year. Representing Linux, Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) is also slated for an October 2009 release. So, there are a lot of reasons for us to be excited.
Since I use Mac OS X (dual boot with Xubuntu) on Macbook Pro, Ubuntu on my main workstation, and Windows XP on some of our computers used for our family business, I'm looking forward to these consecutive "big-time" updates. However, I still haven't made up my mind if I'll immediately upgrade to the new versions. But I did a little research and collected some important information so that I could somehow find out early on if the upgrades will be worth it.
For all of you, I'm going to highlight the main features of Ubuntu 9.10, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, and Windows 7. I will also share my quick observation later on.
[More...]
Since I use Mac OS X (dual boot with Xubuntu) on Macbook Pro, Ubuntu on my main workstation, and Windows XP on some of our computers used for our family business, I'm looking forward to these consecutive "big-time" updates. However, I still haven't made up my mind if I'll immediately upgrade to the new versions. But I did a little research and collected some important information so that I could somehow find out early on if the upgrades will be worth it.
For all of you, I'm going to highlight the main features of Ubuntu 9.10, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, and Windows 7. I will also share my quick observation later on.
[More...]
Researcher Says Dogs Are as Smart as a 2-year-old
Filed under
News,
Science
| Leave a Comment
Although you wouldn't want one to balance your checkbook, dogs can count. They also can understand more than 150 words and will intentionally deceive other dogs and people to get treats, according to psychologist and leading canine researcher Stanley Coren, PhD, of the University of British Columbia.
Coren, author of popular books on dogs and dog behavior, has reviewed numerous studies to conclude that dogs have the ability to solve complex problems and are more like humans and other higher primates than previously thought.
"We all want insight into how our furry companions think, and we want to understand the silly, quirky and apparently irrational behaviors [that] Lassie or Rover demonstrate," Coren was quoted as saying. "Their stunning flashes of brilliance and creativity are reminders that they may not be Einsteins but are sure closer to humans than we thought."
According to several behavioral measures, Coren says dogs' mental abilities are close to a human child age 2 to 2.5 years. The dog's breed has some bearing on the intelligence of the animal, Coren says. "There are three types of dog intelligence: instinctive (what the dog is bred to do), adaptive (how well the dog learns from its environment to solve problems) and working and obedience (the equivalent of 'school learning')."
Data from 208 dog obedience judges from the U.S. and Canada showed differences in working and obedience intelligence of dog breeds, Coren reported. "Border collies are number one. Poodles are second, followed by German shepherds. Fourth on the list is golden retrievers; fifth, dobermans; sixth, Shetland sheepdogs; and finally, Labrador retrievers."
The average dog can learn 165 words, including signals, and the "super dogs" -- those in the top 20 percent of dog intelligence -- can learn 250 words, Coren said. "The upper limit of dogs' ability to learn language is partly based on a study of a border collie named Rico who showed knowledge of 200 spoken words and demonstrated 'fast-track learning,' which scientists believed to be found only in humans and language learning apes," Coren said.
Dogs can also count up to four or five, said Coren. They have a basic understanding of arithmetic and will notice errors in simple computations, such as 1+1=1 or 1+1=3. Coren consulted four studies that examined how dogs solve spatial problems by modeling human or other dogs' behavior using a barrier-type problem. By observing humans or other dogs, dogs can learn the location of valued items (treats), better routes in the environment (the fastest way to a favorite chair), how to operate mechanisms (such as latches and simple machines) and the meaning of words and symbolic concepts (sometimes by simply listening to people speak and watching their actions).
During play, dogs are capable of deliberately trying to deceive other dogs and people in order to get rewards, said Coren. "And they are nearly as successful in deceiving humans as humans are in deceiving dogs."
Vascular Disease Patients Face Recurring Heart Attacks and Strokes
Filed under
Health,
News
| Leave a Comment
There is no easy way out for those battling vascular disease. Despite treatments and medications, a large international study shows patients have high rates of multiple heart attacks and strokes that may lead to hospitalizations and death.
The international REACH (Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health) Registry, presented by a researcher from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine examined data of over 30 thousand patients. Patients who had vascular disease had a 28.4 percent rate of reoccurring attacks just after three years of their last vascular episode. The data presented also named North America, including the United States, as having above average rates for recurring heart attacks, strokes, hospitalizations and death.
"We are surprised by the high rate of these recurring vascular events," Mark J. Alberts, lead author, M.D. professor of neurology at the Feinberg School and director of the stroke program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital was quoted as saying, "We know how to prevent vascular disease and the events that it produces. This points to the need for better prevention, better use of medications and a need to develop more potent medications. These are the number one and two causes of death throughout the world."
The cost of recurring vascular events in the United States alone is in the billions. Hospitalization is the leading factor driving health care costs. Adopting healthy lifestyles, with a healthier diet, and regular exercise are necessary to reducing health care expenses and the likelihood of reoccurring heart attacks, and strokes according to researchers.
Moderate Drinkers are Healthier
Filed under
Health,
Info
| Leave a Comment
Drinking a moderate amount of alcohol may be good for your health.
A new study from the University of Miami finds people who drink moderately are more likely to report above-average health than light drinkers, heavy drinkers and those who have never drank. But it is not clear whether moderate drinking leads to better health or whether moderate drinkers just have healthier lifestyles.
Researchers looked at data from more than 31,000 adults from a U.S. Census Bureau survey. Participants answered questions about how much they drank, their health behaviors, and chronic health conditions. Moderate drinking was defined as four to 14 drinks a week for men and four to seven drinks a week for women.
Results show men who drank moderately were 1.27-times more likely to report above-average health compared to lifetime abstainers and former light drinkers. And women who were moderate drinkers were more than twice as likely to report above-average health as those who abstained.
Researchers say the results may have something to do with the healthy lifestyles of moderate drinkers because people who work out and eat healthy are probably the same people who drink moderately instead of heavily.
The study notes the main health benefit of moderate drinking is that it can ward off cardiovascular disease, especially hardening of the arteries and stroke caused by blood clots.
But while moderate drinking may have its benefits, the authors warn about the dangers of heavy drinking and how bad it is for your health.
Windows True Hidden Files
Filed under
Info,
System,
Windows
| Leave a Comment
SEEING IS BELIEVING
No. Enabling Windows Explorer to "show all files" does not show the files in mention. No. DOS does not
list the files after receiving a proper directory listing from root. And yes. Microsoft intentionally
disabled the "Find" utility from searching through one of the folders.
Oh, but that's not all.
To see for yourself simply do as you would normally do to clear your browsing history. Go to Internet
Options under your Control Panel. Click on the [Clear History] and [Delete Files] buttons. (Make sure
to include all offline content.)
So, has your browsing history been cleared? One would think so.
These are the names and locations of the "really hidden files":
c:\windows\history\history.ie5\index.dat
c:\windows\tempor~1\content.ie5\index.dat
If you have upgraded MSIE several times, they might have alternative names of mm256.dat and
mm2048.dat, and may also be located here:
c:\windows\tempor~1\
c:\windows\history\
Not to mention the other alternative locations under:
c:\windows\profiles\%user%\...
c:\windows\application data\...
c:\windows\local settings\...
c:\windows\temp\...
c:\temp\...
(or as defined in your autoexec.bat.)
FYI, there are a couple other index.dat files that get hidden as well, but they are seemingly not very
important. See if you can find them.
IF YOU HAVE EVER USED MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER
1) Shut your computer down, and turn it back on.
2) While your computer is booting keep pressing the [F8] key until you are given an option screen.
3) Choose "Command Prompt Only" (This will take you to true DOS mode.) Windows ME users must use a boot
disk to get into real DOS mode.
4) When your computer is done booting, you will have a C:\> followed by a blinking cursor.
Type this in, hitting enter after each line. (Obviously, don't type the comments in parentheses.)
C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV (Loads smartdrive to speed things up.)
CD\
DELTREE/Y TEMP (This line removes temporary files.)
CD WINDOWS
DELTREE/Y COOKIES (This line removes cookies.)
DELTREE/Y TEMP (This removes temporary files.)
DELTREE/Y HISTORY (This line removes your browsing history.)
DELTREE/Y TEMPOR~1 (This line removes your internet cache.)
(If that last line doesn't work, then type this
CD\WINDOWS\APPLIC~1
DELTREE/Y TEMPOR~1
(If that didn't work, then type this
CD\WINDOWS\LOCALS~1
DELTREE/Y TEMPOR~1
If you have profiles turned on, then it is likely located under \windows\profiles\%user%\, while older
versions of MSIE keep them under \windows\content\.)
FYI, Windows re-creates the index.dat files automatically when you reboot your machine, so don't be
surprised when you see them again. They should at least be cleared of your browsing history.
CLEARING YOUR REGISTRY
It was once believed that the registry is the central database of Windows that stores and maintains the
OS configuration information. Well, this is wrong. Apparently, it also maintains a bunch of other
information that has absolutely nothing to do with the configuration. I won't get into the other
stuff, but for one, your typed URLs are stored in the registry.
HKEY_USERS/Default/Software/Microsoft/Internet Explorer/TypedURLs/
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Internet Explorer/TypedURLs/
These "Typed URLs" come from MSIE's autocomplete feature. It records all URLs that you've typed in manually
in order to save you some time filling out the address field.
SLACK FILES
As you may already know, deleting files only deletes the references to them. They are in fact still sitting
there on your HD and can still be recovered by a very motivated person.
Use window washer to delete slack files. /http://www.webroot.com/download/0506/reg3ww.exe
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE THROUGH YOUR HIDDEN FILES
The most important files to be paying attention to are your "index.dat" files. These are database files
that reference your history, cache and cookies. The first thing you should know is that the index.dat files
is that they don't exist in less you know they do. They second thing you should know about them is that
some will *not* get cleared after deleting your history and cache.
To view these files, follow these steps:
In MSIE 5.x, you can skip this first step by opening MSIE and going to Tools > Internet Options > [Settings] > [View Files].
Now write down the names of your alphanumeric folders on a piece of paper. If you can't see any alphanumeric
folders then start with step 1 here:
1) First, drop to a DOS box and type this at prompt (in all lower-case). It will bring up Windows Explorer
under the correct directory.
c:\windows\explorer /e,c:\windows\tempor~1\content.ie5\
You see all those alphanumeric names listed under "content.ie5?" (left-hand side.) That's Microsoft's
idea of making this project as hard as possible. Actually, these are your alphanumeric folders that was
created to keep your cache. Write these names down on a piece of paper. (They should look something like
this: 6YQ2GSWF, QRM7KL3F, U7YHQKI4, 7YMZ516U, etc.) If you click on any of the alphanumeric folders then
nothing will be displayed. Not because there aren't any files here, but because Windows Explorer has lied
to you. If you want to view the contents of these alphanumeric folders you will have to do so in DOS.
2) Then you must restart in MS-DOS mode. (Start > Shutdown > Restart in MS-DOS mode. ME users use a
bootdisk.)
Note that you must restart to DOS because windows has locked down some of the files and they can only be
accessed in real DOS mode.
3) Type this in at prompt:
CD\WINDOWS\TEMPOR~1\CONTENT.IE5
CD %alphanumeric%
(replace the "%alphanumeric%" with the first name that you just wrote down.)
DIR/P
The cache files you are now looking at are directly responsible for the mysterious erosion of HD space
you may have been noticing.
5) Type this in:
CD\WINDOWS\TEMPOR~1\CONTENT.IE5
EDIT /75 INDEX.DAT
You will be brought to a blue screen with a bunch of binary.
6) Press and hold the [Page Down] button until you start seeing lists of URLs. These are all the sites
that you've ever visited as well as a brief description of each. You'll notice it records everything
ou've searched for in a search engine in plain text, in addition to the URL.
7) When you get done searching around you can go to File > Exit. If you don't have mouse support in DOS
then use the [ALT] and arrow keys.
Next you'll probably want to erase these files by typing this:
C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV
CD\WINDOWS
DELTREE/Y TEMPOR~1
(replace "cd\windows" with the location of your TIF folder if different.)
9) Then check out the contents of your History folder by typing this:
CD\WINDOWS\HISTORY\HISTORY.IE5
EDIT /75 INDEX.DAT
You will be brought to a blue screen with more binary.
10) Press and hold the [Page Down] button until you start seeing lists of URLS again.
This is another database of the sites you've visited.
11) And if you're still with me, type this:
CD\WINDOWS\HISTORY
12) If you see any mmXXXX.dat files here then check them out (and delete them.) Then:
CD\WINDOWS\HISTORY\HISTORY.IE5
CD MSHIST~1
EDIT /75 INDEX.DAT
More URLs from your internet history. Note, there are probably other mshist~x folders here so you can
repeat these steps for every occurence if you please.
13) By now, you'll probably want to type in this:
CD\WINDOWS
DELTREE/Y HISTORY
HOW MICROSOFT DOES IT
How does Microsoft make these folders/files invisible to DOS?
The only thing Microsoft had to do to make the folders/files invisible to a directory listing is to
set them +s[ystem]. That's it.
So how does Microsoft make these folders/files invisible to Windows Explorer?
The "desktop.ini" is a standard text file that can be added to any folder to customize certain aspects of
the folder's behavior. In these cases, Microsoft utilized the desktop.ini file to make these files
invisible. Invisible to Windows Explorer and even to the "Find: Files or Folders" utility. All that
Microsoft had to do was create a desktop.ini file with certain CLSID tags and the folders would disappear
like magic.
To show you exactly what's going on:
Found in the c:\windows\temporary internet files\desktop.ini and
the c:\windows\temporary internet files\content.ie5\desktop.ini is this text:
[.ShellClassInfo]
UICLSID={7BD29E00-76C1-11CF-9DD0-00A0C9034933}
Found in the c:\windows\history\desktop.ini and the c:\windows\history\history.ie5\desktop.ini is this text:
[.ShellClassInfo]
UICLSID={7BD29E00-76C1-11CF-9DD0-00A0C9034933}
CLSID={FF393560-C2A7-11CF-BFF4-444553540000}
The UICLSID line cloaks the folder in Windows Explorer. The CLSID line disables the "Find" utility
from searching through the folder.
To see for yourself, you can simply erase the desktop.ini files. You'll see that it will instantly give
Windows Explorer proper viewing functionality again, and the "Find" utility proper searching capabilities
again. Problem solved right? Actually, no. As it turns out, the desktop.ini files get reconstructed every
single time you restart your computer. Nice one, Slick.
Luckily there is a loophole which will keep Windows from hiding these folders. You can manually edit the
desktop.ini's and remove everything except for the "[.ShellClassInfo]" line. This will trick windows into
thinking they have still covered their tracks, and wininet won't think to reconstruct them.
No. Enabling Windows Explorer to "show all files" does not show the files in mention. No. DOS does not
list the files after receiving a proper directory listing from root. And yes. Microsoft intentionally
disabled the "Find" utility from searching through one of the folders.
Oh, but that's not all.
To see for yourself simply do as you would normally do to clear your browsing history. Go to Internet
Options under your Control Panel. Click on the [Clear History] and [Delete Files] buttons. (Make sure
to include all offline content.)
So, has your browsing history been cleared? One would think so.
These are the names and locations of the "really hidden files":
c:\windows\history\history.ie5\index.dat
c:\windows\tempor~1\content.ie5\index.dat
If you have upgraded MSIE several times, they might have alternative names of mm256.dat and
mm2048.dat, and may also be located here:
c:\windows\tempor~1\
c:\windows\history\
Not to mention the other alternative locations under:
c:\windows\profiles\%user%\...
c:\windows\application data\...
c:\windows\local settings\...
c:\windows\temp\...
c:\temp\...
(or as defined in your autoexec.bat.)
FYI, there are a couple other index.dat files that get hidden as well, but they are seemingly not very
important. See if you can find them.
IF YOU HAVE EVER USED MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER
1) Shut your computer down, and turn it back on.
2) While your computer is booting keep pressing the [F8] key until you are given an option screen.
3) Choose "Command Prompt Only" (This will take you to true DOS mode.) Windows ME users must use a boot
disk to get into real DOS mode.
4) When your computer is done booting, you will have a C:\> followed by a blinking cursor.
Type this in, hitting enter after each line. (Obviously, don't type the comments in parentheses.)
C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV (Loads smartdrive to speed things up.)
CD\
DELTREE/Y TEMP (This line removes temporary files.)
CD WINDOWS
DELTREE/Y COOKIES (This line removes cookies.)
DELTREE/Y TEMP (This removes temporary files.)
DELTREE/Y HISTORY (This line removes your browsing history.)
DELTREE/Y TEMPOR~1 (This line removes your internet cache.)
(If that last line doesn't work, then type this
CD\WINDOWS\APPLIC~1
DELTREE/Y TEMPOR~1
(If that didn't work, then type this
CD\WINDOWS\LOCALS~1
DELTREE/Y TEMPOR~1
If you have profiles turned on, then it is likely located under \windows\profiles\%user%\, while older
versions of MSIE keep them under \windows\content\.)
FYI, Windows re-creates the index.dat files automatically when you reboot your machine, so don't be
surprised when you see them again. They should at least be cleared of your browsing history.
CLEARING YOUR REGISTRY
It was once believed that the registry is the central database of Windows that stores and maintains the
OS configuration information. Well, this is wrong. Apparently, it also maintains a bunch of other
information that has absolutely nothing to do with the configuration. I won't get into the other
stuff, but for one, your typed URLs are stored in the registry.
HKEY_USERS/Default/Software/Microsoft/Internet Explorer/TypedURLs/
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Internet Explorer/TypedURLs/
These "Typed URLs" come from MSIE's autocomplete feature. It records all URLs that you've typed in manually
in order to save you some time filling out the address field.
SLACK FILES
As you may already know, deleting files only deletes the references to them. They are in fact still sitting
there on your HD and can still be recovered by a very motivated person.
Use window washer to delete slack files. /http://www.webroot.com/download/0506/reg3ww.exe
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE THROUGH YOUR HIDDEN FILES
The most important files to be paying attention to are your "index.dat" files. These are database files
that reference your history, cache and cookies. The first thing you should know is that the index.dat files
is that they don't exist in less you know they do. They second thing you should know about them is that
some will *not* get cleared after deleting your history and cache.
To view these files, follow these steps:
In MSIE 5.x, you can skip this first step by opening MSIE and going to Tools > Internet Options > [Settings] > [View Files].
Now write down the names of your alphanumeric folders on a piece of paper. If you can't see any alphanumeric
folders then start with step 1 here:
1) First, drop to a DOS box and type this at prompt (in all lower-case). It will bring up Windows Explorer
under the correct directory.
c:\windows\explorer /e,c:\windows\tempor~1\content.ie5\
You see all those alphanumeric names listed under "content.ie5?" (left-hand side.) That's Microsoft's
idea of making this project as hard as possible. Actually, these are your alphanumeric folders that was
created to keep your cache. Write these names down on a piece of paper. (They should look something like
this: 6YQ2GSWF, QRM7KL3F, U7YHQKI4, 7YMZ516U, etc.) If you click on any of the alphanumeric folders then
nothing will be displayed. Not because there aren't any files here, but because Windows Explorer has lied
to you. If you want to view the contents of these alphanumeric folders you will have to do so in DOS.
2) Then you must restart in MS-DOS mode. (Start > Shutdown > Restart in MS-DOS mode. ME users use a
bootdisk.)
Note that you must restart to DOS because windows has locked down some of the files and they can only be
accessed in real DOS mode.
3) Type this in at prompt:
CD\WINDOWS\TEMPOR~1\CONTENT.IE5
CD %alphanumeric%
(replace the "%alphanumeric%" with the first name that you just wrote down.)
DIR/P
The cache files you are now looking at are directly responsible for the mysterious erosion of HD space
you may have been noticing.
5) Type this in:
CD\WINDOWS\TEMPOR~1\CONTENT.IE5
EDIT /75 INDEX.DAT
You will be brought to a blue screen with a bunch of binary.
6) Press and hold the [Page Down] button until you start seeing lists of URLs. These are all the sites
that you've ever visited as well as a brief description of each. You'll notice it records everything
ou've searched for in a search engine in plain text, in addition to the URL.
7) When you get done searching around you can go to File > Exit. If you don't have mouse support in DOS
then use the [ALT] and arrow keys.
Next you'll probably want to erase these files by typing this:
C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV
CD\WINDOWS
DELTREE/Y TEMPOR~1
(replace "cd\windows" with the location of your TIF folder if different.)
9) Then check out the contents of your History folder by typing this:
CD\WINDOWS\HISTORY\HISTORY.IE5
EDIT /75 INDEX.DAT
You will be brought to a blue screen with more binary.
10) Press and hold the [Page Down] button until you start seeing lists of URLS again.
This is another database of the sites you've visited.
11) And if you're still with me, type this:
CD\WINDOWS\HISTORY
12) If you see any mmXXXX.dat files here then check them out (and delete them.) Then:
CD\WINDOWS\HISTORY\HISTORY.IE5
CD MSHIST~1
EDIT /75 INDEX.DAT
More URLs from your internet history. Note, there are probably other mshist~x folders here so you can
repeat these steps for every occurence if you please.
13) By now, you'll probably want to type in this:
CD\WINDOWS
DELTREE/Y HISTORY
HOW MICROSOFT DOES IT
How does Microsoft make these folders/files invisible to DOS?
The only thing Microsoft had to do to make the folders/files invisible to a directory listing is to
set them +s[ystem]. That's it.
So how does Microsoft make these folders/files invisible to Windows Explorer?
The "desktop.ini" is a standard text file that can be added to any folder to customize certain aspects of
the folder's behavior. In these cases, Microsoft utilized the desktop.ini file to make these files
invisible. Invisible to Windows Explorer and even to the "Find: Files or Folders" utility. All that
Microsoft had to do was create a desktop.ini file with certain CLSID tags and the folders would disappear
like magic.
To show you exactly what's going on:
Found in the c:\windows\temporary internet files\desktop.ini and
the c:\windows\temporary internet files\content.ie5\desktop.ini is this text:
[.ShellClassInfo]
UICLSID={7BD29E00-76C1-11CF-9DD0-00A0C9034933}
Found in the c:\windows\history\desktop.ini and the c:\windows\history\history.ie5\desktop.ini is this text:
[.ShellClassInfo]
UICLSID={7BD29E00-76C1-11CF-9DD0-00A0C9034933}
CLSID={FF393560-C2A7-11CF-BFF4-444553540000}
The UICLSID line cloaks the folder in Windows Explorer. The CLSID line disables the "Find" utility
from searching through the folder.
To see for yourself, you can simply erase the desktop.ini files. You'll see that it will instantly give
Windows Explorer proper viewing functionality again, and the "Find" utility proper searching capabilities
again. Problem solved right? Actually, no. As it turns out, the desktop.ini files get reconstructed every
single time you restart your computer. Nice one, Slick.
Luckily there is a loophole which will keep Windows from hiding these folders. You can manually edit the
desktop.ini's and remove everything except for the "[.ShellClassInfo]" line. This will trick windows into
thinking they have still covered their tracks, and wininet won't think to reconstruct them.
