Embedded Systems: Exploring the Design Requirements

There are embedded everywhere you go. The product development services, consisting of qualified engineers, are responsible for the system architecture and design of such. They normally put emphasis on the embedded system hardware design, high level tools, and not forgetting the software as embedded system are now equipped with a fully functional operating system. Below are some of the characteristics of an embedded system.

The first characteristic is that embedded are designed for a specific task. This is different from other computer systems as embedded cannot carry out multiple tasks. Also, these have real time performance standards that have to be met for safety and usability. Secondly, embedded are not always standalone devices as some of them have small computerized parts within a larger part that serve a more general purpose. Thirdly, the programs and instructions written on the embedded are called firmware. They are stored in read only memory or flash memory. The firmware normally runs on limited memory and computer hardware resources.

Before embarking on the embedded hardware design, most product development services of such have to put into consideration the following design requirements of an embedded system.

The first design requirement is the real time or reactive operation. This means that the correctness of a computation done on an embedded depends on the time the computation was delivered. The product development services responsible for the embedded hardware design have to take into account the worst case performance scenario.

The harsh environment that these work in also requires consideration. Due to the fact that most of the embedded do not operate in a controlled environment, the embedded hardware design should enable this computer to function even under non-survivable fire conditions.

Thirdly, the security of the embedded should also be considered. The HDL for ASIC or FPGA integrated circuits are used for the purposes of security. This is because HDL for ASIC or FPGA are secure microprocessors due to the fact that they support bit stream encryption. Designers have started using HDL for ASIC or FPGA integrated circuits for these as the hardware security of these is of paramount importance.

Lastly, the product development services of an embedded must always consider the cost. Even if such embedded systems have stringent requirements, the cost is always an issue.

It is a well known fact that most embedded have requirements that vary significantly in the design of the. The demands of a specific application normally dominate the hardware design of an embedded system.

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Hospital Policy Management Software - Top Ten Things to Consider When Choosing a System

If you are in charge of finding the best hospital policy management application for your hospital or health network, choose wisely - just because an application is categorized as healthcare IT does not prove its viability in your organization's environment. Even top healthcare IT companies can fail to meet your needs if you overlook certain criteria, particularly if you are looking for a web-based solution. The criteria below can help you make an informed decision when choosing the best software to manage your hospital or health system's policies and procedures.

Is it user-friendly? If you are faced with a choice between an application with a boring, user-friendly interface or a beautiful but complicated one, go with user-friendly. Your staff will thank you.
Is it built with searchability in mind? Fast searching is critical when patient outcomes are at stake. An application's searching should look at every word on a page (full-text) and shouldn't require manual keyword tagging; it should adjust for misspellings and account for stemming (understanding that "medicines" matches "medicine" in a search result). Ask the software provider how it works.
Does it go mobile? Make sure your hospital policy management system works on mobile devices used at your site - whether they are laptops, cell phones or tablets - so caregivers have access to vital information at their fingertips.
Is it in line with your disaster/emergency requirements? Internet connectivity can be lost for a variety of reasons, so you (or the software provider) must be able to back up information on-site for emergency situations when using a Software as a Service application. Ask about how data is backed up and whether they use multiple servers in geographically separated data centers
Is it fairly priced? The Trojan Horse approach to pricing where every new user increases your costs is not only unfair but is also impossible to manage in today's dynamic healthcare environment - don't invest in a software unless the price is capped.
Does it support more than just policies? Healthcare organizations need to house procedures and other vital information in one place, and these can take many forms. Create an inventory of the different document types and find out how suitable the software is for each one.
Is it scalable? Applications must have the ability to expand, change and integrate to support this ever-changing environment of a hospital or a growing health system. If you are part of an integrated health system or health network, ask if the software allows you to share policies across hospitals.
Will it integrate with your existing tools? Just because a healthcare IT application is delivered via the web does not mean that it needs to stand apart from the other applications in your IT environment. Ask your provider if the software integrates with Active Directory and any other tools used by your healthcare organization.
Is it architected for the web? In selecting a SaaS or other web-based hospital policy management software, make sure the application was originally architected for the Internet rather than retrofitted from a non-web-based application. This ensures it has adequate security, speed and site monitoring, among other benefits.
Will it effectively decrease IT's workload? Before committing to a policy management software for your hospital, consider whether a browser plug-in is necessary and whether your IT staff will be required to help or train users; if you're still unsure, run it by IT first.

About the Author

Having spent the majority of his time building high-growth companies, Steven Ehrlich has been in the software industry for 20+ years and is currently president and CEO of PolicyStat. The Indianapolis-based company provides a web-based hospital policy management software for healthcare organizations wanting to reduce costs, increase productivity, mitigate risk and improve patient outcomes.

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Editing PDF Files Without Adobe Acrobat

The popularity of PDF files is due to several reasons. There are different types of documents that need to be converted to PDF. The simple reason to convert varied file formats to PDF is that it is highly user-friendly. And with the accurate knowledge it becomes even more easy to use. PDF file formats are popular because they are compact and their small size makes them easy to share and use. They can easily be preserved in their original formatting. It is easy to edit PDF and it is a safer option as compared to many other formats like word. Since, it has a password-protect feature, it isn't possible for others to view or use content of your PDF file. Only the users who know the password will be able to see the content of your file, or edit it. The biggest advantage of PDF file is that it can be viewed on any web browser, including your mobile phones.

It is very easy to edit PDFs even without the use of Adobe Acrobat, unlike the previous belief. With the help of PDF creator, which also comes with an editor, you can do editing easily. The editing tool offers help in re-touching or doing minor as well as major changes to your PDF document. Besides, editing small or large portions of your file, you could also edit the properties, quality and security settings of your PDF file. With the use of basic tools you can do advanced editing of your files, without any hassle.

You can hide certain non-required parts of your file with the tool. You could add shapes, text and notes to your PDF file. If you want to convert large portions of your file, you can do that with just a single click, with the option of batch conversion. With a good converter suite you can merge multiple PDFs into one file. A wholesome software will allow you to convert PDF files, edit them and create them in a jiffy! You can easily view your files and instantly share them, with the help of such software.

Apart from the above mentioned features, you can also import images anywhere in your PDF document. You can replace images, add signatures and remove blocks of text without actually breaking the flow of the document. This way you can conveniently edit your PDF file with the use of a handy software.

Jenny Hamper enjoys writing about convert PDF to Word Conversion. She works in software development since 2000s and knows very well about the importance of PDF to Word and PDF conversion tools in business industry.

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Does Apple Want to Stop You From Using iPhone Cameras at Concerts? (PC Magazine)

Many concerts ban attendees from taking photos or video footage. But increasingly sophisticated smartphones make it difficult for event security to enforce those rules. Apple, however, is reportedly developing software that would shut off your camera at concerts.

Patently Apple has uncovered a patent published on June 2 that would use infrared receivers to cripple your phone's camera when it's opened at live shows. The idea includes an image-processing system that would "determine whether each image detected by the camera includes and infrared signal with encoded data." Although the camera would be inactive, other apps on the phone would function normally.

How would it work? Infrared transmitters would be placed near the stage and "when a camera is pointed at the stage to take a photograph or video, the infrared transmitter near the stage would communicate with your camera and instruct it to disable capturing capabilities." It could also be used to prevent people from recording in movie theaters.

In some cases, this software would allow photos or videos to be captured, but it would apply a watermark to this protected media.

However, this patent could also be used for other purposes. Patently Apple pointed to museums with exhibits where photography is prohibited; infrared signals could be used to block iPhones from taking pictures. But it could also be used to provide additional information about a painting or a sculpture. It could be used in retail to give information on a particular item like price, availability, and location in the store.

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What Do Photo ID Systems Offer?

Many companies ranging from real estate agencies to entertainment venues like concert halls have photo ID systems on premises to produce employee ID cards. Other businesses choose to hire printing companies to produce the ID cards for them. Either way, photo ID systems are very versatile, and depending on the brand and model, they are sophisticated and could be called a "package deal" because of all of the things that are bundled in them.

Photo ID systems could be bought complete with a printer, a bulk amount of blank plastic cards, a camera, printer software, and a USB printer cable. When a company wants to produce its own employee ID cards, they sometimes purchase the plastic cards, printers, and cameras separately. This is because not all businesses know that photo ID systems are available, and they cost less than buying each part separately. The ID system comes complete with all of the essentials to efficiently print employee ID cards. Depending on the printer that comes with the ID system, companies are able to produce hundreds of ID cards a day without having to worry about the printers getting overheated or having other technical problems. They are designed to handle large volumes of printing.

Photo ID systems offer a way for businesses to quickly produce ID cards and distribute them. They are not just for employee ID cards. They are also used to make library cards, bank cards (like ATM cards, credit cards, and debit cards), ski resort passes, membership ID cards, customer loyalty cards, student ID cards, and more. The possible uses of ID systems is and endless list. However, photo ID systems are usually purchased by large businesses and schools, which produce a massive amount of ID cards every year.

People who are usually required to wear ID cards are doctors, nurses, K-12 students, and security guards. They are often asked to wear their ID cards somewhere easily visible. Therefore, they usually place their ID cards in an ID holder, which comes in different shapes and sizes. More often than not, anywhere a company purchases an ID system, they could find accessories, such as an ID holder, for sale as well. Other than an ID holder, people punch holes into their cards and put them on key chains or strap them onto lanyards.

Depending on the ID card production needs of businesses, they might even necessarily need their own ID system. If a business is small with only a few employees (such as a public relations boutique) it would probably be less expensive to just hire a printing company. Purchasing a photo ID system might hurt their budget rather than save it. However, a larger organization with thousands of employees (such as a nationwide insurance company or non-profit organization with multiple chapters) would benefit the most from having photo ID systems in their office buildings. Hundreds of businesses around the world have realized the time-saving and cost-effective benefits of having their own photo ID systems rather than setting a contract up with another company to make ID cards.

For information about id systems and id holder, call safecardid.com at 888-485-4696 for free ID expert needs analysis.

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Codecs for Windows Media Player

For so many years, computer users have preferred to use the media application provided by Windows to play various media like music videos and movies. In fact, they have been used to this player that they do not want to consider using another media player. A lot of people use media-player to organize their music library and give their own ratings. But with the recent arrival of codecs, many people complain about the difficulty of playing their movies or songs with it.

Basically, a codec is standard that is used to play various files. For some people who are not yet familiar with it, the term may sound very difficult but it is not. If you want to play the file, a key is needed. This key is available for download anytime. Once it is downloaded, the player can play all sorts of file. For example, a 3gp file is usually used in different cell phones. If you record a video using your own, you can play it on your windows media player. If you cannot play it, then you need to download the 3gp codec first. You can find many websites which provide codecs. You can also go to Microsoft website since they also provide various codec packages. Windows users can download the latest codecs for free.

One of the most recent codec is AAC or Advanced Audio Coding technology. Although it is not very widely known compared to MP3, this type of codec has better sound quality than MP3. In addition to that, it has a smaller size so you can save as many files as you want. Apple products are generally AAC especially iPad and iPhone. It also has an inbuilt converter for AAc and WMA. If you need to be prepared, you should have an AA codec installed in your PC so that you can always play all sorts of file types. You can get these codecs for free online by just searching for Windows codec packs.

Furthermore, another very important codec for viewing other media such as DVD and MP3 is the AC3 codec. It is widely called as Dolby Digital. It is always the most preferred codec that is commonly used by many theaters and also for DVD productions. If you have experienced watching a movie on your laptop and there was no sound at all, then it is due to the lack of AC3 codec. You can also get this codec for free.

There are several websites which offer codecs download for computer users. If you do not want to go through the trouble of installing the codecs, you can also choose to download another player like GOM and VLC because these players have already pre-installed codecs. If you want to stick to Windows MediaPlayer, you can always download the codecs online because it is always free for all.

If you have a mobile device such as the latest LG Optimus Android-based smartphone you are able to download Windows Media Player as an Android app. This will let you play all of your favorite media on your phone with the same familiar interface that you have on your PC.

The author has spent a lot of time learning about LG Optimus at Vincent O'Neil's website.

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Insurance Software Services - To Provide Solutions To Your Business Needs

Insurance software services have been one of the key factors in driving the insurance industry to what it is today. The services have offered solutions to thousands of organizations, and they have directly had an impact on the bottom lines of various companies. The insurance software applications are smartly designed to resolve complex tasks and activities. Software engineers work with insurance experts for developing the applications for their client companies.

The software may be custom built according to the specific needs of each insurance company.

The software solution companies provide customized applications, which are designed to meet even your unique business needs. Insurance companies are able to manage their high volume client accounts with the help of these software. Technology has surely made our lives a lot easier, and with this type of software, businesses are able to stay ahead of their competition. The working of the insurance companies have sped up manifold the claiming procedure and thus enabling the companies provide speedier and better services to their customers.

The software applications are developed based on the specific needs of their clients. Their collaborative team based approach helps in delivering solutions within the predefined timeframes. Some of the Insurance software services are equipped to handle future problems as well.

Getting the right Insurance management software for your company is quite affordable these days, and you will not have to worry about the expenses. The development companies offer excellent deals and discounts to their clients, in order to keep up with their competitors. They deliver in time and within your budgets. The customized applications efficiently provide various advantages and opportunities.

These types of applications have been in existence for more than 13 years now, and many development companies have increased their business and reputation for delivering quality software. The needs for high-end insurance management software systems are more than ever now. However, these applications require constant updates, and therefore the development teams consistently work with their clients to make the necessary changes.

Gaining a distinct cutting edge through insurance software services is something that most of the companies are looking for. They'll need to find the development company that hires only the best qualified software engineers. These companies are capable and resourceful to provide complex business solutions, by using the most advanced technologies.

Insurance applications are designed by dedicated and recognized industry experts. They look into every minute detail that is required by their clients. Each stage of development process includes advanced, innovative, and business specific inputs.

They work around the clock, as they understand the significance of effective communication for coming up with right solutions. Their engineers work actively with you in each and every stage of the project. Regular status report is given through document management system, which would allow you to effectively manage the business process, and integrate the application seamlessly.

The vigorous testing procedures of those companies are aimed at eliminating the errors before the applications are put to use. Getting these software applications for your business is as good as hiring experts, and it is lot cheaper.

To know more about insurance software services, insurance software, and insurance management software, They will assist you in every aspect regarding software applications and insurance software services to meet your unique needs.

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The Digital Generation Has Arrived - Does Your Company Cater to Them?

They are referred to as Generation Z or The Digital Generation. Born between 1991 and the early 2000's, this first generation of digital natives is fast becoming your newest batch of customers. What does this mean for you? Is your business ready to satisfy customers who expect all of their communicating, information gathering and purchasing to be done online? Have you ever even heard of DAM software?

If you answered no to any of the above then pay attention. Last year 79% of consumers in the U.S. made purchases online, Internet sales in the UK grew by 18% in a month and in NZ the number of online shoppers doubled since 2004.

So what can you do? It is very easy to say that your company needs to improve its online offerings but what are the practicalities behind making your company's products and services digitally accessible?

The simple answer might be DAM software. The acronym stands for digital asset management. Digital assets are just that, digital non-tangible items, rather than traditional goods and services. These digital assets are stored electronically, on a local hard drive (computer) or online, examples are photographs, music, images, archives, videos and manuals... The list goes on.

DAM software has been developed to sit alongside company websites, to provide a secure place for companies to store digital assets and to act as a user-friendly platform from which customers can search and download them.

Some of the best DAM applications are remotely managed software solutions. The software sits on a network online as opposed to on your own desktop. Your digital assets are uploaded to a server, which your online customers will be redirected to. Usually these applications can be easily customised to look just like another section of your own website. Your customers will not know the difference!

The advantage for your customers is access to a database of your products that is simple, secure and easy to search.

The advantages for you are just as good. You won't need to pay a designer to develop a complicated customised website to host and display your digital assets. What's more, DAM software is designed to be self-run so you will be able to upload and manage your own content instead of paying somebody else to maintain your website. You will be able to set passwords and restrict access to files; you will even be able to keep track of the email addresses of customers who have downloaded your digital assets.

If you have files that you would like to make available to clients online, then you should look into a DAM software solution. You could have your digital files online and available to customers before this afternoon is done.

Original Image created Mosaic DAM Software. Mosaic is a high performance web based Digital Asset Management solution, which can be easily configured to fit with any company brand. Contact Original Image today to inquire about DAM software, PageProof, FTP or Hosting products for your business. http://www.mosaicpics.com/

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Nuance Voice Recognition Gets iOS Mic App (PC Magazine)

In the midst of rumors about Apple adding voice-to-text capabilities to the iPhone 5 and iOS 5, the leader in that technology, Nuance, has announced a major update to its Dragon NaturallySpeaking application.

The new version actually includes an iOS app for iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches that turns any of these devices into a remote wireless mic for Dragon. Like any self-respecting software, the new version also includes a social networking tie-in, making Facebook and Twitter posts simpler.

"As mobile devices and social networks have become a more important part of our customers' lives, they have asked us for more flexibility in how they can use Dragon," said Peter Mahoney, senior vice president and general manager for Dragon at Nuance. "People who have never tried Dragon before will be genuinely impressed with all the ways it lets you interact with your digital world. Those who are already familiar with Dragon will see some exciting improvements that extend its use with social sharing, and add flexibility with microphones and recording devices."

Nuance had already released a free speech-to-text app for iOS, called Dragon Dictation, which lets users speak to send SMS text messages, emails, and social media updates. The app has a four-star rating in the iOS app store and has ranked as a top free app since its release in December 2009. The new Dragon Remote Microphone app will also be free, but is only useful with the Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5 or higher desktop app, which sells for $99.99 in the Home edition and $199.99 in the Premium edition. Premium adds playback of recorded speech command sequences, multiple dictation sources, the ability to control Microsoft Office apps, and more.

With version 11.5 of the Windows-only desktop app, users will now be able to tell their PC things like: "Post to Facebook" or "Post to Twitter." They'll also be able to search Amazon, Twitter, maps, or send an email with similar ease.

The apps interface has also been updated. A new sidebar shows commonly needed commands and a history of those you use frequently. Also made easier are setup and many voice commands. For example, you can now say "bold" followed by the text you want boldfaced, and you can correct or format multiple occurrences of a word or phrase. Finally, NaturallySpeaking 11.5 adds support for several newer mainstream applications, such as Internet Explorer 9, Windows Live Mail 2011, OpenOffice Writer 3.3, and Windows 7 SP1.

To find out more about Nuance's Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5 or to purchase and download the software, head to the Dragon NaturallySpeaking Web site. Look for a full rated review of the software on PCMag.com in the coming days.

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Microsoft releases Kinect software for developers (Reuters)

SEATTLE (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp made available on Thursday a Windows 7-compatible test version of the software behind its hit Kinect motion-sensing game device, in the hope that developers will invent a host of "hands-free" features for standard PCs.

Microsoft's Kinect, launched last year, is a sensing camera and microphone device that plugs into the Xbox 360 console, allowing users to play games purely with gestures and voice commands.

The hugely successful device is seen by some as a blueprint for future computing, and was immediately attractive to hackers who devised ways of making it work on standard computers.

Microsoft was at first hostile to such attempts, but by releasing a beta version of the Kinect software development kit is showing that it is interested to see what developers will make of the technology.

The software kit, which Microsoft insists is for noncommercial use at this point, can be downloaded at http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/projects/kinectsdk/ .

(Reporting by Bill Rigby, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)

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Why Send Encrypted Emails?

Email isn't secure

E-mail has become an indispensable communication tool for individuals as well as businesses. And many times, emails contain confidential and sensitive information that must be protected against eavesdropping. Email messages are often transmitted in plain text over the Internet without any form of email encryption. Sending unencrypted emails through the Internet is like sending postcards through regular mail-anyone that has access can read or modify its content.

While the email protocol used in sending emails via the Internet is capable of supporting encryption, it doesn't have any reliable way to guarantee or enforce end-to-end encryption. Even services like Gmail that support encryption between your computer and their service can't guarantee your message will be transmitted securely between their mail server and your recipient's mail server. This is because if the recipient's mail server doesn't support encryption (which it often doesn't) Gmail is forced to fallback to transmitting your message in plain text. The same goes for essentially all personal and corporate mail environments.

Perhaps even more alarming is copies of your messages are typically stored unencrypted on your computer, your company's or host's mail server, each recipient's mail server, and each recipient's computer. While transmitting your message normally takes a fraction of a second, once your message is stored it normally sticks around for years. This provides multiple opportunities for unauthorized access to your email messages and raises legitimate privacy concerns. A good email encryption solution will use powerful cryptography techniques to ensure your messages are both stored and transmitted securely, and that only you and your recipients have the capability to decrypt your message data.

The problem with traditional email encryption

Traditional email encryption solutions require at least a moderate degree of computer expertise to implement. There is software to purchase, download, and install. There are encryption keys to generate, publish, and maintain. And what do you do when one of your recipients uses a different encryption technology from your own? Do you purchase, download, install, and configure their solution in addition to your own or do you require them to purchase, download, install, and configure your solution?

How to easily send encrypted emails

If you use a locally installed email program such as Outlook, you can protect your email messages by downloading a free Secure Add-In for Microsoft Outlook that will allow you to send and receive encrypted emails within your Outlook account. There are also other email encryption services that allow you to send private emails for free without downloading software or the use of encryption keys and works on any email client or web enabled device.

If your emails are not encrypted, its content is exposed and anyone read or modify it. It is up to you to protect yourself and your data. A quick rule of thumb to follow is: Encrypt data that would be problematic if others have access to it. If you need to send confidential or proprietary data, send encrypted emails.

Than Nguyen is an Internet consultant specializing in Internet Technology and helping businesses implement strategies and tools to increase productivity and profitability. Send secure encrypted emails for free at https://www.sendinc.com/

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Yahoo! helps find smartphone 'apps' (AFP)

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Yahoo! has begun helping people navigate the sea of applications available for Apple iPhones or mobile gadgets powered by Google-backed Android software.

App Search for personal computers and a free AppSpot program for smartphones were crafted to help people find what they seek at Apple's online App Store or the Android Market.

"Together, they take the guesswork out of finding apps that fit your life," Yahoo! said in a blog post.

"App Search and AppSpot allow you to zero in on any app by showing matching app titles with a full comprehensive description, price, overall star rating from users and screenshots in one spot."

The App Store boasts more than 425,000 of the mini-programs for Apple gadgets, while the Android Market was reported to have about 200,000 and growing.

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Data Quality Management for Membership Organisations and Associations

For any customer centric organisation and for membership organisations in particular, maintaining an accurate, up to date and clean store of membership data is an essential ingredient in being able to deliver the kind of customer experience that a member expects. But keeping data clean, de-duplicated and up to date is no easy task unless it is planned for and built into the day to day management of membership information.

Membership data comes from many sources, from:

‧ Completed membership forms
‧ Business cards collected at events
‧ Details telephoned or emailed through
‧ Web site form submissions
‧ Faxes received
‧ And many other channels

So having a centralised repository for core membership data rapidly becomes an essential requirement for any membership organisation. There is nothing more embarrassing or damaging to a members view of an organisations perception of them, than being wrongly communicated to by two areas of the same organisation who hold different views of a members details. So having a clean, accurate "single view of the truth" is essential.

So how do we go about getting clean data and keeping clean? The foundation of any data management strategy is a periodic mass data cleanse exercise that takes all key data - at an organisation and/or individual level - and de-duplicates the data against itself and then cleans key data fields against established key reference data. For example:

1. Validates addresses against the post code data file
2. Validates that phone numbers are in the right format and have the right std code for the location given
3. Validates that email addresses are in the correct format and have valid domain names associated to them

This periodic data cleanse will give a clean base from which to build going forward.

Keeping the data up to date and clean on an on-going basis must then be built into business processes and technology solutions as data is updated by membership management staff and/or by the members themselves. Providing data validation facilities at the point of data entry, whilst not impacting in a negative fashion on the data entry experience, ensures that the data entered matches data reference points. For example checking that the address lines are correct for a given post code, the std code for the telephone number is accurate, and the email address has a valid domain name. All of these "lookup" facilities are easily built into a data entry user interface - for both membership staff and members themselves - and add immense value to ensuring that clean data is entered into a solution.

Once the core data has been validated and cleansed and the record is added to the database, it is important to ensure that the record being added is not already present in the database and, hence, is being duplicated. Data de-duplicate algorithms should be configured appropriately for your particular required level of de-duplication checks to ensure that you can detect the majority of duplicates but, at the same time, do not negatively impact on the process of entering data into the solution. For example, you will need to determine which combination of data fields should be used for a duplicate check - in most case, a combination of first name, last name, post code, first line of address, and email address are used.

Within the combination, you will need to determine the level of "fuzziness" that you will use to match data - for example, is "Dave" and "David" the same, is a slight mis-spelling of a first line of address (a common factor in web form completion) acceptable and will it be able to be used for de-duplication purposes? A competent data management expert will be able to advise you on the basics for such algorithms and will be able to implement them for your particular situation. These algorithms should be reviewed regularly to ensure that they are meeting your needs.

The question of when, and by whom, data de-duplication should be performed should be addressed. For membership staff, should it be upon entering and saving data within the solution (i.e. at the point of data entry) or should it be a separate offline activity (or should it be a combination of both)?

For members entering or modifying their data online then it is highly unlikely that you will ask the member to de-duplicate their own data - there are huge data protection and privacy implications of allowing them to de-dupe themselves. So where and by whom, is such data de-duplication to be performed? Again, your data management strategy should address these points and should be periodically reviewed to ensure that it is working from a data quality viewpoint and a customer experience viewpoint.

As we have seen from just the brief outlines above, there is a fair amount to think about with regards to a data management strategy. It is essential that any data management strategy is built around practical, pragmatic customer and member engagement strategies and becomes a natural part of the customer/member engagement processes. If it becomes an artificial "add on" to such processes, then it won't happen and your data will rapidly decay and become worse than useless. A clear, concise, common sense data management strategy should be documented and adopted across the organisation. It should also be reviewed on a regular basis as a key part of the overall customer/membership management review process. Only then can it provide an invaluable platform for the ongoing quality management of membership data, providing the basis for the development and implementation of all product and service offerings that your organisation wants and needs to provide to its membership base going forward.

Silverbear Membership Management software is part of the range of solutions from Silverbear Ltd. Used within societies and membership organisations throughout the UK, it supports businesses to build, define, examine, inform and communicate with existing and potential members.

Silverbear is helping membership organisations on a daily basis. For more information on Silverbear Membership Management solution and the benefits of membership software, visit their website at http://www.silverbearmembership.co.uk/, email membership@silverbear.co.uk or call 01483 301 333.

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Estimating Software That Makes Estimating Fun!

Years ago in the construction industry the only option you had when putting estimates together was a set of paper drawings, scales and adding machines. Thanks to today's technology this has all changed.

Today we have on the market what we call digitizing software's. They have the ability to take a set of paper documents that have been converted to electronic files and allow you to perform the material takeoff right on your computer monitor.

Unique colors can be assigned to each material type which allows the Estimator to more clearly point out each part of the project during a review. This can speed up the review process tremendously and give the Manager a comfort level that all quantities are accounted for and leave more time for pricing and planning.

These software's have the ability to add contractor specific pricing to the generated quantities to complete the entire estimate within the software without needing another software. If you prefer, there is the option to transfer the quantities into your own customized Excel spreadsheets where all the final pricing and editing can be completed. The choice is yours.

With these abilities and options available to you, the whole estimating process becomes much more efficient, accurate and can actually make estimating stimulating and fun! I have seen the transformation in the attitude of many estimator's when they switch from the old way to this new technology.

When teaching a new estimator I would first teach them the old method so they could put a takeoff together without a computer under any circumstance. Then once I felt they understood the entire process at multiple levels of estimating, I would introduce them to this new technology.

Wow, would their level of interest increase! They started coming into work earlier and staying later. They made less mistakes and you could tell they were genuinely having fun. There are many things to think about within a short period of time when estimating which can be very stressful. The less stressful you can make it the better the employee is going to perform and as a result, the quality and completeness of your estimates will improve dramatically.

With all the estimating software's available today, there is absolutely no reason not to take advantage of this technology. This does not mean you can't still print out the paper drawings that you or others would like to physically touch. In most cases, you will still print a few of the key drawings to pass around the office. You most definitely will be printing much less which will save you more time and money in addition to the benefits and savings mentioned above.

I have tested many an Estimating Software over the years. Out of all of them I've seen and tested, there is one I would recommend for its comprehensive list of features, combined with a very reasonable cost. I have personally used this software for many years and know you would be very pleased with this choice. The developers are continually updating and keeping their software fresh to make sure they stay on the leading-edge of the latest technology. You can find out more information about this software and try it for free by going to http://www.takeoffquick.com/.

Give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

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Senate bill would add protections for mobile users’ location data (Appolicious)

Sen. Al Franken isn’t happy about the prospect of mobile operating system developers like Google (GOOG), Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT) and Research In Motion (RIMM) gathering users’ location data and sharing it without their permission.

The Minnesota democrat introduced the bill along with Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) on Wednesday, which would require mobile companies like Google and Apple and app developers to ask users for their explicit permission before sharing location data gathered by mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, with any third parties.

GigaOM has the story. Here’s a quote explaining the bill in more detail:

“The Location Privacy Protection Act, as proposed by Franken and Blumenthal, would close a loophole that allows ‘smartphone companies, app companies and even phone companies offering wireless Internet service to freely share their customers’ location information with third parties without first obtaining customers’ consent.’ Cable and phone companies are already barred from doing so, and Franken and Blumenthal think that restriction should apply to mobile users as well.”

The bill is a direct result of information being released by researchers a month or so ago that showed that Apple’s iPhone 4 was saving all the location data tracked by its GPS in an unencrypted folder that was easily accessible inside the phone. Apple chalked the tracking up to a bug that it corrected with an iOS update, but it came to light that the information has been used by law enforcement officials in their investigations, without the need to obtain a warrant.

Franken and other senators called Google and Apple to a hearing before the Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and Law, where the lawmakers called for stricter rules on how companies can use customers’ location data. The bill goes a step further, obviously, by forcing the companies to loop in their users on what is done with their data.

Both Google and Apple, along with other mobile platform makers, routinely track user location data for a number of reasons – several app do, as well, although many (Google and Apple included) ask permission before tracking the data or sending it onward. The data is used to hone cellular reception, improve service, track how users make use of mobile data connections and a host of other reasonable pursuits. But the security breach exposed on the iPhone 4 suggested that the data was a lot easier to come by if the person looking for it was knowledgeable, and until now, while Google and Apple have said they’re not doing anything untoward with location data, there was no legal framework preventing them from selling it to advertisers, for example. And a recent investigation by the Wall Street Journal found that about half of the top 101 apps for both platforms were sharing location data with third parties without users’ permission or knowledge.

While the bill might sound like a good idea on its face, there are a lot of factor to consider. Biggest among the concerns is probably just the prevalence of apps making use of location data – from social networks to shopping apps to a number of games, location data is yanked down for almost any reason by too many apps to count. Requiring those apps and Apple to ask the user for permission of iOS users could potentially be a hard thing to implement, although Google seems to do okay by asking users to sign off on the various phone functions an app wants to access when it is downloaded to its Android platform. Adding an extra step to the download process that delineates where data will be sent and under what circumstances probably wouldn’t be a back-breaking enterprise, and it’ll give users information they deserve to have about what is being done with their information.

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Learn How to Make Firefox Faster

If you are a Mozilla Firefox user, you may enhance your browsing experience and save your precious time making Firefox faster. Yes, there are some simple tweaks that you can do in the Firefox settings, which will make the browser load page faster. You may ask a computer support provider to help you in this regard. Or else, go through this article and lean how you can do it.

Mozilla Firefox is the most popular web browser and it has the largest user base in the world. Although Google Chrome, its nearest rival, is giving tough competition, but it is still used by maximum number of users. You just need to make a few 'under the hood' changes in the browser's settings. It will make Firefox run faster and even you will experience faster downloads.

The first thing what you need to do to make Firefox start faster is set its priority to 'high' through the task manager. Then you need to try Pipelining Trick. Enabling a feature called 'pipelining' you can make the browser send several requests to the server. This ultimately results faster page loading. Don't know how to enable pipelining? Just type 'about:config', (without single quotes) in the Mozilla web browser and press enter. You will get Firefox warning mentioning system instability if changes in settings are made. You don't need to worry about this, just click ok.

This will bring a list of Firefox settings. Type 'Ctrl + F' and find the following settings: 'network.http.pipelining' and 'network.http.proxy.pipelining'. Set their Boolean values to 'True' by double-clicking on them. Locate 'network.http.pipelining.maxrequests' and double-click on it and set its value to 8. This will decrease page loading time and make the web browser run faster.

Now type 'about:config' in the address bar and right click for creating a new integer variable. The preference name should be 'content.notify.interval.' Set its value to be 500000. Now create a Boolean variable by right-clicking on the page. You should name it as 'content.notify.ontimer' and set its value to 'true'.

Tweaking the content switch threshold loading time, you can enhance the speed of Firefox browser. Type 'about:config' in the address bar again and right click to create an integer variable. Give the name 'content.switch.threshold' and set its value to 250000. It is also recommended to increase the browser Cache size.

Alike other browsers, Firefox also stores certain pages in its cache at the time of browsing. Once these pages are opened up once, it will load the page faster next time. Increase the cache size. Go through 'about:config' for increasing cache size. Create a new integer variable by right clicking on the page. Name this as 'browser.cache.memory.capacity.' Set the value to '65536'. Restart the browser, due to the larger cache, Firefox will work much faster.

Doing these tweaks you can make the Firefox run faster. You can get tech support from a reliable PC support provider for more help in this regard.

For computer repair in New Zealand, there are many online computer services companies. Choose their tech support plan and enjoy hassle-free computing.

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Why Selenium and Qualitia?

When a testing team automates its testing process there are certain parameters that should be defined for calling it a success. We believe these parameters to be:

Team involvement
A testing team comprises subject matter experts, manual testers, and automation experts. This means all levels of experience, domain, and technical knowledge should collaborate in test case creation.

Selenium is a technology intensive tool. It requires bit of development experience to make it automation ready. There is no doubt about it! But using Qualitia on top of it will ensure manual testers contribute in developing test scripts. Subject matter experts can convert their workflows directly as a test case. They can ensure the correct 'action-expected result' philosophy of each feature.

Readability
How easy it is for a team to develop test cases? How easy it is for team to understand log reports to trace a bug?

Even though Selenium demands development brilliance, with Qualitia as a scriptless test automation builder, the need to know selenium API commands is drastically reduced. Since Qualitia 'codes' the test cases, it makes them easy to understand. Using Selenium, Qualitia generates reports, logs, and even screenshots that can be understood by both business and test automation experts.

Unlike its competitors, Selenium offers its users an array of development languages to choose from. Hence, a Selenium enabled a testing team can choose their most favorite language to script. This helps them quickly adopt, execute, and manage a change.

Scope of automation tool
Automation tool should ideally not restrict applications to be tested based on technology or browsers. Here I am being very specific to web based applications.

Unlike any other market leading automation tools, Selenium supports all browsers and operating systems. Using Qualitia, testing teams can test any web based application 1.6 times faster than ever before with 100 percent test coverage - all the while reducing test automation costs by almost 50%.

Maintainability
Test script maintenance when change arrives! How quickly and cost effectively the change is managed, accepted, and tested for?

Qualitia ensures object class specific scripts to be centrally stored and maintained. This ensures updates are faster and reflected across all the impacting test cases.

Automation that facilitates agile development
Ideally automation should start on day 1. This means quality is in sync with production.

By bringing testers into the early stage of development cycle, test cases can be prepared even before the development commences. Test automation can be built alongside the development phase. Hence from day 1 the application is automation enabled. With Qualitia's scriptless approach on Selenium this can be very easily and cost effectively achieved.

Scalability
How cost effectively can a team increase the scope of test automation for one or more than one products without reducing test coverage or assurance on quality.

The cost of automation using a traditional script based approach limits the boundaries of scalability. What to automate and what not to takes precedence over test coverage and assurance on quality. Whereas it should be vice versa.

Since Selenium is an open source and a freeware tool, the costs of tool, resources, maintenance, renewals, and support are a lot less in comparison to others.

With no upfront investment on test automation tool, a testing team can very cost effectively build a robust test automation process. The savings can be used in retaining and hiring better testers - both manual and automation experts. With Qualitia as a scriptless test automation builder, training on Selenium specific scripting language goes out of the window. Hence, the learning curve is almost negligible.

Leveraging Selenium grid and multiple Selenium servers, test cases can be run on multiple threads to decrease the execution time.

Selenium and Qualitia ensure resources are better optimized. Right from money, to people in the testing chain, test scripts, to time-to-build and execute test cases, the combination ensures you quickly build an efficient, effective, and high ROI testing process.

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Use Collage Maker to Beautify Photos in Different Shapes

Have you ever seen one of those creative, splendid photo collages? The answer is absolutely "Yes", right? You may have seen it not only via TV or Internet, but also from your friend's house or office. This kind of artworks usually has a classical photo collage frame. It's an attractive and effective eye-catcher when it is displayed on table.

If you inspire to create a picture collage for your family members, and just don't have any creative talent, or technical skills, let Picture Collage Maker help you. This powerful collage maker is all-in-one photo collage software which uses very personal and unique way to commemorate a special time or event in your life. With some simple clicks, you can create digital picture collages, calendars scrapbooks, posters, invitations, and greeting cards.

Furthermore, a photo collage can be a gift for many special occasions or moments. In other words, if you have no clue what to give, a collage photo can be the perfect gift. So only using Picture Collage Maker can you present your photos or pictures in a very unique and artistic method.

Features of Picture Collage Maker

Create Picture Collage in Minutes
Turn your favorite photos into Picture Collage Maker by a few mouse clicks in minutes. It's easy to use for both seasoned collagers and new hobbyists.

Crop and Resize Photo
Crop, shrink, and resize your photo before making collage

Hundreds of Collage Templates
It is available for this photo collage maker to place a lot of photos in it by a made-to-order scheme. This can be of different sizes and made from templates which come in several styles depending on the personal taste of customer.

Add Personal Text
Add text in order to make the photo collage even more relevant to its purpose. Such as add a personalized birthday greeting if you are giving a birthday present using a photo collage.

Advanced Stylize Collage Images
It has the traditional and contemporary styles and designs that will surely complement perfectly to an individual personal style. Such as a grayscale filter, sharpen filter, and a blur filter.

Print You Collage
Print your picture collage that you can imagine from all the memorable events such as Wedding, Birthday, Party, Holidays......

Use it for Your Own Items
You can choose many ways to decorate picture collage, such as personalized bedding, roller blinds, wallpaper, canvas prints and posters to hang or stick on the wall.

Would you like this amazing maker making beautiful photo for you? Now you can try to add almost any picture in your Photo Collage Maker. I'm sure once the collage is finished, you will be proud for many years! It can be a masterpiece of a lifetime for the entire family members.

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Safeguarding Senior Citizens With Criminal Background Checks

In reviewing the most recent studies of healthcare related incidences, the most alarming of the studies is the care and protection of our most vulnerable citizens. Senior/handicapped citizens are more likely to be the victims of fraud and abuse. In reviewing these statistics, it is has been found that 1 out of 10 cases of abuse or neglect will be reported." These are very frightening but very real facts that have gone unchecked for far too long" stated an Alabama legislator.

The fact remains that these incidences are not just localized, but nationwide as well. Every day that goes by another senior/handicapped citizen may suffer at the hands of disreputable healthcare providers. In many cases nursing homes, and/or home healthcare providers are not under stringent guidelines when it comes to their hiring practices.

During a healthcare symposium held in 2009 in Atlanta Georgia numerous lawmakers were in agreement when it came to legislation that would make it mandatory for healthcare providers to have the background screening of its employees, and this would apply to present employees as well as future employees.

Still yet there are many hurdles to create such legislation that can be passed and made into law. Many healthcare providers/companies that have been caught submitting fraudulent charges through Medicare, Medicaid, and the patients they care for only have received minimal fines and penalties when they were caught. In the United States alone American citizens not realizing the cost of the fraud that is taking place is costing upward into the billions of dollars.

With new legislation in place that would impose stiffer fines and penalties, the mandatory implementation of background screening for employees, and above average accounting practices would send a clear message to all healthcare providers/services that a "zero" tolerance policy would help to ensure safety, and the well-being for those they provide services for.

During the 2009 symposium,the legislative body that was in attendance was startled to hear that the most frequent forms of elder abuse reported was neglect, emotional/psychological abuse, financial exploitation, being abandoned, as well as physical abuse that many of the reports centered around. To ensure the safety of family, friends and others who may be facing this situation can be an overwhelming task in itself, but the fact remains that our senior citizens have been overlooked for far too long, and they need our help more than ever.

As concerned citizens, "we must pull together in order to get such laws in place that will protect our most vulnerable citizens, and give them the peace of mind that they deserve in their later years"as stated by (ret.) Senator Bud Cramer addressing a group of retired military veterans.

If the preceding information was as eye-opening for you as it was for me, our senior citizens- may it be family friends, or our own family members' they rely on our abilities to make critical decisions concerning their well-being. Let us not forget that we to may be in their position one day ourselves!

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How to Speed Up Your Computer Software

It is a very usual practice nowadays to install many software programs to boost the performance of a PC. You may easily find numerous software installed in every PC today. In my own experience installing many security or computer cleaner programs doesn't make much difference rather many a times it slows down the overall performance and speed of the PC. I have also seen in various PC there were one than antivirus programs were installed. This is again a blunder and it will undoubtedly reduce the taken as a whole performance of the system. I suggest keeping it tiny and simple i.e. try to install only few important programs such as antivirus, or computer cleaner program in your PC. In my experience installing loads of software in order to protect it- is not a wise decision at all. Irrespective of any operating system there are few such important steps or tricks that need to be performed or are applicable for all and sundry i.e. we can try in every operating system.

Hardware glitch - Before anything else let me introduce the firs an integrated part of the OS. If there is any hardware problem in your machine it will not let the system run smoothly. Also there is no alternate for any hardware fault. If it is faulty it needs to be changed only.

Security software installed- An antivirus program is the good example of a security program. An official solution for any infection in your PC is an antivirus program. It removes all sorts of malicious programs from your PC. However there may be some occasions where we need to move forward to eliminate a malicious entry. Also there are numerous kinds of malicious programs that an antivirus does not deal with. For an instance some infection called spyware (though everyone is familiar with them now) they usually cannot be fixed by an antivirus program. But we do not need to be worried about it. There are many computer cleaner or freeware anti spyware programs that work like charm. Malware byte is one of them. Use it if you haven't tried so far.

Registry bloated: - registry is an integrated and central part for any windows operating system today. It holds all the information pertaining to the components associated within it. If a registry gets corrupted or damaged it affects the entire system and subsequently total performance gets down. You may use a good computer cleaner program to overcome this issue. There are many free or paid registry or computer cleaner programs that really work fine.

Click here to learn how to speed up your computer software.

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WrightSoft Manual J Certified Designer - WrightSoft Certified to Get It Right

In 1985 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Bill Wright was leading a graduate class on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) when he was consulted with the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA). The most influential association of HVAC contractors in the United States, the ACCA wished to collaborate with Wright to establish a software program to run calculations for HVAC engineers. And, so, WrightSoft was created. Still the flagship in HVAC design software, it now creates many software programs to help in HVAC creation. But its initial product, a Manual J load calculator, is still its primary product. If you wish to calculate a load using Manual J8, then it's your wisest bet to look for a WrightSoft Manual J8 certified engineer.

In order to become a WrightSoft Manual J certified designer, contenders must undergo intensive trainingclasses. They must not only comprehend how to use WrightSoft programs only, but they must also comprehend how to succinctly explain these designs and their importance to others. This is because it's of utmost importance not only for the designer to understand his own design, but also for the contractor to understand what the design is intending to accomplish and why. That way, he's not just a robot following a plan, but a human being with common sense who can recognize when something in the plan is awry.

The job of a WrightSoft Manual J certified designer is not just to help design HVAC systems, but also to come up with solutions to problems. If it was just a matter of using the software, anyone with a basic understanding of computers could simply punch in data and crank out load calculations all day. But the key is that the designer knows how to design, and how to come up with creative solutions to common problems.

Not only should the WrightSoft Manual J certified designer be familiar with WrightSoft's Manual J calculator, but with other WrightSoft software as well, such as Universal Residential v8.0, which combine calculation software with innovative sales, proposal, and equipment comparison software. The designer should even be able to coach the uninitiated on how to effectively use WrightSoft programs to help manage their business, even working with contractors one-on-one, if necessary. The usefulness of a designer certified to work with WrightSoft programs is boundless. And the engineering groups and companies that they work in are fortunate to have them in their midst.

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Dodge And Burn Your Images The Smart Way In Elements 8

Dodging & Burning your Mono images doesn't have to be a guessing game. The Digital Age has changed all that... Thanks to software like Photoshop Elements 8!

Dodging & Burning are terms used more so in photography. It is not exclusive or new to any image editing software. In actual fact it hails from the traditional darkroom. Basically, Dodging was performed by shading an area of the print from exposure for a time resulting in that area being lighter or illuminated. Burning involved increasing the exposure in the chosen areas, resulting in those areas being darker and more intense.

In the traditional method you couldn't actually see the difference your Dodging & Burning had made to your image until after you've developed the print. So in essence it was a bit of a fine art and somewhat of a guessing game! However the digital age has helped take out the guess-work with image editing software such as Photoshop Elements 8. Now you can keep track of your progress. By using the techniques I'm going to share with you, you can also achieve the same outcome, without the hassle!

So here you are with an image that is flat and lifeless. Your wondering what your options are for breathing life back into it, you might want to consider turning that image into mono and test driving your Dodge & Burn Tools, for Dodging & Burning are a vital part of black & white work. Knowing how to Dodge & Burn your images in Elements 8 the right way is a key ingredient to getting the mono look you want quickly and effortlessly without many, if any mistakes on the way. In the examples I'm about to show you I have chosen to use the Levels Adjustment Layers to fine tune the image which is a pretty typical approach. You don't have to use them, you can dive straight in with the Dodge & Burn techniques after converting your image to mono. However, this path can be tedious and the likelihood of mistakes can occur.

I have an example of an image where I have made some contrast adjustments using Levels. I did this by making two selections. Firstly the foreground, in which I moved the Levels sliders to get that contrast right and lastly the background. From there I tweaked the image more using the Dodge & Burn tools... the final result is a grittier image with nice highlights. The hills in the background that you could barely see in the before pic are now given some definition, along with mist that is coming up from the sea. All-in-all, a big improvement!

Find out the exact method I used to turn that dull, lifeless image into something with a bit more grunt that's worth keeping. Head over to Dodge And Burn Tutorial

This is Margareta Koopu bringing you helpful tutorials on Adobe Photoshop Elements 8. For more information visit my website at http://www.photoshop2torial.com/

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Phone rivalry drives down RIM earnings (AP)

TORONTO – BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd.'s quarterly results on Thursday provided fresh evidence of the company's struggles to come up with a device to compete with the iPhone and smartphones running Google's Android operating system.

The Waterloo, Ontario, company reported a nearly 10 percent drop in its fiscal first-quarter net income.

RIM also said it has been hurt by product delays, announced layoffs and warned that its profit for the current quarter and full fiscal year would come in well below Wall Street's expectations.

It was the second time this year the company has pared back its profit outlook. Its stock fell more than 14 percent in extended trading.

"The existing portfolio of BlackBerry products has been in market for close to a year, and delivering new products has proven more challenging than anticipated," RIM Co-CEO Jim Balsillie said on a conference call with analysts.

The announcements are the latest signs of trouble for RIM. The company dominated the corporate smartphone market and has sought to expand its appeal to consumers, but has recently had trouble with consumers because the phones aren't perceived to be as sexy as its chief competitors.

BlackBerrys are known for their security and reliability as email devices, but they haven't kept pace with Apple Inc.'s iPhones or phones based on Google Inc.'s Android software when it comes to running third-party applications.

Balsillie also acknowledged that the April launch of the company's tablet computer could have gone better. RIM got poor reviews on the Playbook and about 1,000 of the devices had to be recalled because of defective software. The company said it shipped about 500,000 of the tablets in its fiscal first quarter.

"The PlayBook launch did not go as smoothly as we had planned," he said.

Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis made a rare appearance on the conference call as the two defended the business and their role as co-CEOs. RIM has an unusual leadership structure, where two executives, Balsillie and Lazaridis, serve as both co-CEOs and co-chairmen. Dissident shareholders are calling for RIM to separate the roles of CEO and chairman.

Some industry analysts believe RIM is following the same trajectory as Finish handset maker Nokia, which last month warned that its second-quarter sales and margins are expected to be much lower than anticipated because of the competition on devices in both the high- and low-end market.

"We have a strong business," Lazaridis said. "We have made major platform upgrades, and we are almost through this transition."

Lazaridis said RIM was already far along in developing its next-generation BlackBerrys when it realized that U.S. customers wanted higher performance, requiring the company to upgrade the chips used. That posed an engineering challenge and delayed products, he said.

For the three months that ended May 28, RIM earned $695 million, or $1.33 per share. That's down from $769 million, or $1.38 per share, a year ago.

Revenue for the fiscal first quarter rose 16 percent to $4.9 billion from $4.2 billion.

Analysts polled by FactSet expected earnings of $1.32 per share on revenue of $5.1 billion.

Aurion Capital Management analyst Greg Taylor said the results indicate that RIM doesn't appear to have any new smartphones coming out soon.

"Everyone wants to have the newest and greatest device, and they don't have anything to sell right now," Taylor said. "Their guidance shows they're basically not expecting new smartphones this quarter."

For the current quarter, RIM forecast earnings of 75 cents to $1.05 per share, excluding items. Analysts are looking for far higher earnings of $1.36 per share. The company expects revenue of $4.2 billion to $4.8 billion, below analysts' average expectation of nearly $5.3 billion

RIM lowered its full-year earnings outlook sharply. It now expects earnings of $5.25 to $6 per share for fiscal 2012. In April, it had forecast $7.50 per share.

"That guidance was just awful," said Peter Misek, an analyst at Jefferies & Co. in New York. "I'm just surprised at the pace at which this is unraveling right now."

Misek said RIM carriers aren't supporting as before, consumers aren't buying their products as much as before and corporations are looking at alternatives. He said expects further delays in new BlackBerry's and said Apple and Google are "eating their lunch in a multiple of ways."

"As a Canadian, they are national heroes, and watching national heroes lose is not fun. It's kind of like watching the Vancouver Canucks lose. It's not fun," said Misek, referring to Vancouver's loss to Boston in hockey's Stanley Cup Finals.

RIM said earlier Thursday that Don Morrison, its chief operating officer, is going on medical leave.

It also said it is cutting an unspecified number of jobs to reduce costs. Balsillie said the job cuts are "an incredibly difficult decision" but said they do not constitute a restructuring of the company.

"We have grown so much over the past years and we've done 14 or 15 acquisitions over the last bit. This is just a streamlining," Balsillie said. "In no way shape or form would I call this a restructuring."

Lazaridis said company executives understand that recent times have been difficult for shareholders and employees, but said he's confident things will turn around.

Before the earnings RIM's stock was already off 50 percent from its 52-week high. In April, the company slashed earnings and sales forecasts as it faces increased competition. In extended trading after the results came out, RIM's stock fell $5.07, or 14.4 percent, to $30.26. In the regular session, the stock rose 16 cents to close at $35.33 before the earnings were issued.

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How to Optimize Your Mac

I've already published an article about optimizing the PC, but how about the Mac? What can Apple users do to gain speed without paying buckets of money on new hardware? Well it's a tricky question because Mac OSX is a Unix based operating system that lacks a register among other performance degraders. Yet I've come up with a few things you can do to optimize your Apple computer.

Watch the space

The bottleneck in any computer is the HDD. The hard drive is very slow and needs to crunch through a lot of data. When it fails to keep up users are confronted with a beach ball, somewhat similar to windows "program is not responding" message. The perfect solution would be to buy an SSD, but this is simply not affordable while maintain an equal level of storage. So you should fall back on option 2: management.

To improve the efficiency of your hard drive, simply remove all the data that is irrelevant. After all, the spinner will have less data to check, thus will be done sooner. Here's a list of things you could do:

Remove trash out of trashcanUncheck unimportant start-up items. Go to preferences > account > login.Remove programs you haven't used in a whileKeep "back-up" files like old documents/videos on an external storage device or in the cloud.Remove emails that aren't of importance.

Updates are always better

It's true because updates are improved versions of the initial version, so in theory they should always be better. Sometimes apps receive new code that also makes them operate faster, so you should always keep your programs up to date. Use Apple updater regularly, and check for new versions of your existing software. Trust me, your Mac will run faster when you do.

Purchase latest operating system

Operating systems are the backbone of any software suite, so your computer should always be running the best version available. For Mac that means Mac OS X Lion (a $29,99 buy), available in July.

Use 3rd party optimizers

To fully optimize your computer some 3rd party optimizing software could be considered. Without trying to influence anyone, personally I like MacKeeper. I think that it's a great package because it checks on software updates and lets you remove foreign language files with just the click of a button. Other packages should do the trick as well, as they generally just follow the pointers above.

Optimizing your Apple computer is an easy and quick job. There isn't much I can say because the operating system cleans itself and shows less gains from unorthodox aggressive methods than say a Windows would. However you can always make big gains by relieving the bottleneck, think about that the next time you're installing new software on your brand new computer.

optimize apple mac

I'm Robin Chung. In my spare time I like to write articles and stories. My ultimate dream is to write a life altering story for a lot of readers. Feel free to visit my website and learn more!

Robin Chung

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Natural Balance Dry Dog Food, Grain Free Limited Ingredient Diet Fish and Sweet Potato Recipe, 28 Pound Bag

Natural BalanceR L.I.D. Limited Ingredient DietsR Fish and Sweet Potato Dry Dog Food Dick Van Patten's Natural BalanceR Pet Formulas are used and respected worldwide by top trainers, breeders, veterinarians, kennels, and caring pet owners who want the best for their animals. Natural Balance products provide all natural complete and balanced nutrition in a variety of foods including dry, wet and treats. Some dogs may be highly sensitive to commonly used proteins, carbohydrates and food additives in their diet. Allergic reactions can lead to irritable bowel, upset stomach, and a number of skin problems. Natural BalanceR has created Sweet Potato & Fish formula for dogs with these food allergies. Our Sweet Potato & Fish formula combines fresh salmon, a single source of animal protein that most dogs have not been exposed to, and fresh sweet potatoes, a single source of carbohydrate not commonly found in dog foods, along with effective natural ingredients to help rebuild the dog's immune system. Features: · Fresh Salmon, a single premium quality protein source not commonly used in pet foods. · Fresh Sweet Potatoes are premium quality carbohydrates, rich in potassium and a highly digestible energy source. · Canola Oil is low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat. Excellent Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acid profile. · Salmon Oil is high in Omega-3, source of DHA · Flaxseed is an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids. · No Artificial Preservatives, Flavors, Colors or Bleached Ingredients. Size: 5 lb 15 lb 28 lb Style: Sweet Potato & Fish L.I.D. Formula Ingredients: Sweet Potatoes, Salmon, Salmon Meal, Canola Oil, Potato Fiber, Natural Flavor, Sodium Chloride, Salmon Oil (a source of DHA), Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Methionine, Choline Chloride, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iod

Price: $50.99

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3M 8210Plus Series Respirator

Designed to help provide comfortable, reliable worker protection against certain non-oil based particles. Its lightweight construction helps promote greater worker acceptance and comfort and increased wear time. For workplace applications include grindin

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Appraisal System Module Has Automated Employee Performance Analysis

Employees' performance appraisal process is a crucial task undertaken by the HR department in each organization. It involves various steps, ranging from preparing a questionnaire, conducting a face-to-face interview between the team supervisor or the HR manager and the employees, taking the help of outside appraisers, preparing reports, database and so on. No doubt, the whole process is quite troublesome and time-consuming. But thanks to new-age Appraisal System, this task can be done quite professionally with precision. This automated tool helps to keep track of each associated step with minimum headache.

Through Performance Appraisal System there is hardly any fear of mistake as the whole module is automated. Some of its key offerings include a 360° appraisal process, managing Appraisal Managers and database, keeping track of the relevant functions of the external appraisers, customizing appraisal templates etc. Modern versions of HRMS (Human Resource Management Software) offer this comprehensive module to ease up the tasks of the HR departments across the industries. The tool's easy-to-use and user-friendly characteristics have contributed in a big way behind popularizing this automated system.

Performance Appraisal Software has given freedom from dreadful paperwork. This robust software has initiated a silent but powerful revolution in the HR department by helping a smooth transition from a total manual job to fully automated process. A standard Employee Appraisal System enables the organizations to seamlessly align their corporate outlooks with that of the employees. Now, equipped with this tool, the HR manager can fill the appraisal forms, prepare the questionnaire via online medium and forward them to the selected employees and receive them in the same way.

Automated appraisal systems help to maximize ROTI (Return on Talent Investment) in the organizations. Performance Management Module is a key accessory of this system that enables monitoring each employee's performance, picking up the flaws and finding the areas for which the concerned employees need to be trained. The whole system automates the task of chalking out, implementing, tracking, and evaluating a robust appraisal process in systematic and confidential way for ensuring best results.

The yardstick to scale employees' performance varies from organization to organization. Employee Performance Appraisal System is flexible enough to enable companies define the fields and parameters associated with the process. It ensures flawless mapping of employee-wise role KPI and KRA. HRMS has already become an inseparable accessory of the HR department across the organizations and Appraisal System has contributed richly to its success.

HRMS has become a crucial tool of the HR department. Employee Appraisal System is one of its key modules.

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Installing 7-Zip and Firefox on Windows 7

7-zip

7-zip is software that allows you to open and extract.zip,.rar files, this type of file is a compressed file that can contain multiple files and folders, and is normally used to shrink a large file down to save space or to group up files for easier transfer/sending.

Go to 7-zip's website and select the "Download" link from the left hand side.Then select the correct download link, most will select the top one.Once selected you should get redirected to a "source forge" website this is normal, you should now get a pop up asking you to, Run, Save or Cancel. Click on RunOnce the file has downloaded to your computer you should get another pop box asking you if you're sure that you want to run this programme, click yes.Now the programme has started to install you will see a screen that shows you the option where you want the installed files to be places (Destination Folder). Leave this, unless you need/want to customise the install. Then click on "Install"The install will complete and you will see the screen has changed and now shows a "Finish" button, click it.Now to check that the software has been install correctly click on the windows start button on the left bottom side of the screen, you should see 7-zip under Programs click on it and then select "7-Zip File Manager" and if installed correctly then the software will launch.

Firefox

Firefox is software that allows you to browse the internet, allowing you to serve the internet with easy and fast. There are other browsers out there but this one is along with Internet Explorer by Microsoft are the most common used.

Go to Firefox website and then select "Firefox, Free Download" from the green box on the left.Then the next page will show up and there is install instructions on that page, but also now a box pops up asking you to, Run, Save, Cancel. Click Run.Once the file has downloaded the next pop up will ask you if you're sure you want to run the file. Click Yes.The next screen should pop up and this is just information saying that you're about to install, click the "Next" button.We will select the "Standard" installation and click "Next", which will select the common options, like where to install the files to.The next screen will show you where the files are going to be installed to and gives you the option to set it as the default web browser. Deselect if you want another web browser to be default. Then click "Install".Once the programme has been installed a screen pops up telling you the install is complete and gives you the option to launch Firefox now, Deselect if you don't want it to launch now. Then click "Finish".To make sure that Firefox has installed correctly click on the Windows star button on the bottom left hand side. And look inside All Programs for "Mozilla Firefox" click on it and if the install was successful the software will start up.

Uninstalling programs that you have installed can be done via the Control Panel. To access the control panel click on the windows start button and select "Control Panel" once the control panel has popped up click on "Uninstall a program" the next screen that appears will give you a list of all the programs install. Double click on the program you want to uninstall and follow the onscreen instructions.

Advice provided by Peter J of L1 Computers providing Liverpool PC repair and Liverpool laptop repair with a service you are sure to be pleased with.

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Targus Chromatic Backpack Case for 16-Inch Laptops TBB060US and 3-Button Optical USB Mouse AMU51US Bundle (BUS0239)

Business Casual Look

Targus’ 16-Inch Chromatic Backpack features a sleek and sporty look that is ideal for the casual business user, and is designed to protect up to 16-inch widescreen laptops.

Smart Access

The quick-access front pocket provides a convenient place to store items you may need to access quickly while traveling, such as a passport or money.

High-density material protects your notebook.

Stay Hydrated

An easily accessible mesh water bottle pocket keeps your hydration close at hand.

Ample Storage

To easily store documents or magazines, the case also features a dedicated file section and an additional large compartment for a power adapter or other device.

Attractive light colored lining illuminates the interior.

Protect Your Investment

A foam padded compartment protects your laptop from the shock of regular use, while also keeping your laptop separate from other objects in your bag.

Scratch-Free Zippers

Rubberized zippers protect your notebook from scratches when removing and inserting your notebook.

Rubberized zipper pull provides a soft touch.

Easy Does It

The padded back panel and adjustable shoulder strap allow for a customized, comfortable fit; while extra protection in the lumbar area reduces back strain, enabling you to have more enjoyable travels.

Ergonomic Grip

Finally, extra padding on the handle allows for a better carrying experience and reduced hand strain.

Price: $39.99

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