Relationship Secrets

ANNIVERSARIES:
Always celebrate! Whether it's the 1st or the 50th, each year together is a triumph.

APPRECIATION:
Let each other know how much you appreciate each other. You may already know but hearing it from each other is always better.

BEST FRIENDS:
Be best friends preferably before being boyfriend-girlfrien d. Take time to know each other so the relationship will be a deep one. Tell each other about your crushes, dreams and problems. Make sure he/she is your best friend before getting engaged. The strong bond of friendship will help you both survive tough times.

BOND:
Make it a point to spend time together often but leave room for each other. Also spend time alone w/ each other, so that at the end of the day you could both share your experiences. This way, you stay interesting with your partner.

CHANGING EACH OTHER:
Don't marry an as...le, j.... or a bi.... (an unsuitable person) You'll never change each other.

COMPLIMENTS:
Always compliment each other. This will prevent feelings of resentment & thinking that one is being taken for granted.

DATE:
Keep doings things that you both enjoy, do them together. Make time & continue to date to keep the romance - look good, smell good to maintain physical attraction

DIFFERENCES:
Celebrate differences. Never force your ideologies down each other's throat. Give up trying to turn your partner into you. Accept differences, appreciate them.

FIGHTS:
Fight w/the aim to resolve the issue. Don't outdo each other. The longer you extend the fight. The more chances that you'll say something hurtful that you don't really mean. As mad as you were w/ your partner, he/she is still the person who laughs at your jokes & thinks you're hot. Hear each other out, don't dig up old issues. Choose your battles. Make sure the fight will be worth it & that something will change in the relationship as a result of the fight.

FLAWS:
Know that the perfect person does not exist. Know that just as there are things that you love about him/her, there will be things that will make you go crazy. We are only human with our own flaws.

FUN:
Have fun together! This means keeping the fun & spontaneity that was there in the early days.
Allow yourselves to get silly - shower together, pee w/the door open etc. Being able to make each other laugh & see the lighter, crazier, absurd side is the best way to get through all the differences in personalities, adjustments in lifestyle & opposing viewpoints.

GOALS:
Make sure you have similar goals. It would be difficult to keep your bond intact if your views are complete opposite.

GRUDGES:
Quit tabulating grudges. Let it off. Discuss it, then trash it, don't recycle it.

KEEPING IT HOT:
Keep it hot by traveling to diff. places together. A new setting will do wonders. Always have skin contact - be it holding hands, a massage or just plain leg rubbing.

HONESTY:
Don't lie or hide things. The problem will only get bigger.

KNOW EACH OTHER:
Learn each other's interest. It really keeps the conversation flowing!

HUG:
A hug can be far better more intimate than a kiss.

IDENTITY:
Don't lose your personality - that's why he/she fell in love w/you. Have separate interest & activities to keep your individual, & to be able to contribute more to the relationship.

INDEPENDENCE:
Having your own income means you're the boss in your life.

IN-LAWS:
Make rooms for the in-laws.

INTENTIONS:
Wish each other well. Don't wish each other worst

ISSUES:
Speak up about the awkward stuff now,like money & sex. The earlier, the better.

LISTEN:
Listen, listen, listen. Hear each other out especially during arguments.

LOOK GOOD:
Mind your appearance! Stay fit & healthy for each other.

LOVE:
It all boils down to your love, chemistry & respect for each other.

MEMORIES:
Remind each other of the old days. Do something that you used to do for each other before. It may even be corny but it made you two together. Experience new things together- from dining into a new restaurant to experiencing street food together to exploring to new places. It's the little surprises that make great memories.

MIND READING:
No matter how long you've been together, do not think that you can read each other's mind.

NEEDS:
Be good to yourself, then be good to your partner. That's what love is all about. Think about your partner. Will it make him/her happy? Will she/he enjoy it? Consider each other's feelings. Be very attentive & sensitive to each other's needs, physically & emotionally, that way your partner learns to do the same for you. Never take your partner for granted.

PRIORITIES:
If one says it's important, then it is! Prioritize each other among other things!

SPACE:
Give each other space. Have dates with your girlfriends, have your boy's night out. If you can't trust each other with this, then don't get married.

SORRY:
Say sorry when you're wrong.

SURPRISES:
No matter how long you've known each other, be open to surprises, both good or bad.

TEAMWORK:
Think for two & always work as a team. Consult each other before making a decision because everything will always affect both of you. Strengthen couple power. In many ways, we have to decide based on what is best for the relationship in favor of our individual selves.

SUPPORT:
Support each other's dream. Be willing to follow your passions, support your partner in his/her decisions & create new ones together. Two heads are better than one.

TALK:
Tell each other's stories. Life goes by so fast & its easy to see how easily couple can grow apart. Whenever something funny, scary, exciting or juicy happened to you or to someone you know, tell each other about it & have your partner do the same. Keep each other in the loop of life, even by email if you have to.

Three of the best stories I came across

Three of the best stories I came across

We learn a lot through our experiences in life.
The following 3 examples of TURTLES, FROGS and THE PRETTY LADY teach us some lesson.
Enjoy reading the same and do ponder over them.

**********

The Turtles

A turtle family decided to go on a picnic. The turtles, being naturally slow about things, took seven years to prepare for their outing. Finally the turtle family left home looking for a suitable place. During the second year of their journey they found a place ideal for them at last!

For about six months they cleaned the area, unpacked the picnic basket, and completed the arrangements. Then they discovered they had forgotten the salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster, they all agreed. After a lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve the salt from home. Although he was the fastest of the slow moving turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled in his shell. He agreed to go on one condition: that no one would eat until he returned. The family consented and the little turtle left.

Three years passed and the little turtle had not returned. Five years...six years... then on the seventh year of his absence, the oldest turtle could no longer contain his hunger. He announced that he was going to eat and begun to unwrap a sandwich. At that point the little turtle suddenly popped out from behind a tree shouting, 'See! I knew you wouldn't wait. Now I am not going to go get the salt.'

[Some of us waste our time waiting for people to live up to our expectations. We are so concerned about what others are doing that we do not do anything ourselves.]

***********

The Frogs

A farmer came into town and asked the owner of a restaurant if he could use a million frog legs. The restaurant owner was shocked and asked the man where he could get so many frog legs! The farmer replied, 'There is a pond near my house that is full of frogs - millions of them. They all croak all night long and they are about to make me crazy!' So the restaurant owner and the farmer made an agreement that the farmer would deliver frogs to the restaurant, five hundred at a time for the next several weeks.

The first week, the farmer returned to the restaurant looking rather sheepish, with two scrawny little frogs. The restaurant owner said, 'Well... where are all the frogs?' The farmer said, 'I was mistaken. There were only these two frogs in the pond. But they sure were making a lot of noise!'

[ Next time you hear somebody criticizing or making fun of you, remember, it's probably just a couple of noisy frogs. Also remember that problems always seem bigger in the dark. Have you ever laid in your bed at night worrying about things which seem almost overwhelming like a million frogs croaking? Chances are pretty good that when the morning comes, and you take a closer look, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.]

***********

The Pretty Lady

Once upon a time a big monk and a little monk were traveling together. They came to the bank of a river and found the bridge was damaged. They had to wade across the river. There was a pretty lady who was stuck at the damaged bridge and couldn't cross the river. The big monk offered to carry her across the river on his back. The lady accepted. The little monk was shocked by the move of the big monk. 'How can big brother carry a lady when we are supposed to avoid all intimacy with females?' thought the little monk. But he kept quiet... The big monk carried the lady across the river and the small monk followed unhappily. When they crossed the river, the big monk let the lady down and they parted ways with her. All along the way for several miles, the little monk was very unhappy with the act of the big monk. He was making up all kinds of accusations about big monk in his head. This got him madder and madder. But he still kept quiet. And the big monk had no inclination to explain his situation. Finally, at a rest point many hours later, the little monk could not stand it any further, he burst out angrily at the big monk. 'How can you claim yourself a devout monk, when you seize the first opportunity to touch a female, especially when she is very pretty? All your teachings to me make you a big hypocrite The big monk looked surprised and said, 'I had put down the pretty lady at the river bank many hours ago, how come you are still carrying her along?'

[This very old Chinese Zen story reflects the thinking of many people today. We encounter many unpleasant things in our life, they irritate us and they make us angry. Sometimes, they cause us a lot of hurt, sometimes they cause us to be bitter or jealous .. But like the little monk, we are not willing to let them go away.We keep on carrying the baggage of the 'pretty lady' with us. We let them keep on coming back to hurt us, make us angry, make us bitter and cause us a lot of agony. Why? Simply because we are not willing to put down or let go of the baggage of the 'pretty lady'. We should let go of the pretty lady immediately after crossing the river. This will immediately remove all our agonies. There is no need to be further hurt by the unpleasant event after it is over.]

Did you know this? AMAZING TO FIND

Amazing Information. Hard to Find

1. MOPED is the short term for 'Motorized Pedaling'.

2. POP MUSIC is 'Popular Music' shortened.

3. BUS is the short term for 'Omnibus' that means everybody.

4. FORTNIGHT comes from 'Fourteen Nights' (Two Weeks).

5. DRAWING ROOM was actually a 'withdrawing room' where people withdrew after Dinner. Later the prefix 'with' was dropped..

6. NEWS refers to information from Four directions N, E, W and S..

7. AG-MARK, which some products bear, stems from 'Agricultural Marketing'.

8. JOURNAL is a diary that tells about 'Journey for a day' during each Day's business.

9. QUEUE comes from 'Queen's Quest'. Long back a long row of people as waiting to see the Queen. Someone made the comment Queen's Quest..

10. TIPS come from 'To Insure Prompt Service'. In olden days to get Prompt service from servants in an inn, travelers used to drop coins in a Box on which was written 'To Insure Prompt Service'. This gave rise to the custom of Tips.

11. JEEP is a vehicle with unique Gear system. It was invented during World War II (1939-1945). It was named 'General Purpose Vehicle (GP)'.GP was changed into JEEP later.

12. Coca-Cola was originally green.

13. The most common name in the world is Mohammed..

14. The name of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with.

15. The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.

16. TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row ! of the keyboard.

17. Women blink nearly twice as much as men!!

18. You can't kill yourself by holding your breath.

19. It is impossible to lick your elbow.

20. People say "Bless you" when you sneeze because when you sneeze, your heart stops for a millisecond.

21. It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky.

22. The "sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language.

23. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history.
>> Spades - King David
>> Clubs - Alexander the Great,
>> Hearts - Charlemagne
>> Diamonds - Julius Caesar.

24. Horse Statue in a Park…
>> If a statue of a person in the park on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle.
>> If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle
>> If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

25. What do bullet proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers all have in common? Ans. - All invented by women.

26. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.

27. A snail can sleep for three years.

28. All polar bears are left handed.

29. Butterflies taste with their feet.

30. Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.

31. In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

32. On average, people fear spiders more than they do death.

33. Shakespeare invented the word 'assassination' and 'bump'.

34. Stewardesses is the longest word typed with only the left hand.

35. The ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.

36. The electric chair was invented by a dentist.

37. The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.

38. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over million descendants.

39. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.

40. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die.

41. The cigarette lighter was invented before the matchbox.

42. Most lipstick contains fish scales.

Ramzan Kareem

Is your PC working Slow? Tips

Or at least, slower than normal? Don’t quite know what’s wrong?

OK, let’s see if we can help. Most people immediately think “Malware” at this point. But that’s not always the case. Yes, some malware does indeed slow down your system and use up precious resources. But there are other possible causes as well, so let’s explore some of these, and look at some ideas to help.

Is your PC clean?

And by that I mean – is it free from dust and dirt? Dust and dirt builds up inside a computer and this can affect your cooling fans, reducing the amount of airflow. Reduced airflow can cause your processor to overheat resulting in slow operation or even unexpected shutdowns. Many of today’s processors have the ability to “throttle back” (slow down) if the core temperature reaches a certain threshold. Cleaning the inside of your system is relatively easy – you just need to take some sensible precautions.

Clear out your Temp files.

Why? Well temp files can build up over time and eat into your precious disk space. When you install programmes, the installer uses temp (temporary) files as part of the set up process. Some programmes also use temp files when in use. These temp files should be removed when the installer or programme is finished, but this does not always happen. And, of course, your browser will collect temp files as well. A build up of temp files could leave Windows struggling to find room for its swap file (see below) – so everything slows down.

How do you clean out temp files? There are two easy ways – manually or by using a proprietary cleaning programme. Note that the cleaning programmes will often offer the option to clear out Temporary files created by your browser.

Manually (XP & Vista) – Firstly, exit all programmes, including browsers and AVs. Go to Start > Run and type %Temp% in the Run box and click OK. A folder will appear – it will contain temp files and temp folders. If you want to delete everything, press Ctrl+A (to select all) and then press the delete key. If you want to keep any files then hold down the Ctrl key and left click the file or folder. Then press the delete key. Click OK to confirm deletion. Once done, remember to go to your Recycle Bin and empty the bin.

Any old programmes?

Do you still have some old programmes installed? When did you last use them? Remember that ‘trial’ software you installed? Has the trial period expired? Could you perhaps uninstall it (assuming you have the original installation disks)? Uninstalling such programmes will help free vital disk space. Oh, always re-boot after uninstalling – it helps to clear away the final remnants of an uninstalled programme.

Are you using unnecessary programmes?

By this I mean some of the numerous “enhancement” programmes available, that, while they may make your desktop look terribly exciting, are actually eating up precious resources. Things like third party screensavers and fancy wallpapers, Windows Taskbar replacements, WindowBlinds, Actual Transparent Window, XP Visual Styles, Stardock Theme Manager and so on. Nothing wrong with using them – they are all respected legitimate applications – but they may be contributing towards the slow down of your system.

Reduce the number of programmes loading at start up

Many applications insist on starting either the complete programme or a component of the programme whenever Windows starts. Many of these start ups are unnecessary and can be stopped. A good way to review the number of start up programmes is by using a start up manager utility, such as Spybot Search & Destroy, StartUpLite or Autoruns. In Spybot, you’ll need to click Mode > Advanced to ensure you have access to the Tools section, then select System Startup in the left pane. A list of programmes that start when you boot up will be displayed in the right pane. You simply uncheck the ones you don’t need.

StartUpLite is very easy – just download the small file and double click StartUpLite.exe. A box appears showing programmes that don’t need to startup at boot. Choose whichever options you prefer and click Continue.

Autoruns gives you similar information, although presented in a slightly different way, and with more detail. Again, you simply uncheck a box beside the entry you wish to disable.

Remember to research a start up if you are not sure what it is – some of the entries that may appear and which can safely be disabled are things like Update Schedule entries for Adobe Acrobat, Sun Java, QuickTime and so on. If in doubt, post in our Forums, choosing the Forum that’s relevant to your Operating System.

Note: You should NOT use MSConfig to permanently disable programmes from automatically starting at boot up. This utility is meant as a trouble-shooter – not a long term solution. If you uninstall a programme that has already been disabled using MSConfig, then it’s likely there will be orphaned Registry entries left behind. These could cause potential problems when trying to start your system. Use one of the start up managers mentioned above.

Do you have enough RAM?

Lack of memory can be a real issue, especially with today’s high performance machines and Operating Systems (OS). If you’re using Windows (and let’s face it, most of us are) then you need to ensure you have the appropriate amount of RAM for your system. Microsoft list “minimum requirements” with each OS – but they are in the business of selling software. That’s why their “minimum requirements” are always at the lower end of the scale. There are numerous sites around that will advise you need “x” amount for XP and “y” amount for Vista. As a general rule, Vista works well with 2GB and XP with 1GB. You can use more, of course, but as a minimum these figures are accurate.

If you don’t have very much RAM, what happens? Well, Windows loads programmes into memory to allow fast access. When it has no more memory left, it will start using your hard disk. This is much slower than using RAM, so your programmes will appear to run more slowly. The part of the hard disk used by Windows is called a swap file. So, a lack of RAM can also eat into your hard disk space as well.

RAM is not terribly expensive at the moment, so it makes sense to upgrade. You can find out what type of RAM you need by downloading PCWizard – a system analyser (it’s free!) or going to one of the manufacturer’s sites such as Crucial and using their memory advisor tool. Once you know the type of RAM you need, there are plenty of online stores to choose from.

Defrag your hard disk

Over a period of time, data written to your hard disk becomes fragmented or scattered all over the disk. This makes it harder for the system to find the data it needs. By defragging your disk, or putting the data in a more logical sequence, your system performance will improve. NOTE: Windows will not let you defrag a drive if there is less than 15% free space available. Keep an eye on your free space!

You could use a defragging utility such as Sysinternals PageDefrag – this is free and easy to use.

What about my swap file?

You can change the settings on your swap file to allow Windows to have more disk space to play with. This disk space is also known as Virtual Memory. For a 32 bit Operating System (which most users will have) set any amount up to a maximum of 4Gb. Try and at least match the amount of RAM in your system. Of course, you will need to have enough free disk space for this swap file.

Does your hard disk contain errors?

A hard disk will not last forever. Even a new hard disk can have problems. However, many problems can be fixed, simply by running a Windows utility called ChkDsk. This will scan your hard disk and repair any file system errors while verifying the integrity of the drive. Guides from Microsoft on using ChkDsk can be found.

Do your System Files contain errors?

Sometimes critical system files may become damaged or corrupt. This will obviously affect your computer’s performance. However, Windows has the ability to replace any damaged files on its own – this facility is called Windows File Protection. It can be started manually by typing a simple command into the Run box - sfc /scannow. This command immediately starts the Windows File Protection utility and it then checks and scans all system files to ensure their integrity.

For users with a pre-installed version of XP, sfc may ask you for your Windows CD in order to copy the relevant files. If you don’t have a Windows CD or if sfc cannot find the files it needs, please refer to Marc Liron’s article below.

For users who installed Service Pack 2 for XP by downloading from the internet, sfc may ask you for an XP SP2 CD – which you won’t have. You may need to create a slipstreamed CD to ensure sfc works correctly. Slipstreaming is simply a way of incorporating SP2 into your Windows installation – you create a new disk with Windows and SP2 all in one. Guides to slipstreaming can be found here and here, and a useful programme called Autostreamer, which does most of the work for you, can be downloaded here.

A detailed guide to using Windows File Protection with XP can be found here – it’s written by Microsoft MVP Marc Liron.


Note that Windows File Protection in Vista is now called Windows Resource Protection which, as well as protecting critical files, also protects the Registry. However, the basic principles are the same. To run the sfc command in Vista, you must be logged in as an Administrator.

Stopping unnecessary services

Windows generally comes with a raft of running services, many of which are not really required. You can safely stop some of these services and improve the boot time and speed of your system. Many installed programmes make themselves start up as soon as you boot the PC. They just run in the background, even although you don’t actually use them. Usually these programmes can be stopped from automatically loading – if you need to start them, you can do this manually.

One service that often causes a system to slow down is the Indexing Service – this can be turned off

Anti Virus Programmes

Never use more than one Anti Virus. Although it might sound like a great idea to run two or more, in reality it’s not. AVs usually have a ‘real time’ monitor that helps protect your system. This monitor will want to have a look at any file that changes or has been added to the system. If you have 2 AVs then every time one looks at a file, the other AV will think that file has changed so it will want to take a look as well. Now the second AV thinks that file has changed so it wants another look. So, of course, the first AV thinks that file has changed….you get the idea. You could end up with an unstable system, a really slow system or unexplained crashes.

Six steps to protect your computer

Six steps to protect your computer

1. Turn on automatic updates. After installing your operating system, you usually forget to pay attention on operating system updates. If your operating system is not updated for protection against loopholes and security threats found after you installed it, your computer may be vulnerable to outside world. Hackers can get access to your computer by using these loopholes and they can do anything with your computer. So, to keep you safe, turn on automatic updates. When automatic updates are turned on your operating system is updated frequently and you will be safe from unwanted trouble. You can turn on automatic updates from Control Panel => Security Center => Automatic Updates. You must be logged in as Administrator to change this setting.

2. Turn on Windows Firewall. Windows Firewall is a barrier between your computer and outside internet. It protects you by filtering incoming and outgoing traffic and allows only trusted programs to communicate through internet. You can turn on Windows Firewall from Control Panel => Windows Firewall. You must be logged in as Administrator to change this setting.

3. Install good anti-virus software. Anti-virus software protects your computer from viruses that can damage your computer. Only installing anti-virus software is not enough. Your anti-virus software must be updated regularly with latest virus definition database, as new viruses are found daily.

4. Run windows in a restricted mode. When you log in using a limited account, you are protecting your computer from various threats, as limited account runs in restricted mode and can not damage your computer by changing system files or registry. In fact, limited account can not install new programs and can not write to system files or registry, thus making you safe from unwanted programs which gets installed automatically from internet without your knowledge. Log in as Administrator only when you want to do some maintenance work or install new programs.

5. Do NOT click on untrusted links. You should not click any link received in your email, unless you trust the sender. If you click on this untrusted links, it can take you to fake websites and can steal your user name, password, credit card details, or can install unwanted programs without your knowledge. Instead of clicking on the link you received in your email, copy the link address and paste it in a new browser window. Before writing your user name, password, credit card and any other personal details, recheck the domain name in address bar.

6. Do NOT write in pop up windows. You should write your user name, password, credit card and any other personal details in main window only. If during your work, any pop up window opens asking your password or credit card details, close it immediately. DO NOT write your personal information in any pop up window.

Earth sends 25,000 messages to aliens!

Earth sends 25,000 messages to aliens!


The Tidbinbilla Deep Space Communication Complex outside Canberra, Australia, has sent out more than 25,000 messages to Gliese 581d, the nearest Earth-like planet outside our solar system, which might host life.


The messages have come from 195 countries including some from places such as the Vatican city, Antarctica and Kosovo. Each message, a maximum of 160 characters long, was collated on a website called "Friends from Earth" and all 25,880 messages were beamed together in a giant twitter-like message that took two hours to send.

Their target is the nearest Earth-like planet outside our solar system, called Gliese 581d, which is 20.3 light years away.

Travelling at the speed of light, or 300,000km per second, it will take 20.3 years for the messages to reach the planet and just as long for a response back to Earth.

The antenna used to transit was beaming to 302 gigawatts or the equivalent energy of 302 billion mobile phones or every person on earth sending 50 texts at one time.

Scientists believe that as Gliese 581d is four planets away from its own sun, also named Gliese 581, the conditions make it possible to contain life.

"People are really excited about Gliese 581d because they think it might have life," Hello from Earth project manager Wilson da Silva told the gathering in Canberra moments before the transmission.

"We don't actually know if there's life on Gliese 581d, but what we do know is that it has the conditions for life, we don't know that it has a technical civilization that could actually receive the signal we're transmitting," he said.

According to Da Silva, while some of the messages were considered inappropriate to send, others were heart-felt, like that from Aboriginal astronomer Yidumduma Bill Harney from the Wardaman people near Katherine, which read, "Our dream, we're telling to them young kids. We're talking all this dream for the future".

Windows XP USB Edition

Ts is a miniature version of Windows XP. Just enough to get your computer up and running so you can restore from backup, access your files, or do whatever you have to do.

http://rapidshare.com/files/118511727/W ... on.rar.001

http://rapidshare.com/files/118511706/W ... on.rar.002

Interesting Computer Facts

1. 80% of all pictures on the internet are of naked women


2. Another name for a Microsoft Windows tutorial is 'Crash Course'!


3. Bill Gates' house was designed using a Macintosh computer.


4. By the year 2012 there will be approximately 17 billion devices connected to the Internet.


5. Domain names are being registered at a rate of more than one million names every month.


6. E-mail has been around longer than the World Wide Web.


7. For every 'normal' webpage, there are five porn pages.


8. In the 1980s, an IBM computer wasn't considered 100 percent compatible unless it could run Microsoft Flight Simulator*.


9. MySpace reports over 110 million registered users. Were it a country, it would be the tenth largest, just behind Mexico.


10. One of every 8 married couples in the US last year met online.


11. The average 21 year old has spent 5,000 hours playing video games, has exchanged 250,000 e-mails, instant and text messages and has spent 10,000 hours on the mobile phone.


12. The average computer user blinks 7 times a minute, less than half the normal rate of 20.


13. The first banner advertising was used in 1994.


14. The first computer mouse was invented by Doug Engelbart in around 1964 and was made of wood.


15. The first domain name ever registered was Symbolics.com.


0 16. The world's first computer, called the Z1, was invented by Konrad Zuse in 1936. His next invention, the Z2 was finished in 1939 and was the first fully functioning electro-mechanical computer.


17. There are approximately 1,319,872,109 people on the Internet.


18. There are approximately 1.06 billion instant messaging accounts worldwide.


19. While it took the radio 38 years, and the television a short 13 years, it took the World Wide Web only 4 years to reach 50 million users.

Financial Terms (RBI India)

What is the Monetary Policy?

The Monetary and Credit Policy is the policy statement, traditionally announced twice a year, through which the Reserve Bank of India seeks to ensure price stability for the economy.

These factors include - money supply, interest rates and the inflation. In banking and economic terms money supply is referred to as M3 - which indicates the level (stock) of legal currency in the economy.

Besides, RBI also announces norms for the banking and financial sector and the institutions which are governed by it. These would be banks, financial institutions, non-banking financial institutions, Nidhis and primary dealers (money markets) and dealers in the foreign exchange (forex) market.

What do the terms CRR and SLR mean?

CRR, or cash reserve ratio, refers to a portion of deposits (as cash) which banks have to keep/maintain with the RBI.

Besides the CRR, banks are required to invest a portion of their deposits in government securities as a part of their statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) requirements.

What impact does a cut in CRR have on interest rates?

From time to time, RBI prescribes a CRR or the minimum amount of cash that banks have to maintain with it. The CRR is fixed as a percentage of total deposits. As more money chases the same number of borrowers, interest rates come down.

Some Monetary Policy terms:

Bank Rate

Bank rate is the minimum rate at which the central bank provides loans to the commercial banks. It is also called the discount rate.

Usually, an increase in bank rate results in commercial banks increasing their lending rates. Changes in bank rate affect credit creation by banks through altering the cost of credit.

Cash Reserve Ratio

All commercial banks are required to keep a certain amount of its deposits in cash with RBI. This percentage is called the cash reserve ratio. The current CRR requirement is 8 per cent.

Money Supply (M3)

This refers to the total volume of money circulating in the economy, and conventionally comprises currency with the public and demand deposits (current account + savings account) with the public.

Statutory Liquidity Ratio

Banks in India are required to maintain 25 per cent of their demand and time liabilities in government securities and certain approved securities.

PLR

Prime Lending Rate, minimum rate at which banks lend money to big corporates.


Repo

A repurchase agreement or ready forward deal is a secured short-term (usually 15 days) loan by one bank to another against government securities.

Legally, the borrower sells the securities to the lending bank for cash, with the stipulation that at the end of the borrowing term, it will buy back the securities at a slightly higher price, the difference in price representing the interest

World's first 256GB USB flash drive!

World's first 256GB USB flash drive!

Kingston Technology Europe announced the launch of the world's first 256GB USB flash drive, the DataTraveler 300.



The DataTraveler 300 will enable users to carry huge volumes of data with them everywhere they go – up to 365 CDs for example," said Kirsty Miller, product marketing manager – consumer, Kingston Technology Europe.




It is built to order only; customers who wish to purchase the drive can place an order with resellers and e-tailers.


Specifications:
Capacity: 256 GB
Speed: Data transfer rates of up to 20 MB/sec read and 10 MB/sec write
Includes Password Traveler security software for Windows
Does not require administrator rights to access the privacy zone
Dimensions: 2.78" x 0.67" x 0.87" (70.68 mm x 16.90 mm x 21.99 mm)
Operating temperature: 0 to 60 degree Celsius
Storage temperature: -20 to 85 degree Celsius
Enhanced for Windows ReadyBoost on Vista-based systems
Price:- £565.67 excluding VAT.

How to Be More Productive While Working From Home

When you work from home, it's normally considered to be a good situation. You don't have to start real early if you don't want to. You don't have to dress up. You don't have to commute wasting all that time and gas money. While these are nice, sometimes it's easy to be distracted at home. Find out what you need to be doing that will help you be more productive while you are working at home.

The first thing that you need to do is to limit your distractions from your family. It will be very easy for your spouse or children to want to be around you, talk to you, play with you, and interact with you since you are there. You need to try to set boundaries so that you can actually get some work done.

Have a starting point for the day and an ending point. While you are free to work whenever you want, it's still a good practice to have times where you will be working. This will help you stay focused and get more done.

Write down a list of tasks that need to be done. This is best done the night before. This way you can wake up and be ready to get started on this task list. You won't be sitting there wondering what you need to work on.

Avoid television as this can become a huge problem. Many working at home will start to watch television and get sucked into it. Before you know it an hour or two of your time is gone. Don't do this.

Try to be as comfortable as possible while you are working. Wear comfortable clothes and have a chair that will keep you alert. This will help you have less fatigue during the day.

Keep all your errands together. If you have a work related errand, try to tie in your home errands as well so these can be done in one big trip. This will save you some time giving you a bit more time that you could be working.

Limit your phone and talk time. Many will walk to talk to you since they think that you are available. Do your best to limit this as much as possible. Set the tone that you will be working else unproductive patterns will form.

Solar Power is Here to Stay

What would it take to convince you that solar power is the energy of the future? If you ever watch the news then it is completely obvious that we need alternative sources of energy that are renewable. Thankfully we have access to alternative energy sources that will never run out and can supply the earth with more than enough energy.

As the availability of these sources grows, so does our future use, which means we are heading in the right direction for many reasons. But how will our use of the sun's energy affect our pocketbooks? What I mean to say is how much will solar power cost us? Since sunshine is free, after everything is installed solar power cost should be nothing.

This assumption is true, but it does not account for the fact that installation is very expensive. Unfortunately solar panels have to be installed before you can reap the benefits, go figure. Solar panels are definitely a good investment, but most people want the panels to pay for themselves within a few years. This is very hard to accomplish within a few years if you have a professional installation done. The cost of installation can vary quite a bit but the low end is somewhere around $10,000.

For some people this is a reasonable investment, but for most of us this is too much money to spend all at once and have it take many years for this investment to pay us back. Thankfully professional installation isn't the only option. The best way to reduce solar power cost is to do it yourself. This would have been impossible a few years ago, but today almost anyone can do it.

With a professional DIY kit anyone can follow the step by step instructions and build their own solar panels. These kits are made in a way that everyone can understand them and many of them even have videos.

For under $300 you can purchase a kit and the materials needed to make a solar panel. That is such an awesome price, its the best way I have found to reduce solar power cost. You have to be careful what kit you buy because there is some real junk out there. Many internet products are very good, but some are not and you don't want to waste your money like I did.

The first kit I bought was complete crap and if I would have stopped there I never would have learned so much about solar power or made my own solar panels. With the right kit if I can do it I know that you can do it. Its really that easy

The Republic Day Parade in China