If you are like so many other people in this day and age, you have found yourself needing the services of a printer, scanner or a copier from time to time recently. So, you head to the nearest commercial copy service and use one, because you have always thought that you couldn't afford one. If you had taken the time to recheck what is now available however, you may have been surprised to learn that not only has the price come down considerably, but now you can get all three features in one compact unit that takes of no more space on your desk than a type writer.

Smaller, Lighter and More Compact

That's right! and not only that, but you can also now purchase a machine that also includes fax as well. There is now a wide choice of makes and models from light compact units designed for home use to standing high speed floor models that are capable of handing even the most demanding requirements of a busy office.

Inkjet, Laser and Thermal Printing

They come in three basic types of printing functions, those being inkjet, laser and thermal printing and what you will be using it for will weigh heavily in your decision as to what type of printer you will need. Thermal printers are capable of printing on a wide variety of media including rough uneven surfaces, as well as a number of types of cloth fabric.
Integrated Memory Function With Memory Stick

Also, the functions that a newer model printer scanner copier will contain in it should also be given close consideration as well. For instance, the latest printer scanner copiers now come with integrated memory capacity that also uses a memory stick. With the memoryk stick, you can easily transfer images and text directly form your computer to your printer, just as you would with any other device that accommodates a memory stick.

When the first office copiers were developed and marketed a few decades ago they were true wonders of modern technology. They weighed hundreds of pounds, occupied the floor space of a medium sized refrigerator and office workers everywhere would watch in amazement as they hummed squealed and buzzed while they made their copies. At that time, no one could have imagined what was to become of those earlier machines in terms of technological advancements, but here we are today with office copiers that are literally packed with an ever increasing functions.

Modern Feature Laden Office Copiers

Aside from all of the integrated functions that come in todays modern office copiers they have also shrunk in size considerably and are whole lot less expensive then they used to be. Also, they are maintenance free, which people now take for granted. However; people who were around in the early days of office copiers can remember how the early models spent many hours with "their hood up" while a befuddled repair man tinkered with it.

Thermal Printers Print Labels on Fabric

With today's multi-function office copiers, you can scan, print and copy as well as fax all with the same lightweight machine that fits easily on the top of a desk. Thermal printers can even print text and images on fabric, as well as many types of rough uneven media. This type of printer is perfect for any number of commercial applications including label making.

Memory Capacity

As time progresses new technological features just keep being added to today's office copiers including memory function that will store text and images in the machine for later printing. Also, office copiers with memory capacity are also available that function with a a memory stick that enables a user to transfer text and images directly from the Internet to the copy machine.

Your business is growing. You've added 2 new staff members in the past year, and all 5 employees are complaining about the increasing difficulty of sharing files. Your billing database is on a computer which can only be accessed by your administrative assistant, and you are concerned about not having a centralized backup of the files being saved on each employee's computer. If this all sounds familiar, it may be time to implement a computer network.

In this discussion, we'll look at two main computer network solutions for small and medium businesses. We'll explore the pros and cons of each type so that you can decide which network might be the best solution for your business.

Network Basics

Networks begin when two or more computers are connected so that information can be shared. In order to connect to any kind of network, a computer requires a network card and CAT5 or CAT6 cables. (If the computer has a "wireless" network card, radio signals can be used in place of the cables.) A network also requires a piece of equipment called a switch, which acts as a central routing "hub" for the information being shared. A switch is kind of like a mail room in a large company. It makes sure the addressed messages get to the right recipient.

Peer to Peer Networks

The most basic type of network is a called a peer to peer network. This type of network consists of several computers which are connected to each other. The "network" consists of shared folders located on computers within the network. These folders are set to a "shared" status, so that other people connected to the network can access them. Each shared folder is accessed by the users of the network, who set up a certain drive letter (say H:) as a "pointer" to the shared folders on other computers. In addition, any printers connected to any computer can be shared to other network users.

Benefits of a Peer to Peer Network:

* A peer to peer network is inexpensive to set up. It uses the built in networking capabilities of Windows XP Professional (or Vista Business), so no special software is needed. It allows for file and printer sharing, and can be an adequate choice for a very small office.

Limits of a Peer to Peer Network

* Peer to peer networks are dependent upon the computer knowledge of each employee, as certain rules must be followed in order to minimize network interruptions. If a user shuts down his machine in the middle of the day, other users on the network lose access to the files in that machine's shared folder. In the picture provided above, the laptop might only connect to the network when an employee is not traveling. Any files stored on that laptop are not available (and may not be backed up) when that employee is out of the office.
* Network and data security are weak.
* Files are not centralized, so getting a back up of all critical files is more difficult.
* Ongoing tasks like anti-virus scanning and Windows updates are localized on each machine. Updating virus definitions and patches has to be done manually at each machine, which is time consuming.

Client Server Networks

A more common type of network is called a client server network. This type of network uses a central server and specialized network software. The server is dedicated and is only used to store files and run server tasks. The computers which connect to the server are called clients and these are the machines the company staff would use. The server acts as the "hub" of the network, and does most of the "behind the scenes" maintenance and storage. Common server network operating systems include Windows Small Business Server 2003 or 2008, Windows Server or Linux.

Benefits of a Client Server Network

* The server stores all of the shared files for each user.
* The server runs the file backups which can be scheduled in the middle of the night, minimizing network interruptions.
* The server manages user security, and insures that all users who access the network are authorized to do so.
* The server manages printer sharing and acts as a central repository for the printer drivers and settings.
* The server manages other common tasks such as internet access, email routing, Windows updating and anti-virus definition management.
* The server can also share software applications out to multiple users.
* The server can also provide for an "Intranet", an internal website which holds shared company information such as news announcements, HR policies, training documents, and more.

In short, a client server network provides for easier network administration, and provides a much more robust environment in which provide secure and manageable access to company data.

Limitations of a Client Server Computer Network

* A server based computer network is more expensive to implement. Server computers are powerful machines with built-in redundancy and other hardware to provide data safety. Hence, they cost much more than a simple desktop computer.
* The server network software is also much more powerful, complicated, and must be installed correctly to run all of the required tasks, and so the cost is higher for both the software and installation charges.
* The server is a critical point of failure. If it goes down, the entire network comes to a halt. This drawback can be minimized with the installation of redundant drives in the server (so that if one fails, the others will still be working), and even a second server that can take over if the primary server fails completely. Cost then becomes the only issue.

Setting up a Shoutcast server can be a tedious adventure if you don't know how. You have to know your WAN IP and a lot of the things that most PC users cringe at the thought of having to do on a computer, but that's not you! You're here to learn this stuff and learn it well! Or at least click buttons until it does something, heh.

If you don't know what WAN IP means I will go into a little detail about that later on. Right now just keep what little sanity you have left from reading the first paragraph and trying to stop your brain from melting, It will all be over soon.

Basic Shoutcast server configuration is usually what most people get caught up on since it can be pretty difficult to get running smoothly. Luckily this guide will get you streaming your favorite music to the masses in no time! Or if you prefer, broadcasting your digital DJ skills to the internet. Some things you will need to have written down or memorized at least will be explained in detail as we go along! So grab a pen or "notepad.exe" if you prefer and lets get started with Winamp Shoutcast Broadcasting!

First things first, do you know your IP address? This is your PC's address on the internet, its a simple string of numbers with 4 sections divided by a period. It will be where people using the internet will connect to to listen in on your Shoutcast Server.

I've gone ahead and got your WAN IP address for you, Your IP is 68.229.252.209

WAN IP stands for Wide Area Network and is how you communicate with other websites and people on the internet. Your WAN IP address I just grabbed for you and just now should be correct but if you are behind a Proxy server then the WAN IP listed above will be no good as it will only show the Proxy which you are connecting through. If you do not know what a Proxy server is then you should be ok. Write down your IP adress and read on.

With IP address in hand and a lot of self esteem Lets go ahead and download the tools we will need to setup and install a Winamp Shoutcast Server. This guide is assuming you do not have Winamp installed or the Shoutcast Server. head over to Winamp.com and download Winamp for free, this link will open in a new window.

Once you have downloaded Winamp you will need the Winamp Shoutcast DSP plugin, once again this link will open in a new window, go there and download the plugin I'll wait. Oh that was fast! I hope you downloaded the right Shoutcast DSP plugin for your version of Winamp, anyway lets move on.

Now its time to download the actual Shoutcast Server that will connect your Winamp to the internet and broadcast your noise loud and clear! Head over to Shoutcast's Download page this link opens in a new window so no worries. Once there click on "be a server" it should be the last link of the three options. Download the Shoutcast Server program where ever you saved Winamp and the Winamp DSP plugin to, hopefully you saved all three files to the same spot. Ok we now have all the tools we need to bump some serious Ludwig van Beethoven beats. Lets install this bad boy or girl.

Install Winamp first, we'll start with the easy stuff then work our way up the ladder to harder configurations. The installation of Winamp should be fairly straight forward and will probably only take a minute to install. Winamp likes to open itself once properly installed to show off its awesomeness so once you see Winamp's main window you should be done installing Winamp.This is my Winamp installed with a custom skin, if your winamp looks different don't worry, I have a custom skin which makes my Winamp program look like this, yours should look similar however. congratulations you have successfully passed the point of no return, read on.

Shoutcast DSP Plugin hard at workNext lets install our nifty little Winamp DSP Plugin I was talking so much about earlier, once again it should be an extremely simple and quick installation, you pretty much just have to hit "OK" for it to install, don't mess with any default settings it might show during installation. The Winamp DSP plugin is what will be creating the bridge between Winamp and your Shoutcast Server allowing any audio which is playing in your Winamp to be miraculously heard by many people despite the distance they are from your PC. Isn't the internet grand? If you don't see the "SHOUTcast Source" window open immediately then you might have to turn it on, go to, Winamp Options Preferences Plug-ins then in the list on the left under Plug-ins click on DSPEffects and you should see your installed plugins listed in the window to the right, highlight "Nullsoft SHOUTcast Source DSP" and your SHOUTcast source screen should pop up instantly.

Oh yea, here's a tiny version of what the Winamp DSP screen looks like!

You don't have to configure anything yet, but trust me, we will be playing with this window more later.

Install the Shoutcast Server program last! Why? Because I don't want to re-write this article if you installed it first! This is what you will use to stream audio from Winamp and its really simple to configure so you're in luck! Install the Winamp Shoutcast server leaving all the default options alone during installation. Once its complete it will pop up the Shoutcast Server "Readme.txt" read the Readme.txt carefully to fully understand how everything works... OK fine, don't "RTFM" I'll just show you how to configure it, happy? Me too!

Configuring the Shoutcast Server GUI

Open the Shoutcast Server GUI (GUI stands for General user Interface or Fancy Window With Buttons to press")

Star menu / Program files / SHOUTcast DNAS / Edit SHOUTcast DNAS configuration

A spiffy text document will pop up called sc_serv.ini, this is the brains of the Shoutcast Server and ultimately controls how the program controlls incoming connections to your audio stream. We only need to change one simple thing in the server configuration file (sc_serv.ini) which is on line 29 which would be the password field which should currently be defaulted to "yourpasswordhere" change the password field from "Password=yourpasswordhere" to whatever you want like "Password=jwpctips" or whatever you want just don't include the " "'s. Once you have thought of a nifty password for your server close the sc_serv.ini making sure to save your changes. Your Shoutcast Server is now configured, lets tell Winamp about this!

Configuring the Nullsoft SHOUTcast Source DSP Plug-in

Go back the SHOUTcast Source window and click on the Output tab. Check "Connect at Startup, enter your WAN IP address ( 68.229.252.209 ) into the "Address field and change the password field to the password you entered in the sc_serv.ini. You might want to check the box next to "Automatic Reconnection on Connection Failure" and set the reconnection time out to 15 second for good measure. This is telling the plugin where your Shoutcast server is located, the password to gain access to your Shoutcast server, and if it disconnects for whatever reason to try to connect again within 15 seconds.

Once you have entered your information into the Output tab click on the "Yellowpages" button. Enter a brief description in the "Description" field telling what your stream is about, an example would be "JW's Rave music online DJ remix" or "JW's radio talkshow". If you do not have a website you would like your listeners to be sent to if they click the title of your stream on the Shoutcast Showcase page then leave the URL blank, if you do have a website you would like to direct your listeners to then enter it in the "URL" field. The Genre field is the type of Shoutcast broadcasting you will be streaming out, examples are Talk, Rap, Country, Rock and Roll.

If you have an AIM or ICQ screen name you can enter them if you want to but its not necessary. Also completely optional is the #IRC, if you don't have an IRC channel then this isn't necessary to change.

You have successfully configured your Winamp Nullsoft DSP plugin! Now lets throw everything together and kick tires!

broadcasting from your New Winamp Shoutcast server

Make sure you have winamp open with the SHOUTcast Source window open, then go to Start menu / Program Files / SHOUTcast DNAS / SHOUTcast DNAS (GUI) your server should pop back up and display a bunch of mumbo jumbo which usually you don't have to pay attention to, its just the server telling you whats vaguely going on behind the scene. Switch back over to Winamp and throw some MP3's on your play list and press play, Your SHOUTcast Source window should connect to your Shoutcast Server and begin streaming whatever you have currently playing in your play list!

Congratulations, you've just installed and configured a Winamp Shoutcast Server and didn't even blink! This is a fairly basic setup which could be fine tuned to allow such things at more listener slots so more internet people can listen to your stream rather then the default 32 limit, but you have to take into consideration how stressful having 200 listeners on your stream can be to your bandwidth. I would say for a basic cable modem a 32 user limit is pretty beefy and having a full server may cause your listener's connection to your stream to become unstable, which is an easy fix to change the limit of listeners, just edit the sc_serv.ini again and search there for "MaxUser=32" and adjust the number to whatever you fell comfortable with.

I was looking for a part-time job to do at home while playing my xbox360 and then it struck me...can I make money by playing video games?

Only4gamers was a site I stumbled upon and after reading through what it has to offer and various reviews of it, I decided to take the plunge and try it. I will explain to you my experience and my opinions on the program.

So how does Only4gamers.com work?

As long you have an internet connection and passion for video games, getting set up is really just a three step process. The instructions laid out for what to do during this three step process make it a very easy...well...process =]. It is a digital product and so there is no hidden shipping fee, it really is delivered to you within seconds of ordering (a big plus).

There are no age restrictions for this so as long as you know how to judge what is a good game and what is not...what works and what doesn't you can easily be on your way to making $40 dollars an hour.

I personally got a job within 30 days (mind you I wasn't putting in a lot of effort), and actually got the chance to test Grandtheft auto IV for Rockstar games before it was even released! (I was very excited)

Inside the processor there has been an increased concentration of cores (number of CPU's on a single chip). So the effect of more cores on a single chip mimics the physical presence of two or more processors requiring lesser energy because of the unique architecture and providing more efficiency. The latest processors have four cores, but manufacturers like Intel and AMD have released roadmaps for octal core processors stated for release in 2009 thereby setting the stage for 12, 16, and 20... processors on a single integrated circuit.

With all these cores in a tiny silver of silicon, networking and data transfer between the cores in the die (single integrated circuit) will need to have a quantum change. Unlike today's processor architecture where running different programs and applications means that the processor switches rapidly between them, future designs with say a hundred cores will have separate cores dedicated to individual processes. This means that word processing would be taken care of by one core, graphics processing by another, running a game on the third and so on. In such a scenario, current bus transfers data rates (transfer of data from one part of the chip to the other) simply cannot keep up. Going by the current architecture the data transfer rate would be lagging behind so badly that it would mean that most of the cores would be starved of data, and instead of speeding up individual applications they would slow down considerably.

To get around the inter-chip networking bottlenecks, companies like Intel and Rambus have been working on prototypes of newer architectural models of chip design. Rambus has a model called Terabyte Bandwidth Initiative (TBI) and Intel's programme is called Terascale Computing Research Program. Intel has released an eighty core chip that delivers super computer grade speeds on desktop computers. The finger-nail sized processor's performance is 1.81 trillion floating point calculations per second at the speed of 5.7 gigahertz which is about three hundred times faster than the fastest processors available in the market today. Data transfer rates achieved by these models have peak rates of up to 2.92 terabits per second which is approximately 374 gigabytes per second, putting them in numbers fifteen hundred full length movies per second.

How is all this going to be possible? In Intel's case each core has a 5-port message passing mesh network which is connected in a two dimensional mesh network with other cores that implement message passing- an efficient local area network on a chip. The cores will communicate with each better and a router will ensure that the right data goes to the right chip. Think of it like every chip knows what the other is doing and shares the workload because of the excellent communications network. This architecture is a lot more scalable than present day multi-core technologies in terms of speed and interconnectivity. The Rambus network differs in the sense that instead of sending one message per wire it has the capacity to send multiple messages per wire resulting in faster transfer. These technologies are stated to come in the market by 2010 according to the companies' statements.

Drag Fill in the Blank Learning Activity:

This learning activity consists of a paragraph with blanks for the student to fill in. The possible words that may fill in the blanks are listed below the paragraph. The student drags a word or group of words to fill in a blank. If he drags the correct word to the blank, the word moves into the space. If he drags it to the wrong spot, it returns to the bottom of the paragraph. After the student successfully drags the elements to the correct spots in the paragraph, the student gets a congratulations screen specific to that learning activity.

Functionality:

First, instructions appear describing the learning activity with directions. The student then drags the word or words to a blank or underlined part of the paragraph (each word grouping is indicated clearly; you cannot drag more than one choice at a time). If the student drags the word to the correct spot in the paragraph, the word appears above the underline and audio may indicate that he is correct. If the choice is incorrect, the word returns to the bottom of the paragraph. After the student has successfully dragged the choices to the correct underlined spots in the paragraph, the student sees a congratulations screen and hears applause.

A Drag Fill in the Blank: INSTRUCTIONS

Drag the term to its appropriate place in the paragraph to demonstrate your understanding of the material.

Paragraph with underlines to indicate blanks (Example, replace for new activity)

The _____________________ of the project was not in doubt; the ____________ cost was the issue. "Tell me the numbers. Do not _______________." The CEO was an __________ man and did not want to ___________________ the pain of the financial examination. In an effort to ____________ the CEO, the project leader ___________showed the reasons that the cost was so high.

efficacy exorbitant equivocate erudite
exacerbate emulate explicitly

Words to fill in blanks (Example, replace for new activity) Note that the words appear in more than one column as shown here:
Put the words in the order in which they will appear in the paragraph. We will randomize them.

Ending Text Message (may be a picture), Audio is generally applause.
Example, replace for new activity:

Congratulations! You understand your GRE Vocabulary Words!
Here is a link for you to check out the above learning activity in action:

http://www.syberworks.com/dragFillInTheBlank.html

Below are some variations of the 'Drag Fill in the Blank' examples where this method of learning is useful:

Example 1: Identifying various parts of a machine.

Example 2: Testing knowledge of procedures by indicating missing words within steps.

Example 3: Using pictures instead of words to indicate knowledge of procedures, steps, or other pertinent information for a course.

Debugging:-Computer programmers, like everybody else, are not perfect. This means the programs they write sometimes have small errors, called "bugs," in them. These bugs can be minor, such as not recognizing user input, or more serious, such as a memory leak that crashes the program. Before releasing their software to the public, programmers "debug" their programs, eliminating as many errors as possible. This debugging process often takes a long time, as fixing some errors may introduce others.

Compiling:-When programmers create software programs, they first write the program in source code, which is written in a specific programming language, such as C or Java. These source code files are saved in a text-based, human-readable format, which can be opened and edited by programmers. However, the source code cannot be run directly by the computer. In order for the code to be understood by the computer's CPU, it must be compiled into an executable program.

Most software development programs include a compiler, which compiles source code files into machine code. This code, sometimes referred to as object code, can be executed directly by the computer's processor. Therefore, the resulting application is often referred to as an executable file. Windows executable files have a .EXE file extension, while Mac OS X programs have .APP extension, which is often hidden.

So the conclusion is a compiled program may have errors or bugs but not a successfully debugged program cannot have any.

What is Stereolithography?
Stereolithography has many names and few of them are 3D layering, 3D printing, solid free-form fabrication, photo-solidification and solid imaging. It is the most common and extensively used form of rapid manufacturing and rapid prototyping. Stereolithography fabricates 3D parts and allows creating solid 3D objects from CAD models with high precision and excellent surface finish within few hours (time depends upon size and complexity). Machines used for Stereolithography are known as Stereolithography Apparatus (SLA).

Advantages and Disadvantages:
Stereolithography provides a quick and simple means to convert CAD models into real objects. This is very useful where time is money. The constraint as mentioned above is that the time to produce three dimensional parts depends upon the size and complexity of the object. The accuracy is very good having tolerance within .004"/inch. The problem again is that SLA devices or machines are too expensive. Photo-curable resin used in Stereolithography can cost as high as $800 per gallon. Then the process involved in SLA produces fumes due to which it requires a well ventilated environment

Best Part of Rapid Prototyping:
Since 1986, the year of its invention, SLA has taken large steps equally in its machine design and resources used for it. SLA is real rapid modeling and is fast switching from rapid prototyping to rapid manufacturing. It can be an exceptionally convenient and valuable process in many conditions and for many industries. It has been used effectively to aid surgeons with ear implants and can be used in almost every industry from jewellery manufacturing to military, power, marine etc. This makes it the best part of rapid prototyping.

In today's fast pace and high tech world one must learn how they can always have their internet speed running as fast as possible. First off, you should download Firefox with Google Toolbar. After you have successfully downloaded Firefox with Google Toolbar you should then proceed to download Firetune, which is a completely free software component that is used to make FireFox run faster, more efficiently, and smarter.

Next, you will need to download the Lvllord Patch - this patch will be used to increase the TCP connections.

Finally, you'll need to download the SG TCP Optimizer - this software will help to increase your internets speed. Read the rest of this article and then be sure to click the link at the bottom for easy access to all of the downloads we just talked about.

To test internet speed at this point, simply point your browser to one of the free internet speed test. Click on test my internet speed to determine whether or not your internet speed has changed at all.

While what we just talked about should significantly increase your internets speed, you must also remember that there are many other various factors that affect your internets speed including spyware, adware, hardware, network conditions, and how many computers are connected in your household.
For example, if someone in your household is downloading a large multimedia file you can notice a large lag time on your computer due to the amount of bandwidth that is being used at one time. There is no defense against this and you have to wait it out.

In general, DSL is known to be a more stable internet but slower alternative to cable internet. Many businesses will turn to DSL and pay higher premiums to increase their speed and keep the stability. On the other hand, many households will deal with the random outages of cable internet in exchange for lightning fast speeds.

A quick tip that you can use to not only speed up your internet but your computer as well can be done by performing the following:

In your windows toolbar click Start-> Run

Next type "msconfig"

Once the msconfig toolbar comes up, click the "Startup" tab and de-select all. What this will do is unselect all the programs that automatically load on to your computer when you boot up. These processes highly drain your computers CPU and RAM which in turn causes your internet explorer and other programs to run much slower than they would if these programs did not startup immediately when you startup. By deselecting all the programs you are not deleting anything, you are simply choosing for them to not immediately start-up when you boot your computer.

Fiber optics is being used with increasing regularity due to the many advantages it provides over more traditional data transmission technologies such as copper wire. But what is it about fiber optic cables that make them so efficient?

How Are Fiber Optic Cables Made?

Fiber optics refers to the application of optical strands to transmit data using light signals. Most optical filaments are made of glass or, less commonly, plastic. Glass is more often used because there is less signal loss over long distances than with plastic.

Each optical thread is basically made of two "layers". The center is aptly named "the core" and this is where the light signals are sent through. Surrounding the core is the second layer, referred to as the cladding. The cladding is what retains the signal within the core, using a principle called "total internal reflection". The cladding is reflective, guiding the light indicators to travel through the core, while preventing the signals from escaping or being absorbed by external components.

Singlemode and Multimode Fibers

Optical strands can be grouped into two main categories. The first called singlemode fibers support one single propagation path, allowing one signal at a time. Singlemode are used for most communication links longer than 200 meters. Alternatively, there are also multimode fibers. These generally have a large-diameter core, and are used for short-distance communication links or for applications where high power must be transmitted.

How is information transmitted with light?

The light signal transmitted through these strands is not actually one continual beam of light. Rather, it is made up of short bursts of light signals. This process was derived from Morse code, the communication system involving series' of short and long signals representing individual values. This is also why computer code consists of only 1's and 0's.

Fiber Optics boasts many advantages over traditional cables, such as copper. Optical strands allow higher transfer rates, faster speeds and more reliability. They are safer and actually cost less in the long run than metal wire. Unlike metal wires, optical threads are immune to electromagnetic interference, have a much lower chance of fire or shorts, and prevent "crosstalk" between close cables.

For these reasons, fiber optics has become the best choice for many industries, including telecommunication systems, cable television transmission and data networks.

Of late, digital cards have become a growing industry. They have immense uses in the present time and are used extensively in almost every domain of life. These electronic cards have gained popularity due to their wide application. They have made their presence felt in almost every field including payphones, banking and retail, communication, security control and many more. With the use of Internet and e commerce, smart cards have gained momentum and there are a plethora of usages.

In this day and age, it has become quite impossible to move out, shop or even eat without having a smart card. Digital cards have indeed become an integral part of our lives since they are easy to carry along and use. These portable cards have made life much easier than it used to be before. They serve as reliable identification cards and are absolutely safe to use. In this article, we will throw light on the prime uses of smart cards, which are mentioned below:

Payphones

There are several countries where payphones are well equipped with card readers. Their benefit to the phone companies is that they are not required to collect coins and also they get timely payment in the most convenient manner. People like to use their electronic phone cards at payphones, because they need not keep their eyes on their wallet every time to see if they have adequate money or not.

Banking and Retailing

Smart banking cards have multiple uses. They can be used as debit cards, credit cards or store value cards. Smart bank cards also serve as a good personal identification proof. There is an intelligent microchip on the smart card as well as on the card reader that secures the interest of users, merchants as well as bank. Of late, these cards have given impetus to loyalty programs.

Security Control

Every organization whether school or private firm needs some form of security control. Though there are several kinds of security control measures, but smart id cards are considered to be better than the rest, as they operate offline as well. A smart id card authenticates a person's identity and is extensively used in schools and offices nowadays. It also gives an access to individuals such as students in restricted areas. They can easily enter computer rooms by showing their smart id cards on the smart card reader.

Mobile Phone Communication

Smart cards have great use in the field of mobile phone communication. For GSM digital mobile phones, these cards make a wonderful identification device. They store every bit of information to bill the user. Also, these cards enable the user to make calls from any phone terminal.

Health Care Services

Smart health cards give accessibility to the patients' case history. Information is properly stored and can be accessed at any point of time. Health care professionals access patients' information, which is stored on their smart cards, and update the same in their official records. Smart medical cards also pave way for instant insurance processing. In fact, nowadays doctors and nurses also carry smart identification cards that enable them to do multi level information accessing.

E-commerce

Digital cards are widely used for performing a host of electronic commercial transactions. You can buy articles of your choice over the Internet. You can get the tickets booked via Internet by means of a smart card. You can order flowers, birthday gifts and do a lot more by using your smart card as a credit card or debit card. Smart cards have great use in service industries, as you can easily make payments online for services provided by the other party.

Did you know Apple has sold more than 140 million iPods? That total includes a number of people replacing a broken iPod.

But in many cases those broken players could have been repaired.

I bought this iPod to keep my digital pictures handy. But ask the experts and they'll tell you this bright display is also the iPod's Achilles' heel.

Tony Viteritto is in the business of repairing iPods. He says sitting on your iPod or dropping it may be enough to crack the screen.

He says, "Once it cracks, it starts to bleed. And then you really can't see anything at all."

A cracked screen can't be fixed, but it can be replaced. Viteritto showed us its simply a matter of opening the iPod and fumbling with a tiny connector.

If your hard drive goes bad or your battery won't hold a charge or your earphone jack has a loose connection, all of those can be replaced, too.

Fixing these problems is SO simple. Viteritto even sells the parts so you can do the repair job yourself and save some money.

But having tried this type of thing myself... let me warn you the wiring and connectors in today's electronics are so fragile you might want to leave this repair job to the professionals.

Ipod Refresh is a privately owned company and is a valued member of the BBB. They guarantee their work and use 100% original ipod parts. Their friendly customer service and technical support are superior!

Computers systems have internal real-time clocks that are notoriously poor at keeping accurate time. Hence, the time on all computers and network devices can drift away from one another at different rates. This can be a real headache when trying to synchronise time-critical processes. However, it is quite simple to synchronise every device on your network to an accurate time reference - a NTP time server.

NTP servers are Internet, or locally, based time references that maintain a highly precise time and make this time available to client computers. These time servers obtain accurate time from external reference clocks such as GPS, radio time and frequency sources or other NTP servers.

NTP, or Network Time Protocol, is used by the Internet to distribute accurate time information to network time clients. NTP has been an important part of the Internet for over 25 years. The protocol was developed because of the need to provide synchronisation of critical processes. Most operating systems in use today, including Windows XP, 2003 and LINUX have the built-in ability to synchronise time with a NTP Server. Additionally, there are any number of Internet based NTP Time Servers with public access that can be used to synchronise your network infrastructure.

Microsoft Windows XP/2000/2003 has pre-configured SNTP, Simple Network Time Protocol, client software that can synchronise time with a time server. This is achieved by simply entering the domain name of an Internet NTP Server in the time properties tab or registry entry. The Windows machine will then contact the NTP Server and synchronise the system time to the specified reference at periodic intervals.

LINUX based systems have a NTP daemon that is available from the official NTP website. The NTP daemon runs constantly in background and monitors specified NTP servers. The daemon reads a structured list of NTP servers from a configuration file and periodically synchronises time with a selected reference.

To summarise, NTP time servers are dedicated network time servers that obtain time from an accurate external reference, such as radio or GPS, and provide an accurate timing reference. Time servers are often rack-mountable devices with external antenna's and an Ethernet connection. The devices obtain time from a radio or GPS timing reference and maintain an accurate internal time. This time is then distributed to time clients over an IP network. Dedicated NTP servers often minimize the set-up and configuration effort required to get a NTP time server installation up and running.

Dave Evans is an experienced technical author with many years experience of NTP Server and Time Server systems and solutions to ensure accurate time on computers and network infrastructure. Dave has been heavily involved in the architecture of dedicated NTP time server systems, synchronised digital wall clocks and atomic clock timing products. Please visit our web site to find out more about time server and NTP Server systems.