Microsoft has introduced many new features in its latest operating system Windows Vista like 3D flip, Windows Aero, windows dreamscene, Cardspace ,one click search etc. In brief Windows Vista is multimedia rich. So what’s lacking in Windows vista still pictures in Start menu items ?
So its the time to animate these all in style. 3D User Picture is nice freeware utility which animates the start menu pictures. Download the 3D User Picture, Extract the files and 3duserpic.exe and then open the Start menu hover the mouse over the links…..Wow pictures are animating.
Note: 3D user Picture requires a DirectX 9 capable graphic card.
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The device is used mostly at retail outlets: Bars, Restaurants, shopping complexes and petrol stations. It has been reported that sometimes the employees are involved in the racket of cloning the cards and duping the original owner.
The person who stole the information of the card using the skimmer may use the information on his own or sell the information to a bigger racket. This bigger racket may even use this information to make cards and use in the foreign country. A single skimmer can copy up to 12000 cards information.
How to safe guard yourself from Credit Card related thefts?
Credit card, debit card and related fraud are a multi million dollar industry throughout the world. It’s been reported that fraudsters in UK itself netted 504.80m pounds in 2006 through this crime.
2. Always checks the receipts and bank statements after each transaction made by you. If possible verify by calling up the credit card help line for the recent transaction made.
3. Subscribe to the Alert facility, which comes for free. This will enable you to know the transaction and its amount made from your credit card whenever your card is swiped for any transaction.
4. Interestingly, a credit card receipt is enough to make a replica of the card you own. In US, customers are advised to shred the receipts after verification.
5. Keep changing the PIN number of the card. And never write it on any paper as anyone can access the papers and take advantage. Also don’t use date of birth, anniversary as these can be easily guessed.
6. Don’t use same PIN for all the cards you own.
That’s not enough, in case of ATM’s :
2. If you see a strange object/gadget near the card slot, don’t insert your card. Keep an eye out for the miniature camera (these records your PIN).
The small screen is all set to become even smaller. Television broadcasters are eyeing ways to reach mobile phone users. For sometime now, downloads of video clips of TV programmes/serials have been available in India, both for mobile phones and computer screens. Soon, it will be possible to view entire live telecasts of programmes on mobiles phones. It’s just the beginning and while the technology part has been more or less ironed out, broadcast and content strategies need to be worked out.
How TV works on Mobile ?
1 A head-end on the ground (a transmission centre with one or more dish antenna) captures digital TV signals from a satellite.
2 The signal are processed and then, through a 200-300 m tower, these are transmitted to surrounding areas within a radius of 30 Km.
3 A DVB-enabled cellphone handset receives the signal and a subscriber to the service is able to see live TV programmes on his mobile.
4 The set up also allows a reverse path flow from handsets to the transmitter, sending information on usage patterns, audience voting messages, etc.
Hard drives use “ferromagnetic” storage media to record data. The surface of special metal plates is magnetised. On the other hand Solid State Disk works purely digitally. The fundamental difference between Solid State Disk and its other flash storage and Hard Disk drive lies in the fact that flash technology has no moving parts. Solid State Disk is already in use in cell phones and MP3 players.
The team from from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who call their invention “WiTricity”, believe it could change the way we use electricity and do away with the tangle of cables, plugs and chargers that clutter modern homes. It could also allow the use of laptops and mobile phones without batteries.
The inspiration came when the lead researcher, Marin Soljacic, was standing in his kitchen at night staring at his mobile phone. “It was probably the sixth time that month that I was awakened by my cell phone beeping to let me know that I had forgotten to charge it. It occurred to me that it would be so great if the thing took care of its own charging” he said. To turn this dream into reality. Soljacic needed a way of transmitting power wirelessly. Scientists have known for nearly two centuries that it is possible to transfer an electrical current from one coil of wire to another without them touching.
The phenomenon, called electromagnetic induction, is used in power transformers and electric motors around the world. However, the coils in motors and transformers have to be close for power to pass from one to another. Attempting to transfer power over distances is impossible.
The breakthrough came when Soljacic realised there was another way of transferring energy through the air. Rather than sending power from transmitter to a receiver as a conventional electromagnetic wave the same form of radiation as light, radio waves and microwaves he could use the transmitter to fill a room with a “non-radiative” electromagnetic field.
Most objects in the room – such as people, desks and carpets- would be unaffected by the electromagnetic field. But any objects designed to resonate with the electromagnetic field would absorb the energy. It sounds complicated, but the result demonstrated by the American team this month was a dramatic success. Using two coils of copper, the team transmitted power 7ft through the air to a light bulb which lit up instantly.
The Scientists say the technique works only over distances of up to 9ft. However, they believe it could be used to charge up a battery within a few yards of the power source connected to a receiving coil. Placing one source in each room could provide enough power for an entire house. The receiver and transmitter would not have to be in view of each other.
The researchers believe there is little to worry about on safety grounds. saying that magnetic fields interact weakly with living organisms and are unlikely to have any serious side effects. [Article Source: Times of India]
Apple released a Boot Camp beta version that let you installl and run Windows Vista on Intel Powered Macs. Boot camp will be the integral part of future Mac OS X Leopard. Boot Camp provides drivers for Windows to support the Mac keyboard and various hardware and peripherals from within Windows. Apple said that Boot Camp runs Windows completely natively.
Once you’ve completed Boot Camp, simply hold down the “alt” at startup to choose between Mac OS X and Windows. After starting up, your Mac runs Windows natively just like a PC. Simply restart to come back to Mac OS X.
Requirement for running Windows on Intel Powered Mac :
Mac OS X Tiger v10.4.6 or later
The latest firmware updates
10GB free hard disk space
An Intel Powered Mac
A blank recordable CD or DVD
A printer for the instructions (You’ll want to print them before installing Windows, really.)
A bona fide full version of Microsoft Windows: XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2, WIndows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, or Ultimate. (No upgrade or multi-disc versions)
Download Boot Camp beta [Size: 274 MB]
Releated Post: Apple Safari browser 3 for Windows Platform
Apple released a Boot Camp beta version that let you installl and run Windows Vista on Intel Powered Macs. Boot camp will be the integral part of future Mac OS X Leopard. Boot Camp provides drivers for Windows to support the Mac keyboard and various hardware and peripherals from within Windows. Apple said that Boot Camp runs Windows completely natively.
Once you’ve completed Boot Camp, simply hold down the “alt” at startup to choose between Mac OS X and Windows. After starting up, your Mac runs Windows natively just like a PC. Simply restart to come back to Mac OS X.
Requirement for running Windows on Intel Powered Mac :
Mac OS X Tiger v10.4.6 or later
The latest firmware updates
10GB free hard disk space
An Intel Powered Mac
A blank recordable CD or DVD
A printer for the instructions (You’ll want to print them before installing Windows, really.)
A bona fide full version of Microsoft Windows: XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2, WIndows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, or Ultimate. (No upgrade or multi-disc versions)
Download Boot Camp beta [Size: 274 MB]
Releated Post: Apple Safari browser 3 for Windows Platform
Five cameras sense nearby objects so users can interact with the machine by touching or dragging their fingertips across the screen, or by placing objects such as plates and cutlery tagged with special bar codes labels.
Unlike most touchscreens, Surface can respond to more than one touch a time. The intuitive user interface works without a mouse or keyboard, giving people direct interaction with digital content.
Some of the first Surface models are planned to help customers pick out new mobile phones. When customers place a phone down on the table, Surface will read its bar code and display information about the handset. Customer can also select calling plans and ring tones by dragging icons toward the phone. Guest sitting in some hotel lobbies will be able to cluster around the surface to play music, then buy songs using a credit card or rewards card tagged with a bar code.
In some hotel restaurants, customers will be able to order food and drinks, then split the bill by setting down a card or a room key and dragging their menu items onto the card. Visit Microsoft Surface (Site takes some time to load, so have patience)
