NUCLEAR PLANT

The structure of a nuclear power plant in many aspects resembles to that of a conventional thermal power station, since in both cases the heat produced in the boiler (or reactor) is transported by some coolant and used to generate steam. The steam then goes to the blades of a turbine and by rotating it, the connected generator will produce electric energy. The steam goes to the condenser, where it condenses, i.e. becomes liquid again. The cooled down water afterwards gets back to the boiler or reactor, or in the case of PWRs to the steam generator.


Several nuclear power plant (NPP) types are used for energy generation in the world. The different types are usually classified based on the main features of the reactor applied in them. The most widespread power plant reactor types are:

•Light water reactors: both the moderator and coolant are light water (H2O). To this category belong the pressurized water reactors (PWR) and boiling water reactors (BWR).

•Heavy water reactors (CANDU): both the coolant and moderator are heavy water (D2O).

•Graphite moderated reactors: in this category there are gas cooled reactors (GCR) and light water cooled reactors (RBMK).

•Exotic reactors (fast breeder reactors and other experimental installations).

•New generation reactors: reactors of the future.

DATA WAREHOUSE

A data warehouse is a relational database that is designed for query and analysis rather than for transaction processing. It usually contains historical data derived from transaction data, but it can include data from other sources. It separates analysis workload from transaction workload and enables an organization to consolidate data from several sources.
In addition to a relational database, a data warehouse environment includes an extraction, transportation, transformation, and loading (ETL) solution, an online analytical processing (OLAP) engine, client analysis tools, and other applications that manage the process of gathering data and delivering it to business users.

Dimensional Data Model

Dimensional data model is most often used in data warehousing systems. This is different from the 3rd normal form, commonly used for transactional (OLTP) type systems. As you can imagine, the same data would then be stored differently in a dimensional model than in a 3rd normal form model.
To understand dimensional data modeling, let's define some of the terms commonly used in this type of modeling:

Dimension:

A category of information. For example, the time dimension.

Attribute:

A unique level within a dimension. For example, Month is an attribute in the Time Dimension.

Hierarchy:

The specification of levels that represents relationship between different attributes within a dimension. For example, one possible hierarchy in the Time dimension is Year → Quarter → Month → Day.

Fact Table:

A fact table is a table that contains the measures of interest. For example, sales amount would be such a measure. This measure is stored in the fact table with the appropriate granularity. For example, it can be sales amount by store by day. In this case, the fact table would contain three columns: A date column, a store column, and a sales amount column.

Lookup Table:

The lookup table provides the detailed information about the attributes. For example, the lookup table for the Quarter attribute would include a list of all of the quarters available in the data warehouse. Each row (each quarter) may have several fields, one for the unique ID that identifies the quarter, and one or more additional fields that specifies how that particular quarter is represented on a report (for example, first quarter of 2001 may be represented as "Q1 2001" or "2001 Q1").
A dimensional model includes fact tables and lookup tables. Fact tables connect to one or more lookup tables, but fact tables do not have direct relationships to one another. Dimensions and hierarchies are represented by lookup tables. Attributes are the non-key columns in the lookup tables.
In designing data models for data warehouses / data marts, the most commonly used schema types are Star Schema and Snowflake Schema.
Star Schema: In the star schema design, a single object (the fact table) sits in the middle and is radially connected to other surrounding objects (dimension lookup tables) like a star. A star schema can be simple or complex. A simple star consists of one fact table; a complex star can have more than one fact table.

Snowflake Schema:

The snowflake schema is an extension of the star schema, where each point of the star explodes into more points. The main advantage of the snowflake schema is the improvement in query performance due to minimized disk storage requirements and joining smaller lookup tables. The main disadvantage of the snowflake schema is the additional maintenance efforts needed due to the increase number of lookup tables.
Whether one uses a star or a snowflake largely depends on personal preference and business needs. Personally, I am partial to snowflakes, when there is a business case to analyze the information at that particular level.

How to counter pirates of the seas

The scourge of piracy on the high seas is almost as old as the history of mankind,while maritime terrorism is a comparatively new phenomenon.It is a fact that there are some areas where piracy and terrorism have some commonality,in that both are the actions of non-state actors who threaten life and economic activities at sea or in ports.There are some differences also,in that pirates,motivated by economics,prefer to avoid publicity and use violence as a last resort,while maritime terrosists seek maximum publicity with maximum violence.

In recent times,with the spread of global terrorism,governments have become increasingly worried about not only the economic consequences of rampant piracy-like insurance rates going up,goods becoming costlier areas - but also the possibility that a hijacked ship could be sold by pirates to maritime terrorists.

BRITNEY'S NEW VIDEO TO PREMIRE ON US TV

Britney Spears' new music video is set to premiere on US TV next week.The promo for Break the Ice,Britney's third single from her bestselling album Blackout,is scheduled to be shown on MTV's Total Request Live(TRL)on Monday.The TV guide listing for TRL revealed,"we're going to snitch a look at Break the Ice,the next music video from a way-under-the radar performer by the name of Britney Spears".









Britney has been training at Los Angeles' Millennium Dance Complex in preparation for the video shoot.Mother-of-two Briney is determined to get her career back on track,and is reportedly planning a world tour to showcase her new material.A source close to the singer recently revealed,"Britney will be leaving the country in the next few weeks,after training in privacy for a month.she is planning a global tour."

Padmapriya teams up with Siddharth in Hindi

After being lauded for her performance in Mirugam,Padmapriya is all set to storm Bollywood with striker,an offbeat film which will be her maiden venture in Hindi.The film features siddharth in the lead and will be directed by chandan Arora.









Although she is a Tamilian,the actress says that she is fluent in Hindi as her father,a defence personnel was often posted in North India.Speaking about her foray in Bollywood she says ,"I have grown up watching Hindi films and was a great fan of Siddharth even before he did Rang De BAsanthi.When Chandan offered me the lead role,I lunged at it."

Padmapriya plays a glamorous Koli fisher girl,around who the film revolves.

GREEN BHAJI

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups spinach(chopped)
3/4 cups methi leaves(chopped)
1/2 cup chana dal
1/2 cup paneer
2 onions(chopped)
2 tomatoes(chopped)
1 teaspoon garlic paste
2 green chillies
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder(optional)
1/2 teaspoon haldi
2 tablespoon oil
salt to taste

Method:

Lightly fly the onions until light brown.Add garlic paste and green chillies.Now add the soaked chana dal and tomatoes until soft.Add the spinach and mathi leaves,salt,haldi and a pinach of red chilli powder and some water and pressure cook for 10 minutes.

Now mix the green bhaji together until it looks like a healthy blend.serve hot,garnished with fresh chopped paneer.

The best way to prevent calcioum deficiency related problems is to start increasing the deposition of calcium in the bones early in life by getting enough of it in your food, and also as supplements ans by exercising regularly for atleast 30 minutes for six day in a week.

CALCIUM-RICH DIETIS ESSENTIAL AS MINERAL TAKES TIME TO ABSORB

Calcium is a fussy mineral and does not get absorbed easily.It needs the right environment to get absorbed.Only about 20 to 30 per cent of the ingested calcium is absorbed .In women after menopause,the absorption even falls down to as low as seven per cent of the total ingested calcium.

Most of the unabsorbed calcium gets excerted in the urine,some in the stools and the rest in the sweet.For better absorption calcium must be accompanied by magnesium and phosphorous,vitamin A,C and D.Some foods prevent calcium from being efecitvely absorbed and eventually promote bone loss.

HAIRY AFFAIR

Contradicting the myth that it is only the women in kollywood who are consious of their hairstyles are these men from the industry,who are getting themselves new hairdos.Be it the clean shaven or the cool dude look,Kollywood men are going out and experimenting with different hairstyles and makeovers.It seems like a great for the stylists in the city!

Actor Ashwin Shekher been sporting a scarf,which pretty much became his trademark look until recently when he let go of the it and came out wiht a new hairdo.The new style not only makes the young actor look smarter,buit also puts an end to the rumors that he is losing hair.

Srikanth who had been sporting long hairstyle for a year now,got a close crop last month. The hairdo not only makes him look much younger,but also thinner.Wonder if it is the magic of marriage or the new look he has adopted for his 'comeback'.

Arturia's Analog Factory keyboard controller with little Moogy knobs

Arturia, maker of quality retro soft synths, are planning a dedicated controller for their Analog Factory software. This is the prototype from AES - 2.5 octaves, 11 knobs, four sliders, metal case, really nice chunky WOODEN END PANELS. Outputs MIDI and USB. Looks like $349/£229, shipping in January. It's being built by CME in China, unlike the rather more exepensive Origin and, for extra hotness Origin Keyboard

R.I.P Phil Dodds, synth guy from Close Encounters

Yann writes: "I don't know if you know about Philip Dodds...he was the guy who played the ARP 2500 in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He was VP of Engineering at ARP, he wrote all of the service manuals and
schematics and helped design and build many ARP synths, from the 2600 to the Chroma. He then went on to work for Kurzweil, developing the digital pianos. He was even involved in the creation of the MIDI standard. He also happened to be my uncle. I thought you might be interested to know that he died last weekend." Phil is the young, nervous looking chap who says 'What are we saying to each other?' at 1:05 in the clip above. Read more at the AICC blog and Wikipedia.

Sequencer controlled by Rubik's Cube - playable online

American/Frenchman Douglas Edric Stanley is professor of digital arts at Aix-en-Provence school of art, where he gets to build things like this sequencer controlled by a rubiks cube. It's an installation thing, not very clearly illustrated in this video. More excitingly, there's a playable online version (instructions here). This is Douglas' point: Most electronic instruments have a more-or-less obscure interface (lots of knobs and buttons), which can be intimidating. However, once you know what the knobs do, they're often very simple to use, with limited possibilities. With this thing, the interface is very immediate (everyone knows how to manipulate a rubiks cube) but it's phenomenally difficult and complicated to actually play - because every move messes up another side.

HOW VIDEO GAMES EVOLVED?????????????

VIdeo games were born 40 years ago;today's games run on small computers thousands of times more powerful than the first games.

1967-Ralph Baer,German-born engineer, built the first two-player TV-based game system.

1972-Magnavox Odyssey,Plastic TV screen overlays.

1975-Atari's Pong,Home version of arcade game.

1977-Atari 2600,First multi-game system.

1979-Mattel Intellivision,Keyboard and sounds.

1982-Colecovision,Donkey Kong game.

1986-Nintendo Entertainment system,8-bit computer;Super Mario Bros. game.

1989-Nintendo Gameboy,Popular hand-held player.
Sega Genesis,16-bit,CD-ROM drive.

1995-Sony Playstation,32-bit,CD-ROM system.

1996-Nintendo 64,64-bit;last with game catridges.

1999-Sega Dreamcast,Built-in modem.

2000-Playstation 2,DVD drive and internet connection.

2001-Microsoft Xbox,CD-ROM system.

2005-Sony Playstation Portable,Hand-held system with CD-ROM.

2006-Nintendo Wii,Motion-sensing system.

2007,Player stands on Wii Fit board and moves body,imitating character on screen.

How to: Turn a pizza box into a laptop DJ controller in two minutes

Dave sends this excellent instructional video, showing how to turn an optical mouse, a greasy pizza box, a pair of scissors and some sticky tape into a reasonably functional DJ scratch controller. That said, I don't think it will be replacing the awesome new Livid Ohm Controller which Peter reports on at CDM.

Yamaha Tenori On review: Many good things, many bad

I've had the Yamaha Tenori On for about five days now, so these are first thoughts. Summary version: It's awesome that this thing exists, that Toshio Iwai got a chance to make it. It's intuitive (in the pic on the right, Alex isn't just jabbing buttons, he's holding down a function key and selecting sounds). Does that mean you'll want to spend £599 buying one for yourself? Well, I can think of better ways to spend the money. Epic list of pros and cons after the jump. I'd also recommend Sonic State's video review.

Racing Game Downloads

Awesome rally car racing and tons of upgrades for your car.

Xpand Rally

Download Trial    Read More

SEASON 2 PREMIERES TOMORROW NIGHT

Here’s a few pictures taken by Steve Agee and Matthew Freund. Some of them are a glimpse into what you can expect from Season 2, others are just to show you how much fun we had making the show.

Jennifer Lopez - Do It Well

Click Here to Download

Awesome East German electromechanical keytar found in New Zealand

Regular readers might remember the Weltmeister Basset, an extraordinary kind-of-strap-on-Fender-Rhodes thing. Well, Nick found one in Wellington, NZ for $250, and generously made this not entirely conclusive video to show off it's charms.

Tiny Music - the radio show

Nice to see this series of blog posts from two years ago er.. 'inspiring' 'The most valuable notes in history', a 15 minute show on Radio 4 last night (more). (Thanks, Jon)

Yuri Landman builds incredible guitars for noisy bands

Pitchfork has a fantastic interview with Yuri Landman, Sonic Youth fan turned guitar maker, who builds multi-stringed, multi-bridged instruments for Lee Renaldo and a bunch of other bands I've never heard of. The interview is full of treats like this: "It's basically a two-string guitar with a built-in thumb piano. The strings of the guitar can be bent by a brake cable from a moped, which is connected to a foot pedal. When amplified, the thumb piano, which is mounted to the guitar body, has a very low and impressive sound, almost like a vibraphone.". There's a fantastically in-depth explanation of one of Yuri's guitars here on Wikipedia, and this clip of Yuri's band Avec-A is also very cool. PS: Was anyone in Amsterdam for the the Output Festival to see the Instrument Expo? (Thanks, Ben)

APPLE iPHONE

Hi, this is an Apple iPhone concept blog created by an Apple fan Mani Kandan.
All of these iPhone concepts are being sent by other Apple fans.
If you saw your concept on this blog which isn't sent by you,
please let me know to remove or to add your name.
Watermarks on the pics just mean that they are viewed on this blog.
Thanks!

.

.

Live from the Tenori On launch in London

Well, I wasn't the Tenori On launch last night (babies!) but fortunately many people with YouTube accounts were. There's this interview with Toshio Iwai and a demo from Yamaha's Peter Peck here, and here's Toshio Iwai jamming on his music box. Over at Create Digital Music, Peter has been going a great job covering the Tenori On saga, as has Chris at Pixel Sumo, reporting a UK launch price of £599, which seems hella expensive, but - at this stage - the Tenori is a boutique, hand-made product. I'm sure if it takes off, they'll be churning them out in China for £69.99...
UPDATE: More interesting video from Sonic State.

Dude releases 74-minute album on a single floppy disk

Jonas write from Denmark to tell me that his band Batch Totem have released an album 'Trunkeret & Ikonisk', on a single floppy disk: "The audio is encoded in the GSM 6.10 WAV format [used to compress speech in GSM mobile phones] at various bitrates the disk holds 74 minutes of audio, that can be played on a computer with standard audio-players like Winamp, Windows Media Player and Itunes without any external codec installed." The music has been created specially for the format, (or as he put is "composed directly in the spectral domain") He says: "On certain tracks the amplitude and low bitrates produce 'ghost' frequencies according to the Nyquist theorem, and the algorithm of the audio codec meaning that very high frequencies and white noise can occur at very low bitrates. Using listening equipment with a subwoofer is recommended." There's a free sample track here: A Minor Prism Glow Number (42kb wav file, seems to play better in Windows Media than Quicktime, does cool things to the visualiser). I think it's safe to say that Britney won't be calling on Batch Totem to do her comeback album. Be sure to visit the Batch Totem website (it's just a directory - HTML is so last year). Previously: Dude releases album on NES cartridge

Music Thing

Hey Watch it and send me comments ...how is it?



Dude puts drum triggers in pants, calls them DrumPants

Here's Tyler Freeman and his drumpants. It's not the newest idea, but he carries it off with some aplomb. Full details and how-to instructions are on his site, together with this rather alarming manifesto: "I am The New Artist. I paint with switches and resistors, capacitors and transistors. Instead of mixing pigments I combine electrons. My paintings do not have color or form, but rather signal and function." Well, OK there, Tyler. (via Brian and Engadget)

Insane Japanese/Finnish anime mashup: Vocaloid 2 singing Leekspin

OK, this takes a little bit of explaining. Vocaloid is a bit of Yamaha patented software which can sing - input the notes and the lyrics and off it goes. It's not sold by Yamaha, but in various different versions according to the voice. So, PowerFX have a version called Sweet Ann. Now you can buy an anime version where Hatsune Miku (some kind of schoolgirl sexbot) sings the words you've typed in. People have been making singing robot software for ages, but it's always just been a novelty. However, Vocaloid 2 / Hatsune Miku has been a huge hit in Japan (as I write, it's the best selling software on Amazon Japan). There are now tons of Vocaloid clips on Nico Nico Douga, the Japanese YouTube. The sample above is (as I'm sure you're now enjoying) a bonkers high-energy track with vocals from Hatsune Miku.(The original Finnish folk version is Leekspin by Loituma). The singing robots are here, and they're annoying. More on Hatsune at Gamersweb.it and Canned Dogs. Want more videos? this one is awesome, this girl seems to be really into it and this one should be on the Blade Runner soundtrack.

A 1983 Casio DG-20 electric guitar?

Yep, I know what you're thinking, and you're right. It was 1988. (Thanks, Jacob. More videos from Flight of the Conchords)

Vox Amplugs: A teeny-tiny AC30 to plug into your guitar

This is quite cute - Vox are doing a range of little headphone amps - one based on the AC30 with top boost, 'Classic Rock' based on a Marshall and 'Metal' based presumably on a Mesa Boogie. The circuitry is analog and runs on 2xAAA batteries. No idea how they sound, but they're quite nice looking. Disappointingly, they all look like AC30s, just with different stickers. £35, further bumpf at Vox website.
Incididentally, what is it with copywriters for music gear companies? They claim: "amPlug perfectly reproduces the complex and warm distortion that is distinctive of a vacuum tube... amPlug delivers full-fledged amp sound that will revolutionize your guitar playing." Both of these claims are clearly lies (the 'perfectly reproduces' and the 'revolutionize your guitar playing' bits). What was wrong with: "Sounds OK, looks OK, costs £35, what's not to like?"
AND ANOTHER THING: If Vox are going to put a Union Jack on their homepage and a London bus on their news page (despite having being owned by Korg since 1992), they should probably learn how to spell 'revolutionise' properly.

The Fairlight Xynergi can kick sand in the Optimus keyboard's face and make it cry

What's the coolest music gear brand in the history of the world? OK, Moog and Gibson and Fender, but then... Fairlight. Since their Nick Rhodes-fuelled '80s moment they've been making a lot of boring high-end media gear, but now there's this: the really absurdly awesome Xynergi Controller. Each key has tiny individual LCD display in it - as you can see in this awesome demo video (or this one). Estimated price? $28,000. It's been done before on the equally expensive Euphonix MC, and it does make the Optimus Maximus querty qwerty (sorry, Joel) keyboard with colour key caps look quite reasonable at $1500. The knobs round the display are also slightly reminiscent of the PPG Realizer or, more prosaically, the Arturia Origin. (via Gearslutz)

The Dangerous Tiger History

It isn't easy to become world's Top Cat!!!!!!

How Are Tigers Unique?

Tigers, Panthera tigris, are the biggest cats of all, and they're the only large cats with stripes.

Watch the tiger population change

Most other members of the feline family are small, weighing 20 kg (44 lb) or less. Only lions and tigers reach weights of 225 kg (500 lb).
Once, eight subspecies of tigers roamed the forests of Asia. Now there are only five. Bali, Javan, and Caspian tigers were driven to extinction in just the past 50 years.

What Do Tigers Need to Survive?

Space An area the size of the District of Columbia with plenty

of prey could support seven female tigers and two males.


Prey Tigers average a large kill every eight days or

so,consuming more than 50 prey animals a year. In

a single night, they can eat 27 kg (60 lb) of meat.


Water Tigers never live too far from water. Particularly in

the tropics, water offers a cooling break from the heat.


Cover Tigers are solitary hunters, stalking and then killing in

a blinding flash. Without cover, the stealthy

approach doesn't work.

Growing Up Against the Odds

Danger awaits young tigers at every turn. Even under the best conditions, only 20 percent live to establish their own territories. But tigers are adapted to offset such high natural mortality: Females breed early, deliver cubs after just 103 days, and bear litters of two to four cubs.

Tigers Are Built for Predatory Life

Dagger-sharp claws, enormous jaws and teeth, massive forelegs-in an instant, all are in motion to deliver a killing bite. An experienced adult can kill prey four times its size.

What Hope for the Tiger?

Mysterious, powerful, majestic--the tiger stands tall in our imaginations.

But, in truth, tigers are disappearing in the wild. Just a century ago, an estimated 100,000 tigers inhabited the forests of Asia. Now scarcely 6,000 remain, and soon this magnificent cat may only exist in zoos.

Do tigers have a chance? Only if people living near reserves believe that a live tiger is more precious than a dead one. &nbsp

Tigers and Humans: Colliding Worlds

Civilization hems in the tiger. Whole forests have fallen across Asia in the last century, shrinking potential tiger habitat to about 170 small fragments of land in 14 countries. Some pockets contain breeding tigers. But most areas are so small and isolated that if any tigers remain, they probably won't survive.

Tigers and Humans: Competing for Resources

The pressing need for food and fuel often pits Asia's human population against the tiger.
Where public land is degraded, people slip into reserves to graze animals, collect firewood, and kill the tiger's prey. Poachers have taken thousands of tigers to supply bones and other parts for traditional medicines.

Living near reserves takes a toll on people, too. Park animals destroy crops, tigers kill livestock--and, sometimes, people.

Scientists: On the Trail of the Tiger

You can't save an endangered animal like the tiger without knowing what it needs to survive.
Fortunately, in the last 25 years, four long-term, in-depth studies have revealed much about how tigers interact, what factors shape their lives, and what makes them succeed--or fail--at finding new places to live in the face of declining habitat. Such information is critical to international efforts to save the tiger.

Local People: Making Room for Tigers

Many villagers living near Royal Chitwan National Park in Nepal now have a stake in the tiger's future.
In 1995, Nepal's legislature passed a law giving half the revenues from protected lands to local development. In addition, part of the park's degraded buffer zone came under local control. With an eye to tourism, villagers fenced off one area and allowed it to regenerate. Gradually, wildlife, including the tiger, recolonized.
In 1996 alone, ecotourism revenues from the project built a health unit and three schools.

HI FRIENDS........

Hi Friends,this is to tell that from today onwards my site is going to work as ur client........Sometimes u may not have much time to search on some topics that u are in need urgently.... U send me those topics to my mail address and i will post u those in my site,so that may helps u to take it easily...... dont forgot to visit my web daily .....it may give u more features........if u dont like any topics that i posted,u just scrap to my mail id,with what u like also.i will put those from the next day onwards........... it is possible to send me mail through comments,my mail id is(dhinatcs@gmail.com)

Basics Of Computer

Hai friends!This is my first post about computers, and am going to extend this daily, So please dont forgot to visit my web.......This is the first lesson for my web pilots!

This document includes a brief overview of basic computing
concepts. It is the first in a series of three self-instruction
Internet tutorials produced by the Bedford
Public Library.

You can scroll through the document or jump to any of the

topics listed below. You can also print the entire document

by printing this page.

What is a Computer?
Software and Hardware
Hardware Components
Hardware Accessories
Operating System Software
Software Applications
Reference

What is a Computer?

Computers are not very intelligent devices, but they handle
instructions flawlessly and fast. They must follow explicit
directions from both the user and computer programmer. Computers are
really nothing more than a very powerful calculator with some great
accessories. Applications like word processing and games are just a
very complex math problem.

Software and Hardware

If you use a player piano as an analogy, the piano can be thought
of as the hardware and the roll of music as the software.

The software a series of very simple computer instructions carefully
organized to complete complex tasks. These instructions are written
in programming languages (like BASIC, PASCAL, C...) to help simplify
the development of applications.

The hardware is what sits on your desk and executes the software
instructions. The player piano is useless unless the roll of music
has been written correctly.

Hardware Components

Input Devices -- "How to tell it what to do"

- A keyboard and mouse are the standard way to
interact with the computer. Other devices include joysticks and game
pads used primarly for games.

Output Devices -- "How it shows you what it is doing"

- The monitor (the screen) is how the computer sends
information back to you, whether it be surfing the web or writing a
memo. A printer is also an output device.

Storage Devices -- "How it saves data and programs"

- Hard disk drives are an internal, higher capacity
drive which also stores the operating system which runs when you
power on the computer.

- "Floppy" disk drives

allow you to save work on small disks and take the data
with you.

Memory -- "How the processor stores and uses immediate
data"

- When you use a program, the computer loads a portion
of the program from the hard drive to the much faster memory (RAM).
When you "save" your work or quit the program, the data gets written
back to the hard drive.

Microprocessors -- "The brain of the computer"

- PCs primarily use microprocessors (sometimes
called the chip) manufactured by Intel. The older Intel versions
include the 386, 486 and now the Pentium line.

- Macintoshes use PowerPC processors by Motorola.

- Megahertz (MHz) is the internal processor speed in which
computer instructions are performed. The MHz speed does not always
indicate the power of the microprocessor. Newer processors can
execute more instructions at the same or slower MHz. For example, an
Intel 486 @100MHz is less powerful than a Pentium @75 MHz (but
the MHz is "faster").

Hardware Accessories

Modems

- Modems allow you to communicate with other computers
using a phone line. Modem speeds are in bits per second (14.4, 28.8
and 56 thousand bits per second are standard).

CD-ROM Drives

- A CD-ROM drive is a high capacity storage device
which lets you read data from the disk, but not write data back. The
speed of the drive (how fast the CD platter spins) is measured in
multiples from the first generation drives. New drives are up to 24X
(or 24 times the first drives), but while the CD spins faster, it is
not really 24 times faster in actual output.

Printers

- There are different types of printers (laser, ink
jet, dot matrix) with differing quality of output. They are measured
in dpi (dots per inch) and ppm (pages per minute), the higher the
better.

Scanners

- Scanners "digitize" printed material (like photos
and graphics) and save it to a graphic file format (like .GIF or
.JPG) for display on the computer.

Operating System Software

Operating system software provides a "user interface" for users to
manage files, start programs, customize computer settings, and other
tasks. The operating system also provides the fundamental core
computer functionality for programmers.

Intel based PCs use Microsoft Windows version 3.1 (older) or Windows
95 as the operating system. Macintoshes use the Macintosh operating
system.

Software Applications

Application software uses the operating system software and
provides the real functionality of a computer. Applications include:

- Word Processing (MS Word, WordPerfect, Ami...)
- Spreadsheets (Lotus 123, MS Excel...)
- Database (DBase, Fox Pro, Oracle...)
- Presentation (MS PowerPoint, Persuasion...)
- Internet Browsers (Netscape Navigator, MS Internet Explorer)
- Games

Reference

Here are some additional resources for more information on
computer basics.

White, Ron. How Computers Work. Ziff-Davis
Press, 1993.

White, Ron. How Software Works. Ziff-Davis Press, 1993.

Starpulse News Blog

08:15:46, Categories: Celebrity News

Memorable Celebrity Quotes

"I got a little tattoo on my face. I'll never be able to work another real job so I consider that to be kinda forcing myself to stick to music." Good Charlotte rocker Benji Madden.

"I hated my lips!" Angelina Jolie on the pout women across the world envy.

"I'm pushing that guacamole like crack... I get out there and till the land. I'm a gentleman farmer." Jamie Foxx is enjoying his sideline as an unlikely California avocado farmer after buying a ranch with 800 trees.

"I follow the cricket and practice sarcasm with an English instructor every Wednesday." House star Hugh Laurie on how he keeps in touch with his English roots while living in Los Angeles.

"If you walk the sidewalks in the Big Apple (New York), you should always walk closer to the buildings. The sidewalks curve a little, and that way you seem to be much taller." Dustin Hoffman on how short people, like himself, can use New York architecture to look taller.

Starpulse News Blog

<
15:05:25, Categories: Celebrity News

Charlize Theron Considers A Career In Politics

Oscar winner Charlize Theron is considering a career in politics after taking an interest in the U.S presidential elections. The Monster star credits her South African upbringing to her interest in politics, which taught her not to be scared to question authority.

She says, "I'm very politically aware. I don't think I can be one of those people that can walk around with blinders on. I question authority, question what the government is doing, and I think that is an incredibly patriotic thing to do. I think if I didn't care I wouldn't ask any questions."

"I love America and love living in this country. And I think, maybe coming from a country like South Africa, and being used to political turmoil, that's just the way I grew up. I think it's important to see and hear what everybody's agendas are."

-More Charlize Theron Pictures

CREATING YOUR OWN THEMES

THEME MAKING:


Want to create your own desktop theme but aren't sure where to start? Follow the steps outlined here and your computer will be your own in no time.


WHY MAKE YOUR OWN THEME


Computers are a part of our lives now as never before. And they've become part of our homes' decor as well. A fun desktop theme can influence the way you work, your overall mood and even your productivity. There are many good themes available for downloading. But the best ideas are bound to be your own. They will reflect who you are inside. Feeling pensive? Create something artsy to get your juices flowing. Feeling goofy? Why not fill your screen with your favorite cartoon characters? And it's all just a few clicks away.


START HERE


Once you've decided on your topic, create a new folder to contain all your theme components. For simplicity's sake I usually create this folder within my Themes folder. Then I create a shortcut to the new folder on my desktop for easy access while working on the project. Next, make a checklist of what you will need. Obviously, My Computer, Network Neighborhood, My Documents and Recycle Bin icons are necessities. As for cursors, you will need many. To figure out exactly how many and what kind, open Control Panel and select the Mouse. Click on Pointers and review the list. Now that you have a place to store your goodies and you know what you need, it's time to SURF THE NET for fun stuff!


LAYING TH E FOUNDATION


I usually begin with a background. This is the most dominant part of any theme and as such sets the overall mood. I prefer subdued backgrounds. But you don't have to. Go wild! Anything that can be saved as a bitmap (BMP) file is fair game. Backgrounds can take over the entire screen or be tiled for a neater look. Microsoft Plus! has a setting for stretching the wallpaper to fit the entire screen. I usually leave this as the default setting on my computer.
In addition, to speed things up, you can use JPEG files as backgrounds. More compressed and, therefore, smaller these files are automatically expanded by the Microsoft Plus! themes application before applying the settings of your theme. Ah, you say, but Windows 95's Appearance Dialog Box only lets you choose BMP files. So just how do those speedy JPGs get in your theme? Don't fear, just read on.
Once you've settled on your theme's background and you've lived with it for a spell, right click on your desktop and select Properties, then select the Appearance tab. This is like matching curtains to your wallpaper. Create a color scheme that complements your background image. Save your color scheme with the same name as your new theme.


YOUR THEME REVEALED


If u had rather a smaller JPEG file in your theme make sure you have the JPEG background file all ready to go in your new theme's folder. Use a graphics application to convert your BMP background file to a JPEG file. For simplicity's sake keep the name of the background file the same.
The secret to using JPEG files with your theme is accessing the theme file itself (after the theme has been saved) in a text editor. To do this right click on the theme file in Windows Explorer while holding down the shift key. This brings up the "open with" choice. Select this and then select Notepad. Yep, good old simple Notepad. Now aren't you amazed? The theme is no more than a text document with certain files assigned to certain events. Look for the Background file and replace the BMP extension with a JPEG extension. Then save and you are all set.


HOW TO MAKE CURSORS AND ICONS


The creation of cursors and icons can be the most challenging part of theme creation. There are free utility applications that basically do the trick, but they don't offer the capability of creating 256-color or larger-size icons.For this the best product I've found is Microangelo, well worth the money if you find the challenge of these tiny masterpieces inspiring. For those less artistically inclined, never fear . . . the Web has solutions for you. There are packages of icons available for downloading. For strictly personal use these are typically free. Finally, you have an amazing source of icons and cursors right in front of you this second. What?! you say. It's true. The Microsoft Plus! theme packs that came with the program are a great source, as well as the icons found in all those themes you've downloaded. Open Windows Explorer and check out your Themes folder, then copy and rename the cursors and icons you like into your new theme's folder and assign according.



WHAT ABOUT THE CUTE ANIMATED CURSORS?


Clearly no "real" theme is complete without some movement. How could you stand to wait for your computer to catch up to you without be amused by a teeny cartoon. Again, there are some animated cursor collections available for downloading. In addition, you could create your own. You can try Microsoft's free utility application or the shareware program Microangelo. I won't lie to you, the process is time-consuming. You literally have to create one animated frame at a time. But there are shortcuts like copying the contents of one frame into the next. I'm pleased to say that I've made almost all the animated cursors in my themes and they were well worth the effort.


LISTEN TO THIS



Background, icons, cursors ... all that's left is sound. This is the part I enjoy the most. Or did I already say that? Anyway, there are likely more sound files on the net than Star Trek sites. Okay, maybe not that many, but still there are a whole bunch. Your selections can be literal, abstract, musical. Your computer can talk to you, bark at you and scare the wits out of you when you're not looking. Use a sound editor like GoldWave to manipulate your sound files. The fun part about assigning sounds is that you can set really goofy sound bites to critical errors. Hopefully, you won't hear too many of those so when you do, it'll make you smile in the middle of a crisis. At least that's how it's supposed to work. Hey, don't sue me, I just write here.


PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER


Whoa, you're almost done. Good job. So, is this the complicated part? No. No. No. It really is easy to make a theme. Once all the components have been created and saved in your new theme's folder it's time to assign them and save the new theme. Start with the background. Right click on the desktop and select Properties, select the Appearance tab and choose the BMP file you saved in your new theme's folder (after the theme is saved we will substitute the JPEG file you also created and saved). Now select the color scheme you created (and saved!) earlier. Next, still in Properties, select the Plus! tab and assign your new icons for the My Computer, Recycle bins, etc. Now that wasn't tough, right?
Next open Control Panel and select the Mouse. Click on Pointers and individually select each cursor. Save this scheme with the same name as your theme. Finally, click on Sounds in the Control Panel and assign a sound to each of the key events. Remember, you don't have to have a different sound for each and every event (and, some can be blessedly silent). Save this scheme as well (is it me, or is there a pattern developing?).
At this point your computer should have the new theme virtually in place. That is, the background, sounds, icons and cursors should all be working in front of you this instant. The last step is to open Control Panel and click on Desktop Themes. Select "save as" and give your new theme a name. The absolute last step is to edit the theme in Notepad if you wish to use a JPEG file instead of the BMP file for your background. (Forgot how to do this? Click here.) And the absolute, positively last step is to call your friends and loved ones in to see what you've created!


USING NEW STARTUP AND SHUTDOWN SCREENS


I resisted changing my startup and shutdown screens in the past. This was not because I'm in love with Microsoft's clouds, but because, frankly, it was a pain in the butt. Well, those difficult days are over. ZDNet offers a wonderful, FREE, little utility called Logo Manager for Windows 95/98. It's terrific. After installing you will have a new tab in your Properties dialog box called Logos. This is the one that Windows 95/98 forgot!
So, now that you can get rid of those clouds . . . where do you find new startup/shutdown screens? Hey, I got you this far didn't I? If you've downloaded my themes visit my Startup/Shutdown Screens page. Also try the XrX Animated Logo page. Here you will find hundreds of static and animated startup/shutdown screens. One note, they are downloadable as SYS files. You will have to rename them back to BMP files because you are using the nifty Logo Manager utility.


FOR THE WIMPS


Those who want their themes without the work can always get some free downloads from Free Desktop Themez or the highly recommended Theme Doctor site. It's not as challenging of course. But still for the wimps :-), I thought I'd mention it. Finally, if you are using Windows 95 and don't have Microsoft Plus! (Win98 and WinME have themes built in) try this excellent freeware application instead -- Desktop Architect.
Well, this concludes Theme Making 101. If you create a true masterpiece let me know. I hope you had fun!

Taj Mahal Hidden Truth

Taj Mahal-Hidden Truth

BBC says about Taj Mahal---Hidden Truth - Never say it is a Tomb Aerial view of the Taj Mahal


The interior water well


Frontal view of the Taj Mahal and dome


Close up of the dome with pinnacle



Close up of the pinnacle


Inlaid pinnacle pattern in courtyard


Red lotus at apex of the entrance

Rear view of the Taj & 22 apartments


View of sealed doors & windows in back


Typical Vedic style corridors


The Music House--a contradiction



A locked room on upper floor



A marble apartment on ground floor

The OM in the flowers on the walls


Staircase that leads to the lower levels



300 foot long corridor inside apartments



One of the 22 rooms in the secret lower level




Interior of one of the 22 secret rooms




Interior of another of the locked rooms




Vedic design on ceiling of a locked room




Huge ventilator sealed shut with bricks



Secret walled door that leads to other rooms





Secret bricked door that hides more evidence





Palace in Barhanpur where Mumtaz died




Pavilion where Mumtaz is said to be buried





NOW READ THIS....... No one has ever challenged it except Prof. P. N. Oak, who believes the whole world has been duped. In his book Taj Mahal:

The True Story, Oak says theTaj Mahal is not Queen Mumtaz's tomb but an ancient Hindu temple palace of Lord Shiva (then known as Tejo Mahalaya ) . In the course of his research O ak discovered that the Shiva temple palace was usurped by Shah Jahan from then Maharaja of Jaipur, Jai Singh. In his own court ch ronicle, Badshahnama,Shah Jahan admits that an exceptionally beautiful grand mansion in Agra was taken from Jai SIngh for Mumtaz's burial . The ex-Maharaja of Jaipur stillretains in his secret collection two orders from Shah Jahan for surrendering the Taj building. Using captured temples and mansions, as a burial place fordead courtiers and royalty was a common practice among Muslim rulers. For example, Humayun,Akbar, Etmud-ud-Daula and Safdarjung are all buried in such mansions.

Oak's inquiries began with the name of Taj Mahal. He says the term " Mahal " has never been used for a building in any Muslim countries from Afghanisthan to Algeria . "The unusual explanation that the term TajMahal derives from Mumtaz Mahal was illogical in atleast two respects. Firstly, her name was never Mumtaz Mahal but Mumtaz-ul-Zamani," he writes. Secondly, one cannot omit the first three letters 'Mum' from a woman's name to derive the remainder as the name for the building."Taj Mahal, he claims, is a corrupt version of Tejo Mahalaya, or Lord Shiva's Palace . Oak also says the love story of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan is a fairy tale cre ated bycourt sycophants, blundering historians and sloppy archaeologists Not a single royal chronicle of Shah Jahan's time corroborates the love story. Furthermore, Oak cites several documents suggesting the Taj Mahal predates Shah Jahan's era, and was a temple dedicated to Shiva, worshipped by Rajputs of Agra city. For example, Prof. Marvin Miller of New York took a fewsamples from the riverside doorway of the Taj.


Carbon dating tests revealed that the door was 300 years older than Shah Jahan. European traveler Johan Albert Mandelslo,who visited Agra in 1638 (only seven years after Mumtaz's death), describes the life of the cit y in his memoirs. But he makes no reference to the Taj Mahal being built. The writings of Peter Mundy, an English visitor to Agra within a year of Mumtaz's death, also suggest the Taj was a noteworthy building well before Shah Jahan's time.Prof. Oak points out a number of design and architectural inconsistencies that support the belief of the Taj Mahal being a typical Hindu temple ratherthan a mausoleum. Many rooms in the Taj ! Mahal have remained sealed since Shah Jahan's time and are still inaccessible to the public .


Oak asserts they contain a headless statue of Lord Shiva and other objects commonly used for worship rituals in Hindu temples Fearing political backlash, Indira Gandhi's government t ried to have Prof. Oak's book withdrawn from the bookstores, and threatened the Indian publisher of the first edition dire consequences . There is only one way to discredit or validate Oak's research. The current government should open the sealed rooms of the Taj Ma hal under U.N. supervision, and let international experts investigate. Do circulate this to all you know and let them know about this reality.....