Using Action Center and Activating Windows

Windows 7 has a redesigned desktop with many additional customization options. By default, when you log on, the operating system displays an Action Center summary icon in the notification area. This icon has a flag with a red circle with an X in it. Action Center is a program that monitors the status of important security and maintenance areas. If the status of a monitored item changes, Action Center updates the notification icon as appropriate for the severity of the alert. If you move the mouse pointer over this icon, you see a summary of all alerts. If you click this icon, Windows displays a dialog box with a summary listing of each alert or action item that needs your attention. Click an alert or action item link to open your default Web browser and display a possible solution. Click the Open Action Center link to display the Action Center.

If you�ve disabled Action Center notifications on the taskbar, you can start Action Center by following these steps:
1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. In Control Panel, click the System And Security category heading link.
3. Click Action Center.

Action Center provides an overview of the computer�s status and lists any issues that need to be resolved. If a problem has a solution, you can view the solution by clicking the View Problem Response button. For example, if a computer is experiencing a problem with the Intel Active Management Technology and this problem can be resolved by installing a newer driver, clicking View Problem Response displays a page providing more information about the problem and a link to download and install the latest driver. When you�ve resolved a problem, you can elect to archive the message for future reference by selecting the Archive This Message check box before you click OK to close the More Information page.

In Action Center�s left pane, you have options for performing the following tasks:

� Change action Center Settings When you click this option, you can turn alert messages on or off. Alert messages are divided into two categories: security and maintenance. Security alerts you can turn on or off include those related to Windows Update, Internet security settings, the network firewall, spyware and related programs, User Account Control, and virus programs. Maintenance alerts you can turn on or off include those related to Windows Backup, checking for updates, and Windows troubleshooting. Quick links are provided to allow you to configure settings for the Customer Experience Improvement Program, problem reporting, and Windows Update.

� Change User account Control Settings When you click this option, you can modify the way User Account Control works. Select Always Notify to always notify the current user when programs try to install software or make changes to the computer and when the user changes Windows settings. Select Default to notify the current user only when programs try to make changes to the computer and not when the user changes Windows settings. Selecting the Notify Me Only When � (Do Not Dim My Desktop) option works the same as the default setting but prevents User Account Control from switching to the secure desktop. Select Never Notify to turn off all User Account Control notification prompts.

� View archived messages Displays messages you archived from Action Center about computer problems.

� View performance information Click this option to view the computer�s performance rating and determine whether there are any issues causing performance problems. The computer�s base score is determined according to the worst performing component. For example, if the computer�s primary hard disk has a slow data-transfer rate, the computer will have a low score in this area, and the base score will reflect this as well. To improve performance, you would need to upgrade the computer�s primary hard disk. If you think the performance rating isn�t accurate, click Re-Run The Assessment to have Windows recheck the computer�s performance.

Windows 7 Professional and Enterprise editions support volume licensing. Although volume-licensed versions of Windows 7 might not require activation or product keys, retail versions of Windows 7 require both activation and product keys. You can determine whether Windows 7 has been activated by clicking Start and then clicking Control Panel. In Control Panel, click System And Security, and then click System. On the System page, read the Windows Activation entry. This entry specifies whether you have activated the operating system. If Windows 7 has not been activated and you are connected to the Internet, select Activate Windows Now under Windows Activation to start the Windows Activation wizard. In the wizard, click Activate Windows Online Now.

Unlike with Windows XP and earlier versions of Windows, the product key provided during installation of Windows 7 can be changed as necessary to stay in compliance with your licensing plan. To change the product key, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. In Control Panel, click System And Security, and then click System.

2. In the System window, under Windows Activation, click Change Product Key.

3. In the Windows Activation window, type the product key and then click Next.

4. If the product key is accepted, you�ll need to reactivate Windows by clicking Activate Windows Online Now. If the product key you provide is not accepted or is for a different edition of Windows 7, you need to provide a valid product key before you can activate Windows.

Source of Information : Microsoft - Windows 7 Administrators Pocket Consultant 2010

Gossip and the Evolution of facebook

Why did our ancestors evolve the ability to use language? According to the gossip theory, it was to form group alliances. This contrasts with the more popular theory that language evolved in order to convey information and also with the view that language is just a side-effect of the evolution of more advanced forms of thinking.

Because our evolutionary ancestors were not as adept at getting food in the forests as other animals around at the time, they were forced to move out into the savannahs to find food. Many explanations have been offered for this, including the fact that our ancestors were not able to digest unripe fruit, while their competitors for food did have this ability. This move to the savannah led to greater predation, since they were out in the open and in better view of predators than they would have been in the forests.

To protect from predation, group sizes had to increase, so that more individuals could fight off or scare away the predators. But with greater group sizes there is a greater need to form alliances. At this point in our evolutionary history, though, grooming, which is both labor-intensive and time-consuming, was the primary means through which alliances among individuals were formed.

In setting out the gossip hypothesis, Robin Dunbar theorizes that once the group size increases to approximately 150, grooming is no longer a viable method of alliance-building because it would require that individuals engage in this activity approximately thirty percent of their waking life, a percentage of time not spent grooming by any presently surviving primates. So, spoken natural language, which could be done with multiple individuals, and was less time-consuming, emerged and replaced grooming as a more efficient means of �social networking.�

It may seem strange that human language evolved not to convey information like �There�s a lion over there,� but to form social bonds for mutual support. But conveying information and forming social alliances are not mutually exclusive: Think of how much present communication, involves completely useless or uninteresting information! Consider �Hi, how are you?,� �Nice day out,� and �Goodbye� as examples. In these cases, as in countless others, not much in the way of valuable information is conveyed by these utterances. However, in terms of forming social alliances, they are often useful, and indeed expected. Also, information may be shared not simply for the usefulness of the information, but to bond the sharer of the information with receiver.

Source of Information : Open Court-Facebook and Philosophy 2010

Facebook - The Privacy Virus

How many times have you heard someone (probably someone over forty) say, �Kids these days don�t care about privacy�? Facebook is their Exhibit A: over four hundred million users and growing, telling the world all sorts of scandalously personal details. And it�s not just keg stands, either. There are things federal law considers so private it�s illegal to ask you about them in a job interview. Age. Sex. Birthplace. Religion. They�re all questions on the first page of the Facebook profile form. Yea, verily, privacy is dead and the kids these days killed it.

It�s a neat theory, except for one inconvenient detail: the actual behavior of Facebook users. If �privacy� is on the list of words nobody uses any more, Facebook users didn�t get the memo. College students spend the wee hours of weekend nights untagging photos of themselves on Facebook, removing the evidence of their drunken revels earlier in the evening. A �Facebook stalker� is a creep, not a contradiction in terms.

In fact, as you look closer and closer, the idea that Facebook is privacy�s tombstone becomes stranger and stranger. If over four hundred million users don�t care about privacy, why are they using a site that allows them to reject friend requests? If they wanted to broadcast every last detail about their lives to everyone everywhere, why don�t you ever see credit card numbers on Facebook profiles? And why did hundreds of thousands of users sign petitions protesting Facebook�s decision to introduce real-time news feeds? For people who allegedly don�t care about privacy, Facebook users sure spend a lot of time worrying about it.

Challenge a Facebook skeptic on the lack of evidence for her claim and she�ll usually retreat to one of a few related backups:

1. Actions speak louder than words. Anyone can say they care about privacy, but when it comes time to actually doing something about it, there they are on Facebook, posting incriminating photos and salacious stories.

2. Actions have consequences. Wanting privacy on Facebook is like training for a marathon by drinking gasoline; you�d only try it if you hadn�t thought things through.

3. Youthful indiscretions. Facebook users care about privacy only after they�ve learned their lesson the hard way.

These replies may sound more plausible, but they all have something in common: contempt for Facebook users. If you say you care about privacy but don�t, then you�re a hypocrite. If you don�t reconcile your desire for privacy with the facts of Facebook, then you�re stupid. If you haven�t yet had a bad experience on Facebook, then you�re young, lucky, and foolish. These attitudes� which, to be fair, are rarely stated so baldly and insultingly�all presume that Facebook users simply haven�t seen the truth about privacy that the dismissive skeptic has. She�s right, you�re wrong, end of story.

Actually, it�s the skeptic who has things wrong about privacy on Facebook. Facebook users do care about privacy, and they do try to protect it on Facebook. The skeptic goes wrong when she assumes that �privacy� can only mean something like �keeping things secret.� It doesn�t�privacy is much richer and subtler than that. Privacy is a key component of being free to be yourself, building healthy relationships, and fitting into a community that values you. Facebook users care about contextual privacy: they want others to respect the rules of the social settings they participate in.

Source of Information : Open Court-Facebook and Philosophy 2010

Android 2.3 Gingerbread (and Beyond)

The most recent release of Google�s Android mobile operating system code named Gingerbread may be looking to replace your credit card. Android 2.3 is the first iteration of the OS to support near field communication (NFC) chips, meaning that you could use a smartphone running Gingerbread as a �swipable� payment device. Among Gingerbread�s other intriguing new features are native support for Voice over IP calling, manual control over front facing and back facing cameras, simpler cut and paste controls, and improved power management.

The Samsung Nexus S (available both unlocked and in combination with a T Mobile contract) is the first cell phone to offer Gingerbread out of the box, but it most assuredly won�t be the last. Prepare for a wave of Android 2.3 loaded smartphones to reach stores by the middle of 2011 and perhaps earlier. Also on the way is a tablet specific version of the Android operating system Android 3.0 (�Honeycomb�) which Google recently demonstrated on an unannounced, iPad like Motorola tablet at the D: Dive Into Mobile Conference in San Francisco. Will devices powered by Honeycomb make up ground on Apple�s runaway iPad market share? That outcome certainly seems possible, as long as the devices themselves are up to snuff.

Source of Information : PC World Magazine February 2011

Who Uses facebook and Why?

Since Facebook was founded in 2004, the Social Network Site (SNS) has profoundly altered our lives. Facebook now has over four hundred million active users worldwide, with half of them logging in on a daily basis. With about thirty percent of those users being from the United States, and the US population now about three hundred and eight million people, that means one out of every three Americans�men, women, and children�is a Facebooker.

This figure may not seem that much when compared to the number of people that have access to the Internet in the US. According to the most recent report of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, over two thirds of American adults have Internet access, and many of them also report that they have broadband access at home (65 percent White, 46 percent Black, and 68 percent Hispanic).2 However, there�s a big difference in the diffusion timeframe by which the Internet and Facebook have spread among the American population�it took Facebook barely five years to reach these figures and it�s still growing. Additionally, there might be notable differences depending on certain demographic characteristics. For instance, while 46 percent of blacks have access to broadband Internet, about 44 percent of blacks report that they use Facebook or other SNS.

The fact that Facebook�s got the numbers is not a surprise. Today most of us seem to have a Facebook account or an account at another SNS such as Twitter, MySpace, Hi5, or something similar. And if this isn�t the case, it�s very likely that you at least know someone who actually does have an account on Facebook or the SNS of their choice. But, beyond what these numbers �at large� reveal about Facebook, little is known about the impact that its use may have in people�s daily lives. We also don�t know much about the different ways people utilize SNS. What are users really getting out of these Social Networks? Perhaps they simply intend to remain in contact with their friends and family members. Or SNSs may help them stay better informed about what is going on around the world or in their more local communities. It may also be that SNSs are useful tools to engage in activist causes and get mobilized, as well as mobilize others. In any of these instances, it appears that Facebook could open many doors to newer or stronger social connections that may facilitate important communication tasks, whether they relate to friends, sources of information, or political and civic causes.

According to Facebook�s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, the site thrives by giving its users the �power to share and make the world more open and connected.� SNSs such as MySpace and Facebook have become one of the most popular Internet services in the world. As of December 2009, Alexa, a company that tracks web traffic, ranked Facebook as the second most often accessed website in the world�behind only Google. Other SNSs are also highly ranked; MySpace and Twitter rank twelfth and fourteenth, respectively.

Other writers will discuss many issues about what Facebook means to us individually and socially. But before that takes place, we intend to provide an accurate picture of Facebook and social network site users. Knowing who the users are, their demographic composition, their motivations and how they engage in performing different activities within a SNS may be interesting by itself, but it also seems appropriate in order to provide a valuable context.

Source of Information : Open Court-Facebook and Philosophy 2010

11 Uses for an Old PC

Just because you bought a new PC doesn�t mean you must throw away the old one. Here�s how to make the most of an older computer.

You�ve finally bought a new PC. It has a boatload of memory, lots of cores, and a fast, modern graphics card. But now your old computer sits in a corner and you feel guilty about the whole idea of throwing it out. After all, it�s perfectly functional. Here are a few ways to put that old system to work.


1. Convert It into a Server
If you have a home network with family members on it, reusing the PC as a NAS (network attached storage) box or even as an actual server may be just the ticket. However, it�s not simply a matter of plugging an old PC into a network connection. Most desktop systems aren�t configured to be effective servers or storage systems. For one thing, they probably use too much power. You�ll want to set BIOS power management to run cooling fans in quiet mode, if that option exists. You�ll also need to set up the operating system so it doesn�t shut down at inconvenient times, yet runs in a low power state when not being actively used. Bear in mind that you�ll probably want to run your server �headless� (that is, without a monitor), and sans keyboard and mouse as well. While you�ll require a display and input devices for initial setup, make sure that the reused system will work properly without them. Also, the operating system is likely not well suited for storage applications, particularly for multiple users.

Windows XP, vista, or Windows 7 can function well as a storage repository for a couple of users, but you�ll want to create user accounts for each person who might need access. You may also want to set storage quotas. a better solution: install a proper network operating system. One choice is Windows Home Server. However, it costs over $100, and it may prefer newer hardware an alternative is free NAS. Open source software, free NAS (find.pcworld.com/71101) is designed to turn a PC into a network attached storage device and is based on free BSD, a unix variant. If you�re not certain you want to commit to an unfamiliar OS, you can download free NAS as a liveCD version; this is an ISO file that, when burned to a CD, will boot off an optical drive and run from memory. You can keep your old OS on the hard drive until you determine whether free NAS fits your needs.


2. Give It to a School
If your PC isn�t too archaic, consider donating it to a local school or day care center. it could go to the high school computer lab; alter natively, the school district�s computer services group might use it for parts. if you go this route, consider buying some low cost educational software pack ages and preinstalling them before donating. Also, as with selling a computer, you�ll want to remove all software on the old PC that you�ve reinstalled on your new one. And make sure to include all license information for software you�re preinstalling on the giveaway.


3. Turn It Into an experimental box
You�ve heard about this Linux thing, and maybe you�d like to give it a whirl. But the thought of trying to create a dual boot system on your primary PC leaves you a little green around the gills. Now you can experiment to your heart�s content on your old box. Check out Ubuntu (ubuntu.com), the sexy linux distro that geeks love to, well, love. Te neat thing about Linux is all the built in support for older hardware, so installation is usually easy in fact, installing Ubuntu is sometimes simpler than installing Windows. And a wealth of free software for Linux is just waiting to be tried out. A number of true Unix based operating systems are available, ranging from FreeBSD or PC BSD (based on the Berkeley Unix version) to OpenSolaris, based on the Sun Microsystems version of Unix.


4. Give it to a relative
Ii do this all the time. My brother in law has modest computing needs, so I often just hand over one of my two year old PCs, though i�ll usually throw in a midrange or entry level graphics card. I don�t generally recommend doing this with your kids, though they often need as much or more PC horsepower than you use on a regular basis (outside of gaming and photography). Also, giving a system to family members means you are now the go to person for tech support. (for help with that role, see �How to fix Your family�s PC Problems,� find.pcworld.com/70375.) You�ll want to completely erase the hard drive and reinstall the OS from scratch. If it�s an off the shelf system from a major manufacturer, restoring it to its original condition from the restore partition or the restore disc accomplishes the same thing.


5. Dedicate it to distributed Computing
Want to do a little good for humanity? How about dedicating your old PC to one of various public distributed computing projects? Te best known is probably folding@Home, which employs computing resources from all over the world to help study protein folding, an essential element of understanding how many diseases operate. Other distributed computing ventures include SeTi@Home (the search for extraterres trial intelligence) and various charities and research projects (get links from the online version of this article at find.pcworld.com/71059).


6. Put it to work as a Game Server
Do you have a favorite multiplayer game? If so, see if it�s a game where you can host a server on a local PC, turning your old system into a dedicated game server. older machines used as dedicated game servers often need surprisingly little system horsepower.


7. Use it for old School Gaming
Related to the game server idea, consider repurposing the box for old school gaming. For example, you could install Windows 98 on it so that you can run older Windows 95 and DOS games, if you have a bunch around although this isn�t as necessary as it used to be. Online services such as Steam and impulse offer older games that have been rewritten to work under newer operating systems, and DOSBox lets you emulate a legacy DOS environment so that you can get your classic gaming fix.

Perhaps the most complete site for older PC games is Good old Games (www.gog.com). GoG offers many older titles, all of which work fine under newer operating systems. So if you�ve always wanted to go back and play Planescape: Torment, now�s your chance. love arcade games? Don�t worry about running out of quarters: To go really old school, install MaMe (multiple arcade machine emulator) software. (One example is at find.pcworld.com/71102.) it will allow you to play arcade games and titles written for older game consoles, provided that you have access to the ROMs and other related files you need to run the games. MAME software can become a gigantic time sink (Albeit a very fun one), so consider yourself warned!


8. Make it a Secondary Computing Server
If you�re a content creator using a title like 3dsmax, adobe after effects, or Sony Vegas, having another PC to help with distributed rendering chores can greatly speed up final renders for complex projects. Each application handles distributed rendering a little differently, so you�ll need to consult your documentation. But typically you�ll install a lightweight application on the secondary rendering system, which will take data and commands from the primary system and then return results when done. fie main app on your production system, or a sep arate manager app, manages the rendering across multi ple networked systems.


9. Set it up as a light duty living room PC
My family has a small PC in the living room that we often use for quick Web surfing and e mail checking, and the kids occasionally use it for homework. This setup can work particularly well if you have networked storage in the house, so people can access their files whether they�re on a personal system or on the communal one.

You�ll want security software that�s as bulletproof as possible. With multiple users on one system, someone, sometime, will hit a Website that may try to upload a Trojan horse or other malware.


10. Salvage It
If you have a do it yourself bent and you build your own PCs, you might reduce the cost of your new system by salvaging parts from the old one. Good candidates for salvage include the PC case (if it�s not a proprietary, prebuilt system), the optical drive, and the power supply, and sometimes the memory modules. Depending on how much you reuse, the distinction between a new system and one that has simply been upgraded gets hazy: if you replace the motherboard, CPU, memory, and primary hard drive, but keep the case, power supply, graphics card, and optical drive, is it a new system or an upgraded one? That will still leave you with a few old parts which brings us to our final alter native for old PC reuse.


11. Sell It
Somewhere on eBay, someone is looking for a computer. They may not be able to a new PC, or are looking for a second one for the family. Your old computer, at the right price, may be just what they need. If all goes smoothly, everyone wins: You unload your old hardware, which finds a good home with a new user who can appreciate it.

However, it�s not as simple as selling it at a garage sale. For one thing, scammers cruise both Craigslist and eBay, looking to convince unwary sellers to take de posits that mysteriously vanish when the sellers try to cash them. Always be suspicious of anyone who wants to use Western union and has an overseas address. My rule of thumb is to stick to selling locally if it�s Craigslist and only in the United States if it�s eBay (since I live in the U.S.). Also, using an escrow site like PayPal (required for eBay anyway) can add a degree of safety. read �How to Sell Your PC and other Gadgets� (find.pcworld.com/70212) for more tips on selling your old tech gear. as you can see, an old computer may have many uses, particularly if it�s still in good working condition. and not all uses for a PC require quad core systems with high end graphics. So if that old system is sitting in a closet somewhere, dig it out and put it to use. Who knows? it might be your old machine that identifies the signal that�s the first sign of intelligent life outside our planet.

Source of Information :  PC World Magazine February 2011   

Google in the Cloud

Google is believed to manage one of the two or three largest server farms in the world. Recently, it has begun making its infrastructure available to others for a fee. Its widely used offerings, in addition to search, include Google Apps for Business, Google Maps, Google Finance, and Google Voice. More recently, it has introduced Google App Engine, and in its own unique way, it is now a general cloud services provider. Google is aiming to be an enterprise cloud vendor. Its approach to development in the cloud may be summarized as:

� Stand on our tall shoulders (Use Google�s extensive code base)

� Develop your applications in Java, PHP, or Python

� Use the GQL datastore as an alternative to SQL

� Let Google worry about resource allocation, load balancing, and Scalability

GWT, Google App Engine and Google Apps Script offer clear evidence of Google�s big push to bring enterprise development to the cloud. Google App Engine should prove to be a worthy competitor to Amazon Web Services, one of App Engine�s major competitors for hosting environments.

Source of Information : Implementing and Developing Cloud Computing Applications 2011

What Are The Storage And Connectivity Options With Current Tablets?

Storage is an important consideration when purchasing a tablet. How much will depend on your needs, and what you intend to do with the tablet. If you are gaming, shooting videos, downloading movies, you will require more storage than if you are primarily reading books and surfing the net. Tablets today come with storage capacity from 4 GB to 64 GB. Many tablets, however, also have a slot for a memory card, increasing the storage capacity to 32 GB in most cases.

Tablets need to have some way to connect with the Internet to perform even the basic functions we expect; checking e-mail, surfing the web, streaming books and videos. Most tablets on the market now are Wi-Fi capable. This means that you must be within range of a wireless network for connection to the Internet, whether it is on a home wireless network, or public hot-spot; a cafe, library or other public access spot. There are several variations on Wi-Fi network infrastructure. Most tablets will connect with all the configurations, but it might be a good idea to check that the tablet you are considering has a "dual band antenna". This will ensure that your device will connect with any network, and is ready to move into the future.

Some tablets are available with 3G or 4G network connectivity as well. There are advantages and drawbacks. What you choose will depend on your needs. The 3G and 4G networks are cell phone coverage. The cost of the tablet goes up with this added feature, as more hardware must be integrated. In order to connect to the cell phone networks, one also has to pay for a service plan from a mobile provider. Keep in mind that the cost of a plan goes up with the amount of data downloaded; most carriers offer a fixed amount of data, with charges for overage. The charges can mount quite rapidly.

Connecting to a 3G or 4G network is handy, though, if you will be out of range of Wi-Fi when you need to use the tablet. It also means that features like GPS can be added, as the cell network will always know your location. Be aware when choosing a tablet of the level of coverage in your area; 3G has very wide coverage, but is being upgraded to the faster 4G. 4G, however, includes three different protocols, which are not necessarily compatible with all devices. Check out what is available in your area, and whether the tablet you have chosen will work where you live.

Other connectivity included in some tablets is Bluetooth and mifi. Bluetooth technology is a way of connecting devices to each other; keyboard, mouse, speakers, "hands-free" mobile phone microphone and earpiece. Bluetooth could be used to connect your tablet with a wireless network through a laptop or cell phone. Mifi is another way to connect your tablet, but with a separate box, the mifi or mobile hotspot. The mobile hotspot connects to the network, and become a router for other devices to connect. Either way, these are options to buying a data plan for your tablet.

Get with the times and check out some of the latest tablets and tablet applications, as Windows tablet PC and android tablets continue to be increasingly popular options in the technology industry.

The Paranoid�s Guide to Facebook

Over HALF A billion people use Facebook. It�s the largest phenomenon of human connection in history, not to mention the biggest thing on the Web. But even though we love using Facebook and other social networks, we hate the privacy and security drawbacks. Here are some steps that you can take to keep your information private on Facebook.


Five Steps to Privacy

1 - Disable Facebook Places:
Using Facebook Places has benefits. But when you broad cast your location, you expose vulnerabilities, inviting an ill intentioned person to swoop in. If you use Facebook Places, note that the defaults let �Every one� see your profile which means everyone on the Internet. Go to the Account tab and select Privacy Settings. From there, indicate who should and shouldn�t see your profile, and how much others may see when you upload comments and images. To disable Facebook Places entirely, first log in to Facebook and pick Privacy Settings from the Account drop down menu. Click Customize settings. Te last line under �Tings I share� deals with Facebook Places; click Edit and select Disable. To stop friends from broadcasting your location, scroll to �Tings others share�; for the bottom item, click Edit and select Disable.

2 - Control items posted to your profile:
Even if you delete your Facebook account (see the final tip), the photos and details you shared with friends can still lurk on Facebook or the Internet at large. When in doubt, don�t post it but if you do, control who sees your items by using the lock feature. Before clicking Share, click the drop down menu above and select who can see the post: Everyone, Friends of Friends, Friends only, or Customize. Te last setting will let you block individual friends irrespective of your general choice.

3 - Hide your app activity:
Some games on Facebook reward players for recruiting friends. And some games and apps post messages to your wall so friends see what you�ve been up to (when you first run the app, you agree to the terms and conditions that allow it to do this). Te posts can be a nuisance to your friends. Besides, do you really want them to know that you�ve been playing Farmville all day? Head to the Privacy Settings page. At the bottom lef, under �Applications and websites�, select Edit Your Settings. Below �Game and application activity�, select Custom from the drop down menu. Choose Only Me in the dialog box.

4 - Disable Facebook apps:
All Facebook apps can access your profile information. Facebook�s policy is that app developers cannot use personal data off site and may access only sufficient data to enable the app to run, or to �enrich� your experience. But once an app has access to personal information, it�s up to the developer to keep the info safe. If you don�t like that policy, block apps. Select Privacy Settings under Account, and click Edit your settings under �Applications and websites�. Below �Applications you use�, select Turn off all platform applications. In the alert box, choose Select all and click Turn Off Platform. You may have to wait a few minutes while the new settings activate; Facebook needs time to disable app access.

5 - Control what friends reveal:
Your friends have access to your profile can repost your wall items to their profile, or share the info, with out your knowledge. They also be using apps that access their friend lists. Click Privacy Settings under Account. Go to �Applications and websites�, and click Edit your settings and Info accessible through your friends. Deselect items to share when your friends allow apps to access your proTle; for full privacy, deselect everything (recommended).

The Last resort: Deletion
Eliminating your Facebook account may be worthwhile if you no longer find it useful. But to deep six it, you have to dig: From the Account Settings page, you can only deactivate your account, which makes it merely dormant your profile still exists, in hibernation. If you want to obliterate the account, the process takes 14 days, and once it�s initiated you cannot use your account.

The link to permanently delete your account is buried in Facebook�s Help pages, at find.pcworld.com/71057. Click Submit, fill out the form, and click OK. Then leave the site, never to return.

Source of Information :  PC World Magazine February 2011

PCI�s Origins and Competitors

PCI started as an industry initiative that aimed to overcome the limitations of the then-current PC bus (ISA bus). Initially proposed by Intel, it was developed by a group that included systems manufacturers, component vendors, suppliers of add-in cards and peripherals, and software companies.

Competition for the bus at the time included IBM�s MicroChannel Architecture (MCA), introduced on their PS/2 personal computer systems and the EISA bus, promulgated by a PC manufacturers� group.

MCA, unlike the open ISA bus, was a protected piece of IBM intellectual property; the result was that it only ever appeared in IBM products.

EISA suffered from a different problem; since it was backwards compatible with the venerable ISA bus, it embodied a number of compromises which limited its advantages over the earlier standard.

PCI won against both MCA and EISA through its combination of functionality and its openness.

Source of Information : Elsevier Server Architectures 2005