Saturday, March 23, 2013

Buying Video Games for a Gaming Tot


A Quick How To

Visit any video game outlet and you're bound to get overwhelmed by the hundreds of choices available - especially if you're new to gaming. Interestingly, children and teens seem to know their way around these places as if they were their second home. But for the adult, the typical video store looks like some sort of color paint explosion and sooner or later, all the games start to look the same. This guide is for the adult who's buying a game for a younger person perhaps as a birthday gift or as a bribe. Whatever the reason, you're going to appreciate the following tips.

1. Research this strange phenomenon before setting foot inside a video store. There's plenty of information available about video games online, so to reduce frustration offline, fire up your web browser and do a little homework. Visit the website of the gaming outlet nearest you and then look for a link to the games section of the system that your youngster plays. Here's a helpful chart to explain what all those strange letters mean.

Wii = Nintendo's Wii System
EA Sports = Entertainment Arts System
PS3 = Playstation 3 System
XBOX 360 = Microsoft's XBOX 360 System
PC = Personal Computer
PS2 = Playstation 2 System
PSP = Playstation Portable System
DS = Nintendo's DS System

The key is to locate the system on the store's website first. The system, it's accessories, and all of the games that work on that system will follow. If not, you may need to use the website's internal search engine.

2. After locating the appropriate games section for your youngster's machine, check out the ratings of each game and create a temporary shopping list of age appropriate material. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) gives each game a rating in an effort to inform parents what their children are playing. Here's a handy reference to what the ratings mean:

C = Appropriate for Early childhood
E = Appropriate for Everyone
E 10+ = Appropriate for Everyone aged 10 and older
T = Appropriate for Teens
M = Appropriate for Mature Adults

3. Within your temporary shopping list, try find a game that's built from the latest movie release. Little people love the new animated movies put out by Disney and Pixar, and they really enjoy re-living precious moments in the movie in a video game. That's why when these movies come out on DVD, their producers put a few games in the "Special Features section" of the CDs.

4. If you can't find a game that's built from a movie that the child likes, try to find a game that centers around a popular cartoon character or one that attempts to educate.

5. If you still can't find one that resembles something that you've heard this particular person rambling on about, first give yourself a slight slap on the hand. You should pay better attention. Then point your browser to the nearest Blockbuster or Hollywood Video website. Follow the same procedure outlined in steps 1 - 3 only this time, elect to rent 5 or 6 games that look appealing. This will give your tot a chance to play some games and select one to keep forever while you return the others.

6. If on the other hand, you did find a game in step 3 or 4, you can either check out online, or drive up to the store and buy it there.

They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but the illustrations on the both video and pc game cases do a pretty good job of representing the game's content. So if you see an illustration of fighting warriors, chances are the game will be more violent than you prefer. If on the other hand, you see an illustration that resembles what you'd see on the cover of an interesting children's book, the game should be age appropriate.


Computer Viruses Are A Hot Topic


No matter who you talk to, everyone has either had a computer virus or knows of someone who has gone through the agony of trying to get rid of the problem. Computer viruses are a hot topic that seem to affect everyone who owns a computer system, whether at work or at home. The companies that produce software programs that catch and delete these computer viruses are constantly updating their databases for virus types and definitions so that they can better protect your system against all the newest viruses. Creating virus protection programs is a multi-billion dollar business that is growing more and more everyday. The number of viruses being created and uploaded to the Internet is growing at an astounding rate of a new one every eighteen seconds! This definitely keeps the virus protection companies on their toes with research and development.

Because these viruses copy themselves to any computer system they come in contact with, the spread of viruses throughout a computer network or the Internet is a very fast and deadly thing to happen to your computer. Because computer viruses are a hot topic, they routinely are the subject of magazine articles and forum topics online. While some viruses do nothing more than frustrate you with pop-up ads or other messages, others are completely malicious and set out from the start to destroy the files and operating systems of your computer.

Of the 53,000 viruses that have been identified and classed, more than 80 percent of them have been classed as malicious and capable of harming your computer system or data files. These computer viruses behave in much the same way as biological viruses by contaminating any computer systems they come in contact with. These self-executing programs are generally very small and work at damaging the way your computer works or by damaging or completely removing key system files.

When computer viruses are a hot topic, more and more people find out about the destructive power of these programs. In this way a great many people find out about virus protection programs and rush out to get the newest protection programs or they ensure that their computer virus protection is up to date. Many magazine and news articles about computer viruses have the effect of sometimes panicking people into believing that their computers are at risk. Having a good anti-virus program and current updates is one of the best ways to protect your computer system against virus attacks.

This must also be coupled with good file habits such as scanning all downloaded files with the anti-virus program before opening them. It is always a good idea to take the time to ensure that the file you thought you were downloading is indeed the file you have. For instance, a file that labels itself as a movie file and is less than one megabyte in size is not a movie file. Movie files are generally nearly a thousand times that size and therefore, the file you have downloaded is most likely not a movie file and may in fact be a computer virus.

Computer viruses are a hot topic at the office when a virus attack manages to get past protection protocols put in place by the network administrators. All it takes is one person allowing some executable files they have been sent to open and start replicating itself through the network of computers to make life Hell for that company. Virus attacks can cripple office systems very quickly resulting in lost revenue and consumer confidence which can affect the way that stocks in that company are traded resulting in even further financial losses. That is why it is so important for larger businesses to have comprehensive computer virus protection programs in place.

These virus programs are much more detailed and powerful than the anti-virus programs that many consumers have protecting their computer systems. Because the fallout from a virus attack is much more financially damaging to a large corporation, the virus protection program needs to be much more robust and capable of protecting multiple systems within the corporation. Computer viruses are a hot topic among businesses simply because of the way that they can affect the company financially.

Online Arcade Games


The most popular online game is Pac-man. Also, don’t forget about Pong, Bejeweled, and even Street Fighter. These games are almost timeless and they will stay alive through hi-definition graphics, which makes the game a bit more sophisticated.


Joust

Joust is a classic arcade game that puts you in the role of a knight with a lance while mounted on an ostrich. The game has a split screen with five platforms that hang in the mid air.

The enemies come in wave after wave from the one end of the screen. They appear at the screens in four different spawn points. Basically, for you to destroy you enemy, you will need to collide with the knight, but you have to be at the higher position in order to do so.

Donkey Kong
Then there came Donkey Kong, which was released by Nintendo. The game was the pioneer in the platform genre as the game play basically revolved around maneuvering.

The main character comes across a series of platforms while dodging various obstacles. When it comes to the hero of the game, you will find that it is basically a huge ape named Donkey Kong and it has become a very popular character.

Despite an initial slow down, the game went on to become a tremendous success. Consequently, the game was developed for personal consoles.

Crimson skies
A lot of people don’t realize that Crimson Skies is an arcade game that was developed by FASA. The game was released as a flight simulator with an arcade touch. Flight control scheme is fairly simple. Then the take off and the landing happen almost automated.

Some of the games of recently been placed on Xbox, but you will find that there is a whole fleet of options when it comes to fighters. There are a lot of great designs and graphics to go along with these games.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Top Ten Online Shopping Security Tips.

Every year billions of dollars are spent by consumers on line; and as the trend is growing rapidly, shopping security is still the number one factor in which a person may choose not to buy from a website.

This is particularly true if you are new to the internet or starting to buy on-line for the first time.

Shopping security has always been a touchy subject and is so important that most reliable companies go to a great deal of trouble to protect their customers rights, privacy and security. 

So can people feel safe when shopping on-line?

The answer to this is yes, if shoppers follow simple guidelines. If you are new to the Internet or a regular shopper online, the following guidelines should apply.


1. Make sure you know the exchange rate; if you are not sure of the current rates, find out before you buy an item. 

2. Find out the cost of delivery before placing your order and how long the delivery will take. Most shopping sites use couriers to deliver the goods and when delivering overseas can become quite expensive.

3. If you are bidding on E-bay check out the buyers and sellers feedback. This should become standard before you ever place a bid.

4. Always read the FAQ section if you are new to the site.

5. If someone demands cash for a payment, ‘say no‘. Use your credit card to make your payment; this will protect you against fraud. Credit card companies refund accounts where fraudulent activity transpires.

6. Check the buyers contact page. Make sure their postal address is posted on it. If not, don’t deal with them.

7. Don’t be afraid to ask the seller lots of questions, genuine sellers should be very helpful, some online shopping sites have forms where you can see customer feed back.

8. Check, and read in full the terms and conditions, and the privacy policy of the site.

9. If you are unsure about a site, try doing a search with Google or any of the other search engines.  You may find comments posted about the shopping site from other customers.

10.  If you are still not sure after reading the above it may be time to go shopping elsewhere.

These simple guidelines should also apply when bidding online.

If you do make the occasional bid in one of the many online auction sites, the same safety guidelines should become standard. Part of the appeal of buying or bidding online is that you tap into the global markets at a click of your finger. Buying through auction sites on the web can be very exciting and for most people enjoyable, but remember they can also be very addictive.

Most of the well-known auction sites are based in the United States; so overseas bidders should follow proper, but simple guidelines when placing their bids. 

We should not shy away from the worthwhile experience of online shopping.  Shopping on-line can bring you great savings, and will also take away the burden of going shopping.

Top 10 Ways To Protect Yourself From Online Identity Theft

Identity theft is becoming a bigger problem as more and more people are making the internet a bigger part of their lives. People who are new to the online medium often fall prey to ‘phishing’ or other internet identity theft schemes. In many cases the ‘phishing party’ uses your credit card to order goods for them selves, in other cases they will apply for credit cards, set up bank accounts, and take advantage of your good credit rating. Correcting these issues involves a lot of time energy and stress, so here are ten tips to help you from becoming a victim of identity theft.

Use a disposable email account. Keep your business or personal email account just for business or personal communication. If you are going to be making purchases online, joining newsgroups, or subscribing to mailing lists and ezines use a disposable email account. There are many online free accounts such as yahoo, hotmail or grail, and most of them can interface with popular email clients like outlook or outlook express. Use one of them for all of your shopping transactions.

Disguise your online identity. If your real name in Mary Smith try to avoid using email accounts with name like msmith@example.com when dealing with people you don’t know and trust. If you were born in 1972 don’t chose msmith1972@example.com as your email account.

Use different level passwords. Use one password for your personal information, use another for your business accounts and a third for your disposable email accounts or mailing lists you sign up for. Don’t use sequential passwords like password1 for personal use password2 for business, and password 3 for disposable accounts.

Use strong passwords. Don’t use your birthdates, year you were married, or your children’s birthdates. Avoid choosing passwords that consist entirely of letters or numbers. Also try to avoid using passwords that are actual words. The best passwords are mnemonic phrases like “my father ate three apples for breakfast”. Take the first letter of each word and convert the number into numbers and you end up with “mfa3a4b”.

Rotate your passwords. You should change your passwords every 6 to 12 months. If you suspect your passwords have been compromised change them as a safety precaution.

Use only one credit card for all of your online purchases. If any of your other credit cards have online transactions you know they are fraudulent. If you see offline purchases for your online credit card you also know they are fraudulent.

Use credit cards instead of debit cards. While many debit cards now offer online purchase protection it’s easier to dispute fraudulent charges than to recover debit card funds that have already been spent.

When you make purchases online make sure your transactions are secure. In the address bar you should see “https” and not “http”. There should also be small lock icon in your browser. If this is your first purchase from the company make sure the issuing company is someone you have heard of like Verisign, or Thawte.

Check a company’s privacy policy. When you make your first transaction make sure your check the privacy policy, look for logos from consumer groups like Trust-E and the better business bureau. Click the logos to make sure they are authentic.

Never open or fill out email requests for you to update you account or credit card settings via email. These are ‘phishing’ scams people use to try and secure your personal information. Many of them are growing increasingly sophisticated and go to great lengths to look exactly like the companies website using their exact logo.

© Computers.6ln.com, All Rights Reserved.


Bicycle Clothing: What Cycling Gear to Wear and When

Avid cyclists know there is a wide-range of cycling gear available to choose from. Determining what you will need means asking yourself some key questions.
•    What gear is required by law?
•    What gear will provide the most comfort for the bicycling I plan to do?
•    What equipment is best for the summer/winter conditions?

Cycling store employees should be able to help you answer these questions as you look to purchase new or updated cycling clothing.

What gear is required by Law?
Nearly every government has a regulation or law requiring helmets for cyclist. Some states require them for all riders while others set an age requirement. A good, well-fit helmet could save your life.  Whether mountain biking or street cycling, a helmet is a must have for anyone riding a bike. 

Though not specifically required by law, many state cycling groups recommend wearing reflective clothing when biking as well. This is another safety benefit, ensuring you are able to be seen by cars and pedestrians.

What gear will provide the most comfort for the bicycling I plan to do?
Having a variety of clothing for cycling is recommended as what you need is based on how long your ride and wear.  Cycling shorts are great for longer rides. They help to keep you cool while you are exerting yourself on the roadway. Quality cycling shorts are made of special material made specifically for comfort and moisture control. They usually have a padded seat for extra protection and comfort for extensive riding. Choosing a sleeveless cycling jersey to help keep you cool on long-rides is also recommended. 

Mountain bikers who ride through brush and trees should look for a long-sleeve cycling jersey to protect their arms from abrasions. Cycling shirts or jerseys worth their salt will be made of synthetic fabric that is comfortable, lightweight and moisture resistant. This will ensure that, whether long or short-sleeved, the jersey will help a rider maintain a good temperature.

What equipment is best for the summer/winter conditions?
Avid bicyclers hit the road during all kinds of weather, especially if the bike is their primary form of transportation. For cold days, a cycling jacket or a wool cycling jersey will keep you warm against the cooler air while still keeping you dry by sweeping the sweat away from your skin. Windproof jackets are also available for wind and rain protection. Coupled with cycling pants or knee warmers, which keep your knees and legs warm and flexible, these items will help you have a pleasant ride, even when the weather is less than ideal.

As the weather warms, your cycling apparel should mirror what you would wear on long rides.  Good cycling or bib shorts and a sleeveless jersey will keep you comfortable and cool.  You may want to carry a lightweight, compact cycling jacket with you in case your ride goes later in the evening than you anticipated or you start out your ride early in the morning. There are a number of jackets available that can be easily stowed when the temperature rises.  Cycling jacket made of breathable material that incorporates ventilation, like mesh vents, in the fabric are ideal.

There are many choices in bicycle clothing and not all of them are necessary. Depending on what kind of bicycler you are, you may find that less is more. But, if you are seriously into cycling, then choosing a variety of bicycle clothing is in your advantage – you will feel much more apt to get out there on your bike if you have all of the proper equipment, including comfortable clothing that helps to keep your body temperate and dry.

~Ben Anton, 2007

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

3 Ways Foreclosures Can Be Handled Better in America

Recent data from RealtyTRAC shows that the overall number of foreclosure filings has decreased in recent months, with a 3 percent decrease from 2011 and a 36 percent decrease from when foreclosures peaked in 2010. This data presents some positivity in the aftermath of the homeowner crisis; however, the reality of troubled homeowners who cannot afford their mortgages still exists.

State governments and loan providers can take certain steps to relieve homeowners of the anxiety and anguish the threat of foreclosure causes.

Communication made easier
Borrowers often discuss their loan with many different, unconnected people when they contact their loan provider, leading to confusion and unsystematic communication. The homeowner must explain his or her situation during every phone call, and paperwork is frequently unaccounted for. A single contact for each borrower would lead to organized and proper communication for the homeowner.

A faster process
States that handle foreclosures solely judicially have some of the longest processing periods for any type of foreclosure filing.  Compared with the nation’s average of 13 months, Florida foreclosure defense filings take nearly 29 months to process, creating a buildup of cases for attorneys and courts and more uncertainty for homeowners. Other states handle cases through administrative processes in addition to judicial-foreclosures, and the processing time for foreclosure-related documents is much shorter.

Homeowner bill of rights
A few states, such as California, have enacted a bill of rights measure meant to protect homeowners and further regulate the mortgage and housing industry. The law prohibits a few practices associated with predatory lending: “dual tracking,” which is when a lender continues a foreclosure process even if the borrower is applying for a loan modification, and “robo signing,” a term used by consumer advocates to describe the robotic signing and production of fraudulent mortgage documents. California’s law also orders that lenders provide a single point of contact for the borrower, and gives the borrower the power to sue lenders for significant violations of the new laws. 

California has seen a 7 percent reduction in foreclosure activity since its bill of rights law went into effect on January 1. If more states adopted similar methods, the foreclosure rates in the United States would drop even more rapidly.

Your Site Wants to Work for You

Your company has a web site. It is a good and expensive web site developed and designed by true experts from the web content company. It is easy to find your site by placing the name of your company in the boxes of major search engines, yet one should understand that only few persons come to your web site this way.  Most of your potential customers will visit your web site by placing major keywords in the boxes of major search engines. These keywords might relate to the type of products and services that you provide. You may ask yourself how often do you visit the web site by hearing its address on the radio, TV or seeing its web address in the advertisement?!

In order to get maximum exposure on the internet your site must be promoted and advertised in the online environment. Nine of ten users who visit your web site through search engine make up your target audience.  These are the people who want to find as much information on products and services that you provide as possible, who would like to obtain a detailed description of your company and find out uniqueness and distinctiveness of your business.  There is no need to explain that sites that are located on the top of the search list are capable to get more visitors than those who are in the end. The rating of the site in the search system might affect the business development of your company as well. So we have to find the answer to a one very important question: How can one get the attention of such famous search engines as Yahoo Google and MSN?! Here where Search Engine Optimization comes.

The content has to be clear both for customers understanding and should be visible by major search engines. Optimizing your site you should take into account the relevance of the text and ratings of your web site. For that you must analyze the market you operate in, exchange topical links and register in meaningful for the search engine catalogues. Every search system estimates the value and use of your document in relation to inquiry made by web visitors. Search Engine Optimization is a non interrupting process. Sometimes clear results can be received in several weeks or even months. As a rule people use the first words occurring to them.  So, SEO optimizers have to concentrate on these words or phrases.

110cc Pocket Bikes

A 110cc pocket bike is a miniature motorcycle that is becoming increasingly popular.  There are even Pocket Bike races held world wide now, with some of the pros taking home thousands of dollars in cash and prizes.  110cc pocket bikes look like they were built for kids, they are typically 38 to 47 inches long and weigh about 50 pounds, but don't let the small size fool you.  The 110cc pocket bikes are specifically built for adult drivers.

The 110cc bikes are made in Italy, and can reach speeds of up to 75 miles per hour.  The 110cc pocket bikes have a 30 inch wheelbase, which in layman's terms means that you are barely inches from the ground.  This definitely adds an adrenaline rush when it comes to high speed turns!  Due to their miniature size, riding a pocket bike offers certain thrills that cannot be obtained on a regular motorcycle.

Pocket bike racing is also the most affordable motor sport in existence today, which is no small part why it is also one of the fastest growing.  This draws participants from all over the world, offering them the ability to get in on motor sports, when they might not be able to otherwise.  Make no mistakes about it, though, riding a pocket bike isn't like riding a regular motorcycle, even though the concept of balancing on two wheels at high speed is the same.  Due to its small size, riding a pocket bike requires more balance, self control, agility, and faster reaction times.  The adrenaline rush is a major reason many beginning participants become hooked and life-long fans.

Pocket bikes can be suitable for children over the age of nine, as long as they are very carefully supervised.  The bikes were designed for adults, and so are set to support up to 300 pounds of weight.  110cc pocket bikes are not designed or intended for street use, these are bikes made for racing on tracks.  Protective gear should be worn by both kids and adults at all times.  This includes, but is not limited to, helmet, gloves, knee and elbow pads, and leather clothes in case of an accident.  While they may look like toys, the 110cc pocket bikes were designed for extreme motor racing, and need to be treated with the same respect accordingly.

50cc Pocket Bikes

If you are planning to shop for a new 50cc pocket bike, you need to know what exactly it is you are searching for, and the right questions to ask before you visit a store, or even before you shop online, if that's your preferred method.  Not paying especially close attention to specific features, or not asking the right questions can result in you buying a 50cc pocket bike that you don't really want, or even worse, can't use.

First, know exactly what you want your 50cc pocket bike will be used for.  Will it be fun and recreation, or will you be racing?  This decision has to be firmly set in your mind before you go out to make the purchase.  If you will be using the pocket bike for recreational purposes, and you have no intention of racing, you can expect to pay about $400 or a little more.  A very reasonable price.  It's a completely different story if you want to race.  If you eventually plan to race, you may find that you need to pay up to a full $7000 to get what you want.  The price difference shows you pretty quickly why you have to know what you're investing in.
Generally you will find that any pocket bikes you are looking at were made in one of two places.  There are the pocket bikes that are built in Italy, and there are pocket bikes that are manufactured in China.  The bikes made in Italy are typically among the highest quality bikes.  Higher quality also brings a higher price, but once again what you should be willing to spend on a 50cc pocket bike depends on what you are going to use it for.  If the bike is going to be used solely for recreational purposes, then look at the ones made from China, because the difference is not that large if it is just for fun.  If you're looking to race, buy from Italy. 

Keep in mind pocket bikes are not very comfortable, due to their small size - unless you are very small or a kid.  So, comfort isn't what you need to look for, however, you still need to be comfortable enough to ensure that you have full control of the bike at all times.  Take the bike for a test run, and make sure that your body isn't touching anything that it shouldn't, like the exhaust pipe, and that you're comfortable controlling the bike.

Talk to the pocket bike dealer to find out what spare parts are available for the bike, and how hard those parts may be to get.  Find out what parts need to be replaced often.  Remember, they sell 50cc pocket bikes for a living, and they are probably the best experts you are going to find.  They will be able to tell you all you need to know about what the bikes need, and what they don't need.  Also, find out if there is a mechanic at the dealership, or in the town, that is capable of making repairs should they be needed, and inquire about warranties as well, the same types of information you would want for a new car.  Make an informed decision based on your needs, and you will find a pocket bike an enjoyable investment.
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